£485,000,000. This is the staggering estimated outlay spent by Barclays Premier League clubs on players over the summer. It was a Transfer Window which saw many headlines written with both Manchester clubs significantly strengthening, Kenny Dalglish begin his revolution with his new-look Liverpool side, the most protracted transfer saga in English football history surrounding Arsenal come to an end, André Villas-Boas bring in young blood to rejuvenate an ageing Chelsea side and Queens Park Rangers drafting in no fewer than twelve newcomers to Loftus Road.
Arsenal
Are Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun really adequate replacements for Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri? In one word: no. Yes both are creative, possess excellent vision and have Barclays Premier League experience however they are injury-prone. Wenger should have been bold and landed Scott Parker for a bargain £6,000,000. Germany international Per Mertesacker will bring some much needed cover in defence however doubts will remain over his pace and ability to adapt to the English game. Bolton Wanderers’ Gary Cahill was there for the taking.
Best Bit of Business: Mikel Arteta (Everton)
A Sad Goodbye: Cesc Fàbregas (FC Barcelona)
Aston Villa
The departures of Stewart Downing and Ashley Young were expected and McLeish has bought an excellent replacement in the shape of Charles N’Zogbia. Yes he is a volatile figure but on his day he can really torment defences with his pace and energy. Goalkeeper Shay Given’s arrival from Manchester City for the Tottenham Hotspur signing Brad Friedel could be one of the buys of the summer. Inexpensive and with plenty of experience, how Arsenal could have done with a keeper of his experience.
Best Bit of Business: Shay Given (Manchester City)
A Sad Goodbye: Ashley Young (Manchester United)
Blackburn Rovers
The signing of defender Scott Dann is another contender for signing of the summer. Dann was terrific at Birmingham City last season and manager Steve Kean knows him well from his time at Coventry City. Keeping hold of Captain Christopher Samba will feel like a new signing and will sure up a leaky defence. However, scoring goals could still remain a real problem for the Lancashire club. Yakubu’s arrival from Everton will be a boost but doubts remain over his form and fitness.
Best Bit of Business: Scott Dann (Birmingham City)
A Sad Goodbye: Phil Jones (Manchester United)
Bolton Wanderers
He could leave in the January Transfer Window or indeed next summer on a free transfer but the highly coveted central defender Gary Cahill remains a Trotters player and that is something which is sure to bring delight to both fans and manager Owen Coyle alike. Tuncay’s signing on loan from VFL Wolfsburg and David Ngog’s arrival from Liverpool will make up for the loss of Johan Elmander who was getting into his stride at the end of last season at The Reebok Stadium.
Best Bit of Business: Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa)
A Sad Goodbye: Johan Elmander (Galatasary)
Chelsea
The André Villas-Boas revolution isn’t quite in full swing yet but it’s gathering momentum. Young blood is being brought in to freshen up the Chelsea squad. Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, very much in the mould of Didier Drogba, looks at terrific buy from Anderlecht whilst Juan Mata’s capture from Valencia CF will bring much needed innovation and industry to the Chelsea midfield. Expect The Blues to continue their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur midfield wizard Luka Modrić after they failed in a Deadline Day £40,000,000 bid.
Best Bit of Business: Juan Mata (Valencia CF)
A Sad Goodbye: Yossi Benayoun (Arsenal)
Everton
Oh to be an Everton fan! No money in the coffers at Goodison Park and manager David Moyes working on a sell-to-buy budget. The loss of creative maestro Mikel Arteta will hurt however all is by no means lost. Hope lies in the form of the fantastic prospect Ross Barkley who has already made a wonderful impression in the early stages of this season and Jack Rodwell in the heart of the Everton midfield. Keep an eye on the highly rated Dutch left-winger Royston Drenthe.
Best Bit of Business: Royston Drenthe (Real Madrid)
A Sad Goodbye: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Fulham
Manager Martin Jol has used his Dutch connections extremely well, following his spell as head coach at Ajax, to land the highly-rated Costa Rican striker Bryan Ruiz from FC Twente. The tall, athletic striker has developed a terrific reputation in the Dutch Eredevisie and will form a potent attack alongside Bobby Zamora or Belgian Moussa Dembélé. Also nice to see John Arne Riise back in England’s top flight bombing down the left-hand flank. He’ll bring experience, consistency and the odd crackerjack of a goal.
Best Bit of Business: Bryan Ruiz (FC Twente)
A Sad Goodbye: John Pantsil (Leicester City)
Liverpool
The King Kenny revolution is underway at Anfield. It has been all change with over £60,000,000 worth of talent being brought in. Stewart Downing’s arrival from Aston Villa and José Enrique’s from Newcastle United could finally be the solution to The Reds long-term problem down their left hand side. The surprise return of Craig Bellamy from Manchester City will add further firepower upfront whilst former Blackpool star Charlie Adam will add creativity in central midfield. Raul Meireles departure is perhaps somewhat of a strange decision.
Best Bit of Business: José Enrique (Newcastle United)
A Sad Goodbye: Raul Meireles (Chelsea)
Manchester City
City have once again bought big – Does this mean a genuine bid at the title? They have a vast array of attacking options, further boosted by the arrival of Argentinean marksman Sergio Agüero. Add to that the staying put of Carlos Tévez, Edin Džeko hitting form and Samir Nasri’s ingenuity in midfield alongside the terrific David Silva. Owen Hargreaves’s deal came out of the blue but it may prove a shrewd signing by manager Roberto Mancini providing the defensive midfielder can remain fit.
Best Bit of Business: Sergio Agüero (Atlético de Madrid)
A Sad Goodbye: Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson is building another Manchester United team and this one could prove to be the best of them all. Winger Ashley Young has already demonstrated to be an excellent acquisition from Aston Villa, brining pace, trickery and plenty of invention to a free-flowing Manchester United side. Phil Jones has slotted in comfortably at centre-back however questions remain over whether young goalkeeper David de Gea can fill Edwin Van der Sar’s gloves – only time will tell and that’s exactly what he needs.
Best Bit of Business: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
A Sad Goodbye: Owen Hargreaves (Manchester City)
Newcastle United
£56,000,000 brought in and £12,000,000 spent – Where has all the money gone? The departure of Captain Kevin Nolan back into the Npower Championship was a real surprise along with Joey Barton’s move to newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers. French has certainly been the flavour of the summer with five new arrivals having French connections. Full-back Davide Santon from Internazionale is full of potential and comes highly recommended by José Mourinho. Despite several bids, manager Alan Pardew failed to bring in another striker.
Best Bit of Business: Yohan Cabaye (LOSC Lille Métropole)
A Sad Goodbye: Kevin Nolan (West Ham United)
Norwich City
The Canaries manager Paul Lambert acted very swiftly in getting all of his work done in the early stages of the Transfer Window thus avoiding panic later on. He has very much put his faith in lower-league experience by signing the like of influential midfielder Bradley Johnson from Leeds United and Welsh international striker Steve Morison from Millwall however former Everton striker James Vaughan and Manchester United loanee, centre-back Ritchie De Laet, will bring Barclays Premier League experience, albeit not in great bundles.
Best Bit of Business: Bradley Johnson (Leeds United)
A Sad Goodbye: Cody Macdonald (Coventry City)
Queens Park Rangers
The name Tony Fernandes, the clubs new chairman, will be on the lips of every Queens Park Rangers fan. After a long and drawn out ownership dispute, Fernandes provided manager Neil Warnock with much needed funds to strengthen his side and he has done just that. Joey Barton’s capture from Newcastle United is an unexpected coup for the club and he’ll add some steely determination in midfield alongside creative midfielder Adel Taarabt. Add to that the arrival of Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Best Bit of Business: Joey Barton (Newcastle United)
A Sad Goodbye: Kaspars Gorkss (Reading)
Stoke City
A busy Deadline Day for The Potters saw them break their transfer record fee with the arrival of striker Peter Crouch from Tottenham Hotspur. He brings with him both Abby Clancy and of course a good goalscoring record in domestic, European and international football. Honduran Wilson Palacios will add bite in the midfield whilst the arrival of defenders Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate, incidentally both on free transfers, are terrific buys. Both manager Tony Pulis and club alike really are going places.
Best Bit of Business: Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur)
A Sad Goodbye: Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham United)
Sunderland
Following the departures of Darren Bent in January and Jordan Henderson in the summer to Aston Villa and Liverpool respectively, a real overhaul of players has taken place at The Stadium of Light with manager Steve Bruce as busy as ever in the Transfer Window. The arrival of young striking sensation Connor Wickham from Ipswich Town will be a boost however the free signings of midfielders Sebastian Larsson, who Bruce had with him whilst manager at Birmingham City, and David Vaughan from Blackpool, which really standout.
Best Bit of Business: David Vaughan (Blackpool)
A Sad Goodbye: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Swansea City
The Swans have played it safe in the Transfer Market with Brendan Rodgers very much keep faith with the squad which won promotion from the Npower Championship last season via the play-offs. A lot of expectation will be placed on the shoulders of record signing striker Danny Graham from Watford to see if he has what it takes to fire in the goals at the top level. Goalkeeper Michel Vorm looks like an excellent replacement for his Dutch compatriot Dorus de Vries.
Best Bit of Business: Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)
A Sad Goodbye: Dorus de Vries (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Tottenham Hotspur
There we were all waiting for another Harry Redknapp surprise in the Transfer Window but unfortunately it just didn’t happen. Much of the summer was overshadowed by the Luka Modrić transfer saga however Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy’s defiance in keeping the Croatian paid off. Missing out on top target Gary Cahill is a blow but that’s placated by the arrivals of midfielder Scott Parker and striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a season long loan from West Ham United and Manchester City respectively.
Best Bit of Business: Scott Parker (West Ham United)
A Sad Goodbye: Peter Crouch (Stoke City)
West Bromwich Albion
Ever the shrewd man, Albion’s manager Roy Hodgson has bought well for The Baggies. The arrival of Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long represents a terrific deal and a strike partnership between Long and Peter Odemwingie, who put pen to paper by signing a new contract at The Hawthorns, looks to be an exciting one. Goalkeeper Ben Foster, who comes in on loan from Birmingham City with a view to a permanent deal, again gets a chance to prove himself at the highest level.
Best Bit of Business: Shane Long (Reading)
A Sad Goodbye: Borja Valero (Villarreal)
Wigan Athletic
Despite the loss of the real creative spark in the team, Charles N’Zogbia, manager Roberto Martinez has emerged from the Transfer Window still with his highly-rated midfielder James McCarthy and Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega. Converting goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi’s loan into a permanent deal was important whilst creative midfielder Shaun Maloney’s arrival at the DW Stadium for his second spell in the Barclays Premier League from Celtic will provide The Latics with further attacking options. However, they still do look lightweight in the defensive department.
Best Bit of Business: Shaun Maloney (Celtic)
A Sad Goodbye: Charles N’Zogbia (Aston Villa)
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Strength in depth is what manager Mick McCarthy wanted in his squad for this season and that is exactly what he’s got. The signing of central defender Roger Johnson from Birmingham City is an excellent move by the former Republic of Ireland manager. Johnson will bring both leadership and calmness to, what was last season, a very shaky defence. Jamie O’Hara will pull the creative strings in midfield whilst the early signs are good with regards to the form of striker Steven Fletcher.
Best Bit of Business: Roger Johnson (Birmingham City)
A Sad Goodbye: Marcus Hahnemann (Free Agent)
So are you an enraged Evertonian? A grateful Gooner? Or a smiling Stoke City fan? What are your thoughts on your club’s wheeling and dealing in the summer Transfer Window?
Twitter: @aleksklosok
