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.

Transfer Target #6 - Luis Muriel

Luis Muriel has been described as one of the world's most promising strikers by many people. The 22 year old has made an impressive appearance on the Serie A scene and will be hoping to be equally scintillating at the World Cup in the summer. 

The South American striker scored on his senior debut 4 years ago for Colombian side Cali in a 1-1 draw with Cucuta. His first season in football witnessed him net 9 goals in 10 appearances and assisting 5 times. Not bad for an 18 year old.

His performances for Cali attracted the eye of Udinese boss Francisco Guidolin, and was signed by the Udine side in June 2010. For his first season contracted to Udinese, Muriel was loaned out to La Liga side Granada CF. During his time with Granada, he endured a dry period, failing to hit the back of the net in 9 appearances, even though the southern Spain side achieved promotion from Liga Adelante.

The 2011/2012 season saw Luis loaned out to Serie A side Lecce in aid to help his development. His spell with the Southern Italy side saw him improve drastically by netting 9 goals in 30 appearances. This was to be the last season in which he was loaned before he returned to Udinese in an attempt to cement a place in the first team.

A femoral fracture sidelined Muriel at the start of the 2012 season for 2012 weeks. After that injury, Luis Muriel was back in the side with immediate effect. Last season he made 23 appearances, scoring 10 goals and assisting 3 times. Similarly, this season has been hampered by muscle injuries as he has only made 16 appearances and scored 5 goals.

The centre forward is unlikely to move this January, with Brazil looming in less than 5 months time. A summer transfer is possible with his lust for Champions League football well noted by English managers. Last summer, it was rumoured that Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham were interested in the Colombian international.