7 Most Impressive Summer Signings

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Here are our 7 most impressive summer signings

7. Xherdan Shaqiri to Liverpool – £13.5 million

Right, there are a few factors taken into account in this seven, such as the quality of the player, the fee, how surprising the deal was and how well we think they’ll get on at their new side. Xherdan Shaqiri makes this seven primarily because of the second of those two – his fee. The Swiss international who scored a crucial goal against Serbia at the World Cup cost Liverpool just over £13 million, which is essentially pocket change in the Premier League today.

Shaqiri scored eight goals and made seven assists in a relegated Stoke City side last season – almost double the output of £50 million Everton man Richarlison. Shaqiri may start the season as backup to the likes of Mane and Salah, but he does have the ability to be a starter at Anfield, and he is a phenomenal addition at that price.

6. Lautaro Martinez to Inter Milan – £20 million

Lautaro Martínez of FC Internazionale depart to Nice from Malpensa airport on July 27, 2018 in Milan, Italy.

It’s crazy to think that Inter Milan being able to compete with European giants is seen as surprising, but it would be disingenuous to argue otherwise. It’s eight years since the club won a league title – and seven since they finished higher than fourth. So the fact that they saw off interest from Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United to sign Argentine prospect Lautaro Martinez was a real coup. Martinez is just an excellent young centre-forward who is skillful, clinical and intelligent. The 20-year-old scored 27 goals in 60 games for Racing Club prior to the move, and he will link up with compatriot Mauro Icardi at the San Siro.

5. Justin Kluivert to Roma – £15.8 million

A lot of people were surprised that Justin Kluivert didn’t command a higher fee than £15.8 million. The talented young wide man bagged 11 goals and 5 assists in 28 starts last season, and he is still only 19 years old. Pretty quick and excellent on the ball, Kluivert has real potential, but he still needs to be coached into a genuinely top player. He should get plenty of game time at Roma and, if his attitude is right, he could be moving for serious money in a few years time.

4. Rui Patricio to Wolves – TBC

Rui Patricio of Wolverhampton Wanderers shouts instructions during the pre-season friendly match between Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Bet365 Stadium on July 25, 2018 in…

Wolves have made a string of seriously impressive signings over the last couple of summers, and Rui Patricio would rival Ruben Neves as the pick of the bunch. We’ve made no secret of the fact that we’re a big fan of the Portuguese number one, and we honestly think he would have been a smart signing even for a Liverpool or Arsenal. On a free transfer, he’s arguably the most impressive signing of the summer, but since his move from Sporting is still up in the air and is unlikely to be settled anytime soon, we think fourth is pretty reasonable.

3. Stefan De Vrij to Inter Milan – Free

Inter Milan have obviously had a good summer by our reckoning with two of the seven most impressive signings of this transfer window so far. In Stefan De Vrij, the 2010 treble winners, have probably signed one of the best 30 centre-backs in world football without having to pay a penny to any other club. De Vrij is a Dutch international who starred at the 2014 World Cup and has spent the last four years at Lazio. He’ll be a big player at the back for Inter and is just entering his prime years at 26.

2. Ante Rebic to Eintracht Frankfurt – £1.8 million

Ante Rebic of Croatia looks on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

This is a bit of a funny one, since Ante Rebic has actually been playing for Eintracht Frankfurt for the last two seasons, but he only joined the club on a permanent deal from Fiorentina this summer. The Italians may be kicking themselves after Rebic’s World Cup performances, in which he played a significant role as Croatia reached the final.

A strong, dynamic and direct wide man, Rebic cost Frankfurt only £1.8 million, but his World Cup form has reportedly prompted interest from Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Tottenham. Having only joined the club for less than a couple of million quid earlier this summer, they are now valuing him at 45 million euros.

1. Jean Michael Seri to Fulham – £25 million

The fee for Jean Michael Seri has been variously reported all the way between £18 to £35 million, but our preferred sources give the fee as £25 million, so we’ll go with that. Whatever it is, Seri probably deserves to top this seven. A tireless central or holding midfielder who combines athleticism and fine playmaking abilities, Seri was courted by the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona, so there were one or two raised eyebrows when he turned up at Craven Cottage.

Fulham aren’t messing about this summer though, and Seri is undoubtedly the pick of their impressive pre-season transfer dealings.