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It's late May and the season is done. Football fans the world over will not have official, live club matches to enjoy, discuss, debate and most importantly fight over, for the next two and a half months. Even the players themselves can relax, go on holidays with friends or family and basically unwind for a bit.
However, this does not apply to the club officials responsible for transfers or even the managers to an extent. They set out to recruit players that they feel can improve the squad.
Players are purchased and let go according to the club's style, need and most crucially, budget.
This is what happens every year. In 2017, some major transfers took place. Here I mention the five players who have impressed the most at their new club since joining last summer.
#5 Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
While Manchester City looked formidable even last season (especially in the first couple of months), frailties in certain areas meant Pep Guardiola would finish a season trophyless for the first time since his senior coaching career began in 2008.
It was obvious he would set out to remedy those shortcomings - and that is what he did.
An aging Pablo Zabaleta was sent to West Ham on a free and the league's finest right back in Kyle Walker was brought in from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee rising to €56m including add-ons.
Being the most expensive British player of all time, he has been superb with his new club, providing defensive stability and also being an offensive threat going forward.
Having featured in 25 out of City's 27 Premier League matches this season - starting all of them - he has made 1.5 tackles and 2.1 clearances per game in the league while also providing six assists in all competitions.
While their quadruple hopes have been dashed by Wigan in the FA Cup (they won 1-0; scoring thanks to a rare Walker error), City are well on course to lift three trophies this season.
He has already won the Carabao Cup and the Premier League itself has been something of a foregone conclusion for at least the last couple of months.
Regardless of how far they go in the Champions League, it is safe to say that Walker has had a brilliant first season at the Etihad - and his pace, athleticism, and determination has played a major role.
#4 Paulinho (FC Barcelona)
When the Paulinho deal was announced in August, a majority of the Barça fanbase panned the transfer.
After all, he had flopped at Tottenham (even voted their worst ever player in an online poll), was playing in China for the last two years, and was no youngster at 29.
People had reservations as he is by no means a 'brilliant-on-the-ball' footballer and it also seemed that he would not suit Barcelona's possession-based, quick and slick passing style of football.
The price tag - €40m - only served to increase the pressure on the Brazilian's shoulders.
Six months on, he has answered his critics in style. Starting with the crucial winner away to Getafe back in September, there has been no looking back for Paulinho.
He has become something of a fan-favorite at Camp Nou and the way he has linked up with the players on the pitch, it looks like he has been playing with them for quite a few seasons.
He has this great ability to be in the right place, at the right time - a trait using which he has scored some crucial goals.
However, owing to the format of the Chinese Super League, he has played without a break since last February - a run extending to an astonishing 74 games for club and country, including the weekend game against Girona.
Despite the slight dip in form over the past month owing to his tireless season, he has been really instrumental for his new side in midfield.
Featuring in 24 out of the 25 league games (10 from the bench), he has scored eight and provided assists for two goals.
Despite not playing the full 90 minutes regularly, he has averaged 35 passes per game with an impressive pass success percentage of 86.5 in La Liga - demonstrating what a vital cog he has been for the Blaugrana at the centre of the pitch.
With Barcelona having a comfortable lead at the top of La Liga, and a place in the Copa del Rey final secured, only an early exit in the knockout rounds in Europe would put a dent on Paulinho's impressive first season in Spain.
#3 Ederson (Manchester City)
No one could have imagined the impact Ederson would have at Manchester City.
Guardiola, who is known to be particular about his goalkeepers (as with every position on the pitch to be honest), singled out the Brazilian to take over as the No.1 last summer as his Claudio Bravo experiment didn't quite work out the way he wanted.
With a hefty fee of €40m making him the second most expensive goalkeeper in history behind a certain Gianluigi Buffon, Guardiola clearly believed in the former Benfica man.
He has repaid the faith in full, featuring in every single game in the league and playing every minute - barring the game against Liverpool, when a boot to the face from Sadio Mane meant he had to be taken off after 45 minutes.
More than just a shot-stopper, his long goal kicks are a great asset and have been the initiator of many an attack.
City's high backline means that he doesn't have to make too many saves per game, but he has been more than up to the challenge whenever called upon, making several crucial saves over the course of the season.
He has been instrumental in ensuring that City has conceded the joint-fewest goals in the Premier League (20).
Ederson is also very good with the ball at his feet and has a stellar pass success percentage of 84.9% - the highest among goalkeepers in Europe.
Ter Stegen is second with 80.6%; Courtois is second in the PL with 71.2%.
With City marching on towards the league title and also being one of the favourites in the Champions League, we can safely say that Ederson has had an extremely successful debut season with the Citizens so far.
#2 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
When Paul Pogba signed for Manchester United in August 2016 for £89m (€105m), Arsene Wenger commented that it won't be too long before £200m is spent on a player.
Exactly a year later, PSG broke the bank to prise Neymar away from Barcelona for a scarcely believable €222m.
The general feeling emerged that to be considered the best in the world, he needs to step out of Messi's shadow.
He needed to be the main man. And to be fair to him, he has grabbed the spotlight at Paris. He has been giving superb displays consistently over the season with people even commenting that the Brazilian magician is too good for Ligue 1.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that he has arguably been the best in the world this season behind the legendary Argentine attacker he once played with.
Playing 30 games across all competitions, Neymar has been directly involved in a mind-boggling total of 44 goals - 28 scored, 16 assisted.
Featuring in 20 out of the 27 games in the league (starting all of them), he has completed an outrageous 7.1 dribbles per game while also averaging 3.5 key passes.
Part of another incredible front three (this time his comrades being Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe), Neymar has been the key attacker for PSG, with the club alive in all competitions as of now - comfortably atop Ligue 1 and in the final of Coupe de la Ligue.
However, on 25 February 2018, their 3-0 league win over Marseille was marred by an injury to the star man - Neymar suffered a sprained ankle and fractured metatarsal that could keep the world's most expensive player out of action for six to eight weeks.
His unfortunate absence in the crucial second leg match at home against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round Of 16 tie will be a huge blow to the chances of PSG advancing to the quarter-finals as they look to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.
The injury notwithstanding, Neymar has been phenomenal at his new club, showing everyone that he can be the main man at a European club and still be dazzlingly brilliant.
When I say that he has probably been among the top two players in the world this season, you'd assume he's the best signing, right?
#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
All things considered, the best signing of summer 2017. Period.
He has had the biggest impact at a new club and has far surpassed even the most optimistic of expectations from fans. He was impressive with Roma in the last couple of seasons, but the way he has performed this season has been simply astonishing.
What was most surprising - perhaps even more so now, with the benefit of hindsight - is that in the current transfer market, Liverpool got Salah at a bargain price of 'just' €42m (which could rise to €50m including add-ons) when U-21 players, while being extremely talented, are being transferred for outright ridiculous sums (Dembele to Barça for €105m last year and Mbappe to PSG for €180m to be completed this summer).
His displays have meant that he is the front-runner to be named the PFA Player of the Year - alongside the remarkable Kevin De Bruyne - in just his first season with Liverpool, despite Manchester City romping to the league title.
A wide player who is hard-working and has a great eye for goal, he has caused massive problems to Premier League backlines this season with his dizzying pace and quick feet.
Being a winger, he has put up extremely impressive statistics for the season so far: 37 games, 31 goals, nine assists.
Liverpool's approach has really aided his style of play. Be it breaking away during counter attacks, or closing down defenders using the high press, Salah has blossomed playing in a system that suit his strengths.
He has formed a formidable trio along with Roberto Firmino and Mane and they have wreaked havoc throughout the season.
As reliable as Firmino has been throughout the season, the Egyptian really has been their go-to man.
Starting 25 of his 27 appearances in the PL (missing just one match), averaging 4 shots per game and 2.4 dribbles in the Premier League, Salah has easily been the most impressive attacking player in the league.
Also, with 23 goals in the league alone, he is second in the Golden Boot charts behind the back-to-back winner and the best No.9 in the league - Harry Kane. Truly remarkable stuff.
On the title front, early exits in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and Manchester City having practically wrapped up the league means the Champions League remains the only real chance of silverware for the club this season.
Despite passage to the quarter-finals in Europe pretty much confirmed (they won 5-0 away to Porto in the Round Of 16 first leg), Liverpool aren't exactly considered tournament favourites.
Trophyless or not, Salah has had a brilliant first season on a personal front. Realistically, finishing second in the league and reaching perhaps the final four stage in the CL would make his season even more special - and Liverpool will be hoping their talisman keeps firing on all cylinders till the end of the campaign.
(Stats updated as of 27 Feb, 2018. Sourced from espnfc and whoscored.)
