The transfer window is officially open and teams all across Europe are fishing for quality additions and replacements as they prepare for the rigours of the coming season.
The 2022/23 season is set to be a different one as it will experience a one month break to accommodate the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup in November/December which is holding at that time due to the gulf nation’s weather in the summer.
Transfer business has been going on long before the window officially opened and many deals have been closed. Here is a list of all the players who have been signed so far by Premier League top six clubs ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Arsenal
The Gunners are searching for replacements and additions in the attacking positions and midfield. A lot of links are in the media about who they are looking to sign but so far, they have completed only one transfer – teenage winger Marquinhos from Brazilian Serie A side São Paulo.
The club have lost two senior players as well – Konstantinos Mavropanos and Alexandre Lacazette. Academy boys Jonathan Dinzeyi, Joel Lopez and Jordan McEneff have all been released.
They are linked to Bologna defender Aaron Hickey, Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. A few of their players are also linked with moves away from the club including Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey.
Chelsea
The Blues have had a tough season after sanctions were placed on them as a result of their being owned by Roman Abramovich, an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Russian head of state ordered an attack on Ukraine and his assets and allies were hit by other European countries in retaliation. The club have now moved on from Abramovich after 19 successful years and are looking forward to a new dispensation under Todd Boehly and his partners.
So far, they have made no transfers but have been linked to a myriad of players including Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar, Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, Leeds United’s Raphinha among others.
They have lost two key players in Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, and have released Danny Drinkwater, Charly Musonda and academy boy Jake Clarke-Salter. They could also lose club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso in defence, and Romelu Lukaku in attack.
Liverpool
After another season where they won 90 or more points and still missed out on the Premier League title, Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool are determined to switch things up in the coming season.
The Reds also missed out on the UEFA Champions League to Real Madrid and Klopp made a bold declaration that he and his team will be at the next final.
To achieve this, they have set out to strengthen their attack and shore up their midfield. However, they have only secured the signing of Fabio Carvalho and are very close to completing Darwin Nuñez’s transfer from Benfica.
They have lost two senior players in Divock Origi and Lori’s Karius who left as free agents, while releasing youth players Sheyi Ojo, Ben Woodburn, Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Luis Longstaff.
Manchester City
The back-to-back Premier League champions have completed the biggest transfer of the summer so far by signing Erling Haaland for £51 million from Borussia Dortmund. The figures, however, exceed that amount but City are up to the task.
River Plate striker Julian Alvarez has also signed for the club but his announcement is yet to be made.
So far, they have only lost club captain Fernandinho who left as a free agent to return to his home country. They could also lose Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus. They could also let Benjamin Mendy go officially after his rape case which led to his suspension early in the season keeps building.
As for players they are linked to, only Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, who they want to sign as Fernandinho’s replacement, is making the rounds in the media.
Manchester United
The Red Devils’ major transfer this summer so far has been in the management area. Erik ten Hag was brought in from Ajax Amsterdam to help steer the club back to its glory days following a disastrous season overseen by both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
They have been linked to a number of players including Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ruben Neves and a few others.
They have lost quite a number of players as well. Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic and Lee Grant are the senior players who left as free agents.
Academy boys D’Mani Mellor, Reece Devine, Paul McShane and Connor Stanley were all released and goalkeeper Paul Woolston was forced to call it quits on his football career as a while due to a debilitating injury.
There is also the pending issue of Mason Greenwood, who is currently entangled with British law enforcement over a domestic violence case. The club suspended him pending the outcome.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are also linked to everybody as Antonio Conte is looking to build a title-winning side ahead of the 2022/23 season.
So far, they have only signed Ivan Perisic and goalkeeper Fraser Forster and have released more than ten academy boys. The only senior player currently on the market is Tanguy Ndombele.
21-year-old Bryan Gil’s future is up in the air as Spurs do not know whether to loan him or sell him just yet. It has also been rumoured that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Emerson Royal are not in the club’s plans.
