5 summer transfers you may have missed
The summer transfer window is well underway and as many as 577 deals have been finalized in the top 5 European leagues, at the time of writing. A mind-boggling sum of €1.20b has been spent on materializing these transfers. From Jadon Sancho returning to England with the red half of Manchester, this time, to PSG splashing hefty wages here and there, the transfer market is as lively as a squirrel.
However, with the Euros offering some of the best football in ages and the ecstasy of witnessing Lionel Messi romp to his first international title, most of the media coverage was focussed on these historic events. Subsequently, many behind-the-door transfers managed to escape the public eye.
Managerial transfer round-up
In the Premier League, Rafa Benitez shocked the Liverpool faithful by joining their Merseyside rivals Everton as head coach. Marco Silva was appointed the new Fulham boss in place of the outgoing Scott Parker, who joined fellow Championship outfit Bournemouth. Meanwhile, Nuno Santo managed to get his hands on the Spurs job, causing former Benfica boss Bruno Lage to fill in for the Portuguese at Wolves. Additionally, Patrick Viera completed an unexpected return to London to join Crystal Palace as their new manager.
Elsewhere, Ancelotti was named as Real Madrid boss for the second time. Simone Inzaghi was hired by Inter Milan and out-of-work Maurizio Sarri was brought in by Lazio as his replacement.
Similar transfer news, regarding multiple players, managed to slip under the radar in the past two months. Here, we take a look at 5 such moves that went relatively unnoticed:
#5 Victor Moses to Spartak Moscow
Who would've believed that Victor Moses was contracted to Chelsea as recently as July 1st? Having spent 6 years of his Blues career out on loan at various clubs, Moses finally left the London club to join Spartak Moscow, for a fee of €4.5m, at least a million lower than his current market value.
The Nigerian was the subject of 4 Chelsea bids that were initially rejected by his former club Wigan Athletic. The 5th bid, around the range of €10.5m, was eventually accepted by the Latics, allowing Moses to transfer to Stamford Bridge from the DW Stadium.
He primarily played on the wings for Chelsea in his preliminary years and pitched in with 15 goal involvements in his first year at the club. Moses was finally able to nail down a starting spot after the arrival of Antonio Conte in the 16/17 season but as a wing-back.
This two-year stint in the first team was sandwiched between a string of loan transfers, ranging from Liverpool to West Ham to Inter Milan and more. His most recent loan was to his current outfit, Spartak Moscow, which ended in a permanent transfer to the club.
#4 Nicolás González to Fiorentina
Nicolás González has seen a steady rise in his career, after starting at the bottom, quite literally. He transferred to Stuttgart in 2018, following a couple of seasons of tussling in the first two Argentine divisions. González suffered relegation in his debut season in Germany, playing 30 league games, as his team finished two places from the bottom.
Nico's Bundesliga form compelled his international coach, Lionel Scaloni, to name him in his preliminary 28-man squad. However, the Argentine really shot to prominence after some consistent performances in the Copa America 2021. The left-footed winger was signed by Fiorentina for a fee of €27m, shortly after the initiation of the prestigious competition.
At 23 years of age, González is very young and has the skills to become a complete attacker. Injuries thwarted his last season at Stuttgart, allowing him to make just 15 league appearances. With Dušan Vlahović firing on all cylinders, González can create a lethal partnership with the young Serbian, if he manages to stay fit.