Which clubs have won the Transfer market (... so far)?
With the major European leagues in the middle of the transfer window, it's time for a mid-term review. Which clubs have made the strongest start to the transfer market?
Of course, it's unrealistic to judge the success of a player's recruitment on 12 July, as there are plenty of examples of top players recruited for millions who ended up being nothing more than a shadow of their former selves, to the point where some wondered whether the clubs had not recruited their evil twins: Fernando Torres (from Liverpool to Chelsea), Kaka (from Milan to Real), Alexis Sanchez (from Arsenal to Manchester United), Eden Hazard (from Chelsea to Real), to name but the four most memorable industrial disasters...
But the idea is to judge the coherence of a transfer window, to identify the clubs that seem to have strengthened the most compared to their May squads. After all, over the last few years, the 'Mercato' has become a discipline in its own right, one that unleashes passions, speculation and debate, even if the winners do not necessarily go on to lift trophies the following season.
So here are our Top 5 Champions of the 2023 summer mercato as of 12 July (based solely on done transfers and not taking into account leads currently at the discussion/negotiation stage):
1. Al Ittihad
In: Benzema, Kante, Jota
Out: Bruno Henrique, Al-Sumairi, Sawaan, Bahusayn
Balance: -€29M
Editor's comment: Landing the current Ballon d'Or winner, one of the Premier League's strongest midfielders and one of Portugal's most promising young talents all in the same transfer window is not for everyone. Al Ittihad have done it from the depths of the Arabian Peninsula, which makes the task all the more difficult. And the worst thing is that it looks like they have no intention of stopping there this summer...
What's next? Having overhauled their attack and midfield, the focus will now shift to defence, and Al Ittihad are currently pushing to bring in Romain Saiss (captain of the heroic Moroccan national team) or Sergio Ramos, two experienced centre-backs who would bolster a team that will have to contend with a number of world-class strikers in their own league (Cristiano Ronaldo, Firmino, perhaps even Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Wilfried Zaha and Lukaku, to name but a few). In any case, the coming days will continue to be intense for the star club at the start of the transfer window.
2. Arsenal
In: Havertz, Declan Rice, Timber
Out: Xhaka
Balance: -€200 M
Editor's comment: Arsenal were this close to winning the English championship ahead of Guardiola's Citizens, and as the well-managed club they have become once again, they don't look set to settle for 2nd place again next season. Arsenal have made a strong start to the new season by acquiring Chelsea's German international Kai Havertz, a player they have sorely missed in recent months, and by luring the Premier League's most coveted midfielder Declan Rice. Finally, Ajax's Dutch nugget Jurrien Timber has been brought in to bolster a central defence that often suffered from absences last season, which probably cost them the Premier League title. The only major departure is Granit Xhaka, who is being (well) sold for €25m with a year to go on his contract. They still need to beef up their squad, as they will be making their comeback in the Champions League after a 6-year absence, but so far we're not far from the Masterclass...
What's next? For Arsenal, the key to success at the end of this transfer window will be to build up their squad. Sometimes, the most complicated transfer window are the so-called 'adjustment transfers', because in this case the greatest risk is to break the team dynamic. Ideally, Arsenal's aim will be to attract young, ambitious and talented players capable of blending into the team led by Arteta. Ideally, they still need one or two central midfielders, a wing-back and a winger, and rumours are circulating about Romeo Lavia, Chukwueze and Timothy Castagne, all of whom seem to fit the above criteria.
3. Real Madrid
In: Bellingham, Güler, Joselu, Fran Garcia
Out: Benzema, Hazard, Asensio
Balance: €130m
Editor's comment: Up to now, their good mercato has mainly been down to one name: Jude Bellingham. There are years like this when a single player can turn your transfer window upside down (just ask City with Erling Haaland...) and this year it was another ex-Dortmunder who was absolutely unmissable. A host of big names were involved in the battle: Liverpool, City, PSG and Real to name but a few, and it was (as is often the case) Real who came out on top once again. Bellingham seems to be one of those players for whom anything goes, as long as he pulls on your shirt, and he has. Alongside Bellingham, Real have also locked up the player who is already being compared to Messi: Arda Güler. Once again the subject of European interest, but it was the Merengues who managed to get their hands on this nugget at a more than reasonable price (€22m).
Finally, the icing on the cake of this successful start to the mercato is also the departure of the biggest failure of the recent mercatos: Eden Hazard. The player who has never played 10 games in a row during the last 4 years has reached an agreement to break his contract. Bought for €160m, he had become a financial and symbolic burden for the Casa Blanca, and was monopolising the medical team 24/7...
What's next? How can you talk about Real's next move without mentioning Mbappe? With the Parisian club in turmoil and the fact that Real have made no move for either Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen (the 2 most high-profile strikers on the market), it's hard not to see this as a masterfully executed plan by Grandpa Florentino to bring home the newly-crowned captain of the French national team by the end of August. If Real manage to pull off this feat, we'll undoubtedly have our champion of the 2023 mercato, and we'll surely be on the verge of one of the greatest mercatos in history... Get the popcorn ready, there's bound to be some big moves!
4. PSG
In: Luis Enrique, Hernandez, Skriniar, Asensio, Ugarte, Kang-In
Out: Messi, Sergio Ramos, Icardi
Balance: -120 M€
Editor's comment: Ahhh PSG, the undisputed mercato champions for the last 10 years, the Parisian club are masters of this discipline. Thiago Silva, Ibrahimovic, Mbappe, Neymar, Donnarumma, Messi, Ramos - big signings have become their trademark, as has the glass ceiling in the Champions League...
Only this year, it seems that PSG want to break with their tradition of flashy, glitzy recruitment. To do so, they have brought in 2 of Europe's best central defenders: Lucas Hernandez (whom Tuchel did everything to keep at Bayern) and Milan Skriniar, Inter's vice-captain (free of charge), a player with 4 Champions League titles to his name (Asensio) (also free of charge), one of the revelations of the season in La Liga in Lee Kang-In for a modest sum (€22m) and finally Ugarte, Sporting Portugal's midfield stalwart.
PSG have set their sights on Luis Enrique, a coach known for his flamboyant style of play and impeccable management, the upgrade in relation to their former coach under investigation for racism, is immense.
In terms of departures, the Parisians have just offloaded no less than €80m in annual wages to Messi, Ramos and Icardi, players who have been far from convincing in recent seasons... Enough for the club to pull off a huge coup as usual?
What's next? PSG are in a good position at half-time, a situation the club has experienced many times before, often with a disastrous end. The next few weeks will be extraordinarily difficult for the Parisian club to handle. And for good reason, the Mbappe saga is not just a thorn in PSG's side, it's a baobab. The tension that has been building between the French star and his management team could lead to a dramatic outcome.
After all, is it possible to have a successful "mercato" by losing the best player in the world in the final days of the transfer window, with little room for manoeuvre to turn things around? Can you make a success of a transfer window by building a team around a player whose public target is to leave the club for free at the end of next season?
We wouldn't like to be in the shoes of Luis Campos, the sporting director at the moment, and we hope for his sake that his drawer is full of aspirin so that he doesn't squander another comfortable lead...
5. Inter Miami
In: Messi, Busquets, Alba
Out: Cristiano Ronaldo's fans
Balance: €0m
Editor's comment: Okay, there's nothing sportingly extraordinary about signing these 3 ageing players, but all the same, we're talking about the best player this sport has ever seen, one of the iconic midfielders of the most dominant team in history (Busquets) and a full-back who has left his mark on football history (Alba), all without spending $1 on transfer fees and having swept aside the fierce competition from the Saudi Arabian financial superpower for Messi... Coming from an MLS club (and far from the best), this is almost a magic trick. Just imagine the qualitative upgrade that Florida fans will experience compared to last season's team. The marketing impact of these 3 operations is also unparalleled. Before this summer, who knew that Inter Miami existed? Now the club's name is on everyone's lips...
What's next? From now on, Miami will need to add players capable of making something of the extraordinary passes that Messi and Busquets will no doubt be dishing out. After all, Inter have not just signed the Lionel Messi of 2008. The Argentinian is still a player of phenomenal intelligence and technical skills, but he has not been able to score a goal on his own for several years now, after a long run across the pitch as he did in his heyday. A skilful striker with a keen eye for goal is therefore sorely needed, especially now that Higuain (their former number 9) has retired. Problem: there are no ex-Barça strikers left in the game...