After an exciting summer transfer window and the World Cup, we head into the middle of the 2022-23 season with title battles in Europe's top five leagues. The Premier League has seen promising signs of a renaissance in the good old defenders of Arsenal and Manchester United, with the former surprise his leader.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are top of Spain, three points behind rivals Real Madrid. In Italy, Luciano Spalletti's brilliant Napoli left the rest of the field in dust with free-flowing football. It's a familiar story in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, with the usual suspects Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on their way to another domestic title. The 2022 summer transfer market has seen some high-profile deals at exorbitant prices. Naturally, the expectations are high and the pressure on signers to work their magic from the start. Some transfers live up to the hefty price tag, while others are flattering to deceive.
Here are the five most expensive players in the summer 2022 transfer market and how they fared so far.
Five. Casemiro to Manchester United (£63.5m)
As the key architect of Real Madrid's prolific midfield trio, Manchester raised many eyebrows when his United decided to break the bank with the transfer of Casemiro. former
The Manchester United legend was quick to criticize the signing, calling it a "panic buy". Experts questioned the high price of players in their thirties. Fans also feared that Casemiro, who won it all at Madrid, was looking for the last payday from his final transfer.
It took a while for Casemiro to establish himself as a regular in Eric ten Hug's squad. But his dominating presence, incredible passing distance and his ability to win tackles and intercept the ball make him an invaluable part of the team. Aside from his footballing skills, Casemiro's leadership qualities and elite mentality have also not gone unnoticed, quickly becoming a fan favorite at Old Trafford. The story changed as former players and pundits welcomed Manchester United's new star.
4. Darwin Nunez to Liverpool (£67.5m)
Darwin's Nunez became Liverpool's most expensive deal to date when he pitched £67.5m to the unstable Uruguayan. Darwin Nunez is arguably the most entertaining player in the Premier League and has been a source of confusion ever since. With five goals in 13 Premier League games and three in six Champions League games, Nunez is the definition of a hit-or-miss player. His clever, energetic moves that worry opposing defenders are often followed by moments of unpredictability, hard touches and wayward shots. Nunez has missed 15 big-hit chances this season, more than any other player in the league with his shot conversion rate of 6.4%.
Liverpool have struggled to live up to the standards of the previous season and Nunez's transfer decision has been in the spotlight. But Liverpool's problems are even more acute and, as Nunez's excellent numbers suggest, there is hope that the transfer will eventually work out.
3. Aurélien Tchouaméni to Real Madrid (£72m)
Real Madrid's Spanish giants Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro formed a legendary midfield trio that dominated the midfield for almost a decade. With Modric and Kroos nearing the start of their stellar careers and Casemiro leaving in the second half of the summer, Madrid needed to inject some fresh blood into their midfield.
After the transfer of Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes in the previous window, Real Madrid were interested in Aurélien Tchouaméni , another highly rated French midfielder who beat Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer race. A monster of his physics with excellent ball-winning skills, Choameni is a press-resistant and a great progressive passer. Since his move,Aurélien Tchouaméni has become an integral part of Madrid's side, complementing Toni Kroos well. But following in Casemiro's footsteps is an uphill challenge
Tchouaméni has all the tools needed to take on its illustrious predecessor. At 22, he is still young and looks set to continue developing and destined to become a world-class midfielder in the years to come.
2. Wesley Fofana to Chelsea (£72.3m)
Chelsea's hand was forced to spend a lot of money on their replacements, as Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen were free transfers and he lost twice in the same period. Fast, aggressive and intelligent, Fofana established himself as one of the best young defenders in the world before suffering a nasty injury in a pre-season friendly and missing most of the 2021/22 season.
Wesley Fofana was frustrated with his life in West London. He made only four appearances in all competitions before his knee injury kept him out of action for over two months. He injured his knee again when returning to a friendly behind closed doors. Fofana's injury history tells a disturbing story. He has missed 455 days since the 2019/20 season due to injury. Wesley Fofana is still young and spends a lot of time by his side. However, Chelsea prove a huge waste of money by spending £72.3m on Chelsea loaner Levi Colwill as he impresses Brighton & Hove Albion.
1. Anthony to Manchester United (£85.5m)
Manchester United have spent a fortune on Anthony, former protégé of Eric ten Hag at Ajax. The Glazers were under pressure to deliver results after a failed chase by Frenkie de Jong. They were forced into another grim transfer narrative with Anthony refusing to train and being open about moving to the Red Devils.Anthony's Brazilian talent, tricks and technical confidence make him one of the most exciting I became one of the best wingers.
Since signing for United, Anthony has made nine appearances in the Premier League, scoring three goals, and in the Europa League, where he has made five appearances, with his offensive returns nil. A glimpse of his undeniable talent, he was flaunted, one-legged, and heavily criticized for his inability to consistently beat his opponents one-on-one.
He's yet to justify his price tag, but his Manchester United career is just getting started and fans will have to put up with Anthony.
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