Since Arsenal last won a trophy

Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League standings after six rounds of games. No, don’t fix your glasses, you read it right. This is not before the start of the season when Arsenal automatically sits atop the table courtesy their name as the table at the beginning of the season is prepared alphabetically. Pity Liverpool has no such luxury; after all, ‘every year is their year’.

With the arrival of Mesut Ozil to the club for a club record fee, Arsenal fans, and I know quite a few, have been going bonkers. They think the German international will assist them to the Premier League title, ending an eight year trophy doubt for Arsene Wenger and the long suffering Gunners fans. Really? It’s been eight years already?

Oh, well. The whole world has changed in the last eight years and Arsenal still hasn’t won a trophy? Here’s a look at some of the things that have happened since Arsenal last lifted a trophy (they won the FA Cup beating Manchester United on penalties at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff).

Lionel Messi turned professional and has gone on to win 78 (yes, seventy eight) individual honors, including four Ballon d’Ors.

The United States of America elected its first black President and what’s more, they re-elected him to office as well.

Arsenal has brought in 49 players in total and allowed 79 others to leave. Members of the 2005 squad that won the club’s last trophy have gone on to win 53 trophies at various clubs.

Irish golfers, yes, IRISH golfers have won seven major honors in golf.

Jose Mourinho left Chelsea, went to Inter Milan, won the treble, left for Real Madrid, benched Iker Casillas and returned to Chelsea, who meanwhile has had nine different managers in the time.

Smart-phones and Androids have become a rage.

Paul Scholes won three Premier League titles, retired from the game, came back, won another Premier League title and retired again.

Leonardo di Caprio starred in blockbusters like Blood Diamond, The Departed, Body of Lies, Revolutionary Road, Django Unchained, Shutter Island, Inception, J Edgar and the Great Gatsby.

Pep Guardiola retired as a player, became a manager, won 14 trophies, took a year off from football and returned as the manager of Bayern Munich, who won the treble last season (that’s three trophies in a season. Poor, old Arsenal hasn’t won one in the last EIGHT years).

Juventus and Manchester City were relegated, returned to the top flight and have won their respective leagues.

Swansea City went from League Two to the Premier League during that time and picked up the League Cup for their efforts last season as well.

EA has released FIFA 06 through FIFA 14 (only place where Arsenal can win a trophy, I guess).

Birmingham City have been relegated three times, promoted twice, and won a trophy beating Arsenal... Oh wait! Wigan too won a trophy and got relegated.

Nokia has been sold to Microsoft and BlackBerry has gone bust too.

Every English club across every English league has changed managers (even Manchester United).

The best one by far, Twitter has become a social tool. Yet, no Arsenal fan has ever managed to tweet about the Gunners winning a trophy.

On a personal level, I passed my Class X boards, Class XII boards, graduated college, and am just a few months away from completing my Masters. Unfortunately, they only give certificates for those achievements and not trophies.

There are so more to list, but I have lots of friends who are Arsenal fans, and i don't like to see them sulk. Kiddin'! Of course, I do. But I feel lazy to list any more.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.

United fans shouldn’t judge David Moyes just now

When Manchester United meekly surrendered to the Noisy Neighbors Manchester City, capitulating to a 4-1 defeat last weekend at the Etihad Stadium, many thought things could only get better from there for new manager David Moyes.

But as the referee blew the final whistle Saturday at Old Trafford, those claims were made a mockery of as United went down 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion at home.

This is the worst ever start the Red Devils have made to the league since 1989, when many of the readers of this article were not even born, taking a mere 7 points from a possible 18 after their first six matches.

To put into perspective exactly how bad United have started their campaign, newly promoted Hull City and Cardiff City sit above them in the league standings, as well as the likes of Southampton, Aston Villa and Everton.

Seeing Everton ahead of his side with a game in hand at that too will not go down with the United manager who left the Merseyside club to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson at the Theater of Dreams.

And since July, things have only gone downhill for the Scotsman. Having picked up just two wins from seven matches in the pre-season friendly matches, Moyes has backed it up with the worst league start to the season for the club since the early years of Ferguson.

1989 was the year the infamous banner, painted on a bed sheet, was unveiled at Old Trafford, reading: “Three Years of Excuses and It’s Still Crap. Ta Ra Fergie.” 

 

Merely moments after Saido Berahino's shot from distance nestled into the bottom of David de Gea’s net, Baggies fans in the crowd began their chants of “you're getting sacked in the morning!", taunting the Old Trafford boss as things looked bleaker and bleaker for the 50 year old.

Indeed, the win for the Baggies at Old Trafford, coupled with the plight of the club in the transfer market is almost reminiscent of the early years of Ferguson’s time at the club, which was marked by severe turbulence.

Questions are already being raised, not only about the title winning credentials of the club but also about the future of their new manager.

Though the chants from the away section of Old Trafford were wide of the mark, one does have to worry about Moyes’s future at the club, particularly in the present climate where one Premier League manager has already lost his job with Sunderland sacking Paolo di Canio.

But it’s better to not get carried away as the season has been very unpredictable to say the least.

Despite thrashing United last week, City suffered a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa, their second loss of the campaign, while Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal have all dropped points.

Then there's the fact that Ferguson made those brandishing that crude bed sheet 24 years ago feel ever so slightly foolish by going on to become one of this country's most successful managers.

This is not the time to think about the P45 of David Moyes. No, this is a time to look at those high profile stars currently under performing for the club.

Nani has been handed a new six year deal at the club but there is a feeling he has not lived up to the potential he had, always being in the shadow of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and you could almost feel Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic’s knees giving way.

Then, there is the case of Ashley Young, who was so poor against City last weekend that it almost begs the question how he gets to wear the famous red of United week in, week out.

Meanwhile, Anderson continues his Brazilian passport to hold down his spot at the club while Antonio Valencia was called off the bench after a couple of indifferent performances.

That sad part is, Moyes has probably been let down by a group of players who are still struggling to adapt to the departure of Ferguson and have not been able to come to terms with the nuances of the new manager.

And critics and fans of the club need to accept that there is bound to be a transitional period under Moyes, just like Ferguson had during his early years and that success, as was the case with Sir Alex, will eventually come.

The January transfer window will give Moyes another opportunity to breath a fresh lease of life into the club and remedy the inadequacies and maybe after that, it would be right to judge him. 

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.

Moyes living with some of Fergie’s biggest mistakes

Sir Alex Ferguson was, without any doubt, the greatest manager British football has ever seen. Given his record and achievements during the 27 years at Manchester United as well as prior to that with Aberdeen, criticizing him would almost be like telling Vincent van Gogh he should have used more colors on Sunflowers. Although it is not wrong, it does miss a few points, however.

Ferguson may have been a lot of things but one thing’s for sure, he was a winner. Last season was perhaps the greatest example of that as he took a United team, with arguably the weakest squad of the top three and won the club’s 20^th English title.

Did THAT team suffer under such constraints? Au contraire!

They cantered to the league with a staggering 11 points ahead of Noisy Neighbors Manchester City. Whatever it required, the Scotsman always found a winning formula. Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City were all left wanting as the great man found that extra push to leave them in his wake as he relentlessly pursued glory for Manchester United.

Now, he has retired for good and after 27 years, there is a new man in charge of Manchester United. David Moyes is a great manager but by no means can he be considered a genius. The late, late goals, the miraculous comebacks became a trademark under Ferguson and very often, it felt as though the team was succeeding through the sheer strength of personality and attitude. His successor, on the other hand, is a mere mortal and he has to live with some of the mistakes made by his predecessor.

The most glaring failure of Ferguson during the last few years of his reign was the lack of desire to sign a world class central midfield player. It seemed that the manager was almost sadistically enjoying the cries of the fans for a playmaker and still delivered the silverware.

Michael Carrick is a fine player and perhaps the best English midfielder at this time after Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard and he is still in his prime. But he is not someone who will dominate the centre of the park when United come face to face with a European elite. Marouane Fellaini, although not a bad signing by Moyes, doesn’t exactly fit the bill completely and he will find it hard to fill the void left by Roy Keane almost eight years back now. Anderson and Tom Cleverley, on the other hand, do not have what it takes to become top players at a club like Manchester United.

The wing play is also a concern. The great sides put together by Sir Alex over the years were swift counter attacking teams, capable of breaking down any opponent with their swift and agile movement down the two wings. In the last couple of years, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia and Nani all have struggled for form, fitness or even both. Wilfried Zaha is a player of undoubtedly high quality but of late, he has struggled to make the match day squad, let alone the first team.

On his Old Trafford swansong, Sir Alex informed the press that Wayne Rooney was unhappy with his position in the team. Although the England man vehemently denied those claims, he angled for a move away from Old Trafford throughout the summer. And though the dust seems to settled for the time being and Rooney has been on a great run of form at the beginning of the season, there is no telling what lies ahead in the future, especially with Sir Alex remaining at the club in a directorial capacity and with his new autobiography scheduled for October.

Finally, the left back position also seems to be an area of concern for Moyes. Alexander Buttner doesn’t seem to have the quality to push Patrice Evra for a starting spot and considering his advanced years, it would be hard on the Frenchman as well to have him perform consistently twice a week, every week.

The Great Scot made his fair share of mistakes but he also had the capacity to correct them with his sheer perseverance and hunt for glory. Now, the baton has passed to Moyes and he needs to address his squad immediately. Otherwise, the fans might just miss Sir Alex more than ever.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.

Why Arsene Wenger Is Not To Be Blamed

Arsenal FC are a club whose values and ordeals are based on the fact that they prefer playing football, the attractive way. The club is owned by the parent company of Arsenal Holding plc. The ownership of Arsenal is different from other clubs in the Premier League. Only 62,217 shares in Arsenal have been issued and they are not traded on a public exchange. The current ownership of Arsenal belongs to American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke, who holds 66.82 percent of the total shares of the club.

Since Arsenal does not have willing owners like Sheikh Mansour, Roman Abramovich or Tony Fernandes to fund their ambitions, their main source of income, given the stadium debt are from 

 

A. Ticket Sales (which is why they are the costliest team to watch in the flesh), 

B. Champions League TV Revenue (which is why Wenger keeps prioritizing fourth place before all else) and,

C. Player Sales (without which Arsenal’s net profits each year would be in the red, and is why stars disappear each season).

 

Now surely it is impossible theoretically, to keep selling players and fill a stadium with ticket prices like that, and keep finishing top 4 every season. But Arsenal FC does it. It gets harder each season, but they somehow do it in the end. And all credit for this goes to its manager, Arsene Wenger.

 

The problem is that fans (of both Arsenal and other teams) view Arsenal as a team that should be challenging for trophies and not as a feeder club to other giants of world football. Hence they keep calling for Wengers head whenever he fails to deliver. This is insane. All things taken into account, Arsenal should not be viewed as a title challenging club, at least till their debts are cleared.

 

Let us be rational they lose their best players every season and lack the spending power to compete with City, Chelsea and United. They are not a title challenging club and judging Wengers failures by viewing them as such is a flaw.

 

Arsene Wenger is the best man to manage Arsenal FC. Yes, they have gone backwards in terms of competitiveness on the pitch in the last few years, but under someone else, the situation would have been worse, Much worse.

 

Wenger has more than proven his ability when he was given a squad that was not constantly leaking talent to rival teams. He has won the league unbeaten with it.

 

And Wenger was the one who suggested the move to Emirates (to catch up to Uniteds revenue and spending power) and put himself in such a position. No other manager would walk into such a situation, that alone tells you the faith others have in themselves, and how willing they are to think of the club’s long term welfare in exchange for their own trophy ambitions and personal reputation.

 

One call also say that Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers were, are in similar positions with Liverpool, with the post Benitez Torres Alonso era now truly a thing of the past. They are not able to beat a top half team. Arsenal on the other hand have been trying very hard to be competitive even with losing players like Henry, Pires, Viera, Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie in the past. It is not easy, repairing a once broken squad and replacing them with wonder kids. Arsenal still manages being among the elite class of world football each year by playing Attractive, Entertaining football which is loved by one and all.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Mohammad Affanul Haque on behalf of FootballWorld.

English Premier League Transfer Window XI

The summer transfer window this season has been quite a wonder for English Premier League Teams. Here we find out the best team these summer transfers will make.

Goal Keeper
Simon Mignolet (Sunderland to Liverpool - £9.3m)

Many people questioned the signing of Simon Mignolet from Sunderland for a big fee when Liverpool already had Pepe Reina in their ranks, but the Belgium keeper has quickly proved his worth in the Reds shirt. Keeping three clean sheets in as many games including one penalty save, Mignolet has been a rock in the Liverpool defence this season and has risen to the expectations of playing for a top club at the highest level.

Defenders
Dejan Lovren (Lyon to Southampton - £8.8m)

Southampton had a great first season back in the Premier League as they finished safely in mid-table. But after conceding 60 goals last term they needed to sure up the defence and Dejan Lovren fits the bill. The 24-year-old has already become a regular fixture in the Croatian national team earning 17 caps so far. He also has European experience under his name during his time with Lyon and is somewhat a major coup for the south coast side.

Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur to Cardiff City - £8m)

Many were surprised when Andre Villas-Boas and Tottenham Hotspur decided to sell Steven Caulker, and it could be a great piece of business for the Premier League newcomers, Cardiff City. Standing at 6ft 3in tall, Caulker has all the potential it takes to be a quality defender in the Premier League. Despite being just 21-years-old, he already has an England cap to his name, and in a few years time he could well become one of the best centre-backs in the country.

Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool - £18.4m)

Liverpool have had a very good transfer window, but the signing of Mamadou Sakho has to be a massive coup for them given that they aren’t playing in Europe this season. The 23-year-old is very highly rated in Europe and is touted as one of the best young footballer in the continent. Despite having earned 14 senior caps for France, Sakho is known to be very temperamental with regular lapses of concentration, but if the Reds could get him focused on the game then he could be a massive hit at Anfield.

Defensive Midfielder
Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk to Manchester City - £35.2m)

Having signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for a massive fee of £35.2 million, Fernandinho has gone straight into the starting XI as Yaya Toure’s central midfield partner at Manchester City. He has impressed in his early appearances, but is he worth that much money? Only time will tell. But one thing for sure is that the Brazilian will be key in City’s claims for success this year in the Premier League and in Europe.

Midfielders
Paulinho (Corinthians to Tottenham Hotspur - £17.3m)

The first signing of Villas-Boas’ and Tottenham Hotspur’s spending spree this summer. Paulinho came to White Hart Lane from Corinthians with a big reputation and on the back of some excellent performances for Brazil at the Confederations Cup in the summer. He is a total box-to-box midfielder and has already become a regular in the Spurs side looking to break the top four. He will have a key role to play this season and could well be a major success at the end of the season.

Marouane Fellaini (Everton to Manchester United - £27.5m)

Having been linked with a move away from Everton all summer, Marouane Fellaini finally got his dream move as he joined the reigning Premier League champions, Manchester United on deadline day. The Belgium international scored 11 times last season and was a major reason behind Everton’s success which saw them finish above their arch-rivals Liverpool for the second consecutive time. The 25-year-old is exactly the type of midfielder Manchester United need and is expected to be a huge feature this term.

Attacking Midfielder
Mesut Özil (Real Madrid to Arsenal - £42.4m)

Having been left frustrated all summer, Arsene Wenger has certainly kept all the fans on his side by signing the German superstar Mesut Özil for a club record fee on deadline day. It was a huge surprise that Real Madrid let him leave, given all the success he has had in the Spanish capital over the last three years. If the 24-year-old attacking midfielder can replicate his Madrid form for Arsenal, then he is sure to set the Premier League alight and help the Gunners end their trophy drought in the near future.

Left Winger
Willian (Anzhi Makhachkala to Chelsea - £31.2m)

It was tough choice to make for this spot on the team as there were many options, but in the end it was Chelsea’s recent signing Willian who won the race due to his ability and recent success in Europe. The Brazilian moved to Anzhi Makhachkala from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but after a fire sale by the Russian club this summer, was signed by Chelsea for big money. The 25-year-old can play anywhere behind the striker, and given his skills could be a huge success at Stamford Bridge.

Right Winger
Erik Lamela (AS Roma to Tottenham Hotspur - £26.4m)

Despite being 21-years-old, Erik Lamela has been one of most sought after youngsters in world football for last 12 months or so, having made his name in the Serie A with AS Roma, and recently completed his big money move to Tottenham Hotspur. The left-footed Argentine international can either play up front or on the wings and given his recent impressive performances beats Jesus Navas for a spot in the team. He has the potential in him to become one of the best in the game and could well play a huge role in helping Spurs finish in the top four.

Centre Forward
Roberto Soldado (Valencia to Tottenham Hotspur - £26.4m)

Beating the likes of Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic and Romelu Lukaku to a spot in the team is Tottenham Hotspur’s record signing Roberto Soldado. After scoring an impressive 81 goals in three seasons for Valencia, the Spaniard moved to the Premier League, and has all the skills and experience to become one of the league’s best finishers in the coming seasons. He has had a good start to life at White Hart Lane, having scored four goals in four games and there is no doubt he will have key role to play this season.

Substitutes:

Maarten Stekelenburg (Fulham),
Kolo Toure (Liverpool),
Vlad Chiriches (Tottenham Hotspur),
Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur),
Jesus Navas (Manchester City),
Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City),
Romelu Lukaku (Everton),
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), and
Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City).

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Mohammad Affanul Haque on behalf of FootballWorld.

Mesut Ozil can breathe a fresh lease of life into the Emirates era for Arsenal

There are occasions when the transfer of a player has the effect of a ripple. The deal represents a lot more than just one player moving from one club to another for the exchange of a certain sum of money. With the signing of Mesut Ozil, a genuine world class player, Arsenal has made a transfer market splash as big as their signing of a certain non-Flying Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp.

Back in 1995, Dennis Bergkamp walked through the fabled marble corridors of Highbury and the rest is history. At the official unveiling of the player, the club chose The One by The Stone Roses as an accompaniment song and soon, a chord was struck between the player and the club. Bergkamp was an un-Arsenal-esque move at that time. The earlier arrivals included Glenn Helder, John Hartson and Chris Kiwomya. Not exactly earth shattering. Bergkamp had found himself a little out of sorts at Internazionale but he was a jewel, a world class player, nonetheless. The £7.5m fee shattered Arsenal's transfer record at the time.

The Dutchman not only went on to seamlessly fit into the Arsenal way, but he also went on to pave the way for the aesthetic football Arsenal would go on to play in the subsequent years as Arsene Wenger took charge of the club a year later. Wenger also shattered the perceptions prevalent in world football at that time by choosing the Gunners. This move allowed the club to radically change their standing and image in football; from a club that was moderately successful in England to one having a substantial clout in European football, a regular player in the UEFA Champions League and a huge global appeal. David Dein, the then chairman of Arsenal summed up the future of the club with six iconic words – Bergkamp was "the first brick in the wall" the club would undergo.

Ozil potentially has the talents to be the catalyst to usher in a post-Highbury generation that will dominate for years. Since they moved to the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal has been perceived more as a selling club with the departure of one stellar talent after the other. Ashley Cole moved to Chelsea in 2006; Thierry Henry transferred to Barcelona the following year and Cesc Fabregas undertook the same journey in 2011. The departure of Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2012 seemed to knock the final nail into the coffin of Arsenal as a club without ambition and the desire to challenge.

Up until transfer deadline day this summer, the shenanigans of the club in the transfer window had definitely not added to the reputation of the once mighty Gunners as a reputable destination for world class players in the game. The indecision over the signing of Gonzalo Higuain, the ill advised attempts to sign Luis Suarez and shambolic negotiations over the movement of Yohan Cabaye hardly gave any impression that Arsenal are a club with any definite plan. It was almost as if Arsenal had sent out their transfer man, Dick Law, out into the world with specially made banana-skin shoes.

And then, boom! Mesut Ozil, a playmaker with a considerable arsenal of talent and refinement, formerly of Real Madrid and Germany, brings a certain kind of excitement as well as status to the club. The magnanimity of the transfer fee also speaks volumes and is a complete game changer for the club. Wenger has taken the club’s previous highest transfer fee of £ 15 million paid for Andrey Arshavin and absolutely leathered it out of the park.

However, in order to make the most of the signing, it was important for the club to set the other pieces of the puzzle in place. This proved immensely problematic as the club was involved in finalizing the deal for Ozil and the loan move for backup goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano on transfer deadline day.

Arsenal have had all summer to address other squad positions that need strengthening, and having aimed all summer for another centre forward to share Olivier Giroud's load, the difficulty agreeing terms with Chelsea over Demba Ba, or having a ready alternative, looks like an absurdly risky oversight.

They welcome a player who was highly enough regarded at the Bernabéu that not so long ago Jorge Valdano reckoned he would be the player to "define the next decade at Real Madrid". Xabi Alonso described him as "the kind of player you don't find these days". José Mourinho called him "unique". So what changed? The purchase of Bale and Isco, which together with Cristiano Ronaldo, leaves only bit-part cameos for the rest of their creative attacking cadre.

He had been a little anxious as Real's summer strategy took shape, and by seizing the chance to become a kingpin for his new team rather than struggle for games in a World Cup year, he has taken a brave but also respectable decision. He could have said no. But he knew he would spend a lot of the upcoming year kicking his heels.

Although this career development might not be what he had in mind, it need not be the end of the world to be rejected by Real. Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben were both ushered out surplus to requirements, and went on to breathe new life into their football. A starring roles in a Champions League final and a treble winning season (for Inter and Bayern Munich respectively) means they are not pained by regret.

Arsenal are gaining a player who blends creativity with efficiency. Some 94 assists for club and country in the past three years is a remarkable statistic. It is telling that the Real fans took the opportunity to make their feelings felt at the Gareth Bale unveiling to chant "Don't sell Ozil".

This is quite the coup for Wenger. The Arsenal manager has been a long-distance admirer for years. He watched Ozil in Germany's youth teams, although even an amateur judge who saw the way he orchestrated their Under-21 European final triumph over England in 2009 could not have missed his special talent. Germany's Under-21 manager, Horst Hrubesch, was fulsome in his praise. "We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players … but we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Ozil."

He is a poster boy for Germany, not just as a footballer, but as a member of the modern generation. Born in Gelsenkirchen, with Turkish roots, he grew up on street football in the gravel pitch enclosed by wire fences in his neighbourhood. They called it the Affenkafig – the monkey cage. He defines his style as a mix of the two nations which make him. "My technique and feel for the ball is the Turkish side of my game, the discipline and attitude all come from Germany." He now has some Spanish influence, too.

Madrid bought him after he shone as a youth for first Schalke and then Werder Bremen, where he helped to inspire the club to a Uefa Cup final. Having paid out €15m to secure his signature in 2010, Real have made a substantial profit.

The deal for Ozil is enormous for Arsenal. Wenger had mentioned he might just have a surprise for the fans and critics on the final day; and he certainly did that. Although, it must be said the club would have loved a few more surprises from the sleeves of le Professeur. 


DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the FootballWorld fraternity and represents the personal views of the writer and not of footballworld.co.in.
Posted by Subham Mitra on behalf of FootballWorld.

From Gareth Bale to Isco – the Top signings of the 2013 summer transfer window

When the summer transfer season of 2009 slammed shut on 31^st August, not many people expected another spectacle like that for years to come, especially in the volatile financial climate the world was in at the moment. Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona shelled out a massive $ 316 million ($ 341 million in today’s currency) on just three players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (from Inter Milan to Barca) and Cristiano Ronaldo (from Manchester United to Real Madrid) and Kaka (from AC Milan to Real Madrid).

Cue 2013, and all those records have been shattered as the Spanish giants once again played a firsthand role in smashing all the transfers records. And they had the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and French giants Paris Saint-Germain and AS Moncao for company.

Here’s a comprehensive look at the major signings of this transfer window.

Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid

The long drawn soap opera of the Gareth Bale transfer from Spurs to Real Madrid finally came to conclusion with los Blancos shattering their previous transfer record with the £ 85.3 million signing of Spurs’ Welsh winger.

Daniel levy tried his level best to keep hold of their star man but the lure of the Santiago Bernabeu proved too much to ignore for the flyer and the Welshman finally got his move on 1^st September.

Edinson Cavani – Napoli SSC to Paris saint-Germain

The 26 year old Uruguayan striker came to the Italian shores in 2007 and the next six years have been the story of el Matador smashing all scoring records. He joined Napoli from Palermo for a reported € 17 million and it was this move that made Cavani the striker that he is today.

And it was just reward for his consistent performances for both Napoli and the Uruguayan national team when oil rich PSG splashed € 64.5 million to sign him this summer.

Radamel Falcao – Atletico Madrid to AS Monaco

For the last two seasons, if there was any striker that rang fear through every defense in Europe; it was Colombian hit man Radamel Falcao. He made his name in Portugal, firing FC Porto to Europa League glory before swapping the blue and white for the red and white of Atletico Madrid. He scored a total of 72 goals in 87 games for the current Portuguese champions, exactly between 2009 and 2012.

This summer, he decided to join another project, but this time he went to France to play for AS Monaco, who just got promoted to Ligue 1 with a whopping € 60 million as transfer fee and € 14 million (per year) as salary.

Neymar – Santos to Barcelona

The Brazilian hotshot has been one of the most coveted youngsters in football in recent times with European giants like Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid all vying for his signature. Ultimately, Barcelona paid a handsome € 57 million transfer fee to end a two year long pursuit and bring the player, being seen as the future of Brazilian football to the Camp Nou.

Mesut Ozil – Real Madrid to Arsenal

For a long time, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been blasted by fans and critics alike for his lack of activity in the transfer window, and his apparent lack of desire and ambition to see the club succeed.

This summer had also seemed to end without a big signing after the failed pursuits of Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Gonzalo Higuain. And just when it seemed enough to count the Frenchman, he shocked the world by bringing in Real Madrid and Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil for a staggering £ 42.5 million transfer fee, shattering the club’s previous record fee.

The 24 year old German has been one of the most consistent performers in the game for the last of years and his assist rate is on the same level as Lionel Messi. Moreover, he will also seamlessly fill the void left at the heart of Arsenal midfield by the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas and might even be a bigger force than the two of them combined.

Isco – Malaga to Real Madrid

Isco had a terrific season last year, leading Malaga to a 6th place in La Liga and to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where they ended up falling at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.

Isco has started playing for Valencia back in 2010, moved to Malaga the year after and fulfilled his dream of playing for Real Madrid just 2 years later, costing Florentino Pérez a modest amount of € 30 million.

Special mention:

Mario Gotze – Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich

Kaka – Real Madrid to AC Milan

Carlos Tevez – Manchester City to Juventus

Fernandinho – Shakhtar Dontesk to Manchester City 

Marouane Fellaini – Everton to Manchester United

Asier Illaramendi – Real Sociedad to Real Madrid


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