The summer transfer window is far from its conclusion with over a month still to go but so far it has been a memorable one.
Multiple big money moves, a few hijacks here and there, and some of the game’s biggest superstars throwing their toys out of the pram, has set up the upcoming season nicely across Europe’s biggest leagues.
As always, there is one or two that really catch the eye and intrigue the football community on how that player is going to impact the club he has just joined, therefore, let’s look at the top three most intriguing transfers of the current window so far.
Darwin Nunez to Liverpool
Liverpool’s move for Darwin Nunez came as a surprise to many in the football community as the Reds were never really linked to the striker until they eventually made a move. Manchester United, Newcastle United and PSG were the names consistently mentioned in reports but it was Jurgen Klopp who ended up getting the highly rated Uruguayan.
The Merseyside club departed with a club-record fee of £85m to sign the 23-year-old to a six-year deal, as reported by Sky Sports, and that brings enough pressure due to the enormity of the fee. However, it is more so the playing style of Nunez that has many wondering if this move will be successful.
The Uruguayan is a proper number nine, who likes to use his pace to get in behind and use his clinical finish abilities to score goals. The Reds under Klopp have not used this style of striker for some time, as the false number nine role has been in use at Anfield, with Roberto Firmino occupying that role before Sadio Mane took over last season.
Therefore, how Nunez adjusts to Klopp’s system makes this transfer one of the most intriguing of the window. Liverpool’s board very rarely get it wrong and for the money paid for the 23-year-old, they must be sure they have got this open right.
Liverpool fans will find comfort in the fact that Diogo Jota didn’t have the same attributes as Firmino for the role when joining the club and fitted in perfectly, so, therefore, is no doubting that a player with the qualities of Nunez will do exactly the same.
Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan
This transfer seemed to start all the way back to the start of the year when Romelu Lukaku gave that famous interview to Sky Italia, which seemed to derail his time at Chelsea during the last campaign.
The whole scenario turned out rather embarrassingly for the Blues and it isn’t too hastily to say that this goes down as one of the worst transfers in football history.
Chelsea paid a club-record £97.5m from Inter Milan last summer, as reported by Sky Sports, and got Premier League club got 15 goals from the Belgian for their money.
However, it is the fact that the 29-year-old has gone back to Inter Milan on loan that makes this deal a disaster, as the London club are somewhat stuck when it comes to signing another striker as they might not be able to offload Lukaku next summer.
All these elements make this transfer super intriguing. Where is Lukaku’s head currently at? How does he fit back into an Inter team that was doing fine without him? How do the fans respond to his immediate return?
All this will be answered in due course, but whether the Belgian can replicate the 30 goals and 10 assists from his impressive 2020-21 Serie A winning season is what the Inter fans really want to know.
Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal
Going into this summer window a big question was: who would Arsenal’s striker be by the end of it?
Mikel Arteta opted for a player he had worked with before, Gabriel Jesus, paying Manchester City a massive £45m for the Brazilian, as reported by Sky Sports; but many people are wondering, is the 25-year-old really a striker?
Jesus is no stranger to the position, playing there multiple times but recently the forward has been deployed as a right-winger for both Man City and Brazil. Many expected Arsenal to sign a typical number nine but this could work out even better for Arteta if he gets it right.
The Brazilian is a super talented player and his versatility gives the Arsenal boss plenty of options. Arteta could set up with Jesus as a proper nine, a false nine and provides cover for Bukayo Saka, whenever the youngster is absent or needs a rest.
There are so many questions surrounding Jesus heading into the new campaign, with many doubting the 25-year-old’s ability to lead the Arsenal line. This makes this transfer one of the most – if not the most- intriguing transfers of the window and the forward’s four goals in pre-season so far could be a sign of things to come.