As Premier League seasons conclude, players jet off to exotic destinations whilst managers and directors alike take time to re-assess, dig out the cheque book and prepare to pull the trigger. The weeks to follow are the only time in the year when the beautiful game becomes strictly business. So, who has emerged victorious? And which teams crawled through Thursday’s Premier League deadline coughing and spluttering? To find out, I pinpoint a few such teams to assess whether they have; done the business, under-recruited, or spent badly.
Arsenal – Done the business
Countless years of frugal spending have rendered Arsenal something of a whimpering force in the transfer market. It appeared to be business as usual when it emerged early on that Welsh starlet and long-time gooner Aaron Ramsey was to depart for Juventus without the club receiving a penny. However, with eager Spaniard Unai Emery at the helm it’s all gone transfer bonkers at the Emirates. Gunners fans have been screaming for defensive reinforcements after enduring the calamities of Mustafi & co, and their prayers seem to have been answered. Highly regarded 18-year-old centre-back William Saliba arrived from Saint-Etienne for £27m, and has been swiftly sent back on loan for guaranteed game time. If he is one for the future, then Arsenal have not disregarded the here and now with frizzy-haired, knuckleballing madman David Luiz arriving in a shock £8m deadline day transfer from Chelsea. Certainly prone to a calamitous moment, but he brings with him a wealth of elite level experience for cut price money, and on his day he is majestic. At the other end, Emery has pulled off arguably the Premier League’s most glamorous coup of the window by luring in £72m Lille wideman Nicolas Pepe. Couple that with silky incoming loanee Dani Ceballos, and Arsenal have an attack as creative as it is direct, as beautiful as it is potent. There’s no two ways about it, this is Arsenal’s best window for some time and the fans will be raring to go.
Burnley – Under Recruited
Sean Dyche, a British institution. A real 4-4-2, Bisto gravy, Digestive biscuit kind of man. How he has kept Burnley in the Premier League for so long is a mystery to all of us, yet another summer has come and gone and Burnley have done what they do best – the bare minimum. Last season was something of a disappointment off the back of their miraculous 2017/18 campaign, and many sensed that a rigid, ageing team was in need of some fresh faces. In came Stoke City left back Erik Pieters for an undisclosed fee (not that anyone cared), as well as Premier League winner Danny Drinkwater on loan from Chelsea after playing a grand total of zero minutes of league football last season. Oh, and that was not due to injury, Maurizio Sarri really did just rate him that highly. Add to this the £10m signing of former claret Jay Rodriguez in attack, and you have a thoroughly underwhelming summer window at Turf Moor. Will it be enough to keep them in the top flight? With Dyche in the dugout, anything is possible.
Everton – Done the business
Marco Silva has not had much rest this summer. With director of football Marcel Brands at his side, the pair have gone berserk in the transfer market. Clearly the Everton board feel that they have their man, even though last season’s 8th place finish hardly represents a beacon of progress. Despite losing a top tier defensive midfielder in Idrissa Gueye to PSG, as well as tricky youngster Ademola Lookman to RB Leipzig for £22m, the Toffees have pulled off some smart business this summer. Andre Gomes looked an exciting player on loan last season, and most were perplexed to learn that his services have been secured on a permanent basis for just over £20m. Back to back title winner and capable utility player Fabian Delph looks a fantastic buy at £9m, and in my view the signing of the window was pulled off when 19-year-old striker Moise Kean arrived from Juventus for around £30m. In Kean’s arrival, Everton have landed a player that Europe has been talking about since his 16th birthday (by this point he was not far short of making his Juventus debut). Asking the teenager to be a readymade 20-goal-a-season front man may be a stretch at this stage, but with his calibre of footalling education, fans and neutrals alike will be hoping the full Italy international develops into something special. Indeed, Wilfried Zaha would have been the cherry on top of this rather tasty looking cake which has been baking at Goodison Park, but Palace kept their man once again and Alex Iwobi’s £30m deadline day arrival from Arsenal materialised instead. Iwobi was a regular starter at Arsenal last season, a few eyebrows have been raised at the hefty price tag but he is another young and exciting addition to an Everton team brimming with potential. Could this be the season the Toffees break the top 6?
Liverpool – Under Recruited
Liverpool’s inactivity in this summer’s transfer market may rightfully alarm fans. It could very well suggest that, from Jurgen Klopp’s perspective, his team is already operating at full tilt. Despite the fact his side accumulated the third highest points total in Premier League history last term, it was still not enough to overhaul Manchester City. Granted, they did run Guardiola’s men unbelievably close, however City have bolstered an almost flawless squad this summer whereas Liverpool have decided to roll the same dice as last season. The reds have made a statement of future intent by signing Harvey Elliot, the Premier League’s youngest ever debutant, turning out for Fulham last year aged 16 years and 30 days. It appears that the youngster will go straight into first team training at Anfield, but he is unlikely to single-handedly close the gap on a constantly improving City side in the coming season. Klopp has clearly opted to stick, but he will need to eek a fraction more out of last season’s squad in order to finally get a Liverpool title challenge over the line.
Manchester United – Under Recruited
Manchester United’s shocking run of form at the back end of last season would hardly have filled the Glazers with enthusiasm in entrusting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with their chequebook this summer. Former Swansea speedster Daniel James putting pen to paper early in the summer came as a surprise to many, not least as he previously attracted mostly Championship interest and was almost unveiled as a Leeds player back in January. However, defensive dealings were always going to be the crucial element of United’s transfer window. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival from Crystal Palace came at a heavy price, £50m to be exact, but in his one full top flight season he looks to be an outstanding talent at both ends of the pitch. Add this to the signing of Harry Maguire, a world record £80m fee for a defender, as well as the return of Axel Tuanzebe from a hugely successful loan spell with Aston Villa last season, and United now have a vastly superior range of defensive options to choose from. £130m is perhaps paying over the odds, but fans will rejoice at the slimming prospect of seeing Smalling and Jones on team sheets together any time soon. In attack, United did well to recoup the vast majority of the £75m they splashed on Romelu Lukaku back in 2017 as he joins up with Antonio Conte’s Inter. No replacement was signed however, as Solskjaer is set to place increased responsibility on youngsters Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood. It is certainly a gamble, but three hugely promising and dynamic striking options may more readily fit into Solskjaer’s mould, with memories of exciting attacking trios that shaped his early success as manager still faintly ringing around fans’ minds. It has to be said that United are still short in midfield so this was not the window that fans wanted, but if Paul Pogba is not lured away by another European heavyweight then the Old Trafford terraces may approach the season with cautious optimism.
Newcastle – Spent Badly
The Magpies’ summer began in the worst possible way when Rafa Benitez parted company with the club, citing a ‘difference in ambition’. It is fair to say fans were less than bowled over by the appointment of Steve Bruce, a man with plenty of top level pedigree, but surely past his managerial peak. If this was a gamble then their transfer dealings were to follow suit. At the top end of the pitch where Newcastle have struggled in recent seasons, tricky Spaniard Ayoze Perez departed for Leicester while last season’s beacon of hope, Salomon Rondon was not signed on a permanent basis. In response, the club obliterated their transfer record by shipping a colossal £40m over to Germany for the acquisition of the uncapped and little known Brazilian forward, Joelinton. As of yet in his career he has failed to prove himself as a prolific goalscorer, netting 7 times in the Bundesliga last term although clearly impressing Newcastle scouts in the process. His 6’1” frame surely means his game revolves around bringing others into play, I hear you scream! But frankly, with a complete absence of swashbuckling wingers and marauding midfielders, who is going to be putting the ball into the back of the net? Allan Saint-Maximin has been brought in from Nice for £20m, certainly a direct threat but hardly a world-beater in waiting with just 6 goals last term. Furthermore, talented Englishman Jacob Murphy has been sent on loan to the Championship and Kenedy has returned to his parent club Chelsea. Another goal threat was clearly needed, so who did Brucey turn to? None other than the ageing stretcher-merchant Andy Carroll. With no price tag after being released by West Ham, he may be a gamble worth taking as on his day he is a serious handful for any defender. However, his days have been few and far between since first leaving Newcastle 8 years ago, in a time where the toon need reliable goalscorers to step up to the plate. These are worrying times for Newcastle, who’d better hope that their £40m cheque to Hoffenheim was money well spent.
Sheffield United – Spent Badly
12 years after they departed the top flight, with a long spell in League One for good measure, the blades are finally back in the Premier League. Despite having a squad a long way off being the strongest in the Championship, Chris Wilder earned due praise for leading his team to promotion last season. However, the Premier League is a completely different kettle of fish, and Sheffield United embarked on a transfer bonanza in order to keep themselves there. Club legend Phil Jagielka made his return after being released by Everton, who will undoubtedly add leadership and experience in the dressing room, but his 36-year-old legs may not have too much left in the tank at the top level. Eyebrows were raised at the signing of Ravel Morisson on a 1-year-contract, a volatile talent who Sir Alex Ferguson famously described as the greatest youth talent he had ever seen, but his attitude has been a consistent problem at every stage of his career. Having said this, most attentive football fans will testify to having seen flashes of utter brilliance from Morisson, and it will be fascinating to see if this is the year he finds that form on a consistent basis. Where Chris went even wilder (if you’ll pardon the pun) is in attack. David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp will be accompanied by Lys Mousset, Callum Robinson and Ollie McBurnie. All three signed for a combined £36m, with the former boasting a staggeringly bad goal scoring record for Bournemouth over three seasons, and the latter two displaying only moderate levels of success in the Championship. The blades have certainly been busy this summer, but if they are to survive then many of these gambles (and they are gambles) will have to pay off.
Tottenham Hotspur – Done the business
After what seems like a never ending wait, Spurs finally embark on a full Premier League season in their brand new, state of the art, eye-wateringly expensive stadium. Throughout the building process, Mauricio Pochettino has had precious little to work with in order to maintain his squad. With their stadium woes behind them and having established themselves as Champions League regulars, this was to be the busy summer fans had been waiting for. Since Moussa Dembele’s departure to China, Tottenham have been without a replacement. There are not many players in world football with his all-round skillset, which makes the £62m signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon both a clever and impressive piece of business given the flock of huge clubs also competing for his signature. If Spurs’ opener against Aston Villa was anything to go by, they have got a proper player as Ndombele drove forwards from deep with regularity, whilst showing intermittent flashes of technical quality. Further high quality midfield reinforcements have been acquired in the shape of Argentina international Giovani Lo Celso. Talk had been of another big money move for the Betis man, but the silky midfielder comes in on a seaon-long-loan deal. He is another big name that will surely have a big part to play in Spurs’ season. To complete the hat-trick, the Ryan Sessegnon rumours that had been bubbling away all summer finally came to fruition on deadline day, signing for £25m. Although the teenager struggled to make his mark for a struggling Fulham side last season, he has just about the most professional experience of anyone in his age group. Sessegnon is already hardened to the Premier League so he will be ready to enter the fray as soon as he is needed. Despite the high profile departures of Vincent Janssen to Liga MX and Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid (some to be missed more than others), Spurs head into this season in drastically better shape than the last. The elephant in the room, however, is that they may not be able to hold onto their diminutive Dane and assist-master, Christian Eriksen. Talks to double Eriksen’s wages to £160k-per-week are apparently ongoing, but if he means what he says about seeking new challenges abroad then Spurs may struggle after all without the crucial cog that makes their team tick.
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