TEAMS WHO WON AND LOST IN THE SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW - england

After two months and approximately £860 million spent (from EPL teams alone), the Summer transfer window is shut for the next four months. Some teams got their business done early, some held out to the last minute and some did both. Either way, this may come down as one of the most memorable transfer windows ever. As with anything like this, there must be winners and losers so here are those teams who helped themselves and those who didn’t.

Winners (in no particular order)

Swansea

Swansea went and got their signings done early. When the Summer transfer window opened on July 1, Swansea finished four deals on the first day, including a free transfer for Andrew Ayew. £3.5 million for Franck Tabanou and £5 million for Eder. When all was said and done, Swansea had their players playing and training for the team for the past month and already have a leg up on the competition. Not only that, but they also didn’t need to be stressed out in having to sign someone on the last day of the season. Swansea is sitting pretty as they are pushing for a Europa League run.

Crystal Palace

For a midtable team who’s historically cash strapped, Crystal Palace really splashed the cash this Summer. Palace only got four players, but those players will be a tremendous impact with the team. Yohan Cabaye in the midfield, as well as Connor Wickham and Bakery Sako up in the front, it’s not a fluke Palace is still 2nd in the table. They’ll inevitably drop spots because they have hardly any depth but this is a team who is knocking on the door and is all the more willing to ruin dreams of the top teams (just ask Liverpool and Chelsea).

Liverpool

during the international friendly match between Adelaide United and Liverpool FC at Adelaide Oval on July 20, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia.

Speaking of Liverpool, I was hesitant to put Liverpool here because they haven’t had the best transfer windows under Brendan Rodgers. Their transfer dealings got huge publicity as Raheem Sterling kept trying to force a move, and eventually did to Manchester City. They used that money to get Christian Benteke as well as get Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne, Joe Gomez, Danny Ings and James Milner. So while Liverpool weren’t active on the final day and sold one of their best young players in a rather public fashion, they got great players in return and they got rid of those players who didn’t quite work out with the team (Balotelli, Lambert, Borini, Johnson, Enrique). This is an important window for Brendan Rodgers because his job could very well be on the line if this doesn’t work out.

Manchester City

The rich get richer so to say. The early, and current, Premier League favorites went into the market with a very specific need to win trophies and maybe finally make a run in the Champions League. They paid around £44 million for Raheem Sterling from Liverpool and activated the £8 million buyout clause for Fabian Delph from Aston Villa back in July. Closer to the deadline, City stocked their already phenomenal back line with Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia as capped their Summer with Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg.

West Ham

West Ham worked Deadline Day like Leonard Bernstein worked the New York Philharmonic. On the final day of the transfer window, West ham got winger Michail Antonio from Nottingham Forest, forward Nikica Jelavic from Hull, Victor Moses on loan from Chelsea and Alex Song on loan from Barcelona along with Angelo Ogbonna from Juventus, who has proven to be a great addition to the team already. There were concerns about depth after having to start their season a month earlier than everyone else. This could be enough to help West Ham break into the top ten and tread water in the midtable before focusing on a European run next season.

Losers (in no particular order)

Manchester United

I have to give Manchester United some credit, they got some great players this transfer window. Memphis looks like he could be a potential world class player and Matteo Darmian has really made a great start on the back line and is already arguably United’s best player back there. And I’m not even mentioning Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Sergio Romero. But… United will be judged on their disastorous Deadline Day screwup with Real Madrid on the sale/purchase of David de Gea/Keylor Navas. Regardless of who was in the right and who was in the wrong or both were in the wrong, this was a PR disaster. Not to mention United overspending on teenager Anthony Martial. Don’t get me wrong, Martial could be a great player but that is a lot to spend on a 19 year old. Lot of pressure to put on a 19 year old.

West Brom

If Manchester United hadn’t messed things up Monday, everyone would be talking about the Saido Berahino saga at West Brom. After rejecting multiple offers from Tottenham and rejecting transfer requests, everything came to a head Tuesday when Berahino tweeted this:

West Brom Chairman Jeremy Peace wrote his views on the ordeal and said, “We have a key player who has been very unsettled by antics which were designed to get him out of our club cheaply.

“Those tactics have continued despite my making our position clear in my first conversation with Daniel Levy on this subject in mid-August. Saido has been unsettled to the point where our Head Coach has not felt able to select him for our last three games. We are now left with the task of repairing the damage created by this unfortunate episode.”

Tottenham

Tottenham had tried to sign players before the deadline but everything seemed to go wrong for them on Deadline Day. Sure they signed Son Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen but there just seemed to be something missing and definitely not the moves to inspire confidence if Tottenham wants to go for a top four spot.

Everton

Everton’s big contribution to the Summer transfer window was the move they didn’t make, by repeatedly turning down Chelsea multiple times as they tried to buy John Stones, Everton’s star defender. Everton held to their word by turning down offers of upwards of £40 million. This is a big decision that could backfire in their faces. But if they can get Stones’ head back into it and get better over the next year, the team could be getting more money. Judging the move right now, Everton should’ve pulled the trigger and gotten the money to fill the holes of the squad.

Winner and Loser

Arsenal

Arsenal’s summer has been a conundrum. On one hand, they got Petr Cech for just £10 million and solidified their goalkeeper situation. On the other hand, Arsenal didn’t get anybody else. With other teams around them spending money and strengthening their teams, Arsenal sat back once again. Arsene Wenger has had a history of being hesitant with splashing the cash. They did it some of the time with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez as notable examples but they just didn’t make their team better enough to fight for the top spot. But as a result, they didn’t overspend on talent or stay in the press for having players try to force moves and get anyone who could disrupt the team. Arsenal s stable and that in a way made the Summer a success.

Arsenal Latest After The Transfer Deadline

The transfer window closed on Tuesday evening without so much as even a whimper from Arsenal. It's hard to make an arguement for the team winning the league when you consider how others have strengthened from last season and Arsenal have only added Petr Cech. I honestly thought a striker would arrive in this summer,  but I had given up all hope well before deadline day.

Arsenal have a very good squad who finished last season strongly and they can put in a real challenge if they can find that form again. They haven't found that form so far though and have struggled through their first four games while City have brushed teams aside to win their first four games. That's the same City who have spent vast amounts on their squad to strengthen a team who finished runners up last season. 

Arsenal aren't the only team to struggle and under perform so far and City's great start has already given them a nice margin over all of the teams who are expected to challenge for the title. If they're going to make up the difference on City and make a real challenge Arsenal are going to have to play an awful lot better. For me I think a new striker was crucial for their chances, but it seems the right player just wasn't available.

The team have only scored three goals in those opening four games and only one of those goals has come from an Arsenal player with two own goals helping their tally. The most worrying aspect is the failure to score at home with no goals in their two home games and a failure to score in five of their last six at home stretching back to last season. It seems to have become too easy to stop Arsenal scoring at home in particular and a new striker with a clinical touch might have been the player to change that.

I like Arsenal's current strikers, but I don't think any of them are of the highest class. 

Olivier Giroud leads the line well, but his lack of pace is a real hindrance and that's not something he can change. I think he looks happy enough to get his shot on target at times even if it doesn't go in and I think he needs to develop a much more clinical streak. I also wish he spent more time concentrating on his goalscoring than he does on his facial expressions when things don't go exactly as he wants.

Theo Walcott has pace to burn, but he just can't lead the line and he's not a natural striker. I don't think his finishing is quite up to scratch either and that is something which he can work on. I still think he plays best in a wide role even if he isn't an out and out winger, but he won't get as many chances as he might like in the team if everybody is fit.

Danny Welbeck has been at the club for a year now and it's still not easy to know how good he is. He's missed a fair amount of time through injury and he probably needs a run in the team to improve his game and continue his development. He should be back from injury once the international break is over and he might just get the chance he needs as others continue not to impress.

There's always the possibility of Alexis Sanchez playing as the central striker, but I don't think it's the ideal position for him. He was a magnificent signing last summer as was the signing of Mesut Ozil the previous summer, but I don't think the position is one he should be played in. Those marquee signings from the last two summers led us to believe the club was going in the right direction, but the failure to use the money available to improve the squad this summer has put a real dampener on things.

I know Cech was a very good signing and he seems to have settled in with two successive clean sheets after a slightly dodgy start. As good as Cech is he won't improve the teams attacking record and it's hard to see where the goals will come from at the moment. It's a long hard season ahead and the players will have to up their game if things are to get better.

There was a huge feeling of expectancy about this season after an excellent second half to last season which culminated in a great performance to retain the FA Cup. Pre season went really well too and there was a genuine feeling that something really big was on the horizon. The first day of the season was a huge let down and it hasn't got much better since then.

I expected to see the team hit the ground running and put in performances to show they are a team to be reckoned with. Instead we have been treated to the frustrating side of Arsenal as they have played at half pace and without the determination needed to put opponents to the sword. City have shown the way from day one and I can't help but feel they have got a jump on every other team by going for it from the start.

I'm not saying City will walk away with the league or that Arsenal are out of it either, but they have already dropped five points from two home games that they should have won with the right attitude and performance. It gives them less wriggle room later in the season if injuries kick in or if they lose some form and that's always likely to happen. At least Arsenal have won their two away games, but both of those wins were far from comfortable at best.

When the team comes back from international duty in just over a week there will be some really tough games and we will get a better idea of how the team might fare this season. They can't afford to approach those games in the manner they have approached their games so far or the season will end in disappointment. I'm not sure they will improve, but I do know they are capable of it and hope springs eternal for football fans.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Louis Van Gaal’s player splurge exceeds €340m

In his 12 months as Manchester United manager, the Dutchman has bought 12 players

Louis van Gaal’s splurge in the transfer market is over with the Dutchman having brought in 12 new players for more than £250 million (€340 million) in his 12 months as Manchester United manager.

Van Gaal is confident he is close to completing the rebuild that was required on the squad he inherited from David Moyes and in future transfer windows will only aim to bring in a smaller number of key players.

While Van Gaal failed to land the elite attacker he had targeted – with Barcelona’s Neymar and Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale topping his list of targets – it is understood the manager is particularly content with this summer. The squad was strengthened at right-back, central midfield and in attack, with six new players coming in – Memphis Depay,Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, Sergio Romero andAnthony Martial.

Sizeable budget

In his first summer in charge Van Gaal also added six new faces to the squad: Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Angel di Maria, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Radamel Falcao on loan.

The total cost has been £252.7 million (€344.1 million) though Van Gaal has also allowed more than 20 players to leave since he replaced Moyes. He remains free to invest again and there is still a sizeable budget should he wish to use it.

However, the belief at the club is that the major surgery needed because of the weaknesses left when Sir Alex Ferguson retired and which his successor Moyes failed to remedy has now been addressed.

Van Gaal had targeted Sergio Ramos as part of any deal that would take David de Gea to Real Madrid. When it became clear the central defender would remain at the Spanish club the manager decided against moving for another centre-back as beyond Ramos there was not a second choice he favoured.

Manchester City signed Nicolas Otamendi for £32 million (€43.5 million) from Valencia but he was never a target for Van Gaal as the manager believed only Ramos would bolster United’s central defence.

Van Gaal, who has deployed Daley Blind at centre-back this season, is content with the number of defenders he has at his disposal. After De Gea’s move to Real fell through in dramatic – and farcical – fashion on Monday evening the goalkeeper remained at United. Yet despite Van Gaal having dropped him for the first five matches of the campaign following questions over the Spaniard’s focus the manager has no long-standing issue with De Gea.

The manager believes it is a massive boost that a keeper considered one of the world’s finest has remained at the club and that he will be an asset this season as Van Gaal seeks to make United serious contenders in the Premier League and Champions League and to challenge for a domestic cup.

Van Gaal is ready to reinstate De Gea as his number one and drop Romero, who has replaced him, should the 24-year-old reach the high standards that made him the club’s player of the year for the past two seasons.

Failed transfer

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque meanwhile, has urged De Gea to put his failed transfer to Real Madrid behind him and focus on being a “good professional”.

“I don’t want to say anything drastic about what we will do,” Del Bosque, who has hinted De Gea will not be selected if he is not playing regularly, told Spanish radio. We have to wait and see what happens and the important thing is that David . . . looks to the future and is a good professional. We have to hope that David can play for [United] and is active so we can count on him in future. . .”

Record English Premier League spending will only increase, say experts

Foreign clubs are the main beneficiaries of the Premier League's transfer dealings and will continue to be so with forthcoming increases in broadcast revenue, financial analysts predicted as the summer window finally closed this week.

Although many fees remain unofficial, it was generally agreed that of the 10 most expensive deals involving English clubs since the end of last season, seven of the players were bought from other leagues.

Germany's Bundesliga benefited most, with VfL Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen receiving almost £100 million (NZ$241 million) between them for Kevin de Bruyne (sold to Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) and Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) respectively.

Gross transfer fees to overseas clubs of £585 million (NZ$1.4 billion) were 10 per cent up on the previous year, according to the annual analysis by the Deloitte business advisory firm.

"Since the introduction of the new (Premier League) broadcast deal for 2013-14, spending on overseas players has nearly doubled," Deloitte's Alex Thorpe told Reuters in an interview.

"In 2012 it was £300 million (NZ$722.4 million). This summer it was £585 million (NZ$1.4 billion).

"That shows how broadcast revenues have driven the increase in clubs' spending in the international market. And it's not just the transfer fees. They can also offer financial packages that are very attractive to international players.

"Not only is the Premier League a net importer of talent, way ahead of other leagues in gross and net spending, but Germany and France have actually been net exporters."

Given that a lucrative new domestic broadcast deal, a 70 percent increase on the existing one, comes into effect next season, with overseas rights still to be negotiated, Thorpe sees no reason why the current trends will not continue.

"Looking to the future, the biggest factor driving transfer spending has been broadcast revenue, so that has already been taken care of for the next three years," he added.

"So spending is not only going to continue, it is going to increase. Clubs will still have the ability to spend at these kind of levels if they so choose."

According to Deloitte's figures, Premier League clubs' record gross spend of £870 million (NZ$2.1 billion) was more than double that of Italy's Serie A, the second highest.

But there was an unexpected benefit in the strength of the pound against the euro, which according to corporate broker Foenix saved them £85 million (NZ$205 million)  in buying players from European clubs.

The next transfer window for all Europe's major leagues opens on January 1.