We did say it was the calm before the storm last week and I think we’ve been proven right. The last seven days has seen a whirlwind of transfer activity, so here’s a look at some of the biggest movers.
André Onana
Inter to Manchester United
Fee: £49million
Manchester United made the bold decision to part ways with David De Gea at the end of the season having opted not to renew his deal at Old Trafford.
Reports suggested Erik Ten Hag wanted a better ball-player between the sticks and so the Red Devils have brought in one of the best in the business in Onana. It doesn’t always work out for the 27-year-old but his style is much better suited to the way United want to play. The Premier League side paid a big fee to secure his services but if the 2022/23 Champions League finalist works out as expected, he’ll be worth every penny.
James Trafford
Manchester City to Burnley
Fee: £15million
Trafford was the hero for the England under-21 team in the European Championship final as he saved a penalty in added time against Spain to give Lee Carsley’s side the win. The 20-year-old didn’t concede a goal during the tournament.
It was a season to remember for the 6ft6 shot-stopper and he impressed enough while on loan with Bolton to get a big money move to Burnley. He will be Vincent Kompany’s first choice goalkeeper in what is his first campaign as a Premier League manager.
Xavi Simons
Paris Saint-Germain to RB Leipzig
Fee: Loan
It was a busy week for Simons. Paris Saint-Germain opted to bring him back to the club, making use of the clause inserted into the deal to take him to PSV last summer.
He was then immediately sent out on loan to RB Leipzig for the season. The German side have been busy in the market this summer bringing in Christoph Baumgartner, Fabio Carvalho and Benjamin Sesko, but the addition of Simons could be the best piece of business they’ll do. He scored 19 times in the Eredivisie last season and finished the campaign with a 7.91 FotMob rating.
Tijani Reijnders
AZ Alkmaar to Milan
Fee: £17million
Milan are spending the Sandro Tonali money. The Serie A side have replaced their former midfield general with 24-year-old Reijnders.
The versatile midfielder impressed last season, playing over 3,000 minutes in the Eredivisie and finishing the campaign with a pass success rate of 89%. He also created 62 chances in 34 appearances on his way to an average FotMob rating of 7.62. He has some big shoes to fill but the ability is there.
Zeki Amdouni
Basel to Burnley
Fee: £13million
Amdouni could prove to be a shrewd signing for Burnley. The 22-year-old is exceptionally versatile and starred in a number of roles last year. He appeared as a left winger, a left midfielder, an attacking midfielder and even as a centre forward on his way to 12 goals and four assists across his 2,193 minutes in the Swiss top-flight.
He is a varied finisher too with five of his goals coming via his right foot and four via his left foot. That level of unpredictability will cause Premier League defenders a problem or two.
Kim Min-Jae
Napoli to Bayern Munich
Fee: £43million
Bayern Munich have made their annual centre-back signing then. Last summer it was Matthijs de Ligt and the season before that it was Dayot Upamecano.
Kim comes in to fill the void left by Lucas Hernandez having had a season to remember with Napoli.
He made the switch last summer to replace Kalidou Koulibaly and he played a key role in their title success.
The 26-year-old was reportedly a target for Manchester United but it was the Bundesliga giants who made the first move, getting the powerhouse defender in early for Thomas Tuchel.
Seko Fofana
Lens to Al Nassr
Fee: £16million
After claiming the runner-up spot in Ligue 1 and qualifying for the Champions League, Lens have been raided. Star midfielder Fofana has joined the exodus of players to make the move to Saudi Arabia and he will be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo next season.
The 28-year-old played his part for Lens last term, chipping in with seven goals and five assists from midfield to make it the most productive season of his career.
Declan Rice
West Ham United to Arsenal
Fee: £101million
Declan Rice is now the most expensive British player in history. After weeks of negotiations and a number of rejected bids, Arsenal got their man.
It is going to be interesting to see how Rice copes with the pressure of having every movement scrutinised as is the case with every big transfer. The Gunners will be hopeful the 24-year-old can help them get over the line this season after a second place finish. For the sort of money paid, they will be expecting a game changer and a difference maker. He was exactly that for West Ham.
Jurrien Timber
Ajax to Arsenal
Fee: £34million
This one caught a lot of people off guard. Timber was previously linked with Manchester United and Liverpool but he’s now an Arsenal player.
The 22-year-old can play at centre-back and at right-back and his arrival gives Mikel Arteta a number of options going forward. Timber could fill in at fullback and this would allow Ben White to move back into the centre of the pitch, as a centre-back or even as a midfielder.
Arsenal now have even greater depth and this should ensure they don’t run out of steam again towards the end of the campaign. Another title challenge does appear to be on the cards.
Loïs Openda
Lens to RB Leipzig
Fee: £36million
Losing Fofana was a blow for Lens but losing Openda could well be disastrous for the Ligue 1 side.
The 23-year-old scored 21 goals meaning he was directly responsible for 30% of their 2022/23 tally. RB Leipzig needed to add goals to their team after the sale of Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea and his compatriot more than fits the bill.
All eyes will be on Marco Rose to see how he gets the best out of all of his new attacking talents.
(Images from IMAGO)
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