EPL transfers: Best buys and questionable signings
London, September 3
The summer transfer window came to a dramatic close on Wednesday night as Bournemouth sealed the season-long loan of Jack Wilshere and Tottenham signed Moussa Sissoko from Newcastle in a £30m deal completed with just three minutes to go.
The moves capped a record-breaking transfer window in which clubs spent over £1.175 billion on new players, while Manchester United broke the transfer world record in signing £89m Paul Pogba from Juventus.
Clubs can still strengthen with the additions of free agents, but on the whole most clubs will embark on the season ahead with their current squads after declaring their squads for the Premier League campaign as well as European competitions.
So who managed to pull off a transfer coup, and who is guilty of panic buying their way out of trouble?
— The Independent
5 Good signings
Granit Xhaka
Monchengldbach to Arsenal
Arsenal have needed presence and power in midfield for years and now they have it again through Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international is an imposing athlete and an astute passer, the perfect partner for Santi Cazorla or Aaron Ramsey.
N’Golo Kante
Leicester City to Chelsea
What Antonio Conte values more than anything else is hard work and running, and that is why Chelsea spent big on N’Golo Kante. He protects the back four, breaks up attacks and sets Chelsea’s own tempo. All they need now is more players like him.
Ahmed Musa
CSKA Moscow to Leicester City
Improving a miracle-working team is difficult, but Ahmed Musa looks like a good start. His pace in behind and instincts in the box give Leicester City an extra edge, and he looks set to form a dangerously fast strike partnership with Jamie Vardy.
John Stones
Everton to Manchester City
The most important of Pep Guardiola’s signings at Manchester City is not Ilkay Gundogan or even Claudio Bravo but John Stones. Guardiola teams play out from the back and few are better at that in England than Stones, who is already flourishing with Guardiola’s coaching and trust. Could be City captain for the next 10 years.
Eric Bailly
Villarreal to Man United
Signing centre-backs from abroad is difficult but in Eric Bailly, Manchester United appear to have found one who instantly understands what is demanded of him. A brilliant tackler and reader of the game, Bailly already looks like a player who will flourish in the pace of the Premier League.
3 Questionable signings
Lucas Perez
Deportivo to Arsenal
Arsenal watched Lucas Perez extensively last season and decided earlier in the summer that he was not up to their level. It was little surprise, he had only scored 10 league goals once in his career, and has no Champions League or international experience. But when Arsenal needed a striker and saw Everton were about to sign him, they jumped in and paid the £17m fee anyway.
Moussa Sissoko
Newcastle to Tottenham
Tottenham are never willing spenders in the transfer window but they equalled their record £30m fee late on deadline night, buying Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko. Mauricio Pochettino wanted more speed in a team which can be a bit one-paced. But Sissoko’s performances at Newcastle were very patchy and he will need to show far more consistency to justify his fee.
David Luiz PSG to Chelsea
All it took was one game for new Paris Saint Germain manager Unai Emery to decide that David Luiz was not for him. Luiz gave away a stupid penalty against Monaco so Emery authorised his sale back to Chelsea for £32m, two years after Jose Mourinho made a similar judgement. That Antonio Conte feels differently is a surprise.
