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by Nyle Farooqui
Ludwig Augustinsson to Aston Villa:
On July 11th, Aston Villa announced that they signed 28 year old Swedish left back Ludwig Augustinsson on a one season loan from La Liga side Sevilla with an option to buy. According to The Athletic, the loan fee is £500,000. According to Fabrizio Romano, the buy option could be around €4.5m. A good signing for Aston Villa that provides competition to the left back position. A player with plenty of experience. This is Villa’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window. You need veteran players like Augustinsson on your team to help provide leadership. Great way to add depth to the squad as Aston Villa will need as much help as they can get in order to have a successful season.
Andreas Pereira to Fulham:
On July 11th, Fulham announced that they signed 24 year old Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira from Manchester United to a 4 year contract. According to Fabrizio Romano, it is a £10m fee plus £3m in add-ons. He was not able to find his place in Manchester United, the Brazilian lost his place when Bruno Fernandes was signed. Pereira most recently had a loan spell at Brazilian side Flamengo. Peter Rutzler and Maram AlBaharna of The Athletic states that his time there was good and showed that he was near his prime. Globo Esporte journalist Cahe Mota states that Pereira has great technique as he is able to “create space on the ball in the mid-field for his teammates” (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). Mota additionally adds that the Brazilian midfielder is a clever player as he makes the ball run, this means that he doesn't need to move around the field much to have an impact on the game (Rutzler and AlBaharna of The Athletic). The big question for Pereira at Fulham will be if he can be at his best there as Fulham will need him to help them try to avoid relegation this season.
Cheick Doucouré to Crystal Palace:
On July 11th, Crystal Palace announced that they signed 22 year old Malian midfielder Cheick Doucouré from Ligue One side Lens to a 5 year contract for an £18m fee plus add-ons. According to Matt Woosnam and Mark Carey of The Athletic, he played the role of breaking up play and distributing the ball to forwards during his time with Lens. Former teammate Seko Fofana states that Doucouré knows how to do everything on the pitch. Fofana says, “He knows how to shoot from a distance, pass, break the lines, dribble, defend” (Woosnam and Carey of The Athletic). He does not feel the opposing pressure” (Woosnam and Carey of The Athletic). Doucouré is more capable of doing defensive duties (Woosnam and Carey of The Athletic). According to The Athletic, Doucouré is a great receiver of the ball who is secure in possession and capable of playing out of the back. The Athletic believes that Doucouré will be a No. 6 for Palace with Vieria probably going back to a midfield three with two more attacking No. 8s ahead of him. A good signing for Palace as they are getting a young but quality player. It will be interesting to see how Doucouré does at Palace as his price tag comes with pressure on him.
Neco Williams to Nottingham Forest:
On July 11th, Nottingham Forest announced that they signed 21 year old Welsh fullback Neco Williams from Liverpool FC. According to Fabrizio Romano, the total fee is £17.5m, add-ons included. According to Caoimhe O’Neill of The Athletic, Williams was identified as a potential replacement for Djed Spence in January when it looked like Middlesborough could call him back. The young right back looks to play short and sharp passes instead of long balls up field, he keeps possession at a very high rate (Caoime O’Neill of The Athletic). Williams is solid defensively as he can prevent the opposition from progressing up the field (Caoime O’Neill of The Athletic). He contributes well offensively as his attacking output is strong when creating chances for his teammates along with taking a shot himself (Caoime O’Neill of The Athletic). A good signing for Nottingham as they are getting a player that can contribute both defensively and offensively.
Keane Lewis-Potter to Brentford:
On July 12th, Brentford announced that they signed 21 year old England U-21 international forward Keane Lewis-Potter from Championship side Hull City to a six year contract for an undisclosed fee. According to BBC Sport, Brentford tried to sign Potter last summer and again in January. Potter scored 13 goals in 47 appearances for Hull City last season. Brentford head coach Thomas Frank sees Potter as a perfect fit for the Brentford model, stating that he is a player that gets in the box and attacks the last line. According to Thomas Frank, Potter is able to convert chances that are made for him and is a flexible player. Potter can play as a left winger/right winger along with possibly as a striker or a No.10. A good signing from Brentford as this helps deal with the loss of Christian Eriksen, a player that made a big contribution to Brentford offensively last season.
Nathan Collins to Wolves:
On July 12th, Wolves announced that they signed 21 year old Irish defender Nathan Collins from Burnley. According to Steve Madeley and Andy Jones of The Athletic, the fee is £20.5m. It is reportedly a 5 year deal, with the option of a further 12 months (Madeley and Jones of The Athletic). This is Wolves’ first signing of the summer transfer window. Wolves technical director Scott Sellars gave insight into what fans can expect from Collins. He said, “We’re getting someone who is physically very good, very tall, very athletic, and is very comfortable on the ball- he can step in and take the ball forward which is what we need” (Madeley and Jones of The Athletic). Stellars additionally states that he is “very good in both boxes” and is strong in the air along with providing good leadership and being a good character (Madeley and Jones of The Athletic). A good signing for Wolves to add more competition to their defense.
Raheem Sterling to Chelsea:
On July 13th, Chelsea announced that they signed 27 year old English forward Raheem Sterling from Manchester City to a 5 year contract for a £45m fee plus add-ons. This is Chelsea’s first signing of the summer transfer window. Sterling brings a lot to Chelsea. He is a very experienced player. Sterling won so many titles with Manchester City, he knows what it takes to win and this will help a young Chelsea side. He scored 13 goals in 30 PL matches this season. The fee that Chelsea paid for one of the best players in the Premier League makes this signing arguably a bargain. Sterling has scored 109 Premier League goals in his career so far. According to Dominic Fifield and Mark Carey of The Athletic, 78 of those have been with City over the last five seasons. Only Salah, Kane, and Vardy have scored more goals in that period (Fifield and Carey of The Athletic). Chelsea is getting a very prolific and world class player on their hands that will help bolster their attack. Sterling was Thomas Tuchel’s #1 target and he got him. Excellent business from Tuchel and new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
Christian Eriksen to Manchester United:
On July 15th, Manchester United announced that they signed 30 year old Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen as a free agent to a 3 year contract. He most recently played for Brentford. Eriksen played a big part in Brentford’s success last season with 1 goal and 4 assists in 11 matches. According to The Mastermind Site, Eriksen has a calming presence on the ball. He can play in a midfield three and even in a deeper role (The Mastermind Site). During Eriksen’s time with Brentford, he had a career high for final third passes (7.21), key passes (3.08), and crosses into the penalty area (0.77 per 90). The Mastermind Site additionally highlights that his 3.08 key passes after his arrival was only second to Kevin De Bruyne’s key passes. Eriksen is a versatile player. He can play as a no.10 but is also capable of performing defensive actions (The Mastermind Site). A great piece of business for Manchester United to sign a high-caliber player like Christian Eriksen on a free transfer with plenty of more work to be done. An incredible story in football. Eriksen suffers a heart attack during the 2020 EUROS and is unsure on if he can play again, plays for Brentford, and has now made his return to the top with Manchester United.
Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea FC:
On July 16th, Chelsea announced that they signed 31 year old Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Serie A side Napoli to a 4 year contract with an option for an additional season. It is a €40m deal. According to FBref, Koulibaly finished 2nd in successful dribbles in Serie A last season with an 86.4 successful dribble percentage. He finished 2nd as well in successful pressure with a 41.8 successful pressure percentage. Koulibaly was a crucial player to Napoli’s success in Serie A last season, he finished 10th in points per match in Serie A with 2.30 points per match (FBref). Koulibaly is past his prime at age 30, however he is still a great center back. He will definitely bolster Chelsea’s backline as he comes with great experience. Chelsea definitely needed to bolster their defense if they want to try to accomplish even more this season and Koulibaly is an appropriate player for this.
Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United:
On July 17th, Manchester United announced that they signed 24 year old Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez from Eredivisie side Ajax. Martinez reunites with manager Erik Ten Hag as he played under him at Ajax. According to Fabrizio Romano, it is a contract until June 2027 with an option for a further season. The official fee is £55m (€57m including solidarity payments) plus €10m add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. According to Crossbar Hub, Martinez is a ball-playing center back. The young Argentine defender is strong in the air and is a good passer of the ball (Crossbar Hub). Martinez is capable of helping his team get forward as his passing led to a lot of attacking moves for Ajax (Crossbar Hub). He is also a great dribbler with the ball (Crossbar Hub). Martinez can help United defend counter attacks as he is known to be effective at stopping them due to his speed (Crossbar Hub). He still has room to develop but is already a great defender for his age. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the Premier League and especially with reuniting under Ten Hag as he was key to his development at Ajax. Defense was definitely a position that needed addressing after United conceded 57 goals last season, the hope is that Martinez will help make United’s defense more robust as they will need a strong defense in order to make it to the top 4.
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