Following the close of the summer transfer window, The Boot Room looks at the best Premier League business conducted over the past few months.
5) Mamadou Sakho (PSG to Liverpool, £12m)
For £12million Mamadou Sakho is a statement signing that shows Liverpool are serious in their quest to build a squad worthy of the top four.
The former PSG captain provides fierce competition for Daniel Agger on the left side of Brendan Rodgers’ defence and he will expect to play a big part after taking a step down from the Ligue 1 champions.
Make no mistake about it, Sakho is a signing to go straight into the first team. At just 23-years-of-age he is the perfect player to bring in at the current stage of the club’s development and if given the chance, he will cement a position ahead of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.
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4) Christian Eriksen (Ajax to Tottenham, £11.5m)
Christian Eriksen is the first of two Tottenham signings in my top 5. At just £11.5 million the young Dane is a contender for bargain of the window.
At just 21-years-old, Eriksen offers so much potential. Back in 2010, at only 18, he was the youngest player in the World Cup, and now, three years later, he has already earned 34 caps for Denmark, as well racking up over 150 games for his club side.
In terms of replacing the attacking influence lost with Bale’s departure, Eriksen is certainly a step in the right direction and I for one cannot wait to see him in the Premier League.
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3) Romelu Lukaku to (Chelsea to Everton, Loan)
It is fair say Everton weren’t expected to go out and sign a striker of Lukaku’s quality on Monday. The Toffees had a brilliant deadline day and a solid window overall with the Belgian the pick of several quality additions.
After his 17 Premier League goals last season, it’s a surprise that Chelsea have allowed him to leave when they are so short of convincing options in the centre-forward role.
However, the Blues’ loss is Everton’s gain and following two matches without a goal Roberto Martinez now has the striker he requires to fire the Toffees up the table.
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2) Erik Lamela (Roma to Tottenham, £30m)
There’s no doubt that Tottenham’s capture of Erik Lamela is one of the best signings of the window. At just 21-years-of-age, he scored 15 goals and provided assists in Serie A last year and he should prove to be the pick of clubs’ summer signings.
Spurs have done a fantastic job in securing Lamela’s signature and if given time, he could very well grow into a player akin to that of Bale right now.
The Argentine winger is good enough already for Andre Villas-Boas to build his team around him but also versatile and creative enough to still thrive if the team is built around something else—a rare skill for someone still so young in their footballing development
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1) Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid to Arsenal, £42.5m)
Arsenal have smashed their transfer record after completing the signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid for £42.5 million. For me, he is the top signing of the summer window.
Ozil’s move to the Emirates came as a huge surprise. Arsenal are a well-respected club but are no longer considered in the same class as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona.
The 24-year-old was easily the best player available as we approached the final hours of the window and Wenger deserves all the plaudits he can get.
The acquisition of the German international is a massive coup and will erase all memories of the Luis Suarez/Gonzalo Higuian/Luiz Gustavo fiascos we saw earlier in the summer.
Still only 24, Özil’s pedigree is unquestionable due to his performances with both club and country. Arsenal have signed one of the top three playmakers in the world, and this will surely be enough to bring the disgruntled fans back on board.