The 2022 summer transfer window has been busy, to say the least. Over 1450 deals have been completed as of now with approximately 3.7 billion pounds spent across Europe’s top five men leagues -Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1.
While some moves were anticipated for a long time, some did take the football fraternity by surprise. The summer window, given its lengthy nature, is the time teams have a chance to evaluate their requirements and bolster their squads. Following are the top 10 transfers of the 2022 summer transfer window.
Erling Haaland: Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City (51 million Euros)
Erling Haaland was connected to Manchester City way before he took up football as a profession. His father, Alfie Haaland, had played for the Blue side of Manchester. So, when the question arose where Haaland would end up this summer, once his initial release clause of 75 million euros was activated, Manchester City was a pretty strong contender. As anticipated, the Norwegian ended up with Pep Guardiola’s Man City, in probably the most eye-catching and potentially impactful transfer this summer. With Haaland, Guardiola addressed the problem of not having a proper No. 9 and given how Haaland has started his life in Manchester (Four goals and 1 assist in six appearances), he might just be the missing piece in Guardiola’s attempt to win the Champions League with City.
Erling Haaland | Photo Credit: AP
Darwin Nunez: Benfica to Liverpool (64 million Euros+ 21 million add-ons)
Erling Haaland was not the only striker to catch eyeballs this summer. Benfica’s Darwin Nunez was already destined for the big leagues given his immaculate form with Benfica (32 goals in 57 appearances). As expected, when the transfer window opened, top clubs across Europe came calling. For a while, reports suggested that Manchester United would be Nunez’s destination this summer but United’s arch-rival from Merseyside, Liverpool, had the last laugh after signing the Uruguay international. From a neutral point of view, the Nunez vs Haaland battle will be a mouthwatering one provided none of the players gets injured. Nunez had a great start to his Liverpool career scoring the Community Shield win against Manchester City but his momentum took a temporary halt after he showed a straight red and was suspended for three games for headbutting Joachim Anderson in Liverpool’s match against Crystal Palace.
Darwin Nunez | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Casemiro: Real Madrid to Manchester United (70 million Euros)
Attracting players without Champions League football was always going to be a task for Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United. So, five-time Champions League winning midfielder Casemiro joined Man United from European champion Real Madrid, it was not a transfer many predicted at the start of the window. United need reinforcements in a number of positions across the pitch, but the crying need for a top defensive midfielder was the most visible one, that too for a long time. With the signing of Casemiro, arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world, Ten Hag has addressed an important area. Having made 589 tackles since the start of the 2017-18 season, stability in midfield is something United can look forward to this season.
Casemiro | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Aurelien Tchouameni: Monaco to Real Madrid (68.3 million Euros+ 17 million add-ons)
Aurelien Tchouameni has been the most expensive signing of the summer so far. Real Madrid had to fend off interest from top clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United to sign the young defensive midfielder. Paris Saint-Germain had also tried to sign the defensive midfielder but Tchouameni made his desire to join Real Madrid very clear. In hindsight, Tchouameni’s signing is one of the most crucial ones of the summer given Casemiro’s departure to Manchester United. Tchouameni has already impressed in Real Madrid colours and is surely a signing for the future by the Los Blancos. He has the big job of carrying Real Madrid’s midfield in the coming years along with Eduardo Camavinga.
Aurelien Tchouameni | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Gabriel Jesus: Manchester City to Arsenal (45 million Euros)
Signing a striker was a top priority for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal this summer to fill the void left by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Gabriel Jesus enjoyed fruitful years at Manchester City winning four Premier League titles but lately, he lost his place in the starting XI of Manchester City and moved to Arsenal in the pursuit of a newer challenge- and what a start the Brazilian has had for the Gunners. In four appearances, he already has two goals and three assists and has been a major reason for Arsenal’s perfect start to the season.
Gabriel Jesus | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Robert Lewandowski: Bayern Munich to Barcelona (42.5 million Euros)
Barcelona’s financial instability is an open book right now but that has not stopped the Blaugranas from strengthening their squad this summer. Buying a number of players, the signing of Robert Lewandowski stands out because he not only solves Barca’s No 9 problem but is himself one of the best strikers in the history of the game. He scored 238 goals for Bayern Munich and also broke Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old record by scoring his 43rd goal of the 2021 calendar year (Muller’s record stood at 42). For Barcelona, he has already hit the ground running with four goals in three appearances.
Robert Lewandowski | Photo Credit: AP
Alexander Isak: Real Sociedad to Newcastle (70 million Euros)
Newcastle United is on a roll this transfer window. Acquired by the Saudi sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), headed by Prince Mohammed, the club has had a deep injection of cash which is evident in its movement in the transfer market. After signing players like Sven Botman, Matt Targett and goalkeeper Nick Pope, the Magpies broke the club record by signing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for 70 million Euros. While Newcastle’s ability to splash the money is not surprising given its new owners, it is a transfer not expected at the start of the window. At 22, Isak is one of the biggest talents in the world right now and if the forward gels with the team, Newcastle’s goalscoring prowess to bound to increase. Also, look out for the pairing of Bruno Guimaraes and Isak- might just be one of the talking points of the season.
Alexander Isak | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Lisandro Martinez: Ajax to Manchester United (48.5 million Euros+ 8.5million add-ons)
Nicknamed ‘The Butcher’, Lisandro Martinez has impressed Manchester United fans with his passionate and aggressive approach in the centre-back position. When Martinez arrived, many thought he will play as a defensive midfielder but Erik Ten Hag made his intentions clear when he started Martinez along with Varane as a centre-back pairing, dropping club captain Harry Maguire. It was a gamble given Martinez’s inexperience in the Premier League and also the fact that United was playing Liverpool after a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Brentford, but the gamble worked and Martinez was immense throughout the match and got the ‘Man of the Match’ award. He followed it up with another award for his solid defensive display in United’s 1-0 win against Southampton at the St. Mary’s Stadium. Defence has been a big issue for United with the club conceding 56 goals in the Premier League last season- its most in a single campaign of the competition. Though its early days, Martinez can prove to be one of United’s most impactful signings despite the public opinion of him being too short for the centre-back position.
Lisandro Martinez | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Kalidou Koulibaly: Napoli to Chelsea (34 million Euros)
After losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in the summer, there was a huge void in the centre-back position for Chelsea. But the Blues filled the void after signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. Koulibaly brings with him much-needed experience and apart from his physical presence, what makes him dangerous is his aerial prowess. He is a constant threat in set-pieces. Chelsea fans have a lot to look forward to this season given two experienced defenders like Thiago Silva and Koulibaly will man the Blues defence. Koulibaly scored a brilliant goal for Chelsea in its 2-2 draw against London rival Tottenham Hotspur. However, he was sent off in Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat against Leeds United. Despite having a shaky start, Koulibaly is expected to be one of Chelsea’s most impactful players of the season.
Kalidou Koulibaly | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Sadio Mane: Liverpool to Bayern Munich (41 million Euros)
Six years, 120 goals and six major trophies- that is what Sadio Mane achieved at Liverpool before leaving Anfield for Bayern Munich in one of the most anticipated signings of the summer. Reports suggested Mane was not happy at the contract he was being offered by Liverpool and after much suspense, the Senegalese forward signed for the Bavarians. Bayern’s dominance in the Bundesliga has been undisputed with the club winning the league title for the last 10 seasons consecutively. However, with the exit of Robert Lewandowski, Bayern’s forwards will need to put in that extra shift to cover for Lewandowski’s goalscoring ability. Only time will tell how much of an impact Mane will have at Bayern but he has started well by scoring four goals in five appearances.
Sadio Mane | Photo Credit: AP
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