Summer transfers in the Premier League: The return of Ronaldo or Lukaku, a third Cech in the party or Chelsea’s great signings

A very interesting transfer window is over. There have been some big transfers, the most interesting being Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United, and the most expensive English transfer in history. Premier League clubs have really not been afraid to spend, paying over a billion pounds in total. Which teams stepped up the most and who held back?

Manchester United – a strong team on paper, will Ronaldo drag his Red Devils back to the top?

The notional winner of the summer transfer window is Manchester United, who have been boosted by talented winger Jadon Sancho and quality stopper Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. Even if only these two players had arrived, the club could consider this transfer window a success.

However, at the end of August, the icing on the cake came in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo’s big comeback. The Portuguese legend returned to the scene of the crime after 12 long years.

The eyes of all fans are now on this 36-year-old killer. Even at such an advanced age, can he dominate the Premier League and will his goalscoring prowess continue?

On paper, this team looks very strong. Manchester United have stepped up where they needed to. He has the attack of his dreams, and with the arrival of Varane he has improved his defensive game. Perhaps the addition of a central midfielder would still be useful, but otherwise this is an excellent improvement to the squad.

Red Devils are now one of the big favourites for the title, they have almost no weakness, the quality of the squad seems to be monstrous. The question is whether they can confirm these assumptions on the pitch.

Chelsea FC – is Romelu Lukaku’s return the final piece needed to win the league title?

Chelsea hasn’t been that active this summer, yet they have acquired 2 resounding signings that will take the quality of the team to a whole other dimension. Saul Niguez came on loan from Atlético Madrid, and 115 million euros contributed to Romelu Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge. It was the quality finisher that the Blues lacked last season and they paid a lot for it in the league.

That is no longer the case with the arrival of the Belgian cannonballer. Lukaku had fabulous numbers during his time at Inter and is currently one of the best top strikers in the world.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad is now virtually flawless. It is strong in both quality and breadth of squad. Chelsea have built a fantastic team. It’s only a matter of time before they confirm their quality by winning the league title.

Manchester City – the most expensive English transfer in history, but who will score the goals?

This summer saw a transfer record rewritten in the Premier League. Manchester City’s wealthy owners were responsible for pushing it forward. Pep Guardiola acquired Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100 million, setting a new transfer record in the English league.

Grealish had great numbers at the Villans, his quality is undeniable. However, this purchase was not that necessary, Guardiola has plenty of creative players at his disposal. The incoming Englishman can elevate the defending champions’ offense, but it is perhaps an unnecessary luxury.

The problematic position in Manchester City’s squad is more likely to be that of a top striker. It’s the one position where the Citizens have a bit of a deaf spot. Ever since the departure of Sergio Aguero, coach Guardiola has lacked a productive striker. Jesus, Foden or Torres can play in this position, but none of them are the typical “nine”.

The club’s management tried to solve this problem by bringing in Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo, but in neither case did they succeed. It turns out that money is not everything.

The defending champion will still be one of the big contenders for the title. The quality of the squad is immense. But beware, the absence of a typical cannonballer could be a major problem in the final title fight. Only time will tell.

Liverpool FC – Rather than strengthening, there has been a weakening, will there be a retreat from the top positions?

Liverpool went through a living hell last season. The team was hit by a series of injuries, a results crisis and in the end it resulted in a 3rd place finish. Liverpool certainly wanted to prevent something similar from happening again next season.

But judging by their transfer activity, it doesn’t look like it. The club’s management only brought in Konate from RB Leipzig. The Frenchman is a very quality stopper who should solve Liverpool’s problematic post.

After that, however, it was all about departures. Wijnaldum or Shaqiri left for free. Both very valid players. But there was no replacement at all. The English big club didn’t need to buy massively, but Klopp could definitely use some reinforcements to expand his squad.

So Liverpool will once again be playing the bait and switch and relying on no serious injuries, which is a gamble.

The width of the squad is very narrow. The starting line-up is of good quality, but that is not enough. Liverpool are playing with fire again. It is quite possible that due to the thrifty owners, they will pay the price again and there may be a retreat from hard won positions. Just as they did last season.

Arsenal FC – expensive reinforcements, but will it do any good?

Arsenal spent a lot of money in the summer. White, Lokonga, Odegaard, Ramsdale, Tavares and Tomiyasu came in. There has been a big strengthening, on paper the squad doesn’t look bad at all. But the Gunners’ problems are elsewhere. The team is struggling under Arteta and it looks like he will be sacked soon. There are also significant problems in the club’s structures.

Moreover, Arsenal have made a disastrous start to the new season. It has not won a point so far and is the club’s worst start in Premier League history. Despite this, the transfer window has worked out reasonably well for them. However, if the end product looks like this on the pitch, it is just wasted money that has not found the necessary benefit.

West Ham United – a brilliant transfer finish and the arrival of a third Czech to the party

West Ham performed brilliantly last season and finished a sensational 6th place, securing their participation in the European Cups. Much of the credit for this success went to the Czech duo of Soucek – Coufal. However, West Ham’s squad was too narrow to be competitive in so many competitions.

Fortunately, the club’s management understood this and took action. The London club acquired Areola, Dawson, Vlasic and Zouma. At the end of the transfer period, Alex King also arrived from Russian Spartak Moscow.

West Ham strengthened very well, plugging almost all the holes in the squad they had. The squad is now wide enough, but also of good quality. The realistic goal is to attack the top 6 again, even success in the Europa League is not impossible. Soucek and co. will be very dangerous again and can be a terror for the big favorites.

Source: Transfermarkt