The 2022 summer transfer window has closed. Is this the best possible combination of XI players moving on transfer deadline day?...CONTINUE READING
The most expensive of them all is Antonio, the Brazilian winger who moved from Ajax to Manchester United for €99 million after a long battle with his former employers.
He is joined in the final third by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Amine Gouri. Former Arsenal captain Aubameyang returns to English football after a successful six months at Barcelona, during which he scored 13 goals in all competitions. Chelsea paid €14 million for him, while Marcos Alonso moved in the opposite direction.
Gouiri is said to be a target for Real Madrid as the European champions are aware that they need a long-term replacement for Karim Benzema. The France youth international will remain in France for the time being, having joined Rennes from Nice.
Liverpool are in need of a midfielder due to injuries to Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Now they have got one in the form of Arthur Mel, who has joined Juventus on loan with the possibility of a permanent contract next summer for €37.5 million.
While Arthur’s departure has lightened Juventus’ midfield, Leandro Paredes’ arrival has given the midfield some much-needed heft. Like Arthur, the Argentine international is on loan for this season – in his case from French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
At full-back, Manuel Akanji made perhaps the most surprising move in this selection. He was left unemployed by Borussia Dortmund after German internationals Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck, but then signed for €17.4m with English champions Manchester City, who Pep Guardiola hopes will prove irrelevant.
The team is backed by Martin Dubravka, who swapped the richest club in the world for the most valuable and moved from Newcastle to Man Utd. Will he continue to be the replacement for David de Gea, who has been loaned out for a season?
PSG are also in the lead, with Abdou Diallo and Layvin Kurzawa leaving RB Leipzig and Fulham respectively, while Julian Draxler, who is at Benfica, narrowly missed out on a transfer.
On the other side of Kurzawa is Serginio Dest, who joined AC Milan from Barcelona on loan with an option to buy. However, there was no switch with Man Utd for Aaron Wan-Bissako…
