The Most Important Moves Of The 2019 Summer Transfer Window So Far

We're midway through summer and thus midway through the 2019 summer transfer window. A slew of major transfers have already been completed at this point, and though there are certainly more to come, it's time to take stock of which ones are the most important and will have the biggest influence on the sport.

The tranfers listed below aren't important just because it's a lot of money being thrown around for good players. That does come into play, somewhat, but mainly these transfers are important because of the implications the moves will have for some of the world's biggest teams and leagues, as well as the transfer market as a whole.

From a player's perspective, this move makes a ton of sense. Cillessen gets to try his hand at being a No. 1 keeper once again at Valencia, while Neto gets a better contract and a chance to play for a legendary club. But under further scrutiny, what looks to be a straight player swap for two good goalkeepers on the surface seems like it could also be some accounting wizardry by Barcelona and Valencia to thwart any issues with Financial Fair Play.

To stay within the strictures of FFP, Valencia needed to secure some more transfer income before July 1, the beginning of the financial year. So instead of simply swapping the players with no fees involved, Valencia sold Neto to Barcelona for €35 million to avoid any penalty. In return, Barcelona sold Cillessen to Valencia for, you guessed it, €35 million. The sale of Cillessen will presumably go on the books for this financial year beginning July 1, allowing Valencia to end the last year with a positive balance and Barcelona to have more on the books for this new year as it seeks many big-money transfers.

FFP was supposed to keep the richest clubs from outpacing the smaller clubs with their spending. In reality, so far it's only managed to force the bigger clubs to be more creative with their deals, such as Monaco's loan of Kylian Mbappe with an "option" to buy from PSG. The convoluted swap for Neto and Cillessen just shows the lengths clubs are willing to go to avoid an FFP hit.

Staying with Barcelona, we come to the big-money transfer of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. After making it clear in May that he would be leaving Madrid, the Catalans reportedly triggered Griezmann's €120 million release clause, forcing Atletico to sell whether it wanted to or not. So that's that, right?

Not quite. The Griezmann-to-Barcelona has been long and protracted, with rumbling suggesting a move for more than two seasons. On July 1, Griezmann's release clause dropped from €200 million to the €120 million Atletico received for the move. It is Atleti's contention that the deal between Griezmann and Barcelona was struck well before July 1, so the Catalans owe and extra €80 million.

All indications point toward Atletico taking legal action against Barcelona over the amount it believes it's due. Release clauses have been standard in contracts for a while now, but there's always been a question of how binding they are and how much flexibility they have. (Take Arsenal's infamous £40 million+1 bid for Luis Suarez, for example.) Although the transfer itself is wrapped up, the Griezmann-to-Barcelona saga could end in a Spanish court, creating some clarity about the function of release clauses in the process.

With an influx of English Premier League cash provided upon promotion, it was always likely Aston Villa would spend a relatively large amount this summer. But no one expected the Birmingham club to splash out what it did to make the loan of Tyrone Mings permanent. Mings moved from Bournemouth to Villa on a permanent basis for a reported fee of £26.5 million. That's a massive figure for a central defender many had pegged as average at best Premier League player in his limited appearances for Bournemouth.

This says a few things about the transfer market. First, that central defenders are in high demand and you have to pay big money to get a good one. All transfer prices have inflated in recent years, but the £75 million paid by Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk over a year ago seems to have been the turning point in the market for defenders. This could also be a major reason cash-strapped Arsenal is finding it difficult to improve its defense through the market.

The other thing it says is that there is still a premium for English clubs buying English talent. That's backed up by another reportedly impending transfer that would have trumped Mings to Villa on this list had it been completed before publication: Harry Maguire to Manchester United. Reports suggest United will pay £80 million to sign the England international from Leicester City, making him the most expensive defender in soccer history. No one disputes that Maguire is a very good player. Most would dispute that he's the best central defender in the world.

For some perspective, £80 million the same price Real Madrid paid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from United in 2009. Transfer fees across the world are already astronomically high and rising. If you're an English club looking to acquire English talent, expect to pay well over the odds.

Source: Forbes.com

Powered by NewsAPI.org

Keywords:

Transfer window • Transfer window • Valencia • Luís Neto • FC Barcelona • Valencia CF • UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations • Fresh frozen plasma • Valencia CF • Valencia • Luís Neto • Barcelona • Barcelona • Valencia • Valencia • Barcelona • FP (programming language) • AS Monaco FC • Kylian Mbappé • Paris Saint-Germain F.C. • Portuguese name • FP (programming language) • FC Barcelona • Antoine Griezmann • Atlético Madrid • Catalonia • FC Barcelona • Barcelona • Catalonia • FC Barcelona • Arsenal F.C. • Luis Suárez • Antoine Griezmann • FC Barcelona • Spain • Premier League • Promotion and relegation • Aston Villa F.C. • Birmingham City F.C. • Loan (sports) • Tyrone Mings • Bournemouth • Aston Villa F.C. • Transfer (association football) • Association football positions • Premier League • A.F.C. Bournemouth • Transfer market • Football League First Division • Price • Liverpool • Virgil van Dijk • Arsenal F.C. • England • England • Tyrone Mings • Aston Villa F.C. • Harry Maguire • Manchester United F.C. • England national football team • Leicester City F.C. • Association football • Chris Maguire • Association football • Defender (association football) • Real Madrid C.F. • Cristiano Ronaldo • Transfer (association football) • England • England • Over the Odds (novel) •