Finally the English Transfer Window summer circus has come to an end, after a tumultuous preseason for clubs across the league. And incredible £2.44 billion was spent by Premier League clubs during this window, and while it might seem that this was mostly the work of Chelsea, there were plenty of high profile signings across the top flight.

We’re going to focus on the key signings for the clubs we work closely with, assessing the impact that the new players might bring to their new employers.

Manchester City

Champions of Europe, and of the Premier League, Manchester City were the second biggest spenders during the window, shelling out £216.3 million on new recruits. The biggest two purchases were Josko Gvardiol from Leipzig for £77.6m, and Jeremy Doku from French club Rennes. Gvardiol has slotted seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s side, as a part of the enviably fluid defensive unit he has at his disposal; and Doku looked lively on his debut. City also went into the
market with a late deal for Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes, with Kevin de Bruyne set for a lengthy period on the sidelines. But perhaps the most astute piece of business was the recruitment of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The Croatian midfielder might lack the flair of some of his team mates at City, but the quiet way he does the dirty work in the midfield might prove to be key in the club’s pursuit of further titles this season; and with his extensive experience in the Premier League, he was a snip at £30m.

Manchester United

Across Manchester, United also spent big in the window – replacing David De Gea in goal with Andre Onana from Inter for £47.2m. I think it’s fair to say he’s had a shaky baptism in English football, almost giving away a penalty against Wolves for crashing into Sasa Kalajdzic, and then allowing Declan Rice to score late in the game at the Emirates. Eric ten Hag also spent big money on England midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea, another player who hasn’t quite settled at Old Trafford yet. But the marquee signing, which has piqued the interest of United fans across the
glob, is that of Rasmus Hojlund from Italian club Atalanta. The 20 year old Dane came off the bench against Arsenal and showed glimpses of what he will bring to United – a club in desperate need of an attacking focus point. Will he have the same impact as fellow Scandinavian Erling Haaland? That remains to be seen, but he’s a young player with a big price tag (£72m), and will want to settle quickly.

Chelsea

Caicedo was the big signing for Chelsea, during a window in which they splurged a staggering £434.5m on new players for incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino. That takes spending under the new owners over the £1 billion mark… and yet they still lost at home against Nottingham Forest last week. It seems that money doesn’t solve all the problems Chelsea have. Nicolas Jackson has joined from Villarreal for £30.1, Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig for £52m, and young midfielder Romeo Lavia chose Chelsea over Liverpool when he moved from Southampton for £58m. But perhaps the player who could have the biggest impact is the late signing from Manchester City, forward Cole Palmer. Palmer has been on the fringes of the City first team for quite a while, without being able to cement a regular starting spot. Maybe the move to Stamford Bridge will be the kickstart he needs to fulfil his obvious potential.

Arsenal

Last year’s runners up Arsenal went in early with the signing of Declan Rice from London neighbours West Ham, and Kai Havertz from Chelsea. The £105m spent on Rice might seem astronomical, but he has already started to repay the fee, certainly in the eyes of the fans, with that goal against Manchester United. Clearly emotional after the final whistle, Rice is a man who takes nothing for granted, and you can guarantee he’ll give everything in the Arsenal shirt. Havertz didn’t set the world on fire at Stamford Bridge, but Mikel Arteta clearly believes he can bring something out of the German that the Chelsea managers failed to find. The third big recruit in a fairly quiet summer at the Emirates was Dutch midfielder Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £38m, but it will be a while before Arsenal fans can truly assess him, as he is side-lined with an ACL injury suffered on his Premier League debut.

Liverpool

Holding onto Mo Salah might be the biggest coup for Liverpool in this window, in the face of some serious financial bidding from Saudi Arabia. For now at least, Salah remains part of Jurgen Klopp’s team, and was joined by a raft of midfield signings this summer – three from the Bundesliga, in the shape of Dominik Szoboslai, Waturu Endo and Ryan Gravenberch. But it was the capture of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton that might prove to be the most astute, at the relatively small sum of £35m. When you compare that to Chelsea’s acquisition of Mac Allister’s former teammate Moises Caicedo for £115m, it has to look like a bargain.

Aston Villa

Unai Emery’s achievements at Aston Villa so far have exceeded expectation. He’s quickly shaped the side into a top half outfit, well equipped to regularly fight for the European places in the Premier League. Villa are favourites to win the Europa Conference League this year, and with Emery’s peerless CV in European competition that seems like a reasonable suggestion. Villa have been canny on the transfer market this summer, spending £33m on Pau Torres – another Villarreal player joining the Premier League, and signing Moussa Diaby for an undisclosed fee from Bayer
Leverkusen. Add to this some very impressive loan deals for Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray, plus the capture of experienced Premier League midfielder Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester, and Villa look like a side with flair and solidity this season.

West Ham

Selling Declan Rice could have left a gaping hole in the middle of West Ham’s side, but conversely the huge fee they got for the midfielder has allowed them to compete in the transfer market. Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez joined the Hammers from Ajax, for a combined fee of more than £70m, but the player who is most likely to fill the void left by Rice is the former Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse. Known for his exceptional free kick taking ability, Ward-Prowse is keen to prove that there is more to his game than that, and he has impressed in the first few games of the season, with multiple assists, and also a goal from open play. With a long season ahead, including European football of course, Ward-Prowse has a big part to play, and given the fact he rarely misses matches through injury or suspension, he could be the key man at the heart of the West Ham side.

Everton

Everton have flirted with relegation all too often over the last few seasons, and there are fears that they won’t be able to hang on to their unblemished top flight status for much longer. Sean Dyche is having to operate on a relatively tight budget, and he’ll be hoping that a few canny moves in the transfer window with give the loyal Evertonians something to cheer about this year. They’ve added the experience of Ashley Young on a free transfer from Aston Villa, plus loan deals for Leeds player Jack Harrison and Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma. In terms of purchases, Youssef Chermiti has come in from Sporting Lisbon for £15m, but they are pinning their hopes on Portuguese forward Beto, who signed from Udinese for £25.8m. The reality is, with Dominic Calvert Lewin constantly struggling to stay fit, they will need a lot from Beto. He scored 21 goals in 62 games for Udinese, so whilst not particularly prolific he might boost a side lacking in
confidence, and lacking in goals.

The Premier League continues to set the bar for attracting the finest players in world football, and we’re delighted to be able to provide world-beating hospitality packages to watch them in action. We have a range of different experiences for you to share with your friends, family, colleagues and clients, so give us a call on 01454 201210 to discuss your requirements, or take a look on our website www.vipfootballhospitality.com to see what fixtures we have coming up. It’s a great way to make memories to last a lifetime.

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