With one of the longest transfer windows coming to an end, it is time to look back and reflect on some crucial signing made by clubs across Europe. The financial crunch caused by COVID-19 has impacted the summer spending amount of all the clubs, bar a few like Manchester City and Chelsea. A replica of the Neymar transfer saga happened in the form of Manchester United’s troubles to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, even though the player wanted to move according to multiple reports. On the other hand, Real Madrid surprised everyone by not making a single signing which shows how badly COVID-19 has affected big clubs. In this article, we will look at the top five summer signings made by clubs across Europe (Loan deals are excluded),
5. Sergio Reguilon ( Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur)
Regarded by many as the best left back in La Liga last season, Reguilon was magnificent for Sevilla and there were initial reports that he might come back to Real Madrid with veteran Marcelo moving to another club. However, he was sold to Spurs in what was probably a strictly financial decision. Manchester United missed out on his services narrowly since they were saving every penny to get their main target Jadon Sancho.
4. Timo Werner (RB Leipzig to Chelsea)
Chelsea went all out in this transfer window, trying to address problems across the pitch and their most cost effective signing was probably Timo Werner. Werner is a well rounded forward who can play anywhere across the front line and has an incredible work rate. Even if he is not scoring in every outing, he will contribute with his link-up play and could well be a steal at 47 million pounds.
3. Achraf Hakimi ( Real Madrid to Inter Milan)
This is a transfer that could come back to bite Real Madrid as they take Inter Milan in the group stage of the Champions League. He already has a goal and two assists in just two starts in Serie A and was very impressive for Dortmund in 19/20. Madrid’s decision to let him go did not resonate well with some fans as they felt Hakimi could have competed with Carvajal for a first team spot. However, Real Madrid did get a decent fee for Hakimi which they could use in the winter window to strengthen their attack.
2. Leroy Sane (Manchester City to Bayern Munich)
This one was always on the cards since Pep Guardiola started favoring Mahrez and Silva over Leroy Sane in his starting line up. Sane’s injury troubles did not help his cause and Bayern Munich is probably the perfect place for him given their style of play. With Sane, Gnabry, Coman, Douglas Costa and Alphonso Davies in their squad, it is expected that the record for fastest runs in football could be broken multiple times .
1. Thomas Partey ( Atletico Madrid to Arsenal)
Probably the most sensational transfer of this window, Arsenal stunned the world as they announced the signing of Thomas Partey late into the night. Partey came through the Atletico Madrid academy and has been coached by one of the best in the world, Diego Simeone. Arsenal have a history of making bad choices but this could turn out to be a good signing given their defensive struggles over the past few years.
