The English Premier League’s summer transfer window slammed shut at 11pm on September 1. EPL clubs spent a combined record €2.76 billion over the window, so there could not have been much left in many clubs’ coffers afterwards. Some may even have heard a slight emptiness echo as the window closed!
Let’s look at Chelsea as a case in point. Since new owner Todd Boehly took over, the under-achieving West-London club has spent €1.06 billion on 25 new signings. The Stamford Bridge club features in our review of the top English Premier League signings of the 2023 summer transfer window.
Let’s look at six of those signings now, and what they may mean for the clubs that completed them.
Declan Rice (West Ham to Arsenal) – €117 million
The West Ham captain was on a lot of clubs’ wish lists before signing for Arsenal in what many pundits believe is the signing of the transfer window. Although negotiations drew out, there was no real doubt that the 24-year-old England international would end up at The Emirates.
Rice fits perfectly into Mikel Arteta’s formation, and recently scored his first goal against the Gunners’ great rivals, Man Utd. His major task is to improve Arsenal’s defensive midfield. He’s already providing the cool head that recently departed Granit Xhaka wasn’t always able to. To date, Declan Rice is worth every penny of the huge transfer fee paid, and even appears to be a bargain at the price.
Moisés Caicedo (Brighton to Chelsea) – €117 million
Liverpool offered more, but Caicedo wanted Chelsea. Moreover, Chelsea wanted Caicedo with the club seeing him as a natural replacement for Saudi-bound N’Golo Kante. Last season, the gritty midfielder played a large part in Brighton’s run to European qualification under Roberto De Zerbi.
Many believe Chelsea paid an inflated price for the Ecuadorian. They feel that owner Todd Boehly hasn’t learned last season’s transfer spending lesson yet. To date, Moisés Caicedo has provided no fireworks at Stamford Bridge but it’s still early days. Bettors would do well to watch the odds on offer for Chelsea. With Caicedo and some of Chelsea’s other summer signings, Mauricio Pochettino may change the club’s fortunes.
Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig to Man City) – €90 million
Pep Guardiola is still wary of spending Man City’s riches with the club having fallen foul of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations in the past. Despite that, he knows what he wants and Joško Gvardiol has been on The Citizens’ radar for a while now. With good reason.
Gvardiol is only 21, and has already represented Croatia over 20 times. With a short but stellar footballing career behind him, experts tout him as one of world football’s future stars. Aymeric Laporte departed for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia in the summer, but Guardiola had already looked beyond him for the future. In Joško Gvardiol, he’s found a physical and adaptable replacement.
Kai Havertz (Chelsea to Arsenal) – €76 million
Kai Havertz was often flattered to deceive at Chelsea, with flashes of brilliance separated by long spells of mediocrity. A move seemed right for both the player and the club. The transfer fee Chelsea received will also help to recoup some of the extravagant spending in recent seasons.
Havertz hasn’t exactly set The Emirates alight since joining Arsenal. He still appears to be struggling to fit into the team’s free-flowing playing style. He is a player of pedigree, though. If things begin to click for him, bettors may want to keep an eye on the individual goal-scoring and assisting odds on offer for the German forward at bookmakers available on bettingsites.co.uk. Visiting trusted platforms like this will provide you with up-to-date betting odds for Kai Havertz and all the other players and teams in the EPL.
Rasmus Højlund (Atalanta to Man Utd) – €75 million
Following the success of Man Utd’s nearest neighbour’s Scandinavian signing last season, all eyes are on Rasmus Højlund this term. It’s unfair to compare Højlund (or anybody else, for that matter) to Erling Haaland at the moment, but there are some similarities. Both players are tall, physical and can score goals. In fact, the new Man Utd signing has scored six times in the same number of appearances for Denmark to date.
Red Devils fans have been screaming for the club to sign a goalscorer as Marcus Rashford cannot carry the burden indefinitely. Injury has restricted Rasmus Højlund’s appearances so far, but he enjoyed a decent debut against Arsenal. Although he didn’t score, the performance showed that the Old Trafford team now has an attacker of some class. In time, similar performances may justify comparisons with Haaland, only improving Man Utd’s title odds.
Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig to Liverpool) – €70 million
The 22-year-old Hungarian captain has been nothing short of sensational for Liverpool so far. His early performances culminated in a spectacular goal against Aston Villa – his first for The Reds. Jürgen Klopp says he “loves this team” following the transfer business done at Anfield over the summer transfer window. Szoboszlai epitomises the reason why. The midfielder seems to glide when he’s on the ball, and easily finds space when he isn’t.
There’s no doubt Szoboszlai has many similar characteristics to Liverpool’s now-departed Jordan Henderson. In fact, on his initial showings, he already looks to be an upgrade on the ex-captain. He has more flair and speed, and his on-field aura makes it seem like he’s been at Anfield for years. Can he help Liverpool win the Premier League? With Dominik Szoboszlai featuring regularly, odds on this will likely shorten as the season progresses.