Introduction
The European clubs have been very active during this 2022/23 summer transfer window. In this article, we will rank the top 5 transfers of this window. As this piece has been published before the start of the domestic season, transfers after the 5th of August have not been included.
The transfers are ranked based on a combination of different factors such as the quality of the player signed, the impact of the signing on the team, and the challenges the player and team might face.
#5: Raheem Sterling - Manchester City to Chelsea ($53.5 million)
One of the most underrated summer transfers for a hugely under-appreciated player in the Premier League, Raheem Sterling, comes in 5th place. Raheem's 162 goals and 129 assists in 488 career appearances have slightly gone under the radar. Constant criticisms about the big game chances he has missed, diving, and the overwhelming benefit of playing with high-caliber players around him during his time at City have shadowed over his on-field achievements.
Even after winning 4 Premier League titles and numerous domestic trophies, at 27, he still has a lot to prove to the critics. His move to Chelsea presents the perfect stage to make a meaningful impact on a growing team, and further cement himself as an elite Premier League player.
Player Attributes
(Source: fbref)
Looking at the data above, the attacking output produced by Sterling is imposing, considering that he did not start regularly. His non-penalty goals return is beneficial for a Chelsea attack that was lackluster in front of the goal last season. His total shots volume is not very high. However, in Manchester City, Pep Guardiola prefers his players to take shots from positions they are most likely to score. Therefore, the players are more concerned with taking better quality shots rather than high volume.
The mediocre number of shot-creating actions is acceptable as this responsibility was distributed among other players at City. It will likely be the same at Chelsea.
His progressive carries and dribbles completed are encouraging for a Chelsea team highly criticized for not being direct in their offensive play.
Sterling's defensive contributions are low compared to wingers from the league. However, taking into account that City dominates the ball more than any other team and is rarely on the back foot, these statistics are bound to be low for any City winger. Regardless, his defensive IQ is high as he has played under Pep for seven years. He understands complex pressure traps, pressure triggers for counter-attacking football, and when to make other defensive actions. All of which will be useful for Thomas Tuchel who uses similar principles for his team.
Impact on the team
With the arrival of Raheem Sterling, there are numerous intangible advantages the team will benefit from. With crucial dressing room figures such as Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso likely to leave, and the confirmed departure of Antonio Rudiger, there is a need for experience and leadership which Raheem will definitely bring after his successful spell at City.
Last season, Thomas Tuchel found it extremely difficult to consistently pick the three attacking players. Mason Mount and possibly Kai Havertz are the only ones that have settled in their roles, leaving the left forward spot up for grabs. The purchase of Raheem suggests that Tuchel wanted an upgrade over his current options. Let us analyze if he has made the right choice.
(source: whoscored)
The data clearly shows that Sterling is better than the current options at Chelsea. His output is higher than most in different aspects. His consistency over the years also shows that he is more reliable in the course of an entire season for Thomas Tuchel.
Being a versatile player also allows Sterling to play multiple positions in attack. He can play both wings and even at center forward where he played a couple of times for City in the 2021/22 season.
We can verify this by looking at his heatmap.
(Source: sofascore)
Challenges
A few believe that this signing is meant to solve Chelsea's lack of clinical finishing in front of the goal. Although Sterling has scored at least 10 goals per season for the last five seasons, he has not overperformed his xG for the past two seasons.
(Source: fantasyfootballscout)
As previously mentioned, there is an overflow of players fighting for the left and right-wing positions. Sterling is likely to start most games. As Chelsea is yet to offload any of their attackers, there could be unrest in the dressing room if the other players do not get enough game time.
This will remain an uncertainty until the season starts and we see how Tuchel sets the team. He could fit more attackers if he moves to a back four but this seems unlikely. Therefore, it will solely depend on how the manager wants to play his team.
Sterling is one of the most exciting summer transfers this season. It will be interesting to see how he performs in a different environment where he will have more roles and responsibilities. With more game time and Sterling reaching the peak years of his career, Premier League fans will be eager to see what more he can achieve.
#4: Sadio Mane - Liverpool to Bayern Munich ($33.7 million)
Having been at Liverpool for the past six memorable years, Sadio Mane has moved East to join the German giants, Bayern Munich. Still only 30, Bayern has lured him from England to strengthen their squad after losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona. To understand how this transfer is a good fit for the club and the player, let us explore this transfer in detail.
Player Attributes
(source: fbref)
Looking at his attributes, Sadio Mane generates a high volume of non-penalty goals, shot-creating actions, and touches in the attacking box. All of which show his efficiency in front of the goal. He is also good with transitional play, represented by his high progressive passes, progressive carries, progressive passes received, and dribbles completed. Having played in a Liverpool team that follows the principles of Gegenpressing, his tackles, interceptions, and blocks volume is high. Julian Nagelsmann will find this helpful as he implements the same counter-attacking philosophies as Jurgen Klopp.
Impact on the team
Since arriving at Liverpool, Mane has predominantly played on the wings. In 2021/22, as Roberto Firmino fell out of favor and Luiz Diaz forced his way into the team, Mane started to play more centrally. This role suited him as well due to his tendency to drive into the penalty box and his ability to convert chances.
Progression of Mane's Positioning over the years
(Source: sofascore)
This evolution into his new position has coincided with the move to Bayern, where he could play in the spot left by Robert Lewandowski. Although Mane is not the exact replacement, this could be the beginning of a major shift in the tactical role of a Bayern Munich striker.
Although the German champions are about to sign Mathys Tel, it would be very demanding of the club to expect him to be the immediate striker replacement. Unless Bayern can sign a high-profile striker like Harry Kane, which seems very unlikely, the team is bound to alter their tactics due to the new changes to the squad. Nagelsmann has shown his tactical flexibility over the years, and I expect him to put this expertise to use this season.
I believe that the attacking players in the squad are capable of playing in a fluid system based on principles of positional play. Their pre-season games suggest that the team will move to a 4-4-2 in the coming season. It will be intriguing to see how this new system will play out in 2022/23.
Challenges
The previously mentioned points about the change in tactics are the challenges for the team and the player. With this change in their style of play, the team would need some time to get familiar with it.
Mane has not yet played centrally for a whole season at the top level. In the coming season, he would likely play as one of the two strikers. After playing six seasons in the same system, he will find it challenging to adapt to a different system with new external surroundings.
I expect this signing to allow Bayern to smoothly transition to their new tactical era, and hopefully, for the Munich fans, it brings them success and trophies in 2022/23.
#3: Antonio Rudiger - Chelsea to Real Madrid (Free)
The steal of the summer. Real Madrid snapping up arguably the best center-back in the world last season for free is a great bargain. Although his wages are reported to be very high, having to pay no transfer fees for a world-class player is a great deal. He comes to the illustrious city of Madrid, having won the UCL, Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup with his former team. By analyzing his various traits as a player and by looking at the numbers he put up in 2021/22, we will be able to understand the top level at which he is performing.
Player Attributes
(source: fbref)
Without context, the per 90 defensive numbers do not seem impressive. Considering he played for one of the most dominant teams in the Premier League, these figures are excellent. Comparing it to the other top Premier League defenders, we can understand how well he played.
From the table above, we can establish that Rudiger's defensive contributions are stellar. Looking at some of his other attributes, Premier League fans would have been used to seeing his progressive runs with the ball countless times. This is reflected by his 5.43 progressive carries per 90. He is also efficient with his passing. He has an overall pass completion rate of 88.6% and a 70.6% long pass completion rate.
Impact on the team
Rudiger will immediately impact the team's performance, particularly with build-up and transition. Last season, David Alaba was burdened with the responsibility of carrying the ball from defense to help the transitional phase. Nacho and Militao are not capable of doing this as well as him. On the other hand, Rudiger has posted better numbers in the Premier League than David Alaba. Therefore, with two defenders capable of distributing and carrying the ball effectively, Real Madrid will be faster, more efficient, and dangerous in possession. The data below will support the aforementioned analysis.
(Source: fbref)
Domestically in 2021/22, Real Madrid had the second-best defense in La Liga. Only conceding 31 goals, they fell short a goal behind Seville, who conceded 30. However, in the UCL, they leaked 11 goals in the knockout stage of the tournament where they only played 7 games. Thereby, with the signing of Rudiger, we can expect Madrid's defense to be harder to beat, especially in Europe.
Carlo Ancelotti will have the option of shifting to a back three if needed, providing more tactical flexibility for the manager.
Challenges
In my opinion, this is a transfer where there will be no severe challenges neither the player nor the team will face. Adapting to a new environment may pose difficulties. Nevertheless, it is not something an experienced 29-year-old professional footballer would find strenuous. There would not be any issues regarding Rudiger's style of play. His habitual charging runs down the field will not be a problem as long as his position is covered by his teammates. As he is a well-rounded center-back, there are no tactical loopholes he will cause either.
A leader who proved to be an influential personality in the Chelsea dressing room will blend in easily with the strong characters in the Madrid locker rooms and be a role model for youngsters. Lastly, age is not a problem. Madrid will enjoy the peak years of his career as he is only 29 years old.
In conclusion, a sensible transfer for both Real Madrid and Antonio Rudiger. It will be fascinating to see if he can live up to the standards set and achieve his big goals at one of the most historic clubs in Europe.
#2: Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich to Barcelona ($50 million)
The transfer of one of the best strikers in the world for the past years had to make it onto this list. Despite the dire financial situation of the Catalonian club, they have managed to pull off a wonder signing in Robert Lewandowski. He has scored 238 goals in 253 appearances for Bayern Munich, scoring at a staggering rate of 1.07 goals per 90 in 2021/22. Simply prolific in front of goal, Lewandowski's form does not seem to be dropping off any time soon.
Performing this analysis will help us identify the strongest aspects of his game that took him to the pinnacle of European football and possibly spot any weaknesses that Xavi would have to consider while developing his tactics for the season.
Player Attributes
(source: fbref)
Looking at the data above further proves that Lewandowski was in a league of his own in goal returns in the Bundesliga. Averaging 0.94 non-penalty goals per 90 when his non-penalty xG per 90 average is 0.83 shows that his teammates create a lot of chances for him as he is able to convert most of these chances.
As he primarily finds himself in the box (7.94 touches in the attacking penalty box), his passes attempted, progressive passes, and progressive carries are low. However, he does drop deep to help with link-up-play. They are reflected by the 8.84 progressive passes received per 90. We can conclude this by looking at his heatmap in the Bundesliga 2021/22 season that shows us the concentration of touches inside the penalty box. The touches outside the penalty box reveal his tendency to involve himself in build-up play.
(Source: sofascore)
Impact on the team
Last season, Barcelona scored 68 goals, compared to the 80 goals by the La Liga champions. To close the 13 points gap with Real Madrid, Xavi has to improve their goal-scoring output. To do so, they have signed a creative player in Raphinha, formerly from Leeds. Furthermore, they have also renewed the contract of Ousmane Dembele, who managed 13 assists in just 1409 minutes last season. Which seems to be the final piece of Barcelona's attacking puzzle, the addition of Robert Lewandowski seems to be ideal. A top-echelon finisher in a team with an abundance of creative talent looks to be faultless.
He is certainly an upgrade over their existing striker options in Depay and Aubameyang. Let us establish the gulf in performance between these players by looking at their data from last season.
(source: fbref)
Challenges
It is hard to identify clear weaknesses in Lewandowski's game but some uncertainties arise due to his move to a different team.
Although Barcelona had creative talent in the squad last season, they only averaged 22.42 shot-creating actions per 90 in La Liga whereas Bayern Munich averaged 31.12 shot-creating actions per 90 in the Bundesliga. The contrast in chances created is evident. Lewandowski should not be expected to score a high volume of goals but rather be efficient with the chances he gets. We can only wait and see if the drop in volume of opportunities created affects Lewandowski in any way, and if he can continue to outperform his xG.
Although Barcelona has made many new signings, there looms a cloud of doubt over Xavi's ability to integrate the new components of his team for the upcoming season. Lewandowski is stepping into an unsettled team where they will need time to get used to the new style of play. Furthermore, the expected front three for Barcelona come from varying seasons last year. Lewandowski played for the most dominant team in Germany. Raphinha played for a team fighting in the relegation battle last season. Dembele was only fit to play in the latter stages of the season and still has fitness concerns. Ferran and Fati are still young to be consistently depended on.
Altogether, there seem to be many questions about how Barcelona will play and the performance of the players around Lewandowski. The team surely has a lot of potential and their progress will be closely watched. Let us see how this transfer fairs out in the coming season.
#1: Erling Haaland - Dortmund to Manchester City ($63 million)
Arguably, the hottest player on the market this season, and in my opinion, the best signing this summer, Erling Haaland. For Borussia Dortmund, he has scored 61 goals in just 66 appearances in the Bundesliga. So far in his short career, he has already scored 23 goals in only 19 appearances in the UCL. To further understand the high level at which Haaland has been performing, let us analyze some of his statistics.
Player Attributes
(Source: fbref)
The data table shows Haaland's goal contributions and returns are very high, reflected by scoring 22 goals with an xG of 17.6. He is an elite striker, falling under the top percentile in non-penalty goals and total shots taken. His passing figures are not as prolific as he is not the creator at Borussia Dortmund.
His dribbles completed and progressive carries are low as Dortmund is the second highest team in average possession with 57% of the ball. However, Haaland receives a lot of the progressive passes attempted by the team. The high team possession percentage allows Haaland to perform fewer defensive actions such as pressures, tackles, interceptions, and blocks.
Manchester City had the highest average possession in the Premier League (62.6%). This would benefit Erling as he is used to playing in a domestically dominant team in Germany. Therefore, the high possession football will likely suit his style of play.
Impact on the team
Looking purely at the attacking performance of Manchester City. In 2021/22, the team averaged 2.61 goals per game, overperforming their xG of 2.54. Thereby scoring 99 goals in 38 games. The numbers show the high quality already in the team. Adding an elite striker like Haaland would help in at least maintaining, if not improving, this incredible level of performance.
As the team does not have a regular striker, there is no one we can compare Haaland to. So let us compare Haaland's attacking stats with Gabriel Jesus, who was the only striker in the squad, and Harry Kane, who was reportedly targetted by City in the 2021/22 Summer Transfer Window.
(source: sofascore)
Challenges
The biggest challenge Pep Guardiola would face is integrating a striker like Haaland into his current system. Certainly, with his arrival in Manchester, Pep will have to alter his tactics. During the 2021/22 season, City had a fluid and rotating front three. Looking at the heat map of all forwards and attacking midfielders, we can see that none of the players position themselves in areas Haaland prefers to be.
(source: sofascore)
Haaland prefers to position himself in the box. According to the heatmap, he often drops deep to help with link-up-play and receive progressive passes, contrary to many pre-conceived notions of a pure poacher. With Haaland preferring to play down the middle, it will be interesting to see how Pep would adjust the roles of his usually fluid wingers and midfielders. It is unknown whether this alteration would affect City's performance.
The Premier League is thrilled to have Haaland. Let us see how he can fit and what he can accomplish next season and in the coming years.
Conclusion
This summer window has seen many big-name transfers. Although most important deals have been completed, with the window closing only on 1st September, there may be a few more key transfers yet to happen that may have made their way on this list.
Football fans always await the summer transfer window, and 2022/23 has been very enjoyable and captivating. Many are already looking forward to what 2023/24 holds. Before that, let us enjoy the upcoming season and the long-awaited World Cup.
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