Premier League Transfers Part I

            To wrap up the discussion of summer club transfers, all that are left are the top Premier League teams. Many clubs are looking to move up in the standings this year, and the fight for the top four continues.

Chelsea:

Many would argue that Chelsea had one of the best of the transfer seasons this summer, and in many ways they would be right. While outing players that have struggled recently, Chelsea was able to bring in new players that should fit the system and provide a successful season for the team. To begin, Chelsea was able to sell David Luiz to PSG for a good price, and after his World Cup performance with Brazil, this is a good move by Chelsea. Also, Chelsea was able to bring in a top striker in the form of Diego Costa for another fair price, and Costa has already proved his worth. In just the first few games, Costa is on track to set a goal-scoring record for the league, and although this record is unlikely, Costa should still provide goals for Chelsea as long as he can stay fit.

Manchester United:

            With a new coach and a new season, United needed to up their game through transfers and team-building this summer, and I am not too sure of their success in these efforts. While United spent 150 million pounds and picked up the important strikers Radamel Falcao and Di Maria, they did not do much to build their defense. To truly improve the defending side and pick up some quality center-backs, Manchester United would have had to have been willing to pay the magnitude that they paid for their strikers, which they must not have been willing to do. Instead, United went for top-class strikers and lower-class defenders who are just not to the standards that United want and expect them to be. I feel that Manchester United will be able to score on many chances in their games but will get beat in the counter-attack and in the final score in the end.

Manchester City:

            Winning the title last season, City is looking to finish top for at the very least and is hoping to repeat a win for the title. With that in mind, Manchester City had less to do in terms of transfers this summer compared to other teams. By taking care of small purchases and sales, City was able to maintain their status in the league. To give an idea of some of these transfers, players including Frank Lampard and Fernando were brought in while Javi Garcia and Gareth Barry left the club. Overall, not much changed at Manchester City.

            To end this frantic summer of transfers, there will be just one more post summarizing the trades of more of the clubs in the Premier League.

2022 World Cup Controversy

As of now, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is to be held in Qatar and during the typical time frame of early summer. However, new complications have risen up as to when the tournament should be held and even as to where. Many claim that the decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was biased and corrupt, but that may not be attestable and therefore I only want to examine what changes or decisions can be made now to make the tournament a success.

            First, many feel that there is a threat to the safety of the players and the fans that would attend the World Cup in Qatar and think that the area is not in a state that is secure enough for such an event. This seems like a viable concern, considering the possible threats that occurred during the recent Olympics held in Russia. Also, the desert heat of the Qatari summer would not provide healthy or safe conditions for players, and despite the previously promised air-cooled stadiums, FIFA representatives now claim that the summer would not be a good time for the tournament to be held in Qatar. This problem leads to the next area of concern; when the World Cup should be held should it be in Qatar.

            As the typical June time slot for the World Cup seems to be out, November or January are the options that FIFA has provided for alternates. Although these winter schedules seem to be out of the summer heat, they bring up new complications for club teams and the rest of the world. The club season is reaching its midpoint during the winter months, and taking a pause to send their top players on international duty doesn’t seem to please these teams or players. It is well known that many players who contest in the World Cup come back with injuries or in need of large amounts of time to recover. Normally, this happens in the summer, the offseason, giving these players time to rest before their club seasons start. This would not be ideal for the middle of the season when players are reaching top forms. Also, the entire schedule for many leagues would be set off for a substantial amount of time to accommodate the tournament. Also, a January time frame for the World Cup would potentially conflict with the 2022 Winter Olympics which are assumed to begin in February. These two competitions could compete for sponsors and network time, which is a bad situation for all parties involved.

            Overall, there seem to be many things wrong with the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. I wouldn’t be surprised, or upset by, a complete venue change to a different host country in either Europe or North America. The risk and all the questions about the tournament in Qatar don’t seem ideal for the players, teams, or fans.

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German Summer Transfers

         In my last post, I described the transfers that the top Spanish clubs made this summer and how they will affect the team. In this post, I intend to do the same breakdown of German teams and who they picked up or lost during the transfer window.

Bayern Munich:

         Signing new players and selling old while still making a profit, Bayern Munich had a very efficient transfer season. To start, Bayern was able to pick up Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer from their big German rival team. Achieving the title of the top scorer of the league last year, Lewandowski should be an improvement on the attacking side of Bayern this year. Then with an injury to a well rounded player, Bayern was able to fill that sudden gap with Mehdi Benatia, fitting the open defensive or midfield position. Finally, Bayern picked up Xabi Alonso, a top-class player who fits the style presented by Bayern, for a good price. Although the team had a good previous season and did not have much to improve on, Bayern did what they needed to for a very good price this transfer season.

Borussia Dortmund:

         Losing two of their best attackers, one last year and one this year, Dortmund had to fill the large opening going forward. To replace these missing goals, Dortmund looked to add several different goal-scorers scattered across the team. By bringing in players like Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos, Dortmund looks to improve their attack throughout the entire system. Also, Dortmund brought back former member Shinji Kagawa, who they sold to Manchester United for a much larger price than it cost to bring him back. Kagawa, unlike many of the new signings should be able to relearn the system at Borussia Dortmund while the new players will have to build their way up to being comfortable playing there. Although there are a wide variety of options for the team, it may take awhile for Dortmund to become an effective squad.

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