Transfers are an essential component of football. In the summer of 2021 occurred a number of transfers of athletes to other clubs, which deeply shocked the public. For example, Lionel Messi became a PSG player – it is difficult to imagine something more sensational. Cristiano Ronaldo returned to his home club Manchester United, his transfer was delayed until the last moment and there were even talks about him going to Manchester City, but such a historic comeback did occur in the end. There is an opportunity to predict possible transfers in football betting – can you imagine how much a person who predicted Messi’s transfer could have won?
But Kylian Mbappe, for instance, was predicted to move to Real Madrid – but it never happened. PSG managed to keep one of the most promising football players in their squad. The Mbappe-Neymar-Messi trio is genuinely outstanding. And in general, the French club has become one of the main sources of sensations in the football market – we can also recall the transfer of defender Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Milan.
Experts are trying to guess – should we expect a similar activity level in the winter period? Will there be a “boom” in the transfer market that will surprise the public and change the situation in the top championships of the world? It is not yet known. But what we can talk about for sure are the transitions that have taken place already. Let’s have a more detailed look at the best acquisitions of clubs.
1. Ferran Torres (from Manchester City to Barcelona)
So, this might well be one of the main transfers of this winter. Barcelona has become significantly weaker after the departure of their leading players – Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez; Miralem Pjanic and a few others went on loan. After that, the club failed to make it into the Champions League playoffs for the first time and, having taken third place in its group, got into the Europa League. A defeat to Benfica with a score of 3:0 deserves special notice. It seems that the times of 2015, when Barcelona won the Champions League, are irrevocably gone.
As of yet, it is unclear what to expect from the club in the second most important UEFA tournament because Barcelona has never participated in it before. They have performed in the UEFA Cup, but this is somewhat different.
It is evident that the club needs strong players, but at the same time, is it quite restrained financially. It is pretty well-known that Barcelona has enormous debts and restrictions on the salary cap. This is precisely the reason why the management was forced to sell several players who are now doing great in other clubs. Suarez, for instance, became the La Liga champion with Atletico in the 202021 season.
Ferran Torres is the reinforcement the club was looking for. Let’s be honest, Manchester City has enough top players even without him. Super expensive Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and others. But for Barcelona, such a transfer is just what was needed.
Torres cost a bundle for the Catalan club: 55 million euro plus 10 million euro in bonuses. Isn’t it a risky move, especially considering the club’s debt? It seems like the management is a hundred percent confident in their choice since they signed a contract with Torres until 2027.
The footballer himself has already commented on the transfer and said that he is happy to join Barcelona. He hopes to help the team and make it stronger with his game. He noted that he could play in three positions. Perhaps this is the versatility that the Catalans lacked so much.
2. Rafinha (from PSG to Real Sociedad)
Well, this transfer is somewhat similar to the previous one. Another club sponsored by a wealthy sheikh, with many talented players, decided to share them with a less famous team. One difference is that the player is on loan, so this is not a full-fledged transition.
Rafinha became the 2016 Olympic champion in the national team of Brazil. He was a member of Barcelona for a long time, but we have already mentioned the club’s financial situation. Rafinha was one of those who left the Catalan team. The player has good skills, but after the transfer to PSG, he did not show anything too unique or outstanding. And considering the high competition in the midfield position of the club, it was hardly expected that there would be a real opportunity for the player to demonstrate his skills.
On the other hand, Real Sociedad seems to be the perfect option for this. Here Rafinha can feel like a king. At the same time, the team qualifies for Europa League at least and now ranks sixth in the Spanish La Liga. It is only 4 points short of the bronze medal, so anything is possible.
A few football stars are already in the club – Alexander Isak, David Silva, Mikel Oyarzaball. After they are joined by another master of the game – Rafinha, the chances of success will probably become even higher.
3. Jeremie Boga (from Sassuolo to Ateltico)
At the time of writing, this transfer has not yet taken place. Technically the talented Ivorian remains a player of the Italian Sassuolo since the medical examination at Atalanta has not yet been completed.
But let’s be honest – with a 99% probability, Jeremy Boga will become an Atalanta player after compliance with all formalities. The Bergamasques are very interested in this transition, as they are currently in third and fourth place in the A-Series, and the difference with the second-place – Milan – is only 4 points. Yes, Inter went higher, and there’s an 8 points difference, but everything is possible. Especially considering the fact that Atalanta is known for its comebacks (one has only to remember the 2019/20 season in the Champions League when after scoring 1 point in 4 matches of the group stage, the team managed to get into the playoffs).
There is motivation to compete for higher places, and Jeremie Boga is the ideal player to reinforce the team, considering his performance in Sassuolo and desire to transfer to a stronger club.
4. Brian Brobbey (from RB Leipzig to Ajax)
The RB Leipzig striker on loan returned to his home club Ajax. In the German club, the young talent has not yet been able to bring his talent to light. This transfer is the response of the Netherlands to the temporary absence of Sebastian Alley, who will play for the Ivory Coast national team in January, and, if they make it past 1/4 of the tournament, in February 2022 at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Naturally, since there is a temporary no striker – someone has to cover for him. And bringing back the player who has recently played at the club and is familiar with its structure seems to be the most successful solution.
Interesting fact!
And lastly – some entertaining statistics. Do you know which football club has spent the most money on transfers over the past 20 years? No? Transfermarkt does.
The portal has compiled the following list of “the rich”:
- Chelsea – 2, 4 billion euro;
- Manchester City – 2.3 billion euro;
- Real – 2.2 billion euro.
Such amounts of money seem scary, but this is entirely normal in football, especially considering the two-decade period. And the clubs above take top places in the championships, regularly achieving success in the international arena. Do you remember the final of the last season of the Champion’s League? Chelsea – Manchester City. That’s the result of high transfer costs.
And Juventus is the team that gained the most from transfers, earning 1.45 billion euro.
