The best 2017/18 transfers
The January transfer market is open for business, with Philippe Coutinho, Alexis Sanchez and Riyad Mahrez among the high-profile Premier League players who have either sealed a move away or are being heavily linked with one.
Instead of looking forward to potential switches in the coming weeks, though, this slideshow looks back at the summer and picks out the 10 best deals pulled off by clubs in England’s top flight.
10. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea to Manchester United)
With their league form so poor, it’s not really the time to extol the virtues of Manchester United players. Neither is it easy to make a really enthusiastic case for Matic, whose role has narrowed since leaving Chelsea and who is now less creative than he has been at any point during his Premier League career.
Yet his value can be seen in the performance of others - particularly Paul Pogba, who has improved dramatically with the benefit of stability behind him. More than anything, though, Matic (ever-present through the first 22 games) has delivered solidity to a Manchester United midfield which, in previous seasons, was seemingly always under construction.
9. Pascal Gross (Ingolstadt to Brighton)
Gross may have been part of an Ingolstadt team which was relegated from the Bundesliga last term, but £2.5m was still well beneath his valuation - particularly in such an overheated market.
Brighton may not be the most eye-catching team in the division, but Gross has still stood out. His delivery from set pieces has been superb and the breadth and weight of his passing has added a different dimension to a midfield which has been built to outwork opponents and grind its way to safety.
8. Jack Cork (Swansea to Burnley)
Identifying Burnley’s most important player isn’t easy. James Tarkowski has been excellent, so too Steven Defour, but Cork - an ever-present in the league after 22 matches - has also been highly visible in central midfield.
One of the measures of Sean Dyche’s coaching acumen is how well his team congest the middle of the pitch and just how much protection his centre-backs are afforded. As well as helping in those efforts, Cork – who cost barely £8m – is also tidy and bold in possession, helping the Clarets play easier-on-the-eye football this season.
7. Jordan Pickford (Sunderland to Everton)
Pickford is on the goalkeeping short side at 6ft 1in, but his reflexes and agility more than compensate for a relative lack of height. A fabulous shot-stopper, the former Sunderland custodian has been the one continuous positive at Goodison Park and, if the season were to end tomorrow, he’d already have a full year’s worth of highlights.
He’s excellent with his feet, too, able to launch pinpoint left-footed passes into the opposition half either from his hands or on the ground. With Joe Hart out of favour at West Ham, don’t bet against Pickford being England’s No.1 in Russia.
6. Kyle Walker (Tottenham to Manchester City)
A few caveats to get out of the way: at £50m, Walker cost an awful lot of money and, yes, Manchester City have more petrodollars than they know what to do with - but not everything can be asterisked by their wealth. This was a brilliant acquisition.
Most Tottenham supporters, perhaps owing to the circumstances around his departure, have been waiting for the lapses in Walker’s concentration to appear and for the defensive side of his game to let his new team down. Neither have happened and, conversely, his ability to run tirelessly into position when City have the ball has been one of the underappreciated aspects of their success.
5. Harry Maguire (Hull to Leicester)
Maguire was one of the few bright spots in a doomed Hull team last season and, given what the going rate generally is for young British players, Leicester bought themselves a very capable centre-half for an initial outlay of £12m.
He’s shown a few touches of naivety along the way (getting rolled at Anfield by Mohamed Salah wasn’t pretty), but Maguire’s been among the best in his position in the Premier League and is now at this level to stay. He also made his England debut earlier this campaign and is an outside bet to start at the World Cup.
4. Davinson Sanchez (Ajax to Tottenham)
When Tottenham broke their transfer record for a player with just a single season of European football to his name, it seemed as if they’d panicked at the end of a summer of inactivity. Yet Sanchez has since proved himself to be a highly complete and thoroughly modern central defender.
The Colombian has slotted into the Spurs backline with ease, adapting impressively whenever Mauricio Pochettino has switched between three- and four-man defences. Possessing both technical and physical gifts, the 21-year-old should be even better in two or three seasons’ time.
3. Ederson (Benfica to Manchester City)
Hardly cheap at £35m and, as a known commodity on the radar of most major clubs, not exactly a player plucked from obscurity. Still, talk about the right player going to the right club. Ederson looks like he was built for the specific purpose of being coached by Pep Guardiola.
He has become renowned for the quality of his distribution and confidence in stepping out of his penalty box, but that shouldn’t detract from what a fine defensive goalkeeper he is. His nerveless passing may have begun many a City move, but his reflexes have also protected that long unbeaten streak – not least on New Year's Eve when he saved Luka Milivojevic's injury-time penalty at Crystal Palace.
2. Richarlison (Fluminese to Watford)
The outdated assumption is that Brazilian football is all tricks, flicks and posing. That’s not the case, though; as insomniac TV-watchers will tell you, it’s furiously rugged and players who emerge from that part of the world are typically carved out of wood once they leave.
Richarlison certainly backs up that theory, with his thrusting pace and magnetic technique having helped him adapt to the Premier League in no time at all. Still only 20 years old, the former Fluminense man has been directly involved in nine league goals so far this term, and his form has held up even as the Hornets’ customary mid-season slump has kicked in.
1. Mohamed Salah (Roma to Liverpool)
When Salah joined Liverpool for £36.9m last summer, many believed he would be a useful back-up to Sadio Mane. Five months into the season, though, and he’s already the Reds’ headline act having scored 17 Premier League goals in 21 appearances.
More impressive, perhaps, has been the speed with which the Egypt international has adapted to Klopp’s style of play and how quickly a chemistry has developed between him and the other attacking components at Anfield. Roma – and Chelsea, who sold Salah for just £13m – must be kicking themselves.
