Ratcliffe’s two Man Utd buys in top 10 Premier League signings of the summer; Spurs star top
Top 10 summer signings ahoy. Here is our early ranking of the best Premier League business in the 2024 summer transfer window.
10) Joshua Zirkzee (Man Utd, £36.5m)
The fee paid for Zirkzee is very respectable when you consider his age, potential, and how much he already has to his game. Nevertheless, we are wary after Rasmus Hojlund’s debut season. Both will be vying for a starting spot under Erik ten Hag but can benefit from not being the only reliable option up front, which massively hindered Hojlund in 2023/24.
9) Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest, £12m)
Nottingham Forest have gone through so many defenders and goalkeepers since being promoted to the Premier League in 2022 and the best signing of the bunch has arguably been Moussa Niakhate. He is gone now, and Milenkovic is a very good replacement.
He has been strongly linked with a move to England for a while and we are looking forward to seeing how the physical Serbian gets on at the City Ground.
8) Ibrahim Osman (Brighton, £16m)
A Brighton player simply has to be in this top 10. This is Brighton and Hove Albion we are talking about.
The Seagulls nail it in the transfer window every single time and we think Osman is the pick of the bunch. Though it probably would have been Yankuba Minteh if I woke up on the other side of the bed this morning. It will end up being the cheapest of the lot, though.
7) Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham, £8.5m)
There is no point sitting here claiming to know everything about Bergvall. He spent 18 months at Djurgarden before being snapped up by Tottenham, officially joining in July after the two clubs agreed a deal in the winter transfer window.
What we do know about Bergvall is that he is one hell of a prospect and Spurs are very excited about him. And Barcelona wanted him as well, which is always a good sign.
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6) Lloyd Kelly (Newcastle, free)
We are a sucker for a free transfer. Kelly vastly improves a Newcastle back-line desperate for reinforcements. He is capable of playing left-back, which he likely will for Dan Burn to slot into a more comfortable centre-back position. Perhaps he will partner Fabian Schar in the heart of Eddie Howe’s defense with Tino Livramento or Lewis Hall on the left.
Kelly is hardly the shiny new toy Newcastle dreamed of when they became stinking rich but he is a very solid addition.
5) Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace, free)
Signed for nothing after deciding to leave Lazio, Japanese international Kamada has been reunited with Oliver Glasner after winning the Europa League together at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kamada is a highly-rated player and we are looking forward to seeing how he fills the void left by Michael Olise. Crystal Palace are a team to be excited about.
4) Leny Yoro (Man Utd, £52m)
The potential of this guy is scary. So is the reception from some. The ‘Man United are back!’ mafia is back out in full force with this one, wanting you to believe they beat Real Madrid to Yoro’s signature as the 18-year-old simply could not turn down the opportunity to play at the Theatre of Dreams.
It didn’t quite go like that. On one hand, Man Utd have paid £52m for a teenager available for nothing next summer and only won the race because Real Madrid weren’t actually that bother. On the other hand, they have signed one of the most promising young footballers in the world capable of becoming even better than a prime Raphael Varane. Either way, we do think it is a wonderful signing.
3) David Raya (Arsenal, £27m)
The fact we know he is a successful Arsenal signing makes it very difficult to put Raya anywhere other than first. Regardless, we don’t want to use that excuse and have knocked him down a couple spots.
Raya spent last season on loan and won the Premier League Golden Glove, but more importantly, the tragic social media battle with Aaron Ramsdale. The £3m loan fee on top of the £27m the Gunners paid to sign him permanently from Brentford is a good job done by all involved.
2) Savinho (Man City, £21m)
This is a transfer that reeks. Nonetheless, it is a great signing. Regardless of the logistics (or dodginess), £21m for a player of Savinho’s quality is borderline ridiculous. He is some talent and showed it at Girona last season.
1) Archie Gray (Tottenham, £35m)
Tottenham have done extremely well to land Leeds United wonderkid Gray, on top of the aforementioned Bergvall.
He is a fantastic young player capable of playing right-back as well as in his natural position of central midfield. This is a future England midfielder right here, folks. Kudos, Ange.
Gray is one of the most expensive Premier League teenagers ever. As is Leny Yoro.
Honourable mentions: Bobby De-Cordova Reid (Leicester, free), Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth, £1.5m), Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa, £37.5m), Flynn Downes (Southampton, £18m), Samuel Iling-Junior (Aston Villa, £11.8m)