The summer transfer market is always a busy period despite the lack of football played. The movements of footballers, the negotiations of clubs or even the rumors of the market that in the end remain the same, are an attraction for the attention of football fans for months.
This summer the market did not lag behind in terms of sensational transfers. Footballers like Hazard, Griezman, Lukaku or Icardi were part of the football stars who decided to change the environment and start a new stage in their careers either to seek new challenges or due to deteriorating relationships with clubs.
However the transfers of established and experienced footballers did not diminish the media attention received by the young and talented players. We are definitely talking about the talents that excelled last season forcing the big European football clubs to spend millions to have in their lineup, footballers like De Ligt, De Jong and Joao Felix.
Regardless of the status they had before the transfer, experienced or not, the pressure will be great this season for the players of both aforementioned categories. The expectations of clubs and fans will be high and obviously at the end of the season some will be considered as success and some as failures. Until then there is still a lot of football to play, however let’s see how the main summer market purchases are presented in these first months of the 2019/2020 season.
EDEN HAZARD, Chelsea Real Madrid ($100M)
- Matches: 6
- Goal: 1
- Assist: 1
Hazard's move to Real Madrid was a long-awaited transfer. The Belgian seemed close to Los Blancos last season, but Chelsea executives managed to persuade him to stay one more season knowing that his departure a year later would be inevitable. His new club, Real Madrid, left behind a rather poor season in the first season without Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard's purchase was interpreted by many as an attempt to replace the Portuguese, a fact that makes Hazard's expectations even higher.
However the start of the Belgian season was delayed by an injury. He lost the first 3 games in La Liga and since returning his form has been far from what was shown to Chelsea. However in his appearance against Granada (1 goal, 1 assist) he showed that his skills remain excellent and maybe with the return to 100% of physical condition will come the good performances for his new club.
ANTOINE GRIEZMAN, Atletico Madrid Barcelona ($120M)
- Matches: 10
- Goals: 4
- Ap 3
One of the soap operas in this summer market that led to legal clashes between clubs due to the claims of the capital club that Barcelona had negotiated with the player without the knowledge of the club. Despite this, Griezman is already part of Barcelona where, in the absence of Messi and Suarez during the first weeks of the season, he had to lead the Catalans' attack. Appearances during the first weeks have been volatile leaves. Although his numbers can not be called negative it must be said that goals or assists have come in only 4 of the 10 appearances so far.
The start of the season from the Frenchman is definitely better than the transfer of rivals Real Madrid, Eden Hazard, and if after the return of Suarez and Messi, he manages to fit properly to the left of the Barcelona attack can create a scary trio for any opponent.
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LUKAKU, Manchester UnitedInter (65M $)
- Matches: 9
- Goal: 5
- Assist: 0
Conte's Inter have indicated at the start of the season that they will be a dangerous rival to Juventus on their way to the title. The Zikaltri may have lost the Italian Derby against the whites, but they have won every other confrontation in Serie A. Of the reinforcements this summer, the most important was the approach of Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United.
After a season full of criticism, his situation with the club and the fans reached the total cooling of the relationship and as a result was among the first names that United brought to market. And while the media actually made his switch to Juventus in exchange for Dybala, the reality turned out to be totally the opposite. The Belgian was bought by Inter for 65 million euros, a sum that, at least so far, seems to have been worth it.
In the first 9 appearances with the black shirt he has managed to score 5 goals, but more important is his quick adaptation to the Italian championship and the tactics of coach Conte.
In the match against Juventus Lukaku was in the shadows, a criticism often given towards him in relation to big games, but in the end a championship is won every week, against each opponent and if Conte manages to get the most out of a striker with the potential of Lukaku, his Inter it will definitely be competitive.
JOAO FELIX, Benfica Atletico Madrid ($126M)
- Matches: 11
- Goal: 3
- Ap 1
Another special player in this summer market. Only 19 years old and Simeone paid 126 million euros for him! Definitely the boldest bet of this summer market. The Portuguese youngster exploded last season with Benfica and attracted the attention of many European clubs, but few expected to see him with the Atletico jersey this season. However this could result in another clever move by the Argentine coach.
After Griezman's departure to Barcelona, Joao felix has the opportunity to play immediately in the starting lineup for Madrid, something that few big clubs could offer. The Simeone team is known for the defensive way of playing however an offensive midfielder with creative features and who knows how to score can be a perfect instrument to make their quick counterattacks even more dangerous.
So far Felix has scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist, but his contribution has been more than that. Of course, one cannot expect a 19-year-old to lead a team to success, but with the transfer of time to this market Felix could turn into the most ingenious market hit that Atletico has ever made.
