The transfer window is closed! This last week marks
the end of the transfer window for the world’s largest clubs and leaves us
contemplating the results for our clubs as they start their seasons. I hope to
give some insight as to which clubs faired the best for what players they
gained and who they lost during this scramble to stack their squads.
First, the top Spanish clubs:
Barcelona:
Losing some main pieces to their team, Barcelona had to step up their transfer game and pick up some top-notch players. To start, the Spanish giant brought in Luis Suarez; a striker who made his name as the top forward of the Premier League by being named the top scorer and Player of the Year of the entire league. He also proved vital to Liverpool’s attacking and should provide similar results for Barcelona, assuming he fits in with current strikers Messi and Neymar. Barcelona also built up their defense and midfield by picking up players like Vermaelen, Rakitic, and Mathieu who, although they may not seem like the big names that fit Barcelona, are top players that should be able to give support to the team in defending and going forward.
Losing some main pieces to their team, Barcelona had to step up their transfer game and pick up some top-notch players. To start, the Spanish giant brought in Luis Suarez; a striker who made his name as the top forward of the Premier League by being named the top scorer and Player of the Year of the entire league. He also proved vital to Liverpool’s attacking and should provide similar results for Barcelona, assuming he fits in with current strikers Messi and Neymar. Barcelona also built up their defense and midfield by picking up players like Vermaelen, Rakitic, and Mathieu who, although they may not seem like the big names that fit Barcelona, are top players that should be able to give support to the team in defending and going forward.
Real Madrid:
For Real Madrid, the transfer strategy seemed to be to pick up whoever had the best showing at the recent World Cup, which isn’t necessarily bad. James Rodriguez was the headliner for Madrid’s transfer season. Winning the Golden Boot and scoring some sensational goals for his country in the tournament, James definitely had one of the best performances of the summer. Even so, Madrid picked him up for a large price and intend to fit him into an already developed attacking side of their team, currently holding the likes of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Fitting James in to their squad may become difficult to Madrid, regardless of his skill and performance. Another player who had a great World Cup performance, Keylor Navas, was added to the Real Madrid team this summer. Navas is a very skilled goalkeeper, and I see him performing well at Madrid. Finally, Madrid was able to sign Toni Kroos who also saw a great World Cup, winning it all with his country. Kroos should also prove to be valuable in his playmaking skills for Madrid. Even with all of these big name signings, I wonder if Madrid did enough in the right places for their team. Losing two vital players from their middle and defense, Madrid needed to fill those spots, and I feel that they only added to an already stacked offense, leaving them exposed in the back.
For Real Madrid, the transfer strategy seemed to be to pick up whoever had the best showing at the recent World Cup, which isn’t necessarily bad. James Rodriguez was the headliner for Madrid’s transfer season. Winning the Golden Boot and scoring some sensational goals for his country in the tournament, James definitely had one of the best performances of the summer. Even so, Madrid picked him up for a large price and intend to fit him into an already developed attacking side of their team, currently holding the likes of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Fitting James in to their squad may become difficult to Madrid, regardless of his skill and performance. Another player who had a great World Cup performance, Keylor Navas, was added to the Real Madrid team this summer. Navas is a very skilled goalkeeper, and I see him performing well at Madrid. Finally, Madrid was able to sign Toni Kroos who also saw a great World Cup, winning it all with his country. Kroos should also prove to be valuable in his playmaking skills for Madrid. Even with all of these big name signings, I wonder if Madrid did enough in the right places for their team. Losing two vital players from their middle and defense, Madrid needed to fill those spots, and I feel that they only added to an already stacked offense, leaving them exposed in the back.
To see my analysis of the signings of other top
teams in Europe, wait for my next few posts which will go into similar detail
and discuss the transfers in clubs in both England and Germany.
