Transfer window dream team - Who made the list?

Dream Defensive Setup – Ter Stegan, Mangala, Benatia, Luiz

Who says money cant buy success? With clubs showing their readiness to break the bank in order to sign the right players for their squads, transfers in Europes 5 big leagues amounted to figures of just under 2 billion, an incredible amount given the debts that many of Europes top earners are under.As lots of the worlds biggest names switched their allegiances, we thought it would be interesting to see what a 2014-15 summer transfer window dream team would look like, and how much it would cost to assemble it. With the 3-5-2 back in vogue, we have gone with the same formation for our dream XI.

#1 Defence

Dream Defensive Setup – Ter Stegan, Mangala, Benatia, Luiz

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (GK) – £10 million

Ter Stegen’s move to Barcelona was a transfer waiting to happen for a while now. With the Catalan said to have been searching for a long-term replacement for Victor Valdes for a couple of years now, the 22-year old German international’s name was always kept in the fray, as Ter Stegen performed consistently for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga.The deal eventually went through this summer for a fee of £10 million, with the La Liga club adding a £63 million buy-out clause in the goalkeeper’s contract.

David Luiz (CB) – £50 million

A mercurial defender if there ever was one, David Luiz’s £50 million move to Paris Saint-Germain indicates a massive show of belief from the French club in the centre-half’s ability to leave his previous consistency issues behind him and play a massive part for what is an ever-strengthening PSG side.

Many believe that Jose Mourinho laughed all the way to the bank after getting what currently is a world-record transfer fee for a defender, but solid performances alongside compatriot Thiago Silva could help Luiz prove his massive valuation over the coming seasons.

Eliaquim Mangala – £32 million

Only 23 years of age, Mangala does not have too many years of top-level football under his belt, but dominating performances for Porto over the last two seasons have convinced many that the French international is a star in the making. Manchester City paid a premium for his services this summer, with a massive £32 million being spent for the centre-back’s services. But if he can fulfil his potential at the Etihad Stadium, then his partnership with Vincent Kompany can prove to be the league’s best for years to come.

Mehdi Benatia – £21 million

Hardly had he spent one year at Italian Serie A club AS Roma before Mehdi Benatia became the subject of transfer speculation, with a raft of clubs said to have been monitoring the 27-year old’s progress in what was a very impressive seaons’s showing by Roma. Manchester United were said to have been the main contenders for the Morocco international’s signature, but Bayern Munich swooped in for the defender in the last week of the transfer window with a £21 million bid.

At Bayern Munich, he is expected to line up alongside Brazilian centre-half Dante, and will be looking to improve on last season’s near-perfect performances by the Bundesliga club, with his ball-playing and passing abilities set to fit in well with Pep Guardiola’s system at the Allianz Arena.

#2 Midfield

Dream Midfield 4 – Kroos, Fabregas, Rodriguez, Di Maria

Toni Kroos (CM) – £20 million

After many months of rumours regarding his possible exit from Bayern Munich, Toni Kroos finally made his way out of the Bavarian club this summer, joining Real Madrid for a relatively modest fee of £20 million following his country’s World Cup success. Kroos, who was part of the World Cup Team of the Tournament and last season’s UEFA Champions League dream team, was courted by Manchester United among other clubs, but chose to move to the Santiago Bernabeu, with Carlo Ancelotti seeing the German as a long-term replacement for Xabi Alonso, who moved to the other way to join Bayern Munich.

Another young star at the World Cup, Kroos has all the potential to become one of the world’s best, making him one of the biggest steals of the summer.

Cesc Fabregas (CM) – £30 million

Manchester United were said to have been interested in him last summer. Arsenal were rumoured to be interested in re-signing him earlier this year. However, after much deliberation, Cesc Fabregas decided to join forces with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, returning to England three years after he had left to join childhood club Barcelona.

Having not seen the kind of success that Barcelona would have hoped for when they signed the central midfielder from Arsenal, Fabregas was sold for £30 million, which could end up being a steal for a player with great talent and eight years of experience in the Premier League. The early signs seem very impressive, as Fabregas has already started notching up the goals and assists for the Premier League giants, working well in tandem with his new teammates at Stamford Bridge.

James Rodriguez (LW) – £63 million

Now the fourth-most expensive signing in the history of football, 23-year old James Rodriguez has a long way to go before he can prove to be value for money for Los Blancos, who completed the Colombian’s signing after his standout World Cup performance. Having scored 6 and assisted 2 in his 5 games in Brazil, Rodriguez was the surprise winner of the competition’s Golden Boot award, thereby convincing the Spanish outfit to take a chance on him.

Rodriguez’s club career has also seen an exponential rise in recent times, with the forward winning AS Monaco’s Player of the Year award in his first season at the Ligue 1 club before leaving for the reigning Champions League winners Real. The La Liga club and their manager Carlo Ancelotti will sure be hoping that Rodriguez can carry forward that form through the campaign, and fill the hole left by Angel di Maria’s departure.

Angel Di Maria (RW) – £59 million

From winning the Man of the Match award at the Champions League final last season and the UEFA Super Cup season precursor, to a team that will not be participating in Europe this term, Angel di Maria took a brave step this season to join Manchester United, with the Red Devils breaking the British transfer record to inject some creativity into a side with a dire lack of invention.

Despite a change of manager and a sea of new signings, United have already had an uncharacteristically rocky start to the season, but with given time to settle, £59 million signing Di Maria could help bring back the glory days that have been forgotten since the departure of long-time manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

#3 Attackers

Dream attacking trio – Lewandowski, Falcao and Suarez

Luis Suarez (CAM) – £65 million

A move away from Anfield was on the cards for Luis Suarez sometime or the other, but disciplinary problems at the summer’s World Cup and interest from Barcelona forced Liverpool into letting the striker leave, even though Suarez scored 31 times and won the European Golden Shoe on his way to carrying Liverpool to the Champions League for the first time in many years.

At Barcelona, Suarez should flourish alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta, with his character set to add more spice to the Clasico rivalry that seems to be growing with every year.

Robert Lewandowski (FW) – Free

He might have been the cheapest signing in this dream team, but he certainly could be the best. After having netted an incredible 94 goals for Borussia Dortmund over the last three seasons, the Polish striker moved to German giants Bayern Munich after running out his contract, following in the footsteps of former Dortmund teammate Mario Gotze.

The fact that Bayern Munich, who beat second-placed Dortmund by 19 points last term, have added to their ranks the division’s top goalscorer rings warning bells for the rest of the league and Europe, with Lewandowski already starting to look comfortable at his new position.

Radamel Falcao (FW) – £6 million (loan)

After having been rumoured to be joining Real Madrid all summer, Radamel Falcao made a shock loan move to Manchester United on transfer deadline day, with the Red Devils capturing the Monaco hitman for a reported £6 million loan fee.

On his day, the Colombian striker is arguably the most clinical finisher in the world, and should help a United outfit struggling to find their feet in attack. Success in the current season would lead most likely to a permanent deal next summer for a fee of over £40 million.

#4 The lineup

Formation 3-4-1-2

Net spend on dream team: £356 million

Notable absentees: Diego Costa, Ivan Rakitic, Luke Shaw

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Edited by Staff Editor