As the transfer window closes behind us, I think it’s worth taking a look at the 5 best transfers made in the window.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Cost: Free
We all thought Ibrahimovic could be a Premier League legend, however questions were raised about his age and ability to adapt to the physical style that we see in the English game. Ibrahimovic has well and truly put to bed any concerns Manchester United fans had.
Zlatan’s performances have been fantastic. His strength and ability to hold up the ball and bring other players into the game by a beautiful one touch passing is a pleasure to watch.
Adding to the mix 4 goals in 4 games, makes him the signing of the summer.
Jon Stones
Cost: £47.5 Million
I personally felt that the move to the Etihad had come too early for Jon Stones, but his performances have completely changed my mind. He has grasped the Guardiola philosophy straight off the bat. He plays on the front foot and passes the ball beautifully. He also has a tackle in him when it’s required (a minimum requirement as a defender).
You can see the improvements in Stones, and I expect over the next few years we will see him develop into one of the best defenders in Europe.
Joe Hart
Cost: Season Loan
Since the opening day of the season we have been discussing Joe Hart’s future, and finally on Wednesday he joined Torino on loan for the rest of season.
Torino has pulled off a right piece of business in signing Hart. A keeper of Harts experience and talent could have played for any of the top clubs in Europe. However, for whatever reason, Torino is where we will see Joe Hart play this season. Whoever lead the negotiations at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino deserves a pay rise.
I believe the change of scenery for Joe will benefit him greatly. He won’t have the English media constantly on his back and will be able to focus solely on his game.
Sadio Mane
Cost: £36 Million
When I heard about the deal to bring Mane to Anfield, I felt the price tag was too steep.
He played well at Southampton, but he often disappeared in important games and Liverpool needed to move away from those types of players.
I watched the Arsenal game and was highly impressed, not just with his fantastic solo goal, but also his work rate and how he ran at defenders beating them with ease.
He missed the Burnley game through injury and Liverpool struggled to break down a stubborn defence.
He returned for the game against Spurs and looked dangerous throughout. He kept finding pockets of space in the defence and was unlucky not to have killed the game off.
I feel Mane will flourish at Liverpool and prove he deserved the price tag.
David Luiz
Cost: £34 Million
At times at during his first spell at Chelsea, David Luiz showed immense desire and quality. However, he often lost his composure and made reckless stupid decisions which cost Chelsea points.
Conte is a stickler for discipline and his mandate requires players to be regimented in their play. David Luiz isn’t either of these things and you may wonder why I have included him in the top 5 transfers of the window.
If Chelsea are to compete for the title this year, they will require players to be disciplined and regimented. But they will need players to take the game by the collar and make things happen.
They need a rogue to make the difference and, in David Luiz, Chelsea has found this.
James Mahoney – midtablefinish.com @midtablefinish1
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