What to expect from CanMNT quartet who made deadline day moves with World Cup in mind

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As expected, it was a busy deadline day for several CanMNT players, marking the fitting end to a packed summer transfer window. 

A window that featured over a dozen transfers for CanMNT-capped players, four of those moves materialized on deadline day, as this window ended with a bang.

Interestingly, all four players who moved are in the CanMNT camp this week, too, as Canada prepares to play Wales and Romania in a pair of friendlies. 

Yet, that’s a good reminder of why this window was so busy for Canadians, as many pushed to improve their stocks ahead of the World Cup next summer. Certainly, that was the case with all of these four deadline day moves, as each player could stand to benefit from their respective moves in different ways. 

To that point, here’s what stood out from each of those four transfers. 

Cyle Larin looks to refind goals with Feyenoord:

It was no secret - Cyle Larin needed a move out of RCD Mallorca. While it wouldn’t have been a bad thing to see him stay in La Liga, the fit just hasn’t been there with Mallorca, especially when compared to his previous landing spot, Real Valladolid. 

🇨🇦 𝗖𝗬𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡 = 🟥⬜⬛

Welcome to the club, Cyle! pic.twitter.com/NmeoP0O83t

— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) September 2, 2025

To that point, he scored eight goals and added three assists in just 19 La Liga games with Valladolid during the magical half-season run at the end of 2022-2023 - he had 10 goals and four assists in 68 La Liga games across two seasons with Mallorca, by comparison. 

He did have four goals and one assist in Mallorca’s run to the 2023-2024 Copa Del Rey final, where they lost to Athletic Bilbao, but otherwise, his stint with the club has been marred by inconsistency - both in terms of his minutes and performances. 

That has hurt his stock with the CanMNT, where he’s gone from a locked-in starter to someone battling to keep up with a rapidly improving striker pool. To that point, he’s scored just once in his last 20 appearances for Canada - a far cry from the 20 goals he once scored in a 29-game period for his country between March 2021 and March 2023, a stint in which he even held CanMNT’s all-time goalscoring record (a mark that Jonathan David has since assumed and looks set to hold onto for the considerable future). 

GOAL 🇨🇦

CYLE LARIN makes it 1-0 for the #CanMNT vs. Panama!

It's a lesson in Maplepressing as Canada's high press turns over the ball and Larin scores from the turnover at the stroke of half-time 😎

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/Pyo3nEqjvl

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 16, 2024

The good news for Larin, however, is that despite the strong performances of Tani Oluwaseyi and Promise David at the club level, neither has been able to seize a starting spot alongside Jonathan David on the CanMNT. Because of that, Jesse Marsch looks set to maintain an open competition for that starting spot over the next few months, which is why Larin made this loan move to Feyenoord, one that should be beneficial to him, for many reasons.

Namely, the big one will be the style of play at his new club. Despite Larin’s size and frame, he’s a striker who is at his best when he’s in front of the goal with his ball at his feet, while getting involved in his team’s link-up play. 

Because of that, one can see why he struggled on a Mallorca side that held just 46.8% of possession in La Liga last year and averaged just over 10 shots per game (which was the fourth-lowest total in La Liga). That’s shown in the fact that Larin averaged just 28.6 touches per 90, including 12.6 touches in the attacking third and 3.67 touches in the box - for context, that put him in the 34th percentile among La Liga attackers for the touches per 90, 30th percentile for touches in the attacking third and 32nd percentile in touches in the box, which is not great. 

Now, with Feyenoord, he’ll expect to see a lot more of the ball, as is the benefit of joining one of the top teams in a league like the Eredivisie (Feyenoord have finished third, second, first and third in their last four Eredivisie seasons). That they averaged 57.3% of possession last year, generating the second-most shots and third-most non-penalty xG in the league backs that up. 

Yet, that’s the trade-off Larin is making here. On paper, it’s naturally a downgrade to move from what OPTA ranks as the second-strongest league in Europe to one that’s at the bottom of the top 10, but it can be argued that Larin’s joining a stronger club than the one he’s leaving.

To that point, OPTA ranks Feyenoord 42nd among all clubs in the world in their latest rankings; Mallorca, by comparison, is ranked 106th. Even when considering that Feyenoord benefits from playing in a weaker league, it still feels like Feyenoord is a better situation for a player to drop into when considering they’ll be battling for trophies and are also in the Europa League, instead of just battling to finish midtable in Spain. 

That’s especially true in Larin’s case as a 30-year-old striker, too. While there will be a lot he’ll have learned about playing with a team like Mallorca, he’s at an age where he needs to be playing and producing regularly. Even if that means dropping to a slightly lower league, that won’t matter in the end as long as he starts finding the net with consistency once again, especially at a club of Feyenoord’s stature. 

He doesn’t need to score 19 league goals like he did when he won the Turkish league title with Besiktas in 2020-2021, but hitting double-digits across all competitions would be a nice figure to aim for, especially if he’s getting the minutes he needs.

Larin's numbers with Mallorca in 2024-2025 La Liga action (in red) compared to his half-season with Valladolid (in blue). Safe to say Feyenoord would love him to replicate that sort of offensive output at his new club (FBRef). 

Now, however, something to watch out for will be where he fits in at his new club, as he’s got decent competition for a starting spot between Ayase Ueda and Casper Tengstedt. The latter is a new arrival from Benfica, which is good news for Larin, but the former has already scored four goals in three games to start 2025-2026 after scoring nine goals across all competitions last year. 

On a team that primarily plays with one striker in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, there are only so many minutes to go around between three strikers, after all, so the competition for places will be fierce. 

For what it’s worth, Larin can play in multiple different roles - his best goalscoring season with Besiktas came from the left wing - and it’s not as if Feynoord won’t consider using two strikers if needed, either. 

Yet, lastly, that speaks to another big benefit of this move for Larin - the chance to work with head coach Robin Van Persie, who is recognized as one of the best strikers of his generation. If there’s a coach who will be patient and understanding with the demands of playing as a centre forward at the highest level, someone who scored over 250 goals in just over 500 appearances for club and country is a safe bet. 

Certainly, Van Persie will have made his expectations and ambitions clear to Larin, which perhaps might’ve swayed him to make this move over staying in Spain, for example. 

Can Larin repay Van Persie’s faith and win a regular role while scoring goals at his new club? Certainly, that’ll be what the CanMNT will hope for, as they’d love nothing more than to rely upon an in-form Larin again, something that would certainly add a new layer to that competitive striker race that’s brewing. 

Derek Cornelius set for regular role with Rangers:

After just one year in France, Derek Cornelius has left Olympique de Marseille, also heading out on loan (a theme of this deadline day) to Scottish side Rangers. 

💙 Welcome to Rangers, Derek Cornelius.

All the info ⤵️

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 1, 2025

Much like with Larin, this is a good reset for Cornelius, who didn’t look likely to play a big role for the French side this season - although he earned his longest shift in a while this past weekend by going more than 60 minutes off the bench due to a red card in Marseille’s loss to Olympique Lyonnais. 

While it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to stick it out and battle for minutes on a Marseille side playing in the UEFA Champions League, Cornelius wanted regular minutes, and he’ll certainly get that with Rangers, who have a lack of experienced centre backs in their ranks. 

Plus, it’s worth noting that this move to Rangers will both A) help him to capitalize on some strengths in his game and B) defend in a way that isn’t too dissimilar to how the CanMNT defend under Jesse Marsch, which are two positives to consider. 

In particular, that last point is key - Rangers want to hold the ball and defend aggressively under new manager Russell Martin, which fits Cornelius’s style of play almost to a tee. When considering that, and the regular minutes he’s likely to earn, this move is a no-brainer on that front - and that’s without considering that Cornelius will also play European soccer for the first time with Rangers’ qualification to the Europa League. 

The one thing to watch with this move, however, is the competition that Rangers will face in the Scottish league, which ranks quite low - the league wasn’t even on OPTA’s list of top 30 leagues when factoring ‘average power rating’. Because of that, it’ll be interesting to see how his defensive game will continue to develop when considering that he won’t be facing the strongest attackers on a week-to-week basis, at least when not facing fellow Scottish giants Celtic or the foes that await Rangers in Europa League action. 

Of course, Rangers are a solid club, ranking around 120th on OPTA’s list of teams, which is comparable to some teams at the bottom of the top five leagues and other giants that dominate their leagues and regularly play in European football (and Rangers aren’t far removed from a run to the Europa League final this decade, it must be remembered). Along with the strong support they have and the pressure they face internally to push for titles, those are good factors that will have pushed Cornelius when making this move.

Plus, given that he’s now 27, it’s not as big a deal that he’s not facing regular competition from top-five league strikers, but one can only wonder how proposed moves to La Liga side CD Alavés and Serie A outfit Cremonese could’ve worked for Cornelius had he chosen them, as he would’ve also gotten regular minutes there, too. 

Ultimately, the allure of a club like Rangers and European football was too hard to ignore, so look for Cornelius to take advantage of this opportunity the same way Alistair Johnston has done with Celtic - he’s a prime example of how you can still develop despite the weaknesses of the Scottish League. 

For example, if Cornelius were to play 2000+ minutes for Rangers, shine in his Europa League appearances and help win a trophy, putting him in form to start for Canada at next summer’s World Cup, would that not be a great loan stint for him? It’d be hard to argue with that.

Cornelius's numbers compared to centre backs in the top 5 leagues and European champion - as seen, he was quite strong on the ball and solid defensively, two skills that will help him fit in nicely at Rangers (FBRef)

But he’ll want to hit the ground running with Luc De Fougerolles’ performances for FCV Dender in the Belgian league (a circuit ranked in the top 10 on OPTA’s list), as Cornelius’s margin for error is a lot smaller at Rangers than it would’ve been at Alavés or Cremonense - that’s the risk he makes with what is otherwise a pretty safe and solid move. 

Theo Bair hits reset button with Lausanne loan:

Theo Bair is Swiss-bound after one year in France, as the 25-year-old striker secured a loan move to Swiss top-flight side Lausanne-Sport from Ligue 1 side Auxerre on deadline day. 

✍️ Theo Bair prêté à Lausanne-Sport 🇨🇭

L’AJA et le FC Lausanne-Sport ont trouvé un accord pour le prêt, avec option d’achat, de l'attaquant canadien.

Theo, l’ensemble du club te souhaite une excellente saison dans le championnat suisse ! 💪#TeamAJA pic.twitter.com/SRB2COzPk5

— AJ Auxerre (@AJA) September 1, 2025

After making 32 appearances for Auxerre since joining them last summer, Bair is hitting the reset button as he searches for a bigger role - he played just 1004 minutes across those 32 appearances in France, with only 12 of them being starts, scoring twice. 

He should now get that at Lausanne, who are in a bit of an interesting position themselves, as they get set to tackle European football for the first time since 2010-2011, when they participated in the Europa League (doing so despite being in the Swiss second tier at the time). 

This time around, they’ll play in the UEFA Conference League, which will be a great opportunity for them, considering that they were in the Swiss second tier just two years ago, having spent most of the last 50 years yo–yoing between the top three tiers. Having last won the Swiss league title in the 1964-1965 season, they’d love nothing more than to change that this year, after finishing fifth last season. 

Now, Bair will hope to help them in that quest, as he looks to rediscover the form he had before heading to Auxerre, which included a 15-goal, six-assist season with Motherwell in 2023-2024. Given that he hardly got a chance to be involved in Auxerre's attacks in the games he did play, generating a low number of offensive actions, he'll hope that he sees the ball a lot more in and around the box than he did last season. 

Here are Bair's stats from last season with Auxerre, showing that he was mostly asked to win aerial duels and defend, as he otherwise wasn't getting many touches in and around the box (FBRef). 

Yet, that’s the bet he’s making with this move. With Canada’s loaded forward group, he’ll be in tough to make next year’s World Cup squad, but he still has every chance of making it if he can find form in Switzerland. 

He’ll need a season similar to the one he had with Motherwell, but that’s not impossible to see happening with Lausanne, who scored 62 goals in 38 league games last season. They’ve had a rough start to their season, sitting with just one win in four games as they’ve struggled to find their rhythm in league play after starting the year earlier than usual to play Conference League qualifiers, but perhaps Bair’s arrival can help re-ignite their form. 

He should play - although they now have five strikers on their squad, they play with two up front, and Bair is the lone striker over the age of 22 among that group, so there are reasons to believe that his experience can push him to earn a big role quite early.

Because of that, look for him to hit the ground running after the international break, one in which he earned his first CanMNT call-up of 2025, coming in as a last-minute replacement for Larin (who is awaiting the birth of his child), with Daniel Jebbison unavailable as he deals with a small knock. 

Ultimately, among Canada’s striker pool, there aren’t many players with his profile (he’s got great technical skills considering he’s 6’4”), other than Promise David, so Bair could make this race interesting if he catches form with Lausanne, showing why this could be an intriguing move for him to make despite the lack of relative fanfare that’s accompanied it. 

Jamie Knight-Lebel returns to League Two with Swindon Town move:

Lastly, Jamie Knight-Lebel is heading to League Two for a second straight season, as he joined Swindon Town on loan from Championship side Bristol City. 

We are delighted to announce the signing of defender Jamie Knight-Lebel on a season-long loan ❤️

— Swindon Town Football Club (@Official_STFC) September 1, 2025

After a strong loan with League Two side Crewe Alexandra, where he made 38 appearances across all competitions last year, it was hoped that Knight-Lebel would stick with Bristol City, but he was unable to pierce their team, not featuring in any of their matchday squads to begin the 2025-2026 campaign. 

While that’s frustrating for Knight-Lebel, who has to date made just three appearances for the club (twice in the Championship, once in the FA Cup), he is still just 20, so it’s not a bad thing to see him seek out a move to a place where he’ll play. 

One wonders if he could’ve earned a move to a higher level, such as League One, given that he’s joining a Swindon side that literally had the same record as Crewe Alexandra last year (they finished tied for 12th with 62 points from a record of 15W-17D-14L), but this Swindon move isn’t a bad one, either. 

Ultimately, for a young centre back, the most important thing is to be playing regularly, and it’s not a bad thing for him to be playing in a more physical league that will push him to adapt and evolve his game. 

Now, though, given that he proved capable of holding his own at this level last year, the goal for him will be to be utterly dominant at this level - if he does that, the possibility of him becoming a full-time Bristol City player will increase significantly, as will his chances of making the CanMNT’s World Cup squad. 

To that last point, his inclusion in the squad will also depend on A) the size of the squad and B) Jesse Marsch’s preference, so even a strong season might not be enough, but it can only help.

Here are Knight-Lebel's numbers from his stint with Crewe Alexandra, showing that he was quite strong defensively, showing that he'll want to now hit another level with his play on the ball - although he'll still feel he can still grow when it comes to what he does in his own half (WyScout). 

At the same time, given his potential, being in form could give him a big edge, which is likely why Marsch has already seemed to prefer him ahead of players like Kamal Miller, Zac McGraw and Kyle Hiebert over the last 10 months. He’ll be in tough to get ahead of someone like Joel Waterman in the race for a fourth centre back behind Moïse Bombito, Derek Cornelius and Luc De Fougerolles, which is why he’d be in tough to make the squad if it only consists of 23 players (hard to imagine Canada bringing five centre backs if that was the case), but he’ll have every chance of being there if this is a 26-player squad. 

Regardless, he remains someone to watch for the future, but he’ll now look to further make himself a name to keep an eye on in the present with this move, as he helps Swindon push for promotion - they currently sit tied for third through six games of League Two action, which is a strong start. 

With minutes likely there for the taking right from day one, with Swindon using a back five, Knight-Lebel will hope to be able to slot in quickly at his new side.