English Premier League transfers: Biggest winners, losers, and what we can expect this season
Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany celebrates with the trophy after winning the Premier League title.
The English Premier League transfer window rarely passes without drama, and this year was no exception as the clubs spent a total of £1.24 billion (S$2.17 billion) in the summer – smashing the £1 billion mark for the third consecutive year.
One of the intriguing things about these windows is that they set pulses racing when big money deals are happening, but can be even more dramatic when the moves don't materialise.
The last few weeks was just that for fans of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as they sweated through the closing days, praying to the football gods for the deliverance of a new messiah – or failing that, Jack Grealish.
It's funny how a few months can change your perspective. In April, Spurs fans scoffed at the mere mention of the Aston Villa player's name. By August 9, they were imploring Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy, to meet their price just for the belief that an injection of fresh blood can provide.
Well, that, and to avoid being the subject of mocking memes for an unwanted record of being the first Premier League team since the transfer windows began not to sign a single player in the summer.
In reality, it was not a disastrous window for Spurs as they managed to hold onto all their star players, including some who looked to be on their way out.
QUIET IN MANCHESTER
Over in Manchester, the window was remarkably quiet. Besides a few bit-part players, Manchester United spent their money early on a full-back and a centre midfielder but the Board seemingly ignored Jose Mourinho's pleas for wise heads in defence leading the Manager to question whether his title was really head coach after all. All is not well at Old Trafford, and Chelsea fans are already reminding the United faithful of Mourinho's famous three season cycle.
Manchester City were so dominant last season that they didn't need to do much – and indeed, only Riyad Mahrez (finally) arrived. One wonders if their failure to strengthen at centre-back and defensive midfield may haunt them later in the season, but for now they will just seek to pick up where they left off last year.
BIG SPENDERS
Liverpool were the undoubted winners of the transfer window of the big clubs – seemingly addressing all their major needs and being the top spenders at £177 million (S$310 million). A few questions remain: Who will score the goals if Mo Salah's remarkable 2017/18 season cannot be repeated – as logic says it cannot – and whether the world's most expensive defender, Virgil Van Dijk, needs a better partner than the man who recently proclaimed himself one of the best defenders in the world in Dejan Lovren, which he hasn't always shown in English domestic football.
ARSENAL GET HEAD START, CHELSEA WAIT TILL LATE
Despite being two clubs in similar predicaments – new managers and on the outside of the Champions League, looking in – Chelsea and Arsenal's windows were almost polar opposites. Arsenal's early appointment of Unai Emery led to early business, and while only Lucas Torreira of Uruguay looks like a significant upgrade on their current starters, the signing of German international goalkeeper Bernd Leno to provide competition to the fading Petr Cech may ultimately be the more significant transfer.
In contrast, Chelsea's drawn-out removal of Antonio Conte and appointment of Maurizio Sarri was further compounded by uncertainty on the status of several of their World Cup players. By the time it became clear that Thibaut Courtois was not returning to Stamford Bridge, Alisson had gone to Liverpool and Chelsea appeared to panic into paying over the odds to meet the world record release clause (and double what they received for Courtois) for a talented but relatively unproven keeper in Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea ended up being the second biggest spenders in the window with the addition of Jorginho to shore up the midfield, with Mateo Kovacic also arriving on loan from Real Madrid. But the Community Shield showed worrying signs of a team in transition that may take a while to adjust to the new manager, while question marks remain on Alvaro Morata in particular to consistently score the goals they need. The reality for Chelsea in particular is that the window hasn't closed yet – as their fans will be concerned about the fact that Serie A and La Liga teams, and Real Madrid in particular, can still sign players: will Eden Hazard's head get turned?
SPLURGING SEASON
Beyond the Big Six is where the real stories of this window lie though: with promoted teams Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers spending huge sums to bring in proven quality. Clearly these teams saw the survival of the three promoted teams last season and decided to go all-in on the Premier League. What their investment means for the prospects of longer-serving Premier League teams like Southampton, Bournemouth and Watford and last season's survivors Huddersfield Town, and Brighton & Hove Albion, time will tell.
Everton were perhaps the team that caught everyone's attention though: A year on from a transfer splurge by the new owners that showed no rhyme nor reason in overloading the team with attacking midfielders and not replacing the goals of Romelu Lukaku, Everton fans will be cautious to announce their arrival at the top table again.
But the signs are more promising – in Yeri Mina, Richarlison, Bernard and Lucas Digne they have made some quality signings across the pitch, backed up by the loan arrivals of Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma – to add to the January window signing of Cenk Tosun. Meanwhile, Ramiro Funes Mori and Ashley Williams (loan) quietly left the club, having both failed to deliver the stability they were signed for.
The big question for Everton is: How can the manager mould these players and indeed, which Marco Silva will they get? Will we see the Marco Silva who initially impressed at Hull City and peaked Everton's interest, or the one who failed at Watford, which admittedly has proven to be an unstable platform for many managers?
The early close of the window may also have repercussions that cannot yet be predicted. With foreign teams still able to buy and loan from the English Premier League, the record net spend of Premier League clubs will surely come down. Already we have seen Michy Batshuayi depart to Valencia, and Chelsea – along with Liverpool and Everton most likely – will be looking to do more outgoing business. As with Chelsea and Hazard, a lot of teams will be nervously shielding their stars from the prying and deep pockets of the big teams, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus all on the prowl.
There is also an expectation that January could be a big window for the Premier League: in the past, teams had three to four games before the end of January to identify gaps and make last minute adjustments. This year, with the season already begun, these moves may end up being pushed to the January window, which will also test the skills of many managers to work with the cards they have been dealt for the next few months.
As always, we cannot read too much into transfer windows: big buys can flop, small signings can flourish and the managers who signed the players can be gone by October. To paraphrase Brian Clough, the game is played on grass – not paper, and management style, systems, tactics, momentum and luck will ultimately determine who made the best of this new short window.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James Walton is the Sports Business Group Leader of Deloitte South-east Asia
TOP 5 SPENDERS:
1. Liverpool £177 million (S$310 million)
2. Chelsea £128.6m
3. Fulham £105.3m
4. Leicester £104.3m
5. West Ham £99m
TOP 5 TRANSFERS:
Kepa (Chelsea) £71.6m
Alisson (Liverpool) £67m
Fred (Manchester United) £61.2m
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) £60m
Jorginho (Chelsea) £57m
