You can tell the top-flight football returns this weekend as there has been a real urgency in getting deals over the line this week. Here’s a bumper edition of the weekly transfer round-up series.
Axel Disasi
Monaco to Chelsea
Fee: £39million
Chelsea rarely need an excuse to delve into the transfer market but this move was a justified one. The Blues will be without Wesley Fofana for a prolonged period and with Kalidou Koulibaly sold and Benoît Badiashile still on the mend following a long-term injury lay-off, a centre-back was needed.
They, once again, raided Monaco to reunite Badiashile with Disasi. The 25-year-old, linked with Manchester United earlier in the summer, penned a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge and is likely going to be a starter alongside Levi Colwill in the near future. He’s an aerially dominant centre-back (70% success rate in the air) who should thrive in the Premier League.
Yunus Musah
Valencia to AC Milan
Fee: £17million
The 2021/22 Serie A champions are making the Sandro Tonali money stretch. Musah has the potential to be one of the smartest signings of the summer. The highly-rated midfielder was being linked with a host of Premier League clubs but it was Milan who made a move, parting with £17million to secure the services of the energetic 20-year-old midfielder. Stefano Pioli has now revamped his squad with nine new players this summer.
Musah might not be the biggest signing but he could be the shrewdest, he won over 70% of his attempted tackles last season in LaLiga, completed 82% of his passes and completed almost half of his dribbles.
Joško Gvardiol
RB Leipzig to Manchester City
Fee: £77million
This move has been on the cards for a while. Manchester City finally agreed to RB Leipzig’s payment demands and a deal, believed to be in the region of £77million, was struck.
The 21-year-old should slot seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s defence. He’s superb in possession and completed 89% of his passes last term. He’s also an aggressive ball carrier, completing 89% of his dribbles and he won 74% of his tackles in the Bundesliga. It is as though someone built Gvardiol in a lab specifically for that left-back inverted role used by the treble winners. His arrival should see Aymeric Laporte depart the Etihad.
Robert Sánchez
Brighton to Chelsea
Fee: £20million
Chelsea finally agreed a deal with Brighton but it wasn’t for Moises Caicedo. After parting ways with Éduoard Mendy this summer, the Blues needed a back-up keeper to Kepa and they have brought in his compatriot.
Sánchez was initially the starter for Brighton but he lost his place between the sticks following the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi with the Italian tactician favouring Jason Steele. Despite him being second choice, they have managed to bank £20million for the 25-year-old.
He could well replace Kepa as Pochettino’s starting goalkeeper as the season progresses.
Rasmus Højlund
Atalanta to Manchester United
Fee: £64million
Manchester United finally got their man. After weeks of negotiations with Atalanta, the Red Devils were able to strike a deal for Højlund. The 20-year-old found the back of the net nine times during his debut campaign in Serie A. His return was sustainable too, he had an Expected Goals haul of 9.47 having landed 64% of his efforts on target. He also chipped in with two assists having created 24 chances.
United have paid a lot of potential but the Denmark international is a player who has the potential to be one of the best in the world in his role. This is one that requires patience but it could well pay off.
Matheus França
Flamengo to Crystal Palace
Fee: £17million
Having lost Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace needed to bring in an attacking talent this summer who would be able to bring the same sort of excitement to fans. It was a difficult task but they may have done just that with the signing of França.
The 19-year-old is going to bring samba flair to Selhurst Park and he could have a lot of fun alongside Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. He’s set to miss the start of the season with an injury but expect him to make an impact upon his return.
Gianluca Scamacca
West Ham United to Atalanta
Fee: £22million
West Ham don’t have the best of luck with strikers, do they? Scamacca arrived last summer having caught the eye with Sassuolo with 16 Serie A goals. However, it quickly became apparent that David Moyes wasn’t entirely sure how to get the best out of the 6ft5 Italian forward.
The 24-year-old finished the season with an average FotMob rating of 6.55 having scored three goals in his 16 appearances. He managed just 928 Premier League minutes and has now returned to his homeland to fill the void left by the departure of Højlund.
Gonçalo Ramos
Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain
Fee: Loan
It is all change at Paris Saint-Germain this summer. According to reports, Luis Enrique is looking to move on a number of high-profile players this summer as he looks to put his stamp on things. Ramos is the latest player to make the most to the French capital with PSG loaning him from Benfica for a season.
The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick for Portugal during the 2022 World Cup and finished the 2022/23 campaign with 19 goals in the league on his way to an impressive 7.51 FotMob rating. He’s been given the No. 9 jersey and is expected to play a key role for the new-look Ligue 1 champions.
Valentino Livramento
Southampton to Newcastle United
Fee: £32million
This seems like a good deal for all parties involved. Southampton receive big money for a player who spent a year out injured, Newcastle get a player who has the potential to eventually succeed Kieran Trippier as the starting right-back and Livramento is playing for a Champions League club with the opportunity to train with an England full-back on a daily basis.
The price may seem steep right now but the 20-year-old, in a year or two, has the potential and the ability to make it look like a bargain fee. This is up there with the smartest piece of business done by the Magpies this summer.
Micky Van de Ven
Wolfsburg to Tottenham Hotspur
Fee: £30million
The 22-year-old was one of the quickest players in the Bundesliga last term while turning out for Wolfsburg.
Having been linked with Liverpool earlier in the summer, the Dutch Under-21 international agreed to sign for Spurs as Ange Postecoglou’s squad really begins to take shape. The left-footed 6ft4 centre-back is composed on the ball, completing 88% of his passes last term, a decent ball carrier, completing 70% of his dribbles and he racked up close to 3,000 minutes last term. He could develop into a top tier Premier League centre-back.
Ross Barkley
Free agent to Luton Town
Fee: Free Transfer
Barkley brings some much needed Premier League experience to this Luton team. Back in England following a stint with Nice, the 29-year-old does have a point to prove having struggled to kick on after signing for Chelsea.
He didn’t do enough while on loan at Aston Villa to turn it into a permanent move and his time with Nice wasn’t as productive as he would’ve hoped, but the 33-cap England international now has an opportunity in the English top-flight once again. Barkley isn’t good enough to single-handedly keep the Hatters in the Premier League but he has the quality to be a difference maker in key moments.
Sander Berge
Sheffield United to Burnley
Fee: £12million
This is a big signing for Burnley. Both figuratively as well as literally. The 6ft5 midfielder signed from Sheffield United for just £12million. In the blink of an eye, the Clarets strengthened their squad while weakening a Premier League rival.
The centre-midfielder finished the 2022/23 campaign with an average FotMob rating of 7.28 having racked up 37 appearances as the Blades secured second place in the Championship to return to the Premier League. He chipped in with six goals and five assists while contributing in the middle third too, completing 62% of his dribbles and winning 71% of his tackles.
Edson Álvarez
Ajax to West Ham United
Fee: £33million
West Ham have finally signed their Declan Rice replacement. This deal should be viewed as quite the coup too given Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich both had an interest in the Ajax midfielder.
The 25-year-old is meticulous in possession, completing 89% of his attempted passes last term, and he’s also a disruptor in the middle third, making 36 interceptions in the Eredivisie during his final season in Amsterdam. Alvarez made 31 appearances and finished the campaign with a FotMob average of 7.70 to really highlight his dominance in that division.
Alex Scott
Bristol City to Bournemouth
Fee: £22million
Alex Scott was being chased by some of the big hitters in the Premier League but it was Bournemouth who shocked everyone by securing the highly rated youngster.
The 19-year-old impressed for Bristol City last term chipping in with four assists while playing a variety of positions. He’s injured now but expect him to have an impact on the English top-flight in the very near future.
(Images from IMAGO)
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