Analysis of the ‘big 6’ club’s transfer window
As the summer transfer window looks to be coming to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the business that the ‘big Six’ have done throughout this window. Who are the winners, and who are the losers? Has any team taken a big step forward, or has any team taken a step backwards?
Arsenal
Arsenal have had a busy window with 5 new signings coming to the club, whilst letting a number of key players from past seasons leave. Last season Arsenal finished in 5th place behind Tottenham, so their window was about trying to bridge the gap between Tottenham and Chelsea.
Several players left Arsenal throughout this window, including Bernd Leno, who has joined Fulham after losing his place to Ramsdale last season. The other key player to leave is Lacazette, after his contract expired, he moved back to his former team in Lyon. One area in which Arsenal fans felt like they were going to struggle was in the final third after losing Lacazette and Aubameyang. The signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City for £50m seemed like a lot at the time, however the Brazilian has been a revelation at the club. Bagging 2 goals and 3 assists in his first 4 games.
Zinchenko also arrived from Manchester City and has gone straight into the first team, bringing vital cover for Kieran Tierney. Arsenal also brought in Portuguese midfielder Fábio Vieira for £30m, who seems to have bags of potential. Letting Leno go, Arsenal has signed a goalkeeper from MLS, team New England Revolution, Matt Turner, for 5.76 million.
Overall, Arsenal has had a positive window, with Arteta being proactive in his pursuit of young, dynamic players with high potential. Ultimately, this should bring them closer to the battle for champions league places with the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham. This is a massive step forward, and it will be exciting to see where this can take Arsenal this season.
Chelsea
Chelsea is an interesting one. Chelsea has spent the most money so far in the transfer window at the time of writing this, with only three big players coming through the door. One of the biggest problems for Chelsea is the outgoings as there has been a number of first team players who have left, with a few more likely to leave before the 1st of September.
The biggest names to leave Chelsea are Rudiger and Christensen who both left in free transfers to Spain side, Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. This has left Chelsea with a big hole in the middle of the defence, only leaving two fist team centre-backs. Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of Wesley Fofana of Leicester, a young French centre back. Although young in age, Fofana has looked like an incredibly assured defender in the Premier League and with the reported fee of £75m, it is a statement of intent for the club.
At the top of the pitch, Lukaku has joined Inter back on loan after an unsuccessful year at Chelsea, whilst Werner has rejoined his former team RB Leipzig. Returning from loans are the likes of Broja and Gallagher, who hope to positively affect the Chelsea squad and add something different to the attack. Elsewhere, Chelsea have spent big to bring in Koulibaly and Cucurella to the club to strengthen their weak defence. Both impressive signings. The other big signing is Sterling from Manchester City, a player who brings a world of experience to Chelsea’s attacking lineup.
Chelsea has a very good squad with the signing they have made but don’t look to have leapt forward to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City. They are still missing the forward that will provide many goals. If Chelsea can get this in the remaining days before the window closes, they will be able to give both clubs a run for their money.
Liverpool
Last season Liverpool was one of the best teams, so in theory, they didn’t need to strengthen in many places. However, one of their issues was around the contracts of Salah and Mane; which both had one year remaining on their contacts, ultimately they were only able to secure the renewal of Salah’s contract. Mane left for Bayern Munich for around £30m. A significant loss of the club as Mane had been a consistent performer for Klopp over the years. Testament to his abilities, the Senegalese forward already has 4 goals in his first 5 games for the German club.
Liverpool have see the departure of a few fringe players including, cult hero, Origi and Minamino.
Liverpool has not been as busy as other clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal, but they have brought a big summer signing of Darwin Nunez to the club as a replacement for Mane. Other signings have come through with Ramsey and Carvalho, two exciting young players. However, the biggest news of the summer from Liverpool was Salah signing a new three-year deal.
Overall, Liverpool has made excellent signings; however, they lack depth, particularly in midfield, as they are currently in an injury crisis that has seen them draw their first two games of the season. A 9-0 victory against Bournemouth may signal the turning of the tide for the Merseyside club. So the question is will Liverpool be able to compete which Manchester City this season?
Tottenham
Tottenham have been one of the busiest club this summer, with many people believing that they will be able to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for the title. Conte is now in his first summer and is being backed by the club.
Outgoings for Tottenham have mainly been fringe players, with Lo Celso going on loan and Bergwijn going on a permanent deal to Ajax for £30m. However, the biggest success here for Tottenham is being able to keep Kane and Son from leaving the club, as they will provide the goals and assists to get the club moving to the top.
Players coming through the door are the biggest success, with the likes of Richarlison coming in for over £50m to provide competition across the front three. Also, Bissouma is in midfield with Lenglet, Spence and Perisic all coming in to provide cover for the back 5.
Overall, Tottenham has taken a massive step forward, but they are not currently ready to win the league but are more likely to be able to compete with Chelsea and Arsenal. Ultimately, these signings signal a real backing for Conte and for the first time in a while there is a really positive atmosphere around the clubs’ chances for a top 4 finish.
Manchester United
It was clear from last season that Manchester United needed a comprehensive rebuild of their team. They got off to a good start by getting Erik Ten Hag through the door; they now need to back him, which historically the owners have been reluctant to.
The outgoing for United is that they have lost two of their midfielders on a free transfer, with Paul Pogba going to Juventus and Jesse Lingard leaving on a free to Nottingham Forest. Jesse has had an excellent start to his season. They have also loaned out Dean Henderson to Forest, where he has had an excellent start to the season- far surpassing that of De Gea’s.
United have brought in Lisandro Martinez from Ajax for a fee reported to be around £50m. The diminutive defender has been scrutinised for his lack of aerial quality, however he has slotted in well with Varane and looks to bring a tenacious aggression which should suit the Premier League. Tyrell Malacia has been brought in as an option at left back- he seems like a really bright player and could turn into quite an astute signing. Christian Eriksen has had quite a rocky start to the campaign, but being played one game in the false 9 position and in the other as a defensive midfielder has not helped his case. His quality on the ball is very apparent.
The start singing for Manchester United so far has been Casemiro from Real Madrid, a vastly experienced DM who has won 5 Champions Leagues in 8 years in the Spanish capital. He fills a gap in United’s midfield that has been vacant for years. Although, some may say £60m for a 30 year old does not represent a good investment, this is exactly the profile of player the club has needed.
Winger Anthony on Ajax is another deal which seems to be progressing well. Reported at £80m, he would become United’s joint second most expensive signing. A big investment on an up and coming player. Even if Anthony does join, there will be a few more holes to fill in the squad. Generally has been quite a positive window for the Red Devils.
Manchester City
Manchester City is an interesting one. They are the champions of England after winning the Premier League, but they now are spending big and refreshing the squad to go and win the champions league.
For outgoing City have let four big players leave in Sterling to Chelsea, Jesus and Zinchenko to Arsenal and Fernandinho released on a free. City had a big squad, and many of these players were not guaranteed the game time they wanted before the world cup in December.
For incoming, the only position they needed was a centre forward, and they have signed one of the world's best in Haaland. They are hoping he can bring them the Champions League, which has so far been elusive to the Manchester club. Elsewhere, they signed Phillips from Leeds to replace Fernandinho and Gomez to replace Zinchenko. Both seem like really strong acquisitions and should bring some competition to the existing squad players.
Lastly, City have brought in Julian Alvarez, a young versatile Argentinian who seems to be only getting better with age. He may not be a starter but should bring some much needed quality across the front three for City,
Overall, City has had a really strong window and looks to have taken a step forward in what the squad can do. The onus now will most certainly be winning the Champions League and they definitely have the capabilities in the squad to do so.