Players Departed : 5
Players Loaned Out : 3
Total Spent : £13.95million
Total Sold : £1million
Net Spend : £12.95million
The best piece of business that Everton pulled off this season wasn't in bringing a player or getting rid of someone, it was in keeping centre-back John Stones at the club. The English defender was heavily linked with a move to Premier League holders Chelsea however Bill Kenwright and Roberto Martinez held their own and kept Stones at the club. The Toffee's have mainly bolstered their attacking options with the signings of Deulofeu, Cleverley and Lennon. Deulofeu and Lennon will be threatening out wide and their pace will make them able to torment full-backs in order to get good service into Lukaku so you can see why they've been signed. Cleverley has been given a chance to prove himself at Everton and reignite his career. It is clear from his first few games that he has settled in at the club already and if he continues improving, I think he'll become a key part of Everton's team. Youngster David Henen has been signed for just £0.2million from Olympiakos however he is expected to feature in the U-21's mainly as he learns the English game and I wouldn't be surprised if he only featured in some cup games this year. Mason Holgate has also signed from Barnsley and I think Everton will be hoping that Holgate's progression will be similar to John Stones's and that's why they've signed him however he will also most likely only feature in the U-21's this year. Finally Everton signed Ramiro Funes Mori for £9.5million as they were low on centre-backs. I've never seen him play so I'm not sure how good he is however he will have to step his game up in order to break into the first team as Jagielka and Stones are performing very well together at this point in time. I agree with most of the departures and loans that Everton have done during this summer apart from letting Sylvain Distin depart on a free. If they got money for the reliable French defender then I'd understand but to let him to go on a free seems a bit odd to me as he was always a reliable consistent performer if Everton needed cover in defence. Other than that though, I'd be satisfied as an Everton fan with the business that has happened however fans do seem to be losing patience with the Everton hierarchy and if they don't make some big money signings in January or next summer then I can see Everton fans getting more frustrated. They've started the season with some injuries defensively including Leighton Baines which is a big loss and if they lose more like him through injury then lack of cover may hinder their league progress this season. They'll be hoping that Barkley and Lukaku are on top form this season in order to lead them into a top half table finish.
Woody's Rating - 7/10
Leicester City
Players Loaned In : 1
Players Departed : 8
Players Loaned Out : 8
Total Spent : £26.7million
Total Sold : £6.5million
Net Spend : £20.2million
Leicester City have been the biggest surprise of the season so far as they find themselves in 3rd place after 4 games. Their teamwork has been absolutely outstanding and by not making too many signings, Ranieri is clearing trying to keep the squad relatively small in order for morale to be high as players will not feel as they are being replaced. They've not only been impressive on the pitch with how they've played but have also been impressive off the pitch in their transfers. Striker Shinji Okazaki looks like a great talent as he's one of those players that never stops running and he managed to open his account with a goal in the win away at West Ham and if he continues this form, he and Jamie Vardy could be a goalscoring threat against any team this season. The £5million signing of Gokhan Inler from Napoli has the potential to be one of the signings of the season as he is a perfect replacement for Esteban Cambiasso. I would expect to see Inler sit in front of the back four and be pivotal to Leicester's defensive side of the game with his ability to break up play. Defensively signing Robert Huth is a decent signing as his strength and aerial abilities can help keep the best strikers at bay and also N'Golo Kante and Yohan Benalouane have been signed to increase squad depth as this Leicester side is beginning to rapidly grow in quality. Managing to get Christian Fuchs on a free from Schalke was another great bit of business from Leicester as they are getting a very consistent performer without spending anything. Managing to bring in Dyer on loan was a great acquisition for the Foxes as it adds another bit of pace to their attacking game and hopefully it will help improve the competition for places at the club. The players that they've loaned out are mainly the youth so I think Ranieri is given them a chance to prove themselves in the first team at other clubs in order for them to have a chance to break into the first team next season. You can understand why they've got rid of players like Nugent and Wood as I think they'll struggle to break into an ever improving Leicester side so to get £6.5million for them both combined was a good job. Overall, if you're a fan of the club then you can be happy with the experience players that they've purchased during the summer and if the players can continue playing this well as a team then you can expect a top half finish from your team this year.
Woody's Rating - 9/10
Liverpool
Players Sold : 8
Players Loaned Out : 13
Total Spent : £78.4million
Total Sold : £68.05million
Net Spend : £10.35million
Liverpool were able to splash the cash again this season after the big money departure of Raheem Sterling however, the big question asked of Rodgers this summer was how is he going to replace Steven Gerrard. The answer seems to have come in the form of James Milner and he has impressed in the Liverpool midfield already and looks like he can lead from that midfield while Jordan Henderson is injured. Liverpool needed a striker this season and they got their man for £32.5million when they signed Christian Benteke from Aston Villa. The powerful Belgian looks like he'll be worth the money as he has already managed to open his account with a controversial goal at home to Bournemouth. With his good hold up play, aerial ability and his outstanding link up play with Coutinho, Benteke looks like he will be a great signing. Full-backs Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez were brought in to strengthen Liverpool's defence and with Clyne being so consistent for Southampton last season, you knew that Liverpool had made a good buy. There were question marks about the signing of Joe Gomez but after his performance at the Emirates, he proved his worth to the team and has silenced any critics. Roberto Firmino was signed for £29million from Hoffenheim and I think Liverpool may have overpaid a little bit for this one. He's looked okay in his first few performances but we'll need to find form soon as the fans will be hoping he proves why he cost their club so much money. Ings has been brought in from Burnley after proving himself last year and if Benteke gets injured, I think Ings will then get the chance to prove himself, if not then it may be a long season on the bench for Danny Ings. Youngsters Allan and Awoniyi were signed but I'd expect them to go on loan or stay in the U-21's for this year as they learn the English game. Getting rid of Sterling was a great move for Liverpool this window as he was clearly unhappy at the club. They needed to get rid of players like: Johnson, Borini, Lambert and Aspas as I feel as though they weren't good enough for the Liverpool team and they did well to make a good bit of money of these players. Losing Steven Gerrard was terrible for Liverpool and they won't ever to be able to replace him as a player like Gerrard is unique and I do question why Rodgers wouldn't keep him as I think Gerrard still has the quality to play in Liverpool's first team and I would have liked to see him end his career there however it wasn't meant to be but who knows Liverpool fans, maybe one day Gerrard will be manager and will lead you to glory. Overall, it's been another window where Liverpool have splashed the cash however this year I think that Brendan Rodgers has spent his money smarter and has really improved his squad this year and if Liverpool can play as well as Palace and Leicester are playing as a team then they will be a force to be reckoned with and could achieve Champions League qualification this year.
Woody's Rating - 9/10
Manchester City
Players Departed : 9
Players Loaned Out : 5
Total Spent : £153.5million
Total Sold : £29.05million
Net Spend : £124.45million
I'm sure you won't be surprised to see that Manchester City have yet again spent a ridiculous amount of money and that they spent the most money and had the highest net spend in the Premier League. Kevin De Bruyne was the most expensive signing for them as he cost them£54.5million from Wolfsburg. After leading the assist charts in all competitions for last season, you can understand why he warranted such a high fee and with Raheem Sterling being English, that seems to make him worth £49million due to the need to have home grown players in the squad. I do think Sterling is a good player but to cost £49million is ridiculous money for a player that wasn't extremely impressive in my opinion. However this season, he has looked rather impressive especially in his link-up play with Kolarov and Silva on the left hand side and I believe that he will be a great player for City in the upcoming years. Nicolas Otamendi was signed for a fee of £33million and if he plays as well for City as he did for Valencia then City will have one of the world's best centre-back pairings at their disposal in Kompany and Otamendi. These three signings have strengthened Man City massively as they all add a lot to the team, Otamendi will be a massive help defensively and going forward, De Bruyne and Sterling will no doubt add and create countless goals to an ever strengthening City squad. Patrick Roberts costing £12million at the age of 18 is pretty ridiculous and again I believe it's because he's a home-grown player. He made 20 appearance for Fulham last year and failed to find the net however did manage 3 assists and looked very promising going forward and after impressing for England youth teams, it's clear that he's a talent but I'm still not convinced he'll be good enough for City and it would have been better for him to stay at Fulham and improve more before making this move. Fabian Delph was signed in controversial style from Villa and I feel like he won't feature too much this season for City as I think Toure and Fernandinho will be City's first choice players and unless they get injured then I wouldn't expect Delph to feature too much. Youngsters Unal and Faupara were also signed but they're likely to play in the U-21's in order to settle in at the club. There are no surprises in the players that left City in all honesty however I would argue that Dzeko is good enough to get into their team due to his strong performances throughout his City career and I think he's one of the most underrated strikers in the world, Overall, City have strengthened their squad yet again and I think the title is theirs to lose this season however with the amount that they've spent, it makes me question whether financial fair play even exists.
Woody's Rating - 9/10
Manchester United
Players Departed : 13
Players Loaned Out : 6
Total Spent : £108.1million
Total Sold : £74.49million
Net Spend : £33.61million
Part Two ends with the most side with the most League Titles, Manchester United. The major story at United, similar to Everton, was about a player who neither joined or left which was keeper David De Gea. He was linked with Real Madrid all summer which resulted to him being dropped from United's squads for the Premier League as of yet leading to a complete loss of respect between him and the manager being reported. Despite this, due to documents being sent into the Spanish FA 28 minutes late, this transfer did not go through which led to both clubs blaming each other and a fall out between two of the heavyweight clubs in the world. I think this works out better for Madrid however as they'll more than likely offer De Gea a contract in January and get him on a free in the summer meaning United will miss out on getting a lot of money for the sensational Spanish keeper. Van Gaal clearly meant business this window spending the 2nd highest amount and ending with the 3rd highest net spend. They spent their most money on teenager Anthony Martial when they spent £36million on him therefore making him the most expensive teenager in history however with add ons this transfer could rise to a huge £58million. Man United were in desperate need for a striker however I think they went to the extreme with the amount they spent on the young man and this transfer, similar to Chelsea's centre-back signings, is a panic buy in my opinion. This is backed up by the fact that he has only scored 15 goals in 72 appearances in his career so although being tipped to be the next Thierry Henry, I think this young lad isn't ready for the Premier League and won't be the answer to Manchester United's attacking problems. Memphis Depay was great for PSV last year and since joining the Red Devils I've been impressed by him, especially going forward. Despite this, he hasn't really been doing great in the Premier League as of yet but I do think he'll start firing goals in similar to what Ronaldo did at Manchester United and that it'll just take him a few more games before he shines. Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger have been brought in for a combined £31.5million to strengthen United in the central midfield and help out Carrick and so far the rotation between the 3 as well as the performances have been very good. They also acquired the services of two players from the Serie A, Matteo Darmian from Torino for £12.7million and Sergio Romero from Sampdoria on a free. Darmian has had a solid start to the Premier League so far and if the young man continues performing the same way then I'm sure he'll become a fan favourite at Old Trafford and Romero started the Premier League with 3 consecutive clean sheets however at Swansea last weekend, he could have arguably done better with both goals and United fans will be hoping to see the return of De Gea. Their final signing was 17 year old Regan Poole from Newport County. Having impressed at the Welsh League 2 club, Poole was rewarded with a move to Manchester United for an initial fee of £100,000 however with add-ons, this could potentially rise to £400,000 and the young man is likely to feature in the academy squad. The major departure from the club was Angel Di Maria. After being tipped to do so well at United, Di Maria failed to adjust to the Premier League and struggled to have a major impact like fans hoped and this led to him joining French champions PSG for £44.3million and hopefully he can find more success there. I personally think Di Maria is a world class player and should have been given one more year and I think if he was given that then he would have had a great season so Van Gaal acted rashly in my opinion. I feel the same way with Hernandez, he proved his worth with his goals at Madrid last year and if Van Gaal kept him then he could have played Hernandez ST Rooney CAM Depay LAM and Mata CAM which I believe would have been the best option for the club. If Rooney gets injured and Martial fails to live up to expectations than he'll regret getting rid of Hernandez. Other than that I can understand why United have sold them players and loaned out the youngsters in order to get first team football. However one loan I don't agree with is sending Januzaj to Borussia Dortmund as I feel the youngster proved that he deserves to be part of the attacking four due to his performances, especially at Villa Park. Overall, I think United have done well to get the defensive options but I think they've made a panic buy on Martial and done a bad job in getting rid of Januzaj, Hernandez and Di Maria. I don't believe their signings will get them into the title race and with Van Gaal's ruthlessness with his players, in my opinion I don't believe United will ever win the league again as long as Louis Van Gaal is manager.
Woody's Rating - 5/10
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