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


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.