Transfers, am I right?
This summer’s transfer window has felt relatively quiet, all things considered. The highest profile move has been Eden Hazard’s transfer to Real Madrid, bringing the longest will-they-won’t-they saga since Ross and Rachel to an end.
Elsewhere, Antoine Griezmann has joined Barcelona and Matthijs de Ligt has joined Juventus. Neymar and Paul Pogba continue to push for a romantic return to their former clubs after adventures in Paris and Manchester respectively didn’t pan out as planned, and Wilfried Zaha remains Arsenal’s primary target, with the small matter of coughing up £70m the only obstacle for the Gunners.
Plenty of other transfers have taken place, but many have slipped under the radar, what with the Women’s World Cup taking place in France as well as the Africa Cup of Nations, Copa America and the Cricket World Cup dominating the back pages over the past few weeks.
Here are 10 transfers you might have missed. If you were aware of them all, well done. You spend too much time on Reddit/Twitter.
Patrick Roberts from Manchester City to Norwich (loan)
Roberts spent last season on loan at Girona, the perfect antidote to his spell at Celtic designed to toughen him up. The 22-year-old should be afforded more game time at Norwich than he was in Catalonia, and will be hoping this is the year he progresses to the next level.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0I17hQllZe/
Pablo Fornals from Villarreal to West Ham (£24m)
Have West Ham just… done a good piece of business? Have the club that signed both Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri in the past year actually just signed one of the brightest prospects in Spain? It would appear so, and for a reasonable fee of £24m too. His two most notable moments during his time at Villarreal came against Athletic Club, when he bamboozled Iñigo Martínez with this dazzling footwork.
Absolutely disgusting skill from Fornals 😱. This clip should really have an 🔞 ratingpic.twitter.com/ZUbVx239lD
— ELEVEN Football (@ElevenSportsFB) October 4, 2018
Before doing his best impression of Luis Suarez against Norwich in the same game with this wonder strike.
🔁 RT if you think this is one of the goals of the season! 😱
Pablo Fornals 💛 @Eng_Villarreal #LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/Z9ysxsa1Ga
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) March 21, 2019
Kostas Manolas from Roma to Napoli (€36m)
The Greek God in Rome, as Peter Drury once so eloquently described him, has joined Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli in a move that seems like preparation to lose Kalidou Koulibaly. If they do manage to keep the Senegalese defender and pair him up with Manolas, they might just have a defensive partnership that rivals Juventus’. Almost.
Fabian Delph from Man City to Everton (£10m)
I have literally never seen a player and a club better made for each other than Fabian Delph and Everton FC.
Good, but not that good. It seems like he has been there for years already.
Jay Rodriguez from WBA to Burnley
The most exotic sounding Englishman in the game has endured a bumpy road back to the top since his horrific knee injury in 2014. After a year in the Championship, he’s back in the Premier League at his native Burnley. Personally, I cannot wait for Sean Dyche’s gravelly tones to describe how ‘Jay was outstanding, put a real shift in today’ on Match of the Day on 38 consecutive Saturdays.
Abdou Diallo from Borussia Dortmund to Paris Saint-Germain
Quietly one of the best signings of the summer for a team who too often look defensively suspect in the Champions League. The Frenchman has risen through the ranks quickly, needing just one season at Borussia Dortmund to convince PSG that he’s the real deal. With Thiago Silva in the twilight of his career, PSG will be hoping Diallo develops a strong partnership with Marquinhos that lasts for years to come.
Samir Nasri from West Ham United to Anderlecht (free)
The past few years have been somewhat turbulent for Samir Nasri, but this move could be exactly what he needs to revive his career. Reunited with his former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, who has taken his first step into retirement as player-manager at his first ever club, Nasri has the ideal environment to get his head down and remind us why he was once one of the most highly rated creative midfielders in Europe.
Craig Dawson from West Bromwich Albion to Watford (£5.5m)
This is a transfer that happened.
Alberto Moreno from Liverpool to Villarreal (free)
Liverpool have finally managed to ship the Poundland Jordi Alba who has spent the past couple of seasons playing the cheerleader role after losing his starting spot to James Milner before Andy Robertson’s rise to stardom. Unbelievable Jeff.
Anthony Knockaert from Brighton to Fulham (loan)
Knockaert is a player very much at the upper end of the Huckerby zone – too good for the Championship – not quite good enough for the Premier League. And thus, he has been loaned out to Fulham in the second tier, where he will reunite with Brighton after they are relegated.
