da bet esporte： For the first time in years, the Premier League has fallen behind La Liga in terms of transfer spending. Teams in Spain’s top division spent a combined £1.24 billion in this year’s transfer window, doubling the figure spent in 2017.
da bet nacional： That’s not to say that Premier League clubs have been exactly frugal in the transfer window, with the 20 clubs spending £1.1 billion between them. Of that staggering figure, there are 5 transfers that stand-out as potential coups.
Read on to find out the 5 most astute transfers made by Premier League clubs over the summer transfer window.
David Luiz: Chelsea to Arsenal – £8 million
Eyebrows were raised when Arsenal spent £73 million on forward player Nicolas Pepe whilst seemingly neglecting their leaky defence. Fortunately for the Gunners they bolstered their defensive lines in the final hours of the transfer window with Brazilian defender David Luiz.
Whilst the former Chelsea man may not be the most reliable of defenders, he is a definite upgrade on Shkodran Mustafi. Further to that, Luiz has worked with Arsenal manager Unai Emery before and performs well in a back three – Emery’s favoured approach.
The acquisition of David Luiz saw Arsenal shoot up in the football tips odds for this season’s top four.
(Arsenal haven’t bought David Luiz for his set-piece ability but it will be an added bonus to Unai Emery’s team.)
Nicolas Pepe: Lille to Arsenal – £73 million
To stick with Arsenal, perhaps their best acquisition of the recent transfer window was the purchase of Lille wideman Nicolas Pepe. The 24-year-old Ivorian was in fine form for Lille last season, netting an impressive 22 times in 38 appearances.
After Arsenal’s failed bid to sign Wilfried Zaha it seems that they have actually struck gold with their ‘second choice’. Pepe will add undoubted pace and trickery to the Arsenal forward line as well as his fair share of goals.
Harry Maguire: Leicester City to Manchester United – £80 million
Last season Manchester United started with a back four of Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Ashley Young on a number of occasions. For a club the size of Manchester United that is nothing short of a disgrace.
All four of those players were signed by long-retired manager Sir Alex Ferguson, making the arrival of Harry Maguire a welcome relief for United fans. The former Leicester man will add organisation and verve to the United defence and should help them achieve their goal of Champions League qualification this time around.
Youri Tielemans: Monaco to Leicester City – £40 million
It seems like a long time since Leicester City shocked the footballing world and lifted the Premier League trophy in 2016. Since then the club have slid down the table and seemingly lost their identity.
The appointment of Brendan Rodgers appears to have sparked belief in the East Midlands that Leicester can have another successful season. Youri Tielemans made his loan move to Leicester permanent in the summer and will be a key cog in Rodgers team.
The energetic midfielder has the ability to dictate the tempo of a game from the centre of the pitch and will be key to Leicester’s success this term.
YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1AgwIq9tMs
(Leicester’s new recruit has all the ability in the world and can make Brendan Rodgers team tick.)
Rodri: Atletico Madrid to Manchester City – £62 million
How do you improve on greatness? That is the question that Pep Guardiola and Manchester CIty have been asking themselves for the past two seasons. The answer this term appears to be in signing Atletico Madrid’s defensive midfield enforcer Rodri.
It was no secret that Guardiola’s side struggled without Fernandinho last season, especially in big European encounters. Rodri is a definite upgrade on the Brazilian midfielder and should give City the depth they need to go the distance not only domestically, but also in Europe.