The best deals of the transfer window so far
As the clock ticks down towards Thursday’s deadline, Premier League clubs have been busy adding to their squads ahead of the new season.
Here, PA looks at five of the best deals done so far.
1. Moise Kean (Everton)
💙 | Welcome to our family.— Everton (@Everton) August 5, 2019
Everton have been crying out for a striker since selling Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United two years ago – a void the £27million Cenk Tosun failed to fill. A reported £29million deal for Italy’s rising star looks a much better bet, and something of a coup for the Toffees. Kean averaged a goal every 89 minutes for Juventus in Serie A last season, and, at 19, Marco Silva will hope the powerful, pacy forward will only improve over the course of his five-year contract.
2. Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham)
At £54million Ndombele is a long way from the cheapest player on this list but Tottenham hope their import from Lyon will soon be seen as a bargain, and they have every chance of being right. Still only 22, Ndombele already boasts an outstanding array of attributes and is close to being the complete midfielder. He promises to be a fixture in the middle of the park for Spurs for years to come.
3. Jay Rodriguez (Burnley)
They say you should never go back, but for an initial £5million potentially rising to £10million, Burnley’s deal for Jay Rodriguez is more than worth a punt. The 30-year-old scored 22 goals for West Brom in the Championship last season, and will be hoping a return to his hometown club can help him replicate some of the best days of his career – and the sort of form which earned him an England cap in 2013.
4. Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal)
⚽️ 22 goals🅰️ 11 assists— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 2, 2019
Arsenal fans have grown frustrated over the course of several transfer windows for their club’s perceived hesitancy in the market, so simply seeing them splurge £72million on a single player will be enough to get them excited. No doubt they could use some reinforcement in defence too, but Pepe should have a big impact further up the pitch too given he scored 23 Ligue 1 goals (11 of them penalties) for Lille last season playing as a winger.
5. Tom Heaton (Aston Villa)
Villa boss Dean Smith has undertaken a huge overhaul of his squad since Villa earned promotion via the Championship play-offs, and goalkeeper was a clear priority. It is hard to imagine they could have done much better than to land Burnley’s captain in a deal worth a reported £8million. Heaton returned from injury midway through last term to inspire a turnaround in the Clarets’ form as they climbed clear of the relegation zone. Capped three times by England and recalled to the squad for the Nations League finals earlier this summer, Heaton has a wealth of experience which can help Villa on their return to the top flight.
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