by Tony Attwood
The comparative transfer table started about a week ago, and came about because I wasn’t sure that I had a full grasp of which clubs were the most and which the least active in football transferring.
We all know that Arsenal were always accused of being “too slow” – and indeed rather bizarrely Arsenal have been accused by Charlie Nicholas of being “too slow” in handling the Lacazette deal although I am not too sure what the quicker transfer of the player would have achieved.
But of course in such statements there never is any comparison with other clubs. For although Arsenal might feel like a club that always moves too slowly, it is possible that in effect Arsenal goes about things just as other clubs do – it is just that those of us who support the club focus on our club so it seems that they are slower.
In the list we’ve built up the the latest transfers come first for each club. The fee is that quoted by the Guardian as the initial fee – not with any add ons which of course may or may not be paid.
Signings which come in and are then sent out on loan are noted with an asterisk.
Also I have now added one more club – Everton, as they have pretensions of breaking into a European slot in the coming season and indeed they turn out to be the most active club thus far in terms of buying.
Here’s the list.
| Club | Player | From | Date | Fee |
| Arsenal | Alexandre Lacazett | Lyon | July | £46m |
| Sead Kolasinac | Schalke | June | End of contract | |
| Chelsea | Antonio Rüdiger | Roma | June | £29m |
|
Ethan Ampadu
|
Exeter | July | Compensation | |
| Man C | Ederson | Benfica | June | £34.9m |
| Bernardo Silva | Monaco | May | £43.6m | |
| Man U | Victor Lindelof | Benfica | June | £31m |
| Liverpool | Mohamed Salah | Roma | June | £36.9m |
| Dominic Solanke | Chelsea | May | Released | |
| Tottenham | ||||
| Everton | Michael Keene | Burnley | July | £25m |
| Josh Bowler | QPR | July | Unknown | |
| Sandro Ramírez | Malaga | July | £5.3m | |
| Henry Onyekuru | Lupen | June | £7m* | |
| Nathangelo Markelo | FC Volendam | June | Unknown | |
| Davy Klaassen | Ajax | June | £23.7m | |
| Jordan Pickford | Sunderland | June | £25m |
* Player purchased but then loaned out
For the other clubs two players is the norm thus far except of course for Tottenham and I shall be writing further about them shortly and how the transfer window appears to look from a Tottenham point of view. Difficult for me to write of course, but I’ll be trying to bring in some statistics rather than just feelings.
Finally in doing this I have had confirmed the great disparity in the number of players that the larger teams loan out, so I thought that I would shortly add another part to the table – the players being loaned out by these clubs.
Sorry if all these tables bore you stupid – but you don’t have to read. I guess in the end I am doing them because I find they cut through all the jabber in the press and I wanted to know how a transfer window actually developed over time – not how we thought it developed. It’s a sort of “evidence” thing.
Of course if I have missed a player please do say. You can find my source material on line here.
- Alexandre Lacazette. Why him? Did Arsenal really need a clinical striker?
- Arsenal start clearing out the unwanted players while rebuilding the management structure
- Arsenal prepare for 3rd big transfer, before the selling starts
- Exactly how will Arsenal’s forward line look in 2017/18? Here’s the answers
Keep us busy reading man.You are keeping minds occupied lest we waste the time doing nothing.
It has been a good summer so far on a number of levels at Arsenal, a couple very decent players, and what looks like some positive changes behind the scenes.
But if you believe the media , and especially Jim. white at talkshite, Everton have owned the transfer window. Seems Everton are now getting the media love usually reserved for our neighbours and Liverpool
Arsenal who have signed one good target on a free as early in June, and have concluded one big money move in July and are earnestly pursuing one more for another big money move can’t be deemed by any pundits to be too slow in concluding their transfer deals this summer. But should be commended for completing them in a record time.
It’s now looking likely Arsenal will soon conclude a third transfer deal this July before they commence their pre-season friendlies. If the reports in the multiple media outlets are to be relied on, and if AS Monaco will concur to oblige Arsenal by accepting the €45m which Arsenal reportedly offered them to sign their Thomas Lemar, the 22 year old midfielder will in this month of July become a Gunner at the Emirates Stadium.
Notwithstanding, to increase the numbers of new arrivals to the Emirates Stadium this summer from the 3 originally intended to arrive to 4, can Arsenal upsurge Real Madrid for Mbappe’s signature by doing a Man Utd £75m Everton’s Lukaku outgoing transfer deal to Man Utd plus Man Utd’s Wayne Rooney going the opposite direction to Everton for £15m which brings the total cost of the transfer deal to £90m excluding the payoff of Rooney by Man Utd?
What am saying is, while Arsenal keep their bid to sign Lemar alive to a logical conclusion. Could they in the process submit a bid of whatever amount of money deemed okay to sign Mbappe plus the £30m rated Olivier Giroud going to Monaco as part of the deal which will reduce the total cash used by Arsenal to get Mbappe transfer to Arsenal done? I think Arsenal should explore this possibility. It might come to fruition.
Meanwhile, I think Chelsea are stocked as it’s now apparent they can’t sign Lukaku this summer anymore due to maybe their slowness which consequently led to Man Utd hijacking the transfer from them. Chelsea are now left with the options or keeping their Diego Costa or alternatively go after the signing of Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid. A signing that could cost them £90m to do. Hmmm. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have appeared to be dormant in the transfer market this summer. Maybe they’re counting on their Harry Kane and Dele Alli force to see them to the PL title next season and thus have become complacent in the market. But in contrast to Spurs inaction in this summer transfer market, Liverpool and Man City have reasonably been active in the market with the duo clubs doing some big money signings already and looking they’ll do more. But I believe Man City’s attempt to price away Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal will ultimately failed as Arsenal will do all they can to block the pricing away by agreeing Sanchez’s wage demand amicably and extend his staying at Arsenal.
Everton have certainly got serious with over £90 million spent on seven players, and its only 8th July. I can’t see Giroud going there TBH, or even wanting to go. He’s far better off staying put.
They might be worth a bet at the right price though.
Don’t want Giroud to go anywhere. He gives us a different dimension of attack when we hit a wall. Lacazette will not replace Giroud in Les Bleus that’s for sure.
Yes, agree, would rather Giroud stays, I would guess he would want some kind of assurances for game time with the WC coming up though, a tournament his team could easily win this time as well.
Of all the fantastic business (according to the experts) Everton have done would any of their purchases get into the Arsenal team, or any of the other top six teams for that matter. Probably not.
With Rooney moving to Everton, is he going to continue to get away with his shenanigans on the field?