Sesko signs for United and Grealish joins Everton: Premier League Done Deals August 6th to 13th
- Angus Kearney
- Aug 13
- 6 min read
It’s been just under 12 weeks since the conclusion of the 2024/25 Premier League season, and the time has finally come. Two days from now, the new season kicks off with defending champions Liverpool hosting Bournemouth on Friday night. In the lead-up to the weekend, clubs conducted some major transfer business. Here’s every confirmed transfer from the last week.
Benjamin Sesko - RB Leipzig to Manchester United, £73.7m
After a several-week-long battle with Newcastle for his signature, Manchester United announced the signing of 22-year-old Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko. Sesko joins on a five-year contract from Red Bull Leipzig for a fee of £73.7m.
Sesko spent two seasons in Leipzig after joining from fellow Red Bull side Salzburg. In two seasons in Germany, he scored 39 goals in 87 club appearances. An incredible athlete, the 6'4 "striker possesses a powerful strike and strong aerial ability.
Sesko joins United after striker Rasmus Hojland failed to improve on his first season in Manchester, scoring just four Premier League goals. His price tag will mean high expectations early on. Still, he’s surrounded by creative talent with Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, and Ruben Amorim should also be able to rely on Bryan Mbuemo to get amongst the goals.
Jack Grealish, Manchester City to Everton, loan
Former Aston Villa captain and Manchester City treble winner Jack Grealish signed for David Moyes’s Everton on loan this week. The 29-year-old opted to join the Toffees after making only 20 Premier League appearances last year, with hopes of reigniting his form ahead of the World Cup.
Grealish was one of the most exciting players to watch in Europe during his time at Aston Villa, gliding across the pitch with the ball at his feet and terrorizing defenders. He lost some of that spark while at Manchester City despite his silverware success, as Pep Guardiola restricted him to playing as a more traditional winger.
At Everton, Grealish should be given the freedom to roam that he had while at Aston Villa, which is hugely exciting for Everton and England fans alike. He’s never been one for huge numbers of goals and assists, but his creative play should allow players like Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to flourish alongside him.
Bafodé Diakité, Lille to Bournemouth, £34m
Bournemouth confirmed the signing of central defender Bafodé Diakité from Lille for a fee of £34m. The 24-year-old Frenchman joins in the same week center back Ilia Zabarnyi departed for PSG, in the same window that saw his partner from last campaign Dean Huijsen join Real Madrid.
Diakite played 48 matches for Lille last year. Including all of the French sides' Champions League run, which saw them qualify automatically for the last sixteen. He’s a leader at the back, who reads the game well, and can complete passes with both feet.
It’s a good signing for Bournemouth; he fits the profile of the kind of player they’ve had success developing over recent years. But it’s impossible to deny how difficult it’s going to be to replicate their defensive success from last season after losing three of their best players.
Malick Thiaw - AC Milan to Newcastle, £34.5m
It’s been a disappointing summer for Newcastle United. Despite signing Anthony Elanga, they’ve failed to land many of their big targets, Benjamin Sesko being the latest. They’re also dealing with Alexander Isak’s situation, which looks increasingly unlikely to end well for Eddie Howe’s team.
Amongst all this, they’ve signed Malick Thiaw, a 24-year-old German center back who joins from AC Milan for £34.5m. Thiaw joined Milan from Schalke in 2022 and played 87 games for the club in three seasons. A physically imposing defender at 6'4, Thiaw has good pace and is comfortable with the ball at his feet, both when dribbling and playing short passes.
Newcastle often played a back three last season. But two of those three, Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, while consistently high performers, are on the older side at 33. Thiaw will be seen as a successor to those two and a future, if not immediate, starter for Newcastle.
Lesley Ugochukwu - Chelsea to Burnley, undisclosed
Burnley confirmed three signings this week, the first of which is 21-year-old French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee rumored to be around £20m, wrote the BBC. Ugochukwu signed for Chelsea two seasons ago from Rennes, but spent last season on loan with Southampton.
The young midfielder brings a solid defensive presence and ability to make recovery tackles, and a nice range of passing. It’s a good coup for Burnley. Considering his age and pedigree, he’ll have resale value in the future.
Armando Broja - Chelsea to Burnley, undisclosed
The second player to trade Chelsea for Burnley this week was Armando Broja. The Albanian striker signed for Burnley for an undisclosed fee, also rumored to be around £20m.
The 23-year-old has been around the Premier League for a while now, developing in the Chelsea academy and making his first appearance for them in 2019/20. His best season came in 2020/21 when he went on loan to Southampton and scored nine goals in 38 appearances.
Since then, he’s played 19 times for Chelsea, scoring twice, and spent time on loan with Fulham and Everton, failing to score for either of them and struggling with injury. If he can stay fit, and it’s a big if, he should bring at least some attacking threat to Burnley. But realistically, Chelsea have come out of this deal looking much better for the fee they got.
Martin Dubravka - Newcastle to Burnley, undisclosed
Finally, Burnley confirmed the signing of 36-year-old Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Newcastle. This comes after James Trafford left the club to join Manchester City last week.
Dubravka has been a consistent Premier League performer since signing for Newcastle in 2017. He made 179 appearances for the club and two for Manchester United during a short loan in 2022.
You know what you’re getting with Dubravka; he’ll bring experience and solidity in between the sticks for Burnley. He’ll also provide some good mentorship for their new signing, 21-year-old goalkeeper Max Weiss.
Mads Hermansen - Leicester City to West Ham, £18m
West Ham confirmed the signing of 21-year-old Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from recently relegated Leicester City for a fee of £18m. Hermansen will compete with Alphonse Areola for the starting position after Lukasz Fabianski left the club this summer.
Hermansen appeared 28 times for Leicester City last campaign, keeping just one clean sheet, but equipping himself quite well considering his age and inexperience at that level. Graham Potter reportedly rates him highly, so he’ll be pleased with the signing, and so should West Ham fans, even if it’s not particularly thrilling.
Marc Guiu - Chelsea to Sunderland, loan
Sunderland also had a busy week, completing three more signings to take their total to 11. The first and probably most exciting was the acquisition of 19-year-old Spanish striker Marc Guiu on loan from Chelsea.
Guiu joined Chelsea from Barcelona last year and made 16 appearances for the club in his first season, scoring six goals.
Granted, all of his goals came against lower-level opposition in the conference league, the energetic striker certainly looked dynamic in his appearances for Chelsea. It will be exciting to watch what he does with regular Premier League minutes.
Omar Alderete - Getafe to Sunderland, undisclosed
Sunderland also confirmed the signing of central defender Omar Alderete from Getafe for an undisclosed fee, rumored to be around £10m.
The 28-year-old Paraguayan center back adds depth and experience to the Sunderland back line. He made 99 appearances in three seasons with Getafe, after spells with Valencia, Hertha Berlin, and FC Basel. He ranked in the 96th percentile for clearances amongst defenders in Europe's top five leagues last season.
Sunderland were lacking some top-flight experience in their center-back department, so the signing of a solid and experienced defender like Alderete is a clever one.
Arthur Masuaku, Besiktas to Sunderland, free
Finally, Sunderland confirmed the signing of former West Ham left-back Arthur Masuaku. The 31-year-old made 128 appearances for West Ham in six seasons at the club before joining Turkish side Besiktas in 2022.
Last year, Masuaku made 47 appearances for Besiktas, notching an impressive ten assists. He’s always had an impressive left foot and technical dribbling, so if he can readapt to the pace of the Premier League quickly, he should be a good addition for Sunderland.
Check back next Wednesday with Grubby Balls for all the Premier League's latest confirmed deals!
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