Transfer Round Up #7

In my final instalment for this transfer window, I look at 7 transfers instead of the usual 5.

Fabian Delph – Aston Villa to Manchester City - £8m

Days after committing himself to Aston Villa, Fabian Delph turns from captain to villain as he agrees a deal with Manchester City. With City in dire need of home grown players to fulfil the quota set by the FA, Delph may only end up being a bit part player but he has the potential to be the new James Milner. Last season, City were often out of form in the middle of the park, with Fernandinho, Fernando and Yaya Toure all being a bit underwhelming. With Delph, he will bring energy in the engine room for when he comes on off the bench. This transfer can go one of two ways. It could go down the gutter and he will be sold at the end of the season for a cut price or he could be one of City’s unsung heroes.

Iker Casillas – Real Madrid to FC Porto – free transfer

I was shocked when I heard that Casillas who I used to label “Mr Madrid” had left for Porto. At 34 years of age, I was expecting the former Spanish keeper to retire in the capital city but a mixture of fan pressure and that of Madrid President Florentino Perez left the goal keeper no option but to leave the club. Particularly disappointing was the reception the veteran was given throughout the season and will surely taint one of the great teams of world football. Casillas was a stalwart in nets over the past decade and will be a major coup for the Portuguese club.

Kieran Trippier – Burnley to Spurs - £3.4m

Along with Danny Ings, Kieran Trippier was one of the major positives in Burnley’s relegation season last year. The full back provided the most key passes from a defender last season behind Leighton Baines as well as featuring in all 38 games. His crossing ability is second to none, completing the most successful crosses last season than anyone in Europe’s top five leagues with 91. He is everything you want in a full back, someone who can be rock solid defensively as well as equally adept offensively. He will go down well at his new club.

Sergio Romero – Sampdoria to Manchester United – free transfer

I’m positive that Louis Van Gaal was expecting David de Gea and Victor Valdes to be leaving this summer when signing the Argentine number 1. This was greeted with criticism as he was struggling to hold down a first team spot at his former club, Sampdoria, however I don’t think this is a bad move from the side. In his opening games, yes he has made some mistakes and looked uneasy on the ball, but so did David de Gea when he arrived in Manchester. With de Gea staying at Old Trafford, it will be interesting to see if he can retain the goal keeping spot.

Ibrahim Afellay – Barcelona to Stoke City – free transfer

Mark Hughes and Stoke City have been busy in the transfer market, bringing in some players that definitely do not conform to the ‘Stoke stereotype’. Ibrahim Affelay is one of them. Like Bojan the season before this is a risky signing, particularly due to his horrendous injury record. With the amount of injuries this player receives, it will not surprise me in the slightest if Stoke have to take out Wonga loan to pay his medical fees. He does have talent and can beat a player. Mark Hughes has signalled a new era in Stoke, and I'm looking to see how it unfolds as the season progresses. Keeping him and Bojan on the pitch will be difficult, but if they can, then they will definitely improve on last year’s position. 

Xherdan Shaqiri – Inter Milan to Stoke - £12m

Around the time of this transfer I read a piece stating that Xherdan Shaqiri’s career is like the Goal movies only in reverse, and it’s totally true. Shaqiri is a big player and will please Stoke supporters and Premier League supporters alike seeing him in England. In half of a season for Internazionale last year, he created 29 chances as well as completing 16 out of 23 of his take ons. While only registering 67 league appearances over the last 4 seasons, Shaqiri is still young enough to make himself a worldwide name. During the last World Cup, only Lionel Messi made more key passes than the Swiss international. It may be a baffling transfer for the neutral to comprehend, but it’s an excellent one for everyone connected to the Britannia Stadium.

Anthony Martial – Monaco to Manchester United - £36m

Last on my list is deadline arrival to Manchester United, Anthony Martial. Now the most expensive teenager in the world, this transfer caught everyone off guard. Tipped as a future Thierry Henry by the French media and Old Trafford, he has a clause for the Ballon D'Or inserted in his contract, showing how highly he is thought of. Last season for Les Monagasques, Martial netted 9 goals and also created 12 chances. Similar to Manchester City who paid £50m for the potential of Raheem Sterling, United are doing the same with Martial. Sterling v Martial could be the battle that flourishes as both get older.

That's all for this window. As always, feel free to comment your opinions on who could be a hit with their respective clubs or who will flop.

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 Round Up #5

After a week away, I'm back to bring you 5 more transfers from across Europe. Feel free to leave your opinions on the transfers in the comments or via the various social media outlets.

Bastian Schweinsteiger – Bayern Munich to Manchester United - £14m

Louis Van Gaal strengthens his midfield with the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Having missed 25 Bundesliga games in the last 2 seasons, I don’t see the German World Cup winner nailing down a first team spot, but infact rotating with Michael Carrick. I’ve stated for The Big Interest how this signing will not just benefit the side on the pitch, but alsoon the training ground as he will help all the youngsters as they grow. Schweinsteiger brings the winning mentality something which United have lacked since Fergie left. Making his debut off the bench on Saturday, the first movement the German did was to look up and see what was in front of him, more of which is needed for Manchester United. A very good signing for Manchester United.

Arturo Vidal – Juventus to Bayern Munich - £24m

Bayern Munich won the race for the much coveted Chilean international after several English sides were confirmed to be interested in signing Arturo Vidal. Although a different player to Schweinsteiger, he was almost signed as a replacement and will provide more energy in the midfield than Alonso or Lahm. He won 74 tackles in the Serie A last year, more than any other Juventus player and only Paul Pogba scored more goals from midfield. He was definitely the stand out player in the Juve midfield and it will be interesting to see how he fits in among the other world class midfielders at Bayern’s disposal

Filipe Luis – Chelsea to Atletico Madrid - £11.2m

After one year at Chelsea, Filipe Luis has returned to Atletico Madrid for £11.2m, £3m lower than what Chelsea paid for him. He was never able to dethrone Cesar Azpilicueta of that left back spot and has returned to his home to where he will almost certainly get more first team football. Even though first team football was sporadic, the Brazilian featured in 15 Premier League games and had a better tackles per minute ratio than any other Chelsea player. Two seasons ago, Luis was instrumental in Diego Simeone’s title winning side as well as their march to the Champions League final. A good move for all parties as Chelsea will free up some wages, first team football for the player and Atletico have signed a decent outfit at left back.

Falcao – AS Monaco to Chelsea – Loan

After a despondent season on loan at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho is taking a chance on Colombian Falcao. Only scoring 4 goals all season, Falcao was undoubtedly a flop for United last year but Mourinho is backing on last season only being an acclimatization year for the Colombian. The move sees him reunite with former Atletico team mate, Diego Costa, a partnership that scored 54 goals in the 2012/2013 season. I don’t think Mourinho will play two up front so it is likely that Falcao will play a rotational role with Costa. At 29 years of age, I’m not convinced Falcao will ever return to the heights of his time at Atletico, but he can get key goals for the club. Already thanking Chelsea for the warm welcome, I have a feeling this year could different for the Colombian.

Jackson Martinez – FC Porto to Atletico Madrid - £24m

Continuing with the Atletico theme, Simeone’s side have signed Jackson Martinez from Porto for £24m. Coined as a ‘selling side’ Porto certainly know how to get the most money out of their players. Scoring all 7 of his goals in the Champions League from inside the box, showing he is a real poacher. In the Portuguese league, he scored 67 goals in 89 appearances, impressive no matter what league it is scored in. Martinez is a powerful player and will flourish off the aggressive tactics of Diego Simeone. After selling Mario Mandzukic to Juventus, Martinez was acquired to add a physical presence to the attacking line. 

The signings of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arturo Vidal represents the best buys out of the five. Filipe Luis and Falcao will be looking to reunite their careers after poor spells last season while Jackson Martinez will be looking to bring his form for Porto to Atletico Madrid.

Transfer Round Up #4

It's another issue of my Transfer Round-up where I take a look at a chosen 5 transfers to have been completed in this Transfer Window ... Feel free to comment your opinions on any of the transfers I have covered.

Nani – Manchester United to Fenerbahce – £4.2m

In a piece I covered for The Big Interest, I branded Nani as one of the most inconsistent players I have ever witnessed, however I do think Manchester United got the bad end of the stick with this deal. For the Turks, it is a tremendous signing. He has the ability to beat any defender on his day and the Portuguese international created more chances than any other Sporting player in the Champions League last season. He is inside the top 20 all-time Premier League assists with 49 and is also prone to scoring the odd screamer. Despite the all the inconsistencies, Fenerbahce will be glad to have purchased the player.

Robin Van Persie – Manchester United to Fenerbahce - £3.85m

Following in the footsteps of Nani, Robin Van Persie has also joined Fenerbahce. 10^th on the all-time Premier League scorers, he has more goals in the canister for the Turkish side. In the 27 appearances he made last season RVP scored 10 goals and completed 85% of his passes. Since his move from Arsenal, the Dutchman’s statistics have been in a steady decline. In 2012/2013 he scored 0.68 goals per game and created 1.87 chances per game. Compare that to this season, he scored 0.37 goals per game and created 0.97 chances. While he may be in decline, he definitely knows where the goal is and will excel in Turkey.

Toby Alderweireld – Atletico Madrid to Tottenham - £11.2m

The deal to take Toby Alderweireld to Tottenham has largely gone under the radar this summer. Joining the Spanish side in 2013, he made 22 appearances, including in the Champions League Final where he came on as a substitute for Filipe Luis. Falling out of favour with Simeone, he was loaned to Southampton where he made 27 appearances last season. Failing to exercise their right to buy clause, Atletico cancelled the option in order to sell to the highest bidder. For Southampton last season, the 26 year old won 37/70 headers and didn’t make a single defensive error, which probably explains the Saints’ tremendous defensive effort. The Belgian is a good signing for Spurs, and will hope to rectify a leaky defence which conceded more goals than any other top 10 team last season.

Morgan Schneiderlin – Southampton to Manchester United - £24.5m

Manchester United fans where calling for Louis Van Gaal to sign another centre defensive midfielder to aid Michael Carrick and he has answered that call with aplomb. Like Alderweireld, the Frenchman made no defensive errors last season. In addition he had an 89% pass accuracy and averaged 3.04 successful tackles better than Carrick, Blind, Fellaini and Herrera. With United criticised for being too slow in their build-up play, 67.7% of his passes last season were forward. At 25 years of age, Schneiderlin has another 6/7 years at the top and he has the makings of an excellent signing. Last season United averaged 57% possession a match and Louis Van Gaal’s idea of playing passing football will continue with the signing of Morgan Schneiderlin.

Yohan Cabaye – PSG to Crystal Palace - £9.73m

After a despondent season and a half at PSG, Yohan Cabaye has made the trip back to England under the stewardship of former manager, Alan Pardew. Making 57 appearance largely from the bench at PSG, Cabaye will be glad to get back to England in order to have first team football. Even though he recorded an 89% pass accuracy, Cabaye only created 9 chances compared to the 33 chances he created in his time at Newcastle during the 2013/2014 season. Even though Cabaye left the Tyneside club in January, only Moussa Sissoko and Vernon Anita created more chances for Newcastle in that season. Although he hasn’t had the greatest of pre seasons, I expect Cabaye to play a massive role under Pardew at Crystal Palace and he will return to the heights of his days at Newcastle United.

The signings of both Nani and Robin Van Persie represent big positives for both clubs. Manchester United will be able to free up some more money for new players while the big signings will help Fenerbahce try and regain their Turkish league title. Both Morgan Schneiderlin and Yohan Cabaye will play massive parts in the coming season for their respective clubs while Toby Alderweireld will be looking to replicate his fine defensive performance that he put in last season.

All statistics taken from Squawka or Transfermarkt.

Transfer Round Up #3

I'm back with another five transfers for you to take a look at. This one may not focus on the marquee signings, but I'd like to hear your opinions irrespective of your allegiance.

Raheem Sterling – Liverpool to Manchester City - £49m

I think everyone knew that Raheem Sterling’s departure from Liverpool was imminent, and it has finally happened. Manchester City’s need for English players did not help lower the price for the young winger. City are certainly paying for ‘potential’ and many people think that they have overspent. In a season of despair for Liverpool, Sterling was one of the stand out performers. He created the most chances for Liverpool with 75 and only Philipe Coutinho completed more take-ons (109). He was 2 goals behind their top scorer, Steven Gerrard and also two assists behind Jordan Henderson. City will be hoping for an improvement if he wants to stake a claim for a starting spot.

I have been focusing most of my attention on the marquee moves to the Premier League, so here are a few that have gone under the radar and could shine for their respective clubs.

Andre Ayew - Olympique Marseille to Swansea - free transfer

I was surprised at this capture by Garry Monk as I never thought that Marseille would let him go that easily. Having played the majority of his career in the south of France, Ayew became an ingrained name at the club. Completing 80% of his passes this season, Ayew will fit well into the mould that Monk is building in south Wales. He was at the forefront of Marseille’s early form which saw them lead the table in the early rounds, but eventually tail off. He scored 9 goals and created 18 chances this season. Garry Monk works his magic once again to seal this move, as the Ghanian international aims to boost Swansea’s quest for European football.

Dimitri Payet - Olympique Marseille to West Ham - £10.5m

Another player that was key for Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille is Dimitri Payet. There was outrage in France and the President of the French Football Association branded this as an ‘embarrassment’. There were suspicious rumours that Payet had gone behind Marseille’s back in order to force through a move to the London club anyhow, this is a terrific coup for the Hammers new boss, Slaven Bilic. Payet created the most chances (134) in Europe’s top five leagues last season. Similarly, only Kevin De Bruyne, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi assisted more times than the French international. It is a very positive signing from West Ham and I cannot wait to see him play in the Premier League.

Gerard Deulofeu - FC Barcelona to Everton - £4.2m

Back for his second spell at Goodison, Deulofeu will be welcomed back with open arms after a tumultuous season for the Merseyside club last year. Gerard Deulofeu was a key component to the squad that Roberto Martinez assembled to guide Everton to their highest ever points tally the year before last. In that season, Deulofeu was successful with 44 take ons, more than any of the Toffee’s other forward options. This year however, they were unable to create chances and ultimately looked a shadow of themselves. The former Barcelona man scored 1 goal and created 14 chances in 12 league appearances on loan at Sevilla last season. Martinez has finally got his hands on the man that he wanted last year, and a man that can return Everton to the European stage.

Shinji Okazaki - Mainz to Leicester - £7.7m

Last in this issue is Shinji Okazaki. Despite failing to recruit the Japanese international in January, Leicester are finally able to land their man. Last season wasn’t the greatest for the 29 year old with 12 goals in 32 appearances. Currently he is the most prolific Japanese goal scorer in Bundesliga history and is third on the all-time goal scoring charts for the Japanese national team. Last year Mainz finished just below midtable, even though they narrowly missed out on European football the season before. Okazaki may not create fireworks that Payet, Deulofeu or Ayew will, but he will score goals and I see him doing a job similar to what Leonardo Ulloa did last season for the club.

It's very interesting to see how these players will fare in the Premier League. We know what Sterling will bring to City, and I do think he will get first team football. For the others, I'm looking forward to seeing them I'm action for their clubs. All have the potential to be wondrous signings if used correctly. I can't wait to see them in action.

Transfer Round Up #2

I'm back with another five transfers for you to take a look at. This one may be slightly tilted towards Liverpool, but I'd like to hear your opinions irrespective of your allegiance.

Petr Cech - Chelsea to Arsenal - £9.8m

I would say this deal is a massive step made by Arsene Wenger in restoring Arsenal to the heights of the early noughties. We all know of Cech’s capabilities and even at the age of 33, £9.8m is a steal. Cech has another 2-3 years at the top, but was never going to oust Thibaut Courtois of the Chelsea number 1 jersey. Edwin Van Der Sar signed for Manchester United at 34 years of age, and was able to muster 4 Premier League titles, 2 League Cups and a Champions League before retiring at the ripe old age of 40. There is gas left in the legs of Petr Cech yet, and don’t expect the trophies to dry up either.

Memphis Depay - PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United - £19.25m

The signature of Memphis Depay signals Louis Van Gaal’s first foray into the transfer market. At the fee of just under £20m, he is not coming cheap, but he will offer another creative outlet for United, who have been criticised in the past for not fashioning enough chances in recent times. Creating 60 chances in total last season, this was more than any other Manchester United player. Not only can he create, he can score also. With 22 league goals last campaign, he was the Eredivisie’s top goal scorer. United fans will be hoping that he can continue his tremendous form in Manchester.

Roberto Firmino - Hoffenheim to Liverpool - £28.7m

Over on Merseyside, Brendan Rodgers pipped United to the signature of Roberto Firmino. Almost £10m dearer than Depay, these pair will be constantly correlated to each other throughout the season and the first derby will be an interesting affair. The Brazilian will be a key player to Brendan Rodgers, as it looks as if Raheem Sterling will be on his way out of Anfield. Forgetting some horrendous misses recently, Firmino completed more take ons than Neymar, Isco and Arjen Robben and also completed the second most duels in the Bundesliga behind Stefan Kießling. Similarly, he created 9 more chances than Depay last season. Liverpool have acquired an extremely good player.

James Milner - Manchester City to Liverpool - free transfer

Sticking with the Liverpool theme, I view James Milner as one of the signings of the season. It was always going to be difficult to replace Steven Gerrard, and while James Milner may not, it is a good start. While Liverpool were making defensive errors left, right and centre last season, Milner didn’t record a single mishap last season. Milner publicly announced that we wanted to play in a central role, despite playing most of his football on the flanks for Manchester City as well as filling in a full back and making a very occasional appearance up front. This is an excellent signing, but it will be interesting to see if he plays in the deeper role that was vacated by Steven Gerrard in the summer.

Danny Ings - Burnley FC to Liverpool - free transfer

Last but definitely not least, Danny Ings completed his free transfer to Liverpool at the end of the season. It was no surprise that he was leaving for Liverpool and he will undoubtedly add a bit of competition to a front line that was misfiring last season. The Balotelli experiment has backfired, Lambert has not been given a chance and Sturridge has been injured, it’s another attempt to replace Sturridge. It’s not a marquee signing and it’s difficult to predict how well Ings will do when he is not the number one player in the side. A real ‘fox in the box’ so to speak, Ings scored all of his league goals inside the box but only won 22% of his headed duels. I’m not too sure how the former Burnley man will get on in Liverpool.

I've given you another five deals that have crossed the line this summer, please share your opinions with me or even suggest deals that I could look at.

All statistics taken from Squawka or Transfermarkt.

Transfer Round Up #1

Managers in the Premier League and abroad have been dipping into the pockets of their owners frantically in order to secure their targets. Let's take a look at select transfers that have been completed so far...

Carlos Bacca - Sevilla to AC Milan - £21m

AC Milan were able to fend off interest from Liverpool in order to land Colombian Carlos Bacca. Recruited by new AC Milan manager, Sinisa Mihajlovic, the Colombian is signing off the back of excellent season, scoring 28 goals in 56 appearances for Sevilla. His tally included a well taken brace against Dnipro in the Europa League Final. Milan are getting a useful outfit and at 28 years of age, they have surely paid for his best years.

Alvaro Negredo - Manchester City to Valencia - £21m

Rather astonishingly, Pellegrini was able to make a £3.5m profit from the sale of Alvaro Negredo despite only making 49 City appearances in his two years contracted in Manchester. Valencia have signed a talented striker. He finished the 2013/2014 season with 23 goals even though his last came in January 2014. Last year he didn't quite to replicate his scoring feats, and only bagged 6 in 33 appearances. City will be glad to have him off the wage bill and Valencia will be happy to have acquired a player of his calibre.

Douglas Costa - Shakhtar Donetsk to Bayern Munich - £21m

Douglas Costa is a player well known to those Football Manager addicts out there. He can play out wide as well as in the centre. Acquiring Xherdan Shaqiri's old jersey, he'll probably slot in where the Swiss international left as a rotation option on the bench. Costa has scored 38 goals in 203 appearances, not to the same standard as Ribery and Robben, but he certainly has room to score more. Like Shaqiri, Costa is probably signed to succeed Robben and Ribery, but whether he will have have patience to break into the first team is another question. I'm not expecting much, but I hope the Brazilian is given plenty of first team football unlike the Stoke target.

Andrea Bertolacci - AS Roma to AC Milan - £14m

Mihajlovic continues his summer shopping with the signature of Andrea Bertolacci. Just matter of days after AS Roma had exercised the right to purchase the rest of the 24 year old's player rights, Milan enter with a £14m bid to prise him away from the Italian capital. In 125 Serie A appearances, the midfielder has scored 18 goals and assisted 17 times. 7 of those assists came last season for Genoa and was more than any Milan player registered. He will improve Milan and I look forward to seeing him at the San Siro.  

Nathaniel Clyne - Southampton to Liverpool - £12.39m

After objecting to renew Glen Johnston's contract, a new right back was of high priority for Brendan Rodgers, so where better place to go than to his favourite place on the south coast, Southampton. In a side that conceded just 33 goals all season, his signing will help to tighten up a leaky defence on Merseyside. Only Chelsea conceded less goals (32). While he is decent in defensive situations, he is also adept on the offensive creating 22 chances and completing 27 take ons. Liverpool have got themselves an upgrade in Clyne and he will be a key component in the Liverpool defence.

I've covered 5 of the major transfers across Europe and I will endeavour to share my opinions on many more during the Summer Transfer Window. Who is your pick of these five transfers that I've mentioned?

All statistics taken from Squawka or Transfermarkt.