Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Premier league tranfers XI

By Solomon Fowowe
07 September 2017   |   3:26 pm
Well, it’s all done and sanity can return. Mind-bending figures in millions and cumulatively billions for the entire Premier League will cease to be bandied around. Real football can take centre stage once again. Still we try to makes sense of the best deals, fitting the best new faces into a shape. It’s the Premier League transfers XI. A little heads up, there’s no Romelu Lukaku or Jordan Pickford because they really are not new faces to the Premier League.

Well, it’s all done and sanity can return. Mind-bending figures in millions and cumulatively billions for the entire Premier League will cease to be bandied around. Real football can take centre stage once again. Still we try to makes sense of the best deals, fitting the best new faces into a shape. It’s the Premier League transfers XI. A little heads up, there’s no Romelu Lukaku or Jordan Pickford because they really are not new faces to the Premier League.

Ederson Moraes
Benfica – Manchester City
Maybe Guardiola was right in sending blundering Joe Hart far away to Turin but his replacement Claudio Bravo hardly convinced between the sticks. Manchester City are pinning their goal keeping hopes on 23-year old Ederson. The Brazilian has excellent distribution and is comfortable with the ball at his feet (Guardiola’s number 1 requirement for a goalkeeper), that allied with his shot-stopping abilities earned him the £35 million move to be the second most expensive goalkeeper in history.

Sead Kolasinac
Schalke 04 – Arsenal
Arsene Wenger did hit a bargain getting one of Bundesliga’s best left wing back for free. The Bosnian made five assists and scored three goals in for Schalke. His versatility is also going to be key for Arsenal as he is able to fill in in the centre of defense and in the defensive midfield positions.

Ahmed Hegazi
Al Ahly – West Brom
Not many defenders will make a Tony Pulis team even more solid. Hegazi looks to have improved the back line already replacing the aging legs of Gareth McAuley. His 6’5 height makes him even more perfect for Pulis, improving West Brom’s goal threat from set pieces and adding solidity to the back line.

Davinson Sanchez
Ajax – Tottenham Hotspur
A defensive stalwart in Ajax’s run to the Europa league final. Sanchez was a mainstay in the heart of the defense showing his full range of abilities in the Eredivisie. His exceptional reading of the game and strong tackling makes him a good fit for the Premier League. Also, the Colombian is adept with the ball at his feet initiating play from the defence, a quality that will truly excite his new coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Serge Aurier
PSG – Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have gotten themselves a brilliant full back possibly better than the one they are replacing. Serge Aurier was brought in for just £24 million to replace Kyle Walker who was sold to Manchester city for £50 million. The Ivorian with abundance of power and pace to burn will offer Spurs the width they crave on the right hand side alongside his supreme crossing ability.

Grzegorz Krychowiak
PSG – West Brom
West Bromwich Albion really were shrewd in their dealings in the transfer market but getting a high profile player such as Krychowiak into the team beefs up the levels of their transfer market savviness. The defensive midfielder will add an extra line of security in front of the Baggies defence. The Poland International was a key cog in the Sevilla side that won the UEFA Europa league in 2016.

Renato Sanches
Bayern Munich – Swansea
Stunning, surprising and a fair few other adjectives have been used to describe this move. It is what happens when the young player of the tournament in Euro 2016, Euro 2016 winner, 2016 Golden Boy winner joins a struggling side in the Premier League. Sanches’ energy and drive in the midfield will help Paul Clement’s side improve on their poor season last time out.

Mo Salah
AS Roma – Liverpool
Arsenal defenders can already attest to how brilliant the Egyptian is. Salah’s searing pace and incisive running is certain to cause problems for many Premier League defenders. His goal getting ability and creativity from the wings is also impressive with his 15 goals and 11 assists in the Serie A particularly eye-catching. The winger has two goals and an assist already in three Premier League games.

Bernardo Silva
AS Monaco – Manchester City
The silky midfielder was an integral part of Monaco’s Ligue 1 triumph creating chances and knitting play together. The technically gifted midfielder weighed in eight goals and nine assists as well as and creating the most chances in the Ligue 1 last season. Pep Guardiola ensured the Portuguese came in early for £46 million, signaling his importance.

Javier Hernandes
Bayern Leverkusen – West Ham
Chicharito is certainly the best money purchase per goal, the £16 million shelled out for him seems a pittance considering the problem he solves for the Hammers. West Ham’s struggle to get a veritable, injury-free goal-getter has been well documented. In Chicharito, West Ham’s scoring issues might have been solved. The Mexican averages a goal every 130 minutes in club football.

Alvaro Morata
Real Madrid – Chelsea
Maybe Chelsea and Conte preferred Romelu Lukaku but Alvaro Morata also is a dead-eyed finisher whose movement with and without the ball is exquisite. The striker averaged a goal every 89 minutes in the Spanish La liga last season. His 15 goals was the second highest in the Real Madrid team despite starting just 14 games. Chelsea might actually be better served with Morata in their ranks than their preferred choice.

0 Comments