Premier League clubs are in a race against time to complete their summer transfer business before the window slams shut on August 9th. A combination of the World Cup, preseason tour commitments, and an early deadline day has left precious little time for managers to secure new players for the season ahead.
This premium on players leaves managers around England with a tough decision to make – pay over the odds for their targets or delay any moves into the transfer market. However, with just over two weeks left before deadline day, delaying any moves in the market could result in missing out on targets altogether.
Will any of these teams complete a summer signing before the August 9th deadline day?
#3 Tottenham Hotspur
It has been an extremely quiet transfer window so far for Spurs. The North London club’s only activity in the window thus far has been the sale of teenager Keanan Bennetts to Borussia Monchengladbach for €2.24 million way back in May.
Tottenham’s chairman, Daniel Levy, is a notoriously tough negotiator, extracting the highest possible value when selling players and penny-pinching to the extreme when bringing new faces into the club. He was widely praised for pulling off a coup when signing Lucas Moura for just under €13 million back in January.
However, the businessman’s strict policy on transfers could potentially damage Tottenham’s excellent progress under Mauricio Pochettino. Having finished third in the Premier League last season, the Argentine manager should feel that a title challenge is a real possibility for Spurs this year if he can make improvements to the squad.
Potential Signings
The club has been heavily linked with a move for Aston Villa attacking midfielder, Jack Grealish. A longtime target for Spurs, the 22-year-old could potentially be free to move after Villa was taken over by a billionaire consortium. However, the Midlands club would still demand somewhere in the region of €33.5 million for their star player.
With Grealish their main priority, Tottenham may swoop for another creative player in the shape of Wilfred Zaha. The former Manchester United player impressed greatly for Crystal Palace last season and recently rejected a contract extension at Crystal Palace. However, the ludicrous price tag of €79 million slapped on Zaha is a very large stumbling block.
#2 Everton
After a frustrating season last time out, Everton has been surprisingly quiet during the transfer window. Without any incoming players, the Toffees have sold Ramiro Funes Mori to Villarreal for just under €5 million and released Wayne Rooney and Joel Robles on free transfers.
Marco Silva’s appointment this summer was greeted with excitement and expectations of a promising season ahead by Everton fans. However, the new boss is yet to make a single signing to improve a very average squad. With the club looking to slash their wage bill and squad size, Silva could struggle to put his stamp on this Everton team during the transfer window.
Michael Keane, Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Theo Walcott, and Cenk Tosun also all arrived during this period for transfer fees of over €20 million each and on bumper pay packets. Despite the heavy investment, Everton struggled badly in the league and finished a disappointing 8th, 5 points behind Burnley.
Potential Signings
It seems extremely likely that Marco Silva will reunite with Richarlison in the coming days. The Brazilian forward is reportedly set to complete a medical in the next 24 hours before completing a move to Merseyside. Everton fans, however, may balk at the extraordinary €56 million fee being quoted for a player who failed to create an assist or score a goal in 2018.
There have also been reports of a swoop for Barcelona defender, Yerry Mina. The Columbian World Cup hero only arrived at the Nou Camp in January but is keen to play first-team football in the coming season. The defender is currently valued at around €20 million by the Catalans and could prove a bargain if Everton captures his signature.
While these two transfers seem most likely to happen, Marco Silva will need to work on trimming his squad if he wishes to make further signings before the transfer deadline.
#1 Burnley
With Europa League commitments this season, Burnley will require a far deeper squad than last season. In recent seasons, we have witnessed teams which qualify for Europe struggle in the Premier League due to the extra demands placed on the squad from additional midweek fixtures.
Sean Dyche will be acutely aware of the potential pitfalls during the season ahead which makes it even more surprising that he has not dipped into the transfer market yet. While Burnley may not have the ability to attract high-profile names to Turf Moor, the appeal of European football and playing under Dyche should be enough to tempt most footballers.
With their season beginning on Friday, July 27th, when they play a Europa League qualification tie against Aberdeen, Burnley has precious little time to complete any transfer business.
Potential Signings
It is no secret that Sean Dyche is a big admirer of Swansea’s Sam Clucas. Dyche had attempted to buy the midfielder from Hull last season before Clucas opted to pack his bags for the Liberty Stadium instead. However, the Burnley boss has reignited his interest in the 27-year-old this summer and has reportedly tabled a €13.5 million bid to bring him to Turf Moor.
Dyche may complete all his shopping at the Liberty Stadium as another player reportedly on his radar is defender Alfie Mawson. The 24-year-old defender was a mainstay in the Swansea team that were relegated from the Premier League last season and Dyche wants to offer him another season in the top flight. However, the clubs drastically differ with their valuation of the centre-back.
