Premier League New Signings
New Transfer Signings Who Will Give Their Team The Edge In The Betting
With the summer transfer window now locked shut until the start of next year, the opportunity to recruit new players has all but diminished and although free agents can still be added to any club’s roster, the ability to spend or recoup money for players is on pause until 2022.
Which means the 20 Premier League clubs who have collectively spent an eye-watering amount of transfer fees over the course of the off-season, must now hope that their investments show something of an immediate return.
A return that may well be the difference between winning the Premier League title next May or just being pipped to silverware and it could also be the difference between relegation and staying in the division itself.
While with all the major deals now completed and the dust settled on a frenetic final few days of negotiations, it is time to analyse the major transfers that have taken place and what that will mean from a betting point of view.
Viva Ronaldo
It may not be the biggest transfer in terms of money changing hands, but it is most definitely the highest profile switch that the Premier League witnessed this summer, and it comes courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United.
The Portuguese footballing icon has returned to what many consider his natural home and after more than a decade away from Old Trafford, the 2016 European Championship winner is once again set to ply his trade at the Theatre of Dreams.
After announcing his intention to leave Juventus, the 36-year-old set the transfer market ablaze and with a handful of clubs aiming to snare his signature, it looked as if the blue half of Manchester City were to win a keenly contested race.
However, a late switch of plans meant that blue quickly became red and with Cristiano Ronaldo set to link up with other new signing Jadon Sancho this season, Manchester United may well be considered genuine title contenders after all.
Because not only have they reinforced their options in attack, but they have finally landed a world-class talent to go alongside Harry Maguire in the centre of defence and with Raphael Varane now installed at the club, United will fancy their chances of winning this season’s league title.
Champions Get Stronger
Of course, it will not be plain sailing for United this season and that is due to the efforts of their neighbours and arch-rivals Manchester City, as they welcome the arrival of Jack Grealish from fellow Premier League outfit Aston Villa.
The defending champions have splashed out £100m for Grealish and after impressing in this summer’s UEFA European Championships, his lengthy stint at Aston Villa was always likely to come to an end.
Which was exactly the case, as Pep Guardiola finally got his man (or at least one of his men) and with the addition of the 25-year-old to City’s midfield ranks, many consider last season’s champions to once again be on the top step when it really matters.
However, manager Pep Guardiola did not manage to land the other man on his radar and with Tottenham unwilling to sell Harry Kane to one of their ‘Big Six’ counterparts, it may just hamper City’s ability to win back-to-back league crowns.
Firepower Is Important
If City do have a chink in their armour, it is the fact that they’ll go into the first half of this campaign with just one recognised striker and although they have plenty of wide forwards who can lead the line, it may not be a fool proof solution to a potential problem.
Which means that the title landscape may just have tilted in Chelsea’s favour and after winning last season’s UEFA Champions League, the West London outfit have unveiled a homecoming of their very own.
One that comes in the shape of Romelu Lukaku and with the Belgian powerhouse swapping Inter Milan for a return to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea might just have the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to domestic dominance.
Not only that, but with the loan capture of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid, manager Thomas Tuchel now has another option in midfield and with the addition of the Spanish international, the starting eleven will only become even stronger.
Woe Across The Capital
Strength that fellow London outfit Arsenal could only dream of possessing right now and after sitting bottom of the Premier League table at the first international break, Mikel Arteta is really going to need something from his new arrivals.
Because it seems as if the former Manchester City assistant has bet the house on the naivety of youth and with the Gunners going through something of a painful rebuild at present, it looks like there could be considerable anguish at the Emirates this season.
That’s not to say that Arsenal are going to be favourites for relegation, as surely, they have enough quality within their ranks to finish at least 17th in the table. Then again, any dreams of earning of a place in Europe next season could be considered wishful thinking.
With the big money moves of Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard being completed, there is a sense that Arsenal have purchased three players who are not quite the finished article and as a consequence, large expenditure may not convert itself to regular positive results.
The White Half Of North London
While when looking across North London, things are not all that bad at Tottenham and after getting off to a perfect start, one that saw them earn three league wins from as many games, the Lilywhites find themselves top of the table at the international break.
Tottenham have certainly bought players with the future in mind and although none of their new arrivals cannot be considered household names, there is a sense that Nuno Espirito Santo is preparing to oversee a new era at the club.
A new era that for now includes Harry Kane and it could be argued that Tottenham’s best piece of business was keeping hold of the England captain for at least another season and if he can once again find himself amongst the goals, then a top-four finish may be a realistic target.
However, a lack of attacking backup has landed in the English postcode of N17 and if Kane once again suffers a mid-season injury, any hopes that Tottenham had of earning a return to the Champions League will be seriously diminished.
