Some might think it would be hasty to make such as an assessment so early into the season (after all, European leagues have only begun for a month or two) but it is interesting nonetheless to have a preliminary look at how some of this Summer’s signings are performing. Indeed, some managers (such as Sir Alex Ferguson, who isn’t entirely happy about how Anderson has coped with the club’s expectations at Man Utd) are bound to get restless if their new players don’t start delivering soon.
So from Gazzetta dello Sport, here’s a list of the 20 most expensive transfers of the Summer break, along with a letter grade for their performance so far.
 El Niño‘s first encounter with the English Premiership so far has been excellent: 3 goals in the EPL, and a hat–trick in the Carling Cup. Benitez has a lot to be smiling about.A |
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 He made his debut with the Blancos only a few days ago, the Dutchman now needs to find his place in a Real Madrid team that already seems to be up and running. No grade |
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 He didn’t do too badly in the pre–season matches, but his performance in the Spanish Super Cup game vs. Sevilla was a disaster. He’s been sitting on the bench ever since. C– |
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 The Dutch midfielder isn’t exactly a revelation, but no one thought he’d be scoring in almost every game and that he could take free–kicks better than Beckham. A+ |
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 Still a mystery. After his work permit problems, he hasn’t gotten much playing time with the Red Devils but when he did, played very poorly. F |
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 The Bundesliga hasn’t had a player this good in years: he’s become the indispensible dynamo of the Bayern team, forming an absolutely lethal trio with Klose and Toni. A+ |
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 The England international is still struggling with a few injury problems, but has done good in the few matches he’s played so far. Ferguson trusts him, so we’ll have the chance to see more of him in the future. No grade |
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 So and so. He’s been outstanding in some matches, disappointing in others. But inconsistency is a problem the whole Atletico Madrid team seems to be having at the moment. B– |
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 He’s been struggling with injury problems since the end of last season. However, considering that the club already has Berbatov, Keane and Defoe, the Spurs may have spent a little too much to buy the English striker. No grade |
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 Eto’o's injury promoted the Frenchman to a fixed starter spot, but while Henry showed bits of what made him a great player at Arsenal, he still needs to fit into his new team. For a player of his standards, his debut has been fairly poor. B– |
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 We really won’t know how good he is until January, when he’ll be eligible to play with his new team. So far, a friendly match against Kiev and a nice goal. No grade |
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 He’s got the same vices as Cristiano Ronaldo: excessive feinting and too much love for spectacle. But the kid’s got one hell of a personality, and when his stuff works everyone’s on their feet. A |
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 Two goals in the Spanish Liga sor far. His partnership with Sergio Aguëro needs improvement, but it’s a good start. B+ |
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 Having just lost José Mourinho, things are very delicate at Chelsea at the moment. However, the Frenchman has played very well with the Blues so far. A |
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 Barça bought him for a transfer fee that Juventus couldn’t afford. So far, despite a few occasional fu**–ups, the Argentine’s been doing fairly well. B+ |
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 The exact transfer fee is still unknown (unfinished business), but so far the Argentine has shown a lot of heart. His first tally for Red Devils was the all important match–winning goal vs. Chelsea. B+ |
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 He hasn’t had the chance to show his full potential yet, because the competition at Los Che is fierce. But the talent’s there, only time will tell. No grade |
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 In the few games that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has given him, the Dutch youngster has alredy shown bits of pure class. Ambitious, he can bring the Reds undeniable quality in the offensive zone. A |
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 He still needs to work out his teamwork with Andy Johnson, but in the meantime he opened up his goalcount in the Premiership and in the Cup. B |
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 His was the most expensive ingoing transfer in Lyon’s history, and so far the Ivorian striker still has to repay the confidence put in him. He’s on the right track though. B |
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Posted in English Premiership, European leagues, German Bundesliga, Serie A, Spanish Liga, Transfer News & Rumours |
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I’d say that based on the latest games, the best transfers in that list have been Torres, Sneijder and Ribery.
If Klose and Toni had been paid more, then would make the top trio for me (along with Ribery). In my opinion, Bayern deserves the award for best transfer season so far.
[...] can find my original article on the mCalcio blog here by the [...]
[...] Grading the high priced transfers (mCalcio) [...]
What a waste for AC Milan to have bought Pato. He might turn out to be an awesome player in Serie A, but really… who the hell knows? They can’t play him!!
Plus they have only 3 strikers (one of which is injured and another which can’t hit the net from 2 yards anymore). Should have used the money for someone they could be using now…
I think you’re being harsh on Henry… he just scored 3 goals this week-end against Levante, he deserves more than a B-!!
Check the date of the article Carlos
Barcelona hadn’t played that game when I wrote it.
To be honest though, I saw the game against Levante and even though it’s nice that Henry scored those 3 goals (for his self-confidence, that is), I’m still not entirely convinced that the hat-trick is a sign of his ‘renewal’. The 1st goal was a tap-in with an empty net, the 2nd one was a typical Henry finish but not too difficult to do, and the 3rd one he had all the time in the world to adjust his shot and put it where he wanted (because the defense was nowhere to be seen and the keeper didn’t come out to challenge).
I mean you could say that “well sure, but he could have just as well fu**ed those chances up”, and I agree. Still, if you look at Messi’s goal in which the little Argentine did everything himself (dribble on the defender and poke into the far side of the net), THAT is the kind of goal I want to see before I admit that Henry’s back.
The Bundesliga hasn’t had a player this good in years.
Don´t tell that to Hamburg-(van der Vaart) and Bremen(Diego)fans…
I think those 3 are on the same level.(If i had to choose Diego would be the best…)