Top 6 EPL Summer 2017 Transfers
The beautiful game might be on a break, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get our fix by talking about the transfers of the summer! While our teams add new players and start their pre-season tours we can get ourselves excited about the incredible players your team has drafted in to bolster their ranks. Has your team finished its business early, or will you be eagerly watching Jim White on transfer deadline day to make sure that final transfer goes through? Keep on reading to know more.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (£40 million from Monaco to Chelsea)
Last year they won the league, having the benefit of no European play to interfere with their march to glory. This year, of course, they will be competing in the Champions League and their ranks need to be bolstered. Bakayoko is a promising defender and his arrival likely means Matic will be leaving, but will it be for United?
Romelu Lukaku (£75 million from Everton to Man United)
Zlatan Ibrahimović may have made his exit after a sterling season, but Man United have already replaced him. Once upon a time, Lukaku was a member of the Chelsea squad, and while they may have let him go to Everton he was back on their radar this summer until United swooped in to steal him away.
£75m may sound like a hefty fee, but he is already tried and tested in the EPL and over the last four years his goal tally can only be beaten by Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this for Manchester United fans is that Lukaku is just 24 years old. It isn’t too early to choose him as the top scorer of the new season, and Betfair has plenty of deals available for new customers.
Alexandre Lacazette (£53 million from Lyon to Arsenal)
Arsene Wenger is notorious for keeping tight purse strings, but when it comes to Lacazette he finally landed his man and broke Arsenal’s transfer record fee while he was at it.
What makes Lacazette so special? The striker scored 136 goals in 289 appearances for Lyon (and Lyon II). He is a goal hound, having scored at least 20 goals every season for the last three years, and last season knocked in a staggering 37 goals. His arrival may signal the end of his fellow countryman Olivier Giroud’s stay at the Emirates.
Mohamed Salah (£34 million from Roma to Liverpool)
Another player who once called Chelsea home. Before he signed for Chelsea he was on Liverpool’s radar, only to slip away to their rival. Luckily, he’s come full circle and is now on the team sheet for one of the EPL’s most successful clubs in history.
He recently made his debut in a pre-season friendly against Wigan and was quick to get his first goal behind him. He is a fine addition to Jurgen Klopp’s Champions League bound team. Liverpool will need to keep adding to their ranks if they want to challenge in both Europe and the EPL.
Kyle Walker (£54 million from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester City)
The price tag on Walker may have had a few people scratching their heads, but Kyle Walker was a valuable member of the Tottenham squad last year as they battled to secure 2nd place for the 2016 season, after falling at the last hurdle and coming in 3rd the season before. The right back is not only the most expensive English player of all time but also the costliest defender in history.
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Wayne Rooney (from Manchester United to Everton)
It has been 13 years since Wayne Rooney left Everton for Man United and now he’s returning home to finish his career where it started. He recently admitted he wears Everton pyjamas to bed every night, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he starts the season with a spring in his step. He may not have enough in his tank for United, but for Everton, he’s a boon.
Rooney may have moved on a free transfer, but Everton has already spent big this season, forking out £90 million for new players. Of course, they’ve made that in selling Lukaku to United and Deulofeu to Barcelona.
Will Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata end up in the EPL or is he bound for Italy? Is Alexis Sanchez staying at Arsenal or will one of Europe’s big clubs swoop in to carry him away? If he does go, will Lacazette be enough or will Moussa Dembele be brought in to replace him? With the transfer window open until 11 pm on the 31st of August, there is still plenty of time for big names to move around.