The foundation of Midtjylland’s transfer-market achievements may lie in the classroom. Known for their forward-thinking methods, the Danish club had generated more than €200m (£170m) from player sales since 2018 before recording the most lucrative transfer window in their brief history this summer.
Guinea-Bissau striker Franculino Djú joined Trabzonspor, while Chilean forward Darío Osorio moved to Crystal Palace on loan with a mandatory purchase clause. Those two transfers, completed within 48 hours near the close of the window, could earn the club €62m (£53.2m). Midtjylland had already collected another €25m from the sales of academy graduate Aral Simsir and South Korean defender Lee Han-beom to Club Brugge. Their new arrivals included David Martínez, a 20-year-old Venezuela international signed from MLS club LAFC. Technical director Kristian Kjær describes the past few months as extremely busy.
The departing players all benefited from Midtjylland’s carefully structured development programme, which requires them to attend English classes at least three times each week. Kjær believes those lessons are every bit as valuable as football training because players who cannot understand English within six months may struggle to communicate with their coach. Effective communication, he says, is essential to the club’s collective progress.
With 17 nationalities representing five continents in the squad, clear communication is vital. Midtjylland recruit coaches from around the globe to support players as they adjust to their new surroundings. Kjær says the organisation considers itself an international club rather than a purely Danish one, describing Djú and Osorio as leading examples of its development model.
Osorio’s deal, confirmed almost two hours after the Premier League deadline, could become the largest sale in Danish top-flight history. Palace must pay £22.3m next summer, with as much as £3.4m more available through bonuses. The 22-year-old earned his first start for the club in a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Middlesbrough after appearing as a substitute against Fulham in the league several days earlier. Midtjylland’s scouts first noticed him at Universidad de Chile and overcame interest from RB Leipzig, Milan and Atalanta to secure his signature in August 2023. That was also the month when Brentford owner Matthew Benham transferred his controlling interest in Midtjylland to Danish businessman Anders Holch Povlsen.
Kjær says Osorio deliberately chose a European club capable of giving him regular playing time and helping him develop toward his childhood ambition of reaching the Premier League. Supporting his life away from football was an early priority. According to Kjær, standards involving nutrition and off-field routines in Chile were different from those in Denmark. Osorio frequently ate white bread for dinner and wondered why he lacked energy the next morning, so the club quickly introduced a more suitable nutrition plan.
Osorio is primarily left-footed and is most comfortable cutting inside from the right wing, although he can also operate as a No 10. He adapted quickly to Danish football and completed his debut league campaign with eight goals.
Kjær says the forward continued to add new dimensions to his game and had outgrown the competition. In his view, Osorio had become comfortably the league’s outstanding player. Midtjylland are delighted to see him advance and believe he can establish himself in the Premier League as a regular starter rather than merely a substitute.
Deadline day brought several anxious moments because Palace initially pursued Malick Fofana. They returned to Osorio only at the last moment after the Lyon attacker opted to join Sunderland.
Kjær says the club warned both Osorio and his representative that a transfer might not materialise until the final days of the window. English teams can be cautious about recruiting from abroad, particularly from competitions outside Europe’s five leading leagues. The uncertainty was stressful for Osorio, but he understood that strong performances at the beginning of the season would keep him visible to potential buyers.
Midtjylland hope the €7.3m signing of 20-year-old Martínez, a record fee for a Danish club, can compensate for the loss of Osorio and Djú, who led their scoring charts last season with 17 goals. The squad has also welcomed promising teenagers Olashile Musa Lawal and Ikenna Udechukwu through FC Ebedei, the club’s Nigerian academy. Founded in 2004, the academy has helped develop players including Coventry’s Frank Onyeka. These additions are expected to strengthen Midtjylland’s attempt to claim their first championship since 2024 after finishing second to surprise winners AGF last season.
Kjær says the club’s latest achievements are built on years of previous work. Although the process requires considerable effort, the outcome reflects a deliberate strategy and matches what Midtjylland had planned and worked toward. That makes the club proud because its success is the product of preparation rather than simple good fortune.
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