The transfer window has closed. Or has it slammed? The dramatic countdown finally reached 00:00 across the continent, and now, for just a moment, everyone can breathe. It’s sometimes easy to forget that across the European leagues teams have already started their league campaigns, in Denmark and Czechia they are already seven games in... there is just something about the transfer window roulette that grabs the headlines.
First, let’s start with a big number. £4,900,000,000. That’s £4.9billion to me and you. This is the bill of the total spent worldwide across 11,000 international transfers. You wouldn't like to play card roulette at a restaurant for that one. Saudi’s summer boom didn’t quite explode as it did last year, which means the majority of the spend happened across the UEFA association.
We mention lots of shiny new toys in teams across Europe below. Book your mystery football tour with 3 Points and you could have the chance to experience the new signings yourself!
BIG SPENDERS 🤑
Jessie J famously told us to forget about the price tag - boring! Let’s start the the biggest: Julian Alvarez takes the crown, heading to Atletico Madrid for a cool €75m. The fee could rise to a whopping €95m with add-ons. Diego Simeone’s men took advantage of the the Argentinian craving more minutes. After four games, the Spiderman is still awaiting his first goal for Atletico. They come like buses and all that… Next up in the fee categories are João Neves, who PSG ended up paying a ‘bargain’ (sorry - football is mental isn’t it) €60m for. Benfica quoted nearly double that earlier in the year.
Dani Olmo returned to his Barca roots in another €60m deal. It took two games for him to be registered as Barcelona still try and navigate their financial woes and inability to register players with La Liga. That hasn’t stopped Hansi Flick’s side winning 4/4 - with Olmo already bagging two.
A special shout out for Victor Osmihen, who spent the entire summer in the shop window only for his move to look all but doomed. A failed move to Chelsea and a rejection of Saudi Arabia's riches on Deadline Day looked like a few months training with the Napoli reserves. Until out of nowhere Galatasaray saved his blushes and agreed a loan deal with the Nigerian striker. Osimhen is said to have asked for a break clause to be inserted into the loan deal in case a top club targets him in the January transfer window
THE IMPRESSIVE 👌
William Pacho - PSG (€40m)
PSG have struggled with injuries at centre-back over the past year. It has been the area they have been lightest for quite some time. After defeat in the battle for Leny Yoro, the Parisian's went after the Ecuador international. It was a brilliant season for Eintracht Frankfurt; his busy, active, front-footed style of defending led to plenty of tackles and interceptions. Added to this his pace and ability to step in at full back tick a lot of boxes. We expect big things from Big Willy, for a fee which may rise to €45m with add-ons Eintracht have more than quadrupled their money in the space of a season. PSG will hope the investment is worth it.
Michael Olise - Bayern (€53m)
Bayern Munich’s pulling power has been questioned over the past five years, but the acquisitions of Harry Kane and Michael Olise in back-to-back summers put those doubts to bed. Olise who spent the summer trying to win his host nation France an Olympic gold contributed a goal or an assist every 80 minutes in the Premier League last season. He's one to watch and I am sure there are going to be a number of envious clubs across Europe come May.
Romelu Lukaku - Napoli (€30m)
OK, bare with us on this. The blockbuster return to Chelsea (for an eye-watering €115m btw) did not go to plan. But Lukaku loves Italy and he returns to reunite with Antonio Conte. This has all the makings of a promising reunion. A goal on his debut in an enthralling comeback win against Parma could light the touch paper to an explosive season. The Italian iconic mob-delight-passionate welcome at Naples airport was a sight to behold.
Alvaro Morata - Milan (€13m)
The fee is a very small price to pay for a player whose goal-scoring record at the top level is more than proven, as is his mentality, work ethic and will to win. This is why we think it's an impressive deal from Milano. Morata, fresh from captaining Spain to Euro 2024 glory even has strong Serie A experience, having won two titles with Juventus in the past.
THE INTRIGUING 🧐
Endrick - Real Madrid ( €47m)
There are plenty in Brazil who believe that we're looking at football's next great No. 9 striker. When Brazilians say that, you sit up and listen. Real Madrid once again hoover up the worlds next best talent, with the 18-year old already scoring in La Liga. It's lots of money to spend on a teenager, but he's quite experienced for his age and off the mark for his nation too. Moving to Real Madrid is a huge step, but the evidence so far suggests he'll take it in his stride. He even showed Mbappe up by crying at his Bernabeu initiation.
Scott McTominay - Napoli ( €30m)
This could be really, really good. It was a surprise move at the time, but also opportune for the player who has had some special moments at Old Trafford but struggled to hold a place in the team under Erik Ten Hag. He was greeted with another Neapolitan welcome with an airport swarm. He looks good in the light blue and his compatriot Billy Gilmour has also joined him in midfield. Does Conte still eat deep-fried Mars bars?
Yasser Asprilla - Girona (€18m)
Yaser Asprilla was regarded as one of the most exciting young players in the Championship having impressed in difficult circumstances at Watford. The 20-year-old forward, who represented Colombia at the recent Copa America, has shown elite potential since arriving at Vicarage Road from boyhood club Envigado in 2022 and was courted by a number of European clubs throughout the summer. In the end he held on for Girona and Champions League football, we're sure that it will pay off. Remember the name.
Conrad Harder - Sporting (€20m)
Sporting beat free spending Brighton & Hove Albion to the signing of Conrad Harder from Nordsjaelland. Sporting won the battle, where he is expected to push for regular first-team football in the Primeira Liga. A deal worth more than €20m with bonuses was agreed, with Nordsjaelland also set to retain a significant sell-on percentage.Harder is a product of the Danish Superliga side’s academy, and broke into the first team in 2023. The Danish youth international had already made seven league appearances this season, scoring two goals. Let's see how he fares with another Scandinavian compatriot in Lisbon.
Artem Dovbyk - Roma (€30m)
And one departing Girona - the Ukrainian hit 24 La Liga goals last season to take the striker to the top of the Pichichi charts (Spanish for Golden Boot...). There was also a handy 10 assists to add to that. However, the start in the Italian capital has been a tad underwhelming and Roma is not a place to provide patience. His first goal will need to come soon to quell the early doubters.
THE INFURIATING 😤
Serhou Guirassy Dortmund (€18m)
Go with us here, this is infuriating for Stuttgart, after a fairytale season it is gut-wrenching to see their talisman go for such a low price, and to strengthen a rival in the league. Guirassy set the Bundesliga ablaze last season with an incredible goal-scoring campaign, netting 28 from just 25 starts. When it was revealed his release clause was a lowly €18m, it became a matter of time before he earned a move to one of Europe's elite. Somewhat predictably, Dortmund have pounced. Is this a sideways move? Time will tell, it will be Uber impressive if Stuttgart pull off the same kind of season as last.
Vitor Roque - Real Betis Loan
In a similar vein to the above, Barcelona - shame on you...Vitor Roque's January move was supposed to be a dream, but instead it turned into something closer resembling a nightmare. Eight months later, he's joined Real Betis on a loan, with an option to extend and to convert it into a permanent. In other words, Barça are happy to move on from him just a year on from spending an initial €35m (plus some hefty possible add-ons). His exit won't help alleviate their player registration concerns as the Brazilian wasn't registered to begin with.Real Betis are sorely lacking in numbers up front so this could be is a fantastic move for them.
Emerson Royal - Milan (€15m)
This went on for slightly too long of a saga this summer, you’d be thinking Tottenham would have driven him to the airport on their own. It's a slightly confusing move on paper, as while Milan could clearly benefit from some enhanced quality at right-back, Emerson may not be it. He struggled to assimilate into Ange Postecoglou's attacking, possession-based style at Spurs, which does not bode well considering Milan manager Paulo Fonseca coaches similarly.
So that's the end of the madness, for now. Sit back and relax as the domestic leagues take shape over the next few weeks, as we identify the front runners and the slow starters and begin to see how this seasons story will unfold.
Stay up to date with it all via 3 Points.
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