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by Nyle Farooqui
Manor Solomon to Fulham:
On July 25th, Fulham announced that they signed 23 year old Israeli attacker Manor Solomon from Shakhtar Donetsk on a loan deal until June 2023. According to The Athletic, Solomon cannot be registered until August 1st because of a recent amendment to a FIFA ruling (Peter Rutzler of The Athletic). The Israeli had an option exercised to suspend his Shahktar contract due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Peter Rutzler of The Athletic). He will go back to Shahktar at the end of 2022-23 as his Shahktar contract expires in December 2023 (Peter Rutzler of The Athletic). Solomon had four goals in 16 appearances for Shahktar in the Ukrainian Premier League. Sports Rabbi and Jerusalem post writer Josh Halickman was very praiseful of Solomon. He said, “He’s a top talent. Solomon has the potential to be one of the top five Israeli players to play abroad. He has a ton of talent. He has a work ethic that is second to none. He is extremely modest, which also plays in his favor. He’s not this splashy superstar”. Solomon is known to be a great dribbler and carrier of the ball (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). On the attack, Solomon is productive (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). He is good at receiving tbe ball along with creating chances (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). Off the ball, Solomon is a hard worker as he is willing to recover the ball back for his team (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). The speed that Solomon possesses is dangerous as he can take on defenders 1v1 (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). Fulham plays a counter-attacking style of football. As an attacking player that is suited most to transition moments, Solomon is a great fit for Fulham (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic).
Gianluca Scamacca to West Ham:
On July 26th, West Ham announced that they signed 23 year old 6’5 Italian forward Gianluca Scamacca from Serie A side Sassuolo to a 5 year contract. There is an option to extend for a further year. According to Fabrizio Romano, it is a €36m transfer fee plus €6m in add-ons and a 10% sell-on clause. Scamacca was one of the top young forwards in Europe last season. The 23 year old talent scored 16 goals in 36 matches in Serie A. Italian international head coach Roberto Mancini is a big fan of Scamacca. He said, “Scammaca has everything it takes to become a complete center-forward. He scores all kinds of goals: headers, goals from distance, close-range finishes. He’s powerful and skillful. I had a long chat with him at our recent camp and told him how far he can go” (James Horncastle of The Athletic). According to scoutedftbl, Scammaca can hit the channels and run wide, hold up the ball for teammates, combine by dropping as an attacking midfielder, or sit on the shoulder of defenders to find an opportunity to score. Scammaca is a solid passer of the ball, this helps his team on the front foot (scoutedftbl). The biggest area of concern for Scammaca is his consistency which is something that he will need to improve on (scoutedftbl). This is a great signing for David Moyes’ side as Scammaca provides great depth to the squad. One of West Ham’s biggest concerns last season was squad depth as Michail Antonio was not able to score a goal for 15 matches (Chuck Booth of CBS Soccer). They did not really have another forward option at that time besides Jarrod Bowen which is problematic as he is not a natural striker (Chuck Booth of CBS Soccer). The great thing about Scammaca is that even though he still has much growing to do as a striker, he can still have an impact for West Ham now.
Rúben Vinagre to Everton:
On July 27th, Everton announced that they signed 23 year old Portuguese defender Rúben Vinagre from Primeira Liga side Sporting CP on loan for the 2022/23 season. According to Fabrizio Romano, there is a buy option included and Everton will have his full salary covered. Vinagre is known to be an explosive left back as he is a great dribbler of the ball Nnmandi Onyeagwara of Goodison News). He is also a pacey player that can trick the opposition (Nnmandi Onyeagwara of Goodison News). The young Portuguese player is versatile as he can also play in a left midfield role as he can use his pace and dribbling skills to ease past defenders and create opportunities for teammates Nnmandi Onyeagwara of Goodison News). A necessary signing for Everton as they conceded 66 goals in the Premier League last season. They need their defense to be better if they want to avoid relegation this season as they were pretty close to it last season. Vinagre’s versatility will be beneficial to Lampard’s side when choosing how he should be best deployed.
Chris Richards to Crystal Palace:
On July 27th, Crystal Palace announced that they signed 22 year old American defender Chris Richards from Bundesliga side Bayern Munich on a 5 year deal. According to Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic, Palace will pay initially €12m for the young defender. The fee however could rise to €20m with add-ons. Richards is a ball playing center back that is comfortable with the ball at both sides of his feet (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). He is above average on the ball and a great ball-winner (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). The young American defender is not fazed by pressure (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). During his time at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, Richards tended to have the ball on the ground instead of playing balls over the top or behind (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). He would tend to be taking the most touches in the middle of the field as he was able to move into the final third (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). Richards is a hard worker off the ball, he was a great presser with Hoffenheim as he ended up being one of the best on the team in that regard (Andy Edwards of NBC Sports). This is a great signing from Crystal Palace. Richards fits the way Patrick Vieira wants his team to play. He looks very promising for a defender of his age, the great thing is that there is still room for him to go. Richards can help Palace now while also being potentially an even more crucial member of the team long-term.
Kevin Mbabu to Fulham:
On July 27th, Fulham announced that they signed 27 year old Switzerland international right back Kevin Mbabu from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg to a three year contract. According to Peter Rutzler of The Athletic, there is an option of an additional year for Mbabu. The fee is €5.5m, with an additional €2m in add-ons. According to The Athletic, Mbabu is a strong and athletic player. He is strong in the air and contributes to many defensive actions. The Switzerland is also known to be a pacy player and likes to get involved in the attack as he carries the ball forward (Peter Rutzler of The Athletic). Mbabu is capable of creating good chances from ball progression and shot creation ( Peter Rutzler of The Athletic). This is a good signing for Fulham as Mbabu comes with plenty of experience and will bolster the defense.
Dwight McNeil to Everton:
On July 28th, Everton announced that they signed 22 year old English forward Dwight McNeil from Burnley to a five year contract. According to David Ornstein and Andy Jones of The Athletic, the transfer fee is £20m. McNeil has proven to be one of the best dribblers in the Premier League over the last couple of years (Royal Blue Mersey). The young talent is also known to be a good creator. According to EFC Statto, McNeil created 47 chances with Burnley last season even though he did not score any goals and had only 1 assist. This was more than any other PL player, making him one of the top 25 chance creators in the league. McNeil is also known to be great at crossing along with being capable of contributing defensively. According to Matchday365, he had the third most tackles won among U23 players across Europe’s top 5 leagues. His biggest weakness is goalscoring, he had 0 goals for Burnley last season. This is something he will need to improve on. A good piece of business from Frank Lampard as McNeil should be able to help Everton’s attack cause problems for opponents with his creativity. Although McNeil still has room to grow, he should still be able to help the team in the short-term.
Orel Mangala to Nottingham Forest:
On July 31st, Nottingham Forest announced that they signed 24 year old Belgium international midfielder Orel Mangala from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart to a four year contract. According to Fabrizio Romano, the initial fee is £12.75m with £3/4m add-ons. Romano adds that there is a sell-on clause that ranges from 12-14%. The former Stuttgart player had 1 goal and 3 assists in 28 matches played last season. Mangala is a dynamic and all-around midfielder. He is a technical player along with being a great passer of the ball (Anthony Onifade). Mangala is best suited to dribble up the field in order to deal with pressure that his teammates may be facing or to help facilitate an attack (Anthony Onifade).. He can help set his team up from defense to attack at a quick rate (Anthony Onifade). Mangala is a versatile player as he plays as an anchor to help defend when his teammates potentially are in a back-four or can play as a box-to-box player (Anthony Onifade). The Belgium midfielder is a player that does all the hard work for his team such as breaking up play, stopping-counter attacks, or helping facilitate movement (Anthony Onifade). This is a great signing for Nottingham. Teams need a player like this that is willing to do all the dirty work in order to make an impact on the team. Mangala could be a massive boost for Nottingham in this regard as he provides tremendous quality and has all the tools necessary to really help Nottingham dictate play in matches.
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