Attack
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – He may have cost a fortune, but that doesn’t stop him being an excellent signing and the latest world class name brought to Real Madrid by Galactico-loving president Fiorentino Perez. The Welshman was in superb form for Tottenham last season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions, many of them being stunning solo efforts that could make up a goal of the season list all by themselves. The prospect of seeing the £85m man line up alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Isco at the Bernabeu is certainly an exciting one, and he seems to have settled quickly with a goal on his debut against Villareal. Although no other club could probably have come close to affording him, Real Madrid have done well to keep showing themselves to be a true force in the transfer market.
Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich) – One of the best young players in the world, if not the best, Mario Goetze will be an excellent addition for last season’s treble winners Bayern Munich, especially under the guidance of new manager Pep Guardiola. As well as adding yet another quality attacking midfielder to their star-studded lineup, Goetze’s signing also significantly weakens Bayern’s main rivals Borussia Dortmund, who played some great football and enjoyed tremendous success with the young German pulling the strings. At £30.9m, Goetze’s transfer briefly made him the most expensive German player of all time.
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) – A real bolt out of the blue by Arsenal, as they pulled off a transfer that shocked the footballing world on deadline day, signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for a club-record £42.4m (which also took him above Goetze as the most expensive German player). No one quite expected this sudden show of ambition from the Gunners, who have been known for their frugality in the transfer market since moving to the Emirates Stadium, often preferring to sign and nurture young players available on the cheap. Ozil, however, was a highly influential player at Real Madrid and his transfer fee reflects that, which could signal a turning point for Arsene Wenger’s side as they look to end their long wait for silverware.
Radamel Falcao (Monaco) – A superb goal-scorer and terrific all-round striker, Monaco perhaps edge other clubs’ big moves for strikers this summer with their £51m signing of Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid. The prolific Colombian has been in sensational form for a few years now, starting at Porto and continuing in La Liga, where he had a better goals-to-games ratio than Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Claudio Ranieri looks to be building a great side at the mega-rich Ligue 1 club, and Falcao is his most ambitious purchase of the lot this summer, giving them a real chance of competing with fellow big-spenders PSG for the title.
