Transfer Round Up #6

I'm back with more opinions on the transfers in this window. Today I look at Brendan Rodgers' new attacker as well as looking in Italy for the latest deals.

Christian Benteke – Aston Villa to Liverpool - £32m

The purchase of Christian Benteke by Brendan Rodgers may signal the end of the failed experiment with Mario Balotelli. At £32m Benteke didn’t come cheap, but he will offer a lot more than Balotelli. It may also suggest a change in tactics with this signing, particularly as the Belgian international won more headed duels than any other player last season with 187, despite missing 9 league games. On the other hand, he did have the worse pass accuracy of any other Villa player last season with 67%. Benteke will be a hit on Merseyside one way or another and will be sure to be more consistent than last season’s attackers.

Arda Turan – Atletico Madrid to FC Barcelona - £23m

Under more of a ‘registration ban’ than a transfer ban, Luis Enrique has once again dipped into the transfer market in order to strengthen his already top quality Catalan side. Turan is a great signing and his consistency is probably his biggest asset. He is equally adept in defence and attack, completing 2.01 successful tackles per match as well as creating 1.31 chances per match. While he is not known for his goal scoring abilities, his expert dribbling ability can unbalance any defence given any space behind the defence. It’s a great signing but he is unfortunate to spend the first half of the season on the sidelines.

Geoffrey Kondogbia – AS Monaco to Inter Milan - £21

Not a lot was mentioned about this transfer in the media, partially because it doesn’t involve any British team. It is a very good acquisition from Roberto Mancini and I am really surprised any English side did not try and get him. The energetic box to box player will bring various skills to Milan. With Mancini often opting for a slow possession based game, Kondogbia will regularly be used to initiate attacks from the back. His combative style is further emphasised with the amount of interceptions he averaged last season, 2.48 per game. He is an excellent young player that a few Premier League sides really could have benefitted from having in their team.

Paulo Dybala – Palermo to Juventus - £22m

The partnership Paulo Dybala formed Franco Vazquez last season was unbelievable. The little Argentine netted 13 goals in 35 appearances last season on his way to becoming one of Palermo's hottest properties. Creating 61 chances only Vazquez created more for the Scillians this season with 68. Dybala will replace Carlos Tevez who moved to Boca Juniors earlier in the transfer window and he can certainly replace his goals. Like Tevez, Dybala will drop into the holes allowing his strike partners Alvaro Morata or Mario Mandzukic to move into the space created. Billed as another Sergio Aguero, this has the makings of another cracking signing from Max Allegri.

Jordy Clasie – Feyenoord to Southampton - £8m

In order to replace the departed Morgan Schneiderlin, Ronald Koeman has looked to his native lands and found Jordy Clasie. Football Manager enthusiasts will know all about the young Dutch international whose playing style has seen him labelled the ‘Dutch Xavi’. At only 24 years of age, he made 111 league appearances for Feyenoord and is already a fan favourite in the Netherlands. He won more tackles than any other Feyenoord player last season and also played more passes than his teammates, even while maintaining an 83% completion rate. He isn’t Morgan Schneiderlin, but I’m still looking forward to seeing how the player fares in the Premier League and he definitely is the player to replace the Frenchman.

Southampton may not receive an instant impact from Jordy Clasie but he is one to take over from Schneiderlin in the long term. Christian Benteke is a very good signing for Liverpool and he showed what he can do against Bournemouth on Monday night. Kondogbia is terrific signing and it amazes me why Arsenal did not try and purchase him. As for Dybala, he is a perfect replacement for Carlos Tevez at Juventus.