CHELSEA TAKING A REAL RISK SIGNING BRIGHTON'S
LOOSE CANNON JOAO PEDRO FOR £60M: GOAL GRADES THE BIGGEST DEALS OF THE 2025
SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW
For some football fans, the off-season is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most, as that can only mean one thing: It's time for transfers! The 2025 summer window is set to be one of the busiest in recent times, with some huge names already being linked with big-money moves.
We all know that some transfers turn out well for all
parties involved, but there are plenty where at least one of the clubs, or even
the player, are left wondering what might have been had they made a different
decision while at the negotiating table.
GOAL is here, then, to ensure you know who did
the best out of every massive deal before the players have even been officially
unveiled. Throughout the summer window, we will be grading every done deal as
it happens, letting you track the big winners - and losers - of transfer season
June 29: Joao Pedro (Brighton to Chelsea, £60m)
For Brighton: More money from Chelsea! Brighton
have made a fortune from selling players to the Blues in recent seasons, while
the Londoners also paid more than £20m in compensation for former boss Graham
Potter and the rest of his coaching staff. In that sense, it's hardly a shock
to see Pedro take the well-trodden path from the Amex to Stamford Bridge. As a
versatile attacker who can both create and score goals, Pedro will obviously be
missed - but probably not as much as you think. The Brazilian scored half as
many goals last season (10) as he did in 2023-24 (20), while the disciplinary
issues that resulted in him missing the final five games of last season (none
of which Brighton lost, by the way) had long been a cause for concern for
Fabian Hurzeler. The German coach might not say it in public but he'll probably
feel that Brighton are better off without the temperamental forward, whose sale
raises precious funds to strengthen the squad. Grade: A
For Chelsea: A real risk. Pedro is unquestionably
a talented footballer. His progress over the last couple of years has been
closely followed by a number of top Premier League clubs - not just Chelsea -
and he's already been capped at international level by Brazil. The Blues were
also on the look-out for a multi-purpose forward, with Christopher Nkunku set
to leave in the coming weeks. Nonetheless, this feels like an awful lot of
money for a combustible character with an underwhelming goalscoring record.
With Liam Delap having just joined from Ipswich to challenge for the No.9
berth, it also doesn't make too much sense from a squad perspective, unless of
course last season's first-choice striker, Nicolas Jackson, is on his way out
of Stamford Bridge... Grade: B-
For Pedro: A fascinating move. This really does
feel like a transfer that could go either way, with Pedro either becoming the
focal point of Chelsea's attacks for years to come - or another victim of the
club's scattergun approach to transfers that leaves after a solitary season at
Stamford Bridge. Much will depend on Pedro himself. The competition for places
will be intense. He can't allow his frustration at being in and out of the
starting line-up - at least initially - to get the better of him. And that is a
legitimate risk. Nkunku, remember, arrived at Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2023
with an even bigger reputation than Pedro and ended up being reduced to the
role of B team striker in the Conference League. It's hard to envisage a loose
cannon like Pedro accepting such a situation without kicking up a massive fuss.
No matter what happens, then, Pedro is a player to keep an eye on this
season. Grade: C+
June 28: Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea,
£55m)
For Dortmund: Further reward for investing in
promising young English players. Having already made massive profits on Jadon
Sancho and Jude Bellingham, Dortmund have hit the jackpot again with Gittens,
whom they signed on a free transfer from Manchester City back in 2022. One
could also argue that this is their most impressive deal to date, given the
20-year-old is nowhere near as impressive as his compatriots at the same age.
Gittens was also in and out of the Dortmund side during the closing stages of
the season and played just 13 minutes of their Club World Cup campaign so far.
Basically, BVB have already moved on without Gittens, who didn’t really fit
into Niko Kovac’s side anyway, and yet they still refused to lower their asking
price despite him pushing so hard to leave. In short, Dortmund have played this
beautifully. Grade: A+
For Chelsea: An utterly unsurprising signing.
Chelsea love nothing more than signing wingers, so there was never any doubt
that they’d look to bring in another one after they decided against taking up
their option to make Sancho’s loan move from Manchester United permanent.
Gittens isn’t exactly an upgrade on his compatriot - he racked up just three
assists in 48 appearances in all competitions last season, while Sancho
contributed eight in six fewer outings - but Chelsea would argue that he will
be eventually. Gittens is, after all, five years younger and there’s no denying
his potential. He's got a real eye for goal - he even scored at Santiago
Bernabeu in a Champions League game last season - and is a nightmare for
full-backs with his pace and fancy footwork. Indeed, Gittens completed more
dribbles last season than the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Michael
Olise and Desire Doue, and, judging by their desperation to get this transfer
over the line, Chelsea clearly believe that his best is yet to come. Grade:
B
For Gittens: A welcome return to England. Just
like Sancho, leaving Manchester City for Dortmund worked out incredibly well
for Gittens but it had been clear for some time that he was keen to go back
home - and where better than Chelsea for the Reading native, given he had a
short stint with the Blues as a kid? Gittens should, therefore, have no trouble
at all settling into west London. The concern would be that Chelsea as a club
appear to be in a constant state of flux. Patience wears thin rather quickly at
Stamford Bridge, meaning players are constantly coming and going, so Gittens
won’t be given that long to justify his inflated transfer fee. Still, with
Sancho gone, Mykhailo Mudryk suspended and Noni Madueke’s future uncertain, the
left-wing berth is definitely there for the taking - and Gittens undoubtedly
has the talent to make the position his own. Grade: B+
June 28: Paul Pogba (Monaco, free agent)
For Monaco: A free hit. Monaco have one of the
most exciting young teams in Europe, as they proved in last season's Champions
League, but as both CEO Thiago Scuro and coach Adi Hutter admitted, their lack
of experience was sometimes an issue. So, why not take a punt on Pogba, a
player who has pretty much seen and done it all in the game? Indeed, few
footballers have been through as much as the 32-year-old midfielder, whose
once-glittering career appeared to be over after being hit with a doping ban.
There is, of course, every chance that Pogba will never again be the same
player that excelled in France's 2018 World Cup win - but he appears to have
got himself in excellent physical condition and looks determined to prove that
he's far from finished at the highest level. For Monaco, then, this is a
low-risk signing that could reap high dividends. Grade: B+
For Pogba: The best possible move from a sporting
perspective. Pogba could have earned far more money by moving to the Middle
East or MLS - but he's instead chosen to remain in Europe to try to silence his
many critics by re-establishing himself as one of the best midfielders in the
game, and he should be commended for that very reason. Obviously, he'd have
preferred to join one of Europe's elite, but it was hardly surprising that no
top club was willing to pick up a player who has long struggled with injuries
and ill-discipline. However, the Stade Louis II looks like the ideal place for
Pogba to kickstart his career. Monaco play adventurous, attacking football and
Hutter is willing to give creative players the freedom to express themselves,
which should suit Pogba down to the ground given his defensive deficiencies.
When his ban was first announced, we thought we'd seen the last of Pogba on the
game's grandest stages, but he'll be back in the Champions League next season -
and that gives him every chance of forcing his way back into the France squad
in time for the 2026 World Cup. Grade: A
June 26: Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth to Liverpool, £40m)
For Bournemouth: Another big transfer fee for a
bargain buy. Having just sold Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, Bournemouth have now
cashed in on Kerkez, who joined from AZ in 2023 for just £15m. There will, of
course, be some frustration among the fans that such an exciting youngster is
leaving so soon, but they also know that this is Bournemouth’s business model
in action - and that it’s working pretty damn well for them. Indeed, the Dean
Court faithful will be supremely confident that Kerkez’s successor, Adrien
Truffert, will prove another shrewd signing. Grade: B+
For Liverpool: An ideal Andy Robertson
replacement. The Scot’s status as a Liverpool legend is already secure. But it
was painfully clear during the 2024-25 season that Robertson was no longer the
force of old. He was offering little offensively, and a liability defensively
(particularly whenever he faced Fulham!). A succession plan was required and
that’s what sporting director Richard Hughes has done by returning to
Bournemouth to snap up one of the most dynamic full-backs in the Premier
League, a quick, offensively-minded defender that excels at both whipping over
crosses and winning the ball back high up the field. Consequently, he should
slot smoothly into Arne Slot's starting line-up. Grade: A
For Kerkez: A second chance to become a star at a
big European club. Paolo Maldini, the finest left-back of all time, was made
aware of Kerkez’s potential as a teenager and played a big role in convincing
the teenager to move to AC Milan in 2021. The Hungarian failed to break through
at San Siro - it was arguably a case of too much, too soon - but he’s now
perfectly primed to become a real fan favourite at Anfield, where he should
have little trouble settling thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai. Kerkez was a joy to
watch last season (most notably during a scintillating display against Manchester
City, who also wanted to sign him) and he appears to have the talent and
temperament to take his game to a whole other level at Liverpool. Grade:
A+