Football Transfer Window of Summer 2018
“Soccer is a magical game” -David Beckham-
We live in a dynamic world, where everything changes. The summer transfer window of 2018 is one of the most dramatic transfer window the world has ever seen.
One of the biggest shocks in the summer 2018 is the transfer of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid to Juventus. The star, arguably one of the best players in the world, has won 4 Champions League trophies in the past 5 years. He has had countless trophies during his fantastic 9 years playing for Madrid. But it simply was not enough to prevent the superstar from leaving. In his open letter to the fans, he stated that he was ready to enter a new stage in his career. Rumors have circulated, and several rumors have indicated that Ronaldo has an unpleasant relationship with Florentino Perez, the club president.
Florentino Perez and Ronaldo shaking hands (illustration 1)
Besides that, the tax fraud lawsuit by the Spanish government made him even more eager to move to Juventus. Juventus has reportedly agreed to a transfer value of EUR 105 million. Definitely, it costs a lot to bring such a legend to Juventus, but as the costs are great, I believe the rewards are greater. Even though Juventus has won many Serie-A titles, in two decades, they have failed repeatedly to take home the prestigious Champions League trophy. Ronaldo may the perfect player to bring Juventus the much envied trophy. Played together with Dybala, the duo poses a huge risk to the opponent’s defense. Besides that, Ronaldo’s signing may be beneficial for Juventus’ financial situation as well. In the first 24 hours of the signing, Juventus sold a mind-blowing EUR 60 million worth of Ronaldo’s jersey. Ronaldo’s signing may also be the perfect boost to further increase Juventus’ earnings through commercial deals with sponsors.
Ronaldo holding a Juventus jersey (illustration 2)
The English Premier League, on the other hand, has brought in many top players from around the world into the league. Even though the transfer window closes early, we have already seen a lot of major transfers happening in the Premier League. Many Premier League clubs have brought in many players to bolster their squad for the upcoming season, while some only brought in one to three players into their squad. The most prominent team in this transfer window according to me is Liverpool. Their transfer business this season has seen Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita (whose deal was already done last season), and Shaqiri all penned a deal.
Even though there were only four players who were brought in, but all of them were needed in their squad for the upcoming season. Alisson, who impressed many last season due to his rising performance, was bought for a world record fee for a goalkeeper, £65m. Many people thought that that price for a goalkeeper was too high, but the fact that both Mignolet and Karius failed miserably during their stint at Liverpool last season gave an excuse for that price. Fabinho, bought at the fee of £40m, is also worth the price, since Liverpool haven’t had a pure holding midfielder since the era of Xabi Alonso. Keita will also improve Jurgen Klopp’s squad strength for the upcoming season and also Shaqiri can be a really good backup for either Salah or Mane.
Xherdan Shaqiri, recently signed by Liverpool, performs a wonderful overhead kick in a match against MU. (Illustration 3)
Arsenal, in my opinion, also had a good transfer window. After their long-serving manager, Arsene Wenger, retired, they signed Unai Emery from PSG. The signing of Emery soon followed with the signing of several veterans and also some youngsters. Lichtsteiner, Sokratis, and Leno are among the new names Emery brought in into the squad. Brought in at a fee below £20m each, I think it is a really good deal since Sokratis and Leno played crucial parts with their team last season. Both players, along with Lichtsteiner will surely improve Arsenal’s defence last season.
Some more teams who have a good transfer window this summer are Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and West Ham United. All three teams, two of them are newly-promoted teams, have at least signed one marquee signing. Fulham signed Jean Michaël Seri who was targeted by Barcelona, Wolves signed João Moutinho for a fee of only £5m, while West Ham signed Felipe Anderson for £33.5m. I personally think that West Ham, who were nearly relegated last season, may rack up points and move up to the mid table, while Fulham and Wolverhampton may have a higher chance of surviving in the Prem. On the other hand, I see Tottenham Hotspurs as the worst team in the transfer window. Tottenham have not signed anyone yet this transfer window even though the fans’ expectations are very high for the club to sign a player.
In conclusion, this summer transfer window has been fantastic for many teams, but rather unsuccessful for some. Let us look forward for what the football teams has in store for us when the season starts.
Sources:
https://www.arsenal.com/news/stephan-lichtsteiner-join-club
Pictures:
1. https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/985465/Cristiano-Ronaldo-transfer-Real- Madrid-Juventus-Florentino-Perez-rumours-gossip
2. http://www.goal.com/en/news/chiellini-i-thought-ronaldo-to-juventus-was- impossible/sxud7nwr9ao91t8gcubxjxa4t
3. https://en.as.com/en/2018/07/29/football/1532853426_430268.html
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a4ujSub5QA
Njam & Co. 