The European transfer market officially shut at 23:00 hrs BST on the 31st of August. Top sides of the continent decided to break the bank as they splurged a staggering amount of money in order to acquire their transfer targets.
As expected, the Premier League sides were the busiest in the transfer window with a total spending of £1.1 billion between June to August. The huge money signings of Paul Pogba, John Stones and Granit Xhaka contributed to the colossal amount the clubs in England’s top tier shelled out to bring the players they needed to strengthen their squads.
Here are the Hard Tackle’s winners and losers from an eventful transfer market:
Winners
Manchester United
The twenty times English champions Manchester United had arguably the best transfer window in England, if not Europe. New manager Jose Mourinho inherited a squad that was low on confidence due to their dismal performance in the 2015/16 season. But he quickly lifted the spirit in the dressing room and also among the fans.
He began by signing Eric Bailly from Villarreal for a reported £30 million. Unknown to a majority of the United fans, the Ivorian defender has already begun to show his worth, winning the man of the match in two of his side’s three games this season.
Mourinho then signed world-beating forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a free agent after his contract at Paris St. Germain came to an end. For a side that craved for an out-and-out number nine, Ibrahimovic was the ideal roll of the dice. The 34-year-old has quickly adapted to life in England, scoring four goals in as many professional games for the club.
Borrussia Dortmund attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan then followed Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford, for a fee of £26 million. While the Armenian is yet to make a start for the Red Devils, he has put in a couple of stunning cameos off the bench, and should be a regular within a matter of weeks.
And then followed the biggest transfer signing in the history of world football. Paul Labile Pogba re-joined Manchester United for a world-record fee of £89.1 million. Known to be one of the finest box-to-box midfielders in the game, the Frenchman is undoubtedly a priceless asset to Mourinho at Old Trafford.
With four huge names added to the fray, United already look like early Premier League title contenders.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s revolution has taken shape at the Etihad Stadium as the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has brought in a colossal 10 players to Manchester City this summer.While some may have already been sent out loan, a number of them have will prove to be key additions in the near future.
Noticing the problems the Citizens faced in the wider areas last season, Guardiola decided to rope in two quality wingers from the La Liga and Bundesliga. Nolito moved to the Etihad from Valencia for a fee of €18 million while Leroy Sane joined City for €50 million.
Centrally too, the City boss looks to have added firepower in the middle of the park with the signing of Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund. The 24-year-old is still recuperating from an injury, but once fit would be a regular in Guardiola’s setup at the Etihad.
Seeing a number of defenders leaving, City roped in probably one of the most promising English centre-backs in John Stones. The 22-year-old cost Guardiola €55 million – making him the second-most expensive defender of all time.
Guardiola has won the league title at both of his previous clubs, and given the squad he has at his disposal this season, it remains to be seen whether the Spanish manager can do the same with Manchester City.
Chelsea
After finishing 10th in their title defending campaign, the Chelsea board decided to bring in a tactically astute manager in Antoine Conte to guide the team in the right direction.
The Italian’s first signing was Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi who moved to Stamford Bridge from Marseille. Conte had to pay £33 million for the services of the attacker, but given his tender age of 22, that price may seem to be bargain.
N’Golo Kante was next in line to move to Stamford Bridge, securing a £30.4 million move from champions Leicester City. Playing a key role at the heart of the Foxes’ midfield last season, the French midfielder has already proven his worth with a couple of breathtaking performances in the league this season.
Portugal international Eduardo also signed for Chelsea to play as a backup to the second-choice Asmer Begovic. The signings of Marcus Alonso and David Luiz have given Conte a decent defensive cover, as he looks to guide the Blues back into the Champions League. Given their side’s activity in summer, the Chelsea fans have every reason to be optimistic about their title aspirations this season.
Losers
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger had been under tremendous scrutiny throughout the transfer window. With only one big name signing until the last week of August, fans started to grow impatient with the Frenchman’s transfer policy.
He began the window on the right note by signing Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach. However, since the arrival of the Swiss midfielder, Wenger struggled to sign any more quality players. Rob Holding and Takuma Asano did sign for the Gunners but neither possessed the world-beating qualities or experience to turn the fortunes around for the club.
Top strikers such as Gonzalo Higuain, Jamie Vardy and Carlos Bacca were reported transfer targets for Wenger, but he ended up settling on Deportivo forward Lucas Perez. Within a few hours, Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi was officially announced by the club.
However, the final two signings do not make up for what has been a disappointing transfer window, and Arsene Wenger must consider himself lucky if his side finishes in the top four this season.
Tottenham Hotspur
After narrowly missing out on the title last season, many expected Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino to be busy in the transfer window. But to the dismay of the Spurs fans, their club was underwhelming all summer.
During the three month period, Pochettino could only manage to sign four players – none of whom are a direct upgrade to his preferred starting eleven. Vincent Janssen joined from AZ Alkmaar for £18.7 million, but has failed to make an impact so far this season.
Victor Wanyama signed from Southampton and has only been given a go at regular playing time due to the injury sustained to Moussa Dembele. Deadline day signings Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Moussa Sissoko may serve as decent understudies, but unfortunately are not good enough to immediately break into the starting eleven.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp may have spent £67.2 million to rope in six different players in the transfer market, but compared to their fellow Premier League teams, they were by far an ordinary bunch of signings.
The most expensive of those arrivals was Sadio Mane who joined from Southampton for a staggering £35 million. While the Senegalese has impressed in his two matches this season, it remains to be seen whether he can maintain his form and justify the amount paid for him.
Georgino Wijnaldum and Ragnar Klavan were two names that pumped up the fans, but they are unfortunately not at the level of the quality players Liverpool’s league rivals possess. They lack the experience at the top level and also have not been a part of title-winning seasons. It is a big ask of Jurgen Klopp to change the mentality of his new signings.
Keeper Loris Karius was signed from Mainz, but has picked up an injury ruling him out for a couple of months, while fellow stopper Alex Manninger has only been roped in as a reserve player. Also, given Liverpool’s problems at left-back, Klopp decided against signing another player, and has chosen to deploy James Milner in an unfamiliar position.
These decisions may shoot Klopp in the foot as he has a Herculean task ahead if he is to bring any kind of success to Anfield this season.