This was a record-breaking transfer window in the Premier League. For the first time in history, £1bn mark was crossed in the Premier League and £155m spent on the deadline day took the figures to a whopping £1.165bn. Thirteen top-flight teams broke their own transfer records. With the new TV deal, every club had a lot of money to spend and they did. But, this summer, who made the best business? In this article, we will take a look at three clubs who made the best use of the window.
Bournemouth
Spent: £33.79million
Received: £18.02million
Major ins: Nathan Ake, Lys Mousset, Lewis Cook, Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith, Marc Wilson, Jack Wilshere, Emerson Hyndman
Major outs: Sylvain Distin, Tommy Elphick, Matt Ritchie, Glenn Murray, Lee Tomlin, Eunan O’Kane
Net spent: £15.77m
Bournemouth got hold of a £30m player like Jack Wilshere for absolutely free for one season. They probably overspent for Jordon Ibe but in the long run, the young winger can justify his price tag. They also signed Football League Young Player of the Year Lewis Cook from Leeds United whose stocks are really high. Marc Wilson is a solid buy courtesy to his immense Premier League experience. Lys Mousset, Brad Smith, Emerson Hyndman all are pretty decent young players and can prove to be solid additions. Eddie Howe has managed to acquire a solid squad depth throughout the summer and signed quality young players who can grow around each other at the club.
Middlesbrough
Spent: £21.25million
Received: £5.02million
Major ins: Viktor Fischer, Marten De Roon, Victor Valdes, Antonio Barragan, Alvaro Negredo, Gaston Ramirez, Brad Guzan, Fabio Da Silva, Calum Chambers, Adama Traore
Major outs: Jonathan Woodgate, Rhys Williams, Mustapha Carayol, Albert Adomah
Net Spent: £16.24m
After 7 long years, Boro finally made it to the Premier League and they surely did their best this summer to bring in quality and depth in their squad. They signed two proven keepers like Valdes and Guzan. Viktor Fischer, Marten De Roon, Fabio Da Silva, Calum Chambers, Adama Traore- all are quality players. Gaston Ramirez’s creativity, Antonio Barragan’s experience in defence and Alvaro Negredo’s proficiency in front of the goal- these all are big additions to the Teessiders. Boro look much beyond a team capable of securing their Premier League status and credit goes to Aitor Karanka for that.
Manchester United
Spent: £157.25million
Received: £5.48million
Major ins: Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba.
Major outs: Victor Valdes, Nick Powell, Guillermo Varela, Paddy McNair, Donald Love, Adnan Januzaj, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Tyler Blackett, Will Keane.
Net spent: £151.77m
Well, Manchester United spent quite a fortune this summer but from the revenue they make every year, that’s what they should do. Jose Mourinho took charge of the Red Devils this summer and brought in absolute quality in every position. A player of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s caliber made his move to the Theater of Dreams on a free transfer. Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s price tags are justified given the quality they come with. The Red Devils made a major statement this summer by shattering world record transfer fee for Paul Pogba. In just one transfer window, Mourinho drastically improved his squad and we have to applaud the Portuguese for his good work. Title favourites, and that’s some intent.
Fees courtesy- The Mirror
