The Winners And Losers Of The Premier League 26/27 Transfer Window
Too much money spent. A lot of it not spent very well. The Premier League is it's own Super League and the world's a worse off place for it. Some teams are doing great business though but some are not. See if you can spot the trend.
WINNERS
Brentford
It’s another showpiece window from The Bees. If last summer was riddled with questions and doubts, this one has been fairly tranquil in comparison. Brentford’s biggest losses of the 26/27 window are Ethan Pinnock and Jordan Henderson, who although their contributions on the pitch weren’t outstanding, they were still huge dressing room figures packed with leadership and experience. They will be missed at the G-Tech.
But the buck stops there. That’s all the worrying over. Brentford have been able to keep hold of everyone who made a real difference for them last season. This can’t be underestimated when you’re a Premier League club that’s been slowly moving up the table year on year. Normally it’s the sales that kill you because it’s hard to constantly replace your best players. Brentford don’t have that problem this year.
Instead they’ve spent their time worrying about how they’re going to improve a side which finished 9th in the Premier League last season. And unlike so many clubs, a few of which we’ll talk about, who think the key to improving is launching incredible amounts of money on an incredible amount of players and hoping some of it sticks - Brentford have done what they typically do. Shrewd, simple and silent.
Sangare. Let’s not waste time here. We’ve seen it and chances are so have you. Fans with a fairly keen eye on French football had known for months about Mamadou Sangare. And it’s a sad indictment on the state of other Premier League clubs’ recruitment that Brentford had a virtually free run at the Malian international. From his very first game, it was obvious the 24 year old was going to be a problem in this league. A problem Brentford will likely profit on in two years time when they inevitably sell him to one of the big boys. The midfielder can do it all on the pitch. Jack of all trades, master of… all.
Sangare raises their floor and their ceiling. He’s the jewel of Brentford’s recruitment crown. And along with him they’ve acquired Malick Diouf from West Ham. A player whose overall game still has holes in it but whose strengths cover for them greatly. Diouf is one of the best crossers in the Premier League, we saw how well he was able to fling them in from the left-hand side last season. It’s a scary prospect trying to imagine the plans Keith Andrew has in place for Diouf’s left foot - but it’s going to be devastating. The 21 year old is certainly at the right place for his development now. Brentford can turn him into a monster.
Signings Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson aren’t glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. But they’re intelligent and no-nonsense. Wilson on a free when he doesn’t face the pressure of being a side’s first choice striker and his body doesn’t crumble under it - makes a lot of sense. Prem-proven, fox-in-the-box, chuck him on in the last 20 when you need a goal and he’ll sniff one out. Jaidon Anthony scored 9 goals for a porous Burnley side last campaign. Like Wilson, nobody is expecting him to start but when the odd game comes when he does, Brentford’s level will hardly change. Anthony covers both sides, is intelligent and direct. It’s such a Brentford signing in the best way possible.
Jannik Schuster, a 20 year old centre-back from Salzburg is the last player Brentford have brought in. And they must think pretty highly of the Austrian because they paid close to £20 million for a relatively unproven player. It looks like one for the future rather than the now but Brentford have the luxury of making this sort of move without anyone throwing skeptical glances at them because they’ve recruited so well. This summer has been Brentford at their best.
Aston Villa
Can you really be winners of a transfer window when almost all your best players have left? Yes. Why? Because Villa got more than they should’ve for most of them and replaced them with better players.
Ollie Watkins’ underlying stats and numbers had been trending down for over two years even though his output hasn’t. He’d obviously lost that bit of sharpness and bite which made him one of the best centre-forwards in England only a few years ago and though he scored 17 league goals last season, Aston Villa received £50 million for a 30 year old who’s past his best. And they virtually replaced him with two younger strikers with room to blossom into players even better than Watkins.
Youri Tielemans will be missed but once again, it’s not the end of the world. For all of the Belgian’s outstanding attributes, he has obvious flaws which have already been uncovered through his short stint at United so far. He is a phenomenal passer and his intelligence is unmatched by most Premier League midfielders. But he can’t run. He wove his magical spells for Villa surrounded by Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara and John Mcginn. Players who can run for days and cover for his physical deficiencies. Although Villa have now lost that sprinkle of fairy dust in the midfield, they’ve got rid of some weaknesses and made him somebody else’s blessing and problem. £40 million for him doesn’t sound too gut-wrenching when you put it like that.
Morgan Rogers was Villa’s most desirable player. But no matter how much he was desired by Premier League teams, the fact they got £117 million for him is enough to make Aston Villa winners in my book. He is a great player but he’s not worth that. Nowhere near it. But Chelsea are gonna Chelsea. A player who constantly outperformed his xG and went missing for games at a time isn’t going to cause you bucket loads of stress with his exit when you’ve sold him for record-breaking fees. Villa have replaced Rogers with Manzambi, Mbaye and Garnacho and still have money left over.
The Ezri Konsa deal will sting because he left so late on in the window. And the hole he leaves in terms of leadership and character will be greater than all the other players mentioned. Villa have replaced him with Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on loan from West Ham. It’s nothing extraordinary and is probably the first example where the replacements don’t make Villa any stronger, but they’ve got relatively strong cover there at least for the immediacy.
Emi Martinez was over the hill. He was making more and more mistakes and is on the wrong side of 30. The removal of his experience will be felt but that’s as far as that goes. Suzuki comes in to replace him and though he is known for having a mistake in him, there’s no reason to feel any type of way about a past-his-best Martinez parting Villa Park.
Aston Villa would rather not have sold all of these players in the same window. Individually each sale doesn’t leave too much of a bruise but together they sting. It’s a lot of goals and experience gone in a blink. But Villa have traded experience for talent. Luckily for them they still have veterans such as John McGinn, Matty Cash and Emi Buendia to call on.
Now the replacements. Johan Manzambi is a maverick who can play anywhere in midfield or attack to a very good level. He’ll soon be Villa’s star man and will command fees that will rival that of Rogers’. Ibrahim Mbaye is one of the most talented young wingers in Europe. The 18 year old can play on either flank and be extremely impactful. He’s direct, explosive and brilliantly fun to watch. He adds a profile that Villa didn’t have in the squad. If he can leave behind the off-pitch issues that followed him in his last few months at PSG, he’ll be another player who can take Villa further than the crop before him could.
Nicolas Jackson we already know about. He’s a brilliant footballer who brings other attackers into play seamlessly, can carry the ball past hoards of players and is able to drift wide and beyond defenders to manufacture chances. Him and Madjo being the replacements for Watkins is nothing but an upgrade. Although Jackson’s ability in front of goal is questionable - he’ll easily score above 10 PL goals a season with the players he now has around him.
Joao Gomes and Leon Goretzka have been signed to replace Youri Tielemans and make up for Amadou Onana’s unfortunate ACL injury. Both very different profiles to Tielemans, they make up for their lack of passing ability with just raw doggedness and intensity. They’ll leave the ingenuity to the attackers and concentrate on adding steel to the midfield.
Alejandro Garnacho… I’m going to save some time. Either he relishes what’s likely the final opportunity he has to prove to himself and everyone else that he’s a serious footballer who isn’t an off-field nuisance wherever he goes - or he doesn’t. Emery is probably the manager who can turn him into something useful - it’s on Garnacho to embrace that.
Aston Villa have sold a lot of important players and usually that would be enough for the verdict to be that they’ve had a poor window. But thanks to their scouting and recruitment team, I’m of the belief they’ve actually got better. They might not reach the heights they managed in the league last season. They have Champions League football to contend with and all the new signings need to settle in, but there’s enough there to still challenge for Europe this year and go far beyond that in the times following that.
Nottingham Forest
They’re winners mainly because they didn’t sign 20 players and because they kept Morgan Gibbs-White. It’s interesting that when everybody was previewing and predicting Forest’s fate this season, they all either lightly touched on or glided over £115 million man Elliot Anderson departing the side. Though his quality will be an obvious miss, the smart signing of Xaver Schlager means that Glasner now has the Austrian, Ibrahim Sangare, Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates to pick from in the midfield positions.
And without European football, that’s more than fine for just one season. Looking at Forest’s squad now, it’s filled with a lot of Premier League experience and has a nice mesh of youth and seniority. The signing of Ousmane Diomande, a player who was linked to some of the world’s biggest teams only a few years ago - is fantastic. He comes into that RCB role Glasner will have for him and he’ll fit it like a glove.
Glasner also got his man Daniel Munoz in from Palace and that’s a known, proven quantity that’s going to affect games from that right-hand flank. Liam Delap is an interesting one considering they have Igor Jesus already there and the Englishman was signed for a bewildering fee, but Glasner has a good track-record of improving number nines. Who knows what Delap has in store for the Premier League away from the bright lights of Stamford Bridge. In a more transitional system that Forest will play, more similar to the Ipswich one he made his name in, he could return to the level he was at 2 years ago.
Gibbs-White staying - is by far their biggest win of the window. He ended last season in miraculous fashion and looks like he’s already carrying that form into the new one. A fabulous footballer who shoulders the weight of being the face for such a historic club with such ease, he can go to a new level under Glasner.
This was a steady window for Forest, but steady is what they needed after so many years of constant meddling and chip-throwing. They have a proven winner at the helm and didn’t need to do much to ensure he’d have a squad at his disposal that can challenge for Europe. But enough they did.
LOSERS
Chelsea
For the 5th (yes 5th) successive summer, Chelsea have spent ludicrous amounts of money in the transfer window and for the 5th successive summer, everyone’s wondering if they’ve actually got better.
‘Oh but they’ve made loads of profit’. Who actually cares? Any Chelsea fan that brings that up in an argument has been snared by the drivel the directors constantly spout and has forgotten about what the essence of that club actually is. Winning trophies.
Every reason why Chelsea might do very well this season has nothing to do with the transfer window. Xabi Alonso joining; Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Estevao not going to the World Cup; having one game a week - that’s why people are so high on Chelsea this summer.
It’s not because they signed Jordan Henderson, Emi Martinez and Danny Welbeck. In one way these signings are good because it shows the directors finally realising the error of their ways and are correcting themselves. But on the other hand it shows they can’t grasp that experience doesn’t need to come in the form of 35 year olds who’ve played bucket-loads of Premier League football.
Chelsea have traded youngsters who are not good enough to make a significant impact on the pitch with old players who aren’t good enough to make any significant impact on the pitch. They’ve missed that sweet spot of signing players actually in their prime who instantly raise the floor of the team. I do however see that this trio will add much needed standards and know-how to this young Chelsea team and they did cost very little, so it’s nothing to really spend too much focus on.
The directors have once again proved though, how winning trophies is not one of their primary concerns. After splashing ridiculous amounts of money yet again, they came out a week ago and made it known that the priority was qualifying for the Champions League. This is the same tactic they deploy every summer so when they inevitably don’t push for the title, they can say that it was in fact never the aim.
Nothing can exemplify this more than the Nicolas Jackson situation. A player who arrived back at Chelsea wanting to prove himself under a new manager. The perfect understudy to Joao Pedro who could also start and rotate with the Brazilian number 9 due to his intelligence and technical ability. A player who has the ability to connect wonderfully with anyone on the pitch, most notably the rejuvenated Cole Palmer. He’s been sold. He’s been sold despite wanting to stay and fight for his place. Not only that, he’s been sold and replaced with a striker who is worse. No disrespect to Emmanuel Emegha - he’s good if you’re a team that players forward quickly and provides space for the strikers to run in behind.
But Chelsea don’t do that. Xabi Alonso doesn’t really do that. So why has he, the worse striker, been bought and Jackson, the better one - been sold? Chelsea have become worse up front for no fathomable reason that corresponds to becoming better on the football pitch.
The two areas fans unanimously agreed that Chelsea had to strengthen on were midfield and centre-back. Maxence Lacroix was brought from Palace to strengthen Chelsea’s backline. Has he made it much better? Not really. He’s an ok player for the level Chelsea want to be. He doesn’t take them up a notch, there’s nothing he really does to an elite level that makes you think he’ll dramatically change their fortunes like a Van Dijk or Saliba. And he’s not on the level of a Marc Guehi or Jeremy Jacquet where he arrives and quickly makes those around him better. He’s just decent.
Then you have the midfield. Chelsea sold their most important midfielder and replaced him with nobody. They also sold their most reliable back-up midfielder to replace him with Valentin Barco. And whilst Barco is a very good footballer, he addresses no problems that existed in that Chelsea midfield and just adds to existing ones. Chelsea must pray that Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia stay fit otherwise they’re relying on an out of position Reece James, a 36 year old Henderson, 5ft 6 Argentinian and two 16 year olds to keep them afloat.
It was obvious to anyone watching that Enzo Fernandez was leaving. Why Chelsea decided to wait until the very last day to replace him is less obvious. The club will say that Monaco were unprofessional in their conduct to not allow their midfielder Lamine Camara to leave and that may be true, but Chelsea had months to get this deal through and left it to the last second. It’s only themselves they have to blame.
The wing-back positions are interesting. Signing players who are viewed primarily as wing-backs has its pitfalls if the manager is sacked, but I guess Chelsea assume Alonso will be their manager for the foreseeable. Chavarria, the ‘king of duels’ as he’s supposedly known in Spain, is Xabi Alonso’s signing and his alone.
And once again, he’s an average player who doesn’t make Chelsea better. Maybe a slightly worse Milos Kerkez. Marco Palestra was bought for £40 million from Atalanta. Already it rings alarm bells because it’s not like one of the big Italian clubs to not snap up a highly-rated youngster. Do they know something that Chelsea didn't?
The 21 year old is a wing-back but he doesn’t really score or assist much. He’s a player that has been predominantly signed to just run up and down whichever side he’s on and give Chelsea an outlet wide and in behind. Nobody really knows what foot he is. That’s fun I guess. But from the initial cameos he’s had for Chelsea in pre-season, it’s hard to grasp what he has in store for Stamford Bridge.
He’s so unorthodox and so polarising and looks so odd on a football pitch that fans seem to think he’s either the re-incarnation of Gareth Bale or that he’s utterly hopeless. All there is to definitely know is that he’s very fast and he runs a lot. Other than that, we will just have to wait and see.
This is a rubbish window however you look at it. Just because old players were signed, it doesn’t make good business. Maybe it turns it from a 2 to a 4 out of 10 but Chelsea are not much on paper than they were when the season ended last season. Who cares they sold a bunch of bad players. They just replaced them with more bad players. To spend that much and not be significantly better, it’s inexcusable.
Chelsea had the chance to capitalise on everything going in their favour at the beginning of the season and really mount a real title challenge. Now it doesn’t seem the squad is in that position once again with there being huge questions about their defensive resolve. But that’s fine, they only want Champions League football.
Spurs
Spurs don’t realise that when they try and act like a huge club, flinging money everywhere like it’s nothing - they get burnt. The Spurs signings that do well are the lowkey, under the radar signings that the casual has no idea about but the football hippy loves. The Christian Eriksens, Heung-Min-Sons, Toby Alderweirelds and Destiny Udogies of the world.
Every time Spurs get a bit of money, they spend it stupidly. That’s the harsh truth. After they sold Bale, their most expensive acquisition was Roberto Soldado for 30 million euros. After Kane left to Bayern for a large sum of money, their record-breaking signing was Brennan Johnson for around £45 million. They don’t know what to do when they have money.
This summer has once again proved this point because they just spent £100 million on Sandro Tonali. The Italian midfielder is not the ‘beautiful footballer’ Jamie Redknapp thinks he is. He’s a midfielder whose best traits are his running and his intensity. And you don’t pay triple figure sums for those sorts of midfielders.
The club seems to think football doesn’t actually exist outside the Premier League because everyone they’ve signed has come from England. Where everyone has money and the prices are at a premium, that’s where they decide to shop. For what? Premier League experience? It’s a fugazi. If you’re a good footballer, it doesn’t matter that much where you’ve played. Look at Mamadou Sangare.
Van Hecke is a good centre-back but his strengths lie with the ball. Without it, he’s not as bad as people are making out but considering his CB partner is fellow Dutchman Micky Van De Ven who also can’t defend - you begin to realise there might be a few problems there.
Savio and Marmoush are both good attackers. They come in, start and instantly make Spurs better and more unpredictable. But they paid £80 million for a winger with 2 Premier League goals. No matter how good Savio is and might be, it’s overpriced. But that’s what happens when you shop in the Premier League.
Matheus Fernandes is probably the best signing Spurs have made. He’s brilliant. He can do most things on a football pitch that a midfielder needs to do. He takes responsibility in possession and pushes his team forward. He can dribble, pass and shoot and is comfortable under pressure. He’s a tenacious tackler and gets about the pitch with a lot of energy. This is the one signing where there’s no problem with the fee that was paid because what he already is and what he will be suggests it’s round about fair.
The players Spurs have bought aren’t bad when you look at it on paper. But football isn’t played on paper. It’s the money that was paid for them that irks me alongside the fact they’re blindly backing a manager who’s a proven nutjob and that’s never stayed at a club for more seasons. How can you allow a manager like De Zerbi that much freedom to do what he pleases in the transfer market? What’s he done to warrant that respect?
So then you sign players like Tosin and Mudryk for no other reason than the fact that De Zerbi has worked with them before and likes them. Mudryk is talented of course but there’s already three left-wingers in the Spurs squad. Tosin’s level lies below Tottenham but if he doesn’t play too many games, who’s really complaining.
Spurs needed a striker and didn’t sign one. Instead they signed a hybrid winger/striker that’s never been able to make the Premier League his home. It’s a big gamble to entrust Marmoush to be the guy for you in attack, considering his best position lies in a front two which De Zerbi doesn’t play. Spurs needed a keeper to install trust into his backline but they’re happy to stick with Kinsky. They have at least 7 wingers and have no European football. Where’s the minutes? They sold their best left-back and centre-back and replaced them with players who aren’t as good. None of it makes sense.
This is what happens when you let a manager like De Zerbi run loose. He does as he pleases with little care for cohesion and sense. As long as he gets what he wants, who cares? But Spurs will care because this isn’t a window to be happy about.
Liverpool
What do you give the side that has just lost the greatest right winger in the history of the Premier League and already has two left-wingers who are the present and future of the club? Two more left wingers of course.
What’s the plan here? Rio Ngumoha at right-wing? What a way to stifle the development of one of the most exciting English wingers we’ve seen in years. Play Victor Munoz there? Can do but it’s the wrong side. Whatever the solution, I can guarantee it wouldn't be better than signing an actual right-winger.
Liverpool have spent an incredible amount of money now in the past two years but there’s still so many weaknesses in that squad. They’re first choice full-backs are not good enough for Liverpool football club. You can’t spend as much as they have and still have Kerkez and Frimpong as your first-choice options.
There is no actual defensive-minded midfielder in the whole squad. Mac Allister has lost his legs and the only semblance of a number 6 is a teenager who’s still extremely fresh at the professional level. Though Jeremy Jacquet has been signed, that was in January and the majestic centre-back he is, if Van Dijk or he were to get injured - all of a sudden it’s a very frail looking side.
Ronald Araujo hasn’t been very good for at least three years due to his injury troubles. He’s lost the blistering pace he had and so now his deficiencies in possession are a lot more glaring. Victor Munoz looks fun but as mentioned before, Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo already existed.
Bradley Barcola is a brilliant player and the thought of his relationship with Florian Wirtz blossoming is pretty enticing. But did they absolutely need him? £106 million is a lot especially when you have 3 players in his position already there. What I’m asking myself now is has this summer made Iraola’s job any easier?
The trend of this window in the Premier League is that the mid-table teams are showing the bigger teams how to do business. When everyone has money, the intelligence and strategic thinking of your decision-makers matters more than ever. It’s not ‘bad luck’ that Spurs have finished 17th twice in a row or Chelsea finished 10th last season. Their performances on the pitch is a representation of the clubs’ performances off it.
As time creeps forward, it will be interesting to see what the lack of ideas from the biggest clubs in the country will lead to. You can’t outspend your way to success anymore. The playing field is a lot more level financially and that’s going to make this Premier League season and the ones following it, wildly unpredictable.