Arsenal and Liverpool signings rank among top-10 Premier League summer additions
So the World Cup isn’t technically over but there has still been plenty of transfer activity over the past six weeks in the Premier League in particular and here are ten of the top signings so far to have arrived since the window opened last month.
Jean Seri (Fulham)
This time last year Ivory Coast international Seri was reportedly in negotiations to seal a move to Barcelona, so the fact that he has rocked up at newly promoted Fulham says two things. Last season was undoubtedly a drop off from the 2016/17 campaign for the former Nice star, but the Cottagers have still pulled off a huge coup.
Why Fulham fans should be excited about Seri signing
The diminutive midfielder will suit Slavisa Jokanovic’s passing approach to a tee and his addition is a statement of intent that he will not be changing his philosophy despite stepping up a level. An average of 87.6 passes per game and 90.6% accuracy across the league and Europa League last season is evidence enough that Fulham have secured a pass master.
Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham)
It feels as though the Ukrainian has been linked with a move to England for his entire career, with some of the big names in the Premier League previously touted with an interest in the winger. It’s something of a surprise that he has ended up at West Ham then, but if the 28-year-old get back to his best he will be a great addition.
It didn’t quite work out at Dortmund for one reason or another, but he still had some bright moments in yellow and black and his scoring record for club and country is not to be sniffed at. The second highest scorer in Ukraine’s history (35 goals) only to Andriy Shevchenko has scored in either the Champions or Europa League in each of the last six seasons.
Angus Gunn (Southampton)
Given the price that English players go for these days one would have thought that Manchester City could have squeezed more from Southampton than the £10m they eventually stumped up. The young stopper is first choice for England’s under-21s after all and tipped to come into Gareth Southgate’s thinking for the senior squad before long.
Fraser Forster has been very poor for the last two seasons and while Alex McCarthy was a capable stand-in last season, the former Norwich loanee could prove a significant upgrade. Only Bartosz Bialkowski made more saves than the 22-year-old in the Championship last season (139), and Gunn is capable with his feet as well as agile in his shot stopping.
Lucas Torreira (Arsenal)
Most times possession won in the midfield third in a #WorldCup match so far -- 1⃣1⃣
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 13, 2018
Lucas Torreira vs France #URU
Luka Modric vs Russia #CROhttps://t.co/BINmTx7nUa pic.twitter.com/Vr4dGSNy4E
The Uruguayan may not be the pure ball winning midfielder that Arsenal have arguably needed for years but he’s certainly a step in the right direction. The South American covers a lot of ground and is strong in the tackle but still boasts the impressive passing ability that has been at the heart of the club’s identity for years.
The 22-year-old has won possession in the midfield third more times than any other player in Serie A since the start of 2016/17, completed 87.2% of his passes in the previous campaign and packs a punch from distance too. He’s not dissimilar to Xhaka in that sense, but is less likely to switch off positionally or get sent off…
Naby Keita (Liverpool)
So this transfer has been coming for a year now but that shouldn’t temper Liverpool fans excitement. Instead it has heightened it, so there is certainly plenty of pressure on Keita’s shoulders to hit the ground running. His physicality means there shouldn’t be an issue in that regard, and while he didn’t hit the heights of the campaign previous, the midfielder was still RB Leipzig’s best performer by a distance last season (7.24 rating).
The archetypal all action midfielder, Keita’s busyness can land him in hot water with referees but when he’s on the ball the 23-year-old is a joy to watch. Committed in every action and willing to break the lines with a pass or a dribble, the Malian should be a big addition to the Premier League and one to get more than just Reds fans off their seats.
Fred (Manchester United)
With another mobile midfielder in his ranks, Jose Mourinho has plenty of options to mix things up. Fred is strong with and without the ball and in theory his arrival should allow Paul Pogba a little more freedom to support Romelu Lukaku in attack.
He is both a ball winner and carrier, averaging 2.9 tackles and 2.9 dribbles per game in Shakthar’s Champions League campaign last time out. The Brazilian put in impressive performances against the likes of Napoli, Roma and Manchester City to prove that he is more than capable of making the step up.
James Maddison (Leicester)
With Riyad Mahrez having left, Leicester needed to add some creativity to their ranks and Maddison’s arrival at the King Power was an indicator that the Algerian would be on his way. The youngster doesn’t operate from the flank, at least not at his best, which may point towards a change in tack and formation for the Foxes next season but his end product is very impressive for a player of his age.
Still just 21, the playmaker operated in the number 10 role for Norwich last season, scoring 14 times and registering eight assists. He has an eye for the spectacular from distance but isn’t selfish in his approach, creating the most chances in the Championship last season and completing 86.2% of his passes. It was no shock that he has since left Carrow Road, but perhaps a little surprising that their wasn’t concrete interest from the top six.
Ricardo Pereira (Leicester)
It’s been an impressive summer from the Foxes already, and Pereira’s addition in particular is one that solves a problem position in the squad. Danny Simpson has been the club’s first choice right-back since they returned to the top-flight but was the lowest rated player from starts alone last season (6.59) of those to make ten or more appearances.
Pereira offers far more in attack and also the versatility to play further forward on the wing - as he did for much of his early career - or even on the opposite flank, having shone in his first season at Nice as a left-back. A strong dribbler but also and tackler, averaging 1.8 and 3.7 per game respectively last season, the Portuguese’s arrival will offer Claude Puel real tactical flexibility.
Willy Boly (Wolves)
It’s no surprise that Boly made his move from Porto to Wolves permanent but the Frenchman’s performances last season won’t have gone unnoticed from some of the Premier League’s big names. A man mountain of a defender, the 27-year-old looked like a man up against boys at times in the Championship and his strength is undoubtedly his greatest, well, strength.
The Frenchman won 72.4% of the 203 aerial duels he contested last season and posed a real threat in the opposition box in the air too, with three goals and two assists. Adapting well to Nuno’s style of play, passing out from a three man defence, Boly won eight WhoScored.com man of the match awards last season - the third most in the division despite missing ten matches.
Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham)
If you had said four years ago that Fabianski would be a big upgrade on Joe Hart your sanity may have been questioned but since moving to Swansea in 2014 the man previously coined ‘Flappy-handski’ has become one of the Premier League’s most reliable and consistent keepers. Those are two adjectives that haven’t been said of Hart for some time.
Where West Ham's new signings could fit in next season
The Englishman made four errors that led directly to goals in just 19 appearances last season, while Fabianski didn’t commit a single one in double the number of league outings. Over the last three campaigns the Poland international has made 100 saves more than any other keeper (396) and should solve what was a major issue for the Hammers last time out.
