FIFA 16: New release, new changes

September 24th marks the next release of the annual FIFA franchise, with FIFA 16 set to take this year’s addition to new heights. Although each new release is expected to improve, there is a sense of belief that EA Sports have taken this addition to the next level.

However, the next generation of FIFA game playing could be more exhilarating for PS4, X-Box One and PC players over those who will purchase the latest version on older generation consoles such as the PS3 and X-Box 360. Nonetheless, FIFA enthusiasts regardless of the console or platform are expected to benefit from series of revised improvements.

FIFA 15 prepared itself with improvements on the Ultimate Team mode, concentrating on gamer interaction on player power. This time the 16 version has powered itself around improving the visuals and player experience having seen the success of the Ultimate Team hit worldwide involvement. FIFA 16 has a new recognition for looking physically polished over previous versions, with improved player likeness, including detailed player tattoos, motions and personalised tricks and flicks. The emphasis on creating new faces on up and coming superstars has seen a higher level of critic and improvement on player facial features, their familiarity in style and performance, in the search for personalisation. Nevertheless, the new draft mode is expected to be a very popular, impressive game mode for FIFA 16 players.

Alongside its sharp image, FIFA wants to help its fans improve, regardless of how long they have been a part of the franchise or how familiar they are with its features and style. Although no game could generate the same appeal as the actual sport itself, FIFA still leads the way in terms of recreating the world’s most popular past time.

The introduction of woman’s football 

Although there are only twelve female international, the shift FIFA 16 is taking to add the women’s game is huge, taking the growth of the game to an all new form of recognition.

It is evident how the women’s game has its own distinctive style and notion of pace, which EA have worked on very well to give the female side of the game its own sense of identity. FIFA 16 does not allow you to draw men and women up against each other, which makes sense by allowing the women to have their own showpiece platform.

FIFA teaches you how to play

For complete beginners, the number controls to memorise is exasperating. Therefore, FIFA has been very

courteous in sharing its knowledge on how to play intelligently, but it also chooses help

amateurs understand where to play the best controls across the pitch. The option can be turned off in the settings menu. However the annoying a white circle around each player on the pitch are accompanied with options above each figure advising you of what the next best option may be.

The creators of FIFA have really taken into consideration each level of player, therefore catering for those in need of guidance to those who wish to refresh their style or try something new. The main benefit of the in-play control guide enables you to practice whilst you are playing a match rather than having to remember techniques in previous training modes or during the pre-match load screen.

Pace of the game

Although there have been options to increase or decrease the pace of a match in the settings menu, the flow of the match feels much better. An increased hint of realism is continuing to creep in with the various exchanges of play feeling smoother and more pragmatic. FIFA 15 assumed to an attacking nature in a very quick and sometimes over generous means of play.

FIFA 16 looks to break attacks down and build play through team work and smart possession play, which in the end needs to be capped off by either a brilliant run or an inch-perfect pass. Fast breakaway play still happens in the new addition, however, the frequency of it has been dubbed down to try to reminisce what you would see on the television.

Goalkeepers are getting smarter

This has been a problem for FIFA fans for a numbers of years now. Although FIFA 15 made drastic improvements on their shot-stoppers from the 14 addition, there have still have been instances where keepers would make silly mistakes and concede as a result of it.

Positional wise, keepers are more intelligent in FIFA 16 which attempts to see them react better to a range of opportunities at goal. You will see your goalkeeper being far more aggressive, especially in one-on-one scenarios by intercepting the ball outside of the box with much more urgency. Hellooooo Manuel Neuer fans.

New and improved defending

Like all football formats, whether new or old, you can usually only select one player at a time whilst being able to control maybe one other during certain periods of play. Rather than having to memorise how to do this or getting your fingers caught in a muddle, EA have increased the standard knowledge of defending. Whilst you still control one player as deemed by your cursor, other defenders in the same strip have become more intelligent whilst off the ball, seeing their movement and closure of attacks become more notable and efficient. This finally means that you are not alone when the opposition attacks.

Players not under your control are expected to intercept an attack pass or throw themselves in front of a dangerous move to prevent you from having to do all the hard work on your lonesome.

Another welcome new feature is the ability to recover from a slide tackle, timing is going to be crucial as always but it is expected to be a useful tool to help you get back in line with the rest of your defence.

A harder working midfield

The need to run through an opposition midfield in order to reach the attacking line is said to have been reduced. Your supporting midfielders actually offer support, by creating space whilst also being ready to receive a pass.

The importance of defenders making infringements in the middle of the park are also said to be a new feature, allowing the midfield to tidy up and concentrate on making ‘that’ attacking pass, which by all means is supposed to be even more crucial than ever.

The battle in midfield is set to have its most important and competitive year in the FIFA franchise.

Fluid and technical passing

EA last year wanted to turn the heat up on the passing game but instead saw their efforts done over by players piercing defences with easy runs which would see one footballer take on a handful or more of opponents.

The movement of the Al players allows more options around the pitch, however the knowledge of the weight of your pass and its power is ever more vital this year. A new option has been added to help you make faster, more precise passes to break through even the most resilient of back lines. Getting your pass right along with its delivery and pace couldn’t be more crucial, with receiving teammates having difficulty controlling the ball should the wrong application be made by the supplier.

Through balls and lob passes have become more aesthetically pleasant, with the importance of having a strong vision being a valiant asset.

Better crossing

Getting balls into the box is indicative to a strong attack. Therefore, EA have studied the importance of the supply and in the mean time increased the control of the cross-in.

FIFA 15 saw many crosses lack precision and placement and for beginners it was challenging to determine which technique to use. Although crossing is never an easy tool to master, FIFA 16 designers have increased its offensive prowess, which in turn will only encourage players to use the crossing technique more often than previous additions. Mastering your timing and position is going to prove as important as its pace. Be clever!

Shot accuracy

FIFA 16 players will have to be even more composed in front of goal, with rushed shots likely go off in to the wild. The difference between a well struck shot and a poorly hit one is particularly evident.

Emphasising the need for placement could be pivotal, especially when taking on other FIFA participants over a CPU opponent.

 

FIFA 16 will be released on PS4, PS3, XBox One, XBox 360 and PC formats on 24th September 2015.

Why are English clubs struggling in Europe of late?

 

The notion of Premier League clubs dominating Europe has seen the pendulum swing in the other direction. You could have bet your bottom dollar by seeing a strong proportion of English sides exceeding the preliminary stages of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, reaching at least the quarter-finals of both tournaments. However, despite the Premier League clearly spending more on transfers than their rival countries, their pots of gold dust do not seem to be making a blind bit of difference.

Premier League expexpenditure over the past 5 years: 

Net Spend last 5 Years, Purchased, GrossSold, Net Per Season:

Manchester City: £472,700,000, £150,300,000, £322,400,000, £64,480,000

Manchester United: £440,200,000, £139,500,000, £300,700,000 £60,140,000

Chelsea: £471,209,000, £246,450,000, £224,759,000, £44,951,800

Liverpool: £349,000,000, £186,370,000, £162,630,000, £32,526,000

Arsenal: £253,625,000, £154,600,000, £99,025,000, £19,805,000

Tottenham: £254,650,000, £291,350,000, -£36,700,000, -£7,340,000

Are English teams recruiting the wrong sort of player? Have countries from abroad swatted up on the style of the Premier League and figured sides out? Have our home teams become to complacent, or are the tactics, styles of play and approach abroad genuinely superior? Despite being deemed the ‘best league to watch’, are English sides tactically inept or naive?

Is the Premier League too obsessed with it’s physicality over technical attributes which tend to be seen in many top European sides, with players including Angel Di Maria and Juan Cuadrado being giving short timelines to convince in England but in contrast prove to be valuable assets elsewhere? German sides are known for being efficient, the Italians are seen as tactical geniuses whilst the Spanish are deemed to be swift and intelligent in their movement. Apart from being physical and pacey, the Premier League doesn’t denounce itself as being academic. There doesn’t seem to be a plan B should they be clogged by a defensive foreign outfit. On the contrary, there isn’t enough flexibility when it comes to shoring up defences to protect a lead. English sides become a little leaky or believe that they can ‘always’ outscore their opposition.

There was a time when the Premier League could pretty much guarantee that one of their four participants in the UEFA Champions League would reach at least the semi-finals year-on-year. Europe’s most prestigious tournament has not had an English finalist since Chelsea won in Munich in 2012. Since then, the Blues have come the closest to any other English side by being cut loose in the semi-finals in the 2013-14 season. The efforts of their English counterparts is none the more positve.

Last 5 UCL finals:

2010–11

Barcelona 3–1 Manchester United

2011–12

Chelsea 1–1 Bayern Munich (Chelsea won on penalties)

2012–13

Bayern Munich 2–1 BorussiaDortmund

2013–14

Real Madrid 4–1 Atlético Madrid

2014-15

Barcelona 3–1 Juventus

Chelsea seem to be the only serious contenders to the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, with both Arsenal and Manchester City proving inadequate at this level, whilst the performances of Manchester United and Liverpool have been portrayed as either distinctly average or poor in recent years. In the past decade, the UEFA Champions League trophy has only been brought back to the United Kingdom twice, whilst from two of the past three seasons the Premier League has failed to produce a single quarter-finalist.

Despite Arsenal qualifying for an impressive eighteen consecutive year-on-year Champions League appearances, they have only reached the final once. Manchester City have yet to surpass the Last 16, whilst in the Europa League, a team has failed to reach a semi-final or final since Fulham’s famous route in the 2009-10 season.

In the opening week of football in Europe in 2015-16, only two of the six English teams grabbed three points, with one draw and three defeats. Both Manchester clubs sacrificed 1-0 leads to lose in the second halves away from home, whilst Arsenal were extremely unconvincing in defeat to Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb. Since when did the shift in fortunes change for English clubs? There was once upon a time when teams in England would take a clean sweap, especially during the group stages of both tournaments, wiping the floor with teams with the same ability as the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Bordeaux and Dinamo Zagreb. Now we see teams squeezing through to the knockout rounds, finishing second in their groups which ultimately sees them draw an impossible tie against one of the tournament’s favourites in the knockout stages. Also recently, teams including West Ham United and Hull City have failed to qualify through the preliminary stages to reach the ‘actual’ competition itself.

Teams in England have to be mindful with the country’s status in the UEFA club rankings at threat, with the Italians in contention to outperform the English sides for a second season following. Should the Italians leapfrog the English, the Premier League will see their number of participants in the Champions League reduced from four to three, which in turn would see teams outside of the top six finding it even more difficult to reach the Europa League.

The suggestion that the Premier League suffers from not having a winter break did not really affect the country’s top sides before Chelsea’s triumph in 2012, therefore it cannot be used as an excuse years later. Moreover, there seems to be a huge expectation for the Premier League to dominate proceedings in Europe. Whether the naivety of the Premier League still exists by expecting to be better than the rest of Europe or not, it is evident that there are three top sides above the rest who, season after season seem to be pulling the weight of power further away from the English sides.

Full list of biggest global transfers: Summer 2015

Premier League

Arsenal

In: Vlad Dragomir (ACS Poli Timisoara, £71,000), Petr Cech (Chelsea, £10m), Donyell Malen (Ajax, Undisclosed), Joao Virginia (Benfica, Undisclosed), Harry Clarke (Ipswich Town, Undisclosed)

Out: Jack Jebb, Austin Lipman, Josh Vickers (all released) Oluwasemilogo Adesewo Ajayi (Cardiff City, Free), Ryo Miyaichi (St Pauli, Free), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Ipswich Town, Loan), Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill (Swindon Town, Free), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray, £1.8m), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United, Loan), Yaya Sanogo (Ajax, Loan), George Dobson (West Ham United, Undisclosed), Abou Diaby (Marseille, Free), Wojciech Szczesny (Roma, Loan), Jon Toral (Birmingham City, Loan), Daniel Crowley (Barnsley, Loan), Isaac Hayden (Hull City, Loan), Chouba Akpom (Hull City, Loan), Serge Gnabry (West Bromwich Albion, Loan), Renny Smith (Burnley, Free), Emiliano Martinez (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Loan), Josh Vickers (Swansea City, Free), Wellington Silva (Bolton Wanderers, Loan), Gedion Zelalem (Rangers, Loan)

Aston Villa

In: Scott Sinclair (Manchester City, Undisclosed), Micah Richards (Manchester City, Free), Mark Bunn (Norwich City, Free), Idrissa Gueye (Lille, Undisclosed), Jordan Amavi (Nice, Undisclosed), Jordan Ayew (FC Lorient, Undisclosed), Jose Angel Crespo (Cordoba, Undisclosed), Jordan Veretout (Nantes, Undisclosed), Rudy Gestede (Blackburn Rovers, Undisclosed), Adama Traore (Barcelona, £7m), Joleon Lescott (West Bromwich Albion, £2m), Matija Sarkic (Anderlecht, Undisclosed), Tiago Ilori (Liverpool, Loan)

Out: Darren Bent (Derby County, Free), Alfie Crooks, Christopher Herd, Craig Hill, Bradley Lewis, Isaac Nehemie, Daniel O’Brien, Thomas Strain, Courtney Wildin (all released), Enda Stevens (Portsmouth, Free), Andreas Weimann (Derby County, £2.75m), Yacouba Sylla (Rennes, Undisclosed), Matthew Lowton (Burnley, £1m), Graham Burke (Notts County, Free), Ron Vlaar (released), Antonio Luna (Eibar, Undisclosed), Shay Given (Stoke City, Free), Fabian Delph (Manchester City, £8m), Christian Benteke (Liverpool, £32.5m), Aly Cissokho (FC Porto, Loan), Callum Robinson (Bristol City, Loan), Janoi Donacien (Wycombe Wanderers, Loan), Alexander Tonev (Frosinone, Undisclosed), Riccardo Calder (Dundee, Loan), Nicklas Helenius (Aalborg, Undisclosed), Nathan Baker (Bristol City, Loan), Joe Bennett (Bournemouth, Loan)

Bournemouth

In: Artur Boruc (Southampton, Free), Adam Federici (Reading, Free), Joshua King (Blackburn Rovers, Free), Christian Atsu (Chelsea, Loan), Sylvain Distin (Everton, Free), Tyrone Mings (Ipswich Town, £8m), Filippo Costa (Chievo, Loan), Max Gradel (Saint Etienne, Undisclosed), Lee Tomlin Middlesbrough, £3m), Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace, £3m), Tomas Andrade (River Plate, Loan), Joe Bennett (Aston Villa, Loan)

Out: Ryan Fraser (Ipswich Town, Loan), Brett Pitman (Ipswich Town, Undisclosed), Josh McQuoid (Luton Town, Free), Darryl Flavahan, Mohamed Coulibaly, Joe Partington, Miles Addison (all released), Ian Harte (retired), Jayden Stockley (Portsmouth, Loan), Harry Cornick (Yeovil Town, Loan), Stephane Zubar (York City, Loan), Josh Wakefield (Yeovil Town, Loan), Josh O’Hanlon (Chester City, Loan), Lee Camp (Rotherham United, Loan)

Chelsea

In: Nathan (Atletico Paranaense, Undisclosed), Radamel Falcao (Monaco, Loan), Asmir Begovic (Stoke City, £8m), Danilo Pantic (Partizan Belgrade, Undisclosed), Abdul Baba Rahman (Augsburg, £21.7m), Pedro (Barcelona, £21m), Kenedy (Fluminense, Undisclosed), Papy Djilobodji (Nantes, £2.7m), Michael Hector (Reading, £4m)

Out: Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Mochengladbach, Undisclosed), Christian Atsu (Bournemouth, Loan), Andreas Christensen (Borussia Monchengladbach, Loan), Stipe Perica (Udinese, Loan), Matej Delač (FK Sarajevo, Loan), Tomas Kalas (Middlesbough, Loan), Gael Kakuta (Sevilla, Free), Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Petr Cech (Arsenal, £10m), Mario Pašalić (Monaco, Loan), Josh McEachran (Brentford, £750,000), Marco van Ginkel (Stoke City, Loan), Izzy Brown (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Nathan (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Jordan Houghton (Gillingham, Loan), Patrick Bamford (Crystal Palace, Loan), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa, Loan), Wallace (Carpi, Loan), Danilo Pantic (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact, Free), Felipe Luis (Atlético Madrid, Undisclosed), Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Todd Kane (NEC Nijmegen, Loan), Mohamed Salah (Roma, Loan), Alex Davey (Peterborough United, Loan), Oriol Romeu (Southampton, £5m), Nathan Ake (Watford, Loan), Kenedy (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus, Loan), Marko Marin (Trabzonspor, Loan), Jeremie Boga (Rennes, Loan), Lucas Piazon (Reading, Loan), Victor Moses (West Ham United, Loan), Islam Feruz (Hibernian, Loan), Nathaniel Chalobah (Napoli, Loan), Michael Hector (Reading, Loan), Bekanty Victorien Angban (Sint-Truiden, Loan), Ulises Davila (Vitoria Sport Clube, Loan) Cristian Cuevas (Sint-Truiden, Loan) Joao Rodriguez (Sint-Truiden, Loan)

Crystal Palace

In: Yohann Cabaye (Paris Saint Germian, £10m), Patrick Bamford (Chelsea, Loan), Alex McCarthy (Queens Park Rangers, Undisclosed), Connor Wickham (Sunderland, £7m), Bakary Sako (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Free)

Out: Jerome Thomas, Shola Ameobi, Foluwashola Ameobi, Michael Chambers, Ghassimu Sow (all released), Mandela Egbo (Borussia Mochengladbach, Undisclosed), Jack Hunt (Sheffield Wednesday, Loan), Kyle De Silva (Notts County, Free), Lewis Price (Sheffield Wednesday, Free), Hiram Boateng (Plymouth Argyle, Loan), Ryan Innis (Port Vale, Loan), Jerome Binnom-Williams (Burton Albion, Loan), Stephen Dobbie (Bolton Wanderers, Free), Chris Kettings (Stevenage Borough, Loan), Christian Scales (Crawley Town, Loan), Peter Ramage (Kerala Blasters, Free), Owen Garvan (Colchester United, Free), Barry Bannan (Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed), Adlene Guedioura (Watford, Undisclosed), Glenn Murray (Bournemouth, £3m)

Everton

In: Tom Cleverley (Manchester United, Free), Gerard Deulofou (Barcelona, £4.3m), David Henen (Olympiakos, Undisclosed), Mason Holgate (Barnsley, Undisclosed), Leandro Rodriguez (River Plate, £500,000), Ramiro Funes Mori (River Plate, £9.5m), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur, £4.5m)

Out: Curtis Langton, Ben McLaughlin (all released), George Green (Oldham Athletic, Free), Sylvain Distin (Bournemouth, Free), Francisco Junior (Wigan Athletic, Loan), Jonjoe Kenny (Wigan Athletic, Loan), Luke Garbutt (Fulham, Loan), Chris Long (Burnley, Undisclosed), Antolin Alcaraz (Las Palmas, Free), John Lundstram (Oxford United, Free)

Leicester City

In: Christian Fuchs (FC Schalke 04, Free), Robert Huth (Stoke City, £3m), Shinji Okazaki (Mainz, Undisclosed), N’Golo Kante (SM Caen, Undisclosed), Yohan Benalouane (Atalanta, Undisclosed), Gokhan Inler (Napoli, Undisclosed), Nathan Dyer (Swansea City, Loan)

Out: Anthony Knockhaert (Standard Liege, Free), Zoumana Bakayogo, Marcel Barrington, Adam Dawson, Conrad Logan, Herve Pepe-Ngoma, Louis Rowley, Gary Taylor-Fletcher (all released), Paul Gallagher (Preston North End, Free), James Pearson (released), Tom Hopper (Scunthorpe United, Free), Adam Smith (Northampton Town, Free), Chris Wood (Leeds United), Kieran Kennedy (Motherwell, Free), Matthew Upson (Milton Keynes Dons, Free), Paul Konchesky (Queens Park Rangers, Loan), Esteban Cambiasso (Olympiakos, Free), Ben Hamer (Bristol City, Loan) David Nugent (Middlesbough, Undisclosed), Ryan Watson (Northampton Town, Loan), Jordan Blyth (Cambridge United, Loan), Tom Lawrence (Blackburn Rovers, Loan), Jak McCourt (Port Vale, Loan), Simonas Stankevicius (Oldham Athletic, Loan), Callum Elder (Peterborough United, Loan), Liam Moore (Bristol City, Loan)

Liverpool

In: James Milner (Manchester City, Free), Danny Ings (Burnley, Free), Adam Bogdan (Bolton Wanderers, Free), Joe Gomez (Charlton Athletic, £3.5m), Roberto Firmino (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, £29m), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton, £12.5m), Bobby Adekanye (Barcelona, Free), Allan Rodrigues de Souza (Internacional, £500,000), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa, £32.5m), Sandvik Tagseth (Neset FK, Undisclosed), Taiwo Awoniyi (FSV Frankfurt, Loan)

Out: Steven Gerrard (Los Angeles Galaxy, Free), Jordan Lussey, Marc Pelosi (both released), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, Undisclosed), Danny Ward (Aberdeen, Loan), Sebastian Coates (Sunderland, Undisclosed), David Amoo (Partick Thistle, Free), Luis Alberto (Deportivo La Coruña, Loan), Jordan Williams (Swindon Town, Loan), Lloyd Jones (Blackpool, Loan), Glen Johnson (Stoke City, Free), Kevin Stewart (Swindon Town, Loan), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, £49m), Andre Wisdom (Norwich City, Loan), Rickie Lambert (West Bromwich Albion, Undisclosed), Lawrence Vigouroux (Swindon Town, Loan), Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Loan), Brad Jones (Bradford City, Free), Harry Wilson (Crewe Alexandra, Loan), Mario Balotelli (AC Milan, Loan), Joe Maguire (Leyton Orient, Loan), Ryan McLaughlin (Aberdeen, Loan), Lazor Markovic (Fenerbahçe, Loan), Fabio Borini (Sunderland, £7.75m), Sergi Canos (Brentford, Loan), Semid Yesil (FC Luzern, Loan), Tiago Ilori (Aston Villa, Loan)

Manchester City

In: Enes Unal (Bursaspor, Undisclosed), David Faupala (Lens, Undisclosed), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool, £49m), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa, £8m), Patrick Roberts (Fulham, £11m), Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia, £32m), Aleix Garcia (Villarreal, £2.1m), Kevin De Bruyne (VfL Wolfsburg, £58m)

Out: Matija Nastasic (FC Schalke 04, Undisclosed), Scott Sinclair (Aston Villa, Undisclosed), Frank Lampard (New York City FC, Free), Dedryk Boyata (Celtic, £1.5m), James Milner (Liverpool, Free), Greg Leigh, Dominic Oduro (both released), Joe Nuttall (Aberdeen, Undisclosed), Micah Richards (Aston Villa, Free), Alvaro Negredo (Valencia, £21.2m), Karim Rekik (Marseille, Undisclosed), Angelino (New York City FC, Loan), Tom Holland (Swansea City, Free), John Guidetti (Celta Vigo, Free), Jordy Hiwula (Huddersfield Town, Undisclosed), Seko Fofana (Bastia, Loan), Enes Unal (Genk, Loan), Stevan Jovetic (Inter Milan, 18-month Loan), Jules Ntcham (Genoa, Loan), Thomas Agyepong (FC Twente, Loan), Eden Dzeko (Roma, Loan), Marco Lopes (Monaco, Undisclosed), Devante Cole (Bradford City, Free), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray, Loan), Jose Angel Pozo (Almeria, Loan), Adam Drury (Bristol Rovers, Free)

Manchester United

In: Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven, £31m), Matteo Darmain (Torino, £12.7m), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton, £25m), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich, £14.4m), Sergio Romero (Sampdoria, Free), Anthony Martial (Monaco, £36m), Regan Poole (Newport County, Undisclosed)

Out: Tom Cleverley (Everton, Free), Callum Evans, Ryan McConnell (both released), Ben Amos (Bolton Wanderers, Free), Saidy Janko (Celtic, Undisclosed), Nani (Fenerbahçe, £4.25m), Thomas Thorpe (Rotherham United, Free), Angelo Henriquez (Dinamo Zagreb, Undisclosed), Will Keane (Preston North End, Loan), Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce, Undisclosed), Jordan Thompson (Rangers, Free), Ben Pearson (Barnsley, Loan), Joe Rothwell (Barnsley, Loan), Reece James (Wigan Athletic, Undisclosed), Rafael (Lyon, £2m), Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint Germian, £44.3m), Tyler Blackett (Celtic, Loan), Jonny Evans (West Bromwich Albion, £8m), Anders Lindegaard (West Bromwich Albion, Free), Adnan Januzaj (Borussia Dortmund, Loan), Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen, £9m), Kieran O’Hara (Morecambe, Loan)

Newcastle United

In: Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven, £14.5m), Aleksander Mitrovic (Anderlecht, £13m), Chancel Mbemba (Anderlecht, Undisclosed), Ivan Toney (Northampton Town, Undisclosed), Florian Thauvin (Marseille, £12m)

Out: Remie Streete (Port Vale, Free), Davide Santon (Inter Milan, £2.8m), Sammy Ameobi (Cardiff City, Loan), Adam Campbell (Notts County, Free), Ryan Taylor (Hull City, Free), Adam Armstrong (Coventry City, Loan), Freddie Woodman (Crawley Town, Loan), Jack Alnwick (Port Vale, Free), Shane Ferguson (Millwall, Loan), Remy Cabella (Marseille, Loan), Mehdi Abeid (Panathinaikos, Undisclosed), Olivier Kemen (Lyon, £550,000) Jonas Gutierrez (Deportivo La Coruña, Free), Haris Vuckic (Wigan Athletic, Loan)

Norwich City

In: Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion, Undisclosed), Youssouf Mulumbu (West Bromwich Albion, Free), Robbie Brady (Hull City, £7m), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool, Loan), Jake Kean (Blackburn Rovers, Free), Dieumerci Mbokani (Dynamo Kiev, Loan), Matt Jarvis (West Ham United, Loan)

Out: Kyle Callan-McFadden, (released), Cameron McGeehan (Luton Town, Free), Sam Kelly (Port Vale, Free) Luciano Becchio (Belgrano Cordoba, Free), Adam King (Crewe Alexandra, Loan), Remi Matthews (Burton Albion, Loan), Mark Bunn (Aston Villa, Free), Ignasi Miquel (released), Javier Garrido (Las Palmas, Free), Carlos Cuellar (Almeria, Free), Jacob Murphy Coventry City, Loan), Josh Murphy (Milton Keynes Dons, Loan), Michael Turner (Sheffield Wednesday, Loan), Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Real Betis, Loan), Tony Andreu (Rotherham United, Loan), Vadis Odjidja Ofoe (Rotherham United, Loan), Bradley Johnson (Derby County, £6m)

Southampton

In: Juanmi (Malaga, £5m), Cedric Soares (Sporting Lisbon, £4.7m), Maarten Stekelenburg (Fulham, Loan), Cuco Martina (FC Twente, Undisclosed), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord, £8m), Steven Caulker (Queens Park Rangers, Loan), Oriol Romeu (Chelsea, £5m), Harry Lewis (Shrewsbury Town, Undisclosed), Virgil van Dijk (Celtic, £11.5m)

Out: Artur Boruc (Bournemouth, Free), Jos Hooiveld, Christopher Johns, Omar Rowe, Jake Sinclair (all released), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool, £12.5m), Cody Cropper (Milton Keynes Dons, Free), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United, £25m), Sam Gallagher (Milton Keynes Dons! Loan), Jack Stephens (Middlesbrough, Loan), Jordan Turnbull (Swindon Town, Loan), Dani Osvaldo (FC Porto, Free), Emmanuel Mayuka (Metz, Undisclosed)

Stoke City

In: Philipp Wollscheid (Bayer Leverkusen, Undisclosed), Jakob Haugaard (FC Midtjylland, Undisclosed), Joselu (Hannover 96, £5.75m), Marko van Ginkel (Chelsea, Loan), Glen Johnson (Liverpool, Free), Shay Given (Aston Villa, Free), Moha El Ouriachi (Barcelona, Undisclosed), Mark Waddington (Blackpool, Undisclosed), Dom Telford (Blackpool, Undisclosed), Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona, Free), Sergio Molina (Real Madrid, Undisclosed), Xherdan Shaqiri (Inter Milan, £12m)

Out: Oluwatomisin Adeloye, Samuel Coulson, Alexander Grant, Wilson, Robbie Parry, Nathan Ricketts-Hopkinson, Adam Thomas, Charlie Ward, Elliot Wheeler (all released), Robert Huth (Leicester City, £3m), Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla, £7m), Jamie Ness (Scunthorpe United, Free), Asmir Begovic (Chelsea, £8m), Wilson Palacios (Hull City, Free), Daniel Bachmann (Ross County, Loan), Mason Watkins-Clark (Wrexham, Loan), Thomas Sørensen (Melbourne City, Free), James Alabi (Ipswich Town, Free)

Sunderland

In: Sebastian Coates (Liverpool, Undisclosed), Adam Matthews (Celtic, £2m), Jeremain Lens (Dynamo Kiev, £8.5m), Younes Kaboul (Tottenham Hotspur, £3m), Yann M’Vila (Rubin Kazan, Loan), Ola Toivonen (Rennes, Loan), Fabio Borini (Liverpool, £7.75m), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur, Loan)

Out: Wes Brown, Peter Burke, Andrew Cartright, Joel Dixon, Thomas McNamee, Anthony Reveillere (all released), El-Hadji Ba (Charlton Athletic, Undisclosed), Santiago Vergini (Getafe, Loan), Jordan Pickford (Preston North End, Loan), Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace, £7m), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna, Loan)

Swansea City

In: Franck Tabanou (Saint Etienne, Undisclosed), Andre Ayew (Marseille, Free), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Heerenveen, Undisclosed), Eder (Braga, Undisclosed), Tom Holland (Manchester City, Free), Oliver McBurnie (Bradford City, Undisclosed), Josh Vickers (Arsenal, Free), Botti Biabi (Falkirk, Undisclosed)

Out: Thomas Atyeo, David Cornell, Corey Francis, Giancarlo Gallifuoco, Joseph Jones, Kurtis March, Curtis Obeng, Gareth Owen, Scott Tancock, Alan Tate, Gerhard Tremmel (all released), Rory Donnelly (Gillingham, Free), Jazz Richards (Fulham, Undisclosed), Kenji Gorre (ADO Den Haag, Loan), David Cornell (Oldham Athletic, Free), Modou Barrow (Blackburn Rovers, Loan), Oliver Davies (Kilmarnock, Loan), Stephen Kingsley (Crewe Alexandra, Loan), Alex Samuel (Morton, Loan), Nathan Dyer (Leicester City, Loan), Dwight Tiendelli (released)

Tottenham Hotspur

In: Kevin Wimmer (FC Cologne, £4m), Kieran Trippier (Burnley, Undisclosed), Toby Alderweireld (Atlético Madrid, Undisclosed), Clinton N’Jie (Lyon, Undisclosed), Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen, £18m)

Out: Brad Friedal (Retired), Bongani Khumalo, Aaron McEneff, Jonathan Miles (all released), Jordan Archer (Millwall, Free), Joe Martin (Millwall, Free), Paulinho (Guangzhou Evergrande, £9.9m), Alexander McQueen (Carlisle United, Free), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Saint Etienne, Free), Lewis Holtby (Hamburg, Undisclosed), Etienne Capoue (Watford, Undisclosed), Grant Ward (Rotherham United, Loan), Younes Kaboul (Sunderland, £3m), Benjamin Stambouli (Paris Saint Germian, £6m), Cristian Ceballos (Charlton Athletic, Free), Vlad Chiriches (Napoli, Undisclosed), Ryan Fredericks (Bristol City, Undisclosed), Grant Hall (Queens Park Rangers, Undisclosed), Nathan Oduwa (Rangers, Loan), Dominic Ball (Rangers, Loan), Shaquile Coulthirst (Wigan Athletic, Loan), Connor Ogilvie (Stevenage Borough, Loan), Roberto Soldado (Villarreal, £7m), Tomislav Gomelt (Bari, Undisclosed), Ismail Azzaoui (VfL Wolfsburg, Undisclosed), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland, Loan), Aaron Lennon (Everton, £4.5m)

Watford

In: Sebastien Prodl (Werder Bremen, Free), Dániel Tőzsér (Parma, Loan), Giedrius Arlauskis (Steaua Bucureșt, Undisclosed), Matej Vydra (Udinese, Undisclosed), Jose Holebas (Roma, Undisclosed), Etienne Capoue (Tottenham Hotspur, Undisclosed), Valon Behrami (Hamburg, £3m), Allan Nyom (Udinese, Undisclosed), Miguel Britos (Napoli, Free) Jose Jurado (Spartak Moscow, Undisclosed), Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar, £4.6m), Nathan Ake (Chelsea, Loan), Alessandro Diamanti (Guangzhou Evergrande, Loan), Obbi Oulare (Club Brugge, £6m), Adlene Guedioura (Crystal Palace, Undisclosed), Victor Ibarbo (Roma, Loan)

Out: Jonathan Bond (Watford to Reading) Undisclosed, Uche Ikpeazu (Port Vale, Loan), Juanfran (Deportivo La Coruña, Loan), Lewis McGugan (Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed), Mathias Ranegie (Dalian Aerbin, Loan), Diego Fabbrini (Middlesbough, Loan), Luke O’Nien (Wycombe Wanderers, Free), Gianni Munari (Cagliari, Undisclosed), Sean Murray (Wigan Athletic, Loan), Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed), Daniel Pudil (Sheffield Wednesday, Loan), Miguel Layun (FC Porto, Loan), Gabriele Angella (Queens Park Rangers, Loan), Connor Smith (Stevenage Borough, Loan), Matej Vydra (Reading, Loan)

West Bromwich Albion

In: James McClean (Wigan Athletic, £1.5m), James Chester (Hull City, £8m), Rickie Lambert (Liverpool, Undisclosed), Serge Gnabry (Arsenal, Loan), Solomon Rondon (Zenit Saint Petersburg, £12m), Jonny Evans (Manchester United, £8m), Anders Lindegaard (Manchester United, Free)

Out: Graham Dorrans (Norwich City, Undisclosed), Kemar Roofe (Oxford United, Undisclosed), Aaron Birch, Alexander Jones, Mani O’Sullivan, Bradley Garmston (Gillingham, Free), Chris Baird (Derby County, Free), Youssouf Mulumbu (Norwich City, Free), Jason Davidson (Huddersfield Town, Free), Donervon Daniels (Wigan Athletic, Free), Georgios Samaras (released), Wesley Atkinson (Notts County, Free), Liam O’Neil (Chesterfield, Undisclosed), Adil Nabi (Dehli Dynamos, Loan), Browm Ideye (Olympiakos, Undisclosed), Joleon Lescott (Aston Villa, £2m)

West Ham United

In: Darren Randolph (Birmingham City, Free), Pedro Obiang (Sampdoria, Undisclosed), Stephen Hendrie (Hamilton Academical, Undisclosed), Martin Samuelsen (Manchester City, Free), Dimitri Payet (Marseille, £10m), Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus, Undisclosed), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal, Loan), Manuel Lanzini (Al-Jazira, Loan), George Dobson (Arsenal, Undisclosed), Nikica Jelavic (Hull City, £3m), Alex Song (Barcelona, Loan), Victor Moses (Chelsea, Loan), Michail Antonio (Nottingham Forest, £7m)

Out: Dan Potts (Luton Town, Free), Kieran Bywater, Carlton Cole, Anderson De Carvalho, Guy Demel, Sean Maguire, Daniel Potts (all released), Paul McCallum (Leyton Orient, Free), Blair Turgott (Leyton Orient, Free), Stewart Downing (Middlesbough, £5.5m), Jussi Jaaskelainen (Wigan Athletic, Free), Diego Poyet (Milton Keynes Dons, Loan), Reece Burke (Bradford City, Loan), Modibo Maiga (Al Nassr, Undisclosed), Kevin Nolan (released), Sam Westley (VVV-Venlo, Loan), Matt Jarvis (Norwich City, Loan)

The Championship

Jed Wallace (Portsmouth to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Undisclosed

Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Ben Gladwin (Swindon Town to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Darren Bent (Aston Villa to Derby County) Free

Jermain Beckford (Bolton Wanderers to Preston North End) Free

Alex Pearce (Reading to Derby County) Free

Lee Erwin (Motherwell to Leeds United) Undisclosed

Charlie Horton (Cardiff City to Leeds United) Free

Sylvain Deslandes (SM Caen to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Free

Aidy White (Leeds United to Rotherham United) Free

Ryan Williams (Morecambe to Brentford) Free

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Bristol City to Queens Park Rangers) Free

Scott Carson (Wigan Athletic to Derby County) Undisclosed

Joe Mattock (Sheffield Wednesday to Rotherham United) Free

Jamie Mackie (Notthingham Forest to Queens Park Rangers) Free

Jo N’Guessan (Stevenage Borough to Queens Park Rangers) Free

Andy Lonergon (Bolton Wanderers to Fulham) Free

Ben Pringle (Rotherham United to Fulham) Free

Matthew Lowton (Aston Villa to Burnley) £1m

Patrick Bauer (Maritimo to Charlton Athletic) Undisclosed

Dean Whitehead (Middlesbough to Huddersfield Town) Free

Liam Rosenior (Hull City to Brighton & Hove Albion) Free

Sol Bamba (Palermo to Leeds United) Undisclosed

Tomer Hemed (Almeria to Brighton & Hove Albion) Undisclosed

Tomas Kalas (Chelsea to Middlesbrough) Loan

Tom Cairney (Blackburn Rovers to Fulham) Undisclosed

Jacques Maghoma (Sheffield Wednesday to Birmingham City) Free

Adam Legzdins (Leyton Orient to Birmingham City) Free

Orlando Sa (Legia Warsaw to Reading) Undisclosed

Vincent Sasso (Braga to Sheffield Wednesday) Loan

Stephen Quinn (Hull City to Reading) Free

Simon Church (Charlton Athletic to Milton Keynes Dons) Free

Konstantin Kerschbaumer (Admira Wacker Mödling to Brentford) Undisclosed

Tomasz Kuszczak (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Birmingham City) Free

Ben Amos (Manchester United to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Gary Madine (Sheffield Wednesday to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Simon Makienok (Palermo to Charlton Athletic) Loan

Matt Mills (Bolton Wanderers to Nottingham Forest) Free

Jamir Ward (Derby County to Notthingham Forest) Free

Andreas Bjelland (FC Twente to Brentford) £2.1m

Emmanuel Ledesma (Middlesbough to Rotherham United) Free

Paul McShane (Hull City to Reading) Free

Sebastien Polter (Mainz to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Jazz Richards (Swansea City to Fulham) Undisclosed

Gaetan Bong (Wigan Athletic to Brighton & Hove Albion) Free

Tom Ince (Hull City to Derby County) £4.75m

Conor Coady (Huddersfield Town to Wolverhampton Wanderers) £2m

Jonathan Bond (Watford to Reading) Undisclosed

Greg Halford (Nottingham Forest to Rotherham United) Free

Jamie O’Hara (Blackpool to Fulham) Free

Derek Osede (Real Madrid to Bolton Wanderers) Undisclosed

Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle United to Cardiff City) Loan

Alex Baptiste (Bolton Wanderers to Middlesbrough) Undisclosed

Jelle Vossen (Genk to Burnley) Undisclosed

Lewis Price (Crystal Palace to Sheffield Wednesday) Free

Josh McEachran (Chelsea to Brentford) £750,000

Ross Wallace (Burnley to Sheffield Wednesday) Free

Jon Ceberio (Real Sociedad to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Tom Adeyemi (Cardiff City to Leeds United) Loan

Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan Athletic to Reading) Free

Ross Turnbull (Barnsley to Leeds United) Free

Wilson Palacios (Stoke City to Hull City) Free

Lewis McGugan (Watford to Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed

Stewart Downing (West Ham United to Middlesborough) £5.5m

Tjaronn Chery (Groningen to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Jonathan Kodjia (Angers to Bristol City) £2.1m

Martin Cranie (Barnsley to Huddersfield Town) Free

Zakarya Bergdich (Real Valladolid to Charlton Athletic) Undisclosed

Jack Harper (Real Madrid to Brighton & Hove Albion) Free

Philipp Hoffman (Kaiserslautern to Brentford) Undisclosed

Jason Shackell (Burnley to Derby Country) Undisclosed

Chris Maguire (Sheffield Wednesday to Rotherham United) Free

Jordan Blaise (Bordeaux to Cardiff City) Free

Luke Garbutt (Everton to Fulham) Loan

Greg Cunningham (Bristol City to Preston North End) Undisclosed

Diego Fabbrini (Watford to Middlesbrough) Loan

Maikel Kieftenbeld (Groningen to Birmingham City) Undisclosed

Chris Long (Everton to Burnley) Undisclosed

Naby Sarr (Sporting Lisbon to Charlton Athletic) Undisclosed

Sam Clucas (Chesterfield to Hull City) £1.3m

Ryan Taylor (Newcastle United to Hull City) Free

Dan Agyei (AFC Wimbledon to Burnley) Undisclosed

Sam Gallagher (Southampton to Milton Keynes Dons) Loan

Cameron John (Southend United to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Undisclosed

Matthew Upson (Leicester City to Milton Keynes Dons) Free

Tendayi Darikwa (Chesterfield to Burnley) Undisclosed

James Perch (Wigan Athletic to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Jack Stephens (Southampton to Middlesbrough) Loan

Setgio Aguzi (Real Madrid Castilla to Milton Keynes Dons) Undisclosed

Isaac Hayden (Arsenal to Hull City) Loan

Lucas Joao (Nacional to Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed

Jonas Knudson (Esbjerg to IpswichTown) Undisclosed

Giles Coke (Sheffield Wednesday to Ipswich Town) Free Bolton

Larsen Toure (Arles-Avignon to Ipswich Town) Free

Daniel Pinillos (Cordoba to Nottingham Forest) Free

Adam Le Fondre (Cardiff City to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Loan

Bobby Zamora (Queens Park Rangers to Brighton & Hove Albion) Free

Johnathan Douglas (Brentford to Ipswich Town) Undisclosed

Chouba Akpom (Arsenal to Hull City) Loan

Stuart Dallas (Brenftord to Leeds United) Undisclosed

Paul Konchesky (Leicester City to Queens Park Rangers) Loan

Sakari Mattila (Aalesunds to Fulham) Undisclosed

Stephen Dobbie (Crystal Palace to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Danny Guthrie (Reading to Blackburn Rovers) Free

Modou Sougou (Marseille to Sheffield Wednesday) Free

Rhoys Wiggins (Charlton Athletic to Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed

Lawrie Wilson (Charlton Athletic to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Andrew Taylor (Wigan Athletic to Reading) Loan

Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool to Blackburn Rovers) Free

Prince-Desir Gouana (Atalanta to Bolton Wanderers) Loan

Ryan Fredericks (Tottenham Hotspur to Bristol City) Undisclosed

Oscar Gobern (Huddersfield Town to Queens Park Rangers) Free

Moses Odubajo (Brentford to Hull City) £3.5m

Grant Hall (Tottenham Hotspur to Queens Park Rangers) Undisclosed

Cristhian Stuani (Espanyol to Middlesbrough) £2.8m

Luke Hendrie (Derby County to Burnley) Free

Modou Barrow (Swansea City to Blackburn Rovers) Loan

Emiliano Martinez (Arsenal to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Loan

Josh Ginnelly (Shrewsbury Town to Burnley) Undisclosed

Hope Akpan (Reading to Blackburn Rovers) Free

Ben Hamer (Leicester City to Bristol City) Loan

Uwe Hunemeier (Paderborn to Brighton & Hove Albion) Undisclosed

Chris Kirkland (Sheffield Wednesday to Preston North End) Free

Paolo Hurtado (Pacos de Ferreira to Reading) Undisclosed

Maxime Colin (Anderlecht to Brentford) Undisclosed

David Nugent (Leicester City to Middlesbrough) Undisclosed

Rouwen Hennings (Karlsruhe to Burnley) Undisclosed

Jamie Murphy (Sheffield United to Brighton & Hove Albion) Undisclosed

Alex Fernandez (Espanyol to Reading) Loan

Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers to Fulham) Undisclosed

Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town to Queens Park Rangers) £1.2m

Kyle Ebecilio (FC Twente to Nottingham Forest) Loan

Lee Evans (Bradford City to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Loan

Francesco Pisano (Cagliari to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Nicolai Brock-Madsen (Randers to Birmingham City) £500,000

Andre Gray (Brentford to Burnley) £9m

Joe Lewis (Cardiff City to Fulham) Loan

Gabriel Tamas (Steaua Bucureșt to Cardiff City) Free

Jose Manuel Casado (Almeria to Bolton Wanderers) Free

Shaun Maloney (Chicago Fire to Hull City) Undisclosed

Michael Turner (Norwich City to Sheffield Wednesday) Loan

Mustapha Carayol (Middlesbough to Huddersfield Town) Loan

Emyr Huws (Wigan Athletic to Huddersfield Town) Loan

Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers to Burnley) Free

Daniel Tozser (Parma to Queens Park Rangers) Free

Fernando Amorebieta (Fulham to Middlesbrough) Loan

James Husband (Middlesbough to Fulham) Loan

Elvis Manu (Feyenoord to Brighton & Hove Albion) Undisclosed

Fernando Forestieri (Watford to Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed

Daniel Pudil (Watford to Sheffield Wednesday) Loan

Michael Agazzi (AC Milan to Middlesbrough) Loan

Tommy Oar (Utrecht to Ipswich Town) Free

Marco Djuricin (Red Bull Salzburg to Brentford) Undisclosed

Lucas Piazon (Chelsea to Reading) Loan

Ryan Fredericks (Bristol City to Fulham) Undisclosed

Barry Bannan (Crystal Palace to Sheffield Wednesday) Undisclosed

Idrisa Saadi (Clermont Foot to Cardiff City) Undisclosed

Jordan Botaka (Excelsior to Leeds United) Undisclosed

Chris O’Grady (Brighton & Hove Albion to Nottingham Forest) Loan

Richard Stearman (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Fulham) Undisclosed

Jacob Butteefield (Huddersfield Town to Derby County) Undisclosed

Nathan Baker (Aston Villa to Bristol City) Loan

Gabriele Angella (Watford to Queens Park Rangers) Loan

Ola John (Benfica to Reading) Loan

Tony Andreu (Norwich City to Rotherham United) Loan

Vadis Odjidja Ofoe (Norwich City to Rotherham United) Loan

Matej Vydra (Watford to Reading) Loan

Carlos de Pena (Nacional to Middlesbrough) Undisclosed

Lee Camp (Bournemouth to Rotherham United) Loan

Michael Hector (Chelsea to Reading) Loan

Bradley Johnson (Norwich City to Derby County) £6m

Nathan Byrne (Swindon Town to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Undisclosed

Adama Diomande (Stabaek to Hull City) Undisclosed

Stevie May (Sheffield Wednesday to Preston North End) Undisclosed

Jamie Paterson (Notthingham Forest to Huddersfield Town) Loan

Other England

David Perkins (Blackpool to Wigan Athletic) Free

Lee Croft (St Johnstone to Oldham Athletic) Free

Jack Collison (Wigan Athletic to Peterborough United) Free

Kevin Lisbie (Leyton Orient to Barnet)

Bobby Olejnik (Peterborough United to Exeter City) Free

Rhys Sharpe (Derby County to Notts County) Free

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Preston North End to Chesterfield) Free

Colin Doyle (Birmingham City to Blackpool) Free

Gavin Hoyte (Gillingham to Barnet) Free

Brad Potts (Carlisle United to Blackpool) Undisclosed

Craig Morgan (Rotherham United to Wigan Athletic) Free

Kyle Letheren (Dundee to Blackpool) Free

Anthony Grant (Crewe Alexandra to Port Vale) Free

Steven Davies (Blackpool tk Bradford City) Free

Nyron Nosworthy (Blackpool to Dagenham & Redbridge) Free

Paddy McCourt (Brighton & Hove Albion to Luton Town) Free

Josh Morris (Blackburn Rovers to Bradford City) Free

Max Ehmer (Queens Park Rangers to Gillingham) Free

Jon Stead (Huddersfield Town to Notts County) Free

Luke Williams (Middlesbough to Scunthorpe United) Free

Tony McMahon (Blackpool to Bradford City) Free

George Elokobi (Oldham Athletic to Colchester United) Free

Danny Collins (Notthingham Forest to Rotherham United) Free

Max Power (Tranmere Rovers to Wigan Athletic) Tribunal

Richard Chaplow (Millwall to Doncaster Rovers) Free

Sam Ricketts (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Coventry City) Free

Craig Davies (Bolton Wanderers to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Sanmi Odelusi (Bolton Wanderers to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Will Grigg (Brentford to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Danny Pugh (Coventry City to Bury) Free

Scott Loach (Rotherham United to Notts County) Free

Reece James (Manchester United to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Bobby Grant (Blackpool to Fleetwood Town) Free

Lyle Della-Verde (Fulham to Fleetwood Town) Free

Elliot Parish (Blackpool to Colchester United) Free

Darius Henderson (Leyton Orient to Scunthorpe United) Free

Michael Jacobs (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Billy Sharp (Leeds United to Sheffield United) Undisclosed

Conor Sammon (Derby County to Sheffield United) Loan

Ryan Williams (Fulham to Barnsley) Undisclosed

Alex Cisak (Burnley to Leyton Orient) Undisclosed

Adam Armstrong (Newcastle United to Coventry City) Loan

Lee Barnard (Southend United to Crawley Town) Free

David Dunn (Blackburn Rovers to Oldham Athletic) Free

Will Hoskins (Oxford United to Exeter City) Free

Dany N’Guessan (Port Vale to Doncaster Rovers) Free

Nick Hunt (Reading to Southend United) Free

Paul Anderson (Ipswich Town to Bradford City) Free

Iain Turner (Sheffield United to Tranmere Rovers) Free

Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton & Hove Albion to Luton Town) Free

Ben Nugent (Cardiff City to Crewe Alexandra) Free

Steve Morison (Leeds United to Millwall) Free

Kevin McNaughton (Cardiff City to Wigan Athletic) Free

Emmerson Boyce (Wigan Athletic to Blackpool) Free

Jack Alnwick (Newcastle United to Port Vale) Free

Darren Ambrose (Ipswich Town to Colchester United) Free

Reece Brown (Barnsley to Port Vale) Free

David Edgar (Birmingham City to Sheffield United) Loan

Jussi Jaaskelainen (West Ham United to Wigan Athletic) Free

Shaquile Coulthirst (Tottenham Hotspur to Wigan Athletic) Loan

Lee Novak (Birmingham City to Chesterfield) Loan

Brad Jones (Liverpool to Bradford City) Free

Reece Wabara (Doncaster Rovers to Barnsley) Free

Aaron MClean (Bradford City to Barnet) Free

Izale McLeod (Crawley Town to Notts County) Undisclosed

Mark Yeates (Bradford City to Oldham Athletic) Free

Owen Garvan (Crystal Palace to Colchester United) Free

Jesse Joronen (Fulham to Stevenage Borough) Loan

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Peterborough United to Rochdale) Free

Jordy Hiwula (Huddersfield Town to Wigan Athletic) Loan

Luke O’Neill (Burnley to Southend United) Free

Haris Vuckic (Newcastle United to Wigan Athletic) Loan

Andy Kellett (Bolton Wanderers to Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed

Wes Thomas (Birmingham City to Swindon Town) Loan

France

Vincent Pajot (Rennes to Saint Etienne) Free

Jeremy Morel (Marseille to Lyon) Free

Hatem Ben Arfa (Free Agent to Nice) Free

Kevin Theophile Catherine (Cardiff City to Saint Etienne) Undisclosed

George Kevin Nkoudou (Nantes to Marseille) Undisclosed

Yohann Pele (Sochaux to Marseille) Free

Guido Carrillo (Estudiantes to Monaco) £7.2m

Yacouba Sylla (Aston Villa to Rennes) Undisclosed

Claudio Beauvue (Guingamp to Lyon) Undisclosed

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur to Saint Etienne) Free

Karim Rekik (Manchester City to Marsielle) Undisclosed

Mario Pašalić (Chelsea to Monaco) Loan

Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt to Paris Saint Germain) Undisclosed

Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan to Monaco) Loan

Mounir Obbadi (Monaco to Lille) Undisclosed

Valerie Germain (Monaco to Nice) Loan

Fabinho (Rio Ave to Monaco) Undisclosed

Lucas Ocampos (Monaco to Marseille) Undisclosed

Fares Bahlouli (Lyon to Monaco) Undisclosed

Benjamin Stambouli (Tottenham Hotspur to Paris Saint Germain) £6m

Lassana Diarra (Free Agent to Marseille) Free

Javier Manquillo (Atlético Madrid to Marseille) Loan

Abou Diaby (Arsenal to Marseille) Free

Stoppila Sunzu (Shanghai Greenland Shenhua to Lille) Loan

Jimmy Briand (Hannover 96 to Guingamp) Undisclosed

Rafael (Manchester United to Lyon) £2m

Angel Di Maria (Manchester United to Paris Saint Germain) £44.3m

Gabriel Boschilia (Sao Paulo to Monaco) Undisclosed

Jean-Christophe Bahebeck (Paris Saint Germian to Saint Etienne) Loan

Neal Maupay (Nice to Saint Etienne) Undisclosed

Mathieu Valbuena (Dynamo Moscow to Lyon) £3.5m

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Roma to Lyon) £5.6m

Remy Cabella (Newcastle United to Marseille) Loan

Fabio Coentrao (Real Madrid to Monaco) Loan

Layvin Kurzawa (Monaco to Paris Saint Germain) £16.8m

Lucas Silva (Real Madrid to Marseille) Loan

Eirik Haugen (Molde to Marseille) Undisclosed

Marco Lopes (Manchester City to Monaco) Undisclosed

Sergi Darder (Malaga to Lyon) £8.7m

Rolando (FC Porto to Marseille) Free

Juan Fernando Quintero (FC Porto to Rennes) Loan

Lucas Tousart (Valenciennes to Lyon) £2.5m

Emmanuel Mayuka (Southampton to Metz) Undisclosed

Mauricio Isla (Juventus to Marseille) Loan

Paolo De Ceglie (Juventus to Marseille) Loan

Olivier Kemen (Newcastle United to Lyon) £550,000

Germany

Gonzalo Castro (Bayer Leverkusen to Borussia Dortmund) Undisclosed

Matija Nastasic (Manchester City to FC Schalke 04) Undisclosed

Thorgan Hazard (Chelsea to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

Tin Jedvaj (Roma to Bayer Leverkusen) Loan

Sebastian Kehl (Borussia Dortmund to retired)

Max Kruse (Borussia Monchengladbach to VfL Wolfsburg) Undisclosed

Lars Srindl (Hannover 96 to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

Tobias Sippel (Kaiserslautern to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

Stefan Reinhartz (Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt) Undisclosed

Julian Weigl (TSV 1860 Munich to Borussia Dortmund) Undisclosed

Yoshinori Muto (FC Tokyo to Mainz) Undisclosed

Batuhan Altintas (Bursaspor to Hamburg) £400,000

Kyriakos Papadopoulos (FC Schalke 04 to Bayer Leverkusen) Undisclosed

Admir Mehmedi (Freiburg to Bayer Leverkusen) Undisclosed

Roman Burki (Freiburg to Borussia Dortmund) Undisclosed

Sven Ulreich (VfB Stuttgart to Bayern Munich) Undisclosed

Josip Drmic (Bayer Leverkusen to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

Mark Uth (Heerenveen to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) £3m

Mitchell Weiser (Bayern Munich to Hertha Berlin) Undisclosed

Johannes Geis (Mainz to FC Schalke 04) Undisclosed

Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV Eindhoven to VfB Stuttgart) Undisclosed

Lukas Rupp (Paderborn to VfB Stuttgart) Undisclosed

Junior Caicara (Ludogorets Razgrad to FC Schalke 04) Undisclosed

Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk to Bayern Munich) Undisclosed

Lewis Holtby (Tottenham Hotspur to Hamburg) Undisclosed

Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen to Hamburg) Free

Emiliano Insua (AtleticoMadrid to VfB Stuttgart) Free

Leonardo Bittencourt (Hannover 96 to FC Cologne) Undisclosed

Jonathan Tah (Hamburg to Bayer Leverkusen) £7m

Josuha Guilavogui (Atletico Madrid to VfL Wolfsburg) Loan

Francisco Rodriguez (FC Zurich to VfL Wolfsburg) Undisclosed

Arturo Vidal (Juventus to Bayern Munich) £26m

Sven Schipplock (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Hamburg) Undisclosed

Kevin Kuranyi (Dinamo Moscow to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) Free

Franco Di Santo (Werder Bremen to FV Schalke 04) £4.2m

Philippe Max (Karlsruhe to Augsburg) Undisclosed

Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar to Werder Bremen) Undisclosed

Jacques Zoua (Hamburg to Augsburg) Undisclosed

Charles Aranguiz (Internacional to Bayer Leverkusen) Undisclosed

Gyorgy Garics (Bologna to Darmstadt) Undisclosed

Nico Schulz (Hertha Berlin to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

Gianluca Curci (Roma to Mainz) Free

Joshia Kimmich (VfB Stuttgart to Bayern Munich) Undisclosed

Nico Elvedi (FC Zurich to VfL Wolfsburg) Undisclosed

Andre Ramalho (Red Bull Salzburg to Bayer Leverkusen) Undisclosed

Daniel Opare (FC Porto to Augsburg) Undisclosed

Piotr Trochowski (Free Agent to Augsburg) Free

Anthony Modeste (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to FC Cologne) Undisclosed

Luc Castaignos (FC Twente to Eintracht Frankfurt) Undisclosed

Jan Rosenthal (Eintracht Frankfurt to Darmstadt) Undisclosed

Nils Petersen (Werder Bremen to Freiburg) Undisclosed

Fabian Frei (FC Basel to Mainz) Undisclosed

Junior Diaz (Mainz to Darmstadt) Undisclosed

Frederik Sorensen (Juventus to FC Cologne) Undisclosed

Didier Ya Konan (Hannover to Fortuna Dusseldorf) Undisclosed

Mitchell Langarek (Borussia Dortmund to VfB Stuttgart) Undisclosed

Karim Haggui (VfB Stuttgart to Fortuna Dusseldorf) Undisclosed

Sascha Reither (Freiburg to FC Schalke 04) Undisclosed

Thomas Eisfield (Fulham to VfL Bochum) Undisclosed

Eduardo Vargas (Napoli to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) Undisclosed

Milos Jojic (Borussia Dortmund to FC Cologne) Undisclosed

Mevlut Erdinc (Saint Etienne to Hannover) Undisclosed

Albin Ekdal (Cagliari to Hamburg) Undisclosed

Toni Sunjic (Kuban Krasnodar to VfB Stuttgart) Undisclosed

Kevin Kampl (Borussia Dortmund to Bayer Leverkusen) Undisclosed

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Bayern Munich to FC Schalke 04) Loan

Park Joo-ho (Mainz to Borussia Dortmund) Undisclosed

Kingley Coman (Juventus to Bayern Munich) 2-Year-Loan

Dante (Bayern Munich to VfL Wolfsburg) £3.3m

Peniel Mlapa (Borussia Monchengladbach to VfL Bochum) Undisclosed (Nurnberg)

Charlison Benschop (Fortuna Dusseldorf to Hannover 96) Undisclosed

Vladimir Darida (Freiburg to Hertha Berlin) Undisclosed

Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United to Borussia Dortmund) Loan

Julian Draxler (FC Schalke 04 to VfL Wolfsburg) Undisclosed

Javier Hernández (Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen) £9m

Robbie Kruse (Bayer Leverkusen to VfB Stuttgart) Loan

Aaron Hunt (VfL Wolfsburg to Hamburg) Undisclosed

Maurice Multhaup (FC Schalke 04 to Ingolstadt) Undisclosed

Greece

Michael Essien (AC Milan to Panathinaikos) Free

Luka Milivojević (Anderlecht to Olympiakos) Undisclosed

Giannis Gianniotas (Dusseldorf to Olympiakos) £800,000

Sergio Sanchez (Malaga to Panathinaikos) Undisclosed

Alfred Finnbogason (Real Sociedad to Olympiakos) Loan

Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester City to Olympiakos) Free

Manuel Da Costa (Sivasspor to Olympiakos) Undisclosed

Didac Vila (AC Milan to AEK Athens) Undisclosed

Stefanos Kapino (Mainz to Olympiakos) £2m

Fanis Tzandaris (PAOK to Olympiakos) Undisclosed

Felipe Pardo (Braga to Olympiakos) Undisclosed

Mehdi Abeid (Newcastle United to Panathinaikos) Undisclosed

Brown Ideye (West Bromwich Albion to Olympiakos) Undisclosed

Italy

Wesley Hoedt (AZ Alkmaar to Lazio) Undisclosed

Niklas Moisander (Ajax to Sampdoria) Free

Salih Uçan (Fenerbahçe to Roma) Loan

Dodô (Roma to Inter Milan) Loan

Alessio Cerci (Atletico Madrid to AC Milan) 6-month Loan

Joshua Brillante (Fiorentina to Empoli) 6-month Loan

Marcelo Brozović (Dinamo Zagreb to Inter Milan) 6-month Loan

Paulo Dybala (Palermo to Juventus) £23.4m

Patricio Gabarron Gil ‘Patric’ (Barcelona to Lazio) Free

Sami Khedira (Real Madrid to Juventus) Free

Rodrigo Ely (Avellino to AC Milan) Undisclosed

Goran Pandev (Galatasaray to Genoa) Free

Serge Gapke (Nantes to Genoa) Free

Ravel Morrison (West Ham United to Lazio) Free

Darko Lazovic (Red Star Belgrade to Genoa) Undisclosed

Mario Mandzukic (Atletico Madrid to Juventus) £13.7m

Geoffrey Kondogbia (Monaco to Inter Milan) £28.6m

Roberto Pereyra (Udinese to Juventus) £10m

Pepe Reina (Bayern Munich to Napoli) Undisclosed

Davide Santon (Newcastle United to Inter Milan) £2.8m

Andrea Bertolacci (Roma/Genoa to AC Milan) Undisclosed

Miranda (Atletico Madrid to Inter Milan) 2-Year-Loan

Mattia Cassani (Parma to Sampdoria) Undisclosed

Edgar Barreto (Palermo to Sampdoria) Undisclosed

Christian Puggioni (Chievo to Sampdoria) Undisclosed

Iago Falque (Genoa to Roma) Loan

Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk to AC Milan) £5.7m

Carlos Bacca (Sevilla to AC Milan) £21m

John Obi (Inter Milan to Torino) Undisclosed

Neto (Fiorentina to Juventus) Free

Marco Storari (Juventus to Cagliari) Undisclosed

Valter Birsa (AC Milan to Chievo) Undisclosed

Martin Montoya (Barcelona to Inter Milan) Loan

Antonio Mirante (Parma to Bologna) Free

Federico Matiello (Juventus to Chievo) Loan

Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari to Roma) Undisclosed

Jose Mauri (Parma to AC Milan) Undisclosed

Joseph Minala (Lazio to Latina) Loan

Fernando (Shakhtar Donetsk to Sampdoria) £5.7m

Simone Zaza (Sassuolo to Juventus) £12.75m

Matias Silvestre (Inter Milan to Sampdoria) Free

Diogo Figueiras (Sevilla to Genoa) Loan

Luca Marrone (Juventus to Carpi) Loan

Giampaolo Pazzini (AC Milan to Hellas Verona) Free

Jonathan Biabany (Parma to Inter Milan) Free

Oscar Hiljemark (PSV Eindhoven to Palermo) Undisclosed

Gabriel (AC Milan to Napoli) Loan (was on loan at Carpi)

Luigi Sepe (Napoli to Fiorentina) Loan

Matteo Brighi (Free Agent to Bologna) Free

Mario Suarez (Atletico Madrid to Fiorentina) Undisclosed

Duvan Zapata (Napoli to Udinese) 2-Year-Loan

Manuel Iturra (Granada to Udinese) Undisclosed

Ivan Perisic (VfL Wolfsburg to Inter Milan) Undisclosed

Gaspar Emanuel Iñíguez (Argentinos Juniors to Udinese) Undisclosed

Domineco Beradi (Juventus to Sassuolo) Part Exchange

Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal to Roma) Loan

Ricardo Kishna (Ajax to Lazio) Undisclosed

Michelangelo Albertazzi (AC Milan to Verona) Undisclosed

Vlad Chiriches (Tottenham Hotspur to Napoli) Undisclosed

Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City to Inter Milan) 18-month Loan

Davide Astori (Cagliari to Fiorentina) Loan

Gerson (Fluminense to Roma) Pre-contract agreement to join in January 2016, Undisclosed

Sergej Milinković-Savić (Genk to Lazio) Undisclosed

Mohamed Salah (Chelsea to Roma) Loan

Simone Pepe (Juventus to Chievo) Free

Alessio Romagnoli (Roma to AC Milan) Undisclosed

Eden Dzeko (Manchester City to Roma) Loan

Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro to Fiorentina) Undisclosed

Diego Capel (Sporting Lisbon to Genoa) Undisclosed

Marquinho (Roma to Udinese) Undisclosed

Mattia Destro (Roma to Bologna) £4.7m

Antonio Rudiger (VfB Stuttgart to Roma) Loan

Norbert Gyomber (Catania to Roma) Loan

Alex Sandro (FC Porto to Juventus) £18.6m

Juan Cuadrado (Chelsea to Juventus) Loan

Lucas Digne (Paris Saint Germian to Roma) Loan

Mario Balotelli (Liverpool to AC Milan) Loan

Gabriel Paletta (AC Milan to Atalanta) Loan

Carlos Carbonero (Roma to Sampdoria) Loan

Alberto Gilardino (Guangzhou Evergrande to Palermo) Free

Juraj Kucka (Genoa to AC Milan) £2m

Riccardo Saponara (AC Milan to Empoli) Undisclosed

Ivan Perisic (VfL Wolfsburg to Inter Milan) £14.5m

William Vainqueur (Dynamo Moscow to Roma) Loan

Christian Zaccardo (AC Milan to Carpi) Free

Alessandro Rosina (Catania to Bari) Undisclosed

Leandro Paredes (Roma to Empoli) Loan

Cristian Ansaldi (Zenit Saint Petersburg to Genoa) Loan

Blerim Dzemaili (Galatasaray to Genoa) Loan

Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland to Bologna) Loan

Alessandro Matri (AC Milan to Lazio) Loan

Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund to Fiorentina) Loan

Hernanes (Lazio to Juventus) £9.5m

Felipe Melo (Galatasaray to Inter Milan) £8m

Mario Lemina (Marseille to Juventus) Loan

Adem Llajic (Roma to Inter Milan) Loan

Ezequiel Ponce (Newell’s Old Boys to Roma) £3.1m

Alex Telles (Galatasaray to Inter Milan) Loan

Emerson Palmeiri (Santos to Roma) Loan

Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea to Napoli) Loan

Alberto Frison (Catania to Inter Milan) Undisclosed

Moses Odjer (Catania to Inter Milan) Loan

Netherlands

Simon Poulson (AZ Alkmaar to PSV Eindhoven) Free

Nemanja Gudelj (AZ Alkmaar to Ajax) £6m

Nikolai Laursen (Brondby to PSV Eindhoven) Undisclosed

Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahce to Feyenoord) Free

John Heitinga (Hertha Berlin to Ajax) Free

Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (Monaco to PSV Eindhoven) Undisclosed

Andres Guardado (Valencia to PSV Eindhoven) Undisclosed

Arkadiusz Milik (BayerLeverkusen to Ajax) £2.5m

Colin Kazim-Richards (Bursaspor to Feyenoord) Free

Yaya Sanogo (Arsenal to Ajax) Loan

Amin Younes (Borussia Monchengladbach to Ajax) Undisclosed

Eljero Elia (Werder Bremen to Feyenoord) Free

Hector Moreno (Espanyol to PSV Eindhoven) Undisclosed

Portugal

Alberto Bueno (Rayo Vallecano to FC Porto) Undisclosed

Andre Andre (Vitoria Guimarães to FC Porto) Undisclosed

Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers to Benfica) Free

Mehdi Carcela (Standard Liege to Benfica) Undisclosed

Christian Tello (Barcelona to FC Porto) Loan

Giannelli Imbula (Marseille to FC Porto) Undisclosed

Bryan Ruiz (Fulham to Sporting Lisbon) Undisclosed

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid to FC Porto) Free

Maxi Pereira (Benfica to FC Porto) Free

Naldo (Udinese to Sporting Lisbon) Undisclosed

Silvio (Atletico Madrid to Benfica) Loan

Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate to Sporting Lisbon) Undisclosed

Dani Osvaldo (Southampton to FC Porto) Free

Aly Cissokho (Aston Villa to FC Porto) Loan

Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham to Benfica) Loan

Raul Jimenez (Atletico Madrid to Benfica) £6.4m

Joao Perreira (Hannover 96 to Sporting Lisbon) Undisclosed

Jesus Corona (FC Twente to FC Porto) Undisclosed

Miguel Layun (Watford to FC Porto) Loan

Russia

Arthur Yusupov (Dinamo Moscow to Zenit St Petersburg) Free

Fedor Smolov (Dinamo Moscow to Krasnodar) Free

Artem Dzyuba (Spartak Moscow to Zenit St Petersburg) Undisclosed

Artur Yusopov (CSKA Moscow to Zenit St Petersburg) Undisclosed

Vladimir Granat (Dinamo Moscow to Spartak Moscow)

Andriy Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg to Kuban Krasnodar) Free

Roman Pavlyuchenko (Lokomotiv Moscow to Kuban Krasnodar) Free

Seydou Doumbia (Roma to CSKA Moscow) Loan

Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading to Dynamo Moscow) Free

Scotland

Joe Chalmers (Celtic to Motherwell) Undisclosed

Rob Kiernan (Wigan Athletic to Rangers) Free

Danny Wilson (Hearts to Rangers) Free

Kris Boyd (Rangers to Kilmarnock) Free

Mark Oxley (Hull City to Hibernian) Free

Saidy Janko (Manchester United to Celtic) Undisclosed

Wes Foderingham (Swindon Town to Rangers) Free

Logan Bailly (OH Leuven to Celtic) Undisclosed

Nadir Ciftci (Dundee United to Celtic) £1.5m

Owain Fon Williams (Tranmere Rovers to Inverness Caledonian Thistle) Free

Andy Halliday (Bradford City to Rangers) Free

James Tavenier (Wigan Athletic to Rangers) Undisclosed

Michael Waghorn (Wigan Athletic to Rangers) Undisclosed

Scott Allan (Hibernian to Celtic) Undisclosed

John Eustace (Derby County to Rangers) Free

Darren McGregor (Rangers to Hibernian) Free

Andy Webster (Coventry City to St Mirren) Free

Billy McKay (Wigan Athletic to Dundee United) Loan

Tyler Blackett (Manchester United to Celtic) Loan

Ryan Christie (Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Celtic) Undisclosed

Ryan Christie (Celtic to Inverness Caledonian Thistle) Loan

Spain

Danilo (FC Porto to Real Madrid) £23m

Joao Cancelo (Benfica to Valencia) £15m (Loan to Permanent)

Michael Krohn-Dehli (Celta Vigo to Sevilla) Free

Marco Asensio (Mallorca to Real Madrid) £3.5m

Aleix Vidal (Sevilla to Barcelona) £16m

Andre Gomes (Benfica to Valencia) Undisclosed

Rodrigo Caio (Sao Paulo to Valencia) €12.5m

Rodrigo (Benfica to Valencia) £21.7m

Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg to Real Betis) Free

Juan Carlos (Braga to Malaga) Loan

Ivi Lopez (Getafe to Sevilla) Undisclosed

Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint Germian to Villarreal) Loan

Samuel Castillejo (Malaga to Villarreal) Undisclosed

Samuel Garcia (Malaga to Villarreal) Undisclosed

Gael Kakuta (Chelsea to Sevilla) Free

Luciano Vietto (Villarreal to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Leo Baptistao (Atletico Madrid to Villarreal) Loan

Jackson Martinez (FC Porto to Atletico Madrid) £24.7m

Timon Wellenreuther (FC Schalke 04 to Mallorca) Loan

Lucas Vasquez (Real Madrid to Espanyol) £2m

Lucas Vasquez (Espanyol to Real Madrid) Undisclosed (Buy-back-clause)

Oriol Riera (Wigan Athletic to Deportivo La Coruña) Undisclosed

Victor Ruiz (Valencia to Villarreal) Undisclosed

Adil Rami (AC Milan to Sevilla) Undisclosed

Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City to Valencia) £21.2m

Gorka Gorka Elustondo Urkiola (Real Sociedad to Athletic Bilbao) Undisclosed

Alvaro Medran (Real Madrid to Getafe) Loan

Emiliank Velazquez (Atletico Madrid to Getafe) Loan

Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro to Sevilla) Free

Sergio Escudero (Getafe to Sevilla) Undisclosed

Denis Suarez (Barcelona to Sevilla) Loan

Santi Mina (Celta Vigo to Valencia) Undisclosed

Fernando Torres (AC Milan to Atletico Madrid) Loan

Luis Alberto (Liverpool to Deportivo La Bombonera) Loan

Zakaroa Bakkali (PSV Eindhoven to Valencia) Free

Hernan Perez (Villarreal to Espanyol) Free

Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid to Barcelona) £29m

Steven N’Zonzi (Stoke City to Sevilla) £7m

Nordin Amrabat (Galatasaray to Málaga) £2.5m

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Monaco to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

John Guidetti (Manchester City to Celta Vigo) Free

Bebe (Benfica to Rayo Vallecano) Loan

Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dortmund to Sevilla) Loan

Diego Reyes (FC Porto to Real Sociedad) Loan

Fernando Navarro (Sevilla to Deportivo La Coruña) Free

Danilo Barbosa (Benfica to Valencia) Loan (To turn Permanent)

Balasz Megyeri (Olympiakos to Getafe) Free

Bruma (Galatasaray to Real Sociedad) Loan

Toquero (Athletic Bilbao to Deportivo Alaves) Free

Santiago Vergini (Sunderland to Getafe) Loan

Kiko Casilla (Espanyol to Real Madrid) £4.2m

Mariano Ferreira (Bordeaux to Sevilla) Undisclosed

Moi Gomez (Villarreal to Getafe) Loan

Raul Albentosa (Derby County to Malaga) Loan

Matthew Ryan (Club Brugge to Valencia) Undisclosed

Stefan Savic (Fiorentina to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Ivan Ramis (Levante to Eibar) Free

Sidnei (Benfica to Deportivo La Coruña) Loan

Bernard Mensah (Vitoria Guimarães to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Bernard Mensah (Atletico Madrid to Getafe) Loan

Rene Krhin (Inter Milan to Granada) Undisclosed

Cani (Villarreal to Deportivo La Coruña) Undisclosed

Felipe Luis (Chelsea to Atletico Madrid) £11.3m

Patrick Ebert (Spartak Moscow to Rayo Vallecano) Undisclosed

Francesco Bardi (Inter Milan to Espanyol) Loan

Felipe Luis (Chelsea to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Carlos Abad-Hernandez (Tenerife to Real Madrid) 2-Year-Loan

Jesus Vallejo (Real Zaragoza to Real Madrid) £3.5m

Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid to Real Zaragoza) Loan

Federico Nicolás Cartabia (Valencia to Deportivo La Coruna) Loan

Emiliano Velazquez (Atletico Madrid to Getafe) Loan

Javier Garrido (Norwich City to Las Palmas) Free

Ruben Perez (Atletico Madrid to Granada) Undisclosed

Carlos Cuellar (Norwich City to Almeria) Free

Antonio Sanabria (Roma to Sporting Gijon) Loan

Juan Manual Vargas (Fiorentina to Real Betis) Undisclosed

Roberto Soldado (Tottenham Hotspur to Villarreal) £7m

Simone Verdi (AC Milan to Eibar) Loan

Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan to Real Madrid) £21.3m

Omar Mascarell (Real Madrid to Sporting Gijon) Loan

Heiko Westermann (Hamburg to Real Betis) Undisclosed

Didier Digard (Nice to Real Betis) Free

Daniel Wass (Evian to Celta Vigo) £2m

Charles (Celta Vigo to Malaga) £500,000

Michel Ciani (Sporting Lisbon to Espanyol) Free

Gerard Moreno (Villarreal to Espanyol) Undisclosed

Juan Cala (Granada to Getafe) Undisclosed

Alejandro Arribas (Sevilla to Deportivo La Coruña) Free

Mariano Barbosa (Sevilla to Villarreal) Free

Cedric Bakambu (Bursaspor to Villarreal) Undisclosed

Marco Asensio (Real Madrid to Espanyol) Loan

Jonathan Rodriguez (Benfica to Deportivo La Coruña) Loan

Alen Halilovic (Barcelona to Sporting Gijon) Loan

Nabil El Zhar (Levante to Las Palmas) Free

Asier Illarramandi (Real Madrid to Real Sociedad) £19m

Roque Santa Cruz (Cruz Azul to Malaga) Loan

Fernando Llorente (Juventus to Sevilla) Free

Ardelan Santos (Braga to Valencia) Undisclosed

Matias Kranevitter (River Plate to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed (to join up with squad in December)

Rafael Santos Borre (Deportivo Cali to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Denis Suarez (Barcelona to Villarreal) £2.9m

Aymen Abdennour (Monaco to Valencia) Undisclosed

Wakaso Mubarak (Rubin Kazan to Las Palmas) Loan

Raul Garcia (Atletico Madrid to Athletic Bilbao) Undisclosed

Adrian (FC Porto to Villarreal) Loan

Neuton (Udinese to Granada) Loan

Javi Guerra (Cardiff City to Rayo Vallecano) Free

Pablo Hernandez (Al Arabi to Rayo Vallecano) Loan

Marco Andreolli (Inter Milan to Sevilla) Loan

Joaquin (Fiorentina to Real Betis) Undisclosed

Stefan Scepovic (Celtic to Getafe) Loan

Hachim Mastour (AC Milan to Malaga) Loan

Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City to Real Betis) Loan

Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United to Deportivo La Coruña) Free

Switzerland

Kim Kallstrom (Spartak Moscow to Grasshopper) Undisclosed

Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Inter Milan to Basel) Undisclosed

Miralem Sulejmani (Benfica to Young Boys) Free

Turkey

Dusko Tosic (Genclerbiriligi to Besiktas) Undisclosed

Simon Kjaer (Lille to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

Tomas Sivok (Besiktas to Bursaspor) Free

Samuel Eto’o (Sampdoria to Antalyaspor) Undisclosed

Nani (Manchester United to Fenerbahce) £4.25m

Fabiano (FC Porto to Fenerbahce) Loan

Abdoulaye Ba (FC Porto to Fenerbahce) Loan

Lukas Podolski (Arsenal to Galatasaray) £1.8m

Jem Karacan (Reading to Galatasaray) Free

Bilal Kisa (Akhisar Belediyespor to Galatasaray) Undisclosed

Lionel Carole (Troyes to Galatasaray) Undisclosed

Şener Özbayraklı (Bursaspor to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

Robin van Persie (Manchester United to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

Josue (FC Porto to Bursaspor) Loan

Luis Cavanda (Lazio to Trabzonspor) Undisclosed

Emre Belözoğlu (Fenerbahçe to Istanbul Basaksehir) Free

Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto to Besiktas) Undisclosed

Derley (Benfica to Kayserispor) Loan

Diego Lopes (Benfica to Kayserispor) Loan

Cristobal Andres Jorquera (Parma to Bursaspor) Undisclosed

Mario Gomez (Fiorentina to Besiktas) Loan

Dany Nounkou (Galatasaray to Bursaspor) Free

Jose Rodroguez (Real Madrid to Galatasaray) Undisclosed

Dame N’doye (Hull City to Trabzonspor) £2.2m

Isaac Cuenca (Deportivo La Coruña to Bursaspor) Free

Ozan Tufan (Bursaspor to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

Volkan Sen (Bursaspor to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

İbrahim Aydın (Fenerbahçe to Bursaspor) Undisclosed

Sercan Yıldırım (Galatasaray to Bursaspor) Loan

Balázs Dzsudzsák (Dynamo Moscow to Bursaspor) Undisclosed

Andreas Beck (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Besiktas) Undisclosed

Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahçe to Bursaspor) Loan

Marko Marin (Chelsea to Trabzonspor) Loan

Hajime Hosogai (Hertha Berlin to Bursaspor) Loan

Cenk Gonen (Besiktas to Galatasaray) Undisclosed

Tom De Sutter (Club Brugge to Bursaspor) Undisclosed

Jean II Makoun (Rennes to Antalyaspor) Undisclosed

Yakubu (Reading to Kayserispor) Free

Douglas Texeira (Dynamo Moscow to Trabzonspor) Undisclosed

Lazor Markovic (Liverpool to Fenerbahce) Loan

Ricardo Faty (Standard Liege to Bursaspor) Undisclosed

United States

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool to Los Angleles Galaxy) Free

Frank Lampard (Manchester City to New York City FC) Free

Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Colarado Rapids) Free

Andoni Iroala (Athletic Bilbao to New York City FC) Free

Jose Angel Tasende (Manchester City to New York City FC) Loan

Andrea Pirlo (Juventus to New York City FC) £3.6m

Giovani dos Santos (Villarreal to Los Angeles Galaxy) Undisclosed

Shaun Wright-Phillips (Queens Park Rangers to Nee York Red Bulls) Free

Didier Drogba (Chelsea to Montreal Impact) Free

Tranquillo Barnetta (FC Schalke 04 to Philadelphia Union) Free

Nelson Valdez (Eintracht Frankfurt to Seattle Sounders) Free

Andreas Ivanschitz (Levante to Seattle Sounders) Free

Qatar

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona to Al Sadd) Free

Sergio Garcia (Espanyol to Al-Rayyan) Free

Rod Fanni (Marseille to Al-Arabi) Free

Brazil

Pablo Armero (AC Milan to Flamengo) Loan

Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid to Gremio) Loan

Ronaldlinho (Queretaro to Fluminense) Free

Ederson (Lazio to Flamengo) Free

Belguim

Filip Daems (Borussia Mochengladbach to Westerlo) Undisclosed

Thanasis Papazoglou (Olympiakos to Kortrijk) Undisclosed

Christophe Lepoint (Charlton Athletic to Zulte Waregem) Undisclosed

Ivan Obradovic (Mechelen to Anderlecht) Undisclosed

Stefano Okaka (Lazio to Anderlecht) Undisclosed

Jelle Vossen (Burnley to Club Brugge) Undisclosed

Etien Velikonja (Cardiff City to Lierse) Undisclosed

Mexico

Ikechukwa Uche (Villarreal to Tigres UANL) Free

Andre-Pierre Gignac (Marseille to Tigres UANL) Free

Fernando Belluschi (Bursaspor to Cruz Azul) Undisclosed

José María Basanta (Fiorentina to Monterrey) Loan

Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio to Atlas) Loan

Croatia

Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Moscow to Dinamo Zagreb) Free

Angelo Henriquez (Manchester United to Dinamo Zagreb) Undisclosed

China

Sejad Salihovic (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Guizhou Renhe) Undisclosed

Demba Ba (Besiktas to Shanghai Shenhua) £9m

Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur to Guangzhou Evergrande) £9.9m

Robinho (Santos to Guangzhou Evergrande) Free

Eidur Gudjohnsen (Bolton Wanderers to Shijiazhuang Ever Bright) Free

Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain to Shanghai SIPG) Undisclosed

Serbia

Valeri Bojinov (Ternana to Partzan) Undisclosed

India

Elano (Santos to Chennaiyin) Loan

Lucio (Palmeiras to FC Goa) Free

Nicolas Anelka (Free Agent to Mumbai City) Player/Coach

Helder Postiga (Deportivo La Coruña to Atletico de Kolkata) Free

Didier Zokora (Akhisarspor Belediyespor to FC Pune City) Free

Adrian Mutu (Petrolul Ploiești to FC Pune City) Free

Roger Johnson (Charlton Athletic to FC Pune City) Free

Florent Malouda (Metz to Dehli Dynamos) Free

John Arne Riise (APOEL to Dehli Dynamos) Free

Denmark

Teemu Pukki (Celtic to Brondby) Undisclosed

Mikkel Anderson (Reading to FC Midtjylland) Undisclosed

William Kvist (Wigan Athletic to Copenhagen) Free

Argentina

Carlos Tevez (Juventus to Boca Juniors) Undisclosed

Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid to Club Atletico Independiente) Free

Matias Kranevitter (Atletico Madrid to River Plate) Loan

UAE

Emmanuel Emenike (Fenerbahçe to Al-Ain) Loan

Jefferson Farfan (FC Schalke 04 to Al-Jazira) Undisclosed

Uruguay

Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka to Penarol) Free

Ukraine

Eduardo (Flamengo to Shahktar Donetsk) Undisclosed

Australia

Aaron Hughes (Brighton & Hove Albion to Melbourne City) Free

Thomas Sørensen (Stoke City to Melbourne City) Free

Republic of Ireland

Damien Duff (Melbourne City to Shamrock Rovers) Free

Saudi Arabia

Sulley Muntari (AC Milan to Al-Ittihad) Free

Modibo Maiga (West Ham United to Al Nassr) Undisclosed

Belarus

Aleksandr Hleb (Genclerbiriligi to BATE Borisov) Free

Norway

Filip Kiss (Cardiff City to FK Haugesund) Loan

Colombia

Rafael Santos Borre (Atletico Madrid to Deportivo Cali) Loan

Barclays Premier League 2015-16 Preview

The wait is over and relief is beginning to settle in as the Barclays Premier League kicks off at 12:45pm this Saturday. Chelsea may have run away with last season’s crown but both the manager Jose Mourinho and his captain, John Terry believe the challenge for the title is much tighter this term.

Who are Chelsea’s greatest challengers? How will the promoted teams cope with the quality the Premier League poses? Who will be the surprise package and who will have a drastic campaign against the odds?

Arsenal

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Last Season: 3rd

4-5-1

Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Wilshire, Ozil, Sanchez, Giroud

Subs: Ospina, Gabriel, Debuchy, Ramsey, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck

Star Player: Alexis Sanchez

One to Watch: Francis Coquelin

Best Signing: Petr Cech

2015-16 Prediction: 3rd

There have been pundits and media outlets going on record with belief that this is the season that Arsenal can finally overcome their league demons and reach the summit of English football. Signing Petr Cech is one thing but Arsene Wenger needs a goal machine who will gaurantee them at least 25 goals this term. There is genuine quality throughout the side but as the story goes, the Gunners are always gunned down at some point in the season. Wenger is confident in his side and will take each game as it comes, whether the club’s fans are willing to be patient enough rather than prematurely trying to reel the Premier League crown in.

Aston Villa

Manager: Tim Sherwood

Last Season: 17th

4-2-3-1

Guzan, Richards, Okore, Clark, Amavi, Sanchez, Gueye, Sinclair, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Gestede

Subs: Steer, Crespo, Richardson, Westwood, Carlos Gil, N’Zogbia, Ayew

Star Player: Jack Grealish

One to Watch: Jordan Ayew

Best Signing: Rudy Gestede

2015-16 Prediction: 14th

Tim Sherwood certainly stuck to his word and breathed some fire into the Villains. The former Tottenham Hotspur coach will not back down again as he looks to manipulate the club’s poor reputation of late. When Villa were good under Sherwood, they were brilliant, when they became stuck in a rut under Sherwood and his predecessors last term, the claret and blues were disastrous and deserved to be relegated. However, Sherwood has had a full pre season with his players and recruited his own in the window which could speak volumes. One thing that is for certain, Villa fans will be kept on their toes and step aboard many twist and turns. For them it is about coming out at the right end and improving in the mean time.

Bournemouth

Manager: Eddie Howe

Last Season: 1st (The Championship)

4-4-2

Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Distin, Mings, Ritchie, Artur, Surman, Atsu, Wilson, Kermorgant

Subs: Federici, Cook, Smith, Gosling, Gradel, King, Tomlin

Star Player: Callum Wilson

One to Watch: Tyrone Mings

Best Signing: Sylvain Distin

2015-16 Prediction: 18th

Everyone, everywhere is aware of Bournemouth’s story but what a way to seal a perfect climax to the narrative. Probably the favourites to go straight back down but Eddie Howe’s side will not lay down. They are a classy outfit, who like to play fast, free flowing football and whether let us not forget, they did win the Championship title last term. They are able to pay respectable wages and have a terrific following. Whether the Cherries go down or not, it will be a season that they will never forget. They deserve their chance and so does the manager.

Chelsea

Manager: Jose Mourinho

Last Season: 1st

4-5-1

Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Willian, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Oscar, Diego Costa

Subs: Begovic, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek, Ramires, Cuadrado, Remy, Falcao

Star Player: Diego Costa

One to Watch: Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Best Signing: Asmir Begovic

2015-16 Prediction: 1st

Losing the FA Community Shield didn’t mean much to Jose Mourinho. He knows he has arguably the best squad in the league and he is aware that everyone is out to get at his team this term. The Blues won last season’s title in fine form, losing just three games and having the trophy ready on the polishing table weeks before the finale. Mourinho has spoke of his belief that this season will be tougher but with the ‘Special One’ in charge you just know that he expects his players to set an even better example. There is no better spine than Chelsea’s, with Terry’s leadership, Fabregas being the master of the exquisite pass and Diego Costa’s deadly shot ratio.

Crystal Palace

Manager: Alan Pardew

Last Season: 10th

4-1-4-1

Speroni, Kelly, Dann, Hangeland, Souare, Jedinek, Cabaye, McCarthur, Zaha, Bolasie, Chamakh

Subs: McCarthy, Delaney, Ledley, Puncheon, Sako, Wickham, Bamford

Star Player: Yannick Bolasie

One to Watch: Patrick Bamford

Best Signing: Yohann Cabaye

2015-16 Prediction: 12th

Purchasing Yohann Cabaye is a huge statement of intent for the Eagles and their spending does not seem to be running to a loose end any time soon. With Alan Pardew settling in immediately at Selhurst Park, the imminent future for Palace looks very bright indeed. Another top ten finish would be a brilliant achievement for the club, who let us not forget, could barely keep their head above the water during their last spell in the Premiet League. Again, expect Palace to be a a hard nut to crack.

Everton

Manager: Roberto Martinez

Last Season: 11th

4-2-3-1

Howard, Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Miralles, Barkley, Deulofeu, Lukaku

Subs: Joel, Hibbert, Besic, Cleverley, McGeady, Pienaar, Naismith

Star Player: Romelu Lukaku

One to Watch: John Stones

Best Signing: Gerard Deulofou

2015-16 Prediction: 9th

The Toffees continued the misery in Merseyside last term with an under par performance domestically. Without the Europa League looming this time around, Roberto Martinez may be able to actually cope with keeping his team mentality fit. The club needs to keep the likes of John Stones and James McCarthy whilst picking up a few more faces to be competative, which by the source of action this summer, it seems as though Martinez has been struggling to lure the bodies needed.

Leicester City

Manager: Claudio Ranieri

Last Season: 14th

4-4-2

Schmeichel, Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs, King, Drinkwater, Schlupp, Mahrez, Ulloa, Vardy

Subs: Schwarzer, Kante, Moore, Benalouane, Albrighton, Kramaric, Okazaki

Star Player: Jamie Vardy

One to Watch: Andrej Kramaric

Best Signing: Shinji Okazaki

2015-16 Prediction: 19th

Leicester’s miraculous journey to beat the drop last season was quite an achievement but Nigel Pearson’s time as manager was running short after the antics of his juvenile son. His replacement, Claudio Ranieri has not recieved the cosiest of receptions, especially having walked away from the Greek national team in horrendous form. Failing to keep Esteban Cambiasso could be the Foxes most fatal error and finding the Argentine’s replacement has not been as easy as what the manager would have hoped. Unfortunately for them, the old cliché of second season syndrome may well kick in.

Liverpool

Manager: Brendan Rodgers

Last Season: 6th

4-3-3

Mignolet, Clyne, Skrtel, Can, Alberto Moreno, Henderson, Milner, Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge, Benteke

Subs: Bogdan, Lovren, Allen, Lallana, Ibe, Markovic, Ings

Star Player: Daniel Sturridge

One to Watch: Jordan Ibe

Best Signing: James Milner

2015-16 Prediction: 6th

Christian Benteke may have scored a absolute screamer on his Liverpool debut but there is doubt as to whether the Reds have what it takes to improve. Again, Brendan Rodgers has brought in his fair share of new faces, some better than others, a few with increased quality on last season’s arrivals, nonetheless, there is belief amongst the squad that they can move on from last seasom’s disappointments. Rodgers is walking on an intense tight rope and is many people’s top top to be the first boss to be chopped following the club’s decline. This season has to be a good one.

Manchester City

Manager: Manuel Pellegrini

Last Season: 2nd

4-4-2

Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy, Delph, Toure, Sterling, Silva, Bony, Aguero

Subs: Caballero, Sagna, Mangala, Fernando, Fernandinho, Nasri, Navas

Star Player: Sergio Aguero

One to Watch: Patrick Roberts

Best Signing: Raheem Sterling

2015-16 Prediction: 2nd

Despite making four signings, including the British record-breaking purchase of Raheem Sterling, the 2013-14 champions have failed to add the players needed to overtake Chelsea. There has been an everlonging belief that Manuel Pelligrini is not the right man for the job and with news of Pep Guardiola inheriting the reigns in 2016-17, it will be interesting to see how City compete this season. The next nine months will either prove to be very successful or the Citizens may come to admit that they have taken a step or two backwards.

Manchester United

Manager: Louis van Gaal

Last Season: 4th

4-1-3-1-1

De Gea, Darmain, Jones, Smalling, Shaw, Schneiderlein, Schweinsteiger, Ander Herrera, Mata, Depay, Rooney

Subs: Romero, Rojo, Blind, Carrick, Valencia, Young, Fellaini

Star Player: Wayne Rooney

One to Watch: Matteo Darmain

Best Signing: Morgan Schneiderlin

2015-16 Prediction: 4th

Louis van Gaal achieved his first priority by finishing in the top four in his debut season with Manchester United, although there is still a UEFA Champions League play-off to bare in mind before Old Trafford experiences the thrill of Tuesday and Wednesday nights again. LVG plans to retire in 2017 when his contract expires which means he only has two years to take the Red Devils to the summit of English football. Another marquee signing is needed but with time running out United need to buy quickly, especially in attack alongside captain Wayne Rooney.

Newcastle United

Manager: Steve McClaren

Last Season: 15th

4-2-3-1

Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Mbemba, Wijnaldum, Colback, Sissoko, Rivieire, Perez, Mitrovic

Subs: Darlow, Lascelles, Dummett, Tiote, Cabella, de Jong, Cisse

Star Player: Moussa Sissoko

One to Watch: Alexander Mitrovic

Best Signing: Georginio Wijnaldum

2015-16 Prediction: 13th

Newcastle suffered last term and so did new manager Steve McClaren after failing to lead Derby County to promotion. Nonetheless, the Magpies have to turn over a new leaf and move on from the bad eggs of last term, McClaren has by taking on another huge task and there isn’t going to be one much more difficult than that at St James’ Park. A mid-table finish would be an extremely credible campaign but firstly the manager must find a new found team spirit which has been missing for quite a while now. Whether Chairman Mike Ashley finally allows the man he employs to do the job he is asked to do will ultimately determine Newcastle’s fate.

Norwich City

Manager: Alex Neil

Last Season: 3rd (The Championship)

4-4-1-1

Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, Howson, Mulumbu, Johnson, Hoolahan, Jerome

Subs: Rudd, Turner, Wisdom, Dorrans, Tettey, Brady, Hooper

Star Player: Nathan Redmond

One to Watch: Andre Wisdom

Best Signing: Youssouf Mulumbu

2015-16 Prediction: 17th

Although the Canaries were promoted through the Championship play-offs there is belief they have the strongest squad out of the three new Premier League sides to sustain a survival push. Alex Neil took Carrow Road by storm and will have to adapt his style to a complete new difficulty level. His strides from Scotland to the Championship proves he can take on the challenge. Norwich have bought well with quality rather than simply bulking up by source of numbers. Finding additional confidence and a formula that sees them hard to beat will see Norwich have a good season.

Southampton

Manager: Ronald Koeman

Last Season: 7th

4-2-3-1

Forster, Cedric, Fonte, Caulker, Bertrand, Clasie, Wanyama, Tadic, Ward-Prowse, Mane, Pelle

Subs: Stekelenburg, Yoshida, Targett, Davis, Juanmi, Long, Rodriguez

Star Player: Sadio Mane

One to Watch: Cedric Soares

Best Signing: Jordy Clasie

2015-16 Prediction: 8th

Last season’s predictions of relegation were swiftly eradicated by Ronald Koeman who bought smartly following the exodus of many important players. The Dutchman has repeated the same philosophy this summer by replacing both Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlein with yet more smart recruitments. This season the Saints have the UEFA Europa League to contend with, which will require the side to find the right balance so they do not jeopardise their league status. Nevertheless, the Saints will give their all in Europe having worked meticulously to get there.

Stoke City

Manager: Mark Hughes

Last Season: 9th

4-4-1-1

Given, Johnson, Wollscheid, Shawcross, Pieters, Whelan, Ireland, Diouf, Afellay, Bojan, Crouch

Subs: Butland, Wilson, Bardsley, Adam, van Ginkel, Odemwingie, Joselu

Star Player: Bojan Krkic

One to Watch: Joselu

Best Signing: Ibrahim Afellay

2015-16 Prediction: 10th

Mark Hughes has turned the mindset of all doubters in support of the Potters, which in turn has sprung a new level of confidence in the Welshman’s ability to lead a group of players under his regime. The Potters can only aim upwards and reaching the UEFA Europa League would be a tremendous feit. Hughes is an attractive prospect for talented footballers to work with, whilst they will be promised stability under a club that has continued to move in the right direction.

Sunderland

Manager: Dick Advocaat

Last Season: 16th

4-4-2

Pantilimon, Matthews, Kaboul, O’Shea, van Aanholt, Cattermole, M’Vila, Lens, Johnson, Defoe, Fletcher

Subs: Mannone, Coates, Larsson, Rodwell, Giaccherini, Buckley, Graham

Star Player: Jermain Defoe

One to Watch: Jermaine Lens

Best Signing: Yank M’Vila

2015-16 Prediction: 16th

Sunderland have to improve and move on from the past few seasons, which in truth have been disastrous for the Black Cats. Dick Advocaat’s tenure at the Stadium of Light may not last much longer than the next nine months, therefore his priority, along with everyone associated with the club is to find short term progression and to build on from there on in. A season away from another relegation battle would be an huge relief in Weerside.

Swansea City

Manager: Gary Monk

Last Season: 8th

4-3-3

Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Shelvey Sigurdsson, Dyer, Ayew, Gomis

Subs: Nordfeldt, Rangel, Tabanou, Ki, Routledge, Montero, Eder

Star Player: Bafetimbi Gomis

One to Watch: Eder

Best Signing: Andre Ayew

2015-16 Prediction: 7th

Barely few would have thought Gary Monk would have been able to take on the Swansea City job, nevermind have the capacity to raise expectations for them in the forthcoming season. Anything better than finishing above last term’s 8th place will be a courageous effort. There is a genuine acknowledgement that the Swans will get better and with recruits including the likes of Andre Ayew, Monk’s profile is certainly on the up.

Tottenham Hotspur

Manager: Mauricio Pocchetino

Last Season: 5th

4-4-1-1

Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Verthonghen, Rose, Lamela, Mason, Bentaleb, Chadli, Eriksen, Kane

Subs: Vorm, Walker, Fazio, Wimmer, Dembele, Pritchard, Townsend

Star Player: Harry Kane

One to Watch: Alex Pritchard

Best Signing: Toby Alderweireld

2015-16 Prediction: 5th

Bridging the gap to reach the UEFA Champions League could be even more challenging for Spurs this season. Pocchetino has been efficient in clearing out the unwanted carriage in his squad but has yet to replace those leaving gaps in the midfield and attack. Defensively Tottenham look much more capable, however at least one striker and three midfielders need to be brought in for the Lilywhites to be contenders. This will be an even more demanding campaign for Harry Kane, with the England striker required to prove he is not just a one season wonder.

Watford

Manager: Quique Flores

Last Season: 2nd (The Championship)

4-1-2-1-2

Gomes, Nyom, Britos, Prodl, Holebas, Capoue, Layun, Behrami, Jurado, Deeney, Vydra

Subs: Gilmartin, Angella Ekstrand, Watson, Tozser, Abdi, Berghuis

Star Player: Troy Deeney

One to Watch: Jurado

Best Signing: Valon Behrami

2015-16 Prediction: 20th

The Hornets were impressive in the Championship last season, especially towards the end of the 46 game haul which saw them almost pip Bournemouth to take the league title. There is genuine belief that the owners have made an horrendous mistake in sacking Slavisa Jokanovic despite his replacement, Quique Flores having experience lead the likes of Atletico Madrid on his CV. With 10 new faces, a reschuffle in management and the lack of pre season preparation some of the new faces have had, the Hornets may find it tough. However, should they take the momentum from last season into the Premier League with a strong blend between the new and pre-existing faces, Flores may see his side surprise a few.

West Bromwich Albion

Manager: Tony Pulis

Last Season: 13th

4-4-1-1

Foster, Gamboa, Olsson, Lescott, Pocognoli, Fletcher, Yacob, McManaman, McClean, Berahino, Lambert

Subs: Myhill, Dawson, Chester, Brunt, Gardner, Sessegnon, Ideye

Star Player: Saido Berahino

One to Watch: James McClean

Best Signing: Rickie Lambert

2015-16 Prediction: 15th

If West Brom didn’t have Tony Pulis the Baggies would have received a lower league prediciton, as his momentum and self courage to never be relegated as a manager is a huge ingredient for them. However, a lack of movement in the transfer window could make it difficult for Pulis to improve on last term. Keeping Saido Berahino is his main priority.

West Ham United

Manager: Slaven Bilic

Last Season: 14th

4-1-2-1-2

Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Amalfitano, Obiang, Payet, Sakho, Valencia

Subs: Randolph, Reid, Collins, Nolan, Noble, Jarvis, Carroll

Star Player: Enner Valencia

One to Watch: Pedro Obiang

Best Signing: Dimitri Payet

2015-16 Prediction: 11th

The Hammers are looking for vast improvement on the second half of last season under previous manager Sam Allardyce. Former West Ham defender Slaven Bilic needs to set a reputation at the club ahead of their move to the Olympic stadium in 2016-17. A more than respectable season for West Ham would be a top 8 finish, whilst a lenghty run in the UEFA Europa League wouldn’t go for a miss.

World’s biggest transfer deals so far

With a week to go before the start of the football season, this summer’s transfer market promised plenty of excitement and drive. It has certainly delivered with some of the world biggest names departing their employers for pastures new. The transfer window closes in a month’s time which means there is plenty of business still to be accrued. Yet as seen below, the window has already given us plenty to talk about ahead of the new season. Here are the biggest transfers to date:

Frank Lampard (Manchester City to New York City FC) Free

Chelsea’s all-time highest goal scoring midfielder eventually left Manchester City for the club’s franchise team in New York City. The original deal saw the press ‘misinformed’ with New York said to have had a deal in principal however the contract Lamps signed was for a switch to City on a permanent transfer rathher than the initial ‘loan’ put forward. Nonetheless, he will make a difference over in the States.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool to Los Angeles Galaxy) Free

Whether Gerrard was ‘mis-treated’ by Liverpool towards the end of his Anfield career, he remains extremely fond of the Reds and puts his move to LA down to need for a ‘new challenge’. The former England captain scored on his debut and has gone in record to confess his love for Galaxy relighting the “kid” inside of him which reminisced the very same feeling of walking out in front of the Kop.

Didier Drogba (Chelsea to Montreal Impact) Free

Didier Drogba has decided to join the contigency that the MLS is looking to expand. He like Frank Lampard will always be credited as a legend who graced the blue shirt. It was nice to see him lift the Premier League trophy on his return to Stamford Bridge but like most who have played at the top of European football, the Ivorian has gone to help beef up the credit of football in America.

Andre-Pierre Gignac (Marseille to Tigres UANL) Free

An odd move for the French forward who captured the fondness of the likes of Arsenal. A partnership with former Villarreal striker Ikechukwa Uche will be an interesting blend for Mexican football to witness.

Andre Ayew (Marseille to Swansea City) Free

Ayew has a reputation of being skillful and nimble on his feet. He could be a ravishing recruit for the Swans due to his ability to play across the attacking midfield line. Gary Monk has already been in the press to congratulate the Ghanaian on settling in.

Neto (Fiorentina to Juventus) Free

Neto has followed the in the same footsteps made by the infamous Roberto Baggio, moving from rival cities from Florence to Turin. A resourceful number two to Gianluigi Buffon.

Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona to Stoke City) Free

The talented Dutch player has struggled to fit in at Barcelona but maybe that is not such a bad thing. Stoke have been willing to drop Afellay a lifeline after loan spells with FC Schalkr 04 and Olympiakos failed to inherit permanent offerings. The Potters are being ambitious and are doing it with a very good pitch. Afellay is quality and playing alongside former fellow Barcelona attacker Bojan Krkic may help breathe a new air of confidence in the advanced midfielder. Should Mark Hughes be able to restore the strenghs in the former PSV Eindhoven winger’s game, he could see Afellay take the club to a new level.

James Milner (Manchester City to Liverpool) Free

Brendan Rodgers has ‘promised’ James Milner he will allow the England midfielder to revert back to his favoured central role which saw him make his name in an Aston Villa shirt. Manchester City wanted to keep him after he became a respected member of the squad at the Etihad. It has been said his pre season has been full of hunger and soul, which could potentially see Milner become on of the signings of the summer, despite his renowned following of negative critics.

Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg to Real Betis) Free

The former Real Madrid and Ajax mastermind recently revealed how his “biggest regret was leaving Spurs”. His career has failed to light up the skies since then due to a back-to-back relegation dog fights with Hamburg in the past two season. A new leaf sees his return to Spain as Betis look for experience to help them from being sucked down into La Liga’s relegation pit.

Sami Khedira (Real Madrid to Juventus) Free

It was quite clear how Sami Khedira was surplus to requirements at the Santiago Bernebeu, whilst his inconsistencies with fitness saw Real become increasing impatient. A World Cup winner, a La Liga champion, last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up have inherited a player with grave experience.

Ronaldlinho (Queretaro to Fluminense) Free

A year in Mexico was enough for the former ‘World Player of the Year’. It could be said that he left Europe too prematurely as his talent clearly still flourishes in patches. The former Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker will play for a third Brazilian side in four years after stints at Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid to FC Porto) Free

A multi-champion, both at club level and also internationally, Casillas clearly felt unwanted towards the end of his lucrative Real Madrid career. Florentino Perez has been particularly vocal on his fondness with David de Gea which eventually drew the line for Casillas. His parents may see Porto as a “third generation” team but Casillas will be guaranteed a shot at silverware during his new life in Portugal.

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona to Al Sadd) Free

Arguably Barcelona’s greatest ever player, especially over the past ten to fifteen years. He could have stayed but a lavish life in Qatar and Barcelona’s terrific form under manager Luis Enrique saw Xavi choosing to call on a new adventure.

Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dortmund to Sevilla) Loan

A terrific prospect from Serie A, things just haven’t worked out for the Italian in the Bundesliga. Brought in to replace Carlos Bacca, Immobile will get to play UEFA Champions League football and form a solid rivalry with Kevin Gameiro in attack with Sevilla usually opting for a single striker up front.

Martin Montoya (Barcelona to Inter Milan) Loan

Montoya has been on the fringes at the Nou Camp for some time. Still young, still highly rated. Mancini will help him develop with guaranteed first team football under the new generation in the one half of the San Siro.

Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City to Inter Milan) 18-month Loan

The Serbian moves to Inter on an 18-month loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer. His huge potential shone through in Florence before his move to the Etihad in in 2013, which has been rocketed with injury and an inconsistent run in the first team, The striker returns to Serie A with the hope he can recapture the confidence that secured his transfer to Manchester City in the first place.

Mario Gomez (Fiorentina to Besiktas) Loan

The former Bayern Munich front man is on the move from Italy to Turkey after a less than productive in Florence, scoring only 7 in 29 games. Damage to his knee ligaments has cost him which is the reason for the lack of playing time the German has had. A fresh start in Turkey could be ideal, he doesn’t need to prove anything in regards to his ability, just some playing time for Gomez will be appreciated greatly.

Miranda (Atletico Madrid to Inter Milan) 2-Year-Loan

Miranda’s partnership with Diego Godin was considered one of the best in European football. Manchester United wanted to pounce but a crack at life in Italy proved to be the preferable choice alongside former Red Devils centre back Nemanja Vidic. Miranda is a wonderful defender on his day and will certainly help improve an Inter side that once use to be as dominant, if not more than his parent club in Madrid.

Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan to Monaco) Loan

Another striking talent who has been sodden with injuries. El Shaarawy is stunning individual, famous for his skills and precision mohawk, however due to his niggles Milan had to find long term replacements. A move to Monaco will help him gain some valuable playing time and hopefully the mesmerising scenery around the boat yard bays will help cure his frustration.

Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal to Roma) Loan

Petr Cech’s deal from the Premier League champions Chelsea slayed Szczesny’s position as firdt choice in goal at Arsenal. The Pole will have to push Morgan De Sanctis of his purch between the sticks bit has the opportunity to prove to Arsene Wenger he made a mistake in replacing him with Cech.

Radamel Falcao (Monaco to Chelsea) Loan

Twelve months ago Falcao was considered the most deadly striker on the planet. An injury before the 2014 FIFA World Cup and four goals in 29 Manchester United appearances screwed his hard work into a tiny ball of disappointment. Jose Mourinho is ready to give the Colombian another chance to prove himself, to bring the old Radamel back. He seems to have been reletively sharp in pre season which is a promising start to his recovery.

Rudy Gestede (Blackburn Rovers to Aston Villa) Undisclosed

A move to the Premier League was inevitable after a stormfing past eighteen to twenty-four months at Ewood Park. A fee of around £6m is said to have been negotiated but the signing price has not been disclosed. The former Blackburn striker is a rising force and a strong option to replace Christian Benteke. It will be captivating to see how he adapts to the big tike after craving his opportunity due to the ongoing interest he has received.

Sven Ulreich (VfB Stuttgart to Bayern Munich) Undisclosed

The saviour of Stuttgart last season from almost certain relegation. Maybe a wasted move to become Manuel Neuer’s second pair of hands but every top team needs to class acts in between the sticks.

Lucas Vasquez (Espanyol to Real Madrid) Undisclosed

Espanyol purchased Vasquez for £2m earlier in the summer from Los Blancos following a successful loan spell last term. Real decided to initiate the buy-back clause in his contract, with the 20-year-old said to be part of future plans at the Bernebeu.

Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt to Paris Saint Germain) Undisclosed

Again Trapp featured on the list of one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga last season. A genuine challenger to Salvatore Sirigu’s number one shirt.

Josip Drmic (Bayer Leverkusen to Borussia Monchengladbach) Undisclosed

At only 22 Drmic has played for four clubs. His record at Bayer Leverkusen was not as impressive as during his time with Nurnberg, however the Swiss striker is a strong addition to the UEFA Champions League entrants.

Gonzalo Castro (Bayer Leverkusen to Borussia Dortmund) Undisclosed

A solid addition to Dortmund. He can play both in the centre of midfield and as a defensive option. Plenty of experience in Bundesliga.

Max Kruse (Borussia Monchengladbach to VfL Wolfsburg) Undisclosed

A standout performer for both Freiburg and Monchengladbach, now an option the German national team can replace the legendary Miroslav Klose. Known for a deadly finish, a potentially class act in the making at Wolfsburg.

Simon Kjaer (Lille to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

Moved to Turkey to ‘win trophies’ and he certainly has more opportunity with Fenerbache over French side Lille. Very much considered better than the clubs he plays for due to previous links to the Premier League, Italy and Spain.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Monaco to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Atletico Madrid stole a hunt on Tottenham Hotspur for Carrasco after improving on the Londeners initial bid. A direct replacement for Arda Turan. The Belgian is quick on his toes and enjoys spreading play out to the white line. Not to mention, he can hint a ball from distance with more than a little accuracy and venom from his right boot.

Felipe Luis (Chelsea to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

The 29-year-old returns to Atletico Madrid after a tricky year at Stamford Bridge. He was expected to be the Blues number one choice for the left-back position but failed to nudge the impressive Cesar Azpilicueta off his lurch. Luis was a big hit during his first stint at Atletico and will be looking to rekindle at least some of the form that saw the interest from Chelsea come to fray.

Luciano Vietto (Villarreal to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

The young Argentine only spent a season at the Yellow Submarine, impressing in his partnership with former Tottenham Hotspur and Barcrlona attacker Giovani dos Santos. Expected to challenge Fernando Torres for his spot alongside fellow new recruit Jackson Martinez, Vietto could be an kmoressive addition to Diego Simeone’s side.

Stefan Savic (Fiorentina to Atletico Madrid) Undisclosed

Seen as a flop at Manchester City but rejuvinated in Serie A. Atletico spent a while trying to find a replacement for Miranda, the Montenegrin has the opportunity to take another shot at the big time and prove that City were too impatient. With Diego Godin alongside him, learning from the Uruguayan will be invaluable to the 24-year-old.

Pepe Reina (Bayern Munich to Napoli) Undisclosed

A frustrating year in Munich for the former Liverpool goalkeeper has seen the Spaniard return to Naples for a second stint. Reina will be desperate to pull on the jersey and play some regular football.

Douglas Costa (Shakhtar Donetsk to Bayern Munich) Undisclosed

The Brazilian contingency at Shakhtar has eventually been dismantled and Bayern have picked up the Ukrainian’s star midfield asset. He may have a tough time getting into the first eleven but as a substitute, he could be used quite regularly to enhance the pace and trickery of usually a powerful and stringent Bayern midfield.

Samuel Eto’o (Sampdoria to Antalyaspor) Undisclosed

The veteren has barely settled since moving to Chelsea, lasting no longer than eighteen months at Everton before spending just half a season at Sampdoria. His long and illustrious career will see him highly paid by Super Lig newcomers Antalyaspor.

Robin van Persie (Manchester United to Fenerbahce) Undisclosed

RVP’s stunning 2014 World Cup header was the only highlight over the past twelve months for him. An injury hit season has seen the Dutchman lose his appeal in the eyes of Louis van Gaal. The striker admitted he could see his exit at Old Trafford coming. A move to Turkey has been graced by the feeling that van Persie will be able to get more game time as he opts for something a little different.

Toby Alderweireld (Atlético Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur) Undisclosed

The battle for the Belgian defender was well publicised but shrewd businessman Daniel Levy pulled out his anchor and set sail to seal the deal. His commanding position and strive for elite, basic defending could give Tottenham the reassurance at the back that they so badly crave. Being best buddies with Jan Verthonghen will only help the current vice-captain with his discliplnery record.

Carlos Tevez (Juventus to Boca Juniors) Undisclosed

Tevez wanted to return home at some point. Losing the UEFA Champions League final with the Old Lady was the pin on the donkey moment for the Argentine, despite the Turin champions sealing yet another title medal. His impact in European football can only be applauded as he will surely be missed.

Andrea Pirlo (Juventus to New York City FC) £3.6m

The Italian legend has finally moved away from Serie A. Originally New York City were going to get the long-haired maestro on a free before Juve stumped up a fee to guarantee a formal sale. A partnership with Frank Lampard just behind David Villa will be a formiddable feature in the MLS, three heroes of the European game with Pirlo arguably topping the lot. Italian football will never forget the grace and incredible talent Pirlo laid out on the pitch.

Kiko Casilla (Espanyol to Real Madrid) £4.2m

Another player returning to Real Madrid after growing his seeds at mid-table Espanyol. Casilla has followed Lucas Vasquez but in very different fashion. His battle with Keylor Navas to see who becomes the preferable number one to replace the historic Iker Casillas will he intriguing. Hopefully for Casilla, having a similar surname to his fellow Spaniard will help him become Real’s next long-serving goalkeeper at the very top.

Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk to AC Milan) £5.7m

Milan have grabbed a small bargain here as the former Shakhtar Donetsk forward is a class act. As Milan look to join Inter in rebuilding their reputations at the San Siro, AC have signed a potentially deadly strike force that could help them climb the league. His performances in Ukraine have pushed him on to become a member of the Brazilian national team as the Samba stars’ new number 9.

Asmir Begovic (Stoke City to Chelsea) £8m

The Premier League has been a good fortress for the Bosnian to build his profile. Begovic is a weighty replacement for Petr Cech and will easily adapt when called upon behind Thibaut Courtois. It is a shame how we will not see as much of Begovic but the former Stoke City keeper has declared his intent to challenge and accepts that he will not be Mourinho’s predominant first choice.

Fabian Delph (Aston Villa to Manchester City) £8m

Delph’s lack of comminent to Aston Villa will never be forgottem by their faithful fans, having initially turned down City to stay at Villa Park before going back on his ‘word’. Seeing the England middle-man develop at the Etihad will be interesting as there have been some critics suggesting the challenge is too big for him. Beginning the campaign with a hamstring strain gained in City’s 4-1 pre season friendly loss to Real Madrid will not bode well.

Demba Ba (Besiktas to Shanghai Shenhua) £9m

Ba has joined Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka’s former short term employers, signing a lucrative deal that has seen him see the Yuan signs. Besiktas will not be the same force that troubled both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in last season’s UEFA Europa League, all Ba will hope for is that he has a more luxrious time in the Chinese capital than what other former Chelsea strikers have.

Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur to Guangzhou Evergrande) £9.9m

Big things were expected from Paulinho at Spurs but his dominance in midfield, as seen during the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was quickly eradicated by English football. A move to China is interesting ahead of links around some of Europe’s high profile sides and also from his homeland in Brazil.

Dimitri Payet (Marseille to West Ham United) £10m

Payet arrives at the Hammers with an impressive record of being Europe’s highest assist machine. Signing the Frenchman uncovers West Ham’s intent as they look to build their future around their move to the Olympic stadium in twelve months time.

Petr Cech (Chelsea to Arsenal) £10m

Moving across London to likely title challengers and changing from blue to red has for once been forgiven due to Cech’s incredible service at Stamford Bridge. He will make a huge difference to the Gunners and will relish the opportunity to play the game he loves on a weekly basis once again.

Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton to Liverpool) £12.5m

Clyne is quick, charismatic in his forward play from the back and intelligent on the ball. His developement through the Premier League’s ranks has been formiddable which sees him rightfully earn his chance at one of the country’s top six sides. He will hope he can influence his fellow Reds’ backline to work in unison with him, rather than dragging him down the rocky road of uncertainty in Liverpool’s recent inconsistencies.

Matteo Darmain (Torino to Manchester United) £12.7m

It is surprising that Darmain hasn’t been snapped up by one of Europe’s top sides before now. He is naturally comfortable in possession. There are no funky haircuts, no sleeves nor any tattoos, Darmain likes to get down to business and work hard in a traditional sense. The Italian has the potential to be a big hit at Old Trafford should he keep his feet on the ground.

Simone Zaza (Sassuolo to Juventus) £12.8m

Sassualo’s outstanding player has been given his opportunity to strike even more venom into the Juventus forward line. The 24-year-old hit 20 goals in 64 appearances for Sassuolo which saw Juve opt to exercise their right to re-sign the striker despite i Neroverdi purchasing him outright in 2013. Zaza is bold, quick on his toes and has a brilliant technique with his left foot. Very good in the air, similar to the likes of former Juventus centre-forwards David Trezeguet and Christian Vieri.

Aleksander Mitrovic (Anderlecht to Newcastle United) £13m

At only 20-years-of-age, Mitrovic has a phenomenal record which includes the 36 he scored in 69 games for Anderlecht over the space of two seasons. The Magpies beat off lingering interest from Chelsea for a player who has the potential to lift Steve McClaren’s side from the obscurities they faced last season. His aim is to simply imitate the legacy left by Alan Shearer, no pressure then.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich to Manchester United) £14.4m

8 Bundesliga titles, 7 DFB-Pokal trophies and a member of Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph has joined LVG’s project at Old Trafford. Although Schweinsteiger suffered from his injury demons last season he can offer the Red Devils a great deal. He is dubbed one to the best midfielders of his generation due to his excellent game reading skills and positional awareness. Should he manage to steer away from the doctor’s waiting list, van Gaal will have found an experienced gem who will undoubtedly take his side to the next level.

Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven to Newcastle United) £14.5m

Newcastle have done wonders in bring the Dutch midfielder to St James’. His contribution as captain helped PSV Eindhoven to their first Eredivisie since 2008. He will more than liklely be at the forefront of the assist table for Newcastle, whilst he doee enjoy the odd pot at goal due to his involvement from an advanced midfield role.

Aleix Vidal (Sevilla to Barcelona) £16m

Vidal was an impreseive figure as Sevilla retained the UEFA Europa League last season. Predominately a right-winger but his terrific energy and velocity has seen him revert to play as a wing-back. His resilliance to make it to Europe’s elite has been rewarded with his first cap for Spain being attained in May 2015. Although he will have to bide his time until January 2016 to make his debut for Barcelona due to their transfer embargo, it can be guaranteed he will be ready to make the step up to play for last season’s treble winning side.

Carlos Bacca (Sevilla to AC Milan) £21m

Bacca turned down the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to link up with the Rosseneri after being persuaded by Milan’s rich history. Siginng the Colombian is a huge sense of intent, and Bacca himself has seemingly understood the risk he has taken to help the 18-time Serie A winners and 7-time European champions in their quest for improvement. If he can score the goals in Italy like he did in Spain, Milan will have prized a massive coup.

Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City to Valencia) £21.2m

Negredo is a beastly act. Los Che were committed to turn his loan spell last season from Manchester City to an obligatory formal offer, which saw a permanent contract put forward and accepted by all three parties. Although he began as a fan favourite at the Etihad, his goal ratio soon dried up during the second half of his stay and as such this record did not improve in his first season back in La Liga, scoring only 5 in 30 appearances. His days in Seville prove that he is a quality striker and with the right mentaility, attitude and belief he has the potential to rise once again.

Rodrigo (Benfica to Valencia) £21.7m

Another loan-to-permanent switch for Valencia. Former Benfica and Bolton Wanderers forward Rodrigo is best known for being a team player rather than an out-and-out despatcher of the ball into the back of the net.

Danilo (FC Porto to Real Madrid) £23m

Courtesy of his performances in Portugal for FC Porto, Zthe Brazilian right-back became Real Madrid’s first summer signing. The competition between him and Dani Carvajal promises to be fierce, with the 24-year-old said to be one of the most impressive talents to emerge from the ranks of Brazilian and Portuguese football.

Paulo Dybala (Palermo to Juventus) £23.4m

Dubbed the next Lionel Messi or Sergio Aguero for his creative prowess, his ability to dribble and take control in small spaces, as well as having a distinct eye for goal, Dybala is seen as the alternative replacement to Carlos Tevez. At just 21, the Argentine prodigy has already made a name for himself in the Italian game. A versatile option for Massimo Allegri as Dybala has often been seen to play as a striker, an attacking midfielder or even as an inverted winger due to his ability to cut in from the right to rasp in a shot at goal with his natural left foot.

Jackson Martinez (FC Porto to Atletico Madrid) £24.7m

The Colombian has been on the shortlist of many clubs for more than a couple of years now. His record is prolific and he was very much considered the difference that saw FC Porto retain some of their proud history. As the story goes, if you score plenty you are bound to move on to a club with more stature. A switch to AC Milan seemed certain before a few hiccups assigned themselves to the deal after the initial transfer had been agreed. Shortly after, Atletico Madrid felt Martinez fitted their bill to fill in the gap left by Mario Mandzukic. He will give the Spanish side the quality they missed up front last season, a strong, athletic persona which could prove to be a quality fit.

Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton to Manchester United) £25m

Schneiderlin seemed fit to join either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur over the past year until Louis van Gaal took matters into his own hands to entice the Frenchman to Old Trafford. Although his intentions to leave St Mary’s were clear cut his commitment to giving the Saints everything in his locker cannot be jard at. He will sure up play from defence to attack and will clean up before moving the ball forward. He will never be the most attractive midfielder to watch but to counter this he is equally efficient.

Arturo Vidal (Juventus to Bayern Munich) £26m

The Chilian, with the obscure hair line almost joined Arsenal a few weeks ago before a crack at the Bundesliga with th German champions seemed to be a better option, especially having seen Bastian Schweinsteiger depart for the red half of Manchester. Vidal’s technicalities are clear as the light of day. He is boastful, meticulous in his work rate and agressive by nature. He may pick up more than his fair share of bookings but his quality will overshadow his strong temperment. His performances at this summer’s Copa America were outstanding as Chile lifted their first ever major trophy. Bayern may just be the force they were three years ago which could be a daunting prospect for their European rivals.

Geoffrey Kondogbia (Monaco to Inter Milan) £28.6m

The Frenchman’s ability to play with the football and play with it well was discovered in Monaco’s run to the quarter-finals of last season’s UEFA Champions League. He solely dominated the midfield area in the French side’s opening leg against Arsenal, which drew wide applause from Arsene Wenger, who began to follow his work before Inter Milan jumped in. He could be Inter’s most important signing over the next few years

Roberto Firmino (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to Liverpool) £29m

Firmino was an unknwon entity until a couple of seasons ago before he became the standout figure in a rather average Hoffenheim side. Liverpool have yet again snared another Manchester United target who could light up what turned out to be a rather miserable looking Anfield last season. From initial studies he could need a little time to adapt to the English game but his talent is clear, regardless of any dismal looking performances in the Brazilian national side of late.

Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid to Barcelona) £29m

The Turkish winger has been one of Atletico Madrid’s most important assets of late, hence the fee for his services. Unfortunately for him, he will not be able to make his debut in a Catalonia shirt until the winter, which could see the La Liga champions send him out on loan for the first half of the season, with former club Galatasaray his most likely destination. Turan has a touch of quality to his play, although he may not be the quickest, his work ethic is stronger than most. He is a titan in the challenge and has a wicked striking foot that may frighten a few goalkeepers along the way.

Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United) £31m

Depay is a special talent and has abided his time to make the right move for him. He is already making a positive profile for himself at United through their pre season tour, scoring freely in a number ten role floating behind Wayne Rooney. The Dutchman, predominantly known for being a winger by nature singlehandedly took PSV Eindhoven to the top of the Erevidisie in 2014-15, scoring 22 goals in the process which saw him win the golden boot award. Louis van Gaal has gone on record this week to admit he needs to sign a Galatico to coincide with Europe’s elite, however Depay is lightning quick, direct and looks to make things happen despite being a tad selfish on the ball. He could well be the ingredient that adds that sense of quality to the Red Devils that his manager is looking for.

Christian Benteke (Aston Villa to Liverpool) £32.5m

There have been questions marks over Benteke’s fee but a release clause is there for a reason and have to be respected. Some have been surprised by Rodgers move for the Belgian with the likes of Andy Carroll, Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli all failing to make their mark at Anfield. It has become clear that the manager does not like to play the ‘punt it up to the striker’ style but those who have been criticising clearly haven’t seen Benteke play. He not only holds up the ball well but he can score with any part of his body. He could form a stifling partnership with Daniel Sturridge having hit the back of the net 42 times in 88 league appearances for Aston Villa. His revival under Tim Sherwood took Villa on a run to avoid the drop last season, which Villa fans should continue to be grateful for despite his departure..

Raheem Sterling (Liverpool to Manchester City) £49m

Without having to drown more frenzy on the attitude and application of Sterling before and during hsi exit from Anfield, there is no denying the England attacker’s ability. He is quite simply the most profitable young player across Europe and the exciting thing is that he isn’t the finished product yet. He will only get better at the Etihad, proving how he could be an integral part to City’s title push by making an impact in front of goal during his few pre season friendlies. He will receive plenty of boos and negative press for being accused as a ‘money grabbing 20-year-old’, however with the world at his feet, Sterling has the potential to go very far in years to come with Manchester City.

The process of the transfer: broken down and explained

It is the hottest time of the year for football clubs and their players and we are not talking about the weather or two week holiday breaks before pre-season begins. The summer transfer market is highly acclaimed by many supporters to be as important as the season itself. With the market ‘officially’ open from 1st July, bringing in the right faces can define how much progression and success has been gained.

We’ve all wondered how the transfer is broken down, what causes hiccups and diversions along the way over those deals which seem to go through in a whisker. In time of economical constraints due to Financial Fair Play, the need for homegrown talent to be imbedded in a squad and the change in power from club to the players has seen demands change drastically. Let’s have a look at how a player moves from one club to another and what the transfer involves. One thing that can be clarified is that it is not as simple as our game console formats make it out to be.

Scouting

A little mystical and something the fans rarely see or hear about. Whilst we are sat in the stands watching our team, scout have been literally rows away from us, looking out for the next probable purchase.

It is crucial for scouts to get as much information as possible to feed back to their management staff. Scouting in the stands however is slowly becoming a dieing form due to the influx of technology. Statistical computer programmes come into place along with instantaneous video footage of a player’s performance are uploaded to help scouters with the opportunity to make a judgement with precise detail. This information is fed to the manager, the head of recruitment or club director to ultimately make a decision on the player based on the footage.

A good scout will study how a player will benefit a team, spending an equal amount of time watching a possible recruit both on and off the pitch as both ascan be deemed as crucial as the other. Hitchhiking the world’s finest or locating the next young superstar can be a lucrative twist of tails.

Scouts are the first point of contact between both a player and an agent which makes all initial impressions key. The footballer himself isn’t the only party who has to make a decent profile of themselves, with the industry ever more competative, it is imperative for a scout to make the correct measurements, from all head-hunting to their demeanour.

Tapping up?

It is against the rules in the Premier League for ‘tapping up’ to take place, for a player under contract to make an approach to another football team without approval being out in writing by the player’s existing club and vice versa. This rule tends to generally stretch across football’s hemisphere for morality reasoning.

We are led to believe that a majority of moves begin from scratch but can be rest assured contact on players does happen from behind the scenes. There are many representatives involved in a transfer and with a player themselves. Discussions occur between representatives and third party clubs to see if their man would like to switch sides, how much they would like to earn and what role would they prefer to see themselves in.

Therefore, without having to make any assumptions, plenty of deals are set in stone before any money is put on the table and before the media even hear about it. Much of the blame is aimed at the interested clubs trying to find out as much information to see whether someone is worth putting a bid in for, not to say all agree but it is common practice across most sports, if not all. There may on appeal be a fine or two for those caught out, however without ‘tapping-up’ most transfers would probably be even more complex and needlessly lengthy.

Making a bid

This is where a club is satisfied with the detail their scout has collected and the interest is formal. Deciding whether to make a permanent buy or a temporary loan offer is a viable tactic when considering relationships between two clubs and the player. A suitable offer will not only state a buying club’s intent but will also clarify whether or not the selling team and their employee are willing to part ways.

As all sales executives out there can identify with, negotiating a deal is not the most simple and obvious process. A transaction has to be beneficial for both club’s, the footballer and also their agent. The buying club want the cheapest price whilst the selling side will beam towards the amount they feel is worthy for the player’s ability.

A £12m bid for Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin from Leicester City recently was not an intelligent offer, especially when the Hoops price their potent forward at £15m. AFC Bournemouth are now expecting to go in with a £14m offer in an attempt to push QPR, who in turn may be willing to drop by £1m as the price would smash the Cherries transfer record by a clear mile and therefore are displays their intent. However, Tony Fernandes and his compatriots are fully aware that Charlie Austin will be an huge buy for most Premier League sides and may not be willing to budge.

It all depends on how useful a footballer has been to a selling club and how much of an impact the purchasing team feel the player can make on them. Will the professional become an integral first-teamer or be a squad player to beef up the numbers? Ideally you would hope a club is buying a player to boost their profile and quality, however this is not always the case.

A formal offer must be submitted, most commonly a written request is made by fax, more so than by email even in the current climate. Another favourable option is for a club to contact trusted agents to do the dirty work for them. It is as crucial to find the correct player to buy as it is to identify the right option to sell. Agents are much more involved with the transfer saga and can be the catalyst that gets the ball rolling.

Negotiating 

This process does lay to rest after a bid is accepted; agreeing a fee is just the beginning of the negotiation period.

Many deals fall through after a bid has been verified due to talks between a player, his agent and the puchasing team fall through. Player expectations have risen through the roof, therefore the buying side must be ultra efficient in their appeal. Personal terms are a tricky ingredient to understand. If you were in high demand what would you want from them if you had the power to influence it?

This doesn’t exactly mean that all transfers involve lenghty, mundane gatherings around a table. Negotiations are often short and sweet, with the agent briefing a club on what their player wants whilst in discussion with either the chief executive, director of football or head of recruitment.

The most important motive for a player and his agent relate to salaries, bonuses per goal, per save or per tackle, signing-on fees, personal and social expectations and how much time they will spend on the field of play.

This is why agents are employed by footballers, they put their trust in their man to make the move sound appealing but it is in the interest of the agent to secure a decent fee for himself from the purchasing side.

The player’s decision 

Is the player himself satisfied with the possibility of featuring for a new side? Having to relocate their family may be of concern, having to change their lifestyle from one end of the country to the other or even moving abroad and learning a new language sees players taking huge steps in what is ultimately their future.

Security is the ultimatum in persuasion, how long does a club want a player determines ideally how much they value him. Are they comfortable leaving what they have known for the period they have spent at the selling club? They will have to build fresh new relationships with plenty of faces, including a new manager, his coaching staff and their squad.

A professional’s demand cannot go unnoticed, whether he wants the move for trophies, progression, more first team opportunites or the money. In such a short career, making the correct decision is crucial to all of these aspects.

‘Pleasing an agent’

There is no easy transaction with an agent involved, or so it is brandished by the coaches and managers. We very rarely hear from agents nor their expectations, so how does one determine how tricky they can be?

Without agents the transfer process would be even more unbearable. A well respected one is considered to be a good mentor, a method of guidance as well as a confident sales man. A football player simply wants to play the game he loves, the agent does the nitty gritty and deservedly weighs in some lucrative business whilst representating his client.

They are often used by clubs more than what is mentioned in the media domain, with buying teams often contacting them to build a picture of the player they wish to make enquiries about. When looking to sell, agents often take any upheaval from a club to make the departure as smooth as possible, without any regret.

Agents are part of a network, which in truth drives their business, who they know often gets them the deal for their client, who in truth should only have to concentrate on their sport, without having to attend negotiations concerning contracts and other demanding aspects of the transaction.

Breaking the news 

The media, again are seen as tricky opposition that can get in the way of a move. The demand for a story is primarily driven by what the piblic want to hear, or on occasion what they want them to hear.

The media want clear cut news to report on, nonetheless will publish some audacious accounts that may never take shape. Feeding the fan keeps up the interest and hope that their club is going to have a successful summer of recruiting.

There is an expectancy to see reporters and journalists swarming around the premises of a buying or selling club throughout the window. Football is a huge industry and there are plenty of questions people want to ask or get answers from. Breaking news to the public is often followed by jubilation or dissatisfaction, ultimately having an impact on whether a player will be accepted from the beginning of their adventure with their new club.

Medicals, work permits and other clearances 

Often seen as the most nerve janglong part of the transfer. To have the excitement of a deal run through the media with the expectation of a new player arriving at your club to be ended by a few tests does occur.

The higher the level of play, the more critically acclaimed the medical. They are thorough and have the capacity to study an individual’s current status, any impending niggles or pre-existing injuries and how their body will perform under the regime they have been running by.

That does not mean to say that some medicals are rushed, especially when deadlines are fast approaching. Many risks on players have been taken, with injury plagued individuals being taken on board with the hope that their fitness and well-being will improve. Although the medical is crucial, should a transfer wish to be processed by those parties involved, a deal will be done.

Those without an EU passport and over the age if sixteen arriving from overseas require a work permit to earn money in a foreign continent. It is likely that deals with players arriving from far and beyond will fall through due to a permit that is not valid. Clubs often sponsor foreign imports following the approval of a country’s football governing board, who are more than likely to approve a player moving inside the boarder should they have competed in 75% of games officiated with the top 70 FIFA ranked nations rankedover the past twenty-four months.

The only aspect that can overturn a rejected application is whether a player was unavailable for selection due to injury. If decisions are overturned beyond injury, then the buying club must portray a bold story as to how the player will benefit them as a team and the league they are entering.

The transfer is complete…

Following the scouting, an approved bid, agreed personal terms, contracts, wages, the player’s role and medicals are sanctioned, the final aspect is finalising the paperwork can begin.

Getting the player to sign is the first part before attaining authorisation from the governing body of the league a team is associated with. Once approved, photographs tend to be taken with the player shaking their new manager’s hand and a quick snapshot of them holding up a shirt or being a temporary statue nexts to the club’s emblem posted around the club.

Now all that the fans can hope for is that their club’s new player is a success and works endlessly for the badge.

Player tracking: Who to keep an eye on switching clubs

Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) £60m

England’s hottest prospect was ringed with boos during the Three Lions’ friendly with Republic of Ireland recently, with many Irish-Liverpool fans under the impression that Sterling has dishonoured the crest. It is fair to say the attacker has been on the wrong side of the press of late but there is no doubting his growing talent. Liverpool have already rejected £30m from Premier League chasers and insist that pursuing clubs should double their valuation. A move to stay in the Premier League would be advisable should he leave Anfield, with fears he may not break into the regular first elevens for the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) £42.9m

Wayne Rooney wants him, Daniel Levy wants to keep him but does Louis van Gaal? Manchester United need a player with Kane’s record and have been regularly linked despite Spurs closing the blinds on all the rumours. This next season will be even more crucial for Kane, for his own profile considering the standard he set last season and with the European Championships taking shape in France next summer.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low

Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton) £15.2m

Southampton have already broken Liverpool hearts by rejecting a £10m bid for Clyne a couple of weeks ago, whilst there seems to be a consistent link to the red half of Manchester. Clyne has developed tremendously under both Mauricio Pocchetino and now Ronald Koeman and will look to secure a place in the England squad over the next twelve months. He is arguably the Three Lions’ best right back which suggests he will be on the list of more than just a couple of sides.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Charlie Austin (Queens Park Rangers) £8.1m

Austin is almost certainly on the move after Queens Park Rangers suffered their second relegation from the Premier League in three seasons. With ambitions of impressing Roy Hodgson ahead of next year’s Euro 2016 finals, the talisman needs to be playing Premier League football. Newcastle United have publicly announced their fondness whilst Jose Mourinho has been rumoured to be interested despite the imminent arrival of Radamel Falcao. Both could be challenged by Liverpool who are looking to continue with their English contingency.

Likelihood of a transfer: High

Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) £16.6m

Although ongoing speculation that the England Under-21 forward may be packing his bags out of the Hawthorns, Berahino’s future does not seem very clear. Whether he stays or departs he will still have many admirers. Tottenham and Liverpool seem to have drifted off the radar to be replaced by the likes of Newcastle United following Steve McClaren’s arrival. Do not be surprised to see Berahino stay with Tony Pulis and co.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli) £27.4m

Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are only four of the strongest contenders looking to lure Gonzalo Higuain away from Naples. The once Real Madrid forward is desperate to play in the UEFA Champions League again. His time at Napoli has been relatively positive despite Gli Azzuri finishing 5th in Serie A last term, it is evident nonetheless that the 27-Year-old would prefer another dabble amongst Europe’s elite. With 157 in 294 appearances for River Plate, Real Madrid and Napoli, the Argentine would be a deadly prospect for any club.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium

Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) £28.6m

Lacazette has progressed tremendously over the past 24 months. He has recently broke the goal record for Lyon and is said to be a huge threat to Karim Benzema in the French national side. Lyon will not budge unless the price is right but as a selling club the once most successful team in Ligue 1 are not the team they use to be. It is rumoured that a number of Premier League sides are flirting with the prospect of signing Lacazette, however there has not been any real connection with any particular club.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Nabil Fekir (Lyon) £20.8m

An unknown entity until the 21-year-old began to form a pristine partnership with Alexandre Lacazette. Fekir has been heavily linked with Arsenal, nonetheless his club may refrain from allowing their homegrown star leave immediately after making such an impact. Maybe another twelve months at Lyon will be beneficial for the young talent along with some experience in the Europa League before he goes in search of pastures new.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low

Roberto Firmino (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) £16m

This Brazilian midfielder/striker needs to move having proving he is a cat amongst pigeons at Hoffenheim. He has successfully broken into the national team and has caught the eye of a few interested parties. Louis van Gaal looks set to make a move as he requires a shrewd versatile thinker.

Likelihood of a transfer: High

Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund) £13.5m

For weeks the German international has been linked with a move to Barcelona to become the direct replacement for long serving captain Xavi Hernandez. The move is likely to progress, although the once Manchester United target would not be able to ply his trade at the Nou Camp until January 2016 due to the Catalans recent transfer ban. Gundogan can be identified as a midfielder with supreme intelligence who tidies up in midfield and links up play between the defence and attack.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Shinji Okazaki (Mainz) £2.8m 

The Japanese striker almost sealed a move to Leicester City in January but for a fewdeadline day hiccups which the Premier League survivors could not tie up. The Foxes are sniffing around for another bid as they believe they can get their man. An affordable price at £2.8m is very tempting for a player who has become a fan favourite for Mainz.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium

Kevin Mirallas (Everton) £5.3m 

Tottenham Hotspur came very close to closing a deal for the Belgian midfielder in the winter but are said to be looking at other options six months on. Miralles has been rumoured to be catching the eyes of Ligue One side Monaco who are looking to strengthen following a third placed finish in the league and reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. With Roberto Martinez searching for fresh options on the wings, especially with recent news of Ahmed Elmohamady possibly moving in from Hull City, Miralles will seemingly be pushed out if not relegated to the subs bench.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) £20.9m

It was thought that Serie A’s joint top scorer was destined to stay at the San Siro until Real Madrid announced their willingness to buy the Argentinean youngster this week. Altough Roberto Mancini is looking rebuiild at Inter, with interest in the likes of Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, the former City manager may have to sacrifice his new prized asset to Europe’s elite, which Inter are no more.

Likelihood of a transfer: Medium 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) £11.6m 

The Gabonese goalscorer was the catalyst to Borussia Dortmund’s revival from threatening relegation to finshing to qualify for next season’s Europa League. Dortmund have struggled since selling Robert Lewandowski twelve months ago to arch rivals Bayern Munich, if it wasn’t for Aubamayang Jurgen Klopp may have experienced even more embarrasment in his final season at the Signal Iduna Park. Thomas Tuchel will be eager to keep his main striker as he looks to carry on Klopp’s legacy.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low

Miralem Pjanic (Roma) £25.4m

Bosnian international Pjanic is a class act and hits the rumour mill every transfer window. It is hardly a surprise as it could be said he deserves a chance at a bigger unit than Roma, despite featuring in the UEFA Champions League year-after-year. Again the usual suspects Manchester United have been linked along with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. The utility midfielder will not come cheap and will demand to be one of the first names on the team sheet as he is considered to be that good by his peers.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low

Carlos Bacca (Sevilla) £16.5m

Bacca has had a remarkable couple of seasons in Seville, winning consecutive Europa League titles whilst hitting the back of the net 34 times in 71 games since his move from Club Brugge in 2013. The Colombian’s price is dictated by his age, however the 28-year-old is in his prime and is likely to be judged more so playing in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low 

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) £47.5m

24-year-old Griezmann is a true pedigree who can feature either up front or on the wings. His goal ratio stands at one goal every 1.6 games for Atletico Madrid, becoming an integral piece in the jigsaw for both club and country. Paris Saint Germain want to lure him away from Spain to his homeland but due to financial regulation contraints, the French outfit will have to be smart in their recruitment. Although they can afford to pay Griezmann’s price tag, they may be unable to secure further recruits.

Likelihood of a transfer: Low

 

Summer business so far across Europe

It seems this summer’s transfer market is destined to make history, by surpassing last year’s record breaking pre-season purchasing. With esculating television deals going through the roof, the pressure to buy big but smartly is ever more present. This summer’s transfer dealings promise to be interesting not only because of the cash flow between clubs, it will be captivating to see whether European talents choose to move to a bigger club with the 2016 Euros just around the corner.

This dilemma eludes players including in-demand Christian Benteke. The Aston Villa striker hit some impressive form following Tim Sherwood’s appointment and has since again creeped onto the shopping lists of some of the Premier League’s highest finishers. Liverpool are in desperate need of a free-scoring front man but have recently rdcruited whilst Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye with Manchester United lurking in favour of Young-Player-of-theYear Harry Kane, despite the North Londeners being bound to keep their forward. Benteke poses an interesting blend of height and power whilst having a deadly finish, however there are question marks over his ability to take the next step on the Premier League ladder. Arsenal have seemingly dropped their interest in the Belgian international due to his inconsistency before Sherwood took hold of the reigns. The former Tottenham manager remains persistent in advising his rejuvinated talisman to keep his feet on the ground to not jeopardise his role for his national side.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are the two teams on heat in the market so far at the top end of the table. Having both regrettably missing out on next season’s UEFA Champions League the time to recruit new faces is crucial for both sides. Both Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Pocchetino have begun their summer shopping with the Reds drafting in Manchester City and England midfielder James Milner on a free, following the expiration of his contract at the Etihad. Tottenham stole the tracks on highly-rated Austrian centre-back Kevin Wimmer from FC Cologne in a £4m deal ahead of many interested parties. The arrival of Milner at Anfield has raised concern amongst a host of Liverpool fans with question over their ambition to bring in big names, despite the England regular receiving high applause from many of his new teammates due to his versatility and energy. Wimmer is young and fresh, just like his manager who has shown glimpses that he is ready to tidy up in areas that cost his side to finish six points off the top four last season. Pocchetino has been in search for the ideal partner for Jan Verthonghen with Federico Fazio still finding his feet and Eric Dier’s flame burning slowly.

Liverpool have also signed Danny Ings from Burnley after the 22-year-old’s contract ran dry. His move away from the relegated East Lancashire club was inevitable despite the goals drying up for the Under-21 England forward in the latter stages of the 2014–15 season. It is an intriguing move from Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool, who will have to pay £7m for the player due to his age, despite his contracting expiring. Rodgers seems to believe that bringing in English talent may lift the spirit levels at Anfield, nevertheless using the connection with current England regulars Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana to create a masterful blend. Ings isn’t Luis Suarez and never will be without showing too much disrespect to the young forward, however his progression over the nine short years from his youth development is remarkable, a trait that the manager could use to drive for greater success for the Reds over the next twelve months.

The window is going to be fascinating to watch for both Liverpool and Tottenham fans. Both clubs have bought big following the departure of their marquee player and failed to find a product that works. With similar targets in mind including Burnley full-back Kieran Trippier, as well as Crystal Palace’s impressive winger Yannick Bolasie winger, the battle for the top four may increasingly heat up yet again next term. The early signs for Tottenham in the market are looking a little more healthier at the moment with Pocchetino hunting for varied option from both the Premier League and abroad. Recent scouts have visited France to highlight the potential of 19-year-old Monaco forward Anthony Martial, with reports in France suggesting a €25m deal is soon to be striked. With the decreasing possibility of Southampton holding-midfielder Morgan Schneiderlein joining his former manager at the Lane and with Benjamin Stambouli failing to convince in his debut season, the Lilywhites have been in pursuit of Marseille middle-man Giannelli Imbula. The 22-year-old has already made over sixty appearances in two years for the Velodrome side following his move from Guingamp in 2013, becoming one of the hottest prospects from the French boarders after an impressive season this term. A deal is hanging in the balance with English vhampions Chelsea in pursuit, whilst Spanish unit Valencia looking for a central option.

Also in the England, Manchester United continue to feature in the weekly headlines but with more imminent departures over definite arrivals. Although the deal to bring in Memphis Depay was quickly wrapped-up the pursuit for big-name players doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Louis Van Gaal. The news circulating David de Gea seems to be a story that will continue to filter between the next few months on a daily basis along with the inevitable exit of Robin van Persie who has seemingly denied reports he is about to sign for Rome-based outfit Lazio. Nicolas Gaitan seems likely to swap Portugal for Old Trafford in return for the services of winger Nani in a player-plus-cash deal to bring the talented Argentinean to the red half of Manchester. It is believed Van Gaal is not prepared to wait to sign players until after their UEFA Champions League play-off as he looks to build on last season to mount a serious title challenge in 2015-16.

In other stories including England’s top clubs it seems Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal may do their business on the quiet. Jose Mourinho has openly suggested that the 2014-15 champions will not be dipping too heavily into the market despite the ongoing rumours of Radamel Falcao potentially moving to Stamford Bridge after a disappointing season at Old Trafford. toA loan deal from Monaco is expected to be authorised over the next week, with Moirinho confident of helping the Colombian striker reinvigorate his career following a disappointing bout at Old Trafford, scoring only four goal in twenty-nine appearances. There are grave concerns over Manchester City’s midfield, especially with restrictions of financial-fair-play overhanging the Citizens. Fortunately Yaya Toure has chosen to stay at the Etihad, however with James Milner and Frank Lampard looking to be following by the potential departures of Samir Nasri, Fernando and Jesus Navas, Manual Pelligrini could have his work cut out if he is to regain the Premier League crown. The Citizens are looking to smash the Britishtransfer record with an astonishing £80m bid for French international Paul Pogba, who was on the losing side with Juventus in this season’s UEFA Champions League final loss to Barcelona.

Business for two of the three promoted sides is well under way with both automatic qualifiers Bournemouth and Watford bringing in a handful of fresh faces to kick start their survival campaigns. Keeping Matej Vydra at Vicarage Road for another two more years from Italian side Udinese has settled many nerves at the Hornets whilst the recruitment of former Atletico Madrid manager Flores demonstrates their intentions. Eddie Howe has taken Artur Boruc on a permanent deal from south coast rivals Southampton whilst provinding immense competition for the Polish international by recruiting former Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici. Howe has quickly identified the importance of talent on the wings by signing Blackburn Rovers’ Joshua King and loaning Christian Atsu from Chelsea to provide an option on the left.

In Spain the dominant two have both purchased a right-back each. On the back of their treble winning season in Luis Enrique’s first twelve months as manager, the Catalans signed Sevilla full back Aleix Vidal for an undisclosed fee from the UEFA Europa League winners immediately after their 3-1 UEFA Champions League triumph over Juventus in Berlin. Although Vidal will not be able to play until January 2016 due to Barcelona’s transfer embargo, the converted right back is believed to be the direct competition for Brazilian Dani Alves who turned down increasing pressure to choose AC Milan as his next destination over a move to Paris Saint Germain or the Premier League. Alves will now stay at the Catalan giants. Real Madrid purchased FC Porto defender Danilo in a £23m swoop, a deal which is believed to finally solve the problem left by Sergio Ramos after the Spaniard converted to a full time centre half.

Barcelona’s transfer ban means they must refrain from buying too many players this summer due to their restrictions until the winter, however finding a replacement for long serving Xavi Hernandez will be an intriguing prospect but not so much a priority having seen Ivan Rakitic adapt more than copeusly to the midfield frame under Luis Enrique.

Closest contenders to the top two in Spain, Atletico Madrid could have a busy summer, more so keeping their most prudent players and building with stronger implants. Mario Mandzukic has been told he can depart with clubs in England and Italy keeping a close eye which has seen Diego Simeone try to fend of Argentineans Boca Juniors to fly Carlos Tevez in from Turin. Another interesting prospect is the speculation surrounding Edinson Cavani’s future with the Uruguayan proving the be another option from Paris St Germain. Cavani may not be the only frontman leaving the Parc des Princes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has reportedly been in touch with former representatives AC Milan to partner Jackson Martinez, whose move from FC Porto was recently approved for €35m.

Elsewhere in Italy, Juventus have been busy since the turn of finish as runners-up in Europe’s highest profile club competition by bringing in German defensive-midfielder Sami Khedira on a free from Real Madrid. The 2014 World Cup winner spoke of his delight at the move following the most ‘difficult twelve months of his career’ at Los Blancos. Juve also went all out to purchase highly rated Palermo forward Paulo Dybala ahead of countless admirers, finalising a 5-year-deal worth €32m plus €8m in add-ons dependent on bis performances for the Serie A champions.

Clubs in Germany have begun without haste with with a number of loan moves turning into permanent contracts with Kyriakos Papadopoulos staying at Bayer Leverkusen, Eden Hazard’s brother Thorgan staying in Monchengladbach and former Manchester City Matija Nastasic opting to make his move to Schalke 04 more long term. Borussia Dortmund have begun their rebuilding procedures under Jurgen Klopp’s replacement in Thomas Tuchel, the former Mainz coach, with the purchase of Gonzalo Castro from Leverkusen whilst securing the signature of highly rated Julian Weigl from 1860 Munich. Bayern Munich are yet to dip their mits into the market but are said to be keeping their budget tight, without too many notable additions to Pep Guardiola’s established champions.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: Build-Up, Tournament & Legacy

Build Up

Sepp Blatter continued on from South Africa 2010 by taking the representation of the World Cup away from Europe in consecutive tournaments by opting to only allow South American countries the opportunity to put on the 2014 show. From the the southern half only two empires put their names into the fray, with both Brazil and Colombia looking to take on the feit by standing for candidacy. As the balloting began in March 2003; the Colombians applied in confidence. Meanwhile, Brazil’s history and international virtue, along with their domestic game prevailing, the recognition that football is part of the heartland saw them elected in October 2007, becoming the first South American hosts since 1978 and 2014 would also be the second time the country represented the game with their first being in 1950.

 

Brazil 2014 chose to include goal-line technology following successful trials twelve months earlier at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013

From the lead up to Brazil’s selection, their promoters promised that the 2014 World Cup would become the most shielded in its journal, with more than £608.8m put aside to be invested into security forces. Twelve venues were used as £4.46bn was to be spent on stadiums, with five cities receiving new stadia, whilst renovations took place on the remaining. The famous final setting in Rio de Janeiro, the Maracana received a £750m boost to modernise its foundation although there was no increase on the 83,000 seat capacity. The original cost planned for the the stadiums stood at £7.44m, however a further £4.05bn was added to this sum to complete procedures. GoalControl 4D, a German company was given the go-ahead above English firm Hawk-Eye to implement goal-line technology into every stadium, installing 14 highly modified cameras in each ground, with seven aiming at each goal, forking out at £250,000 per site. Many demonstrators stood outside venues on a regular basis from the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, held in Brazil twelve months prior to the finals, with protesters unhappy with the amount of public money being spent on both tournaments within such a short space of time.

 

Uruguay scoring their winner in the Maracana in 1950

There was an astronomical amount of excitement surrounding the venue of the final, escalating far beyond any build-up that the whole of South Africa accumulated four years preceding. The three-tiered sporting cathedral known as the Maracana has held a formidable story since the 1950 World Cup, where the Brazilians lost in unsuspecting fashion to Uruguay in front of a sold out, volume capacity of 173,850. The format of the World Cup back then, some 65-years-ago was very different to the current outlay, with the winners of four groups attending a final round which saw each team play each other in a league format. Whichever team stood at the summit after three games would be crowned champions. Brazil swept aside both Sweden and Spain, 7-1 and 6-1, whilst the Uruguayans scraped up to second after two matches with a 2-2 draw against the Spanish followed by a tight 3-2 victory over the Swedes. The Samba stars were the dominant force and intensely odds-on to lift only the forth World Cup trophy. Nevertheless, two goals in thirteen second-half minutes pulled a blanket of absent sound around the stadium and Brazil’s brashness was switfly banished. Death threats were propelled at the Brazilian team, in particular at goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa. Revisiting the noble venue was critical for Brazil in their selection process, in what promised to be one of most glorified finals in the World Cup hall of fame scrapbook.

 

Further squabbling saw demonstrations boil, beginning with a number of referees being lambasted following under par performances domestically. Considering guarantees were made to make the tournament ultra safe, a number of breaches took place, most notably at the Maracana with one hundred Chile supporters infiltrating the gates during the South American’s group game victory over Spain, seeing 85 people detained. At the same stadium, twenty Argentineans repeated the crime in an attempt to see their country take on Bosnia Herzegovina. The safety of workers was also under scrutiny following the deaths of eight migrant project builders after a series of disasters which encountered fire, stadium break-ins and unstable staircases all reported at the Maracana. Two people were reported dead along with twenty-two injured following an unfinished monorail, which collapsed in Belo Horizonte onto a busy carriageway below.

 

Constant anxieties with the weather were followed by worries with Brazil’s crime ratings and bothersome travel arrangements. Rio has had a reputation for felony, whilst Manuas suffered from being the furthest north in terms of location, high in the Amazon rainforest, with a route stretching 2,332.67 miles from the city with the statue of Christ. Rather interestingly, the mayor of Manaus did not want a new stadium, the Arena da Amazonia, which caused further questioning over its choice. The heat also caused dismay with average area temperatures for the year spanning between 72-79 degrees Fahrenheit, whilst in the northeast humity would reach to highs of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling breaks were suggested of up to thirty minutes for games, with the only cicumstance being held for protection purposes from the hot spells was the Last 16 tie between Netherlands and Mexico in Fortaleza.

 

Tournament

 

The contest itself flaunted some of the finest international football ever displayed. In the elementary stages of the group games, the first sixteen matches, 49 goals were scored in one of the most frantic openings to a World Cup. In the whole of the group stages 135 goals were netted, 35 were converted in the knockout stages, a total tournament collection of 219 in 64 games, with only seven goal-less draws. The first 0-0 scoreline came in the twelfth game between Iran and Nigeria in Group F, held in Curitiba. As the competition progressed and goals began to cease due to teams turning more cautious defensively, possession football became the pinnacle of importance.

 

RVP’s diving header was the first of five in a 5-1 onslaught of the Spanish

The group stages did not disappoint with three major exits, including one of the elites Spain. The 2010 winners lost their first game in Group C to the Netherlands in embarrassing form, scoring just the one and conceding five, including a super-man style flying header from Robin van Persie, assisted from a long cross-field ball from Daley Blind. Game two for La Roja also ended in hystrria, with opponents Chile sinking the Spanish by two goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguiz in the first half. Despite a 3-0 victory over a young Australian side the Spanish were already out after two games, the first time a reigning champion had been eliminated after just 180 minutes of football.

 

The two other major drop-outs came at the expense of Group D with both Italy and England falling short to surprise quarter-finalists Costa Rica and a deadly Uruguayan side. England went into the tournament without much expectation from the media and their supporters, however, this quickly built up with a young talented 23-man squad chosen by Roy Hodgson. As it turns the Three Lions played in reserved fashion, conceding twice to the Italians in Manaus including a winner from Mario Balotelli which cancelled out Wayne Rooney’s first ever World Cup goal. A half fit Luis Suarez added some brace to the Uruguyan’s to send England out after just two games, becoming only the fourth team to be cancelled out behind Cameroon, Spain and Australia. Their final group game ended with a dismal 0-0 outing against Costa Rica, recording a solitary point from a possible nine.

 

Luis Suarez committed his third biting offence during his career by chomping on Italy’s Georgio Chiellini

The Italians failed to follow on from their confident win over Roy Hodgson’s side with two successive defeats, losing 1-0 to a well coordinated Costa Rican side, before going head-to-head with Uruguay in Natal. The Azzuri didn’t make things easy for themselves against the South Americans after Claudio Marchisio was dismissed for a professional foul on Edigio Arevalo in the second half, before Diego Godin rose to head in Gaston Ramirez’s corner to win the tie and send the Italians packing. The match was unfortunately cascaded by an altercation two minutes before the scoreline was edited between Luis Suarez and Giorgio Chiellini. After a dual challenge in the Italian box, it was made clear in the opinion of Juventus defender Chiellini that the new Barcelona striker had imbedded a bite mark on his shoulder. Mexican referee Marco Antonio Rodriguez claimed to miss the incident despite Chiellini illustrating teeth imprints along with his shirt being ripped. Suarez went without being penalised after somehow convincing the officials that it was a hapless collision, with the striker coincidently holding his teeth in ‘agony’. The fiendish forward did not go without punishment. FIFA took swift, avasive action to suspend him from the rest of the 2010 World Cup before allocating a four month ban along with a fine of £100,000. His defiant reputation preceded him due to previous biting incidencies; whilst at Ajax with PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal which he was awarded a seven game ban and also with Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during his time at Liverpool which saw him dismissed for ten matches. Although Suarez initially declined any recollection of his chomp on Chiellini, a formal apology was belatedly made to the Italian. His appeal was later overturned to allow him to train and play in friendly games with his new Catalonian teammates, despite initial rejections to allow him to take part in all forms of football.

 

As a result of Arjen Robben’s dive the Mexican’s were eliminated

Further outbreaks of unsociable behaviour flared with Ghana in a player revolt over pay and issues between the players and management. The government had to send a £3million payment to stop the players from boycotting their final group game against Portugal. Other aspects such as simulation are now expected in the modern game, however a thirty minute cooling break due to the hot weather did not stop the frolics of Netherlands winger Arjen Robben in their Last 16 tie against Mexico in the La Verde, who, with a stupendous dive in the penalty box, ‘won’ an opportunity from 12-yards for the Orange Army in the 94th minute. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted from the spot above the heat of criticism. Robben later owned up to his cheating sins.

 

On a more positive note we saw the growth of both divisions of the North and South American divide. Colombia desired for great things, almost stopping the Brazilians in their tracks to a semi-final spot. Although they had Radamel Falcao on the sidelines with injury, the World Cup brought the name James Rodriguez to the forefront after being named the winner of the golden boot award, including a stunning 25-yard volley in-off the underside of the crossbar after controlling the ball on his chest. The growth of football in America also took a turn for the better with Jurgen Klinsmann’s side initially written off, making the Last 16, a game which saw them narrowly lose out to Belgium. Television viewings for this set the highest watched sporting event in United States history, some feit considering the popularity of the Super Bowl.

 

The most iconic factor was the run of hosts Brazil. Usually a side best characterised for their swift, attacking samba style and trickery, Filipe Scolari’s five-time World Cup champions failed to set any new milestones. Apart from a good run out against both Cameroon and Colombia noted as their best performances, the Verde-Amarela had difficulty in recapturing the form they displayed twelve months earlier in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.  The hardest result for them to swallow was to Germany, with supporters in tears and a defence that played with their shorts round their ankles, David Luiz and co shipped in seven goals in Belo Horizonte to a solitary one. The semi-final was supposed to have been a game that brought good news to captain Neymar, who suffered from a fractured vertebra in the previous match against Colombia following a wreckless challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the game. However, Brazil were embarrased and torn apart for what they truly were. To be branded as one of the teams to beat was a flawed expectation.

 

Mario Gotze scored the winning goal to settle the final in the Maracana in a 1-0 victory over Argentina

The gold trophy was to be awarded to the Germans which, on the basis of their overall pitch persona and performance, saw them become deserved winners, not just for the seven they put past the hosts which saw them score five in the first twenty-nine minutes. One of the goals included Miroslav Klose’s new World Cup goal scoring record, toppling former Brazilian forward Ronaldo’s previous number. Joachim Low’s had a group of players at his disposal who had grown up in the same generation and finally built up substantial practice at international level to achieve the feit many thought that they had in them. The Nationalelf became the competition’s top goalscorers with eighteen, which on top of the 7-1 overhaul of Brazil, the champions also recorded a 4-0 whitewash of Portugal in the group stages, whilst only conceding five throughout the competition with an assured defence. Captain Phillipe Lahm was a true organiser, Mats Hummels cleared ball after ball with the rest of his back-line, whilst Thomas Muller converted efficiently up front. It took the Germans a total of 113 minutes to add the defining blow to a resiliant Argentinean side, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria in the ranks, as Mario Gotze’s stretching volley sealed a fourth World Cup title. It was to be a score-line that would replicate the 1990 final which laid claim to the very same nations.

 

Legacy

 

The Maracana is celebrated as football’s golden malice on the international stage

One visible feature that began to give the tournament its true complexion was the party atmosphere, which started a week or so before the opening ceremony and carried on throughout the competition. Rio’s Cocabana beach became renowned for its scintillating rich colour and high definition entertainment, from the rise of the midday to the early hours of next moonlit morning, accumulating hundreds among thousands of people from all nationalities. Brazil 2014 became known for being the highest travelling South American visit to the continent for a sporting event. It did however become known for being an event for the wealthy, with super expensive tickets. Only 400,000 of the 3.3 million tickets sold were allocated to local Brazilian fans.

 

Many accused Brazil of social and economical misuse having felt the cost of the event could have been invested in education, healthcare and infastructure improvements. With tourist figures anticipated to mount the 10 million mark by 2020, six years beyond the 2014 World Cup, the government will be expected to spend the gross profit wisely, to decrease crime and poverty in the towns and to build from within the country’s roots despite football being considered a religious cult. The total dividend the country received for a month’s worth of hosting was £2.97bn, a record in the World Cup record books. FIFA awarded a grand total prize money of £23.7m and a sum of £39bn across all 32 teams. The revenue from television was simply astonishing with several games qualifying to be the most watched football scene in history, with the final between Germany and Argentina toppling the rest with ratings of 34.7 million. Brazil 2014 became the most watched but most expensive sporting event of all time.

 

The football itself had a colourful radius to coincide with the visuals in the crowds and outside entertainment, although some of the strongest teams in the competition, especially the Germans benefited from players reveling together regularly in strong coherent leagues. Germany’s triumph capped the first time a European country lifted the biggest prize in international football on Latin American soil and also that three European countries recorded three World Cup wins on the bounce, with Italy winning in 2006 and Spain in 2010. Brazil 2014 helped engage people in complimenting the return of purity to international football, reconfirming its slant as an eminent feature of the sport.

 

Christoph Kramer admitted to the referee that he did not know if it was the World Cup final or not

One aspect that was confirmed on a weak note was the handling of injuries, particularly on head knocks, something that has been of concern over the past twelve or so months in football. Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira lay unconscious before being signalled by his management and the referee to continue despite calls from team doctors to ring in a substitution. Another worrying dismissal of player neglect by those responsible for their health and safety was seen in the final. Borussia Monchengladbach’s midfielder Christoph Kramer, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen played his one and only game for Germany in the finale, received a blow to the head in a forteenth minute collision but was waved on to persist despite looking clearly shaken. After thirty-one minutes Kramer collapsed as a result of the impact, he was soon to be substituted after referee Nicola Rizzoli revealed that the defensive midfielder went on to ask if it was the World Cup final that evening.

 

Other interesting encounters saw the simple revelation of vanishing spray coming to the foray. The foam liquid was introduced for match officials on the field to use as a marker to restrict defenders from infiltrating the yardage given between them and the ball during a set play. The foam became a hit with some of the top domestic league competitions around the world. The spray has expanded in its usage by being seen in the Premier League, the FA and League cups, plus in UEFA based competitons, the Champions League and Europa League. Another follow on was the summer transfer window which became the most expensive market recorded since its reinvention in during the 2002-03 season.

Although the natives are unhappy with the cost of Brazil 2014, seven months on and the signs of a legacy are for the most part more positive than negative. It will take a number of years until the tournament can be judged as one of the greats with future World Cups on the horizon, however for the time being, Brazil 2014 can consider itself a success and a competition that sits well on the mantel piece alongside some of the best ever held, including Italia 90 which tends to claim it’s thrown above the rest by the majority opinion.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa: Build-Up, Tournament & Legacy

Build Up

FIFA opted for a newfangled, alternative selection to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. No other continent other than Africa would have been contemplated which implied FIFA wanted to compass the appeal of football across an acreage that does not receive the recognition of others. Only few countries put their names in the hat to host the first ever tournament to be held in Africa. South Africa were joined in contest by Egypt, Morocco and a joint bid by both Libya and Tunisia. Tunisia shortly withdrew their interest which left Libya with no choice but to surrender their initial proposal. It was deemed by FIFA that Libya would not be able to sustain the weight of design and expectation from the competition. Without Tunisia in partnership there was concern that Libya would not be able to supply the required resources. With the bidding process narrowed down in terms of contenders to a three-way crusade, the venue for the 2010 World Cup was decided in May 2004. South Africa scarcely missed out on the 2006 World Cup which was awarded to Germany and therefore gave them the upper hand. As a result, South Africa gained the backing of 14 FIFA representatives which was enough to overlook both Morocco, who calculated 10 votes and Egypt who failed to register any support. In confirmation of South Africa’s victory, the late Nelson Mandela emotionally lifted the World Cup trophy into the air to celebrate his country’s prosperous bid.

 

Johannesburg’s Soccer City: The venue for the final

So it began, South Africa had six years to prepare with the density of Europe, both North and South America and Asia overtly glaring over their shoulders, knowing of the host’s lack of experience at entertaining such a large programme. Ten stadiums were planned, five new and five to be renovated, including Johannesburg’ s Soccer City which would be granted the final. Sadly, South Africa did not get the initial backing from a small minority of countries from external real estates. Most notably, former German hero Franz Beckenbauer and Horst R. Schmidt hoisted concerns over South Africa’s planning, methodology and pace in preparation. This built up a small collection of anxieties, including sneaking suspicions that the tournament had been moved to another location. Such innuendos were increasingly denied by FIFA and the South African football federation.

 

Although goal-line technology was being wired in the background of FIFA’s forthcoming plans, its usage through a fast-track campaign was soon to be extinguished by syndicates involved in South African football. This encouraged tournament planners to spread the cost into public transport, security and promotion of the event. Soon after 70,000 construction workers went on strike over reprimands on pay, with many workers walking away with a meager £192 per month. The strike was quickly liquidated but this did not put an end to early controversies behind catering for the large number of tourists visiting from overseas. Poverty and theft in South Africa became notable, whilst concerns with many travelling football supporters being at risk of the victimisation of crime saw the natives stealing goods at will. Security breaches also began to manifest with fans entering both team training camps and privatised ground facilities. One male wormed his way passed security to enter the England training camp which was visited by both Prince William and Prince Harry moments before his goofy escapade. Anti eviction campaigns accrued in numbers to criticise the lack of considerstion for the poor. One example led within Cape Town saw the N2 Gateway housing project, a regime that planned to move more than 20,000 natives and the homeless from the slums to transit camps, along the busy N2 Freeway in order to build rental flats and accomodation for fans in time for the tournament’s initiation process. Authorities went on to backfire remarks by stating that such evictions were common practise in order to ‘tidy up’ the country’s image.  This led to a lack of recognition for class, with football being stereotyped as the ‘poor black man’s game’ whilst the ‘wealthy white’ South African’s concentrated on both rugby and cricket, which in turn offered the country their seventh heaven on the sporting front.

 

From a footballing state of mind, the trials and tribulation of qualifcation threw up one of the most contentious routes to the tournament in the European sector. A two-legged play-off between an uninspired French side and an ambitious Republic of Ireland was decided by one of the leading talents amongst his peers. Former Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry handled the ball in the Irish box to stop the it from exceeding the white line before his assisited cross was buried by William Gallas to seal the tie. Ireland were ruthless and played with affection, holding the French for almost the full two games before Henry graced the ball with his palm. The Irish complained and put forward a request for 33 teams to be involved rather than the novel 32. Ireland were denied the opportunity and thereafter withdrew their appeal despite a clear token of evidence and an ‘honest’ declaration from Henry who owned up to the matter soon after the game.

 

Tournament

 

France implode after training ground bust ups between the playing staff and management

The group stages saw some huge headlines. To begin with, both the 2006 World Cup finalists, winners Italy and runners-up France were eliminated in the preliminary round as both propped the bottom of their groups. In turn, it became the first time in World Cup history that both finalists failed to reach the second round. Italy were generally poor with Marcelo Lippi’s side drawing with Paraguay and debutants New Zealand before conceding three goals in a jarring 3-2 defeat to Slovakia. It was to be the first time Gil Azzuri failed to win a game in a World Cup finals competition. Raymond Domenech’s Les Bleus simply imploded in what was verified as one of the most shameful exits. The French drew their first game 0-0 with Uruguay before conceding to a 2-0 killing by Mexico prior to conceding to host nation South Africa. On top of an under par showing, negative publicity circled the team in their training camp which then had further repercussions back in France. Nicolas Anelka was sent home for being at the centre of the unrest with his manager during the half time period against Mexico. His expulsion saw the rest of the team boycott training before the third group stage game. With an image of a disgraced nation, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy met with team captain Thierry Henry to discuss the meltdown, slowly but surely coach Domenech was relieved of his duties.

 

The South African team went on to set a rather unwanted record by becoming the only hosts ever to be eliminated in the first phase despite putting all their cards on the table. The Bafana Bafana played with a positive profile but a lack of quality saw them fall short by goal difference to the Mexicans, despite winning their third match with divine attacking flare against the French. Initial signs looked reasonably bright in the opening game against Mexico with Siphiwe Tshabalala belting in one of the goals of the tournament, victory came within a whisker as forward Katlego Mphela hit the woodwork with minutes to play. Game two was a trial to forget for the home nation, going down to a 3-0 clean sweep to surprise semi-finalists Uruguay under the brace of player of the tournament Diego Forlan who netted twice, including a spot kick ten minutes from time. With Mexico beating France in game two, South Africa had a mountain to climb in order to advance to the Last 16. Despite a vivacious 2-1 win over the French, the jubilation of such an upset was not enough. The anchors packed their bags early and any optimism was soon blotted out, inviting a taunting vibe from local support for their premature exit.

 

The era under Joel Santana saw some of the darkest days in South African international football, including an early demise from the 2008 African Cup of Nations and failure to qualify for the very same tournament two years later. Carlos Alberto Parreira, in his second spell as coach, restored a short relief, seeing the hosts record a famous win over one of the World Cup 2010 favourites whilst introducing an attacking, risky flare which the fans accustomed to. Parreira soon retired on conclusion of the World Cup and suggested to enforce strong regime to help youth development in the country.

 

Luis Suarez’s goal-line save wasn’t enough to give Ghana the advantage

Controversies during World Cup games continued into the latter stages of the tournament with the last remaining African nation as Ghana were denied by Luis Suarez and his goal-line saving handball during the extra time period. The score-line stood at 1-1 at the end of regulation time and the Ghanaians were on top. In the dying embers of extra time the Black Stars claimed a free-kick and prized it directly into the box. Stephen Appiah’s initial shot was blocked by Suarez on the line before Dominic Adiyah’s goalbound header was kept out by the then Liverpool striker’s mits. A professional foul was given and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. With Suarez dismissed and the tension on top record, former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan rocketed the ball against the crossbar which set the tie up to run the the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. With two short bursts of misfortune, Ghana lost all forms of momentum and confidence, it was from then that the last representative of Africa was elimated after losing 4-2 from the 12-yards.

 

2010 saw some commodious scorelines, both inherited by the Germans and the Portuguese.  Crisitano Ronaldo and co sent North Korea down the bypass with a 7-0 hammering in Cape Town in front of 63,644 supporters thanks to six different goal-scorers. The result recorded the losing side’s biggest ever defeat in what was only their second World Cup, their first back in 1966. Germany turned up their energy levels in the Round of 16 and the Quarter Finals with astonishing scoreboard readings over both England and Argentina. The deliberation for goal-line technology was confirmed in Bloemfontein’s Free State Stadium against rivals England. The Germans took a confident 2-0 lead with goals from Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski before the Three Lions switched on prior to half time with a comeback goal from Matthew Upson. A second England wave two minutes later saw Frank Lampard hit a rasping shot from distance, beating Manual Neuer and clouting the crossbar, with the ball clearly crossing the line before the bouncing out of the net rather than hitting the back of it. The goal was disallowed as Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda judged the ball to ricochet back onto the pitch and not passed the white line. Despite Fabio Capello’s side contesting the decision in numbers, Germany went on to dominate proceedings after half time with the leading official’s call quite clearly tormenting the England player’s poise. A double from the impressive Thomas Muller following an assist by Bastian Schweinsteiger in a swift counter attack for his first and a penetrating run from Mesut Ozil after latching onto a mistake from Gareth Barry before teeing up Muller for his second settled the score at 4-1, England’s biggest defeat to the Germans at the World Cup stage.

 

Cape Town saw Germany smash Argentina 4-0 in the Quarter-finals with an early nod from Thomas Muller which erupted a second half onslaught to follow, with finishes from Miroslav Klose scoring two and defender Arne Freidrich sliding in to seal a classic performance. Nonetheless, their recreation was cut loose in the semi-finals as eventual winners and tournament favourites Spain secured their final spot with a 73rd minute header from captain Carles Puyol from the resulting corner. Germany took the bronze medal over the Uruguyan’s with a 3-2 victory in Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

 

Andres Iniesta’s extra-time goal gave Spain their first World Cup win

On to the final and winners Spain met the Netherlands in front of a staggering 84,490 fans in Johannesburg, in the sixth final which included non-former champions. Retired Premier League official Howard Webb took charge of the match at Soccer City which saw two major incidences, with the winning goal proving to be the least spoken of the two. Andres Iniesta sealed Spain’s first World Cup title with a goal in the 116th minute in extra time, seeing Vicente del Bosque’s side become only the eighth nation to win the title and the first to become double champions after lifting the UEFA European Championship trophy two years prior to South Africa. The most critical talking point was due to a hideous challenge by Holland’s Nigel de Jong on Xabi Alonso which connoted similarly to a common midrift kick to the torso in martial arts. The offence was ‘missed’ by the English match officials and went without a booking. The Spanish walked away with £20.3m worth of prize money and a victory over a team who tried to win the title by assaulting the opposition.

 

Legacy

 

Lampard’s ‘no goal’ was enough to finally convince FIFA to consider goal-line technology

In reflection, South Africa 2010 as a whole in terms of comments made by major media firms, including broadcasting companies such as the BBC and ITV branded the tournament a ‘disappointment’ due to a number of factors. The standard of football at the tournament was deemed to be missing the flourish expected at such events. Managers and their players were accused of being too defensive and lacking adventure. It had been recorded that 11,000 fans per game failed to utilise their tickets which hampered records. Other points did include Frank Lampard’s ‘goal that wasn’t’ or that it was unusual to have a World Cup where the hosting nation did not progress to the knockout stages. However the most critical pointer above all was the sonance of a horn known as the vuvuzela, a large ‘instrument’ which when grouped together by thousands of its users was deafening. The device was said to have failed football’s awareness by amplifying a racket that blew out what was most important: the action on the field. A host of players raised concerns on the vuvuzela, particular names including Patrice Evra, the French national left back cursed the noise on influencing his team’s poor performance. Lionel Messi went on record to tell of how the horns tampered with communication on the field by all involved, between team-mates, players and staff on the sidelines and by match officials. To add further ammunition a number of commentators said that they felt their voices were being drowned out by the sound, whilst some broadcasters hinted at quietening or removing the ambient noise from the screen to ease the annoyance for viewers. As a result, all vuvuzelas were banned from club football and have not been seen on the international stage since. In a Colin Murray radio slot on talkSPORT, guest presenter and former Liverpool and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamman branded South Africa 2010 the worst World Cup to date due to the noise and poor displays by those on the pitches.

 

The vuvuzela caused uproar throughout the tournament for it’s powerful tone

In terms of raising awareness of football in Africa, despite South Africa’s constant struggles on the international stage, the Africa Cup of Nations has come more to the forefront with a larger scale and global emphasis, whilst the influx of imports to big European clubs has been on a continuous rise. Players including Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba have been joined in recognition with the likes of Ghana’s Kwadwo Asamoah of Juventus, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Southampton, Nabil Bentaleb who features in midfield for both Algeria and Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund attacker Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang of Gabonese decent. If we are to compare the trend of league football in Africa with some of the most prominent divisions from the rest of the globe, as a continent there is little to suggest that the standard is close to or ever has a chance of matching any other association around the world. In terms of leaving a lasting legacy, South Africa as a nation celebrated with a short smile on their faces. Unlike many leagues in Europe for instance, less than a handful of teams bare any recognition outside of the South African perimeters, with Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs usually coming to the forefront of any suggestion. With inequality, poverty and social struggles it is hard to see any major overhaul in the near or even distant future.

 

The tournament did provide an economical boost for South Africa and it’s image, which Sepp Blatter moved to congratulate the country on the quality and design of the contest, whilst sporting strong transport and infastructure links. With revenues of £2.24bn, food and merchandise quarters grew significantly, however local businesses languished without a credible turnover. The cost of the 2010 World Cup valued at almost ten times the amount that South Africa spends on treatments for tackling HIV. Since the crowds ceased in numbers, the country has seen the remaining transport facilities go unused, whilst the toll of maintaining stadiums including the Green Point Urban Park in Cape Town is costing taxpayers in excess of £2m a year. The only legacy left it seems is a host of empty, unwanted artificial pitches that even tourists no longer wish to see.