Players Departed : 4
Players Loaned Out : 5
Total Spent : £9.55million
Total Sold : £0.5million
Total Net Spend : £9.05million
To start the final part of this story, we discuss the work of the Premier League's lowest spenders, Swansea City. After losing Bony to Man City, we all were expecting Swansea City to go in for a replacement and with the money they got for Bony, you'd have thought they'd have spent more however Swansea stuck to their policy on not spending too much money on players which I have a lot of respect for. They've replaced Bony by bringing 3 strikers during the window: Eder, Andre Ayew and Oliver McBurnie. The latter on this list is a player you should expect to see in the U-21 league and to go out on loan to further his development as he is only 19 years old. It feels like Eder has been around forever to me anyway however at only 27, he could hit his prime in the Premier League this season and the target man will enjoy playing alongside the lightning fast wingers that Swansea possess. I don't think he's completely match fit as of yet so I'd expect to see him feature off the bench this season unless Ayew or Gomis pick up an injury. Andre Ayew has taken the Premier League by storm so far and he's one of the top two summer signings this year in my opinion as he's already notched up 3 goals and an assist in his first 4 games for Swansea including a goal at Stamford Bridge against last years champions and a goal and an assist in the 2-1 win against Manchester United which saw him pick up the Premier League Player of the Month in August. The remarkable thing is, he was signed on a free transfer proving that you don't need to spend £50million to bring in the best players which is proved by the fact that Ayew and Gomis have 7 goals between them in 4 games despite costing £0. They also signed up 3 goalkeepers in Tremmel, Vickers and Nordfelt however I don't think you'll see any of these take Fabianski's place any time soon and Vickers and Tremmel are likely to go on loan or play in the U-21 development league in order to progress. The other signing they made was Franck Tabanou from St Etienne for £3.5million and is more likely to fill in at left back if Taylor gets injured. The departure of Nathan Dyer on loan is questionable due to his talent which he put on showcase for Leicester on Sunday however if Swansea's wide men pick up injuries then they may miss Dyer. Overall, Swansea have really strengthened in two departments only however the back up they have in particular is fairly good and they have made one of the two top signings of the summer in Andre Ayew and I can see them being in a fight for the Europa League place come the end of the season if they perform against the smaller teams the way they do against the big ones.
Woody's Rating - 9/10
Tottenham
Players Departed : 14
Players Loaned Out : 6
Total Spent : £49.3million
Total Sold : £44.03million
Total Net Spend : £5.27million
It was a window where Spurs manage Mauricio Pochettino has clearly tried to reshape his squad and get rid of players that clearly don't match the philosophy in which he wants his team to follow which is shown by the 14 departures from the club. I felt they needed to sign another striker to ease pressure on Harry Kane and two were brought in to the club. These were Heung-Min Son and Clinton N'Jie who were their most expensive purchases of the window costing the club £18million and £12million respectively. Son is someone I've seen play quite a few times and I think he'll be an exciting player to watch in the Premier League. He's very quick and his dribbling is very good and I'd expect him to score around 10-15 goals this season as well as getting a handful of assists. After 8 goals in 33 appearances for Lyon last year N'Jie proved that he could perform at the top level in France however, I don't think he'll be able to force his way into the first team this season and I'd expect him to play in the cups and come off the bench frequently throughout this season as he adjusts to the English game. The other 3 players signed are all defenders and I think this was vital for Spurs to strengthen their defence after they've lost players like Kaboul and Dawson. Toby Alderwiereld arrived from Atletico Madrid for £11.5million after impressing on loan at Southampton last season and he could line up at centre-back with Kevin Wimmer who was ranked as the 7th best defender in the Bundesliga last season by German magazine Kicker as he help FC Koln stay in the German top flight. Their final signing was one of the best right-backs in the Premier League last season in Kieran Trippier from Burnley for only £3.5million. The English defender had more successful crosses than any other player in the league last season and if he continues this for Spurs, he'll be crucial in making goal scoring much easier for lone striker Harry Kane. The Spurs manager has focused on getting rid of players signed by prior manager's to him at the club with players like Soldado, Paulinho, Capoue and Holtby all being deemed surplus to requirements which I believe is the best thing that Pochettino could have done. Overall, I'm impressed with how Pochettino worked hard to get in talented players like Alderwiereld and Son and with how well he's got rid of old players who didn't perform at the club however performances haven't been great on the pitch and he'll be hoping his new signings can turn the club's fortunes around.
Woody's rating - 8/10
Watford
Players Loaned In : 3
Players Departed : 4
Players Loaned Out : 8
Total Spent : £27.4million
Total Sold : £3.6million
Total Net Spend : £23.8million
Watford spent the most money of the newly promoted clubs and bringing in 15 players in total is not something I think was too good as bringing in too many players can have a negative effect on squad morale as players can feel as though they are being replaced. They spent £6million on Capoue from Tottenham well purchasing both Jurado and Vydra for the same amount. Capoue could prove to be a great signing as although he didn't have the best time at Tottenham, he does have the quality to play in the Premier League and maybe playing for a lower club may help him play better as he may feel as though he is a star man at the club. Jurado has played for some great clubs in his career including Spanish giants Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid therefore his experience and ability to score goals from midfield will be invaluable to the club, similarly Vydra has Premier League experience having played for West Brom and he can be a match winner on his day and hopefully he can step up his game this year and help Deeney and Ighalo keep Watford from dropping back down to the Championship. Berghuis, Behrami and Holebas were signed for a combined £9.4million. Berghuis is a 23 year old winger who scored 19 goals during his time at AZ and looks to be improving so if he continue his development at Watford then they could have a very talented player on the cards for the future. Holebas has European experience having played in the Europa and Champions League whilst at Olympiakos where he won 6 trophies in 4 years so his experience could be passed on to the younger players at the club and he could prove to be a rock at the back and help Watford stay in games against the bigger clubs in the league. This is the second spell in the Premier League for Swiss International Behrami who was at West Ham from 2008-2011 therefore similar to Holebas, it'll be his job to help younger players settle in the Premier League and he'll also have to protect the defence alongside Capoue as they both are very similar players, tall, strong and powerful when going forward. They also got Miguel Britos and Sebastian Prodl, two very experienced players alongside Nyom and Arlauskis. Nyom has been consistent this season and looks like a good buy but with the other three players I feel like the manager has tried to get too much back up and although they're experienced, I question their quality. The same can be said about Oluare and Guediora who came from Club Brugge and Crystal Palace respectively and I believe they will be more of a back up to the first team. The loans of Ake, Diamanti and Ibarbo are great pieces of business however and I can see all three of them fitting in to the first team. All three are tipped as hot prospects for the future and this is their chance this season to prove themselves as hopefully they'll help the experienced players keep the London club in the league. I agree with the departures and loaning out other than the selling of Forestieri who did well for them last year however to get £3million for him was good business. Overall, the loanees which they've brought in are very good but I feel like they've signed too many players and although this will benefit them if they get a lot of injuries, many of their players will struggle to adjust to the Premier League.
Woody's Rating - 5/10
West Bromwich Albion
Players Loaned In : 1
Players Departed : 12
Total Spent : £32.5million
Total Sold : £5million
Total Net Spend : £27.5million
The main talking point at West Brom during the window was concerning the future of the young English striker Saido Berahino. He eventually stayed at the club but said a day after that he'll never play for the Midlands club again whilst the current Chairman remains in charge however I do think he'll play for them and do well for them this season. Rondon was signed from Zenit for £12million and many believed that he would be the replacement for Berahino however, it looks like he'll be his strike partner. Rondon got an incredible assist against Chelsea and looked like a really good player in that game and if he can continue that kind of form then I'm sure he'll become a fan favourite at the Baggies. They strengthened up their defence with the purchases of James Chester and Jonny Evans for a combined £16million showing Pulis's aspirations to improve his side defensively. Attackers Rickie Lambert and James McClean cost a combined £4.5million and will have to contribute a good amount of goals if West Brom are to avoid the drop this season. Lambert has been brought in to be more of a back up player in my opinion however on his day he can threaten any defence in the Premier League and he is a master of free-kicks and penalties. Their final permanent signing was Anders Lindegaard from Man United. The keeper never managed to break through the ranks at United and will be hoping for a better chance at West Brom however, I think it'll take injuries to the other keepers for that to happen. Finally they loaned in Serge Gnabry at Arsenal and I think this will be a great place for Serge to further his development as he will more than likely be able to hold down a place in the starting XI. Two departures that I question are Mulumbu and Lescott. In my opinion Mulumbu is an outstanding player on his day and a real powerhouse and I believe that he will be missed as he does his job at protecting the back four very well so to let him go on a free is questionable in my opinion. Joleon Lescott is a leader and a Premier League winner. He's been around the Premier League for countless years and his experience is invaluable to West Brom and I thought he would have been at the club for another year at least however the fact that Villa are the club he supports, it would have taken a lot money to keep him at the club therefore I can understand more why he departed. Overall, West Brom have done well in the window bringing in two promising centre-backs, two proven strikers and two promising you wingers and if these players play to their full potential, the Baggies could have a solid season.
Woody's Rating - 8/10
West Ham United
Players Loaned In : 4
Players Departed : 8
Players Loaned Out : 3
Total Spent : £33.9million
Total Sold : £7million
Total Net Spent : £26.9million
The final club in the league to discuss are West Ham United. The Hammers signed Dimitri Payet who has been one of the top two signings alongside Andre Ayew. The attacking midfielder has taken the league by storm and has threatened in every game he's played and has managed to score 3 goals in 5 games including a brace last night in a man of the match performance. He did cost £10.7million but if he continues playing like this then he'll prove that he was worth every penny. In my opinion he could get into any of the starting XI's in the Premier League therefore making the fact that Bilic convinced him to sign for the Hammers, who are a mid-table club, an incredible achievement. Ogbonna is a modern centre-back similar to Southampton's Van Dijk and I think this benefits the passing play that West Ham play under their new manager. They bolstered their attacking options further with the additions with Antonio joining from Forest and I said in a previous story what he will bring to West Ham and I think he's good enough to get in their first team and I'd say he'll be a similar player to Montero for Swansea. They also added Jelavic from Hull for £3million and I think he'll be back up to Sakho, Valencia and Carroll. Obiang was brought in to help strengthen the midfield and he's done a great job in the games he's played so far and Randolph has been brought in to replace the injured Adrian for the time being and he seems to be improving. Loanees Song and Jenkinson were here last year and they are consistent performers and they know the squad well so integrating them back in wouldn't be a problem. Moses has come on a season long loan for the Hammers and he proved last night how well he fits this side when going on an outstanding run in the lead up to second Payet goal. Lanzini is not a player I'm too familiar with but after a good performance against Liverpool where he got a goal and an assist making me think that he could be a good fit for this team. Before they brought in Antonio I was questioning why they sold Downing after he was great last year but maybe Downing wanted to return to an old club but anyway they've brought in great replacements. Overall, West Ham have brought in some top quality players in Payet and Antonio in particular and I think Bilic has set his club up for West Ham's best season in a long time and I think they'll be in the fight for the Europa League places.
Woody's Rating - 9/10
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