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For the last one month, the football world was busy with the FIFA World Cup and as a result, the transfers were moving at a very slow pace even though the window is open.
For the Premier League clubs, the summer transfer window closes on August 9 and yet Chelsea have only signed Jorginho for the first team amidst speculations over the future of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois. Tottenham Hotspur on the other hand, haven’t signed a single player yet!
While some clubs are moving at a sluggish pace in the transfer window, others have wasted no time in bolstering their squad. Liverpool, for example, have signed Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri. There is also a good chance they will add Nabil Fekir and a goalkeeper to the squad before the end of the window.
On that note, we have picked five clubs from Europe’s top 5 leagues who have wasted no time in conducting their summer transfer business and have done so in a brilliant manner.
#5 Arsenal
Unai Emery hasn’t wasted any time to get the post-Wenger era at Arsenal up and running. He has already signed five first-team players to plug the holes in the squad and most of them are in the hope of improving a leaky defence.
His first signing, Stephan Lichtsteiner, brings a lot of top-flight experience to the Arsenal squad and playing alongside the Swiss captain can help a player like Bellerin improve his game.
Emery’s second signing was Bayern Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The addition of the German shot-stopper was key as Arsenal struggled in that department despite the presence of Petr Cech and David Ospina in the squad.
Arsenal’s third summer signing was Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The addition of the Greek central defender was crucial as Laurent Koscielny is out injured for a long period, Shkodran Mustafi put in erratic performances last season and the other two central defenders in the side are Rob Holding and Calum Chambers.
However, the most important signing so far has to be that of young Uruguayan defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira. Arsenal fans have been crying out for a defensive midfielder for years and Emery has addressed that issue in his very first transfer window.
Arsenal have also signed 19-year-old French midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi from Lorient, but he should be considered one for the future.
The Gunners may not be done with their transfer business yet as Emery might be looking to add a winger to the squad before the window closes.
#4 Inter Milan
For the first time since 2011-12, Inter Milan will play in the Champions League, and they have wasted no time in improving their squad ahead of the new season.
Inter will be hoping to give Juventus a good fight for the Scudetto this season and their summer signings certainly give their fans hope.
The Nerazzurri’s first summer signing is easily one of the steals of the summer. They signed Radja Nainggolan from rivals Roma for €38m, plus Davide Santon and Nicolò Zaniolo in exchange.
The 30-year-old has spent his entire professional career in Italy and rose to fame with Roma. During his spell in the Italian capital, Nainggolan was named in the Serie A team of the year thrice in succession between 2014-15 and 2016-17.
Nainggolan is not the only player they have signed from a Serie A club. Four of their five summer signings boast a wealth of experience in the Italian top flight.
They’ve signed the 24-year-old winger, Matteo Politano, from Sassuolo on loan with an option to buy. He has scored 24 goals in 110 games for Sassuolo of which 11 were scored in 39 games last season.
In addition, they also secured the service of Lazio’s Stefan de Vrij and Juventus’ Kwadwo Asamoah on free transfers. The two players will add quality and depth to their defence.
Their most recent summer signing is the highly rated 20-year-old Argentine forward Lautaro Martínez. Inter have a history of prolific Argentine forwards, including their current captain Mauro Icardi. Martinez can prove to be a more than capable understudy to the Inter captain.
All stats via transfermarkt
#3 West Ham
West Ham are undergoing a major makeover this summer. They parted ways with David Moyes and appointed the Premier League winning manager Manuel Pellegrini.
What was even more surprising was their spending spree as they’ve signed seven first-team players so far.
Łukasz Fabiański joined from Swansea City to take the place of Joe Hart who had a below par loan spell with the Hammers last season. They also signed right-back Ryan Fredericks from Fulham on a free transfer, center-backs Issa Diop from Toulouse and Fabián Balbuena from Corinthians.
The Hammers also signed Jack Wilshere on a free transfer and it could prove to be a fantastic signing for them provided the former Arsenal man can stay fit.
However, the most impressive signings are the addition of the two wingers Andriy Yarmolenko from Borussia Dortmund for £17 million and Felipe Anderson from Lazio for a club record £36 million.
What remains to be seen if how well and quickly Pellegrini can integrate so many new signings into the first XI in order to avoid a repeat of what happened at Everton last summer.
#2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have signed just three first-team players this summer but what makes their business so impressive is them convincing their key players to sign a new contract and stay at the club.
They extended the contracts of Antoine Griezmann and Jose Maria Gimenez this summer amid interest from a host of top European clubs in both players.
They parted ways with veterans Fernando Torres and Gabi, but have replaced the outgoing players with the much younger players.
The first summer signing was 22 year old central midfielder Rodri from Villarreal for €20 million. However, the more impressive business was acquiring Thomas Lemar from €60 million from Monaco subject to a medical.
Atletico’s most recent business was the signing of Antonio Adán from Real Betis for a mere €1 million as a backup to Jan Oblak.
With Real Madrid and Barcelona undergoing a period of transition, this might be a terrific opportunity for Atletico Madrid to win La Liga again.
#1 Juventus
Juventus parted ways with 40-year-old Gianluigi Buffon, 34-year-old Stephan Lichtsteiner and 29-year-old Kwadwo Asamoah in the summer but have done some excellent business to replace the outgoing starters.
Mattia Perin joined from Genoa to compete with Wojciech Szczęsny for the spot between the sticks. While João Cancelo joined to replace Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Juventus also signed Emre Can on a free transfer. The acquisition of the German is the most recent in their list of impressive free transfers in recent years.
However, the most impressive business done by the Italian giants and quite possibly the biggest one of this summer transfer window was the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for a club record €100 million.
The arrival of Ronaldo could finally deliver Juventus the Champions League title that has eluded them for many years. It is almost certain that Ronaldo will have a record-breaking debut season in Italy.
