We’ve seen an awful lot of spending being done by Premier League teams this summer. Naturally, most of it has come from clubs in the big six.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at six of the best transfers completed by teams in that coveted sextet. We’re not necessarily looking at the most high-profile moves or most expensive transfers – we’ll be taking a plethora of different criteria into consideration.
This includes value for money, pragmatism within the existing squad and future potential, amongst other things. With that out of the way, let’s begin!
Marcos Senesi
In terms of value for money, there haven’t been many stronger transfers in the Premier League this summer than Marcos Senesi’s move from Bournemouth to Tottenham Hotspur.
A fantastic defender who was the unmovable cornerstone of the Cherries’ backline last season, Spurs managed to pick him up without paying a penny.
The Lilywhites were in need of new defenders after the disaster of last season. Not only have they filled a hole, they’ve also done it as inexpensively as possible.
Christos Tzolis
We previously touched upon Arsenal’s acquisition of Christos Tzolis back in our most underrated transfers list. Still, we cannot stress how canny of a pickup this is from the Gunners.
40 combined goals and assists in the Juliper Pro League last season speaks for itself. It’ll be interesting to see if he can replicate this in the Premier League, but at just £34 million, it’s fairly risk-free.
Of course, this is a decently large sum of money, but it’s very little to a club of the Gunners’ size. We’re expecting big things from him next season and beyond.
Maxence Lacroix
Chelsea, like Spurs, needed a new centre-back in the summer. They might not have gotten Maxence Lacroix for free – in fact, they had to pay £52 million to pry him away from Crystal Palace – but he was a great signing nonetheless.
An all-action central defender with great pace and the ability to play in a back three, the French international should be a perfect fit for Xabi Alonso’s system.
We’d expect him to be a regular starter for the Blues this season. Upon signing him, they ameliorated perhaps their squad’s greatest weakness in one fell swoop.
Mateus Fernandes
Mateus Fernandes has a lot to live up to. Given his gargantuan transfer fee of £85 million, he will need to hit the ground running to prove his worth, but we’d suggest he’ll do just that.
Featuring a very high work rate and brilliant technical fundamentals, Fernandes is the archetypal box-to-box midfielder. He can score and create goals, whilst also pitching in with the defensive dirty work at the other end of the pitch.
Furthermore, it’s easy to forget that he is only 22 years of age. He’s perfect for Roberto De Zerbi’s system, given how much he demands of his players in terms of distance covered.
Geovany Quenda
If Geovany Quenda can live up to his potential, this may well end up being one of the best transfers of the last five years. One of the best wing-backs in the world at the age of 19, the former Sporting CP star is tailor-made for Alonso’s setup.
Fast, powerful and technically proficient, he is a very effective presence both in the final third and when defending his flank. On top of this, given his age, he is far from the finished article.
At £40 million, he certainly wasn’t cheap, but we think he’ll pay for himself in the years to come. An inspired piece of business from Chelsea.