Another transfer window, another transfer bonanza with millions upon millions dished out on players from all corners of the continent. Premier League has once again proved to be the big money-spender starring the two Manchester clubs. But which have the biggest moves, particularly in the last month of the window? Here are Jonny’s five best moves.
Anthony Martial (AS Monaco - Manchester United for £36 million)
I really don’t know much about Anthony Martial which in many ways tells you all you need to know about him. Yes, he may have potential and I have been reading that he is a talented player but he was hardly the most sought after player in Europe. He obviously hasn’t done enough to make any newspapers or sports sites gossip column, which means he can’t have shown enough in his time at AS Monaco to make him look like a worthy signing. Particularly not for £36 million.
His highlight reel isn’t overly impressive and this looks like the king of all panic buys but you never know, maybe he’s got more to offer than everyone realised.
Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona - Chelsea for £21 million)
Unbelievable that no club bought him at the very start of the season. All they had to do was offer his buy out clause and begin negotiations. He is a world class player and one that would make the staring line up in every team in the Premier League. He has had a great start for Chelsea and long may it continue.
£21 million in this day and age is a bargain. In my opinion, no one has acquired a better player.
Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg - Manchester City for £56 million)
Another ridiculous sum of money to pay for a player, but another strong addition to the Manchester City squad. You would suspect that Jesus Navas is the man to make way for De Bruyne and while Navas offers more pace it seems a feature of City’s style this season is the the full backs pushing forward (my favourite style of play). This means he can come inside and affect the play alongside Silva and Sterling without worrying about always providing width.
Manchester City do have to ensure that their rhythm isn’t disrupted as they have proven their current team is title contending squad.
Heung Min-Son (Bayer Leverkusen - Tottenham Hotspur for £22 million)
On the surface, this looks like a good signing for Spurs. He bolsters their attacking positions and seems to be able to play across the front four. He is currently Asian Player of the Year which is a major honour and he should be an improvement on the likes of Lamela. Maybe he’ll galvanise Harry Kane a little bit too.
It remains to be seen whether he can adapt to life in the Premier League.
Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia - Manchester City for £32 million)
They continue to grow their squad. Similar to Kevin De Bruyne they have to be careful not disrupt their current squad that is playing so well, but Otamendi is a highly sought after player and was fantastic in La Liga last season. We will see whether he can cope in the Premier League but he is not the type to shy away from a challenge, a metaphorical one or a physical one.
Sometimes too eager, he may have to adjust his game slightly to avoid himself being caught out.
This piece was first published at the excellent The Players Only Club here.
Written by Jonny Troy
Follow Jonny on Twitter @Jonny_Troy
Check out his excellent football blog, where this piece was originally published: The Players Only Club
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