Where did your team rank?
The Premier League transfer window closed 3 weeks earlier this year, as English clubs finalized their squads before the start of the season.
Chelsea and Liverpool smashed the global transfer records for goalkeepers, with Alisson and Kepa Arrizabalaga adding to the English top flight’s vast pool of world class goalkeeping talent.
On the other end of the spectrum was Tottenham, who became the first team in Premier League history to have not signed a player in the summer transfer window.
Newbies Fulham and Wolverhampton pulled off some very impressive coups (Moutinho, Seri and Schurrle to name a few), and Everton made a huge statement of intent by signing Bernard, Mina and Gomes on deadline day.
Traditionally big spending sides like Man City and United were surprisingly subdued, but they did bring in some useful players in Mahrez and Fred.
And like any other transfer window, each top title contender had one big money marquee signing (with the exception of Spurs).
With the new domestic season all set to kick off, we try and rank every top 5 side’s most expensive signing from best to worst.
5. Kepa Arrizabalaga
The 23 year old is undoubtedly one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, and his position on this list is a bit harsh, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is still a panic buy by Chelsea.
With Thibaut Courtois’ move to Real Madrid edging closer on deadline day, the Blues desperately needed to bring in a world class keeper unless they wanted to start their season with Rob Green and Willy Caballero as their options in goal.
In the end, they were left with no choice but to trigger Kepa Arrizabalaga’s release clause of £71.6 million at Athletic Bilbao.
No one is questioning the Spaniard’s quality (he was linked with Real Madrid in January), but one thing that everyone can agree on is that he isn’t worth the fee Chelsea paid for him.
When you consider the fact that Alisson, Bernd Leno and Courtois completed their respective transfers for significantly lower amounts, it stands out like a sore thumb.
There is still reason for Chelsea fans to be excited. The youngster has a decade of top flight football ahead of him, and has the potential to develop into one of the best in the world.
Even though he is very young when it comes to goalkeepers, he has considerable experience under his belt, with 54 appearances for Athletic Bilbao, and 195 senior appearances in total. He’s also been capped once by Spain, and was De Gea’s backup at the World Cup.
As far as his transfer fee is concerned, his record probably isn’t going to last much longer in this obscenely inflated market. With Sarri almost certainly set to make him Chelsea’s number 1, what really matters is whether he’ll be able to deal with the pressure.