Transfer Window Verdict

Yet another summer transfer window has passed by. As usual there were records broken including overall spending from Premier League teams reaching the giddy heights of the £1bn mark. The transfer record for an individual player was broken once again with Paul Pogba’s fee expected to rise beyond the 3 figure mark after add ons.

With the window finally closing yesterday it is still too early to see all of the new players in action for their respective teams. We will have to wait until after the international break to see them unveiled by their new clubs.

Here is a lowdown on the biggest talking points from what we have seen so far.

Winners

Manchester United – Hardly a surprise what with smashing the world record for Paul Pogba but Mourinho has strengthened the spine of the team and already made them title challengers. With Bailly slotting into the Premier League’s physical style like it was a pair of slippers, United look as solid as ever at the back. A certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a free signing of course, has also looked like a great deal with 3 goals in 3 games. Whisper it quietly but they just might be favourites if the new players can stay fit.

Middlesborough – 12 new players have come to the North East and joined Boro. With the deamnds of the Premier League expected to stretch squads to the limit, a bigger squad was crucial for the teesiders. Of course quantity does not mean quality but with the signings of Valdes and Negredo amongst the new players, their is plenty of proven quality not to mention experience. Their steady start to the season suggests they look well equipped to survive the relegation battle.

Liverpool – They finally got rid of Ballotelli – enough said.

Losers

West Brom – With 5 signings through the summer it would seem strange to call it a disappointment for the Midlands outfit. Yet with discontent growing amongst supporters at Tony Pulis’ style, Albion proved just as uninspiring off the pitch. Nacer Chadli proved to be the biggest signing for them and a last ditch move for Wales hero Hal-Robson Kanu will have done little to cheer the fans come 11pm on deadline day. Pulis’ record at staying in the top flight is not to be questioned but with fans demanding more than just survival every year, he has done little to convince them that he shares the same ambition.

Tottenham – Snatching Moussa Sissoko from Everton proved a real coup for Spur’s and their fans. Despite a private jet waiting to take him to Merseyside, Sissoko had other ideas and the lure of Champions League football proved too much. Although some of the signings look like decent additions to the team, Spurs fans will worry what lies ahead. With the added pressure of Champions League football, Tottenham’s squad will be stretched to the max. So far they look short of goals up front and last seasons wonder-boys, Kane and Dele, look like they are still suffering a Euro hangover. The season is still early but with the vision that Levy has for Tottenham the summer transfer window proved a little disappointing for a team that will be looking to fill Wembley for its Champions League home matches this season.

Callum Chambers – slightly under the radar this one but poor old Chambers’ career is at an all time low. All due respect to Middlesborough, Chambers signed from Southampton as a teenage superstar with big things expected under Wenger’s tutelage. But after a tough few years, Chambers saw himself fall even behind 20 year old Rob Holding, a summer signing from Bolton, and was left with no choice but to leave on loan to Boro and seek to rediscover his form and ability.

Surprises

Hart to Torino – Rewind 3 months Joe Hart was both Manchester City and England’s number 1. After a difficult Euro’s Hart, like many international players, was lamented for his sloppiness during the tournament. Calls for new blood got louder with the removal of Roy Hodgson. Little did Hart know however that he was looking over the wrong shoulder and his City career was on the rails. With Cabellero chosen ahead of him and the signing of Claudio Bravo from Barcelona, Hart was left with no choice but to move on. It seemed there were plenty of options; Everton and Liverpool seemed likely destinations…. but no. Seria A side Torino signed him on a year long loan. Make of that what you will but I cant see Big Sam making many trips over to Turin through the season. Time will only tell whether Joe seriously believes he can regain his stature in Italy or whether he just fancied a chance to lap up life near the alps.

Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino will be Joe Hart’s new home

 

Wilshere to AFC Bournemouth– Bournemouth fans would have scoffed at the thought of signing Wilshere at the start of the week, let alone at the beginning of the transfer window. Bizarrely though he has joined the Cherries on loan in a move which could prove beneficial to both. A horrid injury record has pushed Wilshere to the back of the queue at Arsenal. If (its a big if) he can stay fit then it will surely only be a matter of time until he can find his form and show fans just how much talent he possesses. This will not only help resurrect his Arsenal/ England career but also help Bournemouth maintain their Premier League status.

David Luiz to Chelsea – Well well well this was perhaps the biggest shock. The man Gary Neville notoriously claimed to play like he was controlled by a ten year old playing on the PlayStation has returned to Stamford Bridge. Its fair to say Chelsea fans aren’t sure if this is good or bad. A cult hero after his first spell at the Bridge, his stats say he has improved since then with PSG where of course he has won numerous domestic trophies. Whether the more competitive Premier League will demonstrate these improved stats are no fluke remains to be seen.

Same old story…..

Arsenal – Pity the gunner’s fans who have gone through yet another torturous transfer window where Wenger has tried to avoid signing players like Jedi resist the ‘Dark Side’. With the early arrival of Xhaka things started promising for Arsenal. Repeated speculation and links to players went by until Wenger finally plucked out Perez and Mustafi. Whilst steady performers, these two are unlikely to be the winning ingredient to take the gunners to the title. Still they should help them secure that beloved fourth spot.

Berahino – Don’t really know if Albion fans were relieved about this or not. Seems like Berahino has spent more time looking for a new club than playing on the pitch for Albion. Bizarrely another window has gone by and he remains in the midlands. Despite his potential, he could still spend a lot of the time on the bench but hey at least he showed real commitment and didn’t threaten to strike this time….

 

Manchester Splashes Out Ahead of New Season

4 days until the new season! Can you believe it? Where has time gone.

With the Olympics now in full swing and the cricket season entering its final and most interesting stages (some of you will ask does this even exist?) viewers have barely had time to take stock before the Premier League kicks off on Saturday lunchtime with newly promoted (don’t forget manager-less) Hull City hosting champions Leicester City.

Despite the rest of the country bracing itself for financial crises after financial crises, football has continued to defy the panic and break records with the chequebook.

Hardly the biggest shock of all time but Paul Pogba has finally re-signed for Manchester United for £89 million with reports suggesting that add ons could see this figure rise high enough to break into the 3 digit mark. This world record fee has stunned many enough to mask the fact that this might possibly be the worst business deal in history. Let us not forget the Frenchman left for Juventus in the summer of 2012 for free.

If he can help take United to Premier League glory the club will say the money is justified. I can’t help but be sceptical in the mean time that the figure exceeds that paid for Ronaldo or Bale. Despite an abundance of tricks and potential, Pogba is by no means the finished article which begs the question how can a player yet to fulfil his talents be more expensive than one of the greatest players and goalscorers ever to have played the game? Like him or loath him, Ronaldo has demonstrated season after season that he should go down as a great of the game.

Across the city of Manchester news is currently breaking that John Stones will join Guardiola’s revolution for a reported £47.5m. Another never ending transfer story it seems, Stones has been high on Guardiola’s shopping list and with the young English defender tied down, he will feel that he has helped fill the missing piece of the jigsaw.

Whilst not quite in the same category of Pogba’s fee, this will now make Stones not only the most expensive English defender but the most expensive defender ever. Again seen as a man with a bright future, you cant help but wonder how much an established defender would cost these days….

Stones was heavily linked with Chelsea last summer although Everton were able to resist the lure of a big pay-out. This year it seems a change of manager has meant a change of thinking. Everton fans will probably be mixed about the news but from memory Stones hardly had the best season last year with injuries and poor form making it difficult to tie down a regular place in the starting 11. The pressure will now be on from the start to justify this fee and Stones will know only too well that he cannot afford another indifferent season.

This takes City’s spending to roughly £160 million for the summer whilst United’s stands at an estimated £145 million making them top of the list for money spent this summer. Whilst this exceeds the spending of other clubs by some way, the majority of hardly shied away from big money.

West Ham recently broke their record transfer fee for Swansea’s Andre Ayew (£20 mil) which may have disappointed some fans after being linked with the likes of Carlos Bacca and Alexandre Lacazette. The feel good factor will remain however with the new London Stadium officially opened before Sunday’s 3-2 friendly defeat to Juventus.

Plenty of time still remains between now and 31st August for more deals to go through.

Arsenal fans will be keen for Wenger to sign a striker and will be even more desperate for a centre back after the worrying injury suffered by Gabriel in their last pre season game against City. Chelsea fans will also want to see a few more new editions to ensure they have a squad strong enough for a title challenge.

At the other end of the table Hull fans would argue they are in more need than anyone to buy a player. The figure for new arrival’s at Humberside stands at a grand total of zero as they struggle to fill the vacant manger’s position. Fellow promotion newbies Middlesbrough will feel comfortable with their work so far and it will be interesting to see how Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes fair up in the North East.

On the South Coast, £15 million Jordan Ibe will look to resurrect his career with Bournemouth with Eddie Howe’s men looking to continue the fairy-tale of last year. Their achievements last season should really have received more attention than they did, as indeed should Watford’s. For Southampton life begins with the unknown quantity Claude Puel taking charge. Many fans will wonder whether he has the calibre to continue Koeman’s work but many though the same of Pochettino when he first arrived and look how he is going now.

Whilst I would never wish to predict what may happen, apart from Arsenal finishing 4th of course, it will be interesting to see if the status quo returns this year with the big boys dominating or will last season’s madness continue. And its last season where I want to end on.

In the context of all this money and inflating transfer fees thanks to the new £ 7 billion TV deal beginning, I think we should remember one thing about Leicester’s fairy-tale. Based on hard work, team spirit and a desire to win, they stunned the world with an incredible run to the title. And how much did this really cost?

Well, as they say, a picture tells a thousand words …..