Premier League 2019-20: Ten biggest moves of the summer transfer window

The Premier League clubs' spent roughly £1.41 billion this summer, just short of the £1.43 billion record set in 2017.

Published : Aug 09, 2019 20:11 IST

From top left: Maguire, Hazard (c), Pepe, Rodri, Lukaku.
From top left: Maguire, Hazard (c), Pepe, Rodri, Lukaku.
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From top left: Maguire, Hazard (c), Pepe, Rodri, Lukaku.

The Premier League transfer window closed on Thursday, with the top-flight clubs spending £170 million on the deadline day alone. However, just 17 deals were finalised yesterday — the joint fewest number of transfers on the final day since the summer of 2009.

Clubs' spent roughly £1.41 billion this summer, just short of the £1.43 billion record set in 2017.

Here are the biggest moves, both incoming and outgoing, from the summer transfer window:

1) Eden Hazard (Chelsea to Real Madrid, initial fee of £88 m illion)

A forgettable campaign, Zinedine Zidane's return to Real Madrid and Champions League humiliation — after three successive titles — at the hands of Ajax pushed Real Madrid to spend big this summer. Linked with a move to the Los Blancos for several seasons now, Eden Hazard finally made the move to the Spanish capital this summer after helping Chelsea to the Europa League.

He left Chelsea for an initial £88 million fee and reports indicate that the performance-related bonuses included in his sale could take that final fee to as high as £150 million.

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2) Harry Maguire (Leicester City to Manchester United, £85 million)

Harry Maguire's performances for England in the 2018 FIFA World Cup caught Manchester United's attention. The Red Devils spent several weeks this summer trying to negotiate a fee with Leicester City before finally agreeing on the fee the Foxes initially quoted.

At £85 million, he becomes the most expensive defender ever — overtaking Liverpool's Virgin Van Dijk and Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt.

3) Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United to Inter Milan, £73.9 million)

Romelu Lukaku pushed for his Manchester United exit throughout the off-season. He refused to show up for the Red Devils' pre-season training camps, played in none of the friendlies and even trained by himself at his former club Anderlect.

The Belgian striker's wish was granted on the final day of the Premier League transfer window, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side recouping most of the fee it paid Everton two season ago.

Antonio Conte and Inter fans will be hoping that the Belgian can finally help the club end Juventus' hegemony of the Serie A title and take it to its first title since 2010.

4) Nicolas Pepe (Lille to Arsenal, £72 million)

Unai Emery was rumoured to have only £45 million to spend this summer but Arsenal negotiated its deals well to build a strong squad for the upcoming campaign. Nicolas Pepe is the pick of its transfers, signed for a record-breaking £72 million. The winger who can also play as a wide forward will form a formidable attack with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

The best part about this deal is the way the Gunners have structured it. The North London side will be paying only £20 million up front, with the rest of the fee paid in parts over the next few years.

5) Rodri ( Atletico Madrid to Manchester City, £62.8 million)

Looking for an heir to Fernandinho, Pep Guardiola failed in his pursuit of Jorginho last summer. Manchester City took time to negotiate a fee with Napoli, which gave Chelsea a window to use Maurizio Sarri's appointment and lure him to London. A year since, the Premier League champion has taken a more direct approach.

Instead of going to negotiations again, it paid Rodri's release fee to seal his signature within days of the transfer window opening, giving the player time to get accustomed to Guardiola's tactics.

6) Joao Cancelo (Juventus to Manchester City, £60 million)

Manchester City paid Tottenham Hotspur £45 million two years ago to secure the services of Kyle Walker and splashed £26.5 million more to add Danilo to its ranks. Cancelo's clean tackling, willingness in pushing forward and positional intelligence in the final third make the Portuguese a perfect fit for the Guardiola's system.

Despite back-to-back league titles, City has only managed to add to its squad brimming with quality in every position.

7) Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon to Tottenham Hotspur, £53.7 million)

Spurs were in desperate need of reinforcements in the central midfield due to the declining performances from Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier, which left the backline exposed on multiple occasions. The Frenchman's transfer is an absolute bargain considering the interest he garnered from Europe's big clubs with his performances in the Champions League last season. The 22-year-old averages 2.9 dribbles per game in the European competition -- the highest for any central midfielder, while he offers solid cover of the defence with his tackling and ability to hold the ball for his teammates.

After refraining from spending any money previous summer, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will be glad to have gotten his wish as the North London club hopes to repeat last season's run in Europe.

8) Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace to Manchester City, £45 million)

Roped in from Crystal Palace in a £50 million deal, making him the club's fifth-biggest signing, — after Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Angel di Maria and Fred — defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined Manchester United on a five-year deal with an option to extend for a further year. Wan-Bissaka has impressed early into his arrival with his performances in the pre-season, showcasing his abilities in executing clean tackles, and willingness to move up the pitch. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in dire need of defenders after watching his side concede 18 goals in the final ten matches of last season and Wan-Bissaka provides the much-needed cover at the back.

9) Sebastien Haller (Frankfurt to West Ham, £45 million)

The former Utrecht striker has been a key figure in turning Eintracht Frankfurt's fortunes around following his arrival in January 2018. His impact in Germany was telling as he notched up seven goals and five assists in the second half of the 2017-18 as Frankfurt won the German Cup for the fifth time and its first of the 21st century. He was once again the key figure alongside current Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic, in helping Frankfurt reach the Europa League semifinals as he scored five and created three goals in 10 European games.

Manuel Pellegrini will be a content man after the Hammers added to the forward line with Albian Ajeti and Pablo Fornals in a bid to improve on its tenth-place finish last season.

10) Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid to Chelsea, £40.5 million)

Agreeing on a transfer fee of nearly £45 million, Chelsea completed the permanent transfer of midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid, who had spent the last season with the Blues. He joins the English side on a five-year deal. Kovacic made 32 league appearances for Chelsea last season and helped the Blues in their Europa League campaign. Operating on the left of the midfield in Maurizio Sarri's 4-3-3 formation, Kovacic played a key role in supplying passes to top-scorer Eden Hazard.

After being slapped with a two-window transfer ban, Chelsea will be happy to have completed the permanent transfer of Kovacic as the 25-year-old was already registered with the club.

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