The Premier League transfer window came to a close yesterday and we are taking a look at some of the transfers that defined the market.
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez’s successful transfer to Manchester City had been long overdue after being linked with the move on several occasions in the past. The deal finally went through and it was a record signing for the Citizens who paid £60m to secure his services. He will face a lot of competition for a starting place from fellow wingers Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. This should not be a problem for him considering that his dribbling and pace has seen him rank highly in terms of chances created over the last three season. He now has a chance to add to his silverware collection seeing that City is a big club competing on many fronts.
Fred – Manchester United
Manchester United failed to effectively challenge City to the title last term and they have reinforced their squad for the new season. Fred was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for a reported £52m in an effort to bolster their midfield options. The Brazilian registered more tackles and completed more passes than any of his teammates during the last campaign. He will be expected to operate alongside, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba. It is very likely that his presence will free up Pogba to move forward and support in attack where his talents are best utilized
Fabinho
Liverpool have had a successful transfer window. They started way before the World Cup with the announcement that they had agreed terms for the transfer of Fabinho from Monaco. This came as a huge surprise to many since there had been no links between the player and the Reds prior to the announcement. He will be expected to slot into defensive midfield and give a platform for his other attack-minded players to operate with more freedom. So far this is considered one of the most value based signings of the window especially in the current era of crazy transfer fee.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea were forced to activate Kepa Arrizabalaga’s buyout clause with Atletico Bilbao after they failed to retain the services of Thibaut Courtois who has since joined Real Madrid. The 23-year-old Spanish international became the most expensive goalkeeper after costing the Blues in excess of £70m. Alisson Becker had briefly held the bragging rights after completing his move to Liverpool for £67m. Kepa has been described a typical Maurizio Sarri goalkeeper seeing that he is comfortable with his feet and he can distribute the ball from the back effectively.
Yeri Mina
Everton completed the signing of Colombian defender Yeri Mina from Barcelona for a reported £27m. The amount is believed to include the value of a one-year loan deal for Andre Gomez who also joined the Toffees on the final day. Mina’s deal is believed to include a buy-back clause that puts Barcelona in the driving seat in the case of a potential return to Camp Nou. The 25-year-old defender joined Barca in January but was considered surplus to requirements ahead of the new season despite a decent World Cup outing.