The summer transfer window came to its usual dramatic end, as the Premier League clubs spent a record £870 million, surpassing last season’s shopping spree by £35 million.
Manchester City were the highest spenders, setting a new record for a single club, spending a staggering £160 million, on 3 of the most expensive deals of the window. Raheem Sterling was signed for a club-record £49 million after a long-lasting tussle between City and Liverpool. In an attempt to bolster their defence, Argentine centre-back Nicolas Otamendi arrived from Valencia for a hefty £32 million. Kevin De Bruyne was the pick of the City transfers, as the Bundesliga 2014/15 Player of the Season, signed for a jaw-dropping £55 million, which is arguably the best transfer in this window. Fabian Delph, took a double U-turn, as the English midfielder signed for City, after dismissing earlier rumours claiming that he was on the verge of a move to the Etihad. Turkish wonderkid Enes Unai completed a move from Bursaspor but was immediately shipped off to Belgian giants Genk on loan, while another 18-year old Patrick Roberts was signed from Fulham.
Getty Images
In a move which has raised plenty eyebrows, Manchester United signed French teenager Anthony Martial from Monaco on deadline day for a whopping £36 million, making him the most expensive teenager ever. Memphis Depay sealed a deal from PSV with the Red Devils before the window began but so far, the Dutchman hasn’t done justice to his £31 million fee. Right-back Matteo Darmian, was snapped up from Torino for £12.7 million and has proved to be a smart buy. United also roped in midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger from Southampton and Bayern Munich respectively. Argentine international Sergio Romero was signed from Sampdoria for free, in a bid to replace David De Gea, whose move to Real Madrid seemed imminent and Victor Valdes, who reportedly had a falling-out with the manager. Although Louis van Gaal has brought in several high-profile players, the squad seems oddly out-of-shape as the Dutchman has offloaded the likes of Javier Hernandez (sold to Bayer Leverkusen), Adnan Janujaz (on-loan at Borussia Dortmund), Jonny Evans (sold to West Brom), Robin van Persie (sold to Fenerbahce), Nani (sold to Fenerbahce), Tom Cleverley (free to Everton), Tyler Blackett (on-loan at Celtic) and most incredibly Angel Di Maria to Paris Saint-Germain for an astonishing price of £44.3 million, only a year after the winger joined from Real Madrid. There seems to be a lack of strikers to support Wayne Rooney and van Gaal’s reported and highly-unlikely moves for the likes of Thomas Muller, Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Marco Reus and Neymar fell through.
Manchester City FC/PA
The chants of ‘Wenger Out’ will reverberate through the Emirates Stadium for yet another season, as Arsene Wenger failed to land in any player other than Petr Cech. Arsenal are the only club in Europe to have not signed an outfield player, a tag which speaks volumes as the Gunners dearly need a top-class striker and midfielder. Olivier Giroud has blown hot and cold during the time with the Gunners and although, his record hasn’t been dismal, the Frenchman doesn’t seem to be the one to guide them to a league title and given the fact that he is the lone out-and-out striker in the squad, the Arsenal fans are left dazed and confused but not utterly surprised. After fizzing out midway through the season last year, Wenger needed to reinforce the squad and although Petr Cech’s signing from Chelsea was a step in the right direction, it never went past that, as moves for Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavani never really materialized.
David De Gea is another player whose career is in limbo, after his move to Real Madrid fell through at the very last moment. Real had wanted him for months but waited till the eleventh hour to complete the deal, as the Spanish giants sent over paperwork for a deal on the day of the Spanish deadline, with Keylor Navas used as leverage. The switch was agreed but some problem regarding to De Gea’ s document came up and deal just fell apart. Real blamed United for delays in sending paperwork before the Spanish deadline, while United were adamant that they were not to blame.
Plumb Images
Although the sacking of Nigel Pearson baffled almost everyone, after he had rescued the club from the brink of relegation, new boss Claudio Ranieri has injected a new belief within Leicester City fans after buying high-quality players which seemed only a dream a few years back. The signings of Christian Fuchs and Robert Huth has drastically strengthened their defence, while Shinji Okazaki brings in valuable experience up front. Gokhan Inler is undoubtedly the signing of the season for the Foxes, as the Swiss midfielder brings in stability and creativity to the midfield.
Tags: David De Gea Enes Unai EPL football news Premier League news Soccer news Summer Transfer
