The Best Summer Transfers In The Premier League So Far
If you thought that NBA free agency was crazy then buckle up because it’s officially silly season. The summer transfer window is officially open and teams are sparing no expense trying to improve their squads for next year.
There has been and insane amount of money being thrown around. AC Milan and their new owners has splashed over €200 million on new players and Paris St. Germain are rumored to be willing to spend more than €400 million on Brazilian superstar Neymar alone. In England, massive spending has been a common theme as well. Here are the best transfers (money and fit) of the summer window so far.
Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United (€84.7 million)
Manchester United stole Romelu Lukaku right underneath the reigning champions’ nose. Chelsea were reported linked to a reunion with their former player for months until the Jose Mourinho snatched up the strong Belgian forward for a cool €84 million. Lukaku scored 25 goals last season for Everton in The Premier League, and seems to be meshing well with the current squad while they are on their pre-season tour in America. It’s a scary thought of adding Lukaku to the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and more.
Álvaro Morata to Chelsea (€65 million, could be more)
Chelsea finally got their man. After manager Antonio Conte told Diego Costa that he wasn’t part of his future plans at Chelsea, the search for the next great striker was on. After striking out on Lukaku, Contes’ reported first choice Álvaro Morata was finally convinced to come to Stamford Bridge. Morata was mainly a backup on an super Real Madrid squad; however, he did score 15 times in just 14 La Liga appearances. Morata should mesh perfectly with Chelsea stars Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian.
Alexander Lacazette to Arsenal (€53 million)
Most news in the off-season related to Arsenal was rumors of either Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Özil leaving the club. Yet in the first weeks of the summer Arsene Wegner was able to snag one of the most prolific goal scorers on the planet in Alexander Lacazette. The Frenchman had an terrific bounce back year at Lyon bagging 38 goals in 48 appearances. The striker position was a main point of issue last year for the Gunners, eventually forcing Wegner to move Sanchez up front. Lacazette will give Olivier Giroud much needed competition at the front of the attack.
Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker to Manchester City (€55 and €51 million)
This is a double take. Manchester City had one massive glaring hole on their squad to start the season: lack of quality full backs. As good as Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy were for City during their careers, it was time to move on. Pep Guardiola requires a lot out of his full backs and even more so after Tottenham displayed the blueprint to shut them down. Teams knew this and in part is why Pep had to overpay for his starting full back tandem. It will be money well spent as Kyle Walker was the best as his position in England last year and Benjamin Mendy was pivotal to a surprise Monaco team that won League 1. Add Danilo to the group and now Manchester City has arguably the best full back group in the world.
Tiemoue Bakayoko to Chelsea (€40 million)
The longest physical is Premier League history? The move was supposedly completed for weeks yet no official sign as Chelsea was waiting on Bakayoko to take his physical. Rumor swirled about another United swoop but it was later revealed that an knee injury held things and the Blues finally got their man. Bakayoko will form an dynamic duo in the midfield with Premier League Player of the Year N’golo Kante. He is strong, physical and dominated the central field for Monaco last season.
Mohamad Salah to Liverpool (€42 million)
Pace. Pace. Pace. Mohamad Salah can absolutely fly on the pitch, and it doesn’t hurt that he is a prolific passer and efficient finisher. He was electric for Roma last year as they finished second in the league to Juventus. Liverpool will yet again have an outstanding attacking team adding Salah to the likes of Coutinio, Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane. Salah provides a layer of attacking depth which absolutely plagued Liverpool last year.
Michael Keane to Everton (€28.5 million)
Everton has quietly become one of the winners of the summer. After Romelu Lukaku departed to Manchester many wrote off Everton. Ronald Koeman has done an amazing job re-building his squad starting with the most improved player of the 2016-17 season in Burnley’s Michael Keane. The English man was outstanding for Burnley last year drawing attention from the like of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. Keane will absolutely replace the void John Stones left after his departure last summer. Besides Keane, Everton were able to land Davy Klassen from Ajax and Jordan Pickford from Sunderland. Oh and they reunited with this Wayne Rooney guy….
Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez to West Ham (€22.3 million and estimated €16 million)
Last year was not good for West Ham. They lost Demitri Payet and were not able to land any legit attacking talent. That has changed this year. The Hammers signed Marko Arnautovic for a club record €22.3 million from Stoke City. The 28 year old recorded 10 goals and 5 assists in all competitions last year. West Ham didn’t stop there as the stole Javier Hernandez from Bayern Leverkusen for a reported €16 million. Chicharito scored 11 goals in only 20 Bundesliga games last year and has experience playing in the Premier League.
Written By: Steven Accardi