Liverpool garage sale: West Ham snap up Carroll and Downing in decent window

West Ham

In:
Adrian - Real Betis – Free
Andy Carroll - Liverpool - £15m (reported)
Razvan Rat - Shakhtar Donetsk – Free
Danny Whitehead - Stockport County – Undisclosed
Stewart Downing - Liverpool - £5million

Out: 
Gary O’Neil - QPR – Free
Carlton Cole – Released

Another decent window for Fat Sam Allardyce, as he added Liverpool’s Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing as well as Shakhtar Dontetsk’s Razvan Rat to his already impressive squad. West Ham are not a bad team and have started the season with 4 points from three matches. They will be looking to secure another mid table position this season after a 10^th place finish last term. Their singings add depth as well as fire power in the case of Carroll and if they can get him firing then he could be a good source of goals for the Hammers this season. A mid table finish seems the prognosis after a decent but not electrifying window from West Ham.

Grade: C-

A solid window but nothing special. Downing and Carroll can be very useful if utilised correctly.

PREVIOUS --> 18. Sunderland                                                       NEXT --> 16. Hull City

For West Brom the only direction from here is north

West Bromwich Albion

In:
Nicolas Anelka - Juventus – Free
Goran Popov - Dynamo Kiev – Loan
Diego Lugano - Paris St-Germain – Free
Matej Vydra - Udinese – Loan
Scott Sinclair - Manchester City – Loan
Morgan Amalfitano - Marseille – Loan
Lee Camp - Norwich – Free
Stephane Sessegnon - Sunderland - Undisclosed

Out: 
Marc-Antoine Fortune - Wigan – Free
Zoltan Gera – Released
Gonzalo Jara Reyes - Nottingham Forest – Free
Jerome Thomas - Released

An absolutely shocking start for West Bromwich Albion has yielded one point from a possible nine for Steve Clarke’s men, who have made some highly-regarded recruits. With former Chelsea and Juventus striker Nicolas Anelka as well as Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair and Sunderland playmaker Stephane Sessegnon joining the ranks at the Hawthorns, Clarke will be very proud of what he has achieved on a very limited budget. However, it may not be enough for a West Brom side who have been absolute woeful in their opening three matches. The signings are a step in the right direction, but unless Clarke can get them firing quick, his head is well and truly on the chopping block.

Grade: B-

Not a bad window for Steve Clarke and the Baggies, Anelka, Sessegnon, Vydra, Lugano and Sinclair are all good signings, but they may not be enough, especially with a leaky defence who have conceded 3 goals in 3 games already.

PREVIOUS --> 12. Fulham                                                                NEXT --> 10. Swansea

Outstanding AVB strenghtens Tottenham immensely with Bale money

Tottenham Hotspur

In:
Paulinho - Corinthians - £17m
Nacer Chadli - FC Twente - £7m (reported)
Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £26m
Etienne Capoue - Toulouse - Approx £9m
Erik Lamela - AS Roma - £25.7m (reported)
Vlad Chiriches - Steaua Bucharest - £8.5m
Christian Eriksen - Ajax - £11.5m

Out: 
Tom Huddlestone - Hull - £5m
David Bentley – Released
William Gallas – Released
Bongani Khumalo - Doncaster – Loan
Steven Caulker - Cardiff City - £8m
Clint Dempsey - Seattle Sounders -£6m (reported)
Scott Parker - Fulham – Undisclosed
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid - £85.3m
Benoit Assou-Ekotto - QPR – loan
Tom Carroll - QPR - loan

Without doubt, the biggest development of this transfer window was Gareth Bale’s world record move; he will earn the tiny sum of 34 euros a day at Real Madrid. Bale’s transfer fee funded a window long shopping spree for Spurs manager Andre Villas Boas who was seemed a metaphorical kid in a candy store, adding no less than seven high quality recruits to his already tremendous Tottenham side. Breaking the transfer record not once but twice, signing Roberto Soldado, and then Erik Lamela, Villas Boas did not mess around with his transfer kitty, spending over 100 million pounds in strengthening all over the park. There is now a great deal of depth in a Tottenham side which boasts a ludicrous number of world class players, they are certainly one to watch, a real title challenge is in the offing.

Grade: A+

Villas Boas has worked miracles this window, the sale of one world class player has brought in seven high quality signings, well done AVB.


PREVIOUS --> 2. NORWICH CITY

Laudrup has swans swimming in the right direction

Swansea City

In:
Jordi Amat - Espanyol - £2.5m
Wilfried Bony - Vitesse - £12m
Jose Canas - Real Betis – Free
Jonathan de Guzman - Villarreal – Loan
Alejandro Pozuelo - Real Betis – Undisclosed
Jonjo Shelvey - Liverpool - £5m
Jernade Meade - Unattached – Free
Alvaro Vazquez - Getafe - Loan

Out: 
Ki Sung-Yeung - Sunderland - Loan

Without a doubt, Swansea’s biggest acquisition this season is Wilfried Bony, the beastly striker signed from Vitesse Arnhem for the relatively cheap sum of £12m and can be a big presence for the Swans up front. Swansea will be looking to build on last season which saw them secure 9^th place last season and a victory in the Capital One Cup which earned them a spot in this season’s Europa League. Michael Laudrup is an outstanding manager and his signings will add depth to a Swansea squad which is very talented and will excite many Swans fans. His acquisition of Jonjo Shelvey for a miniscule fee of 5 million pounds from Liverpool could prove a shrewd piece of business, under the right tutelage the England midfielder could turn into an absolute world beater. Watch this space.

Grade: B-

Wilfried Bony is an excellent signing, one which will add goals to an already impressive Swansea outfit, the Swans have a very good side, not to be under estimated.

PREVIOUS --> 11. West Brom                                                          NEXT --> 9. Stoke City

Sunderland not in wonderland

Sunderland

In: 
Emanuele Giaccherini - Juventus - £6.5million
Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar – Undisclosed
El Hadji Ba - Le Havre - £380,000
Modibo Diakite - Lazio – Free
Cabral - Basel – Free
Vito Mannone - Arsenal – Undisclosed
David Moberg Karlsson - Gothenburg – Undisclosed
Valentin Roberge - Maritimo – Free
Duncan Whatmore - Altrincham – Undisclosed
Ondrej Celustka - Trabzonspor – Loan
Ki Sung-Yeung - Swansea – Loan
Fabio Borini - Liverpool – Loan
Andrea Dossena - Napoli - Loan

Out:
Simon Mignolet - Liverpool - £9m
Titus Bramble – Released
Matt Kilgallon - Blackburn – Free
Ahmed Elmohamady - Hull - £2m
Alfred N'Diaye - Eskisehirspor – Loan
James McClean - Wigan - £1.5m (reported)
Stephane Sessegnon - West Brom - Undisclosed

Paolo Di Canio has recognised a deficiency in his squad and apparently opted for ‘quantity not quality’ as he looked to reinforce his languishing side. Winger Emanuel Giaccherini, who has already found the net for his new club, and striker Jozy Altidore represent good signings for a club whose premier league points tally is currently just one better than my own personal tally. Di Canio is… lets say… a character… and his condiment banning policy has left many relishing the fact that they do not play for Sunderland. He will be hoping that his new signings help his side to ketchup to the rest of the pack, I must(ard) stop with these puns. But in all seriousness, Sunderland are in real trouble is their signings do not come off, and relegation could well be in their future.

Grade: C-

Di Canio has not signed badly, however, gaps in the squad remain and he will need to work hard with his squad in order to avoid a relegation scrap this season.

PREVIOUS --> 19. Newcastle                                                          NEXT --> 17. West Ham

Stoke-d: Hughes adds Arnautovic, Agudelo, Ireland on deadline day

Stoke City

In:
Alex Grant - Portsmouth – Free
Marc Muniesa - Barcelona – Free
Erik Pieters - PSV Eindhoven - £3m
Juan Agudelo - New England Revolution – Free
Marko Arnautovic - Werder Bremen – Undisclosed
Stephen Ireland - Aston Villa – Loan
Oussama Assaidi - Liverpool - Loan

Out:
Dean Whitehead - Middlesbrough – Free
Rory Delap – Released
Matthew Upson - Brighton – Free
Mamady Sidibe – Released
Michael Owen -  Retired

A busy window for the Potters, with new manager Mark Hughes making some significant signings without a significant price tag. Promising Barcelona centre back marc Muniesa and PSV fullback Erik Pieters signed for Stoke rather early in the window and were joined by its conclusion by Juan Agudelo from the MLS, Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic for Werder Bremen, Aston Villa midfielder Steven Ireland and Liverpool’s Moroccan winger Oussama Assaidi on loan. These signings are a step up for the Potters who have recorded two good wins after an exciting opening day loss to Liverpool at Anfield. Hughes will be hoping that his new signings will be able to gel quickly and help to build on their hot start in order to separate themselves from the lower part of the table.

Grade: B-

Stoke’s signings have ended up being quite impressive, with Agudelo and Arnautovic leading the way, Stoke could be on their way to a solid placing this season.

PREVIOUS --> 10. Swansea                                                          NEXT --> 8. Southampton

Expensive new boys improve Soton squad

Southampton

In:
Dejan Lovren - Lyon - £8.5m
Viktor Wanyama - Celtic - £12.5m
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - Roma - £15m

Out: 
Jason Puncheon - Crystal Palace – Loan
Danny Butterfield - Carlisle - Free

Just the three big money signings for Mauricio Pocchetino’s Southampton, with young centre back Dejan Lovren joining from Lyon, the premier league’s first Nigerian representative midfielder Victor Wanyama signing from Celtic and flamboyant striker Pablo Osvaldo also penning a contract at St Mary’s Stadium. Pocchetino’s three new boys represent the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th highest transfer fees paid by Southampton for a player. After a momentous first season in the premier league last season, Pocchetino and Southampton fans will be hoping that their side mirrors their unexpected brilliance last season and secures themselves another premier league place for next season. Southampton currently find themselves on 4 points after 3 fixtures.

Grade: B+

Each of the three signings represent vast improvements to their starting eleven, however they paid quite exorbitant fees for each, Southampton fans will be pleased with the calibre of player their club is now able to attract.

PREVIOUS --> 9. Stoke City                                                                 NEXT --> 7. Everton

Shrewd Hughton a transfer window hit!

Norwich City

In:
Javier Garrido - Lazio - £1.28m
Leroy Fer - Twente – Undisclosed
Ricky van Wolfswinkel - Sporting Lisbon - £8.5m
Nathan Redmond - Birmingham City - £3.2m (reported)
Martin Olsson - Blackburn – Undisclosed
Gary Hooper - Celtic - £5m (reported)
Johan Elmander - Galatasaray - Loan

Out: 
Grant Holt - Wigan - £2m
James Vaughan - Huddersfield - undisclosed

What a window for Norwich City and manager Chris Hughton! Some inspired moves, notably the signings of forwards Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper and Nathan Redmond who will all add to the firepower of the canaries. Hughton has not spent exceedingly, spotting some absolute bargains, such as their acquisition of Javier Garrido from Lazio for a measly 1.3 million as well as just 3.2 million for young gun Redmond. Norwich really have had an outstanding window, turning themselves into candidates for a mid-place finish and a side who most tip could avoid the relegation scrap all together. Well done Chris Hughton.

Grade: A+

Great window for the canaries, didn’t overpay, strengthened defence, midfield and attack and did so earlier in the window to give the squad time to gel.

PREVIOUS --> 3. Manchester City                                                   NEXT --> 1. Tottenham

Too quiet on Tyneside.

Newcastle United

In:
Loic Remy - QPR (Loan)

Out:
Steve Harper - Hull City – Free
Danny Simpson - QPR – Free
James Perch - Wigan – undisclosed

Newcastle United has had a very quiet window indeed, their lone acquisition is QPR’s French striker Loic Remy who took the premier league by storm in the tail end of last season. Manager Alan Pardew has managed to keep hold of Arsenal target Yohan Cabaye, a significant victory for the club who were shellacked 4-0 by Manchester City on the opening day of the season.  It was a quiet window on Tyneside… too quiet, sure, Newcastle have a good side and Pardew must have great confidence in his players, but they did finish just 16^th last season, not good enough for a side of their talent. They have started decently, with a win, a draw and a loss from their first three fixtures, whether Pardew’s confidence in his men is justified remains to be seen.

Grade: D+

Remy is a good signing, but Newcastle did not play well enough last season to justify just one addition, they have a talented squad, but Pardew will need to work hard to ensure this window isn’t his one of his last as Newcastle manager.


PREVIOUS --> 20. Manchester United                                        NEXT --> 18. Sunderland

Will Moyes and United Ma-RUE-ane this day?

Manchester United

In:
Guillermo Varela - Penarol - £1m
Marouane Fellaini - Everton - £27.5m

Out:
Paul Scholes – Retired
Scott Wootton - Leeds – Undisclosed
Nick Powell - Wigan – Loan
Bebe - Pacos de Ferreira - Loan

Moyes’ dream appointment at Old Trafford could soon become a nightmare, following a loss to rivals Liverpool and a draw at Chelsea, United find themselves on 4 points from a possible 9 after three fixtures. The transfer window has not treated him well either, his lone two signings are the relatively unknown Guillermo Varela from Penarol and the ridiculously overpriced Marouane Fellaini from his former club Everton. Moyes has failed to sign players such as Ander Herrera, Leighton Baines and Thiago Alcantara this window, frustrating United fans who are aware of the gaps in their midfield. They are not happy with Moyes as it is, and if he does not start winning the big games then he could be sacked faster than the Everton chairman deposited the Fellaini money to ensure that United didn’t realise their mistake.

Grade: E

Moyes’ only acquisitions this summer are an unknown and a ridiculously priced midfielder with an afro, United fans are not happy.

                                                                                              NEXT --> 19. Newcastle

City fans certainly aren't blue over transfer dealings.

Manchester City

In:
Fernandinho - Shakhtar Donetsk - £30m
Jesus Navas - Sevilla - £17m rising to £22.9m
Alvaro Negredo - Sevilla – Undisclosed
Stevan Jovetic - Fiorentina - £22m
Martin Demichelis - Atletico Madrid - £4.2m

Out: 
Wayne Bridge - Reading – Free
Carlos Tevez - Juventus - £12m
Kolo Toure - Liverpool – Free
Roque Santa Cruz - Malaga – Free
Maicon - Roma – Undisclosed
Denis Suarez - Barcelona – Undisclosed
Scott Sinclair - West Brom –Loan
Gareth Barry - Everton - Loan

A relatively tamed window on the blue side of Manchester however new manager Manuel Pellegrini still splashed the cash like only the obscenely rich Citizens can. The big money signings of midfielder Fernandinho, winger Jesus Navas, strikers Albaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic as well as centre back Martin Demichelis formed a busy window for Pellegrini. City have started well, however perhaps not to their lofty standards, in the league, with two wins from three matches despite a shock loss to Cardiff City. Their real test comes on 23 September when they welcome bitter rivals Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium and Pellegrini will be hoping that his signings play a big role in a famous victory over David Moyes’ United. City’s squad has ridiculous depth, with four world class strikers, Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic and Negredo, as well as a star-studded midfield, they are serious title contenders with the jaw dropping amount of talent they have in their ranks.

Grade:  A+

Put simply, there are no gaps in the City squad, their new signings, especially Negredo, have already made an impact and any manager with Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic and Negredo all at his disposal will surely never have an issue finding the net.


PREVIOUS--> 4. Liverpool                                                           NEXT --> 2. Norwich City                                        

Luis who? New signings take centre stage at Anfield.

Liverpool

In:
Luis Alberto - Sevilla - £6.8m (reported)
Iago Aspas - Celta Vigo - £7m
Simon Mignolet - Sunderland - £9m
Kolo Toure - Manchester City – Free
Aly Cissokho - Valencia – Loan
Tiago Ilori - Sporting Lisbon  - £7m
Mamadou Sakho - Paris Saint-Germain - £18m
Victor Moses - Chelsea  - Loan

Out:
Andy Carroll - West Ham - £15m (reported)
Peter Gulasci - Red Bull Salzburg – Free
Jonjo Shelvey - Swansea - £5m
Danny Wilson - Hearts – Free
Jamie Carragher – Retired
Michael Ngoo - Yeovil – Loan
Suso - Almeria – Loan
Conor Coady - Sheffield United – Loan
Jack Robinson - Blackpool – Loan
Jay Spearing - Bolton – Undisclosed
Stewart Downing - West Ham - £5m
Oussama Assaidi - Stoke City – Loan
Dani Pacheco - AD Alcorcon – Undisclosed
Fabio Borini - Sunderland – Loan
Pepe Reina – Napoli - Loan

Brendan Rodgers has signed 8 players this window, as well as finally ridding the Anfield club of expensive flops Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing, both farmed off to West Ham as well as Jonjo Shelvey who has been sold to Swansea. Liverpool’s defence has been strengthened to a great extent, with the likes of Mamadou Sakho, Kolo Toure, Tiago Ilori and Aly CIssokho all arriving at Melwood to pen a contract. The signing of Sunderland’s Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saw fan favourite Pepe Reina join former manager Rafa Benitez as Napoli as a new era was heralded in between the sticks at Anfield. Further up the pitch, Victor Moses arrived on loan from Chelsea, whilst Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas both joined from Spain, from Sevilla and Celta Vigo respectively. Liverpool fans are overjoyed by Rodgers’ transfer dealings this window with the ghosts of previous windows still fresh in their minds. The Reds currently sit at the summit of the table, after a momentous victory over rivals Manchester United at Anfield care of another Daniel Sturridge goal gave them their third consecutive 1-0 victory. Liverpool fans will be wishing that the Premier League ended in September.

Grade: A-

Rodgers has filled the gaps in his defence to great effect, however he continues to search for a player to fill a role on the left wing in order to free up Phillipe Coutinho for a central role, after failing in his pursuit for Willian. A great window for the Reds.

PREVIOUS --> 5. Chelsea                                                      NEXT --> 3. Manchester City    

Will Tigers have the teeth to survive?

Hull City

In:
George Boyd - Peterborough – Free
Tom Huddlestone - Tottenham - £5m
Curtis Davies - Birmingham City - £2.25m (reported)
Maynor Figueroa – Free
Allan McGregor - Besiktas - £1.8m
Ahmed Elmohamady - Sunderland - £2m
Danny Graham - Sunderland – Loan
Yannick Sagbo - Evian – Undisclosed
Gedo - Al Ahly – Loan
Jake Livermore – Tottenham - Loan

Out:
Sonny Bradley - Portsmouth – Free
Mark Cullen - Luton – Free
Andy Dawson - Scunthorpe – Free
Danny East - Portsmouth – Free
Jamie Devitt - Chesterfield – Released
Paul McKenna – Released
Seyi Olofinjana – Released
Jay Simpson – Released
Jack Hobbs - Nottingham Forest – Loan
Corry Evans - Blackburn Rovers – Undisclosed
Conor Townsend - Hull City - Loan

Hull City return to play with the big boys after a three year absence, and they will hope that their rebranding as ‘Hull City Tigers’ will give them a little ferocity for the new season. Manager Steve Bruce is no Premier League new comer, having managed Sunderland for a number of seasons, and they will be hoping that his experience will guide them to avoiding relegation this season. Bruce has not splashed the cash in any sense of the words, spending moderately in bringing in some proven top flight experience in the shape of Maynor Figueroa, Danny Graham, Ahmed El Mohamady as well as Tottenham midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone whose signing broke the club’s transfer record. New signing Yannick Sagbo has alreay found the back of the net and seen red in three short fixtures for the club. Bruce has put together a side that will give survival a real go, however I simply don’t see them avoiding a one way ticket back to the championship at the end of the season despite some significant acquisitions.

Grade: C-

Yes, it was a good window by Hull City standards, Livermore, Huddlestone and Graham are all real steps up for the Tigers, but their defence remains shaky and Steve Bruce will struggle to guide this side to survival this season.


PREVIOUS --> 17. West Ham                                                           NEXT --> 15. Aston Villa

Will all be Jol-ly good for Fulham?

Fulham

In:
Fernando Amorebieta - Athletic Bilbao – Free
Derek Boateng - Dnipro – Free
Sasha Riether - Cologne - £1.3m
Ange-Freddy Plumain - Lens – Free
Maarten Stekelenburg - Roma - £4.8m
Adel Taarabt - QPR – Loan
Scott Parker- Fulham – Undisclosed
Darren Bent – Aston Villa - Loan

Out:
Chris Baird – Released
Simon Davies – Released
Mahamadou Diarra – Released
Giorgos Karagounis – Released
Mladen Petric – Released
Mark Schwarzer - Released

Fulham find themselves in a spot of bother this season, after comfortably securing a mid-table position last term they have been rather underwhelming in their first three fixtures, securing just the one win over Paolo Di Canio’s hapless Sunderland. Manager Martin Jol has signed Spurs midfielder Scott Parker and QPR showboater Adel Taarabt, strengthening his midfield, however holes persist in his defence despite the signing of Athletic Bilbao’s centre back Fernando Amorebieta. These signings are nothing all that special, and if it weren’t for the ineptitude of some other sides, I would be billing Fulham as real relegation candidates. Jol needs to work some magic with a side which has the raw talent to succeed but will need to gel in a big way if they are to feel comfort away from the bottom three this season.

Grade: C+

The signing of Darren Bent will ease the pressure on Dimitar Berbatov, and Taarabt should provide a spark in the midfield, but gaps in defence persist, something Jol must address.

PREVIOUS --> 13. Cardiff City                                                     NEXT --> 11. West Brom

Martinez saves best for last

Everton

In:
Arouna Kone - Wigan - £6m
Joel Robles - Atletico Madrid – Undisclosed
Antolin Alcaraz - Unattached – Free
Romelu Lukaku - West Brom – Loan
Gareth Barry - Man City – Loan
James McCarthy - Wigan - £13m

Out:
Thomas Hitzlsperger – Released
Jan Mucha – Released
Phil Neville – Retired
Marouane Fellaini - Manchester United - £27.5m
Victor Anichebe - West Brom - £6m

The Toffees have begun their 2013/14 premier league campaign with three points from three games after consecutive draws against Norwich, West Brom and Cardiff, all sides which they would have expected to beat last season. New manager Roberto Martinez had a very productive deadline day, bringing in Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea and Gareth Barry from Manchester City, both on loan, as well as Wigan midfielder James McCarthy for a hefty fee of £13m. After a very slow start, these acquisitions were needed and Martinez fared rather well to make some quite high quality signings, albeit on loan. Lukaku will give Everton that killer instinct which they have lacked in their opening three fixtures, being held goalless on two occasions. McCarthy comes in to plug the gap left by Marouane Fellaini’s late departure to Manchester United, with Everton managing to keep Leighton Baines out of David Moyes’ greasy palms coming as a great relief to their chances this season. Overall, a fruitful deadline day saved Martinez from an embarrassing window and it will be interesting to see how the Toffees fare from here on in.

Grade: B+

Everton performed highway robbery after managing to convince Manchester United to pay 27m for Fellaini, whose buyout clause which expired earlier in the window was less than this amount. They managed to keep hold of Baines, who is perhaps the Premier League’s best left back, as well as plugging holes in their attack and midfield with the signings of Barry, youngster McCarthy and Lukaku, culminating in a successful window.

PREVIOUS --> 8. Southampton                                                            NEXT --> 6. Arsenal

Nothing Crystal about Palace's signings

Crystal Palace

In:
Stephen Dobbie - Brighton and Hove Albion – Undisclosed
Dwight Gayle - Peterborough United – Undisclosed
Jerome Thomas - Unattached – Free
Jose Campaña - Sevilla  £1.7m
Kevin Phillips - Blackpool – Free
Elliot Grandin - Blackburn Rovers – Free
Neil Alexander- Rangers- Free
Florian Marange -  Bordeaux – Free
Jimmy Kebe  - Reading – Undisclosed
Jack Hunt - Huddersfield - £2m
Adrian Mariappa - Reading – Undisclosed
Barry Bannan - Aston Villa - Undisclosed

Out:
Jermaine Easter - Milwall – Free
Alex Marrow - Blackburn – Undisclosed
Dale Banton - MK Dons – Loan
Ryan Inniss - Cheltenham – Loan
Andre Moritz - Bolton – Free
Peter Ramage - Barnsley - Loan

Palace manager Ian Holloway has brought in no less than 12 players this window in an attempt to get his side into a position where they can avoid relegation in their first premier league season since 2004/05. Palace have a reputation as a real yoyo team who have spent just the single year in England’s top league on each of their other 4 attempts in the premier league era, this time they will be looking to cement a place amongst the country’s elite. Holloway has moved to litter his squad with proven premier league talent, with the likes of Mariappa, Bannan, Kebe, Grandin and Phillips all having previously appeared in the premier league. Palace have strengthened quite significantly, without splashing the cash in any significant way, however, the calibre of their signings is questionable and whether or not it will be enough to keep them in the top tier, only time will tell.

Grade: C+

Holloway has managed to secure some proven premier league talent, however his squad lacks that wow factor, and they could really struggle to stay up this season.


PREVIOUS --> 15. Aston Villa                                                       NEXT --> 13. Cardiff City

Mour and More signings

Chelsea

In: 
Andre Schurrle - Bayer Levekusen - £18m
Marco van Ginkel - Vitesse Arnhem - £8m (reported)
Mark Schwarzer - Unattatched – Free
Christian Cuevas - O'Higgins – Undisclosed
Willian - Anzhi Makhachkala - £30m
Christian Atsu - Porto £3.5m
Samuel Eto'o - Anzhi Makhachkala – Free

Out:
Oriol Romeu - Valencia – Loan
Thibaut Courtois - Athletico Madrid – Loan
Marko Marin - Sevilla – Loan
Yossi Benayoun – Released
Paulo Ferreira – Released
Hilario – Released
Florent Malouda - Bursaspor – Released
Ross Turnbull - Doncaster – Free
Christian Atsu - Vitesse Arnhem – Loan
Victor Moses - Liverpool – Loan
Romelu Lukaku - Everton - Loan

Stamford Bridge has been abuzz with the return of José Mourinho. Upon arrival, Mourinho has looked to stamp his authority over the Chelsea side, bringing in Bayer Leverkusen winger Andre Schurrle, Vitesse Arnhem midfielder Marco van Ginkel, Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer, Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o and pipping Tottenham to Anzhi winger Willian. Mourinho has been quite busy this window, especially with his protracted rather public unsuccessful attempt to prise Wayne Rooney from David Moyes’ Manchester United. Mourinho inherited a star-studded Chelsea side from Rafael Benitez, and after injecting some high quality acquisitions into the squad, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with, if Mourinho’s 7-1-1 formation does not rear its ugly head once more. If the special one can find the right combination Chelsea could well be in with a shot at the title this season.

Grade: A-

Mourinho’s side is simply class, there are no holes, there is great depth and they have signed rather well despite a large fee for Willian. A real danger team and a title challenge is certainly in the offing.

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More Odemwhinging at Cardiff City?

Cardiff City

In:
Andreas Cornelius - FC Copenhagen - £7.5m
John Brayford - Derby - £1.5m
Simon Moore - Brentford – Undisclosed
Steven Caulker - Tottenham Hotspur - £8m
Gary Medel - Sevilla - £11m (Reported)
Kevin Theophile-Catherine - Rennes - £2.1m
Peter Odemwingie – West Brom – £2.25m

Out:
Jese Darko – Released
Nat Jarvis – Released
Stephan McPhail – Released
Elliot Parish - Bristol City – Free
Heldar Helgurson – Retired
Ben Nugent - Brentford – Loan
Joe Ralls - Yeovil - Loan

Premier League new boys Cardiff City have made some big moves in their first transfer window as a Premier League club, with manager Malky Mackay keen to bolster his squad. The welsh club have signed reasonably well, adding young Tottenham centre back Steven Caulker, Sevilla central midfielder Gary Medel, West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie and Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius. Mackay has done well to balance experience with potential in his signings, and in playing the market well has managed to give the side, who have already pulled off a shock victory 3-2 over Manchester City, a relatively good chance at avoiding relegation this season.

Grade: C+

They have signed reasonably well, with the likes of Odemwingie and Cornelius likely to give them a greater potency in front of goal, however they have paid quite exorbitant fees for the likes of Medel, smashing their record transfer fee, thus preventing them from obtaining a higher grade.

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Villa fail to astonish

Aston Villa

In:
Leandro Bacuna - FC Groningen – Undisclosed
Nicklas Helenius - Aalborg BK - £2m
Jores Okore - FC Nordsjaelland - £4m
Antonio Luna - Sevilla – Undisclosed
Aleksandar Tonev - Lech Poznan – Undisclosed
Jed Steer - Norwich – Free
Libor Kozak - Lazio - £7m

Out:
Eric Lichaj - Nottingham Forest – Free
Jean Il Makoun - Rennes – Free
Richard Dunne - QPR – Free
Brett Holman - Al Nasr – Free
Stiliyan Petrov – Retired
Samir Carruthers - MK Dons – Loan
Nathan Delfouneso - Blackpool – Loan
Darren Bent - Fulham –Loan
Enda Stevens - Notts County – Loan
Barry Bannan - Crystal Palace – Undisclosed
Stephen Ireland - Stoke City - loan

After somehow managing to keep hold of their top scorer Christian Benteke, who has started this season in similarly devastating fashion, things began to look up for Paul Lambert’s men who started the season with a shock away win at the Emirates. However, a brief look at their ‘in’ column reveals a distinct lack of high calibre signings, their most expensive of which was a 7 million pound deadline day signing of Czech striker Libor Kozak, who, may I add, failed to score a single goal in Italy for the entirety of last season. It was simply an underwhelming window for those over at Villa Park, with former starters Barry Bannan and Darren Bent departing the club, they could very easily find themselves in another relegation scrap if they do not maintain this run of early season form.

Grade: C-

Paul Lambert has added some competition another decent striker, as well as full back Antonio Luna, who scored on his debut against Arsenal, however, his side lacks depth and will struggle to keep up form for the whole season.


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Ozil Fever at the Emirates

Arsenal

In:
Yaya Sanogo - Auxerre – Free
Mathieu Flamini - AC Milan – Free
Emiliano Viviano - Palermo – Loan
Mesut Ozil - Real Madrid - £42m

Out:
Andrey Arshavin - Zenit St Petersberg – Free
Vito Mannone - Sunderland – Undisclosed
Denilson - Sao Paulo – Free
Sébastien Squillaci – Released
Francis Coquelin - Freiburg  (Loan)
Johan Djourou - Hamburg (Loan)
Andre Santos - Flamengo – Undisclosed
Joel Campbell - Olympiacos (Loan)
Gervinho - Roma - £8m
Ignasi Miquel - Leicester (Loan)
Marouane Chamakh - Crystal Palace – Undisclosed

It was beginning to look like Arsenal were to wear the ‘crisis club’ tag this season after a slow start, including an embarrassing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on opening day. Arsene Wenger was booed by Arsenal fans and it seemed as though it was just a matter of time before the Frenchman got the sack, however Arsene had a trick up his sleeve. With deadline day quickly approaching and Arsenal fans resorting to “Yes! Yaya Sanogo!” as their only means of keeping up morale amidst Spurs’ seemingly consistent stream of high quality signings. Deadline day brought the signing which gunners fans had dreamt of, with Mesut Ozil signed for £42m from Real Madrid, many of the Arsenal faithful could do nothing but pinch themselves repeatedly before referencing his signing every minute of the day. However, with the massive signing of Europe’s most prolific assist provider, have Arsenal now got a side which is capable of challenging for the title? The answer is no. Wenger has seemingly forgotten about the gaps in his defence and a lack of quality strikers, whilst strengthening the one area of his squad that actually did not need to be strengthened. Amidst the failed attempts for Luis Suarez and Luiz Gustavo to name a few it did seem for a while as though the gunners weren’t going to make any high profile signings, but Arsene finally got his man, leaving Arsenal fans at home yelling COYG! (Come on you gunners)

Grade: B+

The signing of Ozil has mitigated what would have been a disastrous window for the London based club, still failed to fix holes in their leaky defence.

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