"It doesn't feel like INEOS aren't able to sign big leaders" - Is the British team putting all its chips on Noval Jr.?
Cycling
Netcompany INEOS has lost Filippo Ganna mid-contract but has announced plenty signings in recent weeks. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have debated the meaning of this transfer season in the short and long-term.
The British team had previously lost several riders under contract such as Victor Langellotti, Sam Welsford, and now lastly Filippo Ganna.
In addition to the retirements of Ben Swift and Bob Jungels, the team is also seeing the departure of Ben Turner, Andrew August, Artem Shmidt, Magnus Sheffield and Laurens de Plus. A major overhaul is set for next season, with a third of the 2026 roster already departing.
The team's signings include Benjamin Noval Jr., Harold Tejada, Clément Champoussin, Joe Blackmore, Riley Sheehan, James Shaw, Javier Romo and Markel Beloki.
One point the duo came to notice was the lack of a major leader for the team's short-term plans. "It's a good point in that we don't see leaders, necessarily. There's no Filippo Ganna replacement," Quinn argued.
"He's just such a unique rider, you can't replace him to get someone of similar quality," Silva responded. "Well, you would have to buy out someone from their contracts, which as we've been seeing, that is more and more possible. So I think the impossible is less impossible nowadays".
Sheehan, Shaw, Blackmore and Champoussin join INEOS
The bulk of the team's signings had already been agreed on early in the summer or fall, but revealed towards the end of the competitive phase of the season. Such a decision was to be expected, with Quinn pointing out how the team's future looks more stable now.
The British outfit has 21 names confirmed for 2027, with six of its riders under contract still yet to renew - or move elsewhere.
"if you're following INEOS and you're really worried about their transfer market direction, it's somewhat stabilizing. You know, like you have a mix of promise as well as solidity coming in. Like I see James Shaw and I see Champoussin's solid stage racing, Grand Tour riders for them to bring in".
"But the arrival of Joe Blackmore is, I think, a pretty solid sign and a pretty strong signing, to be honest, because there's such a high ceiling for Blackmore," he put emphasis on.
"You know, we only saw three or four race days this year from him. So if he can put the kind of injury problems he's had this year behind him, like it's a great signing for INEOS really. It's a British rider with huge potential".
The NSN Cycling Team rider has had to handle knee issues that held him off throughout the entire 2026 season, but is a rider with lots of potential, having won the Tour de l'Avenir only two years ago.
"And it's a perfect team to get that potential around them, especially with less leaders. Now there's more opportunities. Riley Sheehan transfer, again, I think that's a good signing - You know, American rider, English speaking, English core team... He's 26 years old, hitting the peak of his powers. Good signing. We've seen what he's done with NSN over the last couple of seasons, and I think he'll do a little bit more with INEOS".
The team's most recent move, Javier Romo, was previously under contract with Movistar team, and might prove to be a major market hit:
"So things look better. Javier Romo coming as well is another strong signing, like I'm thinking maybe longer term of Beloki, Benjamin Noval [Jr.]. This is another Spanish rider to kind of add to the Spanish core we've seen INEOS have for the last couple of years".
Despite barely racing in 2026, Joe Blackmore is one of Netcompany INEOS' bets for 2027
Silva however, was not as positive on the British team's outlook for 2027. "I struggle to see a transition actually, to be honest, because it feels to me like Ganna's departure is the team's most meaningful transfer of the winter, but that's a loss in this case".
"And I think that it's meaningful. I think INEOS losses this winter are very meaningful because Ben Turner was almost as important, in my opinion, as Ganna within the team".
In his point of view, the team has lost almost all of its capacity to challenge for the sprints - with the exception of Dorian Godon; and its leaders for the cobbled classics with Ganna and Turner both departing. Above all, no replacement for the team's departing men for these terrains, but instead a vast array of climbers.
Johan Bruyneel argued earlier in the week on The Move podcast that the team may be tight in budget, something which the duo believes might be possible taking into consideration the current outlook of its winter.
"When I see the signings, I sort of see it, because it doesn't feel like INEOS aren't able to sign big leaders, because they're bringing in plenty of new riders [...] I don't think that they have the ability. I don't think that they maybe don't have the money to sign a big leader at this moment".
Is Benjamin Noval INEOS' next big bet?
The question lies on whether the team's future bet is already confirmed, and INEOS is looking to prepare for the growth of double junior World Champion Benjamin Noval Jr. instead.
"We have to consider that Noval is world champion in both disciplines. If you're INEOS, you're Geraint Thomas, and you're thinking 'how do I win a grand tour in the next couple of years?' It's probably not Oscar Onley. It's probably not any of the riders they brought in," Quinn argued.
But one rider, with a deal that was agreed on back in June of 2025, might be 'the one'.
"Filippo Ganna isn't going to help you do that either, probably. It's Noval. So they have to hope or work towards Noval being the next Paul Seixas, Noval being the next sensation.
Read also
Can INEOS still sign a new leader into 2027?
But the market is not yet closed, and with the potential to add new riders into its block, there is the potential for the British team to still play a major role in the market if the team is not in fact under financial ties at the moment.
"But at this point of year, with such little time ahead, that's hard, that's hard," Silva argues on the team saving its winter block. "I don't see it happening. But they may be a big wild card now, if they do have that Ganna salary available, they could be a very big wild card for what's left of the transfer season".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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