Football
Premier League Transfers: The Winners and Losers
Who has won and lost in this summer Premier League transfer window?
Premier League Transfers: The Winners and Losers
We have officially said goodbye to the most hectic and rememberable transfer windows of all time. Right until 11 pm on the 31st August twist and turns occurred, with over a billion pounds being spent on Premier League transfers alone. Some clubs were able to benefit from the post-COVID-19 market, securing some bargains, whereas some fell victim and look set to struggle throughout the season.
We take a look back at who the winners and losers of the transfer market were and how it will affect the up-and-coming season.
Manchester United – Manchester United laid down their intentions
The return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United was as unexpected as it was exciting. During the summer, Ronaldo took to social media to reassure Juventus fans of his commitment to the club, despite the rumours, only for him to make a shocking return to United for £13 million, on the last day of the transfer window.
In addition to the five-time Ballon D’or winner, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was able to bring in Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho to bolster his squad. These two signings filled the vacant spots in the side, with Varane already impressing the United fans on his debut against Wolves.
Although Solskjaer has been seriously backed financially, they still leave August with questions being asked, especially the need for an upgraded defensive-minded midfielder, someone who will do the dirty work and allow their star-studded attack to flourish.
The Red Devils have undoubtedly improved since last season and will feel confident that their new defensive partnership and lethal attack will be able to paper over the cracks in midfield and push the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool for the title.
Manchester United’ Premier League transfers
In
Tom Heaton – Aston Villa, free Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund, £73m Raphael Varane – Real Madrid, £41m
Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus, £12.9m
Out
Dan James – Leeds, £25m Tahith Chong -Birmingham, loan Joel Pereira – contract expired Sergio Romero – contract expired
Nathan Bishop – Mansfield, loan Reece Devine – St Johnstone, loan Max Taylor – Rochdale, free Axel Tuanzebe – Aston Villa, loan
Ethan Laird – Swansea, loan Dylan Levitt – Dundee United, loan Brandon Williams – Norwich, loan
Lights ?
Camera ?
Action ?@Cristiano's first interview after returning home is here to enjoy! ??#MUFC pic.twitter.com/7Z5EgwCICJ— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 2, 2021
Chelsea – Quality over quantity
The headline signing for the Blues is the re-signing of Romelu Lukaku for £97.5 million from Inter Milan. The Belgian adds the cutting edge upfront that Chelsea dearly missed last season, and with two appearances already this season, Chelsea fans will be excited for what is to come.
Along with the signing of Lukaku, Chelsea managed to increase their depth in midfield, signing Saul Niguez on loan from Atletico Madrid. These two signings give Thomas Tuchel a myriad of options throughout the season and a squad that can compete on all fronts.
They also managed to recoup the summer spending through the sales of Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud all leaving the club for £83.9m, once again showing the qualities of Chelsea’s director, Marina Granovskaia.
It has been a successful summer for Chelsea and the Chelsea board has given Tuchel the tools to allow him to win the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
Chelsea’s Premier League transfer
In
Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan, £97.5m Saul Niguez – Atletico Madrid, loan Marcus Bettinelli – Fulham, free
Out
Fikayo Tomori – AC Milan, £25m Tammy Abraham – Roma, £34m Michy Batshuayi – Besiktas, loan Armando Broja – Southampton, loan
Willy Caballero – contract expired Izzy Brown – contract expired Jamal Blackman – contract expired Pierre Ekwah Elimby – West Ham, undisclosed
Danilo Pantic – Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed Nathan Baxter – Hull, loan
Billy Gilmour – Norwich City, loan Victor Moses – Spartak Moscow, undisclosed Juan Castillo – Birmingham, loan
Olivier Giroud – AC Milan, undisclosed Marc Guehi – Crystal Palace, undisclosed Lewis Bate – Leeds, undisclosed
Henry Lawrence – AFC Wimbledon, loan Tino Livramento – Southampton, undisclosed Jamie Cumming – Gillingham, loan
Jack Wakely – Wycombe, free Ian Maatsen – Coventry, loan Jake Clarke-Salter – Coventry, loan Emerson – Lyon, loan
Matt Miazga – Alaves, loan Ike Ugbo – Genk, undisclosed Kurt Zouma – West Ham, £29.8m Tiemoue Bakayoko – AC Milan, loan
Danny Drinkwater – Reading, loan Dujon Sterling – Blackpool, loan
New Challenge. New team. New city. @ChelseaFC ?⚪️ pic.twitter.com/dnBROzvirs
— Saúl Ñiguez (@saulniguez) September 1, 2021
Aston Villa – Have Villa become a stronger unit?
It was always going to be difficult for Aston Villa to keep hold of Jack Grealish this summer and when Manchester City paid a British record for the attacker, Villa could do very little to stop their superstar from joining the Citizens.
What they have done well is finding replacements for the 25-year-old. They brought in Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey, all for less than they sold Grealish for, and along with Ollie Watkins, they have an attack that isn’t so reliant on one player and makes them a harder team to predict.
They also brought in Axel Tuanzebe, on loan from Manchester United, who will provide as a fine back-up for Tyrone Mings or Ezri Konsa.
It could be a difficult start for Villa and Dean Smith, with the players needing to find a connection but once the relationship on the pitch blossoms, we could see an improved Aston Villa side compared to the one with Grealish in it.
Aston Villa’s Premier League transfers
In
Leon Bailey – Bayer Leverkusen, undisclosed Emi Buendia – Norwich, £38m Ashley Young – Inter, free
Danny Ings – Southampton, undisclosed Axel Tuanzebe- Manchester United, loan
Out
Ahmed Elmohamady- contract expired Tom Heaton – Manchester United, free Neil Taylor – contract expired Wesley – Club Brugge, loan
Bjorn Engels – Royal Antwerp, undisclosed Sebastian Revan – Grimsby, loan Kaine Kesler Hayden – Swindon, loan
Jack Grealish – Manchester City, £100m Louie Barry – Ipswich, loan Brad Young – Carlisle, loan Conor Hourihane – Sheffield United, loan
Dominic Revan – Northampton Town, loan Frederic Guilbert – Strasbourg, loan
How do Aston Villa move on from Jack Grealish? ?
John McGinn reflects on his friend leaving, new signings and hopes for the new season
? Watch Soccer Saturday now on Sky Sports News pic.twitter.com/igMF2fOq9f
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 14, 2021
West Ham – Another push for Europe on the cards?
David Moyes looked to have put West Ham’s Premier League woes to bed last year, with an incredible sixth-place finish, and they will now embark on a Europa League journey, this summer.
Until the last couple of weeks it looked as if it would be difficult for the Scotsman to recreate last season’s form but the Hammers were really busy in the closing days of the transfer window. They brought in Kurt Zouma from Chelsea for £25 million. The defender rejected the chance of playing Champions League football with Sevilla, to join West Ham’s project. The Frenchman is joined by Nikola Vlasic, who joins from CSKA Moscow and will fill the role Jesse Lingard left behind, when he returned to Manchester United.
Along with these two Premier League transfers, they grew their Czech Republic contingency as well. Alex Kral joined from Spartak Moscow and is an industrious midfielder who will be able to complement Declan Rice and his fellow countryman Thomas Soucek.
They have managed to add squad depth in all positions, bar striker where Michail Antonio is the only recognised striker in the squad, which could hinder their chances of European football especially if the 31-year-old picks up an injury.
West Ham’s Premier League transfers
In
Pierre Ekwah Elimby – Chelsea, undisclosed Thierry Nevers – Reading, undisclosed Armstrong Oko-Flex – Celtic, free
Alphonse Areola – PSG, loan Nikola Vlasic – CSKA Moscow, £33.5m Alex Kral – Spartak Moscow, loan
Out
Felipe Anderson – Lazio, undisclosed Fabian Balbuena – released Sean Adarkwa – released Olatunji Akinola – released
Samuel Caiger – released Alfie Lewis – released Joshua Okotcha – released Joseph Anang – Stevenage, loan
Thought we’d leave this introduction to our #CzechMates… ??? pic.twitter.com/XJ8Y3iJqJs
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 31, 2021
The losers
Newcastle – A very quiet summer
Their only high-profile incoming this summer was the permanent move for Joe Willock from Arsenal for £25 million, after his stellar performances towards the backend of last season helped the Magpies stay clear of relegation. They also brought in Santiago Munoz from Santos Laguna, but the Mexican will be more heavily used in their under 23 squad.
The problems that Steve Bruce faced going into the transfer window are still visible, with their midfield position looking light, after unsuccessful attempts to bring in Hamza Choudhury and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. They’ll also find it difficult to keep up Allan Saint-Maximin’s or Callum Wilson’s productivity if one of them gets injured.
It was a difficult summer for Steve Bruce’s side and it may see them get involved in an unwanted relegation battle, something Newcastle fans wouldn’t have hoped for after the 12th place finish last year.
Newcastle’s Premier League transfers
In
Joe Willock – Arsenal, £25m Santiago Munoz – Santos Laguna, loan
Out
Florian Lejeune – Alaves, undisclosed Andy Carroll – contract expired Henri Saivet – contract expired Christian Atsu – contract expired
Lewis Cass – Newcastle to Port Vale, loan Ludwig Francillette – Crawley, free Jake Turner – Colchester, loan Kell Watts – Wigan, loan
Matty Longstaff – Aberdeen, loan Yoshinori Muto – contract terminated Tom Allan – Greenock Morton, loan
So, since October 2020:
IN
WillockOUT
Atsu
Carroll
Lejeune
Yedlin
Aarons
Lazaar
Lejeune
M. Longstaff
Muto
Saivet
Lazaar
Watts
Sorensen
Bobby Clark
Barlaser
Kyle Scott
Jake Turner
Tom Allan
Rodrigo VillaGreat stuff. #disgrace
— United For Newcastle (@UtdForNewcastle) August 31, 2021
Wolves – A difficult start for Bruno Lage
Despite sitting in the bottom three and picking up no points, Bruno Lage has been an impressive acquisition, replacing the much-loved Nuno Espirito Santo, and giving the Wolves board a reason to back him, but the West Midlands-based club has failed to do so. Their most expensive signing was the permanent signing of Ratan Ait-Nouri from Angers for £10 million.
They have replaced Rui Patricio with Jose Sa, who has shown potential during his first three appearances, and Hwang Hee-Chan has joined from RB Leipzig to provide support for Raul Jimenez this year. They also managed to keep hold of Ruben Neves and Adama Traore which will be vital for their season.
Despite all that, the transfer window will be seen as a disappointment for some fans. On the final day, there were numerous names being linked to a move to the Molineux, the likes of Sven Botman, Renato Sanches and Kieffer Moore, but no one entered. It wasn’t a disastrous window but there was definitely an opportunity to give Lage the right players needed to fit his promising style of play.
Wolves’ Premier League transfers
In
Hee Chan Hwang – RB Leipzig, loan with option to buy for £13m Jose Sa – Olympiacos, undisclosed Rayan Ait-Nouri – Angers, undisclosed
Yerson Mosquera – Atletico Nacional, undisclosed Louie Moulden – Man City, free Francisco Trincao – Barcelona, loan
Out
Rui Patricio – Roma, undisclosed Theo Corbeanu – Sheffield Wednesday, loan Sadou Diallo – released Cyriaque Mayounga – released
Hong Wan – released Dion Sanderson – Birmingham, loan Matija Sarkic – Birmingham, loan Taylor Perry – Cheltenham, loan
Owen Otasowie – Club Brugge, undisclosed Rafa Mir – Sevilla, undisclosed Connor Ronan – St Mirren, loan
Morgan Gibbs-White – Sheffield United, loan
TDD finished for @Wolves. No signings today. Obviously made significant one at weekend.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) August 31, 2021
Liverpool – Did Liverpool done enough?
The big plus for Liverpool over the summer was the return of Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip who all missed large parts of last season causing the Reds to struggle at times. The main cause of the downturn in form for Jurgen Klopp’s side was centre back cover and they seem to have fixed that issue by bringing in Ibrahim Konate from RB Leipzig as their sole summer signing.
Since FSG took over Liverpool they have aimed to work in the green, and never to spend beyond their means and this summer is no different. Xherdan Shaqiri left for Olympique Lyon, as well as Harry Wilson leaving for Fulham. The biggest outgoing at Anfield though was Georginio Wijnaldum who left for free to PSG and wasn’t replaced, despite the key role he played last season.
Klopp has still got a really good starting eleven that has shown its ability to win the league, but as we saw last season if one of their stars get injured, they could endure a rough patch and become a victim of the ever-growing competitiveness of the Premier League.
Liverpool’s Premier League transfers
In
Ibrahima Konate- RB Leipzig, £36m
Out
Georginio Wijnaldum – Paris Saint-Germain, free Xherdan Shaqiri- Lyon, undisclosed Harry Wilson- Fulham, £12m
Marco Grujic – Porto, undisclosed Adam Lewis – Livingston, loan Sepp van den Berg – Preston, loan
Paul Glatzel – Tranmere, loan Liam Coyle – Accrington, free Joe Hardy – Accrington, free Taiwo Awoniyi – Union Berlin, undisclosed
Ben Davies – Sheff Utd, loan Leighton Clarkson – Blackburn, loan Ben Woodburn – Hearts, loan Rhys Williams – Swansea, loan
Sheyi Ojo – Millwall, loan
? NEW: Club insiders have confirmed that Liverpool don’t expect to make any deadline day signings. #awlive [liverpool echo]
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) August 31, 2021
Manchester City – Failing to invest in the key areas
This is probably quite a surprising entry into the list, with them forking out a British record on one of England’s best players, Jack Grealish. Although extremely talented he didn’t fill a position that was lacking in the City squad, and in fact probably added to Pep Guardiola’s most competitive position, with Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres all playing on the wing.
Pep heads into the season, without a number nine and without a clear first-choice left-back. They were heavily interested in Harry Kane, who expressed a desire to leave Tottenham, but Manchester City suffered due to Daniel Levy’s strict negotiating. They were also involved in the Ronaldo saga before United got the deal across the line and left Manchester City without a Sergio Aguero replacement.
They did manage to keep hold of Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva and Mahrez who all wanted to leave after falling down the pecking order at the Etihad, but they have to try and retain their Premier League title with Torres as their main striker and with Manchester United and Chelsea strengthening and Liverpool fully fit, they may have to pass their crown overcome to the end of May.
Manchester City’s Premier League transfers
In
Jack Grealish – Aston Villa, £100m Scott Carson – Derby, free
Out
Sergio Aguero – Barcelona, free Eric Garcia – Barcelona, free Jack Harrison – Leeds, undisclosed Daniel Grimshaw – Blackpool, free
Taylor Harwood-Bellis – Anderlecht, loan James Trafford – Accrington, loan Gavin Bazunu – Portsmouth, loan
Lewis Fiorini – Lincoln, loan Alexander Robertson – Ross County, loan Callum Doyle – Sunderland, loan
Lukas Nmecha – Wolfsburg, undisclosed Matt Smith – Hull, loan Ben Knight – Crewe, loan Tommy Doyle – Hamburg, loan
Claudio Gomes – Barnsley, loan Patrick Roberts – Troyes, loan
? “I think #MCFC fans will be very disappointed. They wanted a striker!”
? “If you are linked with players like Harry Kane & Ronaldo but you don’t get either, it tells me there’s a gap.”
Jason Cundy believes Man City have a ‘gap’ up front after failing to sign a striker. ❌ pic.twitter.com/fHHbOBeEPX
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 1, 2021
We hope you enjoyed this article ‘Premier League Transfers: The Winners and Losers’. Who do you think has made the best and worst Premier League transfers? Let us know!
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