After recently discussing every premier league side’s best signing, let’s look at the rest of Europe. One issue with living in the UK, is how little European transfers are covered unless they are huge ones (e.g Ronaldo or Neymar) so it’s important to try and keep up with all of them. Let’s go through ten of the best signings in the rest of the continent.
10. Tanguy Ndombele – Lyon
I might have mentioned before, but the amount of incredible midfield talent around now is just astounding. The likes of Modric, Kroos, Busquets and Kante will all go down as greats of the game. Even in young talent, it is clear that the amount of midfield talent seems never ending. One of those said young midfielders is one I’ll be highlighting right now. Lyon signing Tanguy Ndombele for only €8m is just insane business. This is considering that the young Frenchman was one the best midfielders last season. Lyon have recently been finding some absolute brilliant young players. In the current squad, they have the likes of Aouar, Depay, Mariano, Tousart and Diakhaby all have been excellent since given more prominent roles in the team. It has given these players a chance to express themselves and perform at the top level. Ndombele has easily been the most stand out player in that team however. He did a perfect box to box role for Lyon, being solid defensively and brilliant in moving the play into the final third. Ndombele was putting in 3 tackles and interceptions last season, very good numbers from a guy who’s responsibility wasn’t defensive minded. What is most impressive is his key passes and dribbling. He has an astonishing 78% successful dribbles, beating £56m signing Naby Keita’s 56%, and even averaged the same key passes. While 1.4 doesn’t sound as high as other midfielders, it’s important to note that it isn’t his main focus. The Frenchman is an all rounder, the fact that it’s over 1 just shows how much of a real prospect Ndombele is, being able to do just everything. Lyon have a world beater in their team, and he could be seen as a future signing for one of the top clubs in Europe. But for now he must continue to perform at Lyon, and to see if he is able to keep this incredible level of performances up.
9. Rodri – Atletico Madrid
Speaking of incredibly talented midfielders, the signing of Rodri from Villarreal should play a huge involvement in Atletico’s title challenge. While this is technically a January signing, he didn’t arrive until the summer. One of Atletico’s issues recently has been replacing Gabi, a player who has been the physical embodiment of Diego Simeone on the pitch for so long. He is a very hard player to replace, but they might have just found the guy. Rodri had an excellent season for Villarreal last season. He was a key player for the yellow Submarine, and was excellent in defensive midfield. It is crazy just how similar both Rodri and Gabi play. Both average very good defensive numbers, and also are excellent passers. Rodri was averaging 65 passes per game with a 90% accuracy. For a 22 year old, being able to be that good on the ball is very promising. He even averages 4.4 long balls, showing his brilliant range of passing. It even betters Gabi’s 85% accuracy. Rodri also does his defensive work, averaging a very good 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game. Rodri is a real talent, and he arrives at a time when Atletico need a player like him the most, a guy who will keep possession effectively, while also protecting the defense effectively. While it will take years before he will have the same influence on the pitch as Gabi did, he is still the perfect guy to replace him on ability.
8. Aleksandr Golovin – Monaco
Russia were a bit of a surprise package at the world cup. The hosts arrived with a team missing key members, and expected to not get out of the groups. However they progressed further than all would have predicted. One reason for this was the brilliant performances from their advanced midfielder Aleksandr Golovin. The CSKA midfielder was one to watch at the world cup, but still exceeded expectations. While he was very good at the world cup, he was still very good last season. Golovin excels as more of an attacking midfielder (less Ndombele more Aouar). He was averaging some very good numbers last season. He was taking 2.1 shots per game, showing the threat he was offering in front of goal. It is important to not that 1.6 of those shots were taken outside of the box. Not only does he shoot from distance, he also took the free kicks for CSKA last season. His dribbling is one aspect of his game that has been improving each season. In the 2016\17 season, he was averaging 0.9 successful dribbles. This number doubled last season, now averaging 1.8 dribbles. It shows that the Russian international is still improvement every season. This was a signing that Monaco needed. With Moutinho now out of the team, Monaco needed that midfielder who would be able to transition midfield into attack, and help the likes of Lopes and Falcao in front of goal. This could be a very instrumental signing in Monaco regaining their success from 2 seasons ago.
7. Gonzalo Higuain – AC Milan
Like Everton, Milan’s huge spending didn’t work out as expected. They were overshadowed by rivals, who already had established styles and players who knew the system. They brought in so many players, that it was impossible for Milan to have any instant success. It didn’t help that some of their bigger signings just didn’t work out. Andre Silva failed to make an impact in the league and Andrea Conti suffered a serious injury near the beginning of the season. The worst one by far was Leonardo Bonucci, who just couldn’t carry his incredible consistency to the San Siro. They have so far attempted to fix their mistakes. It involved 3 players. Juventus were able to get their old defender back. Milan however got better end of the deal. They were able to get the promising Matteo Caldara, while also getting Argentine hitman Gonzalo Higuain on loan. Getting him on loan was easily the best option here. Higuain is on a bit of a decline. Since his record breaking 36 goal season at Napoli, he then scored 23, and last season scored 16. It is no fault of his own. It is an effect all players are effected by, being age. His shot numbers have been decreasing since his final season for Napoli. They at a frankly ridiculous 5.2, to 3.5, and now at 2.9. That is still a really good number for a striker, but it is clear he is declining. Higuain is still an elite forward, who is still a great, consistent goal scorer when it comes to leagues. It is exactly what Milan need at the moment, which is a guy who is going to guarantee them goals. It’s something that Higuain has given every team he’s played for. Since arriving in Europe in 2009, he has never failed to score less than 12 goals in all competitions. While many can question his ability in those knock out games, no one can argue that he is one of the most consistent goal scorers in the last 10 years, and will go down as a Serie A great, no matter what he does at Milan. A great signing that could be the driving force for this Milan side to succeed in the future.
6. Sime Vrsaljko – Inter Milan
I have been praising Vrsaljko since the beginning of the world cup. The Croatian was easily one of the top performers for his national team, given such great width on that right side for his team. He was one key reason why Croatia reached the final of the world cup. He was also a key player for Atletico Madrid, going from a back up your Juanfran to his replacement. He was an important figure in Atletico’s Europa League winning side last season. It was as if a young Juanfran was playing. It is still quite incredible that he was even allowed to leave Atletico in the first place, being one of their best players. Just looking at his stats last season, it was very clear how effective he was. He put in a brilliant 4 tackles and interceptions per 90, just showing how solid he is defensively in a team that’s known for their defensive solidarity. He also contributed very effectively in the final third. Because of the type of wingers Atletico Madrid usually play, it means the full backs have to push up and contribute, while also doing their defensive work. It has been made clear that Vrsaljko is extremely good defensively, but also contributes going forward. He ended the season with 4 assists, which is a fine end. He is a guy who likes to cross a lot in games, as seen in a the world cup, where his target was the aerial monster Mandzukic. He target for Inter will be one of the best strikers around in Mauro Icardi. One issue Inter faced was the complete drop in form from everyone bar Icardi. They didn’t have many options outwide, meaning Antonio Candreva was playing throughout the season, even though he didn’t contribute to a goal from December onwards. Vrsaljko isn’t exactly a winger, but he will help in the final third. A very good signing from a side who made many.
5. Stefan De Vrij – Inter Milan
Another Inter Milan signing here, De Vrij is one of the best defenders in Serie A. His time at Lazio has been one great success. Last season, Lazio had a very interesting season. They brought the best out of their attackers, with Immobile scoring 29 goals and getting 9 assists. Even Luis Alberto, a player who was written off at Liverpool, excelled at Lazio last season, being one of their best creators. However over the years, their most reliable player in recent years has been Stefan De Vrij. The Dutchman has excelled throughout his time at Lazio, and he continued this form last season. One area of his game that cannot be praised more is his ability on the ball. Throughout his career his pass accuracy has always been very high, always getting over 80%, but last season was a career high, with 91%. He is getting even better with every season under his belt. He also averaged 2 interceptions per 90 last season, which just shows how intelligent he is as a player. The Dutchman plays as more of a sweeper, than a destroyer, which gives balance to a defense that consists of two great destroyers in Skriniar and Miranda. One issue that Inter faced last season was the lack of defensive options. If one of Miranda or Skriniar suffered an injury, they would have one other defender as back up. Bringing De Vrij in will give much better options for Inter, who are now in the champions league for the first time since 2012. De Vrij is another addition that could seriously help Inter push Juventus to the end.
4. Thomas Lemar – Atletico Madrid
This could be Diego Simeone’s last chance at a title challenge. Both Madrid and Barcelona are currently in real transitional periods. With Madrid losing their best player and one of the best goalscorers of all time. It is still unknown on how Madrid will set up this season, because of the huge loss. Barcelona are the champions, however their squad is very old. While I like the signing of Lenglet, Malcolm doesn’t really make much sense, for the player especially. Atletico Madrid, however, are not in any transitional period. They still have Diego Simeone, who is still one of the best managers in Europe. They kept hold of their best players in Oblak, Griezmann and Godin. Not only that, they have also improved massively. They fixed their winger problem by bringing in Lemar and Gelson Martins, however I think it’s Lemar who is the better signing out of the pair. Atletico had a very big problem from January onwards. After the losses of Carrasco and Gaitan, they began to look too central. As mentioned when discussing Vrsaljko, Atletico full backs are usually the perfect full backs. They have to work hard to give plenty of width, and still do the defensive work required to have a solid backline. They usually rely on full backs for width because of the inverted wingers they used. Players like Koke, Saul and Correa, who are not wingers in nature, played there to overload the middle. Bringing in Lemar will definitely give them much better options going forward, and most of all makes them less predictable. Lemar is a great creator, who can play as a left winger or a number 10. The French man has been excellent for Monaco, and while his form did drop off compared to his brilliant title winning season, he was still very impressive. He was averaging a great 1.8 key passes, which will definitely help Griezmann and Costa in their pursuit in goals. He also averages a very good 1.5 dribbles per 90. Lemar will be a huge asset on the counter attack. Pace is one area of the team that was needed, after losing their other wingers. Lemar will help massively in giving Atletico Madrid another option and another way of playing, in their pursuit of the league title.
3. Michy Batshuayi – Valencia
Valencia were a bit of strange one last season. They massively over performed expected goals, and Simone Zaza, who started the season off so well, just struggle in the second half of the season. However it was still a great season for them. They went from the next big club to drop, into a team that finally started buying smartly, with the likes of Kondogbia and Guedes all performing incredibly for Valencia. However their luck last season, with over performing expected goals, is a worry. They solve this goal problem by bringing in Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian strangely seems unwanted at Stamford Bridge. It puzzles me because of his incredible performances for Dortmund, ending his half season loan spell with 9 goals in 14 games. He gave them a real vocal point after their loss of Aubameyang. However even if this loan spell isn’t included, he was still excellent for Chelsea in his very few appearances. He only started 4 games for Chelsea last season, yet he still ended his time with 4 goals. I think Batshuayi is a definite improvement over Valencia’s options. While I really like Santi Mina, I think Rodrigo isn’t great and Zaza is inconsistent. Having a pure goalscorer, like Bats, is perfect. Valencia are back in the Champions League, and need a great goalscorer to compete in it, and the Belgian sure does fit the bill.
2. Arturo Vidal – Barcelona
While I have been complaining about the strange squad that Barcelona possess at the moment, it is difficult to disagree with what an excellent signing Arturo Vidal is. During his last 2 years at Juventus, an argument could have been made that he was the best midfielder on the planet. That Juventus team that reached the champions league final was arguably one of the best midfields around. It had an incredible passer and press resistant player in Andrea Pirlo. A brilliant box to box midfielder in Claudio Marchisio, and one of the most unique midfielders of all time in a certain Paul Pogba. Even with these exceptional talents, Vidal was the standout player. He was the most advanced midfielder, and has a lot of responsibility. He was one of the first players to initiate the press and had to help Marchisio in protecting Pirlo. Even with all of this responsibility, he was still excellent in every department. In the 2013/14 season, by far his best, He was averaging 4.7 tackles and interceptions. That is frankly outstanding for a central midfielder. But was also averaging 1.8 shots and 1.5 key passes, just showing how well rounded he is as a player. He continued this incredible form when he signed for Bayern, with his shot numbers even increasing to 2.2. The issue in recent seasons has been injuries. He is still a fabulous player, but he has been playing less and less games every season. In his first season at Bayern, he started 24 games, then 21, then 17. He also is famously not in perfect health, being a smoker and drinker. But he is that good he is worth all of these downsides. Barcelona’s midfield is by far their weakest area in their team. They have now let go of Paulinho and Gomez, who both I don’t think were good enough for Barcelona. The loss of Iniesta is a huge hit for them as well. He was looking like a shadow of the player he was, but was still a big player in that dressing room. Busquets and Rakitic are both near 30, and are starting to decline. Vidal does not solve the age issue, however a player of his qualities will give them a perfect stop gap, until the right player is available. He will give them some bite and aggression in a relatively weak midfield. It will give them a real boost in their fight to retain the title and go further in the champions league.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus
Finding something wrong with this move is been on my mind for a while, and I have nothing. His age? Not a problem. It’s publicly known that Ronaldo has kept himself in incredible condition, with information from medical revealing that he has the body of a 22 year old (could call it a publicity stunt). Juventus were just the perfect club to sign the Balon d’Or winner. They usually dominate their domestic league, even if the competition is starting to improve. They have a manager who is able to get the best out of aging players (Lichsteiner, Barzagli, Khedira, Pirlo are great examples), who is also an excellent tactician. With Juventus’s dominance in Serie A, it means that Ronaldo will be primarily used in the Champions League. After two final losses, with the old lady being purely outclassed on both occasions, their desire to win it is at an all time high. They have came so close, and failed on both occasions to win. Bringing in the best player in the history of the champions league is the quickest and best way of doing that. Juve still have an incredibly solid defense, good attacking fullbacks (now with the acquisition of Joao Cancelo), and players who know how to win games. In the long term, this might be a bad move, but for the next 3 years, this is Juventus’s last and best chance of winning this trophy. Going through Ronaldo’s stats right now is almost irrelevant, because we all know that he takes over 5 shots a game, is incredible in the air and his in the box movement is some of the best in modern football. He has transformed from a flying, powerful winger, into one of the best poachers in world football. His aging body will have any effect on the way he plays, which will be perfect for Juventus. If he is able to win the champions league with them, then Ronaldo will go down as the best player, and goalscorer, in the competition’s history. It will be frankly ridiculous to debate it after winning the competition so many times and with three different, all while breaking every record imaginable. Just the perfect signing for both player and club.
Football Lane 