A look at the best buys by Premier League clubs in this summer’s transfer window.
20. Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City)
A real coup for Norwich boss Chris Hughton was confirmed before the transfer window actually opened, with prolific Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel joining the club for around £8.4m. The 24-year-old managed 45 goals in two seasons in Portugal with former side Sporting Lisbon, having first made a name for himself back in his native Holland with Vitesse Arnhem and Utrecht. Already off the mark in the Premier League, he looks to be repaying his price tag straight away, and looks like one of many exciting signings made by the Canaries this summer to help drive the club forward in the top flight.
19. Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea City)
After a frustrating spell with Liverpool, Swansea could be the perfect move for young midfielder Jonjo Shelvey. Undoubtedly a top talent, the 21-year-old was arguably not given enough of an opportunity to prove himself at Anfield, and they may live to regret letting him go so soon as he looks like a potential bargain for the Swans at just £5m. A strong, competitive player with an eye for goal, the England international will get the playing time he merits at the Liberty Stadium, and could flourish in Michael Laudrup’s attacking system.
18. Paulinho (Tottenham)
One of many new faces at White Hart Lane this summer (and, it has to be said, one of many to appear on this list), Paulinho joined Tottenham for £17m from Brazilian side Corinthians, after it became increasingly clear that the midfielder looked too good not to be playing in a top European league. A real all-rounder, Paulinho combines defence and attack perfectly in the middle of the park and was one of Brazil’s best players in their Confederations Cup victory over the summer. The 25-year-old should add some real quality to a Spurs midfield still missing the influence of former star Luka Modric.
17. James McCarthy (Everton)
A highly talented youngster, it was no surprise to see James McCarthy attract a great deal of interest in this summer’s transfer window after his fine performances weren’t enough to keep Wigan in the Premier League the previous year. He did, however, impress as the Latics won the FA Cup in a shock victory over Manchester City at Wembley, and will now be reunited with his former manager Roberto Martinez, as he sealed a £13m move to Everton on the final day of the transfer window.
Newcastle were also said to be keen on signing the Irishman, but he will instead be charged with the task of ensuring Marouane Fellaini is not missed in the Toffees’ midfield. One of a few good late pieces of business by Everton this summer.
16. Samuel Eto’o (Chelsea)
Formerly thought of as one of the best strikers in the world during his time at Barcelona, Samuel Eto’o looks set to have one last crack at the big time after being signed on a one-year contract by Chelsea. The 32-year-old became available after Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala came into some unexpected financial problems and transfer listed all their highest earners. Eto’o signed for a knock-down price of £4million, and looks an ideal short-term solution to the Blues’ problems upfront.
After Jose Mourinho failed to land his main target Wayne Rooney, it was widely expected that he would move for the Cameroon international, whom he worked with to great success during their time together at Inter Milan. Manchester United were also interested in Eto’o, but it is thought that Mourinho played a big part in persuading him to move to Stamford Bridge instead. A modern great, it will be exciting to see the skillful and powerful striker play in England at last.
15. Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Manchester City moved early to sign Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho for £28m from Shakhtar Donetsk, where he had really caught the eye with some of his performances in the Champions League. A new midfielder was a must for new City manager Manuel Pellegrini, after disappointing campaigns from the likes of Gareth Barry, Javi Garcia and Jack Rodwell the season before, and Fernandinho already looks like a considerable upgrade on those, with some commanding early displays as he settles into life in the Premier League. With an improved midfield, this big-money signing could be crucial in ensuring City can regain the Premier League title this season.
14. Scott Sinclair (West Brom)
A good venture into the loan market again by West Brom, who had great success with Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku last season, Scott Sinclair will be hoping to get his career back on track after a nightmare season with Manchester City. Having caught the eye with his displays for Swansea in 2011/12, the England winger was snapped up by the then-Premier League champions as a replacement for Adam Johnson. However, like Johnson, he failed to establish himself on the first-team, and was never truly given a chance by former manager Roberto Mancini. Just eleven Premier League appearances later, Sinclair has departed the Etihad Stadium for a new challenge, and will be expected to make a permanent move to the Hawthorns next summer if he impresses.
13. Jesus Navas (Manchester City)
With one winger out at City, one of the best in the business has been brought in, as the club moved to sign Sevilla star Jesus Navas for around £17m. The Spaniard has been one of the stars of La Liga since making his breakthrough for Sevilla as a youngster, though a move to a bigger club always seemed off the cards due to his suffering of chronic homesickness. This year he has finally made a move, and will be hoping to light up the Premier League as he has in Spain.
The skillful, pacey and direct attacker should provide City’s talented front line with more service this season, and give the Sky Blues something a little different from playmakers such as David Silva and Samir Nasri.
12. Pablo Osvaldo (Southampton)
An ambitious club-record signing by Southampton, Italian international striker Pablo Osvaldo’s transfer was certainly one of the highlights of the summer. The 27-year-old has had a consistently prolific career in both Serie A and La Liga, and arrived this summer after finishing as top scorer for Roma last season. For £15m, Osvaldo may have to star banging in the goals pretty quickly for the Saints to prove he was worth the money, but he looks more than capable of proving himself to be a good piece of business by manager Mauricio Pochettino, who looks to be doing a good job of using his profile to attract big names to the St Mary’s Stadium.
11. Willian (Chelsea)
In one of the stranger transfer sagas this summer, Brazilian forward Willian looked all set to join Tottenham a few weeks ago, before a very late bid from Chelsea hijacked the deal. The 25-year-old then moved from Anzhi Makhachkala to Stamford Bridge for £32m, in one of two raids made by the Blues on the struggling Russian club this summer. A versatile attacker, capable of playing out wide or upfront, Willian first made a name for himself in the Ukranian league with Shakhtar Donetsk, and has been linked with Chelsea several times since scoring against them in the Champions League.
It is perhaps hard to see where he will fit in alongside vast competition in the form of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Oscar, Kevin De Bruyne and fellow new signing Andre Schurrle, but Willian has the ability to be a Premier League star, and is likely to show why so many clubs were in for him this summer.
10. Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)
Certainly one of the best goalkeepers in the league last season with his displays for Sunderland, it was no surprise to see a bigger club snap up Simon Mignolet this summer. Although he was also linked with the likes of Arsenal and Napoli, it was Liverpool who landed the Belgian international for what looks like a bargain at £9m. With the unsettled Pepe Reina going out on loan, Mignolet will now be number one at Anfield, and has made a great start to life at his new club, saving a penalty on his debut, and keeping three clean sheets in his first three Premier League games for the Reds. Manager Brendan Rodgers has had another good transfer window this summer, and Mignolet could end up being one of his most important signings of the lot.
9. Wilfried Bony (Swansea City)
Swansea have shown their remarkable rise as a Premier League club again with the ambitious signing of Wilfried Bony this summer. The Ivory Coast international arrived at the Liberty Stadium from Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem for a club-record £12m, which saw the Swans beat off the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle for his signature. Still only 24, Bony has his best years ahead of him, and boasts a highly impressive record of 37 goals in 36 games last season for his old side.
Bony already looks worth every penny, with four goals in his first four games for Swansea in all competitions, including one on his Premier League debut against champions Manchester United, a well-taken finish despite a disappointing 4-1 defeat. If he adapts to English football, Swansea will have quite a strike force with Bony and last season’s success Michu upfront.
8. Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City)
Another raid on Sevilla by Manchester City this summer, winger Jesus Navas was joined by club and international team-mate Alvaro Negredo at the Etihad Stadium. The 28-year-old has been one of the most prolific strikers in La Liga for the last few years, and had also been linked with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. Although City have plenty of options to choose from upfront, Negredo has made a great start to showing why he should be a regular starter, with two goals for the club in his first three games. A composed and natural finisher, there’s no reason the club’s new signing can’t continue to find the back of the net in the Premier League as well.
7. Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
Although only a loan move, Everton’s late, late capture of Chelsea youngster Romelu Lukaku on deadline day completes a fine summer for them. The powerful Belgian forward was in great form on loan with West Brom last season, scoring 17 goals, and looked likely to re-join the Baggies again this year, before having a late change of heart and moving to Goodison Park.
Many Chelsea fans will be surprised that the 20-year-old was not in the first-team plans of manager Jose Mourinho this year, but another season of regular football and Premier League experience will do Lukaku the world of good. Having lost Marouane Fellaini to Manchester United, Everton won’t be feeling too bothered now, with Lukaku joining McCarthy as an excellent signing by new manager Roberto Martinez.
6. Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers may have been forced into the market for a defender due to injuries to Sebastian Coates and Kolo Toure, but he has pulled off a great coup here with the signing of Mamadou Sakho from French giants PSG for £18m. The Ligue 1 champions were keen to keep the 23-year-old, though he felt uncertain that he would be first choice with the club this season following some recent big-money arrivals, such as Thiago Silva and Marquinhos. This led the French international to move to Liverpool early on deadline day, and while Rodgers may have been looking for a backup player, Sakho looks like a strong contender to make himself first choice for the club straight away, with his physical strength and defensive ability making him ideally suited to English football.
5. Roberto Soldado (Tottenham)
Along with Manchester City new-boy Alvaro Negredo, Tottenham’s new signing Roberto Soldado has been a sharp shooter in La Liga for the last few years with Valencia. A £26m signing, there will be pressure for the Spaniard to deliver the goods, but he looks settled already with four goals in his opening four games, and should be a big upgrade on Spurs’ misfiring strike pair of Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. Although eclipsed by the other-worldly goal-scoring feats of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in Spain, Soldado managed 81 goals in his last three seasons for Valencia, reaching numbers that would make him a Golden Boot contender in England for sure. The talented 28-year-old could prove to be the missing link between Spurs and the promised land of Champions League football.
4. Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United)
A long-running transfer saga finally came to an end in the closing moments of deadline day as Manchester United completed the signing of one of their main targets, Marouane Fellaini. The powerful Belgian midfielder was linked with a move to United almost as soon as it was announced that David Moyes would be leaving Everton for Old Trafford to replace Sir Alex Ferguson. Moyes seemed to know how to get the best out of Fellaini, as the former Standard Liege man developed into one of the Premier League’s best players under his guidance at Goodison Park, having a particularly strong season in 2012/13. If Fellaini can take that form with him to Old Trafford, he will be a vital member of the team that has lacked a truly commanding midfield player for some time now. Although he cost £27.5m, that looks at the moment like being money well spent by United.
3. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham)
In an exciting summer for Spurs, Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen was one of many players with world class potential brought to White Hart Lane by Andre Villas-Boas. The Danish playmaker established himself as one of the best young players in the world during his time at Ajax, and with just one year left on his contract with the Amsterdam giants, he was snapped up for just £11m by Tottenham, in what could be one of the bargains of the summer if he adapts to English football.
A skillful attacking midfielder with an eye for an incisive pass and a goal, Eriksen is believed to have had several offers from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Juventus this summer, which gives you an idea of the kind of talent Tottenham are now able to attract.
2. Erik Lamela (Tottenham)
After enjoying a breakthrough year last season, Erik Lamela’s performances for Roma saw him earn a reputation as one of the best young players in Serie A, if not the world. The skillful winger, who can also play upfront, scored 15 goals and provided 6 assists last season, showing himself to have the potential to prove a very useful signing for Spurs. With the lucrative sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid going through, the club were able to splash out £30m on Lamela, making him their club-record purchase. Along with the likes of Eriksen and Soldado in Spurs’ new-look attack, the 21-year-old Argentine looks part of a very bright future for the north Londoners.
1. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Without question, the signing that stole the show this summer is Mesut Ozil’s late, late move from Real Madrid to Arsenal. The German international has been one of the best playmakers in the world over the last few years at the Bernabeu, and many of his team-mates have expressed their shock and disappointment that he was inexplicably allowed to leave the club. With Isco and Bale brought in this summer by Los Blancos, new manager Carlo Ancelotti seemingly suggested that Ozil was not part of his plans, prompting the 24-year-old to decide on a move away from the club.
For Arsenal fans, this move represents the start of something exciting at the Emirates Stadium, as Ozil’s £42m signing smashes their previous transfer record and looks set to announce them as serious contenders in the transfer market – and hopefully on the pitch as well. Although more cynical fans will point out that the Gunners could have done with some defenders or another striker, Ozil’s ability alongside the likes of Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere should give Arsene Wenger’s side some great attacking options, and help bridge the gap between themselves and their other title contenders.