Transfer Grades: Bony, Deulofeu, Olsson, Gayle and Toulalan

The transfer window has been flung open and this summer could be spectacular for player movement given the number of high profile clubs that have changed manager or who are coming off perceived down seasons. Over this summer, I will be explaining and analysing the major moves around and giving each one of them a grade.

Wilfried Bony – Vitesse Arnhem to Swansea (£12m)

What’s the deal? Bony took the Eredivisie by storm with his combination of pace, power and goals and looks ready for the Premier League.

Is the price right? Yes, this is a fair price. He has all the raw physical tools that cost money, is young and has a proven goals pedigree. It also shows good ambition on Swansea’s part.

Why sign him? Swansea did all they did last year without a proper striker in the squad. Michu can do a job upfront but he’s best as a supporting forward arriving from deeper areas to pose a goal threat. Bony gives a small and technical Swansea team raw pace and makes very dangerous runs for the clever passers to find.

Why sell him? Bony made no secret of wanting to test himself in the Premier League and they’ve made a big profit on him

Will it work? Yes. Swansea will not be short of supply for him so even if he takes a while to find his stride they can keep providing him with bullets. Plus, with his pace and power he’s always going to pose a threat.

Grade: A Great ambition from Swansea and a good club for Bony to go to. They’ve shown they can make stars that haven’t necessarily proven themselves yet and he’ll be the guaranteed starter given that he’s the club record signing.

Gerard Deulofeu – Barcelona to Everton (Loan)

What’s the deal? Deulofeu is one of Barcelona’s biggest young stars but needs first team football which he will get at Everton.

Is the price right? Can’t go wrong with having a player of this quality for free for a year.

Why sign him? Everton are going to be tweaking their system this season in order to bring in Martinez’s system which is based on genuine width and pace in attack. Deulofeu will be teamed with Kone and Mirallas in a front three in all likelihood. Deulofeu has an abundance of sheer quality so if he gets used to the frenetic Premier League he could be an ace.

Why loan him? Barcelona have so many forwards and attacking midfielders that Deulofeu wasn’t going to be guaranteed much game time. They need him to be playing regularly at this stage of his career if he is to improve to the levels that they expect him to achieve.

Will it work? It depends how he adapts to the Premier League but if he does then he can be a real bonus for Everton. He’s capable of making and scoring goals and making all manner of mischief.

Grade: A You get a classy player for a year for free and he gets to prove himself at a big club in a tough league. Win win.

Martin Olsson – Blackburn to Norwich (Undisclosed)

What’s the deal? Olsson was very highly rated when he emerged at Blackburn because of his pace and Norwich needed to add some of that.

Is the price right? As long as it’s no more than £3m it’ll be good value. Anything in the £2m region is a good price.

Why sign him? Norwich do have a good left back in Javier Garrido and a solid left winger in Anthony Pilkington, but neither have the express pace that Olsson possess. He’s probably going to be used as an impact substitute at home and possibly instead of Pilkington to add counter attacking pace away from home.

Why sell him? Blackburn can’t really keep him too much longer when he has a chance at playing in the Premier League.

Will it work? It should do. He seems to have been signed to play a specific role which is always important in getting success from what you buy.

Grade: B Not going to pull up trees, but as long as the price is decent he’ll be a good role player and offer nice depth.

Dwight Gayle – Peterborough to Crystal Palace (£4.5m rising to £8.5m)

What’s the deal? Gayle started last season at Dagenham and Redbridge in League Two and starts this in the Premier League. His rapid ascent has caught Palace’s eye.

Is the price right? It was initially reported as £8.5m straight up which was clearly lunacy. However, as they are add ons the ironic thing is that if Palace end up paying the full whack it’ll be good. Assuming the add ons are for his goals and for Palace staying in the Premier League and so on, they’d be happy to pay the rest if they achieve survival.

Why sign him? Palace need speed and movement in an attack that having been shorn of Zaha is redundant of both. He’s also going to need to score them goals. They’re without Glenn Murray who got 30 goals last season for the first month or so of the season.

Why sell him? This is a lot of money to now League One Peterborough who run the club based on developing players for profit.

Will it work? It depends what they expect of him. If they are thinking he’ll score 15 goals they could be disappointed but if they are signing him to bring pace and endeavour they could be happy with what he does. Holloway had success with a similar player in DJ Campbell when in the Premier League with Blackpool so he’ll know what to do with him.

Grade: D It’s too much money for a player who only has a few months in even a decent level league. Palace aren’t a rich club so spending so much on one decent but not really good player is very risky.

Jeremy Toulalan – Malaga to Monaco (£4m)

What’s the deal? Toulalan is the latest to hitch himself to Monaco’s riches, leaving one briefly artificially rich club for another.

Is the price right? Yes, this is a very good price. Toulalan hasn’t really kicked on from the promise of his youth but he’s still good at the job he does.

Why sign him? Monaco have added flair in attack but they needed to bring in some grit and defensive responsibility to the midfield.

Why sell him? They needed the money and to shift his wage.

Will it work? Hard to see how it can fail really. They’re bringing in a solid pro to play a role that they needed to sign someone to do.

Grade: B Not a star, but will do a good tidy job.