The twist, turns and thrills the transfer windows are known for has been on full display in the 23/24 summer transfer window so far, as clubs have taken to the market to strengthen their squad and also jettison some unneeded legs.
In the same vein, players have had to make tough decisions to either stay and fight for their positions or test the waters at other clubs or leagues. This window hasn’t been short of surprises like the past ones, but what makes this window more unique is the emergence and urgency from the Saudi League, and how they’ve managed to lure away a truckload of top players from the English Premier League to the Saudi Pro League.
We’ve seen hijacks, smart moves, questionable ones, squad bolstering and depletion. But, which of the top English clubs has had a good summer business so far?
After completing the historical three-peat last season, Manchester City’s squad is arguably the most balanced club in the world based on depth and quality.
Nevertheless, the club has seen the departure of some players, notably treble-winning captain Ikay Gundogan to Barcelona, and Riyad Mahrez to the Saudi Pro League, with the only addition so far being Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea and €90m-rated Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.
As things stand, there’s a notable depletion in City’s squad, but if the news linking Lucas Paqueta to the Etihad Stadium is anything to go by, then it’s safe to City simply made like-for-like changes in the window, and can be considered a fairly good summer business at the end of proceedings.
As usual, the Red Devils are at the forefront of summer stories yet again, as they keep on headlining major transfer publications daily, ever since the window opened.
Erik Ten Hag and John Murtough have been working hand in hand in the window, and we’ve seen the signing of top players like Mason Mount from Chelsea, Andre Onana from Inter Milan and recently Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta BC. Even with those additions only, United’s window would’ve been a pass mark, but diverse sources claim the club will still bring in a defender and midfielder before the transfer window closes on September 1.
The Mancunian giants didn’t only restrict their business to additions, the much-needed axing of some players in the squad has been done, with some poised to be completed in the next few days. David De Gea, Alex Telles, Wout Weghorst, and Marcel Sabitzer, have all been shipped out of Old Trafford one way or the other, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Eric Bailey, Fred, Scott MCTominay and Van De Beek reported to follow suit.
Certainly, this has been an impressive window for United so far, and the expectations for a heavily backed Erik Ten Hag will be high ahead of the new campaign.
For a club that nearly missed out on European competition last season, Liverpool’s transfer business has been quite tepid. Though the early signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig portrayed the club as one who’s ready to mend their loopholes, the Merseyside club has failed to address the main issue in their squad: Defence.
Liverpool’s defence last season was a major culprit and yet no defensive signing has been made so far to streamline this. The latest report is that Moises Caicedo is on the verge of completing a Britain-record move to Liverpool, and leaves the club’s defensive option in shambles.
The Reds need to get a versatile defender to complement their midfield overhaul.
Last season’s runner up Arsenal, has shown that they’re ready to push their limits and strive for more, with the manner in which they’ve attacked this transfer window.
The 23/24 Community Shield made a statement with the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United, even amidst City’s interest, and they went on to further make relevant signings in Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber from Ajax. The Gunners only undoing might be the fact that they didn’t sign a potent striker to deputize for injury-prone Gabriel Jesus, knowing full well that Eddie Nketiah is unreliable in the role.
When it comes to getting rid of unwanted players, Chelsea surely did it better than the other big 5 teams. Clearing out Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Edouard Mendy, Mateo Kovacic and otters who reportedly weren’t in the plans of Mauricio Pochettino was a statement of how their dealings were going to take shape.
The Blues invested in a couple of young and talented footballers who fit into Pochettino’s desire for a dedicated, young and agile squad. Perhaps, the back and forth with Brighton and Hove Albion over the signing of Moises Caicedo could’ve been avoided, but if Chelsea can manage to get a quality replacement for the Ecuadorian who was hijacked by Liverpool, then their transfer business can be summed up as good enough.
Ange Postecoglou hasn’t quite enjoyed the kind of backing Antonio Conte got, and the fact that club Legend Harry Kane is leaning more towards a departure makes the whole saga more complex.
Spurs already lost Hugo Lloris earlier on, and the only marquee signing made so far is the procurement of James Maddison from Leicester City. So far, it has been a ‘Spurs-like’ window for the North London side, but the imminent departure of Kane with no clear replacement spirals their transfer window ratings downward.
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