The Premier League campaign is now just around the corner and teams are scrambling to get deals sorted before the chaos that is the start of the new football season.
Riyad Mahrez
Manchester City to Al-Ahli
Fee: £29million
Linked with a move away last summer, Mahrez stayed at the Etihad and played his part in Manchester City winning a historic treble. In his final campaign with the club, he finished with a FotMob average rating for the Premier League season of 7.3. The 32-year-old found the back of the net on five occasions and chipped in with 10 assists. He also created 51 chances despite appearing in fewer than 2,000 minutes.
City have done well to receive close to £30million for a player who turns 33 this season and wasn’t going to be a starter. They are going to have a task on their hands to replace the productive right-winger though.
Mauro Icardi
Paris Saint-Germain to Galatasaray
Fee: £8.6million
Galatasaray have pulled off a masterstroke to secure the signing of Icardi. The 30-year-old has a market value of £16million and having had a successful loan spell in Turkey last season, he moved for just £8.6million.
The Argentine forward made 24 appearances, of which 21 were starts, but scored 22 goals and assisted seven times. All of his goals arrived inside the penalty area and his finishes were varied; five were headers, 13 came via his right foot and four via his left. The former Inter menace finished his loan spell with a 7.79 FotMob rating. With Wilfried Zaha added as a teammate, he could be even more of a threat this season.
Calvin Bassey
Ajax to Fulham
Fee: £19million
Few would’ve expected to see the 23-year-old in the Premier League this summer. Bassey only moved to Ajax last summer having been brought in as a replacement for the Manchester United-bound Lisandro Martínez.
The versatile defender was expected to call Amsterdam his home for a couple of seasons before the Eredivisie giants cashed in for a profit on the £20million they paid for him. However, he struggled in the Netherlands and despite making 25 appearances he managed to log just 1,800 minutes of action. Brighton reportedly looked at him as an alternative to Levi Colwill but it was Fulham who made the move to sign the former Rangers man. Maybe the physicality of the Premier League might suit him better.
Allan Saint-Maximin
Newcastle United to Al-Ahli
Fee: £23million
Saint-Maximin is a player who puts fans on the edge of their seat whenever he’s on the pitch. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the pitch that often for Newcastle United last season.
Injuries limited him to just 1,116 minutes and he made only 12 starts but did involve himself in six goals (five assists) as the Magpies claimed an unlikely fourth-place finish.
Eddie Howe needs someone a little more reliable and a mutual decision was seemingly made to part ways. The winger will be playing alongside Mahrez and Roberto Firmino in what has the potential to be one of the most fun forward lines in world football!
Fabinho
Liverpool to Al-Ittihad
Fee: £38million
Few would’ve believed Liverpool would cash in on Fabinho during the same summer they parted ways with Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita, but the offer was just too good to turn down.
He was a key man for the Reds last season, even though his form was a little erratic. He appeared in almost 2,700 Premier League minutes, made 31 starts and was involved in 36 of the 38 matches, finishing the season with a pass success rate of 89%. The 29-year-old anchored the team and replacing him is going to be difficult. In Saudi Arabia, he will be part of a midfield duo alongside N’Golo Kante.
Sadio Mané
Bayern Munich to Al-Nassr
Fee: £32million
Mané managed just one year as a Bayern Munich player following his move from Liverpool. The 31-year-old failed to really settle in Bavaria and seemed to clash with teammates and coaching staff, if reports are accurate.
This impacted his form too. For example, he underperformed his Expected Goals total (9.09) having scored on just seven occasions. He managed 18 starts in the German top-flight but did chip in with five assists as Bayern won their eleventh straight Bundesliga. He will now be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Al-Nassr in what is another interesting dynamic in that league.
Lesley Ugochukwu
Rennes to Chelsea
Fee: £23million
Chelsea have signed yet another player for the future. The 19-year-old impressed last season for Rennes and though he looks likely to go out on loan, he could end up being a smart signing by the Blues, in the long-term. Ugochukwu can play as part of a double-pivot or in more of a box-to-box role. He made 26 appearances last season and racked up 1,326 minutes in what was an under-the-radar season for the teen. Impressively, he completed 88% of his passes, completed 70% of his dribbles and won 53% of his tackles.
If developed properly, Chelsea could have a real gem on their hands.
Iliman Ndiaye
Sheffield United to Marseille
Fee: £15million
This was something of a shock move. The versatile attacker signed for his boyhood club in a deal worth £15million. He was expected to pen a new deal at Sheffield United, with the No.10 jersey reportedly on offer, but was tempted by a return to Marseille, the team he spent time with during his youth.
The 23-year-old was a star performer for the Blades last term, scoring 14 times and assisting on 10 occasions on his way to a 7.4 average rating. Even though they have been compensated for the loss of the mercurial attacker, replacing his influence on this team is going to be near impossible.
Mohammed Salisu
Southampton to AS Monaco
Fee: £13million
The 24-year-old failed to really live up to the hype following his move to Southampton. He had caught the eye while plying his trade in LaLiga for Valladolid and he was expected to be one of the next big centre-backs in world football. Granted, injuries played a part in his struggles, with the versatile defender managing to appear in just 22 matches last term as the Saints suffered relegation, his form has been patchy at best in an inconsistent team.
The move to Ligue 1 could help him rediscover his form after a difficult couple of years in England and the six-cap Ghana international could eventually fulfil the abundance of potential he possesses.
(Images from IMAGO)
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