Football News: Transfer Window Review - Select Non-Prem Sides

The Record Blowing Transfer Window - Part 2

An absolutely insane transfer window which saw English Premier League clubs spend as much as La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A combined! But now it is time to focus on a select few of the non-English teams.

Celtic

Ins
Jota from Benfica (loan made permanent)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (loan made permanent)
Alexandro Bernabei from Lanus
Sead Haksabanovic from Rubin Kazan
Daizen Maeda from Yokohama F. Marinos (loan made permanent)
Oliver Abildgaard from Rubin Kazan
Aaron Mooy from Shanghai Port
Benjamin Siegrist from Dundee United
Moritz Jenz from Lorient

The main portion of their transfers was simply about keeping the squad together, turning loans into permanent deals but they still managed to strengthen as well. Mainly through taking advantage of players wanting out of Russia. Then they bolstered the squad with a smattering of freebies. All in all it depends on how you view their ambitions as to how you judge them. If you think their ambitions are purely in the SPFL then they have done fantastic transfer business. However, if their ambition is to become competitive in the Champions League, then they look a long way from that level, in terms of player quality. Personally I believe their ambition is in between those two levels and they are looking to the Europa League as their target. In which case, I think they, in the main, have done enough to give Postecoglou a chance of a good run at that level. Mark: B-

Outs

Christopher Jullien to Montpellier
Nir Bitton to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ewan Henderson to Hibernian
Kerr McInroy to Kilmarnock
Karamoko Dembele to Stade Brestois
Jonathan Afolabi to Bohemians
Luca Connell to Barnsley
Boli Bolingoli to KV Mechelen
Ross Doohan to Tranmere Rovers
Albian Ajeti to Sturm Graz (loan)
Vasilios Barkas to Utrecht (loan)
Mikey Johnston to Vitoria Guimaraes (loan)
Liam Scales to Aberdeen (loan)
Isamila Soro to Arouca (loan)
Osaze Urhoghide to KVV Oostende (loan)
Adam Montgomery to St Johnstone (loan)
Liam Shaw to Morecambe (loan)
Johnny Kenny to Queen's Park (loan)
Tom Rogic released

The outs are very good, it is players that are surplus and not good enough for the team that have been offloaded. The only thing holding it back from a higher grade is the lack of return in terms of money. Celtic have often been able to sell on players for large profits in the past to bolster their transfer funds. When playing in a league like the SPFL, where financial rewards are low, those extra funds can make a huge difference. Mark: B+

Overall: A good window for the Bhoys, a step forward with genuine improvement to the team. They do need to make these improvements as they were nowhere near competitive in Europe last season. Their ambition is clearly to begin to make their mark at that level once more and to do that they need to continue to invest. That will probably require a few good sales to provide the funds to do so. Mark: B

Rangers

Ins
Ben Davies from Liverpool
Ridvan Yilmaz from Besiktas
Rabbi Matondo from Schalke 04
Antonio Colak from PAOK Salonika
Tom Lawrence from Derby County
John Souttar from Heart of Midlothian
Malik Tillman from Bayern Munich (loan with option to buy)

A mixed bag of cheap punts and young players with potential. It is going to be a long time before we can truly judge how well they did in the window, as the buys have really been about the club's long term competitiveness, rather than to turn them straight into a team that can take the title back from Celtic immediately. The big issue that I see is that some of the players do seem to have injury issues that could hold them back and they failed to fix the team's biggest issue - a commanding goalkeeper. Mark: C-

Outs
Calvin Bassey to Ajax
Joe Aribo to Southampton
Cedric Itten to BSC Young Boys
Leon Balogun to Queens Park Rangers
Jack Simpson to Cardiff City
Jake Hastie to Hartlepool United
Andy Firth to Connah's Quay
Nikola Katic to Zurich (loan with option to buy)
Glenn Middleton to Dundee United
Stephen Kelly to Livingston
Mateusz Zukowski to Lech Poznan (loan)
Lewis Mayo to Kilmarnock (loan)
Ben Williamson to Dundee (loan)
Josh McPake to Queen's Park (loan)

Brought in excellent money for Bassey and a decent return for Aribo and Itten, comparatively. But the loss of Bassey, just as he was growing as a player with them, will hurt them. Mark: B

Overall: A very difficult window to judge. Young potential, players with injury problems and a few cheap punts arrived, which could all turn out to be brilliant at this level, be a disaster or anything in between. The loss of Bassey and the failure to replace the ageing McGregor are huge mistakes and could well turn out to be the difference between them and Celtic this season. Mark: C

Paris Saint-Germain

Ins
Vitinha from Porto
Nuno Mendes from Sporting Clube de Portugal (loan made permanent)
Fabian Ruiz from Napoli
Carlos Soler from Valencia
Renato Sanches from LOSC Lille
Nordi Mukiele from RB Leipzig
Hugo Ekitike from Stade Reims (loan)

A much more measured window than usual under new man Luis Campos, with signs of a change of policy from bringing in superstars to bringing in young players to grow into superstars. You do have to wonder if 4 central midfielders arriving at once was not a bit of overkill. Does that suggest succession planning for Verratti in the short or long term? The key to the club's ability to make the next step will be that these arrivals do not continue to block academy players from making a breakthrough. PSG have allowed far too many youth products to leave who, in many cases, could have been the cornerstone of a French-based team. Instead they spend all their time trying to chase any French star looking to move teams to try and build a 'Frenchness' to their squad. Mark: C

Outs
Arnaud Kalimuendo to Stade Rennais
Thilo Kehrer to West Ham United
Alphonse Areola to West Ham United
Idrissa Gana Gueye to Everton
Thierno Balde to Troyes
Julian Draxler to Benfica (loan)
Marcin Bulka to OGC Nice
Abdou Diallo to RB Liepzig (loan)
Angel Di Maria to Juvnetus
Rafinha to Al-Arabi
Xavi Simons to PSV Eindhoven
Teddy Alloh to KAS Eupen
Garissone Innocent to KAS Eupen
Nathan Bitumazala to KAS Eupen
Denis Franchi to Burnley
Tidjany Toure to Feyenoord
Mauro Icardi to Galatasaray (loan)
Georginio Wijnaldum to AS Roma (loan)
Leandro Paredes to Juventus (loan)
Ander Herrera to Athletic Bilbao (loan)
Colin Dagba to Racing Strasbourg (loan)
Layvin Kurzawa to Fulham (loan)
Junior Dina Ebimbe to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)
Edouard Michut to Sunderland (loan)
Kenny Nagera to Lorient (loan)
Djeidi Gassama to KAS Eupen (loan)
Anfane Ahamada to Martigues (loan)
Moutanabi Bodiang to Le Puy Foot (loan)

The outs are not that impressive in the window, though they did manage to offload a few that are clearly not good enough in, to West Ham and Everton, mostly they are just kicking the can down the road with some highly paid unwanted players such as Icardi, Wijnaldum and Paredes. Having already replaced them, they are highly unlikely to gain any kind of return for them in the future either. Buying clubs have PSG over a barrel in terms of taking their surplus players and the players themselves are also unlikely to want to take a pay cut to make a move happen. It is a case of just waiting for their contracts to expire. That is not a sound transfer policy. Mark: E

Overall: It is going to take some time for the new transfer regime to show its full effects, but at least under Campos things should become more sustainable. Currently they are buying high and then getting stuck with them until their contracts run out, while academy players move on as the expensive players block their route to the first team. The signs are there of change, but it could be a couple of seasons, or even more, before it starts to function effectively. Mark: D+

Bayern Munich

Ins
Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus
Sadio Mane from Liverpool
Mathys Tel from Stade Rennais
Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax
Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax

A lot of young potential and Mane, who looks to be past his best, but no replacement ready to step in for Lewandowski. While I appreciate it is pretty much impossible to replace the best striker in the world, they have no one to step in up front in the short term. Tel might become the superstar they are gambling on, but he is just making his first steps and will be inconsistent. Bayern now lack a consistent goalscorer and it will cost them, though maybe not enough to stop them winning the Bundesliga again. However you would not put them amongst the favourites in the Champions League for the first time in many years. Mark: D

Outs
Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona
Tanguy Nianzou to Sevilla
Chris Richards to Crystal Palace
Marc Roca to Leeds United
Joshua Zirkzee to Bologna
Omar Richards to Nottingham Forest
Lars Lukas Mai to Lugano
Christian Fruchtl to Austria Vienna
Ron-Thorben Hoffmann to Eintracht Braunschweig
Niklas Sule to Borussia Dortmund
Corentin Tolisso to Olympique Lyonnais
Adrian Fein to Excelsior
Gabriel Vidovic to Vitesse Arnhem (loan)
Malik Tillman to Rangers (loan)
Bright Arrey-Mbi to Hannover 96 (loan)

A good financial return but so badly affected by the loss of Lewandoski that the money is not a good return. The rest of the outs are surplus players and good business, but Lewa is a special player and has been key to their play for so long that losing him is huge. Mark: C-

Overall:
I am personally not sure they bought well, de Ligt has never impressed me, Mane has been a shadow of the player he once was and the rest are for the future. What they needed was goals, they might have brought in a few, but nothing like the amount they lost. They look like a team that has taken a step back this summer and allowed the chasing pack in the Bundesliga to catch up. Mark: D

Borussia Dortmund

Ins
Sebastien Haller from Ajax
Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg
Nico Schlotterbeck from Freiburg
Anthony Modeste from 1. FC Koln
Salih Ozcan from 1. FC Koln
Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich
Marcel Lotka from Hertha Berlin
Alexander Meyer from Jahn Regensburg

I have to say the ins do not impress me. Dortmund believed what they had brought in gave them genuine hope of a challenge for the title, but I am personally do not think they bought well, other than potentiall Schlotterbeck. Adeyemi maybe developed into a quality player, but right now he is incredibly raw and not the best technically. The rest are simply not top quality, even if Haller had been available to them. Sadly his illness has meant that they look even more lacking in quality as Modeste, even as a short term cover, is simply not good enough. Mark: D-

Outs
Erling Haaland to Manchester City
Manuel Akanji to Manchester City
Steffen Tigges to 1. FC Koln
Axel Witsel to Atletico Madrid
Roman Burki to St Louis City
Marwin Hitz to FC Basel
Dan-Axel Zagadou released
Marcel Schmelzer retired

When goalscorers are so few and few between at the moment, to lose your top one is a huge blow. Dortmund have gone through this so many times and each time it sets them back for a couple of years while they develop a new one. It must be so frustrating for the club to be unable to hang on to their better players despite a home crowd of 80,000 most weeks. Mark: E

Overall: Dortmund were confident going into the season, at the end of the window they seemed even more confident that they are a team capable of mounting a title challenge. I just do not understand it at all. They look a markedly worse team than last season and are heavily reliant on Bellingham, who is still just a teenager. The loss of their main goalscorer with no real replacement just makes them look like a team set for a season of mediocrity while they develop some players. Mark: D-

RB Leipzig

Ins
David Raum from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Timo Werner from Chelsea
Xaver Schlager from VfL Wolfsburg
Abdou Diallo from Paris Saint-Germain
Janis Balswich from Heracle Almelo

The usual mix of unknowns, though it is interesting to note that, despite perceived opinion, they rarely get players from their sister club Salzburg. It has a reputation as a feeder club, but it has been a couple of seasons now since one arrived from there in the summer window. They have become a club that brings its own players through as much as possible, then supplements it with a few cherry-picked players at lowish cost. It has been fairly successful, up to a point, but they have yet to genuinely challenge for the Bundesliga title. They look to be in the same position once more, though if they can resurrect Werner's confidence from the pit it is currently in, they will at least push the winner on. Mark: C-

Outs
Tyler Adams to Leeds United
Hee-chan Hwang to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Brian Brobbey to Ajax
Nordi Mukiele to Paris Saint-Germain
Ademola Lookman to Atalanta
Alexander Sorloth to Real Sociedad (loan)
Eric Martel to 1. FC Koln
Noah Ohio to Standard Liege
Tom Krauss to Schalke 04 (loan)
Sidney Raebiger to Greuther Furth
Joscha Wosz to Verl
Yvon Mvogo to Lorient
Solomon Bonnah to SK Austria Klagenfurt
Angelino to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (loan)
Ilaix Moriba to Valencia (loan)
Josep Martinez to Genoa (loan)
Frederik Jakel to Arminia Bielefeld (loan)
Tim Schreiber to Holstein Kiel (loan)
Dennis Borkowski to Dynamo Dresden (loan)
Fabrice Hartmann to Sligo Rovers (loan)
Ben Klefisch to Viktoria Koln (loan)
Mehmet Ibrahimi to Eintracht Braunschweig (loan)
Philipp Tschauner retired

Unlike their two main Bundesliga rivals, they look to have managed to hold on to key players and only moved on players they could afford to lose or that were surplus. Mark: B-

Overall: They still look a long way from Bundesliga champions, but they at least have managed to not go backwards during the window. For once standing still might actually equal improvement when compared to their usual rivals. Mark: C

AC Milan

Ins
Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge
Malick Thiaw from Schalke 04
Junior Messias from Crotone (loan made permanent)
Alessandro Florenzi from AS Roma
Aster Vranckx from VfL Wolfsburg (loan)
Divock Origi from Liverpool
Sergino Dest from Barcelona (loan)

It is a bizarre set of signings, a 31-year-old winger from Serie C-C Crotone, some youngsters and a freebie, topped up with a couple of loans. All a long way from the team that has been the biggest spender in Serie A over the last few years. No doubt the takeover affected things and the title meant they no longer had to chase after the top spot. The new ownership has yet to make its mark and it will be interesting to see what kind of ambition they have for their new club. Mark: D

Outs
Jens Petter Hauge to Eintracht Frankfurt
Leo Duarte to Baseksehir
Frank Tsadjout to Cremonese
Alessandro Plizzari to Pescara
Franck Kessie to Barcelona
Alessio Romagnoli to Lazio
Samu Castillejo to Valencia
Leroy Abanda to RFC Seraing
Marco Frigerio to Foggia
Gabriele Capanni to Ternana
Riccardo Tonin to Foggia
Sabino Signorile to Cerignola
Mattia Caldara to Spezia (loan)
Lorenzo Colombo to Lecce (loan)
Daniel Maldini to Spezia (loan)
Marco Nasti to Cosenza (loan)
Marco Brescianini to Cosenza (loan)
Gabriele Bellodi to Olbia (loan)
Luan Capanni to CF Estrela (loan)
Antonio Mionic to Alessandria (loan)
Emir Murati released

The loss of both Kessie and Romagnoli on frees has hurt them, even though Romagnoli was in and out of the side. Kessie is a big blow as he is a quality player who provides bite as well as ability. It is not just that they lost them both, it is that they lost them on frees, so did not even manage to bring in some finances to replace them. Mark: E+

Overall: A difficult window with a takeover during it and the loss of a key player has left them looking far weaker than they were going into the summer. However, with new owners in place it was always going to be, at best, a summer of consolidation. So a step back is not unexpected. They still have the greater part of the title-winning team in place to go forward into this season. Mark: D-

Inter Milan

Ins
Joaquin Correa from Lazio (loan made permanent)
Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea (loan)
Kristjan Asllani from Empoli (loan)
Raoul Bellanova from Cagliari (loan)
Andre Onana from Ajax
Henrikh Mkhitaryan from AS Roma
Francesco Acerbi from Lazio

While none of their signings are ones to excite, they all seem to be decent for Serie A. Though that is more of a mark of just weak the league is these days. The return of Lukaku is a big bonus as, despite having a first touch that looks like he has trampolines in his shoes, he does score goals in Italy. At least he will not have the worst touch in the team as they have Mkhitaryan there too. Mark: C

Outs
Michele Di Gregorio to Monza
Andreaw Gravillon to Stade Reims
Lorenzo Pirola to Salernitana (loan)
Ivan Perisic to Tottenham Hotspur
Alexis Sanchez to Olympique Marseille
Matias Vecino to Lazio
Arturo Vidal to Flamengo
Andrea Ranocchia to Monza
Christopher Attys to Imolese
Lorenzo Gavioli to Reggina
Noccolo Corrado to Ternana
Lorenzo Moretti to Avellino
Christian Dimarco to Feralpisalo
Andrea Pinamonti to Sassuolo (loan)
Zinho Vanheusden to AZ Alkmaar (loan)
Stefano Sensi to Monza (loan)
Martin Satriano to Empoli (loan)
Lucien Agoume to Troyes (loan)
Valentino Lazaro to Torino (loan)
Sebastiano Esposito to RSC Anderlecht (loan)
Ionut Radu to Cremonese (loan)
Eddie Salcedo to Bari (loan)
Samuele Mulattieri to Frosinone (loan)
Franco Carboni to Cagliari (loan)
Tibo Persyn to FC Eindhoven (loan)
Marco Pompetti to Sudtirol (loan)
Giovanni Fabbian to Reggina (loan)
Edoardo Sottini to Triestina (loan)
Matias Fonseca to Imolese (loan)
Davide Zugaro De Matties to Sangiuliano (loan)
Niccolo Squizzato to Renate (loan)
Fabrizio Bagheria to Recanatese (loan)
Alexander Kolarov retired

The loss of a lot of quality, if ageing, players on free transfers must hit them hard. While it will have helped their finances, which was desperately needed, the team looks nothing like as competitive for the new season. Mark: E-

Overall: If it was not for the club's financial difficulties requiring drastic wage cuts, this window would be seen as a disaster. The team has regressed markedly, but it was needed to avoid even more problems down the line. Mark: D-

Napoli

Ins
Min-jae Kim from Fenerbahce
Andre Zambo Anguissa from Fulham (loan made permanent)
Mathias Olivera from Getafe
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Dinamo Batumi
Giacomo Raspodori from Sassuolo
Leo Ostigard from Brighton & Hove Albion
Giovanni Simeone from Hellas Verona (loan)
Tanguy Ndombele from Tottenham Hotspur (loan)
Salvatore Sirigu from Genoa
Sebastiano Lupeto from Empoli

Their signings look very impressive, Zambo Anguissa always stood out as head and shoulders above the rest of the Fulham team, no idea why he kept getting left out of the team, but he looks a steal for Napoli. Then there is Ndombele from Spurs, clearly top quality but just in need of someone to get him to put in the effort to match his ability. Most of all, of course, there is Kvaradona, who is showing signs of actually living up to the hype with his performances so far this season. Mark: A-

Outs
Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea
Fabian Ruiz to Paris Saint-Germain
Arkadiusz Milik to Olympique Marseille
Gennaro Tutino to Parma
Adam Ounas to LOSC Lille
Andrea Petagna to Monza (loan)
Sebastiano Luperto to Empoli (loan)
Franco Ferrari to LR Vicenza
Lorenzo Insigne to Toronto
David Ospina to Al-Nassr
Dries Mertens to Galatasaray
Kevin Malcuit to Ankaragucu
Zinedine Machach to Ionikos Nikeas
Luca Palmiero to Pescara
Michael Folorunsho to Bari (loan)
Nikita Contini to Sampdoria (loan)
Giuseppe Ambrosino to Como (loan)
Filippo Costa to Foggia (loan)
Eugenio D'Ursi to Foggia (loan)
Lorenzo Sgarbi to Renate (loan)
Francesco Mezzoni to Ancona (loan)
Faouzi Ghoulam released

The loss of Insigne, Mertens and, particularly, Ruiz, could be a problem as the season goes on. There is a lot of experience and quality there. They also lost Koulibaly, but he had been agitating to leave for a while, was inconsistent, particularly in run of the mill Serie A games where he seemed lacklustre without a live TV audience and big backing from the crowd. Plus they got a large fee for a player who had already shown signs that he was regressing, probably due to being very reliant on physicality which was beginning to fade at 31 with a lot of football behind him. It is Ruiz that is the biggest loss, as he was just coming into his peak, though the fans will most miss Mertens, who was a club legend. Mark: D

Overall: The outs covered the incoming transfers and overall the team looks improved and now has age on its side. Overall you have to say it was a good window for the Neapolitans, despite the loss of a number of big players. Mark: B-

Juventus

Ins
Bremer from Torino
Federico Chiesa from Fiorentina (loan made permanent)
Filip Kostic from Eintracht Frankfurt
Andrea Cambiaso from Genoa
Arkadiusz Milik from Olympique Marseille (loan)
Paul Pogba from Manchester United
Angel Di Maria from Paris Saint-Germain
Leandro Paredes from Paris Saint-Germain (loan)

It is an odd set of transfers, despite having financial constraints, they still spent nearly £100m but failed to really bring in much that improves the team. Chiesa looks a good signing, though as a loan made permanent it is not improving the team just standing still and Bremer potentially, but the rest do not look like the right signings. Di Maria has quality, but he is 34 and playing like he is past his best. Pogba is injury prone and has completely lost his way as a player anyway, plus Juve do not have the quality workers in midfield they had before to allow him to just play his game. Added to that, both earn huge wages that are already causing strain on the club's financial position. They do not look to have bought well at all. Mark: F

Outs
Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich
Merih Demiral to Atalanta
Rolando Mandragora to Fiorentina
Arthur Melo to Liverpool (loan)
Giacomo Vrioni to New England Revolution
Denis Zakaria to Chelsea (loan)
Paulo Dybala to AS Roma
Federico Bernadeschi to Toronto
Douglas Costa to Los Angeles Galaxy
Aaron Ramsey to OGC Nice
Giorgio Chiellini to Los Angeles FC
Nicolo Rovella to Monza (loan)
Luca Pellegrini to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)
Andrea Cambiaso to Bologna (loan)
Marko Pjaca to Empoli (loan)
Radu Dragusin to Genoa (loan)
Gianluca Frabotta to Lecce (loan)
Stefano Gori to Perugia (loan)
Filippo Ranocchia to Monza (loan)

They raised a fair chunk of cash, two-thirds through the sale of the massively over-rated de Ligt to Bayern, which should help them. They were not getting the best from Melo or Zakaria, despite both being quality players, so their loan fees are just extra income, plus much-needed salary savings. Ramsey is possibly the worst signing in the club's history, so good riddance. However they did lose Dybala and Costa on frees which is a loss to the team without cash coming back to replace them with. Added to that, Chiellini was a big figure in the dressing room and they have not brought anyone in with his big presence. In the main, it must be said that the window was a mixed bag. Mark: D+

Overall: I am not convinced at all by Juve's dealings. They look to have gone backwards. They did need to reduce the wage bill but even that looks to be only a minor saving made. Their years of dominance have already ended and it looks like they are further away from a title-winning team than they were last season. Mark: E

Lazio

Ins
Luis Maximiano from Granada
Marcos Antonio from Shakhtar Donetsk
Mattia Zaccagni from Hellas Verona
Nicolo Casale from Hellas Verona
Mario Gila from Real Madrid
Ivan Provedel from Spezia
Alessio Romagnoli from AC Milan
Matias Vecino from Inter Milan
Matteo Cacellieri from Hellas Verona (loan)

It is hard to judge transfers in to a Sarri team as it all comes down to Sarri as to whether they work out or not. On paper they have spent little and have potentially improved. But it all comes down to how well they can work under Sarri and his idiosyncratic regime. Mark: C-

Outs
Joaquin Correa to Inter Milan
Vedat Muriqi to RCD Mallorca
Denis Vavro to FC Copenhagen
Raul Moro to Ternana (loan)
Luiz Felipe to Real Betis
Thomas Strakosha to Brentford
Lucas Leiva to Gremio
Pepe Reina to Villareal
Jordan Lukaku to Ponferradina
Patryk Dziczek to Piast Gliwice
Djavan Anderson to Oxford United
Bobby Adekanye to Go Ahead Eagles
Marco Alia to Monterosi
Biagio Morrone to Recanatese
Angelo Ndrecka to Pro Patria
Sofian Kiyine to OH Leuven
Fabio Maistro to SPAL
Tiago Casasola to Perugia
Luca Falbo to Monopoli
Francesco Acerbi to Inter Milan (loan)
Gonzalo Escalante to Cremonense (loan)
Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro to Empoli (loan)
Jony to Sporting Gijon (loan)
Riza Durmisi to Leganes (loan)
Emanuele Cicerelli to Reggina (loan)
Cristiano Lombardi to Triestina (loan)
Nicolo Armini to Potenza (loan)
Alessandro Rossi to Monterosi (loan)
Mattia Novella to Picerno (loan)
Jorge Silva released

A lot of experience has vanished from the club, not just the older players like Lucas and Reina, but lots of players at peak age. That could well be missed, especially if they hit a rough patch. Though that is saying Sarri would have picked any of them anyway. They do look to have lost a bit of quality for little return. Mark: D-

Overall: They are heavily constrained by finances and it shows. They do not look like a team set to challenge for the title, in fact they look to be moving further away from the top table. It will take a lot of luck and excellent management for them to win anything this season. Mark: D

AS Roma

Ins
Zeki Celik from LOSC Lille
Mady Camara from Olympiacos (loan)
Paulo Dybala from Juventus
Andrea Belotti from Torino
Nemanja Matic from Manchester United
Mile Svilar from Benfica
Georginio Wijnaldum from Paris Saint-Germain (loan)

While they have spent very little on transfer fees, less than £10m, they have invested significantly and heavily in wages for the players who have arrived. Particularly Dybala. However it does seem very different from the usual Mourinho chequebook management style. Maybe this is good for Mourinho, a chance to return to the start of his career, to work once more as a coach and motivator in the way he made his mark on European football. Mark: C-

Outs
Pau Lopez to Olympique Marseille
Jordan Veretout to Olympique Marseille
Cengiz Under to Olympique Marseille
Felix Afena-Gyan to Cremonese
Robin Olsen to Aston Villa
Alessandro Florenzi to AC Milan
Riccardo Ciervo to Sassuolo
Amadou Diawara to RSC Anderlecht
Carles Perez to Celta de Vigo (loan)
Riccardo Calafiori to Basel
Tommaso Milanese to Cremonese
Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Inter Milan
Daniel Fuzato to UD Ibiza
Alessio Riccardi to Latina Calcio
Salvatore Pezzella to Triestina
Stefano Greco to Potenza
Devid Eugene Bouah to Reggina
Justin Kluivert to Valencia (loan)
Gonzalo Villar to Sampdoria (loan)
Bryan Reynolds to KVC Westerlo (loan)
Ruben Providence to TSV Hartberg (loan)
Davide Santon released and then retired

All the hallmarks of a clearout has taken place, but it raised so little funds to spend that must be worrying. With money so tight in Serie A in general, that is a big issue. Mark: D

Overall: They have had a big turnover of players, stripping down the squad and reducing the wage bill so they can bring in highly paid players on free transfers. It is starting to look a more Mourinho-type of team, with older, experienced players. The worry is that Mourinho's way of playing seems to be way past its sell-by date and they are going to get stuck with an ageing, overpaid team when he eventually gets his marching orders. Mark: D

Real Madrid

Ins
Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco
Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea

Times have certainly changed at Madrid, the Galactico-era is long gone. There are even signs of sensible recruiting with a young powerhouse midfielder that is exactly what they needed, but is not a big shirtseller, being the big signing. The only other arrival was a free transfer to pad out the defence. I am not convinced Rudiger is good enough on the pitch, especially in a back four, but he is a very big presence in the dressing room. Something a club like Madrid needs. Mark: B

Outs
Casemiro to Manchester United
Borja Mayoral to Getafe
Takefusa Kubo to Real Sociedad
Miguel Gutierrez to Girona
Victor Chust to Cadiz
Luka Jovic to Fiorentina
Isco to Sevilla
Marcelo to Olympiacos
Gareth Bale to Los Angeles FC
Reinier to Girona (loan)
Antonio Blanco to Cadiz (loan)

Offloaded a bunch of unwanted players, some over the hill, some not good enough and Bale, who has a horrible attitude. It was an excellent window, especially as they managed to bring in such a large amount for a midfielder who was on the downhill slope and never really good enough anyway. Their transfer dealings have improved markedly in recent years. Mark: A

Overall: Despite losing a bunch of players on free transfers, they still managed to make a profit in the transfer window. Most of that was down to the sale of Casemiro, who virtually paid for his own upgrade with his transfer. It is such a change from the years of only buying flashy signings and neglecting the signings of the players they actually need to build a balanced team. Shockingly, Madrid no longer seem to be Unreal Madride and have become a fairly well run club. Mark: A-

Barcelona

Ins
Raphinha from Leeds United
Jules Kounde from Sevilla
Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich
Franck Kessie from AC Milan
Andreas Christensen from Chelsea
Hector Bellerin from Arsenal
Marcos Alonso from Chelsea

An absolute shambles of a transfer window but somehow they managed to get over £130m spent and all the players registered. It took a lot of financial chicanery to do so, but they have taken a huge stride forward as a team. I am not convinced the signings from Chelsea were the best choices but they will no doubt be fine in most matches in La Liga. Bellerin will no doubt spend most of his time injured but Lewandowski and Kessie are excellent signings who will make a huge difference to the teams chances of winning a trophy. Particularly Lewa, though it is only a short-term signing. Mark: B+

Outs
Philippe Coutinho to Aston Villa
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Chelsea
Francisco Trincao to Sporting Clube de Portugal
Miralem Pjanic to Sharjah
Riqui Puig to Los Angeles Galaxy
Martin Braithwaite to Espanyol
Oscar Mingueza to Celta de Vigo
Neto to Bournemouth
Rey Manaj to Watford
Moussa Wague to HNK Gorica
Dani Alves to UNAM Pumas
Nico Gonzalez to Valencia (loan)
Sergino Dest to AC Milan (loan)
Clement Lenglet to Tottenham Hotspur (loan)
Ez Abde to CA Osasuna (loan)
Alex Collado to Elche (loan)
Samuel Umtiti to Lecce (loan)

Through bullying, coercion and pay-offs, Barca manage to offload a lot of the dross that they had accumulated in recent years, bringing the wage bill down massively, just before bringing it straight back up with their new arrivals. They were unable to get rid of the highest earner though, and that is a significant issue which will hamper future recruitment. Mark: C

Overall: The window was a true pantomine, replete with villains, Widow Twanky and a belle that didn't get to go to the ball. Yet somehow they managed to end up forcing, and I do mean forcing, out most of the players they wanted rid of, while getting the majority of the players they wanted. Despite rising debt levels and an obscene salary bill, they were able to recruit heavily. It all felt a bit distasteful and borderline illegal, certainly immoral the actions of the club. In fact it was the club that ended up as the villains of the piece with their underhand actions in attempting to force players out. It amazes me that any player would consider joining them considering the way they treated players. Mark: C-

Sevilla

Ins
Tanguy Nianzou from Bayern Munich
Marcao from Galatasaray
Adnan Janusaj from Real Sociedad
Isco from Real Madrid
Alex Telles from Manchester United (loan)
Kasper Dolberg from OGC Nice (loan)

The usual mix of cheap punts and free/loan transfers that have flopped at bigger clubs and are looking for a second chance. It is not an inspiring window by any means. Mark: D-

Outs
Jules Kounde to Barcelona
Diego Carlos to Aston Villa
Lucas Ocampos to Ajax (loan)
Luuk de Jong to PSV Eindhoven
Alejandro Pozo to UD Almeria
Ludwig Augustinsson to Aston Villa (loan)
Munir El Haddadi to Getafe
Juan Berrocal to SD Eibar
Javi Diaz to Tenerife
Oscar Rodriguez to Celta de Vigo (loan)
Rony Lopes to Troyes (loan)
Oussama Idrissi to Feyenoord (loan)
Ivan Romero to Tenerife (loan)

Financially they have brought in a good amount of money but the effect on the team is huge. Their central defensive partnership, that so much of their success was built upon, was sold, leaving them trying to build a new one. No matter how good their recruitment is, they are unable to build solid foundations to sustain any measure of success. Mark: E

Overall: Sevilla's financial situation means that every time they start to get a decent team together to challenge for trophies it gets picked apart by richer teams. This is another window where the vultures have picked the bones clean and left the club back in a rebuilding mode. Mark: D

Atletico Madrid

Ins
Nahuel Molina from Udinese
Samuel Lino from Gil Vicente
Axel Witsel from Borussia Dortmund
Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham Hotspur (loan)

Financially Atleti are in an absolute mess, too much big spending with too little income, leaving them hamstrung. That showed in their signings this season and they look like a team that needs a complete reboot, from top to bottom. Mark: D-

Outs
Renan Lodi to Nottingham Forest (loan)
Daniel Wass to Brondby IF
Manu Sanchez to CA Osasuna (loan)
Hector Herrera to Houston Dynamo
Sime Vrsaljko to Olympiacos
Nehuen Perez to Udinese
Samuel Lino to Valencia (loan)
Marcos Paulo to Mirandes (loan)
Victor Mollejo to Real Zaragoza (loan)
Sergio Camello to Rayo Vallecano (loan)
Borja Garces to Tenerife (loan)
Rodrigo Riquelme to Girona (loan)
Vitolo to Las Palmas (loan)
Giuliano Simeone to Real Zaragoza (loan)
Luis Suarez released
Santiago Arias released

It was mostly a case of offloading highly-paid older players to reduce the wage bill, something they achieved remarkably well. The big failing was the lack of almost any kind of transfer fees to speak of. Mark: C+

Overall: Atleti look a shadow of the team they once were and Simeone's methods are starting to look out of date. With financial struggles added on top, they look like a team in decline, if just the early stages. The transfer window did little to address that. Mark: D

Written by Tris Burke October 06 2022 15:13:26