This year’s summer transfer window saw a record-breaking cap, where clubs spent more than £1.1 billion on new additions to their squads. Like blackjack casino apps (click here for examples), football has never been more profitable.
On top of that, the world record for single player transfer was broken when Manchester United paid £89 million for Paul Pogba.
Arsenal
As always, Arsenal was focused on bargain deals, which they found. But, they also decided to spend a little too by getting Granit Xhaka. Now they have added the much needed presence and power in midfield, something they have been needed for years now.
No doubt, this is a good buy for the money. He is an astute passer and imposing athlete, and will fit in perfectly next to Ramsey and Cazorla.
A questionable signing is Lucas Perez simply because Arsenal decided that he was not up to their level. But, when they saw that Everton was about to buy him, they jumped in and spent £17 million on him anyway.
Did Wenger’s action was based on desperation? Perez is 27 years old, has scored 10 goals only once in an entire season, and has no international or Champions League experience. But, Arsenal needed a striker, and Perez was up for sale…
Chelsea
Chelsea’s new acquisition, N’Golo Kante, is one of the better buys without a doubt. It was expected for Leicester City to sell out their best players after winning the title. In reality they had no chances of recreating even half of what they did last season, so it was only logical to sell their best ones.
N’Golo Kante is only 25. He has a Premier League title behind him with an outsider, and now has a chance to prove himself playing in elite team such as Chelsea. He will be there setting Chelsea’s tempo, breaking up attacks, and protect the back four. He is without a doubt an even better buy for the money than Arsenal’s Xhaka, and may be the best buy of the summer window.
But, Chelsea’s buy in the name of David Luiz is one of the more questionable. Despite the fact that both Unai Emery and Jose Mourinho made the same judgement of giving up on David Luiz, Antonio Conte seems to think differently. Chelsea even paid £32 million for Luiz. It will be interesting to see if Conte saw something else in Luiz that his previous two managers didn’t.
Liverpool
Liverpool’s biggest buy this year was Sadio Mane. He has already given the team a new dimension with his brilliant debut goal. His transfer was the 7th biggest in the Premier League this summer. Liverpool paid Southampton £34 million, money that seems will be worth the trouble. This should be one of the best buys too.
Manchester United
According to a study, Manchester United’s new centre-back, Eric Bailly, is the most overpriced signing in the Premier League. The Red Devils paid £32 million for him, which was £20 million more than his market price. Paul Pogba is right there on the list too.
This makes Bailly a risky buy. If he doesn’t live up to the expectations, he will surely be the worst buy considering that Mourinho could have gotten him for less than half. Luckily for him, Bailly is a brilliant tackler, and knows how to read the game. The pace of the Premier League will suit him without a doubt, which could help him flourish.
And, the best buy of the summer goes to, none other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. No money was paid to PSG for him since he arrived as a free agent. Why is this the best buy?
Because despite being 34, he is still a big professional that can score, dribble, and leave his opponents in awe. Three games in the new season, and he already has 3 goals on his score sheet.