EPL Transfer News & Rumors Analysis: Which Title Contender has had Best Summer?
The English Premier League (EPL) transfer window has been tremendously busy over the last few weeks with major teams making big moves.
Last season was a tight race atop the EPL with up to four teams competing for first place for a large part of the season. This year should be an even tighter race with Manchester United looking to bounce back from a poor year under David Moyes. New Manager Louis van Gaal showed off his brilliance at the World Cup this summer, and many expect him to take the prestigious Red Devils back into contention.
The first major summer move was Chelsea's acquisition of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. The Spaniard was not allowed to play his natural position for the Catalan side and his return to the Premier League should allow him to recapture the form that made him so appealing to Barcelona in the first place. Chelsea struggled offensively last season, especially on the creative front, but Fabregas is an elite passer and should allow the squad to have a greater deal of fluidity on the attack.
Chelsea also added Diego Costa up top to help out their striker situation. Last season's trio of strikers included Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto'o; and none of these players managed 10 goals all year in the Premier League, contributing to the team's lack of attacking strength. Costa is coming off a 30-plus goal last season for Atletico Madrid, and his strong and direct play should help Chelsea this season.
The team also added Filipe Luis to the defense to help improve an already solid backline. The departure of David Luiz helps Chelsea rid itself of an inconsistent defensive player, while the return of Thibaut Courtois will offer an upgrade in goal over the great Petr Cech.
Arsenal also made some rather huge moves this summer starting with the addition of Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean is not only a lethal scorer, but his pace also gives Arsenal more speed on the attack. Sanchez is also great at retaining possession, adding yet another player who can help Arsenal's retention game.
The other huge moves include adding Mathieu Debuchy, who will strengthen Arsenal's defense, and David Ospina, who is expected to come in and give the team another top-flight goalkeeper. Ospina is not expected to start but could easily take over the starting job and give the Gunners a great option in net.
The rumored transfer for Sami Khedira could also be a huge boost for Arsenal as he would be the defensive midfielder that the team has been sorely lacking. If he comes over, the Arsenal would arguably be the Premier League winner of the transfer period.
The team still needs, however, a top striker to play over the inconsistent Olivier Giroud. Sanchez gives the team options, but he is not a traditional center forward. Of course, he played the highest position for the striker-less Chile and that worked out fine.
The other major contenders have been a bit more quiet.
Liverpool lost Luis Suarez, which could be a huge blow, but added Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert.
Manchester United brought in Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw; rumor has it that van Gaal is looking to bring in more Dutch talent to complement the side. There is also the ongoing saga revolving around the status of Arturo Vidal, who is expected to make his big move to Manchester United. Manchester City's summer has been the least impressive of the lot as the side only brought in Bacary Sagna, Willy Caballero and Fernando.
So far, Chelsea looks like the winner as the Blues have made a plethora of high-profile moves to bolster their roster. But Arsenal could still come out on top with one or two more key acquisitions (Khedira), while van Gaal looks still improve the side with other late additions.