The transfer window is yet to really kick into gear but the past week has been one of commitment, with a number of clubs turning loan moves into permanent ones. With that in mind, a look at some of the biggest moves over the past seven days.
Christopher Nkunku
RB Leipzig to Chelsea
Fee: £57million
This has been one of the worst-kept secrets in football. The Blues reportedly agreed to pay the Frenchman’s release clause earlier in the season and it was only a matter of when the deal would be announced.
And that was finally confirmed this week with the Premier League side paying close to £60million for the 25-year-old. Nkunku was initially a creator but has 36 Bundesliga goals over the last two seasons and he chipped in with 17 assists. Remarkably, he involved himself in 20 goals last term in just 1,900 minutes in the German top-flight.
He’s now one of the most well-rounded forwards in Europe and will be an asset to Mauricio Pochettino next season.
Dejan Kulusevski
Juventus to Spurs
Fee: £30million
There had been reports over recent weeks which had claimed Spurs wouldn’t activate the clause in Kulusevski’s loan deal to keep him at the club. Fortunately for fans, these weren’t accurate and the 23-year-old is now staying in North London on a permanent basis.
Since moving from Juventus in January 2022, the Swedish international has been one of the more consistent performers for Spurs, registering 15 assists and seven goals in the Premier League. He finished the 2022/23 campaign with a FotMob rating of 7.1. Kulusevski is the sort of wide player that new manager Ange Postecoglou will love.
Mahmoud Dahoud
Borussia Dortmund to Brighton
Fee: Free
Dahoud’s spell with BVB didn’t really live up to expectations. The 27-year-old was one of the brightest talents in Germany when he emerged for Borussia Mönchengladbach and he was courted by a host of top clubs before his switch to Dortmund.
Injuries plagued him during his time with the club, so much so that he was limited to just four starts and nine appearances last term. When fit and firing, however, he is a high-quality midfielder who excels at retaining possession while progressing the ball.
Brighton are shrewd operators in the transfer market and with European football to contend with next season, Dahoud could be a clever bit of business.
Evan Ndicka
Eintracht Frankfurt to Roma
Fee: Free
At one stage it did look as though Ndicka would be heading to the Premier League.
He was linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, but the 23-year-old versatile defender eventually settled on a move to Roma. The Frenchman will tick a lot of boxes for José Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician was famed for favouring defensively-minded full-backs and despite being a centre-back, Ndicka can play at on the left.
Coming in at 6’4″, he’s going to dominate some traditional wingers in Serie A. For a bit of context, during the 2021/22 campaign, he tackled 75% of the dribblers he faced in the Bundesliga.
Arkadiusz Milik
Marseille to Juventus
Fee: £5.4million
A few eyebrows were raised when Juventus decided to bring Milik back to the club on loan last season as cover for Dušan Vlahović. It ended up being an inspired decision by the Turin-based side, with the 29-year-old scoring seven times in a little under 1,600 minutes. Only Vlahović (10) and Adrien Rabiot (8) scored more for Max Allegri’s men last term.
He did enough to convince the Old Lady of Italian football to sign him on a permanent basis with Juventus paying parent club Marseille £5.4million to secure his services. It might not be the most exciting deal but it could prove to be a clever signing, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Vlahović’s future.
Giovani Simeone
Verona to Napoli
Fee: £10million
Victor Osimhen fired Napoli to the Serie A title last season but Simeone played his part in the success. The 27-year-old joined on loan from Verona as cover and only started once in the league but he did come off the bench on 24 occasions.
Despite his limited minutes (389 in total) he managed to score four goals and grab an assist. He also notched four times in the Champions League. He found the back of the net in wins over Liverpool, Ajax, Rangers, Milan and Roma, proving himself to be a valuable squad option. So it comes as no surprise that the Scudetto winners parted with a reported £10million to sign him on a permanent basis.
(Images from IMAGO)
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