'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In a move designed to end disruption and allow English clubs to focus on their football, Premier League clubs had agreed to close the summer transfer window before the start of the 2018-19 season.
The said transfer window ended last night and the Premier League squads for the 2018-19 season are locked. From Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers making full use of the window in strengthening their squads to Newcastle and Manchester United struggling to make big signings, this window has seen it all. A fun trivia, Tottenham Hotspurs became the only club in Premier League history to not sign a single player during the Summer Transfer Window.
Without much delay, let's take a look at how the best eleven comprising of such transferred players would look like:
(Note: Only players coming from foreign leagues into the Premier League have been counted. As such, players like Riyad Mahrez won't be considered as he switched from one PL club to another.)
Goalkeeper - Alisson Becker ( AS Roma to Liverpool FC, £67 million)
Alisson Becker's transfer to Liverpool broke the record for most expensive goalkeeper ever. The record was held previously by Manchester City's Ederson Morales who was transferred from Benfica for £35 million (although Gianluigi Buffon holds the record if the currency used is Euros instead of Pounds). However, the transfer record was broken a mere 4 weeks later when Chelsea signed Kepa Arrizabalaga for a whopping £71 million from Bilbao.
Born in Brazil, Alisson started his career in his hometown club Internacional. He made his debut in 2013 at the age of 21 and was signed by AS Roma in the summer of 2016. After being used in Cup matches and Champions League matches for a season, Alisson finally broke into Roma's first team during the 2017-18 season after the departure of Wojciech Szczesny. In an impressive season, Alisson kept 22 clean sheets in 37 games and led his club to a 3rd place finish in the Serie A and a semi-final exit in the Champions League. A feat Roma hadn't achieved since 1984.
His performances for his club also earned him a spot in Brazil's first team and he went on to play every minute of Brazil's 2018 World Cup campaign. He was also named in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League squad of the season.
Signed by Liverpool when they desperately needed some strength between the sticks, we can certainly hope for greater things to come from this young Brazillian. Just 25 years of age and already considered one of the best Goalkeepers in the world, it will be a delight to see him in the world's best league.
Right Back - Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus to Arsenal, free transfer)
Known as the Swiss Express, Stephan Lichtsteiner's move to Arsenal was met with delight from the fans. Known for his prowess down the right wing, Lichtsteiner can play as a right-back or a right winger as his team requires. A dynamic, hard-working and versatile defender, he contributes as much to a team's attacks as their defence. He functions best when used as a right wing-back in a 5 man defence formation. Does Arsenal use such a formation, he and Kolasinac can do some serious damage down both flanks.
Born in Switzerland, he started his career for one of Switzerland's top clubs Grasshopper. He played 90 games for the club scoring 4 goals before moving to Lille. In Lille, he became a regular starter playing 113 games. A move to Lazio was secured where he played 117 games before moving again, this time to Juventus. In Juventus, Lichtsteiner quickly gained a reputation of being one of the best right backs in the world. His tenure with Juventus lasted 7 years and he played 257 games for the club winning the Serie A title in every single season.
Lichtsteiner is the current captain of the Switzerland national team. He was named the captain just before the 2016 Euro Qualifications. He has led the team since then, including in the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup. He has represented Switzerland in 3 World Cups and might just make it 4 before calling it quits. Arsenal fans surely will be excited for him in their squad.
Center Back - Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal, £17.7 million)
Another Arsenal recruit, Sokratis joined the London outfit from Borussia Dortmund for £17.6 million. He was known as the undisputed leader in the Dortmund defence line. He is known for having an incredible physical presence and being very dangerous in the air. With the departures of Gabriel and the retirement of Mertesacker, Sokratis is a very valuable addition to Arsenal's line-up.
Starting off in AEK Athens, his early career was uneventful as he soon left Greece for Italy. There, he played for Genoa before moving to AC Milan. But he never broke into Milan's first team and was then loaned out to Werder Bremen before making the switch permanent. It was at Werder Bremen that Sokratis had his break-out performance and was soon picked up by Borussia Dortmund following a controversial exit from Bremen. Sokratis was expected to be the 3rd choice Center back but soon fought his way into the first team. In his 5 seasons with Dortmund, he won a DFB Pokal and two German Super Cups.
He has had 79 caps for the Greek National Team and has represented his country in the 2014 World Cup and 2012 Euro Cup. He scored a very important goal against Costa Rica in the Pre-Quarter Finals of the 2014 World Cup. The equalizer came when his team was 1-0 down and pushed the game to penalty shoot-outs. Although Greece would go on to lose the match, Sokratis gained praise for his performance. With him among the ranks, Arsenal looks strong in the defensive department.
Center Back - Yerry Mina (FC Barcelona to Everton, £27 million)
This is a surprising one. Yerry Mina signed for Barcelona in January. He was signed by Barcelona from Palmeiras for £10.5 million and within 7 months moved to Everton for more than double of that. The fact Barcelona signed Clement Lenglet despite signing Mina in January seemed to have pushed the move through. He made just 6 appearance in his 7 month run for FC Barcelona.
Starting his career in his native Columbia playing for Deportivo Pasto and Santa Fe before moving to Brazil. After joining Palmeiras, Mina gained popularity and attracted interest from several European clubs. At the end of the Brazilian season, Mina would join Barcelona and sign a 5 year contract. But he would never break into Barcelona's line-up and was signed by Everton on the deadline day.
After losing Funes Mori, Mina should be a regular for Everton and get his career back on track. In spite of rarely playing for the entirety of 2018, Mina played every game for Columbia at the 2018 World Cup except the first game and scored 3 goals. In total, he has played 15 games for Columbia and netted 6 times. Given Everton's situation he should be a crucial addition to the squad.
Left Back - Lucas Digne (FC Barcelona to Everton, £18 million)
Completing a synchronized defence, Lucas Digne becomes the second player on the list to be signed by Everton from FC Barcelona. Used as a back-up to Jordi Alba in his 2 seasons with Barcelona, Digne made just 46 appearances with Barca scoring twice. Unhappy with his current role with the Catalan giants, Digne moved to Everton in search of more playing time.
Breaking into Lille's first team at the age of 18, Digne was soon signed up by the heavy spending Paris Saint Germain. In PSG however, he struggled to find ample game time as he was used as a back-up for Maxwell. He joined Barcelona in the summer of 2016. But again, he was benched in favour of Jordi Alba. Now 25, Digne has joined Everton in hopes of regular game time and we hope Leighton Baines doesn't deny him of that.
Internationally, Digne has fared no better. He is yet to appear in a major tournament for France as his country enjoys one of their most successful periods in Football. Digne was an unused substitute in the entire Euro 2016 tournament where Patrice Evra started at left back and was not selected for the 2018 World Cup where Lucas Hernandez got the first team spot. Him not being able to play the World Cup looks to be the main motivator in his move away from Barcelona. Let's just hope Everton revives his career.
Defensive Midfielder - Fabinho (Monaco to Liverpool, £39 million)
Not the only Liverpool mid-fielder to be on the list, Fabinho is another of Jurgen Klopp's signings to strengthen Liverpool's midfield. An excellent defensive midfielder who can attack pretty well as well, Fabinho is the type of player who controls the pace of the game with his versatile style of play.
He started off in his native Brazil but never made an appearance for Fluminense or Rio Ave. He would be picked up by Real Madrid and sent to their developmental team, Real Madrid Castilla. He would even make a first-team appearance before returning to Rio Ave on expiry of the loan deal. Monaco then signed him on a year-long loan deal which they extended by another year before permanently signing him. He broke straight into Monaco's first team and has amassed 233 appearances scoring 31 goals in 5 seasons. Liverpool picked him up for £39m this summer window.
However, his international career hasn't quite reflected on his quality. He has made just 4 appearances for Brazil with his last appearance coming in 2016. He is yet to make a major tournament appearance for Brazil as he always seemed to be down the pecking order behind the likes of Paulinho, Luiz Gustave and Casemiro. Considering there isn't much competition in Liverpool with the likes of Emre Can leaving the club, Fabinho should have an eventful season in Merseyside.
Central Midfielder - Naby Keita (RB Leipzig to Liverpool, £62 million)
The 3rd Liverpool signing on this list just shows how busy Jurgen Klopp has been this window. As a matter of fact, 3 out of Liverpool's 4 signings appear on this list with the exception being ex-Stoke City player Xherdan Shaqiri. Keita is a dynamic box to box midfielder similar to the like of Yaya Toure. He is equally skilled in both attacking and defending and is a valuable addition to any team he plays for.
Keita started out his career in the lower divisions of France but soon moved to Red Bull Salzburg. There he won the Austrian Bundesliga Player of the Year in the 2014-15 season. He made 80 appearances for Salzburg and scored 20 goals. He then joined Salzburg's sister club, Red Bull Leipzig in 2016. He played 71 games for Leipzig scoring 17 times and was included in the Bundesliga team of the season 2016-17.
He has been a regular in the Guinea National Team since 2013. He has 28 caps and 6 international goals to his name. But he is yet to play in a World Cup as Guinea is yet to qualify for one. He represented his team in the 2015 African Cup of Nations where Guinea went as far as the Quarter Finals. He is certainly a very important addition to the Liverpool squad for the upcoming season.
Central Midfielder - Jorginho (Napoli to Chelsea, £57 million)
Jorginho joined Chelsea the same day Maurizio Sarri was announced as the new Chelsea manager. Following his coach to Chelsea, Jorginho became Chelsea's biggest signing of the window. An incredibly versatile midfielder, Jorginho can play in any role possible. He has, over the years, played as a box-to-box midfielder, a deep lying play-maker and even a defensive midfielder. He excels when deployed in the deep-lying play-maker position.
Having played his entire career in Italy, even spending a season in the 4th division, this is Jorginho's first excursion out of Italy. He started out at Hellas Verona before joining Napoli where he became the star he is today. He has played 179 games while in Italy's top division and has scored 13 goals. He even was a top performer in the second division helping Hellas Verona secure promotion to the first division. He won the Coppa Italia 2014 and also the Italian Super Cup of that season.
Jorginho made his debut for Italy in 2014 after expressing his desire to represent Italy rather than Brazil. However, he is yet to make a Major tournament appearance as his only competitive match has been the 2018 World Cup Qualifying Play-off against Sweden. In spite of Jorginho's poor international record, it is without a doubt that he will be one of Chelsea's most crucial players in the coming season.
Forward - Andre Schurrle (Borussia Dortmund to Fulham, Loan)
It didn't come as much of a surprise when Borussia Dortmund announced that they had no plans for Andre Schurrle. But what did come as a surprise was his joining Fulham on loan. The newly promoted team signed several top players to fill their ranks in their first season atop the English football system in 5 years. Known for his speed and finishing, Scurrle operates mainly as a winger but can double as a centre-forward as well.
Schurrle played for several German clubs including Mainz 05 and Leverkusen before joining Chelsea in 2013. But he struggled to find his place in Chelsea's first team and soon left for Germany again. He spent a season in Wolfsburg and then joined Dortmund from where he finally ended up in Fulham. In his club career, he has had 330 matches in top flights of Germany and England. He has scored 78 goals in all his appearances.
Schurrle won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 scoring twice in the tournament. He has represented Germany in the 2014 World Cup and 2012, 2016 Euro Cups. He was left out of the 2018 World Cup squad due to lack of playing time in Dortmund. In total, he has made 57 International appearances for Germany and scored 22 goals. At 27 years old, Schurrle is in a ripe age. He can lead Fulham to a successful season in the Premier League as he is immensely talented.
Forward - Andriy Yarmolenko (Borussia Dortmund to West Ham, undisclosed)
Another Borussia Dortmund reject, Yarmolenko joined West Ham for an undisclosed fee. West Ham who has made several signings to strengthen their squad looks like a real threat to the top teams of the Premier League this season. Yarmolenko is known for his skill on the ball and goal-scoring ability. A winger who can also operate as a striker, Yarmolenko has drawn a comparison to Ukrainian legend Andriy Shevchenko.
Starting off his career in the lower levels of Ukraine, he soon switched to one of Ukraine's top club, Dynamo Kyiv. In his 11 seasons with Dynamo Kyiv, Yarmolenko played 341 games, scoring a total of 137 goals. After his move to Dortmund, he found it hard to break into the first team. Playing only 26 games and scoring 6 goals, he ended a disappointing season in Germany by moving to England.
Yarmolenko is the second highest scorer in Ukrainian history, only behind Shevchenko. He has scored 35 goals in 77 games for his national team. He represented his country in the 2012 and 2016 Euro Cups, the former of which was contested partly in Ukraine. He hasn't played the World Cup as Ukraine has failed to qualify since 2006. Yarmolenko is a very prolific player West Ham should be glad in having among their ranks. In addition to the amazing depth they already have, West Ham should be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Forward - Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ to Brighton & Hove Albion, undisclosed)
Perhaps Strikers were the least transferred in players in the Premier League. No top-tier strikers joined the league or switched teams within the league itself. So, the choice was difficult to select a third forward. I went with Alireza Jahanbakhsh as he had the statistical advantage. Brighton has signed him for an undisclosed amount which has been confirmed to be the Club record fee paid. The previous record was Jose Izquierdo who was bought for £13 million.
Alireza was the top scorer in The Eredivisie 2017-18. He scored 21 goals and became the first Asian player ever to be named the top scorer of a top European league. Alireza's beginnings came in Iranian second division. But he was soon picked up by first division club Damash Gilan. He played 50 games in Iran scoring 11 goals. He moved to Dutch side N.E.C in 2013. NEC was relegated in his first season but secured promotion the following season. He left for AZ. He found his form while playing for AZ and in his 3 seasons for the club, he scored 34 league goals in 85 games.
Alireza has represented Iran on the International level. He was part of the Iranian squad that played the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. He also played the 2015 Asian Cup for Iran. Alireza has proved to be a prolific goalscorer in his last season in The Netherlands. Amidst interest from several other clubs, Brighton has been lucky to snatch him up. Let's hope he can replicate his Eredivisie success in the Premier League as well.
The Manager - Unai Emery (PSG to Arsenal)
Unai Emery joined Arsenal this summer. What makes this move monumental is this is the first time Arsenal will have someone other than Arsene Wenger at the helm in 22 years. Since 1996, Arsene Wenger has been managing Arsenal. After severe fan backlash over the last few years, he finally resigned from his post and Unai Emery was brought in.
Emery is former Sevilla and PSG manager. With Sevilla, Emery won the UEFA Europa League three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016. He won seven trophies in his 2 seasons with PSG including one league title. He also maintained an incredible 76.3% win rate with the Paris outfit. Overall, Emery is the most promising manager to come in the Premier League this season. Manuel Pellegrini and Maurizio Sarri also came in but Emery is a tad bit superior to them.
Bench & Reserves
GK - Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen to Arsenal, £22 million)
GK - Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea, £71 million)
DEF - Terence Kongolo (Monaco to Huddersfield Town, £17.5 million)
DEF - Caglar Soyuncu (Freiburg to Leicester City, £19 million)
DEF - Diogo Dalot (Porto to Manchester United, £19 million)
MID - Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria to Arsenal, £26.4 million)
MID - Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk to Manchester United, £47 million)
MID - Joao Moutinho (Sporting CP to Wolverhampton Wanderers, £5 million)
MID - Felipe Anderson (Lazio to West Ham, £36 million)
MID - Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid to Chelsea, Loan)
FWD - Gerard Deulofeu (FC Barcelona to Watford, £11.5 million)
FWD - Luciano Vietto (Atletico Madrid to Fulham, Loan)
