The transfer window finally ended on Monday 31st August in La Liga, and with it all the rumours concerning moves, other than those where free agents are involved.
It has been a quieter summer than previous ones, as the big two of Barcelona and Real Madrid have not taken part in any ‘galactic’ transfers. The times when they spent hundreds of millions in one window are gone, for now. There are, however, important signings in La Liga worth of noting. These are the top 10 transfers from around La Liga.
- Asier Illarramendi (Real Madrid – Real Sociedad)
The long-lost son is finally back home. Real Sociedad have made a huge investment in their former promise to try to give the team more options in La Liga this season, after a couple of disappointing years. The €16 million (£11.7 million) given up to bring back the Basque midfielder seem a lot given his performance in Real Madrid, but they will be worth it if the Txuri Urdin side recover their good old times.
- Roberto Soldado (Tottenham Hotspur – Villarreal)
After a very unsuccessful spell in the UK, the Valencian is back in La Liga to show he is still one of the best Spanish strikers of his generation. There is no doubt he did not adapt well to English football, or perhaps only to his team. So far he has been doing very well at the Yellow Submarine, with two assists and two goals in his first two games.
- Aymen Abdennour (Monaco – Valencia)
Due to Nicolas Otamendi’s move to Manchester City, Valencia had to find a central defender who would be as efficient as the outgoing Argentinean. Aymen Abdennour was the answer. The Tunisian left Monaco for a fee of around €20 million (£14.5 million) and has a difficult job ahead of him, as his task of making the chés forget Otamendi seems fairly challenging.
- Lucciano Vietto (Villarreal – Atlético de Madrid)
After Mario Mandžuki?’s somewhat disappointing season and consequent depart to Juventus, the young Argentinean was signed to help the red and white side recover their status of ‘big’ and fight for the title against Barcelona and Real Madrid. Atleti paid €20 million (£14.5 million) for him, showing the hopes they have on the 21-year-old.
- Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk – Sevilla)
The three-time Ukrainian Footballer of the Year joined the Nervión squad on a free transfer after his contract expired with Dnipro. His role replacing Aleix Vidal as a winger will be crucial if the Spanish side want to perform well this season not just in La Liga but also the Champions League.
- Aleix Vidal (Sevilla – Barcelona)
Regardless of Barcelona’s transfer ban until January 2016, the Catalonian side purchased the multi-purpose right-sider from Sevilla this summer. At first he was intended to occupy Dani Alves’ free slot on the starting 11, but the Brazilian star renewed his contract with the blaugranas. Luckily for Aleix, his ability to play in the whole right side and the left wing of the field will make him a regular substitute for Luis Enrique and perhaps even a starter, if his level of performance keeps up the progression it has had over the past few years.
- Matteo Kovacic (Inter Milan – Real Madrid)
Despite not making any outrageous purchases this summer, Real Madrid obtained one of the most promising young stars in Europe. The Austrian-born Croatian cost €33 million (£24 million), a price not at all high for the merengues. His task will be to replace Sami Khedira, who left the club for Juventus. The competition for a place in the starting 11 will be fierce, as Casemiro was signed for that position, too.
- Danilo (FC Porto – Real Madrid)
Real Madrid’s other big signing is the 24-year-old Brazilian right-back, Danilo da Silva. After three-and-a-half successful years at Porto, he seized the opportunity to compete in one of the big leagues, although with Dani Carvajal as his competitor he can’t be ensured as much importance as he had in the Portuguese club.
- Arda Turan (Atlético de Madrid – Barcelona)
The Turkish star’s performance as one of Atlético’s most determinant players unsurprisingly caught Barça’s attention. He can play in any position in the second offensive line, behind the striker, although his task at Barcelona will be to replace Xavi Hernández. Time will tell if he is worth the €41 million (£30 million) the Catalonian side had to pay in order to have him in their squad.
- Jackson Martínez (FC Porto – Atlético de Madrid)
The number one summer transfer is the 28-year-old Colombian centre forward. His years at Porto made him a star in Europe and now he has the chance to keep growing. The colchoneros seem to have done the right decision by signing this tank, as he has already scored a goal in the two games he has been in. €35 million (£26 million) is a big investment that they hope to amortize. Perhaps his goals can help the red-and-whites fight for La Liga or, with a bit of luck, maybe even the Champions League.
Guillermo Guridi Álvarez
Image courtesy of Getty Images
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