5 Best Alternative Transfers of the 2022 Summer Window
We had a historic summer transfer window and some big clubs decided to open the vault in a bid to upgrade their squads for this season. According to Transfermarkt, Premier League clubs had a net spend of over £1.7 billion in this year’s transfer window, eclipsing the £1.44 billion spent last summer.
The transfer window was not only interesting for the clubs, but also for the fans, as they got to see stars of the sport beginning new journeys in their careers. Robert Lewandowski for one joined FC Barcelona after eight successful seasons at FC Bayern Munich. Erling Haaland is now the main striker for Manchester City, and Antonio Rüdiger left Chelsea to become a Real Madrid player.
However, there are some deals that have already yielded positive results for the clubs that didn’t receive the same level of fanfare. Nevertheless, these under the radar deals will have profound impacts on not only their respective clubs, but league standings as well.
Federico Bernardeschi – Juventus to Toronto FC
Last July, Federico Bernardeschi landed in Toronto on a free transfer after the expiration of his contract with Italian side Juventus. Alongside his compatriot Lorenzo Insigne, the 28-year-old arrived motivated for this new challenge in his career and his impact on the Canadian squad has been instantaneous.
Since his first game for Toronto, the Italian winger has scored six goals and given two assists in eight matches thus far. His performances helped the Canadian team to climb positions in the MLS Eastern Conference standings and it seems that he’s ready to lead the team towards a fight for a playoff spot.
Mathys Tel – Rennes to FC Bayern Munich
Coupled alongside the signing of the main players in the Bundesliga, the German side FC Bayern Munich has also been investing in young talents over the past few transfer windows. This summer’s transfer market was no different as the German champions signed young stars, such as the midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and the defender Matthijs de Ligt.
In addition to the signing of the Dutch internationals, the team’s directors went to France and paid €20 million to sign one of the most promising players in the world, Mathys Tel. The 17-year-old winger, who played his first season as a professional last year, has been part of France’s youth squads in the past and was the captain of the victorious UEFA Euro U-17 squad last June.
So far for Bayern, the young winger has played three matches and scored one goal during the team’s victory in the German Cup last week.
David Neres – Ajax to Benfica
A few seasons ago, David Neres was considered one of the most promising wingers in the world during his spell at Ajax, but unfortunately for him injuries began to pile up in his young career. The winger ended up losing space on the Dutch champions’ squad and moved to Shakhtar Donestk, where he played the 2021/2022 season.
Because of the current situation in the Ukrainian championship, many players left their teams to continue to play the game and the Portuguese side Benfica took advantage by signing the Brazilian player for €15.3 million.
The decision made by Benfica’s board couldn’t have been more successful as the Brazilian has been the main player of the 37-time Portuguese champions thus far. In seven matches, the winger has found the net on three occasions and provided four assists to his teammates.
Xavi Simons – Paris Saint-Germain to PSV Eindhoven
Football fans have always had high hopes for Xavi Simons since he emerged as one of the most talented teenagers in the world. A product of FC Barcelona’s youth academy, the Dutch player moved to Paris in 2019 to join the French champions.
At the club from the French capital, Simons played 11 games before deciding it was time to try out a new experience. So, last July, the midfielder parted ways with PSG and joined Ruud van Nistelrooy’s squad in the Netherlands.
The deal was extremely positive for Simons and the Dutchman is having an incredible moment in his career. Besides his eight goals and two assists through eight games, the PSV’s midfielder was named as Eredivisie Player of the Month for August in light of his performances.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Dinamo Butami to Napoli
The football world is discovering another hidden gem. When Italian side Napoli decided to pay €10 million to sign Georgian Khvicha Kvaratshkelia, the young midfielder had already shown what he was capable of doing after scoring against Spain and twice against Sweden in 2021, even though many fans didn’t know his name at the time.
Now, the young Georgian is considered one of the main players in this Serie A season and the center of attention on Napoli’s team. Game after game, Kvaratshkelia has been conquering Napoli fans’ hearts with his impressive technique and was named Serie A Player of the Month for August because of his on field exploits.
So far, ‘Kvaradona’ has four goals and one assist in five matches for the Southern team.
-Matheus Teles
Photo: Анна Нэсси. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.