OPINION - INEOS may be in for a very hard transfer season, what riders could they sign to save it?
Cycling
Netcompany INEOS have a task at hand: Improve their level and perform better in 2027 than what is happening in 2026. The former Team Sky might never see its success of the 2010's ever again, whilst the transfer market does not favour the British outfit. What moves can still be done to make it a successful winter?
There must be context for the why this transfer season is so important for INEOS. As often mentioned, the team's budget continues to lie around the €50 million a season, only matched by Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and only upped by UAE Team Emirates - XRG. The comparison between the three teams' climbing blocks are very hard however, clearly favouring the team of Tadej Pogacar; whilst their German rivals have Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Primoz Roglic, Giulio Pellizzari, Jai Hindley... And also an up-and-coming Lorenzo Finn.
Obviously, not all of the budget is directed towards the mountain blocks. But elsewhere, INEOS doesn't exactly stand above their direct rival either. In the time trialing there is a very strong effort, and credit where its due: Filippo Ganna and Joshua Tarling are two of the best in the world, and get the support they deserve.
But in the classics? Pogacar puts INEOS' full team to rest within one attack whilst Evenepoel is not far off. In the sprints? INEOS' mostly works around Ben Turner and Sam Welsford. BORA and UAE don't stand at the top of the world, but the three stand in that mid-field with some wins, but far from the best.
INEOS have had a rough 2020's. The lack of an official under-23 team until this very year has also been widely regarded as one of the most catastrophic decisions - or lack of one; whilst all its rivals and many teams well below successfully developed their own homegrown talent, whilst also extending its calendar significantly due to the ability to combine both its elite and under-23 riders. INEOS was severely behind, a decision that is honestly incomprehensible.
Richard Carapaz was only one of the climbers that left INEOS and continued to deliver on their talent
Since 2022 the team lost Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov, Daniel Martínez, Ben Tulett, Tom Pidcock, Jhonatan Narváez, Geraint Thomas and Richard Carapaz as some of the riders that either performed, or would go on to perform elsewhere in the mountains at the highest level. Riders come and go for every team, but such a loss also requires replenishment.
Thymen Arensman, Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin are all individually good transfers - although the latter two still have to deliver on their maiden year at INEOS. But they are not enough, and can't be asked to deliver the results that the team had during its golden era. Leo Hayter could've been 'the one', but his struggles with mental health saw INEOS lose out on one of Great Britain's greatest under-23 riders of the decade.
INEOS have a budget to allow for big moves in the market, and has the responsibility to be on top. Results wise, it had one victory at the Giro d'Italia where they finished fourth with Thymen Arensman; whilst at the Tour de France they left empty handed, without a stage win and any GC result. Mind you, these were priorities for the team - whilst there is of course the justification that Oscar Onley's injury at the Tour went hand-in-hand with its demise.
Mid-season departure reiterates team issues
INEOS are not a team that currently sits at the forefront in the negotiating table, this does not come as surprise to anyone. The team's lost a rider mid-season already: Victor Langellotti. The rider from Monaco, a somewhat criticized signing in 2025, ended up being a very positive revelation, winning a stage at the Tour de Pologne that year and coming close to winning the overall classification.
This year, he did not quite perform at the same level, but his contract was naturally expected to be carried out to its end. With the Vuelta a España starting in Monaco, he could deliver on the exposure for the team whilst supporting the team's riders in a highly hilly course that provided him with opportunities.
The fallout most certainly emerged from the Vuelta itself. After learning that he would not be selected to the race, Langellotti likely pushed for his departure from the team. The mutual agreement between him and INEOS meant that a renewal was likely not the interest of the British team.
Langellotti left the team in a mid-season move on the final day of July, moving to XDS Astana Team where he was proudly shown at the presentation of the Vuelta.
1 month ago Victor Langellotti was a rider for INEOS; Today he begins La Vuelta in the colours of Astana
Turner and August leave INEOS
But whilst Langellotti's departure may be cast aside as a minor one, the same can't be said of a few others on the team. Laurens de Plus will depart towards Decathlon CMA CGM Team, not having reached the level and importance that he previously had at Visma as a mountain domestique. Whilst they might renew, the likes of Sam Watson, Axel Laurance and Magnus Sheffield are not yet lined out for the team next year, forming part of the very diverse block that the team has begun focusing in over the past couple of years.
But the team has two virtually confirmed losses. One of them has been made official: Andrew August. This is a major loss for the team because the American, 20 years old, has had a major breakthrough this year. He won a stage at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, another at Itzulia Basque Country, and recently the overall classification at the Czech Tour.
Whilst you can't compare the Czech Tour to the top races, it is a finger in the wound of a team that struggles to develop top riders. August is only 20, and he dominated the Czech Tour as a proper team leader. It is notable that his victory in Itzulia was also under heavy rain, a day that saw riders on the verge of hypothermia... August, for his age, looked to be a very mature, complete and capable of rider. He opted to leave the World Tour even, joining Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
The other departure is Ben Turner. Sam Welsford's signing this year proved to be successful only in Australia. From February onwards, Ben Turner took over the role of the team's main sprinter. A former classics rider, Turner is actually a great story of developing a young British talent into a proper leadership role.
His ability to perform on the classics and short climbs, combined with his focus on sprinting from 2025 onwards, saw him become a very versatile rider and one of the most exciting sprinters in the peloton. He will leave towards Soudal - Quick-Step most likely, a move already signaled at for months. His sacrifice for Egan Bernal's overall classification on stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia left him on the verge of tears in a post-race interivew, and he never got to win ever since.
Read also
Does INEOS have any big signing on the horizon?
As I've mentioned, riders departing a team are a natural part of owning one, even when the pockets are deep. But replenishing the team's 30-rider roster is key. Will INEOS achieve this?
One signing towards 2027 has been confirmed: Benjamin Noval Jr. I will not lie, it is a very promising signing, and a rider that INEOS has agreed on still in his first year as a junior. Throughout 2025 and 2026 he has been a dominating figure in the competitive Spanish junior field, and the expectations are high. But Noval will be be a fresh 18 years old when he debuts for INEOS, and his contract runs out by the time he is 20.
Yes, INEOS have a diamond in the rough in their hands, but they have to not only manage and develop him properly, but also make sure that they keep him onboard from 2028 onwards otherwise he will be another project that a rival team will take advantage of.
Non-officially, the team has either struck a deal or is close to doing so with Michael Valgren, Joe Blackmore, Harold Tejada, Markel Beloki and Clément Champoussin. Nothing to criticize, but the quintet does not exactly offer up chances of fighting for GC wins in the Grand Tours, not close; and at best some minor GC results and stage wins are what they can hope to get out of these riders for the next few years.
Other top teams also can't be merited with signing massive leaders into 2027, I should add. But INEOS is starting this race from behind, and to catch up, it becomes a complicated mission without the right pieces.
Might Benjamin Noval be INEOS' future star?
Who could INEOS sign to improve into 2027?
Can this still be saved? Can INEOS make one big signing into 2027 that we can confidently say: 'This rider will perform and win big next year'? Well mostly, the 2026 signing Oscar Onley is the man that they are probably depositing their hopes on at the moment. They spent millions in buying out his contract from Team Picnic PostNL as well, let's not forget...
There's a few riders that are on the market, but the situation is dire. Quinn Simmons and Thibau Nys are on paper still not under contract for 2027, but it's hard to believe Lidl-Trek won't announce their renewal soon. The downfall of Team Picnic PostNL means they can sign the young Briton Bjorn Koerdt who has potential to perform in the hilly races. But to win big in the World Tour?
You could add in a veteran Primoz Roglic, who appears to be on the hunt for a new challenge into 2027. But at INEOS he won't find an environment that is different than at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, whilst at INEOS they would also likely lift an eyebrow when thinking if Roglic should be their main investment this winter.
The only potentially signing that realistically could do it is Felix Gall. The Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider was second at the Giro d'Italia this year and could achieve the same at the Vuelta a España; and is part of a Decathlon that is preparing itself to fully back up a rising Paul Seixas meaning he will not be a priority. But Decathlon has the money, is preparing and protecting him properly in his goals; and besides, if he is to leave the French team, Lidl-Trek have most likely already gotten their hands on him.
One could speculate on the signing of Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian does have a contract until 2027, but recently Johan Bruyneel argued that he is certainly leaving EF Education-EasyPost this winter. Contract breakings, in the current peloton, are less and less becoming a surprise. For Carapaz it could be of benefit, whilst INEOS would certainly be justified in wanting to bring back the recent two-time Tour de France winner.
INEOS have just a few months to turn their difficult years around. If they do not conduct a big signing, it's unlikely that in 2027 their outlook will be much different than a lackluster 2026 where their first GC win came as a result of August's recent triumph in the Czech Republic.
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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