An club by club overview and grade for how Premier League teams have fared in the transfer window so far.
Arsenal – D
Considering Arsene Wenger has a £70 million war chest he’s not done much with it. Not much at all. So far only French youngster Yaya Sanogo has arrived for a minimal fee, whilst they now seem to be missing out on Gonzalo Higuain, who now looks set to join one of the club’s European rivals.
However, a lull in activity may be down the the sudden availability of Luis Suarez. Surely the most attractive prospect for any club looking to add a new striker to the ranks, it won’t be a deal that’s completed quickly. So whilst Wenger can be afforded some leeway, there are only 30 short days left until the opening weekend of the season.
The club have done well to rid themselves of a number of under performers already with Vito Mannone, Andrei Arshavin, Denilson and Sébastien Squillaci all ushered through the exit door. This will not only free up space in the squad but a large portion of the wage bill to in case they need to break the bank to bring in Suarez, or Wayne Rooney.
Wenger has made a big deal over how now that he has the money to spend on players then he won’t be repeating the same mistakes as previous windows, however, his passivity must be slightly disconcerting and he will need to act fast in order to avoid missing out on any future targets.
Aston Villa – C
Following on from last summer’s policy of signing young, hungry players for little money Paul Lambert has largely stuck to that same formula only this time he’s dipped into the foreign market instead of strictly buying British.
Jores Okore has been a particular coup, especially when you consider that he rejected the advances of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in order to move to the Midlands. Striker Nicklas Helenius also appears to be a shrewd signing and will most likely be expected to fill the void that could be left by Christian Benteke should he move on before September 1st.
Like Wenger, Lambert has begun to clear some of the deadwood from the squad with the likes of Richard Dunne and Brett Holman being allowed to leave, whilst Shay Given, Stephen Ireland, Darren Bent and Alan Hutton have all been told that they are to find new clubs over the next six weeks after failing to make an impression.
Experience is still needed in the squad. With the average age still only 23, an experienced ball winner in the middle of the pitch will be paramount if they hope to avoid flirting with relegation again like they did last season.
Overall, Villa can be happy so far with their new additions, none are Premier League tested, but it follows on very much with the Dortmund model that Lambert admires so much.
Cardiff City – D
So far, the only reason Cardiff haven’t received a harsher grade is because there is still plenty of time to bring some new faces in. So far, the only addition has been that of highly rated Danish striker Andreas Cornelius, though if they don’t add more experience to the rest of the squad then the 20-year-old will struggle to make the sort of impact that many will be hoping he is capable of.
Earlier links with Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama failed to materialise, as did a bid to bring in Blackpool’s Thomas Ince, whilst stories linking former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt was a nonevent anyway. Other than that; it’s been all quiet on the Welsh front for the side from the Capital.
They’ve lost veteran Icelandic striker Heidar Helguson to retirement, and the only others who have left have been young fringe players that fans can trust Malky McKay in letting go.
Cardiff are lucky in that they already have quite a dynamic side anyway, but they won’t manage to last the distance if they can’t strengthen where necessary.Craig Bellamy will be vital this year, if not for his actions on the pitch then for his influence in and around the dressing room nstead.
Chelsea – A
So far, Chelsea have got it pretty spot on in terms of the business they’ve done. The addition of Andre Schurrle has been nothing short of brilliant and the thought of seeing him terrorise Premier League defences next season is pleasing even for the neutral. MArco Van Ginkel is more of an unknown quantity, but looks to be in the same exciting bracket as Kevin De Bruyne, who Mourinho has also made sure to have hold on to.
The arrival of Wayne Rooney is still more than a faint possibility and though it would be strange to see him in a blue shirt at first, there isn’t one football fan in the world (except for United fans) that wouldn’t be a little interested in seeing how he’d fare under the special one.
A number of the side’s fringe players have left, largely on loan to sides overseas. This is probably a good move in certain instances, with Thibaut Coutois set to continue his education in the familiar surroundings of Atletico Madrid, with Mark Schwarzer keeping his seat warm for a year – another excellent piece of business, whilst Oriol Romeu has headed out to Valencia to get some much needed game time under his belt.
However, some feel as though they could have been sold outright. The likes of Marko Marin and Patrick Van Arnholt clearly don’t have futures at the club and could have been let go on cut price deals now instead of being left to be dealt with next summer.
Crystal Palace – C
The Eagles, like Cardiff, have struggled to get bodies through the door, which is hard to do when they have a budget as small as theirs.
Although, saying that, they did spent around £6 million on Peterborough’s Dwight Gayle. Surely one for the future, the young lad has just a handful a first team games under his belt and his goalscoring record leaves a lot to be desired. It is unlikely that he will save the club from relegation next term, though bigger surprises have happened.
The arrival of Jerome Thomas will be seen as just another transfer to many, but he has been in dog fights throughout the most of his career and will be well versed in having the correct mentality to deal with such a situation.
However, the big coup will be that of Spanish youngster Jose Campana of Sevilla, who is reportedly close to signing on the dotted line at Selhurst Park. Highly rated in his native land, he hasn’t been able to get a look in in Andalusia and will be a sure signal of intent that Ian Holloway is looking to play attractive football rather than bring basement bargain scrappers on board.
Everton – C
At present, Everton have looked just like Wigan Athletic MK II as thei main signings have been Arouna Koné and Antolín Alcaraz, as well as Atletico Madrid’s Joel Robles, who spent last season on loan at the DW Stadium.
That’s not to say that any of them are bad signings. They will all be familiar with the system that Roberto Martinez will be looking to implement and surrounded by better players they can be expected to excel and really show what they’re capable of. Kone especially, who looked dangerous at most times last term.
The loan capture of Barcelona youngster Gerard Deulofeu could go either of two ways; he’ll take the Premier League by storm, dazzling experienced defenders by the barrel load, or he’s suffer an early injury and make sporadic appearances before being shipped back by Christmas.
The club have lost a major lynchpin in Phil Neville, after he decided to hang up his boots in May and join Manchester United’s coaching staff, whilst former German international Thomas Hitzlsperger has failed to earn a long term deal once again.
Fulham – B
Not a bad window so far for the Cottagers, who have brought in a number of solid, if unspectacular signings to bolster certain areas of the side.
The additions of Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Amorebieta and midfielder Derek Boateng will add a much welcomed physical presence through the centre, and in Martin Stekelenburg they’ll have a solid and dependable goalkeeper with a wealth of club and international tournament experience behind him.
The Dutch goalkeeper is also at an age where he’ll be able to be considered a long term replacement for the veteran Mark Schwarzer who has moved down the Fulham road to join up with local rivals Chelsea.
Veteran quartet Chris Baird, Simon Davies, Mahamadou Diarra and Mladen Petric have all been moved on on free transfers so as to free up some space on the wage bill. The latter two both struggled to produce their best form in a white shirt last season and sadly, have been considered as disappointments.
A mooted move for West Bromwich Albion’s Liam Ridgewell would provide some more stability at the back, but other than that Martin Jol has been kept fairly quiet.
Hull City – C
Like Fulham, the Premier League new boys have made some solid if unspectacular new signings.
They’ve managed to bring in two experienced goalkeepers in Scottish number one Alan McGreggor and veteran Newcastle stopper Steve Harper to sort out problem position that had been worrying Steve Bruce since promotion was attained.
Curtis Davies will be welcomed back into the Premier League as he is at a level up from playing for lowly Birmingham City, and Peterborough’s George Boyd will finally get his chance to shine in the Premier League after setting the Championship alight for the past five+ years, whilst Ahmed Elmohamady and Maynor Figueroa will provide some steely know how and experience in the midfield.
The bulk of the squad has been kept together with only Seyi Olofinjana, Jay Simpson being counted amongst the ‘bigger’ casualties.
Bruce is now looking to add options to his forward line and a move for either Nicklas Bentner or Sunderland flop Danny Graham has been mooted. Though neither would be particularly ground breaking signings, Bendtner would perhaps be the better option of the two, simply because of his experience at the top of the game.
Liverpool – B
Brendan Rodgers seems to have followed in the trend set by Michael Laudrup and Paul Lambert by dipping into the overseas market for little known talent on small wages.
Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto have both been brought in to much acclaim from Spain, though Steven Gerrard admitted he’d never heard of either of them.
The addition of Simon Mignolet has been particularly interesting as there was a sense last term that Pepe Reina had taken his foot off the gas after being allowed to have an extended and unchallenged run in the first team. Complacency perhaps led to him being dropped for Brad Jones and Doni at various points last season and now he’ll have to up his game in the face of stiff competition from the Belgian international, who won’t want to come to warm the bench but fight for his place to keep Thibaut Courtois out of the picture with the national set up ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
The retirement of Jamie Carragher has left a big hole in the heart of Liverpool’s defence as well as the dressing room, and Rodgers has made some headway into filling the gap by bringing former Arsenal and Manchester City man Kolo Toure into the squad, though there is still a feeling that he will need to bring one more top quality centre back in to make sure that all bases are covered come kick off.
They’ve finally rid themselves of the millstone that is Andy Carroll, though they’ve had to record significant financial losses in the process, and the sale of Jonjo Shelvey to Swansea came as a surprise.
Manchester City – C
Though they have added four top quality players it won’t take long to realise that they have over paid terribly once again.
£30 million for one of the many Brazilian imports to Eastern Europe kicked them off, and even though he is a fantastic talent, he’s still being kept out of the national team by a number of players in front of him.
However, the signing of Jesus Navas will solve the club’s problem with width as both Samir Nasri and David Silva have failed to make the same sort of impression that they had in their first year at the Etihad, and this will be a true test of whether Navas’ homesickness problems are well and truly behind him – an affliction that threatened to hinder his career on a number of occasions in the past.
Letting Carlos Tevez leave has raised a few eyebrows. He is a phenomenally talented player but has caused his fair share of problems since arriving from their cross city rivals and at the age of 29 a fee of £12 million has been most welcome.
They’ve got several big earners off the wage bill in the shape of Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Toure and Maicon and they will be looking to utilise those vacant spots to the fullest once Manuel Pellegrini settles into his new role over the coming weeks.
City have also added Spanish goal machine Alvaro Negredo to the ranks this week as they look to ease the burden off Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, and it will be interesting to see if the former Sevilla man can replicate the form his displayed in his home country.
Manchester United – F
Not a great start for new man David Moyes on the transfer front so far.
Making just a solitary addition in the form of young Uruguayan centre back Guillermo Varela – who, consequently now looks to be heading for a season long loan spell with Argentinian side Boca Juniors.
Moyes believed that he had Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara in the bag before the maestro decided to link up with his former boss Pep Guardiola in Germany with Bayern Munich and fellow target Mario Gomez has left for Fiorentina before Moyes could even make an enquiry. Furthermore, PSV Eindhoven midfielder Kevin Strootman looks set to desert them too, with links to Italian giants Roma getting stronger by the day.
Of course, the big story surrounding the club is whether or not they will manage to keep a hold of Wayne Rooney following his reported unhappiness, so to be fair to the Scott, he may have more important issues on his plate to deal with before he starts splashing the cash on a plethora of new signings.
But there’s a sense that this wouldn’t happen under Ferguson, that if he had wanted Alcantara he would have made sure that he got him. United aren’t famed for making a great deal of big name, big money signings all in the same window, so there is still time for the first one to come, though it is a less than ideal start to life at the club for the former Everton man.
Newcastle United – F
Another F grade, this time for the Magpies. After January’s attempt to buy the population of France, Alan Pardew has had hie reins pulled by the club’s hierarchy as he now has Joe Kinnear breathing down his neck as the director of football.
For that reason, things have been at a standstill at St James’ Park, and they’ve yet to make a single addition. Names such as West Ham’s James Tomkins have been mentioned as potential arrivals, whilst his search for a striker has yielded as far as Aston Villa’s Darren Bent and QPR’s Loic Remy, though as of yet no official approach has been made.
A search for a back up goalkeeper and competitor the baby faced Tim Krul has led them to PSV Eindhoven’s Jeron Zoet, though, like the previous two, nothing has been agreed yet. Not even close.
The exits from the club, though, can be seen as a step in the right direction as James Perch (Wigan, £750,000), Danny Simpson (QPR, Free), Steve Harper (Hull City, Free) have all left.
However, Pardew will have to get a move on and start bringing in the players who will be able to help them avoid having another season like the last one if he wants to ensure the justification of the eight-year contract that was handed to him by the chairman recently.
Norwich City – A
It’s quite possible that the Canaries have had the most successful run in the transfer market so far, and perhaps, even in their history too.
Delia Smith must have sold quite the number of cakes in order to bring this whole new set of players in as they are undoubtedly a step up (or two) from the kind of player they are used to welcoming through the doors at Carrow Road.
Dutch international striker Ricky Van Wolfswinkel was acquired before safety in the Premier League was even guaranteed and the £8.5 million fee paid for him seems like peanuts compared to what some of their divisional rivals have had to fork out for their own players.
Martin Olsson will be a particularly good addition to the wide areas as he is comfortable in either defence of attack, and it is a surprise that it took a club so long to rescue him from the Championship considering that he is still a Swedish international.
Nathan Redmond will be one to watch out for in the near future. The tricky winger has impressed during his short time with Birmingham City and Chris Hughton wasted no time in bringing him on board after seeing what he could do first hand during his time in charge of the Blues. And Leroy Fer, the FC Twente midfielder, comes highly regarded.
The club will have to come to terms with life without Grant Holt, however, as the burly striker was allowed to move further north to Wigan Athletic to be closer to his family. The 32-year-old had nowhere near the same influence that he had enjoyed during the club’s first season back in the Premier League, meaning the only thing that would hurt about his transfer would be the sentiment attached to it.
Southampton – C
The Saints may have added just the two players to their ranks so far, but the calibre of one, and the promise of the other have been sufficient enough to upgrade them to a C.
Many expected Celtic’s Victor Wanyama to head for a club along the lines of Arsenal or Liverpool, or at least stay in Glasgow where he can enjoy the rigours of Champions League football and continue to add more SPL winners medals to his private collection. But no, to his credit, he’s decided not to wait around and has headed South in order to test himself in the English Premier League in a deal that will be considered as a humongous coup.
Comfortable either in defence or midfield, the hulking stopper will be a welcome addition to any side in the top flight, with his areal ability in front of both goals and calm maturity that belies his young years.
Similarly, Lovren has also been hailed as a coup, but in reality he is far less so. The potential for him to be a very good player is there, but many seem to have overlooked the fact that he was voted the ‘worst player of the week’ four times last season for French giants Lyon.
However, Saints fans needn’t be dismayed, he is an assured player who is comfortable with the ball at his feet and if given enough time to settle and grow then he will become a regular fixture next to Wanyama in the heart of their defence.
Stoke City – D
So far, Stoke have only brought in one player of note – Erik Pieters of PSV Eindhoven.
Not a bad place to start at all, Pieters is certainly capable of playing regularly for a side with Champions League aspirations so Mark Hughes must have a few aces up his sleeve when it comes to negotiations to have pulled that one off so comfortably.
Alex Grant has arrived from local rivals Portsmouth on a free transfer. The 19-year-old comes highly rated despite the only action he has seen being in non-league football with Havant & Waterlooville whilst 21-year-old defender Marc Muniesa has arrived from Barcelona, also on a free.
Michael Owen has retired, whilst Rory Delap, Matthew Upson and Mamady Sidibe have all been moved on, meaning that there is a sense of a tide change at the Britannia Stadium following Tony Pulis’ departure.
Not that Mark Hughes’ style is vastly different, but at times he was able to provide fans with some all out action style football, rather than Pulis’ feted ‘hit-and-hope’ approach.
Hughes has also spoken of the club’s scouting network giving him an advantage over his rivals, so he’ll have the chance to bump that D up higher over the coming weeks.
Sunderland – B
The list of player’s that Sunderland have brought in reads like a veritable who’s who of slightly lesser known talent from across Europe.
Fans can be forgiven for having to do the old scramble to Wikipedia and YouTube for a impromptu scouting session as most have come from sides that nobody knows much about.
However, in amongst those lesser known signings are actually some shrewd pieces of business.
Jozy Altidore has been setting the Eredivise alight since his one goal season with Hull back in 2009 and there is a definite sense that he is more than ready to step up and lead the line in the Premier League again, whilst Modibo Diakate will add some much needed steel to a leaky back line.
Vito Mannone could also use this opportunity to announce himself on the world stage after so long in the wilderness at Arsenal – as it stands he would be the club’s first choice goalkeeper following Simon Mignolet’s move to Liverpool.
But the biggest capture has been that of Italian international midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini from Juventus. Di Canio obviously played hardball with the Serie A champions as he landed the 28-year-old for just over £8 million and he is truly a name for the fans to get excited about.
The promised clear out of under performing stars has so far only spread to the likes of Titus Bramble and Matt Kilgallon, though more are expected soon.
Swansea City – A
They say you should go for what you know, and Michael Laudrup has certainly done that by making a number of unknown signings from Spain once again.
Real Betis enjoyed a fine season last year, and they’ve been harvested with Jose Canas and Alejandro Pozuelo joining for a combined fee of just under £500,000 whilst Jordi Amat has been added for a minimal fee too.
Laudrup also moved to loan Jonathan de Guzman for a further season after he impressed for the bulk of the campaign and Liverpool’s Jonjo Shelvey arrived as a surprise.
Though, the biggest signing has been that of Ivorian goal machine Wilfried Bony from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem for the bargain price of £12 million. Michu was undoubtedly the overwhelming success story of the previous campaign and Laudrup has sought to remove the burden from the Spaniard by bringing in somebody capable of bagging goals to line up next to him.
With a long and gruelling Europa League campaign on the horizon, the Danish boss has sought to keep the squad together and those who have been released were never in much danger of threatening the status quo of the first team by breaking into it.
Tottenham Hotspur – D
A poor showing from Spurs so far as they too have seen a number of their top targets pass them by in recent weeks.
Missing out on David Villa for such a small cost must have hurt, and with Andre Villas-Boas desperate to add goals to his front line following the the disappointment of Emmanuel Adebayor, but the likes of Roberto Soldado and Gonzalo Higuain both look set to gravitate away from White Heat Lane as well.
That means AVB is pinning his remaining hopes on landing Christian Benteke from Aston Villa. The Belgian hitman has publicly stated that he would like to join the club despite earlier this season declaring his proclivity for Arsenal as a young boy.
The club’s one addition is no slouch, though. Brazilian attacking midfielder Paulinho has signed on for £15 million (causing many tears along the way – mostly his own!) to add more flair and creativity to the side and remove the pressure from Gareth Bale.
A cull in the midfield area is expected as they are spoiled for choice there with nine players on the books who can comfortably occupy a central role. The likes of Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Jake Livermore can all be expected to move on elsewhere and find new clubs, and the likes of William Gallas and David Bentley have already gone.
West Bromwich Albion – D
The Baggies enjoyed their finest season to date in the Premier League last term and their primary concern was to find a suitable replacement for Romelu Lukaku after the 17-goal striker rejoined Chelsea this summer.
They have taken a big step toward doing so in the shape of Nicolas Anelka – though the 34-year-old probably doesn’t have the same spring in his step that once gave top flight defenders nightmares, he does have a wealth of experience and an astonishing eye for goal that can still be an asset to the club as they look to build on last season’s finish and take the next step.
Goran Popov, the Macedonian international full back impressed enough during his meagre ten game loan spell from Dynamo Kyiv last season to warrant another go, signing a further one year deal to stay in the West Midlands.
Marc-Antoine Fortuné has left for Wigan Athletic, whilst veteran Hungarian midfielder Zoltan Gera has been released after a second spell with the club and they are now bracing themselves for a cheeky £3 million bid from West Ham for Scottish international midfielder Graham Dorrans.
Recent rumours have suggested that Steve Clarke has been looking into the possibility of taking Tottenham’s Clint Dempsey away from White Heart Lane, but his agent has claimed that he is happy in the Capital. Though that bid may have failed, it gives a great indication into the ambition now being shown by the club after spending much of the past ten years yo-yoing between the top two divisions.
West Ham United – C
Andy Carroll was never worth £35 million. However, Andy Carroll was worth £15 million. The price may still be over inflated, but Sam Allardyce has managed to bag the 25-year-old for what you could call a fair price and will look to get the big forward back amongst the goals next term after his seven strikes in 23 appearances helped the Hammers consolidate their position in their Premier League return.
Furthermore, he’ll be amongst friends at West Ham. Kevin Nolan looked after him when the pair were at Newcastle United together, he lined up alongside Joe Cole at Liverpool, so he’s in good company with player who know how to play to his strengths.
Razvan Rat, the experienced Romanian international has been added to the ranks to shore up any chinks in the armour – he himself looked to be entering a saga of his own at the start of the summer but he has agreed a deal to finally leave Shakhtar Donetsk after a happy and successful decade with the Ukrainian champions.
Spanish goalkeeper Adrian has been brought in from Real Betis to provide back up to the ageing Jussi Jääskeläinen.
Elder statesmen Carlton Cole and Gary O’Neil have been released, furthering Big Sam’s need for another striker, and they are thought to be looking into the possibility of taking Loic Remy off of QPR’s hands.