After a frantic three months, the 2014 summer transfer window finally slammed shut with many stars moving to different teams, or in many cases, entirely different leagues alltogether.
It was also a blockbuster summer, with the 20 clubs in English football's top flight spending over £850 million, and should things continue at this rate, one should not be surprised to see spending hit the £1 billion mark at some point in the future.
All of England's "Big Five"--that is, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United--were all quite active as they sought to improve their squads. How do you think your favorite squad fared?
Manchester United--A Rebuilding Process
Simply put, the Red Devils experienced nothing short of a nightmare last season. As a result, under new coach Louis Van Gaal they are desperate to quickly put that behind them and return to the Champions League for the 2015-2016 campaign. However, they haven't started this season off well and will hope that their new signings will soon start firing on all fronts.
Record-breaker: Angel Di Maria, who was bought for £59.7 million, is now the most expensive player in history
Meanwhile, Radamel Falcao, on loan from Monaco will be paid about £350,000 per week on wages
Other big signings include:
- Luke Shaw, for £30 million
- Anders Herrera, for £28 million
- Marcos Rojo, for £16 million
- Daley Blind, for approximately £14 million
There were also some departures, with veteran defenders Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, and Rio Ferdinand all leaving for Inter, Juventus, and QPR respectively. Additionally, midfielder Tom Cleverley was sent out on loan to Aston Villa while strikers Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez will be featuring for Arsenal and Real Madrid.
Manchester City--Looking to establish themselves
Despite winning two Premier League titles within the past three seasons, Manchester City have not had much luck in their Champions League campaigns. Two group stage exits were followed by defeat in the first knock out stages last season; hence although they were unable to sign Falcao, they nonetheless made some notable acquisitions, including former Chelsea star Frank Lampard on loan.
Some of City's notable signings:
- Eliaquim Mangala, for £32 million
- Fernando, for £12 million
- Barcay Sagna, on a free transfer
- Wily Caballero, for £6 million
Arsenal--Smart transfer strategy or poor planning?
After leading the league, Arsenal suffered a mid-season implosion and ended up in a disappointing fourth. To that end, Gunners coach Arsene Wenger decided to try and upgrade the squad, by signing Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona. However, despite being linked with a plethora of strikers this summer, Arsenal appeared to be stubbornly opting to rely on Olivier Giroud--until the Frenchman's injury forced Wenger into action. And fans largely don't seem too keen on their new signing, a face familiar to Manchester United fans: Danny Welbeck.
Some of Wenger's purchases this summer:
- Alexis Sanchez, for £35 million
- Danny Welbeck, for £16 million
- Calum Chambers, for £16 million
- Mathieu Debuchy, for £10 million
- David Ospina (price not known)
Danny Welbeck will have a lot to prove in order to endear himself to Arsenal fans
Liverpool--From the frying pan into the fire?
Liverpool saw talismanic striker Luis Suarez depart for Barcelona in a reported £75 million deal and in his stead came another controversial player: Mario Balotelli for £16 million. With the reputation the mercurial Italian has, it remains to be seen whether coach Brendan Rodgers will be able to get the best out of the 24-year-old.
Balotelli will be tasked with helping to lead Liverpool's attack this season
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In addition to the aforementioned Balotelli, the Reds also used some of the cash reaped from Suarez's sale to bring in a slew of players, with three coming from Southampton:
- Adam Lallana, for £25 million
- Dejan Lovren, for £20 million
- Alberto Moreno, for £12 million
- Divock Origi, for £10 million
- Emre Can, for a bit less than £10 million
- Lazar Markovic, for £20 million
Chelsea--Aspiring for dominance
Jose Mourinho recently stated that his squad "have big possibilities for the next five to ten years"; in short already feeling that they have what it takes to fully become a dominant force in the Premier League. And with some of the signings they made this summer really clicking well, he might have some reason to be feeling confident currently. The Blues were quite active, with a whole crop of players being either sold or loaned out. Some include: David Luiz in a huge £50 million sale to PSG, Fernando Torres on loan to Milan, Romelu Lukaku to Everton for £28 million, Ashley Cole to Roma and Samuel Eto'o joining Lukaku at Everton.
Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas were Chelsea's biggest signings this summer and have started off well
Besides Costa and Fabregas, who arrived for a combined total of £62 million, Chelsea also welcomed veteran striker Didier Drogba and purchased Filipe Luis from Atletico for £16 million.
At the end of the season, it indeed will be very interesting to see which clubs ended up with the most benefit from their new acquisitions.
