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Who were the key signings of the summer window?

Who were the key signings of the summer window?

It’s been a summer of intense speculation and serious spending, but finally the transfer window has come to a close. All Premier League sides have spent money on talent they hope can help them achieve their aims this season, while the perceived deadwood has been discarded with reckless abandon.

There have been some fantastic captures in recent weeks – and some pretty unusual ones – so let’s have a look at the highlight purchases of the 2015/16 summer transfer window.

Club: Arsenal
Key signing: Petr Cech
Reason: The signing that could win Arsenal the league. It really is that simple. Wenger’s men are genuine title contenders, and Cech is the man that Gunners fans are hopeful will be the final piece in the Arsenal jigsaw.

Club: Aston Villa
Key signing: Rudy Gestede
Reason: Has already shown that he can score goals in the Premier League, and will ensure Villa don’t miss Benteke too much. At £9m, he could prove to be one of the summer’s bargain deals.

Club: Bournemouth
Key signing: Max Gradel
Reason: Was vastly underrated in England during his spell at Leeds, and will be a real handful for defenders this season. He’s 27 now and arguably at the peak of his career, so expect him to have a stellar season.

Club: Chelsea
Key signing: Pedro
Reason: A stunning talent. To my mind this is one of the best two deals of the entire summer, and I can’t believe no other Premier League clubs were willing to stump up £21m for his services. Chelsea won’t win the title this season, but Pedro will shine throughout the campaign.

Club: Crystal Palace
Key signing: Yohan Cabaye
Reason: The midfielder, who has been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham in the last 12 months, has somehow been snared by Alan Pardew’s Palace. The Frenchman was a star at Newcastle, and his presence in the Eagles’ side has all but guaranteed their Premier League status for another term.

Club: Everton
Key signing: Tom Cleverley
Reason: Vastly underrated and often (but not always) unfairly treated by the media, Cleverley is a very good player that just wasn’t quite at the level required to be a Manchester United midfielder. Everton is his standard, and he will thrive at Goodison.

Club: Leicester City
Key signing: Gokhan Inler
Reason: He has been on the radar for almost a decade now and, though regularly linked with clubs in the Premier League, has never made the move to English shores. He’s an experienced international – boasting over 80 caps for Switzerland – and will add some grit to a midfield that lost a little edge following the departure of Esteban Cambiasso.

Club: Liverpool
Key signing: Christian Benteke
Reason: I could easily have picked James Milner here, but Benteke is the man that will score goals, and that’s something Liverpool have been missing since the departure of Luis Suarez. Even when Benteke is not on top form he worries defenders with his athleticism, strength and speed, so he will be an attribute for the Reds all season.

Club: Manchester City
Key signing: Raheem Sterling
Reason: As much as I still don’t rate Sterling as anything close to world class, it seems that a lot of people with more footballing knowledge than I personally possess think differently. The money spent on Raheem is, to my mind, nothing short of ridiculous, but time will tell. If he can help City win the title, then he will (just about) have justified the outlay.

Club: Manchester United
Key signing: Morgan Schneiderlin
Reason: Unbelievably solid in the middle of the park. Not always – in fact rarely – one for fancy footwork or elaborate showmanship, Schneiderlin will be a rock at the heart of LvG’s midfield. A terrific deal, and a big loss for Southampton.

Club: Newcastle United
Key signing: Georginio Wijnaldum
Reason: This guy is class. Thanks to Football Manager I have been aware of him for a few years and have loosely tracked his career in recent seasons, and he is a stunning prospect. If the Magpies can get the spine of their team – Mbemba, Colback, Siem de Jong, Wijnaldum, Mitrovic – fit and firing, then they have a very, very good chance of achieving Europa League football.

Club: Norwich City
Key signing: Youssouf Mulumbu
Reason: I am still confused as to why West Brom decided to let Mulumbu go. He’s a sturdy presence in the centre of midfield and, though he is prone to the odd injury or two, is well worth having on the books. I think Norwich have picked up one of the signings of the window with this deal.

Club: Southampton
Key signing: Steven Caulker (loan)
Reason: I rated this kid when he was at Spurs but, for some reason that was never fully defined, Levy decided to sell him and bring in Vlad Chiricheș to replace him. The move baffled a fair number of Spurs fans and, just two years later, the Romanian has been flogged to Napoli, while Caulker is at his third Premier League side in as many years. He made a few pretty big errors while at QPR, and didn’t really play close to his full potential, but I think he will be a terrific addition to Southampton’s squad.

Club: Stoke City
Key signing: Xherdan Shaqiri
Reason: Potentially the best signing of the entire summer. WHAT. A. DEAL. Mark Hughes has done an unbelievably good job of bringing some truly brilliant players to one of the most undesirable cities in the UK. Either they believe in the project, or WaterWorld (the UK’s premier aqua park, open all year round) is a bigger attraction than I initially thought. A round of applause to Mark Hughes – the boy’s done good.

Club: Sunderland
Key signing: Fabio Borini
Reason: Sunderland need goals. They need a lot of other things – that much is desperately obvious – but it is goals that they are in most desperate need of. Borini shone during a loan spell at the Stadium of Light a couple of seasons back, and Black Cats fans will be hoping that he can link up with Defoe and help fire Sunderland to Premier League safety.

Club: Swansea City
Key signing: Eder
Reason: The emergence of Bafétimbi Gomis has hampered Eder’s development at the Liberty, but there’s no doubting the quality of the Portuguese forward. If Gomis has a slip in form, which, given his erratic performances throughout his career, is very likely, then it will be Eder’s job to step in and grab the goals for Swansea.

Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Key signing: Toby Alderweireld
Reason: Tottenham routinely have weaknesses all over the pitch, but one which has persisted since the retirement of Ledley King is the lack of talent in the heart of defence. There have been good players – Kaboul, Dawson, Dier, Fazio – but none great. The Belgian centre-back pairing of Alderweireld and Vertonghen should add some much needed steel to Spurs’ back line.

Club: Watford
Key signing: Etienne Capoue
Reason: He didn’t really reach his full potential at Tottenham, but Capoue is a good, strong, solid midfielder. When played week in week out, which he will be at Watford, he can produce assured and composed performances, and Hornets fans will be hopeful that he will be able to keep his side in the Premier League.

Club: West Bromwich Albion
Key signing: Anders Lindegaard
Reason: West Brom have a history of signing Manchester United cast offs – namely Ben Foster and Darren Fletcher – and turning them into Hawthorns success stories. Lindegaard, who never really got a look in at Old Trafford, will give West Brom some much needed authority at the back, which is something that has been sorely missing since Ben Foster’s injury.

Club: West Ham United
Key signing: Carl Jenkinson (loan)
Reason: He isn’t quite a high profile name that will set Hammers fans to salivating, but he’s a solid, honest defender that will rarely put a foot wrong this season. A very good deal for West Ham.