The Grubby Balls Transfer Round-Up: July 6th to 19th 2022

All the done-deals from the last two weeks of Premier League transfer action

Raheem Sterling - Manchester City to Chelsea £47.5m

Chelsea have completed their first big-name signing of the summer in England and Premier League star Raheem Sterling. The four-time Premier League Champion has scored 109 goals and assisted 56 in 320 Premier League appearances for Liverpool and Manchester City. Sterling has also scored 19 goals and assisted four times in 77 appearances for the England team, playing a hugely important role in the squad that reached the European Championship final last summer. The move comes as Sterling desires a more significant role, especially considering the Qatar World Cup's proximity. With Sterling's playing time dwindling in Manchester he decided it was time for a new challenge in the form of the Blues of London. While there may not be an air of mystique around the signing of Sterling, considering the 27-year-old has been on the forefront of the Premier League for a decade now, Raheem Sterling is a proven premier league asset who is a better option on the wing than what Chelsea have.

Lisandro Martinez - Ajax to Manchester United £57.5m

Erik Ten Hag has completed the third signing of his United rebuild, with Lisandro Martinez joining from Ten Hag's former side Ajax. Martinez played a pivotal role in the side and has all the attributes which suit the Dutch manager's style of play. Check out the recent Grubby Balls article on Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United to learn more! Martinez has incredible attacking statistics, ranking in the top 10th percentile amongst defenders for shots, assists, expected assists, and shot-creating actions per 90. He also ranked in the 99th percentile for tackles per 90 with 3.13. While these are Eridivisie statistics, and he hasn't yet played in one of Europe's top 5 leagues, Martinez is undoubtedly talented. He has all the attributes of a Ten Hag defender that Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane lack (again, check out the Grubby Balls article to learn more).

Christian Eriksen - Brentford to Manchester United (free)

Manchester United completed the highly talked about signing of Christian Eriksen, who joins on a free after playing a significant role in the second half of Brentford's season following his horrific cardiac arrest during Euro 2020. Eriksen played a crucial role in keeping Brentford away from the relegation zone. The midfielder made 11 appearances for the Bees, scoring once and assisting four times. Eriksen reminded everyone of his talent, finishing in the 99th percentile for assists, expected assists and shot-creating actions per 90 amongst midfielders in Europe's top five leagues. While there are no questions about Eriksen's quality, there are some questions about where he fits into a United side that already has a creative midfielder of similar pedigree. Whether or not Ten Hag believes Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen can play together remains to be seen. Or one of them will be dropping to the bench. Though for a midfield that has been weak in recent years, this is a good selection headache for Erik Ten Hag.

Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli to Chelsea £33m

Chelsea announced their second big money move of the fortnight in the signing of Napoli and Senegal central defender Kalidou Koulibaly on a four-year deal. After losing Andres Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea badly needed to reinforce their defence. The signing of Koulibaly does just this. Koulibaly made over 300 Serie A appearances for Napoli since joining them eight years ago. Koulibaly ranked in the 87th percentile for tackles per 90, with 2.37, and in the 84th and 98th respectively for progressive passes received and dribbles completed per 90. The 6-foot 1 31-year-old can be effective on both sides of the ball. Though not Premier League proven (as we know, big-money Serie A signings don't always work out), he has all the attributes needed to be a formidable Premier League defender. Koulibaly could be the first of a few more big-money defensive signings, with Jules Kounde rumoured to be next in line.

Djed Spence - Middlesbrough to Tottenham £20m

Tottenham have today announced the signing of right-back Djed Spence. The 21-year-old has had his name circulating through the rumour mill since he won promotion with Nottingham Forest last season. Though Spence made his name with Forest last year, he was contractually bound to Middlesbrough, though various fallings out with management meant he left on loan last season. Nevertheless, Spence was pivotal to Nottingham Forest's promotion run, ranking 1st in their squad for touches, attempted take-ons, and passes in the final third. While, of course, at 21 years old, there is plenty of room for improvement in Spence's game, he adds to a Tottenham squad that is looking increasingly formidable.

Nathan Collins - Burnley to Wolves £20.5m

Wolves have announced the signing of Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins on a five-year deal from Burnley. Collins will fill the gap left by the departure of Roman Saiss, who left last month following the end of his contract. Collins made 22 appearances for Burnley last season after joining from Stoke last summer. He only began regularly starting for the Clarets during the second half of the season, and although he scored twice for Burnley and defended well, averaging 2.6 blocks. 5.5 clearances and 4.5 aerial wins per 90, Burnley's fate was sealed. However, one team's loss is another's gain, as Wolves have landed themselves a promising young defender in the 21-year-old.

Keane Lewis-Potter - Hull City to Brentford £20m

Brentford have completed a club-record signing of one of the most promising English talents in Hull City's Keane Lewis-Potter. The highly skilled 21-year-old scored 12 goals and assisted three times in 46 appearances for the Tigers last season, splitting his time primarily between the left wing and number 10 position. The quick, versatile winger will provide a dynamic threat for Thomas Frank's side slotting in with Ivan Toney, Yoanne Wissa, and Bryan Mbuemo to round off a solid core of forwards for the Bees. Adding another attacking threat should mean Brentford relies less on the goals of striker Ivan Toney. Lewis-Potter will be one to watch next season and onwards for both Brentford and England fans alike.

Cheick Doucoure - Lens to Crystal Palace £21m

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Mali international midfielder Cheick Doucoure for 21 million pounds from Ligue 1 side Lens. The midfielder made 34 appearances for Lens in Ligue 1 last season as they finished seventh in the league. The midfielder has impressive defensive and passing statistics, ranking in the 93rd percentile for progressive passes and carries amongst midfielders in Europe and averaging 2.63 tackles and 2.26 interceptions per 90. Doucoure should help bolster the Palace midfield with Conor Gallagher not likely to return on loan, and other central midfielders Cheikouh Kouyate, Luka Milivojevic, and James McArthur all now on the wrong side of 30.

Tyler Adams - RB Leipzig to Leeds £20m

Leeds have agreed a 20-million-pound deal with RB Leipzig to sign 23-year-old midfielder Tyler Adams. The US international is a replacement for the departing Kalvin Phillips, who recently signed for Manchester City. Manager Jesse Marsch has been a fan of Adams for years after he coached and gave him his debut at 15 years old while managing MLS side New York Red Bulls. Marsch has said that from the moment he first saw Adams play, he "knew he was going to be massive". Tyler Adams played 33 times for RB Leipzig last season; he was in the 98th percentile for blocks per 90 and averaged 61.8 passes per 90 with an 86.5% completion rate. He also logged 4.81 progressive carries per 90. These stats suggest Adams has all the makings of a solid box-to-box midfielder who can plug the gap left by the departure of talisman Kalvin Phillips. Leeds fans should be excited about this one.

Moussa Niakhate - Mainz to Nottingham Forest £17m

Wolves have signed another promising Bundesliga player, this time in the defensive department, with Moussa Niakhate joining from Mainz for a fee of around 17.5m pounds. The 26-year-old 6'2 French central defender captained Mainz to their best Bundesliga finish in five years last season. He was in the top 20th percentile amongst central defenders in Europe for pressures, tackles, and interceptions per 90. He also boasted an impressive 4.42 progressive passes per 90 and scored four goals, with an average of 1.05 shot-creating actions per 90. These statistics suggest Niakhate will be valuable on both sides of the ball, which should be helpful in Nottingham Forest's counter-attacking play style.

Clement Lenglet - Barcelona to Tottenham (loan)

Left-sided central defender Clement Lenglet has completed a season-long loan move from Barcelona to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs have been targeting this position for a while and see Lenglet as the answer for this season at least. The defender made 27 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona last season but is reportedly not part of manager Xavi's plans. Barcelona also needed to offload several players for financial reasons. His defensive statistics last season weren't great, averaging very few interceptions, blocks, and clearances per 90, though he was not playing in the most challenging matches'. It will be interesting to see how the once very promising defender does under Conte next season, as the Barcelona move has been a step backwards for his career.

Luis Sinisterra - Feyenoord to Leeds (undisclosed)

With Raphinha leaving for Barcelona, Leeds have moved quickly to secure a replacement for the Brazilian winger, with Luis Sinisterra joining from Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee. The winger had an impressive season with Feyenoord scoring 24 goals and assisting 14 times in all competitions, helping Feyenoord to a third-place finish in the Eredivisie, and helping guide them to the final of the Europa Conference League. The Columbian ranked first in the Eredivisie for dribbles attempted, and possession won in the final third. While the stats seem to show that Sinisterra has all the makings of a great Raphinha replacement, we've seen in recent years that players signed from the Eredivisie sometimes don't perform quite to expectations.

Neco Williams - Liverpool to Nottingham Forest £16m

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of 21-year-old right-back Neco Williams on a four-year contract. Williams will take up the vacant role left by departing loanee Djed Spence, who joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough today. Williams spent the second half of last season on loan with Fulham, helping them win the league and regain Premier League status. Williams made 14 appearances for Fulham, scoring twice and assisting twice. Williams will be hoping the permanent move will grant him regular Premier League football as he continues to develop; it's a win-win for both parties.

Andreas Perreira - Manchester United to Fulham (undisclosed)

Fulham completed their second summer signing in midfielder Andreas Perreira from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee. Perreira departs Manchester United after 11 years, in which he only made 45 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils, scoring two goals and assisting four times. The midfielder has made several loan moves during his spell at Manchester United, spending last year with Flamengo, where he scored three goals and assisted once in 20 appearances. Perreira joins fellow midfielder Joao Palhinha as new arrivals for Fulham. He will be hoping he can make a more significant Premier League impact with Fulham than he has with Man United.

Wayne Hennesey - Burnley to Nottingham Forest (free)

Nottingham Forest have completed another signing in the goalkeeping department, with veteran keeper Wayne Hennesey joining the club after the conclusion of his contract with recently relegated Burnley. After former first-choice goalkeeper Brice Samba departed for Lens, Forest brought Dean Henderson in on loan from Manchester United. The 35-year-old Wayne Hennesey will be competing with Henderson for the first-choice spot but will likely be playing the role of number 2.

Aaron Hickey - Bologna to Brentford £18m

Brentford have completed their first piece of summer business with the signing of Scottish U21 left-back Aaron Hickey from Bologna. Hickey joined Bologna from the Scottish Premiership side Hearts in 2020 and made 47 league appearances for the Serie A club. The 20-year-old attacking fullback scored five goals last season, ranking in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals scored by a fullback. Hickey will be competing with Rico Henry for the starting role, who scored three goals in his 34 appearances for the bees in the Premier League last season. Hickey joins the ranks of the several Scottish fullbacks plying their trade in the Premier League, notably Andy Robertson of Liverpool, Kieran Tierney of Arsenal, and Nathan Patterson of Everton.

Flynn Downes - Swansea City to West Ham £12m

West Ham have completed the signing of promising 23-year-old midfielder and lifelong Hammers fan Flynn Downes from Swansea City on a 5-year-deal. West Ham have a good record of recruiting Championship talent. Manager David Moyes stated after the signing that the logic behind procuring Downes' signature was essentially the same as when they signed Jarrod Bowen from Hull City. The talented midfielder ranked 7th in the Championship for completed passes and 7th in passes completed in the opposition's half, all with a 92% pass completion rate. The midfielder should prove a great addition to the West Ham ranks and should be able to get some solid game time with the club competing in the Europa Conference League.

Romeo Lavia - Manchester City to Southampton £12m

Southampton have signed the highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder Romeo Lavia from Manchester City. The Belgium u21 international signs for the Saints on a 4-year deal, which includes a 40m pound buy-back option. Lavia joined City after Pep Guardiola was impressed by his performances during Kevin De Bruyne's invitational youth trophy in Belgium, where Lavia helped Anderlecht win the title. Lavia went on to have a successful stint with the Manchester City PL 2 squad. Including the buy-back clause means that City likely views this signing as sort of a long term loan deal, where the player will hopefully be able to break into the Saint'sSaint's first team before City eventually re-sign him in a few years.

Thomas Strakosha – Lazio to Brentford (free)

Brentford have signed Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha on a free transfer. The 27-year-old, who made 200 appearances for the Serie A side, will provide solid competition in the Brentford goalkeeping ranks. Last year he made 23 appearances in Serie A, keeping seven clean sheets, stats very similar to those of Brentford number 1 David Raya, who made 24 appearances last season, keeping eight clean sheets. The Albanian will meet up with the Brentford side in Germany this week to begin pre-season and hope to earn himself a place between the sticks when Brentford take on Tottenham away in their first game of the season.

Ludwig Augustinsson - Sevilla to Aston Villa (loan)

Aston Villa have completed the season-long loan signing of 28-year-old Swedish right back Ludwig Augustinsson from Sevilla. Last year Augustinsson made 24 appearances for Sevilla, assisting once. He averaged 1.81 shot-creating actions per 90, with 2.98 clearances and 2.35 aerials won per 90. His statistics are slightly inferior to current Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne, but the Swede should provide good competition and cover for Aston Villa.

Omari Hutchinson - Arsenal to Chelsea (free)

This week, highly coveted 18-year-old English winger Omari Hutchinson decided to swap one London club for another when he announced he would be leaving Arsenal, where he has been involved in the academy for eight years, to join Chelsea. The winger made 17 appearances for the Arsenal PL-2 side last season, scoring six goals and assisting four. Chelsea will have high hopes for the teenager, whose skillset has already been likened to fellow new blue Raheem Sterling.

Yehor Yarmoliuk - SC Dnipro-1 to Brentford (undisclosed)

Brentford completed the signing of 18-year-old Ukrainian midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Yarmoliuk became the second youngest player to make a senior appearance in the Ukrainian topflight when he made his senior debut in June 2020 at just 16 years and 140 days old. Last season he played nine games and scored once before the season was curtailed due to the Russian invasion. Yarmoliuk will first join up with Brentford B with ambitions of breaking into the first-team squad.

Brandon Aguilera - Alajuelense to Nottingham Forest (Undisclosed)

Nottingham Forest announced the signing of Costa Rican midfielder Brandon Aguilera on a four-year deal. The 19-year-old will return to Costa Rica to complete a six-month loan deal with Guanacasteca before officially joining up with Nottingham Forest. Aguilera has been capped three times by the Costa Rican national team.

Thank you for reading this weeks Grubby Balls Transfer Update!

Stay tuned for more articles on the Premier League as we near the all important first day of the season.