Football Summer Transfer Window Roundup

NCS
Sep 17, 2022
12 min read

FC Barcelona

Ayaan Minhas

FC Barcelona, arguably considered one of the best clubs of the 21st century, has recently been a shadow of its former self. Since the departure of club legends like Messi and Suarez, the club has struggled to make an impact on the world of football.

Coming into the transfer window, the aim was clear: bolstering the team in all areas including defence, attack and midfield to be able to compete with the world’s finest clubs, while simultaneously also selling players no longer needed by the team to balance and raise the transfer budget as much as possible.

The first player to depart was Philippe Coutinho for a low 20 million Euros after underwhelming performances in the previous 2 seasons he played for Barca. Followed by the departures of the world cup winner, Clement Lenglet, and Trincao, who both left on loan to Tottenham and Sporting CP, respectively. Barca also let go of Ricard Puig (known for his small stature and technical ability on the ball) for free to LA Galaxy, even though Puig showed great potential and is still in his prime playing years. Another club legend, Dani Alves, also left for Pumas on a free transfer after a second spell at Barca, after becoming the most decorated footballer in history.

Barca also made a few clever free transfers in this window. Franck Kessie, a 25 years old defensive midfielder, was brought to the team on a free transfer from AC Milan, which could benefit Barca in the many years to come. He possibly can be the heir to the veteran, Sergio Busquets, who operates in the same area of the field. Similarly, Andreas Christensen was also signed for free from Chelsea. The defender can also be an integral part of the plan to strengthen the back-line. The 26-year-old can also be considered a bargain due to his recent surge in form, which could prove to be beneficial for Barca.

Now is the time to discuss the blockbuster signings of FC Barcelona. One of the high-profile players in the world, generally considered the best number 9 in recent years, Robert Lewandowski also signed for Barca for a hefty 45 million Euros after a prolonged transfer saga. He was linked to Barcelona for quite some time before his transfer was confirmed and completed. He can be the missing piece in Barca’s plans to avoid goal droughts, which have been happening frequently in the recent years after Messi and Suarez left the club. FC Barcelona also signed Jules Kounde from Sevilla for 50 million Euros. The French defender is also expected to be a strong force in Barca’s defence soon; he is only 23 years old. The skilful 25-year-old, Raphinha, also cost FC Barcelona a huge 58 million Euros to fend off interest from other clubs like Chelsea. The former Leeds United player has shown great promise but also has huge pressure to live up to his expectations.

A few players like Ousmane Dembele, who found his stunning form once again, signed contract renewals with Barca. Sergio Roberto was also among the ones whose contracts were renewed by the club, despite the Barca Academy graduate being far beyond his prime years.

All the signings can be vital for Barcelona if they are to compete for the La Liga title and the Champions League. While Raphinha will bring the Brazilian samba flair alongside him in the attack, the arrival of Lewandowski will hopefully make sure that there is no lack of goals upfront. Kessie would also be hoping to transition into the starting lineup replacing Busquets and playing alongside Pedri and Gavi in a young 3-man midfield. Kounde and Christensen could also solve the defensive crisis of Barca in recent years. Despite being nearly bankrupt, somehow Barcelona managed to be highly active during this transfer window, strengthening the squad in every department. Interestingly, they had to activate many economic levers along with signing a massive sponsorship with Spotify to cover the transfer fees and the wages of the new signings. In my opinion, Barcelona could stand to gain if they sold Frenkie de Jong as he is an excess to the already lustrous midfield. Financially, his sale could have also boost the budget of the club.

In the upcoming season, Xavi (Barca’s manager) might go for a 3-4-3 formation, with Araujo alongside the new signings in the back 3, accompanied by young Gavi, and Pedri in the midfield, while Jordi Alba playing an advanced role up the field. The attack also has many options of the likes of Lewandowski playing alongside two of Memphis, Raphinha, Dembele, or even the prodigy, Ansu Fati. he most probably would go for the traditional 4-3-3 with quite some options of the centre-back pair. Given the amazing squad strength and depth, I would predict Barca to finish second in the La Liga title race but to get knocked out in the semifinals of the Champions League by the eventual winners.

Visca El Barca!

LIVERPOOL

Muhammad Faraz Shaikh

Liverpool has had an outstanding season this past year, with the team that almost won the historic Quadruple. Despite possessing one of the best squads, Liverpool still needed some reinforcements moving into the next playing season. One of their star players, Sadio Mane 2022 AFCON winner, announced his departure from the team following a six-year run after the Champion’s League Final. To top this off, Liverpool’s midfield used to be their weak link and they required some quality players in that department to make their team look even more dangerous and stronger than the previous season.

Liverpool already knew who they wanted, signing Luis Diaz in the winter transfer window. However, Jürgen Klopp, their manager, felt they also required a natural striker with goal-scoring ability. Therefore, they turned their attention toward Darwin Nunez. Nunez is a Uruguayan player and was part of Benfica’s squad last season. Nunez had scored 32 goals last season in 34 games which were some pretty impressive numbers. Nunez performed incredibly in the game against Liverpool last season despite losing, troubling Liverpool’s defence. After the game Liverpool’s manager Jürgen Klopp granted him high praise by saying, “the power and the mix-up with technique, the desire, smart moves, the problems he caused us. We fell all in love in these two games. A very aggressive South American, it's a good thing”. Liverpool managed to secure the services of Nunez in June by breaking their transfer record; they signed Darwin Nunez for 85 million plus add-ons for a six-year contract at the club. Not only that, but Liverpool also signed Fabio Carvalho from Fulham for a mere 5 million which people called a bargain considering his talent. Liverpool also needed a backup right back, resulting in Calvin Ramsey being drafted to the team for 6.5 million.

However, there have been a few losses along the way. One of which was Sadio Mane who, in his time at Liverpool was one of the world’s best wingers. Therefore, Liverpool sold Sadio Mane to FC Bayern Munich for 35 million. Liverpool also lost squad players like Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi who played pivotal roles in Liverpool’s domestic success last season.

These new signings certainly give Liverpool more options on the offensive side of the game. Liverpool’s decision to sign Nunez and Fabio Carvalho could allow them to switch from a 4-3-3 false 9 to a 4-3-3 with a striker or a 4-2-3-1 with two Defensive mids and an attacking midfielder. This allows Liverpool to have more attacking numbers moving forward.

Liverpool has done well in the summer transfer window, though, not including an extra and quality midfielder could cause Liverpool titles. Liverpool has good midfield players; however, these players are prone to injury and ageing which could sometimes disrupt the tempo of their attacks. Nonetheless, Liverpool has always managed to cope well with what they have, many times producing stunning results.

I think signing a striker and a young talented CAM with a Right back is good business. Therefore I will give Liverpool 8/10 for this window. As the new campaign is about to start I expect LFC to compete for all the trophies and try to achieve as much as possible.

Up the Reds!

MANCHESTER UNITED

Nabiha Ashfaq

Manchester United has been in a period of transition ever since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. A series of managers have come and gone, leaving the squad in an incoherent mess. This summer marks yet another new beginning for the club, having signed Erik ten Hag, best known for his time at AFC Ajax. Ten Hag inherited a broken squad, and fans hoped that this time the manager would not only be backed in the transfer market but also given enough time to stamp his tactical authority on the squad, to mould the team in his image, so to speak.

At the start of the transfer window, Manchester United could be improved in all departments. The goalkeeper could be upgraded to one who is comfortable enough on the ball to support a possession-based style of play. Along with this, the club could also sign a progressive holding midfielder to link play between the defence and attack. They could also use a winger and forward to complement Jadon Sancho and provide depth behind a misfiring Marcus Rashford and ageing Cristiano Ronaldo. In conclusion, the club was in dire need of at least 3-4 signings to complete the squad, creating one that can challenge for the top four positions, a necessary ambition for a club of its stature.

Manchester United has tried its best to address the squad’s long-standing needs this year with the signings of Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia, and Lisandro Martinez. In my opinion, Lisandro Martinez is by far the best signing of the bunch. He is a highly technical player who is brilliant at retaining the ball under pressure and progressing the ball with his driving runs and passing range. Along with Harry Maguire, he provides a steady base for the first phase of Manchester United's buildup play. He is quite defensively tenacious as well, despite his diminutive stature, he has the recovery pace to defend runners and is experienced enough to be able to read the opposition’s plays beforehand. In other news, Manchester United has confirmed the signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid in a deal worth 70 million dollars. The Brazilian player is known for his excellent midfielder skills which will be of immense help to the entire team in future games. The blockbuster signing of Antony for a reported 95 million dollars from Ajax also could solve some problems up front.

However, the transfer window has failed to address the club's highest priority needs. For example, the club desperately needed to sign a holding midfielder to link defence and attack in position and to break up opposition plays while defending. Fred and Scott McTominay, although quite capable players, do not possess the proper profile to adequately perform the holding midfield role for Manchester United. The club has also been dragged into the highly toxic situation surrounding Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona. Neither have they been able to convince Frenkie de Jong to join the club nor have they been able to identify alternative targets to sign as backups to Frenkie. Without a capable holding midfielder, Manchester United runs the risk of having a very haphazard, disorganised squad unable to compete with their closest rivals such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea, all of whom have strengthened considerably in this window.

On the other hand, an unamused Cristiano Ronaldo whose celebrity status and unfulfilled desire to leave the club could further contribute to the toxicity in the club. Ronaldo also does not fit the profile of the ideal Erik ten Hag centre forward, with his tendency to drop deep and his strong dislike towards pressing high or making runs in behind defences.

Overall, it has been a disappointing window for Manchester United so far. They have been unable to strengthen the holding midfield position and also have an incoherent assembly of players in attack.

While it is unreasonable to expect any club to solve these issues in a single transfer window, they needed to solve at least one of these high-priority problem areas if they wanted to challenge for the top 4 or even the top 6 and keep this project moving in the right direction.

CHELSEA

Youshae Bin Mansoor Jafri

The transfer window; a period of probably the most heated months of a football year. Teams go crazy spending money on players to improve their team, just like Chelsea FC who were on a spending spree to rebuild their team. With a new owner, the coach was fully confident of new signings. Chelsea were expected to buy a new striker, a defensive midfielder and a defender. First of all, Romelu Lukaku was handed off to Inter Milan on loan. Now, with one less forward, Chelsea FC have started to show interest in forwards; specifically in Manchester City’s: Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.

After negotiations and multiple bids, Chelsea FC were able to sign Raheem Sterling for a fee of £47.5m, but Gabriel Jesus went off to sign for Chelsea FC rivals Arsenal FC. Chelsea FC then went on to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli for a fee of £33m, and Marc Cucurella from Brighton for a fee of £60m. Chelsea FC did have some other small transfers as well and showed interest in multiple other players, like Raphina, Lewandowski, Kounde and Dembele, who eventually signed a contract with FC Barcelona, as well as Matthijs de Ligt, who went on to sign for FC Bayern.

Arguably, the best signing is Koulibaly, since Chelsea lacked quality and experience in the defense when other defenders were on the verge of leaving Chelsea FC. A defender like him was necessary to strengthen the defense. Him alongside Thiago Silva and Azpilicueta, would not only allow Chelsea to have a strong defense while letting the youth learn from themselves. Chelsea needed a proper goal-scoring player, so in terms of that, Sterling might not be the worst signing, but he can be called a rather useless one. While he does have the talent, he isn't the player Chelsea desperately needed, following the departure of Lukaku and Werner. Chelsea already has a lot of wingers in their team, so Sterling is only brought to reinforce the wing itself.

In the case of players like Lewandowski being bought, or if Werner played in the pre-season like the player he used to be at RB Leipzig, Chelsea would have been a threat to other teams in the world. Besides, Chelsea offloading more players who don’t contribute as much to the team, could have led them to have more money to spend on players they need, such as a defensive midfielder.

With these signings, Chelsea would not be scoring a lot of goals nor conceding a lot of goals. While the transfer window is still open, we can only hope that Chelsea buys players to cover up their areas of improvement. With these signings already made, Chelsea would at least be competing in the top 4 of the league, if not as the champions of it. And as for the Champions League, it’s possible for them to be able to qualify for the round of 16. With further signings in some areas, Chelsea could be on its way to competing in the champions and possibly the domestic treble.

REAL MADRID

Jawad Muhammad Imran

Most football players grow up dreaming of playing for giant clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Real Madrid has a total of 14 European Cups, and 35 La Liga trophies under its belt, they were also voted FIFA’s Club of the Century, and they are currently the most valuable football club in the world, estimated to be worth $5.1 billion. They make almost $761 million in revenue annually. It can be said that Real Madrid is the biggest club in world football.

After winning the La Liga and Champions League, Real Madrid would be looking to sign some youngsters as their main strikers. Madrid’s midfield players are all above 30 except Casemiro who is 28. Rumours are that Madrid wanted to sign Mbappe, a top-class striker. If they had managed to add them to the squad, they would have been set for years. Unfortunately, Mbappe signed a new contract with PSG. This was a hard blow to sustain for the Madrid fans at home.

Los Blancos had a decent start to the new summer transfer window signing players like Aurélien Tchouameni and Antonio Rüdiger. They signed Aurélien Tchouameni, a 22-year-old defensive midfielder, from AS Monaco for a staggering £72.00m. While Antonio Rüdiger was signed as a free agent. They also extended the contracts of players like Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo.

Compared to the departures, there weren’t many new arrivals to the Los Blancos team. Borja Mayoral was sold for £10.00m to Getafe. Takefusa Kubo, a right winger, was sold for £6.50m to Real Sociedad. Likewise, Miguel Gutierrez and Victor Chust were also sold to Spanish clubs. Luka Jovic resigned from Fiorentina as he was unable to meet Carlo Ancelotti’s expectations. Isco left as a free agent and it is most likely that he will sign for Sevilla FC as a personal agreement has been reached according to Fabrizio Romano. Earlier in the transfer window, Gareth Bale signed for the MLS team, LA FC. He also signed as a free agent and he has already made his debut and scored a solo goal against Real Salt Lake FC. As of now though, Marcelo’s contract has expired and he is a free agent.

The addition of Antonio Rüdiger to the squad will add depth with added benefits of competitions between players for a spot in the starting lineup. Additionally, there will be a possibility for a back three as in recent games Dani Carvajal has not been on point and there has been a lack of right backs and left backs. Casemiro remains one of the best defensive midfielders however, he will be challenged for a first-team spot by the arrival of Aurelien Tchouameni.

Over the years, Real Madrid has indulged in some high-profile deals with it breaking the world record for the highest transfer fee twice in the past decade. This year they set their sights on a high-profile player, Kylian Mbappe, but, failed to sign him. Resultantly, there was major disappointment among the fans. In conclusion, it is fair to say that Real Madrid has failed to meet the expectations of fans worldwide this past transfer window.