With the transfer window coming to a close, clubs have been busy this week getting deals over the line. So here we have it. The final edition of the transfer round-up this summer. And, as expected, it is a bumper one.
Jérémy Doku – Rennes to Manchester City – Fee: £52million
This is one of the surprise moves of the summer. Having lost Riyad Mahrez, Man City looked to bring in an exciting winger to replace the former Leicester City man. They settled on Doku.
The 21-year-old is inconsistent in front of goal but a real menace in possession. For example, last season he completed 66% of his attempted dribbles. He also created 30 chances, chipped in with six goals and two assists across 1,285 minutes and finished the season with a 7.20 FotMob rating.
The Belgium international is already off the mark this campaign, scoring for Rennes on his way to a 7.68 rating. He’s a whirlwind on the right and he has the potential to be a real weapon for the treble winners under Pep Guardiola.
Gabriel Veiga – Celta Vigo to Al-Hilal – Fee: £34million
Courted by Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City after an impressive season with Celta Vigo, it looked as though Veiga would be off to Napoli until Al-Hilal hijacked the deal.
He finished the 2022/23 campaign with 15 goal involvements (four of which were assists) across 2,311 minutes in LaLiga. The 21-year-old created 28 chances, completed 53% of his attempted dribbles and found a teammate with 77% of his passes. Though he might not be a household name just yet, this should be viewed as quite the coup for the Saudi Super League club.
Cameron Archer – Aston Villa to Sheffield United – Fee: £18million
Sheffield United have quietly gone about adding to their squad over recent weeks in an attempt to bring it up to Premier League standard. While Archer might not be tried or tested in the English top tier, he is a genuine talent and his arrival should excite fans.
The former Villa man netted 11 times in the Championship last term while turning out for Middlesbrough, despite racking up an Expected Goals haul of just 6.37. He was a sharpshooter in the penalty area and he was even something of a creative force, creating 25 chances and assisting six goals. The 21-year-old missed just two big chances while on loan.
Mohammed Kudus – Ajax to West Ham – Fee: £39million
This has the potential to be one of the signings of the summer. Kudus almost joined Brighton earlier in the summer but he’s now a West Ham United player. The 23-year-old had been linked with a host of clubs prior to the move and it is quite the pull for the Hammers to bring him to the club.
Kudus can play as a wide attacker, as a centre-forward and even in midfield. His addition gives manager David Moyes a number of options. He scored 11 times last season in the Eredivisie in just 1,791 minutes. Kudus also created 29 chances and assisted three goals. It is going to be interesting to see how quickly he settles into the Premier League.
Beto – Udinese to Everton – Fee: £26million
Everton finally have a player other than Dominic Calvert-Lewin who can bear some of the attacking responsibility. Beto scored 10 goals last season in Serie A turning out for Udinese and the 25-year-old centre-forward is already off the mark for the Toffees having scored in the Carabao Cup.
His physicality and frame should suit a Sean Dyche team and his style should be well-suited to the rigorous of the Premier League. He could be a shrewd addition to the Everton team.
Carlos Baleba – Lille to Brighton – Fee: £23million
When Brighton make a move for a player, everyone should sit up and take notice. The Seagulls have spent some of the Moises Caicedo money to bring in Baleba from Lille. The 19-year-old doesn’t have much experience, appearing in just 471 Ligue 1 minutes last term, but there is clearly something there if Brighton have made their move. He finished the 2022/23 campaign with a pass completion rate of 84% while also completing 63% of his dribbles. He is definitely one to watch this season.
Folarin Balogun – Arsenal to Monaco – Fee: £34million
Linked with a host of clubs, Balogun had a number of options following his impressive loan stint with Reims last season. The 21-year-old scored 21 times in the French top flight last term and proved himself to be a real penalty box poacher with all of his goals arriving from inside the 18-yard box. He finished the campaign with an Expected Goals total of 26.57 to show his form was sustainable if given the same opportunities.
He could be the man to fire Monaco to a title challenge this term.
Benjamin Pavard – Bayern Munich to Inter – Fee: £26million
This is a good transfer for Inter. Pavard will likely excel in Simeone Inzaghi’s back three system and he was brought in for a fairly reasonable fee. The 27-year-old is a French World Cup winner who can play at centre-back or at right-back. He finished last season with a 7.55 FotMob rating, having looked fairly settled in the Bayern side. He found a teammate with 90% of his passes, made 43 headed clearances and 44 interceptions. Liked by Manchester United and Liverpool, Inter have bagged themselves a real bargain.
Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea to Roma – Fee: Loan
Lukaku is reunited with José Mourinho. Having played under him at Chelsea and Manchester United, the duo are once again working together at Roma. The Belgian forward spent last season on loan with Inter, scoring 10 goals and chipping in with six assists in 1,663 minutes in Serie A. The beaten Champions League finalists decided not to bring him back full-time and after talks with Juventus, the 30-year-old plumped for a move to the Italian capital.
Dean Henderson – Manchester United to Crystal Palace – Fee: £16million
Henderson spent last season on loan with Nottingham Forest making 18 starts and conceding 31 goals from an Expected Goals conceded total of 27.04. The 26-year-old has now joined Crystal Palace on a permanent basis and is expected to rival Vincente Guita for a place in Roy Hodgson’s starting XI in the short term before replacing the 36-year-old in the long term.
Bradley Barcola – Lyon to Paris Saint-Germain – Fee: £39million
PSG have been fairly active in the market this summer as they’ve looked to bolster Luis Enrique’s squad. Few would’ve expected to see Barcola make the move to the French capital from Lyon. The 20-year-old starlet was expected to make a big impression for OL this season and he was being watched by a number of Premier League sides ahead of a potential move next summer.
The versatile forward, who can play anywhere in attack, finished last season for Lyon with a 7.23 FotMob rating having scored five goals and assisted on eight occasions across 1,436 minutes. He is battling it out for minutes with some serious talent at PSG, if he manages to get into the first team on a regular basis it will be exciting to see how he develops.
Cole Palmer – Manchester City to Chelsea – Fee: £38million
Chelsea were linked with Jamal Musiala and Ansu Fati before they made their move for Manchester City academy graduate Palmer. The 21-year-old versatile attacker scored in the Community Shield and played a key role in the under-21 European Championships for England this summer. He was expected to get minutes at the Eithad this season following the sale of Mahrez but the arrival of Doku coupled with the big fee offered by Chelsea persuaded the reigning Premier League champions to part ways with him.
Matheus Nunes – Wolves to Manchester City – Fee: £53million
This move came out of nowhere. Pep Guardiola is a long-term admirer of the 25-year-old having been impressed with him when City faced off against Sporting in the Champions League. However, there had been no links until this week. The versatile midfielder can practically play anywhere across the midfield as well as as a wide player if required. His ball-carrying ability and the fact he’s so press-resistant is no doubt what appealed to the champions. It will be intriguing to see how he adapts following a disappointing spell with Wolves last term.
Ansu Fati – Barcelona to Brighton – Fee: Loan
This feels like a move right out of Football Manager. Fati was given the No. 10 jersey at Barcelona following the departure of Lionel Messi and he was tipped to be the new face of the club. Injuries have stalled his progress and the LaLiga champions needed to free up space in the squad this summer for further additions, so the 20-year-old was sacrificed. He’s joining Brighton on a season-long loan having reportedly rejected Spurs.
The exciting talent was involved in 10 goals in just 1,381 minutes last term and he could be a revelation under Roberto De Zerbi.
(Images from IMAGO)
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