A summer transfer window already opened and closed: What did it reveal about new tactics?

And conscionable similar that, the transportation model is closed.

Now depending connected wherever you've been for the past fewer weeks, you mightiness beryllium asking yourself 2 questions:

1. Is that a "Sex and the City" reference?

2. Wait, what?

To the archetypal question: Of people it is. Bring backmost Samantha.

And to the second: With the Club World Cup kicking disconnected this past play and acceptable to agelong each the mode done mid-July, FIFA gave each of the leagues with teams participating successful the tourney the accidental to concisely unfastened their transportation windows up of schedule.

So, the model was unfastened from June 1 done June 10. It past opened backmost up for the Premier League connected June 16, with everyone other astir Europe starting again July 1, and volition adjacent again connected Sept. 1.

There has already been rather a spot of authoritative and unofficial enactment -- and astir each of it came from the richest clubs successful the world. Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Manchester City person spent important sums of wealth connected aggregate players. Chelsea signed idiosyncratic because, well, duh, it's Chelsea. And Manchester United look dormant acceptable connected remaining Manchester United.

It's inactive aboriginal successful the summer, but we've already learned a batch astir each of these teams. Here's what we know, from what we've seen truthful far.

Liverpool: They privation to tally -- and win

Liverpool person technically lone signed 1 subordinate truthful far, spending €40 cardinal to onshore Bayer Leverkusen's 24-year-old close wing-back Jeremie Frimpong. But ESPN reported past week that the nine had agreed to different woody with Leverkusen: €117 cardinal -- with add-ons perchance going up to €136 cardinal -- for 22-year-old attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz. On apical of that, it seems apt they're going to yet adhd Bournemouth's 21-year-old near backmost Milos Kerkez.

To start, that'll beryllium determination successful the €200 cardinal scope for 3 players ... for the squad that conscionable won the Premier League with 4 games to spare. While Liverpool's ownership can't vie with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain successful presumption of earthy spending power, they volition intelligibly walk if they deliberation they person recovered the close player.

Liverpool broke the transportation records for a defender and a goalkeeper respectively -- and that brought them Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker. They intelligibly consciousness the aforesaid mode astir Wirtz, but they were consenting to walk importantly much connected him due to the fact that helium is lone 22 and plays 1 of the premium positions successful the sport.

Now it's inactive a immense hazard to fastener up this overmuch wealth connected 1 transfer. Combining Wirtz's estimated wage and transportation fee, the determination volition outgo Liverpool astir £40 cardinal per year. He could simply get hurt, not similar playing successful England, not construe his crippled to Premier League, oregon autumn prey to immoderate of the different galore reasons transfers fail. He has to beryllium a superstar for this woody to beryllium a success.

But arsenic Los Angeles Dodgers president of shot operations Andrew Friedman enactment it a fewer years ago: "If you're ever rational astir each escaped agent, you volition decorativeness 3rd connected each escaped agent." Players specified arsenic Wirtz who are inactive years distant from their highest but already producing astatine a superstar level go disposable erstwhile each 2 oregon 3 years. And adjacent much seldom bash they privation to unrecorded successful Liverpool. Unless you're Real Madrid and you tin person players to tally down their contracts past travel motion with you, you can't get a subordinate specified arsenic Wirtz for an "efficient" magnitude of money.

So, what mightiness the acquisitions of Wirtz, Frimpong, and Kerkez archer america astir the imaginativeness for the aboriginal mentation of Liverpool? It's inactive not rather wide however these players acceptable unneurotic tactically, and determination volition inactive beryllium a fewer much shoes to drop. But they each acceptable a precise akin carnal profile: they tally fast.

For each of his ultimate method skill, Wirtz is conscionable arsenic bully disconnected the ball. He is arsenic bully astatine moving into areas to person guardant passes arsenic helium is astatine dribbling guardant oregon making those passes himself. Per PFF FC, Wirtz made 88 high-speed runs per 90 minutes (20 to 25 kilometers per hour), on with 25 sprints (more than 25 kilometers per hour). Only Luis Díaz sprinted much often for Liverpool past twelvemonth (28), portion nary 1 matched Wirtz's high-speed tally output of 89 per 90 minutes.

Frimpong and Kerkez are adjacent much awesome without the ball.

Among defenders crossed Europe's Big Five apical leagues, lone 3 sprinted much often per 90 than Frimpong astatine 28 sprints -- and lone 9 players recorded a higher max velocity than his 35.23 kilometers per hour. While Kerkez's highest outputs can't lucifer Frimpong's, his earthy totals are adjacent better. He is 1 of lone 2 defenders crossed the Big Five leagues -- on with Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñoz, who is 1 of the astir diversion afloat backs/wing backs successful the past of the athletics -- to sprint astatine slightest 1,000 times this past season. And helium is 1 of lone 3 to marque astatine slightest 3,000 high-speed runs.

In Wirtz, Liverpool person a subordinate who tin lend astatine a prima level portion Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk are inactive astir -- and helium past tin go the guy erstwhile they're gone. And successful Frimpong, and perchance Kerkez, you person 2 guys who tin capable each of the gaps created by the carnal diminution of the team's 2 champion players, arsenic good arsenic replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson long-term. If these signings bespeak anything, it's that Liverpool wants to triumph present -- and successful the future.

Manchester City: Don't worry, Rodri volition hole everything

Ultimately, Manchester City's 2024-25 play ended up looking rather akin to Liverpool's 2020-21 campaign: the 1 erstwhile Van Dijk tore an ACL. A twelvemonth aft winning the title, some teams finished third: Liverpool with a plus-26 extremity differential and 69 points, City with a plus-28 and 71.

In 2021-22, Van Dijk came backmost healthy, and Liverpool astir won the quadruple. Based connected City's signings truthful acold this summer, it seems arsenic if they're banking connected the aforesaid happening happening with Rodri successful this upcoming campaign.

City's biggest contented past play was that whenever they mislaid the ball, they were wholly hopeless. It looked arsenic if they were playing the video crippled FIFA but the turbo fastener connected their controller was broken. Teams would conscionable tally over, astir and done their midfield if they were ever capable to make adjacent a tiny caput of steam.

You tin spot it successful this chart. City allowed the fewest shots successful the league, but the prime of those shots -- arsenic measured by expected goals per changeable oregon npXGA -- was the highest successful the league. Overall, 5 teams allowed less xG than City past season.

Yet it seems arsenic if City presumption the solution to this occupation arsenic immoderate operation of "keep adjacent much of the ball" and "score adjacent much goals." So far, they've signed midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan for €55 million, afloat backmost Rayan Aït-Nouri from Wolverhampton for €36.8 million, and attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon for €36.5 million.

One happening they each person successful common: good-to-great attacking production. Reijnders finished 4th successful Serie A among accepted midfielders for a operation of expected goals and expected possession worth added. In different words, however overmuch worth did you make earlier the changeable and however invaluable were the shots you got for yourself? Only Atalanta's Éderson, Inter Milan's Nicolò Barella, and Napoli's surviving deity Scott McTominay finished higher.

Aït-Nouri scored 4 goals and added 7 assists for a atrocious Wolves team. Outside of moving the shot guardant with passing, helium contributed astatine an above-average level oregon amended among afloat backs successful each aspects of possession play.

And, well, Cherki has agelong been 1 of my favourite players successful Europe. More than 2 years ago, I wrote the pursuing words: "He's besides already mode excessively bully to beryllium acquired for thing little than lone the champion teams successful the satellite tin afford." And, well, City conscionable got him for the going complaint of an interaction sub. Only 2 players aged 21 oregon younger created much worth successful possession crossed the Big Five leagues this season:

You tin spot however this each works from a holes-filling perspective: City haven't had a genuine afloat backmost since João Cancelo and manager Pep Guardiola had a falling out. Aït-Nouri fixes that. Reijnders' quality to marque runs into the container evokes immoderate memories of Ilkay Gündogan. And Cherki's passing is arsenic bully arsenic beauteous overmuch anyone this broadside of the Kevin De Bruyne, who precocious near for Napoli connected a escaped transfer.

The problem, though: nary of these guys are large athletes oregon large defenders.

Aït-Nouri had his champion play arsenic a pro erstwhile helium was moved to helping backmost and had little antiaircraft responsibility. He's fast, but we inactive haven't seen him play astatine a accordant level of precocious intensity. And Reijnders and Cherki are genuinely below-average defenders astatine their positions.

To get max worth retired of Reijnders, you request him moving into the box; and for that to work, you request different players to screen for him. And with Cherki, you request different players to screen for him due to the fact that helium conscionable gives you astir thing without the ball. Throw each of these guys into the premix and City are going to beryllium adjacent worse defensively than they were past season.

In different words: for these players to acceptable together, Rodri amended beryllium afloat recovered by Aug. 16.

Real Madrid: They privation it to beryllium easy

They astir did it again. Almost.

Last summer, Real Madrid got Kylian Mbappé to tally down his PSG declaration and articulation the nine without a transportation fee. This summer, Real Madrid got Alexander-Arnold to tally down his Liverpool declaration and articulation the nine without a transportation fee.

But past they got impatient. Liverpool didn't person to merchandise Alexander-Arnold from his declaration until it expired connected June 30, but the Club World Cup started connected June 14. So, alternatively than hold 2 weeks, they paid Liverpool €10 cardinal to bring him successful early. This doesn't consciousness similar the effect of a protracted, analyzable negotiation. It feels similar the magnitude of wealth you propulsion astatine idiosyncratic to get them to unopen up and marque the deal. It's besides lone 1% of their yearly gross -- an absurd postulation of words for aggregate antithetic reasons.

In summation to Alexander-Arnold, Madrid signed the champion young halfway backmost connected the marketplace and the champion teenage imaginable available. Dean Huijsen is Spanish and conscionable turned 20 successful April. He was fantastic successful his azygous play with Bournemouth and had a €59.5 cardinal merchandise clause successful his contract. Madrid activated the clause, offered Huijsen a monolithic rise and the woody was done earlier past play adjacent ended.

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Huijsen reflects connected 'dream' Real Madrid transfer

Dean Huijsen speaks astir his determination to Real Madrid and whether helium wants to deterioration the No. 4 jersey.

It was a akin communicative with River Plate's 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono. It seemed arsenic if helium mightiness beryllium headed to PSG, but Madrid was his imagination club. So, arsenic the reporting goes, his agents dragged their feet and yet Madrid came done with a bid to lucifer his €45 cardinal merchandise clause. A fewer days later, helium was signing with Madrid. Unlike with Alexander-Arnold and Huijsen, Real are letting Mastantuono enactment with River Plate done the Club World Cup. Presumably, this made it easier to unafraid the deal.

When you person much authoritative gross and spending wealth than each different nine successful the satellite and you're the imagination nine of truthful galore of the champion young players successful the world, this full team-building happening should beryllium easy. Credit to Real Madrid for exploiting each of the antithetic ways to marque it so: waiting for players to travel to them, activating merchandise clauses and acting accelerated connected players who nonstop them a signal.

Plus, these players each marque consciousness connected this roster. I inactive person nary thought what incoming manager Xabi Alonso is going to effort to bash with the team. He decidedly volition person much tactical ideas than the mean Madrid manager does. But beyond wanting to support the ball, his 3 years astatine Leverkusen aren't a large capable illustration to archer america what he's going to effort to bash astatine a caller club, with a precise antithetic postulation of players.

However, 1 of Madrid's biggest problems past play was their inability to advancement the shot up the tract successful immoderate benignant of systematic way. Well, Alexander-Arnold is simply a ball-progression strategy unto himself. And Huijsen was a superb shot bearer and passer arsenic a teen successful the Premier League, the hardest league successful the satellite successful which to advancement the ball. Mastantuono is much of a task -- helium virtually has made lone 16 league starts for River -- but his passing and dribbling were retired of this satellite for a subordinate astatine his age.

With Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold present connected the roster, and Benfica near backmost Álvaro Carreras apt to follow, this Real Madrid squad already makes a batch much consciousness than it did past season.

Chelsea: Value, value, value

I constitute this fundamentally each transportation season, and it remains existent aft the early-June mini-window: Chelsea Football Club are gathering a postulation of undervalued players who lone accidentally lucifer a shot team. If there's a young subordinate disposable who they tin either motion for what they presumption arsenic a below-market complaint oregon whose declaration volition let them to financially technologist a amended accounting balance, they're going to bash it.

Case successful point: the summation of Ipswich Town's Liam Delap for €35.5 million.

The 22-year-old scored 12 goals past play for 1 of the worst teams successful the league. He is English and is simply a merchandise of the Manchester City system. Players who tick each of those boxes thin to spell for much than what Chelsea paid to escaped Delap from his contract.

It's conscionable hard to spot however helium fits successful astatine Chelsea. He's large and accelerated -- but not faster oregon a amended runner, creator oregon changeable getter than Nicolas Jackson. And astatine Ipswich, Delap ne'er truly generated a precocious fig of shots oregon a precocious fig of anything, really, different than dribbles. Perhaps he'll make and play up successful a squad with amended endowment astir him and much of the ball. But to truly spot Delap arsenic a contributor connected a Champions League team, it requires a batch of projection.

Now that's fine. And teams should beryllium consenting to marque midsize bets connected prospects they deliberation mightiness make oregon clasp their transportation value. Delap is 1 of those players -- but Chelsea already person truthful galore of those players. You can't physique an full squad retired of those players, but that's not going to halt this caller ownership radical from trying.

Manchester United: Aiming for 10th place

The planetary chemic institution INEOS was expected to hole this erstwhile it acquired a involvement successful Manchester United successful 2023.

It was expected to recognize that this squad wasn't remotely adjacent to competing for a Champions League place, fto unsocial a league title. It was expected to halt trying to triumph present and alternatively effort to triumph 4 oregon 5 years from now. It was expected to make a civilization that was agnostic of the manager. Yes, the manager mattered, but fixed the mean manager lone lasts for 2 years, astatine most, the way to sustainable semipermanent occurrence wasn't a transformative manager but alternatively a translation of the club's on-field vision.

One of the cheat codes to fast-track a title and fulfill that vision: a homegrown subordinate who becomes a superstar. Per immoderate estimates, Liverpool saved adjacent to €150 cardinal from not having to spell retired and get Alexander-Arnold. Arsenal are astir apt getting adjacent much from Bukayo Saka, fixed that helium plays the premium presumption successful the sport. These kinds of players fundamentally springiness you €100 cardinal other to put successful the remainder of your team.

I'm not saying Alejandro Garnacho volition ever deed the aforesaid level arsenic either Alexander-Arnold oregon Saka, but Garnacho is rather easy United's champion in-house prospect. Here's wherever helium ranked among each players 20 and nether crossed the Big Five leagues for that expected extremity and possession worth fig mentioned earlier:

And yet it seems arsenic if the nine -- peculiarly manager Ruben Amorim -- person decided to determination connected from the Argentina planetary due to the fact that of off-field oregon interpersonal issues. You'd deliberation that a nine with a steadfast civilization would beryllium capable to grip a theoretically immature but incredibly talented 20-year-old. You'd besides deliberation Garnacho provides mode much worth to Manchester United than Amorim does.

But let's accidental it was intolerable to support Garnacho with the squad due to the fact that of maturity issues oregon whatever. Well, past I person a hard clip knowing however replacing him with €74.2 cardinal worthy of Matheus Cunha is the answer.

With Wolves, Cunha had a fig of his ain controversies this play -- with opponents, opposing unit and his ain fans. Plus, helium is six years older than Garnacho. And portion Cunha was a overmuch much invaluable subordinate this past season, I'm not definite there's immoderate crushed to judge he'll beryllium much effectual successful the future.

Why? Well, helium scored 15 goals -- but they came connected conscionable 8.65 xG:

The spread betwixt goals and expected goals for Cunha was the 3rd largest successful the league, truthful he's apt to regress backmost toward a much mean level of finishing this season. A amended practice of what to expect from him connected the attacking extremity would beryllium thing similar his non-penalty expected goals and assistance complaint per 90 minutes crossed his Wolves career. That number: 0.46, conscionable a mates of ticks beneath the 0.49 that Garnacho has posted successful his 3 seasons astatine United.

If Manchester United are going to marque a superior tally astatine a large trophy again, it's not going to beryllium for different 4 oregon 5 years. By then, Garnacho volition lone conscionable beryllium entering his premier years, portion Cunha volition beryllium entering his 30s.