Some areas of Real Madrid‘s squad look a little weak to challenge effectively on three fronts, as the club try to wrestle La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League back from arch-rivals Barcelona.

Perhaps the most crucial position they could do with more support in is the No. 9 spot.

Karim Benzema is a brilliant striker and if he stays fit and firing for the whole season then there might not be a problem.

But the French international suffered a knee injury toward the back end of last season and had a thigh injury at the start of this year, which kept him out of the club’s first game.

Madrid could have done with Benzema as they stumbled to a 0-0 draw against Sporting Gijon, but he returned for the next match and so did the goals.

Benzema struck against Real Betis as Madrid ran out 5-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Rafa Benitez fully appreciates that the squad could do with another striker. According to Marca, he asked for one but was denied by the board.

The manager had suggested signing a new forward, since he’s concerned about a lack of backup for the front line. The club’s directors, however, think that the team has enough goals in it, and that the current dry spell in front of goal is only temporary. Real argue that Benitez has the world’s most lethal striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, at his disposal, as well as his eventual replacement as the team’s star player, Gareth Bale. And let’s not forget Benzema, who averages in the region of 20-30 goals a season.

Meanwhile AS said that if Rafa could choose between a forward and midfielder he would opt to sign the forward. Marco Ruiz wrote:

“He wants to have a different tactical option at his disposal. That would come from a striker who is comfortable in the area but possesses the movement of a forward. Carlo Ancelotti deployed Chicharito in that role towards the end of last season.”

Then, two days after the article was published, Madrid swooped for Mateo Kovacic.

The Croatian midfielder, signed from Inter Milan, is a hot prospect and could end up being a key Los Blancos player for years to come.

But most don’t expect him to have too much of an impact this season with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos the preferred central-midfield options.

As Ruiz mentioned, last season Madrid had Javier Hernandez, who proved to be extremely useful.

It was the Mexican who popped up with the late goal to send Atletico Madrid crashing out of the Champions League with Los Blancos progressing to the semi-finals.

Benzema is now the only out-and-out striker Madrid have, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jese other options.

But Jese looks far more comfortable playing in wide areas at the moment, while Ronaldo is reportedly not willing to budge from his position on the left.

According to Sport, Ronaldo does not like the idea of Gareth Bale coming over to “his” left flank, while Ronaldo is pushed up top. Alejandro Alcaraz wrote:

Ronaldo is not impressed with all the tactical attention being placed on Bale and suspects that eventually he may end up on ‘his’ left side, while the Portuguese is moved up top.

…

Cristiano is not ready to step aside for Bale and feels the plan to recycle his position is a strategy from the club to leave the left forward position free for the Welshman. But that is not why he wants to stay on the left; it is because that is where he feels most comfortable and where he has had a lot of success for Madrid. As a striker, he does not feel as comfortable and does not want to play there.

All of which makes the idea that Arsenal could buy Benzema more ridiculous.

Meanwhile, with Fabio Coentrao being sold, Marcelo is the only recognised left-back at Benitez’s disposal.

Nacho can fill in for him, while playing one of Dani Carvajal or Danilo out of position is also an option, albeit not something a club like Madrid should need to do.

Madrid have a strong side, but if they get unlucky with injuries, their uneven squad may prove to be a problem.

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The transfer window is closed, and Arsenal’s squad will remain the same—at least until January. At the end of the transfer period, it seems appropriate to analyse Arsenal’s activity in the market.

It was not the busiest of windows for Arsene Wenger. A year ago, he added five new players to the squad, recruiting Mathieu Debuchy, Alexis Sanchez, David Ospina, Calum Chambers and—on deadline day itself—Danny Welbeck. However, this summer he has signed just one senior player: goalkeeper Petr Cech. There have not been many departures either, with only one player leaving the club for a recognised fee.

In this piece, we’ll take a look at Arsenal’s business before attempting to establish an overall grade. 

Signings

Cech was the only major arrival at Arsenal this summer. He is undoubtedly a good addition and an upgrade on the Gunners’ previous goalkeepers. Since the departure of Jens Lehmann, Wenger has struggled to identify a credible No. 1. By signing a multiple Premier League champion, he has effectively brought with him a guarantee of quality.

A mooted fee of £10 million seems very reasonable for a player with Cech’s credentials. Even at the age of 33, he still has plenty of years left at the top. The success of Edwin van der Sar, who continued to impress for Manchester United into his 40th year, will inspire Cech to prolong his already remarkable career.

The only other additions to the squad were on the academy side. Based on his performances in the Emirates Cup, Jeff Reine-Adelaide is a tremendous prospect and certainly one to watch. However, it will be some time before his impact is felt on the first team. The best he can hope for this season is the odd cameo in the Capital One Cup.

Despite the astute addition of Cech, most Arsenal fans were hoping for more signings on deadline day. There are two major areas of the squad that could do with reinforcement.

The first is in defensive midfield, where there is no satisfying alternative to the combative Francis Coquelin. Mathieu Flamini appears to have fallen out of favour, while Mikel Arteta is increasingly seen as too frail to thrive in the war zone of the midfield. The acquisition of a tough-tackling ball-winner would not have gone amiss.

Then there’s the attacking situation to consider. Arsenal have struggled for goals in the early part of the season, and there is a lingering suspicion that they need a world-class centre-forward to become true title contenders.

Despite continual speculation about a potential move for Karim Benzema—Thierry Henry even went as far as to tell SkySports that he felt his fellow Frenchman could make Arsenal champions again—no move was forthcoming.

Manchester United’s exorbitant bid to land Anthony Martial shows just how hard it is to unearth an elite striker in today’s market. Wenger could not find any value and so decided to stick with what he has. Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck will be charged with scoring the goals to keep Arsenal in contention for silverware.

That will frustrate many Arsenal fans. When you look at what the other big clubs in the Premier League have spent this season, Arsenal’s outlay of £10 million looks comparatively meagre. Wenger will point to the collective outlay over the last 12 months, but with their rivals aggressively recruiting new talent, there is a danger Arsenal may not keep pace with their competition.

At the end of each window, fans want to feel their club has done all it can to ensure it has a chance of success in the coming season. Wenger has effectively declared he could not find a defensive midfielder superior to Flamini or a striker of greater calibre than the current trio on his books.

That will be difficult for many supporters to swallow, and there will be an understandable fear that Arsenal’s relative inactivity could come back to bite them later in the season.

Outgoings

Arsenal’s lack of signings is in part explained by the decision to keep most of their squad intact. Lukas Podolski was the only player sold for a fee, and he had already spent half of last season on loan at Inter Milan.

Abou Diaby was another to go, having been released from his contract. It must have been a painful decision for Wenger, who has kept faith with the midfielder through a succession of injury problems. However, in the end he had little choice: It has been some time since Diaby was able to make a regular and reliable contribution to the Arsenal squad.

He has subsequently joined Marseille, and most Arsenal fans are united in wishing him all the best with his new club.

Ryo Miyaichi, another player dogged by injuries, was also allowed to move on a free transfer. Despite the high hopes which were held for him as a youngster, his release felt justifiable and appropriate. 

Most of the departures from Arsenal this summer were on loan. The arrival of Cech forced Wojciech Szczesny into a temporary move to Roma, although it would be something of a surprise if he ever returned to north London.

Carl Jenkinson extended his loan deal with West Ham, albeit with an extension to his Arsenal contract as recompense. A trio of young attackers consisting of Yaya Sanogo, Chuba Akpom and Serge Gnabry was also afforded the chance to move elsewhere in search of regular first-team football.

There were a couple of players who surprisingly stayed. Flamini seems to now be surplus to requirements, while it was also a bit of a shock to see Joel Campbell remain with the club. After an unimpressive loan spell with Villarreal, it’s difficult to see how he will contribute to the first team.

The positive side of Arsenal’s outgoing business is that they did not lose any key players. The contracts of Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott were extended, and Wenger kept the bulk of his squad together.

Conclusion

The addition of Cech is a big step forward for Arsenal. However, it’s merely one step at a time when the Gunners still seem some way short of being true title challengers.

Retaining stability in the squad is a positive, but in order to give himself the best possible chance of lifting the Premier League trophy in May, Wenger ought to have pressed ahead and made further signings. Arsenal may be left ruing their relative inactivity come the end of the season. 

Grade: B

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The feeling of disappointment amongst the Manchester City staff and players at the end of last season was palpable.

Six straight wins saw them end the campaign on a positive note, but a spectacular collapse in form at the turn of the year had long removed any cheer at the Etihad. City were expected to compete aggressively for silverware. They failed demonstrably.

Manuel Pellegrini took the brunt of the blame, but the problems ran much deeper. City’s squad has been allowed to regress, with the core of players central to their recent success not properly supplemented. The club’s transfer windows, overseen by Txiki Begiristain, the sporting director, hadn’t been bold or brave enough, with Uefa’s financial fair play initiative hampering their progress perhaps more than many expected.

For Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club chairman, it simply wasn’t acceptable. Mubarak is a calm, reasoned man, and there would be no knee-jerk reaction, but his bullish post-season address to the City supporters was unequivocal in its message: The squad would be revitalised in the summer ready for a much-improved title challenge in 2015/16.

So far; so good. City have rarely looked quite as well placed to compete aggressively on four fronts. There’s competition for places right across the squad, and with four wins from their first four matches, City find themselves top of the table, eight points ahead of last season’s champions Chelsea. It’s been a flawless start.

Much of the credit must go to Begiristain, who has once again led an organised transfer strategy. In the past, his judgement has been questioned, particularly when restricted by FFP restrictions last summer, but his diligence and ability to lead a professional operation most certainly has never been in doubt. 

Since his arrival at City in 2013, there has been no last-minute flapping on deadline day. It’s been serene and well-planned business, nothing else—a far cry from Roberto Mancini’s final summer window in charge, which was shambolic and completely undermined their attempts to defend the title.

But not only has this window been executed with Begiristain’s usual calmness and serenity, he and Pellegrini also appear to have identified the right type of players to sharpen City’s squad.

Two of the club’s top three targets have been delivered. Paul Pogba may have topped their list of desires, and he has evaded them for now, but both Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne have been delivered.

Sterling has already shown why he was so high up the list of priorities. According to James Robson at the Manchester Evening News, he cost the club an initial £44 million, rising to £49 million if some complicated add-ons are triggered.

Many felt it was steep for a player with some developing to do, but anyone who has seen his impact on the side in the opening four games of the new season are likely to have been convinced he was worth the arduous chase and hefty fee.

City undoubtedly lacked pace last season, and Sterling’s arrival has helped solve the problem. He stretches defences, offers a balance City have rarely had in recent memory and has brilliant, quick feet that bamboozle defenders. 

With counter-attacking football now key to Premier League success, speed on the break is vital. City look the most well-equipped side on the counter in the division, with Sterling having settled superbly and looking key to City’s attacking style.

He’s played primarily on the left so far, but a second-half cameo as a secondary striker in the win over Watford on Saturday, where he scored two minutes after the tactical switch, shows Pellegrini sees him as being capable of operating in a variety of positions. Rarely has one player’s arrival ticked so many boxes.

Sterling, 20, became the most expensive signing in City’s history when he arrived from Liverpool, but De Bruyne’s move from Wolfsburg last week soon eclipsed the England forward’s fee.

De Bruyne cost £55 million, according to BBC Sport. It took an age to get the deal done, with City seemingly refusing to take no for an answer. Wolfsburg had no financial need to sell and would rather have kept the player. Only an astronomical fee like the one they received was going to twist their arm.

But City have their man, a 24-year-old attacking midfielder whose reputation has soared since he left Chelsea for £18 million 18 months ago. His former manager, Jose Mourinho, may have questioned his attitude, but the Bundesliga has been a good home for the Belgian, who arrives at City amidst huge expectation.

Happy to be a citizen. Looking forward to play with my new teammates. Focus on the Belgian Red Devils now… http://pic.twitter.com/eU63sZJJ3K

— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) August 31, 2015

He specialises in creating chances for others. Last season he assisted 21 league goals and scored 10 himself. City have signed him on a six-year contract, and they will expect to get De Bruyne’s best years.

Few expected City to sign a big-name defender, given the emergence of Jason Denayer, but Nicolas Otamendi was identified as the man to come in and provide more competition for Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis.

Otamendi cost City an initial £28.5 million from Valencia (via BBC Sport). Denayer, already a Belgium international, has since been loaned out to Galatasaray for a year in what will surely be one last assignment outside of east Manchester attempting to prepare him for the City first team.

.@Jasondenayer loaned to @GalatasaraySK for the 2015/16 campaign Details: http://t.co/t21SvIsjiG #mcfc http://pic.twitter.com/yESl2RxqM3

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) August 31, 2015

For some, it was a disappointing decision from Pellegrini. There’s a thirst amongst the City fans to start bringing through some youngsters from their much-vaunted academy. It’s been a while since a club with such proud youth development traditions have seen one of their own play regular first-team football. Denayer had been earmarked by many as one to bridge the gap.

But in Otamendi, City have a proven player—the best centre-back in La Liga in 2014/15. He will be expected to challenge Kompany and Mangala, both of whom have started the season superbly.

James Milner’s exit on a free transfer to Liverpool was the only blot on City’s summer transfer copybook, but Fabian Delph, an £8 million arrival from Aston Villa, has replaced his energy and dynamism in midfield. It surely ranks as one of the best bargains of the window.

Delph has been hugely impressive for Villa over the past two seasons, a player whose hard work throughout his career has begun to pay off handsomely. He brings drive and dribbling ability, and although he won’t be an automatic starter, he will surprise a few of the doubters who felt this move was the death knell on his international career.

With promising youngsters Enes Unal (since loaned to Genk) and Patrick Roberts also arriving, City have signed six players and look far stronger for it. They have more options tactically and have added youth and pace to an ageing squad. 

Of course, signing players is just one aspect of the transfer window; offloading those on the periphery is also of vital importance.

Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic have left for Roma and Inter Milan, respectively. Both are loan deals involving significant fees, but permanent moves are likely to follow. It was the best for all concerned, given the paucity of games and goals they both managed last season.

John Guidetti and Micah Richards both finally left, and they can now concentrate on getting their careers back on track after injuries saw them stall at City. Jose Pozo and Devante Cole were also sacrificed after showing nowhere near enough to suggest they could impact the first team regularly. Cole has joined Bradford City and Pozo will now ply his trade in Spain with Almeria.

Marcos Lopes was one academy player many felt was good enough to make the grade in Pellegrini’s senior squad, but with the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri and De Bruyne blocking his first-team path, the £8.4 million bid from Monaco was seen as too good to turn down.

Scott Sinclair, another who struggled for games after arriving in 2013, also left, signing a permanent deal with Aston Villa. 

City’s outgoings have freed up plenty of wage bill space and allowed Pellegrini to spend more on bringing additional quality in. Too often in the past they have been viewed as a soft touch when selling players but the last 12 months has seen a significant change in tack. 

As Manchester United and other Premier League rivals were left frantically trying to identify the final pieces of their transfer jigsaw right up until the final day, City’s leadership team could sit back and relax as the deadline approached.

Their work was done in a calm, collected manner, with their squad already looking ready for a title challenge. It looks to have been a hugely successful window.

Expect a strong title challenge and an improvement on the club’s Champions League performance. 

Transfer Window Grade: A

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

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It is difficult not to let Monday’s events cloud the whole of Real Madrid‘s transfer window. Their public failure to sign David De Gea from Manchester United, a player they have been courting for an entire summer, will forever be remembered.

It was a farcical situation, given they had months to arrange a deal, but instead they and United only engaged in talks on the final day, with the deal eventually falling through because they failed to beat the clock.

Madrid lay the blame squarely at Manchester United’s door, publishing a 10-point statement which insists they “did everything necessary, at all times, to ensure that these two transfers happened.”

The other transfer, being that of Keylor Navas to Manchester United, with the English club demanding him in part exchange for Spanish stopper De Gea.

The result of this is that now United seem set to lose De Gea to Madrid on a free transfer, given he has entered the last year of his contract.

But Madrid will instead have to pay De Gea much of the transfer fee (€15 million), as revealed by El Pais, h/t the Guardian.

And, worse still, they now have a first-choice goalkeeper who should be very angry with his club.

Having signed him a season ago, it seemed Navas would have the chance to step out of Iker Casillas‘ shadow and fight to be Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Instead, Madrid showed they clearly did not trust him to help them win titles in that role and preferred to move for De Gea.

If they believed in Navas, they would have simply signed De Gea next season instead of desperately trying to get him on the last day of the window and being frustrated by United’s slow response.

Now Navas must play at the Santiago Bernabeu knowing that Madrid did everything in their power to get rid of him.

Funnily enough, the fans at Real Madrid had just about come around to the idea of him being their first choice.

The Costa Rican was magnificent against Real Betis, saving a Ruben Castro penalty and making a couple of other fine stops as his team won 5-0.

Furthermore, he has two clean sheets in the two La Liga games so far.

So for failing to bring in De Gea, Madrid get an F. It’s the equivalent of making a major error on your driving test after an otherwise fine hour behind the wheel.

Now let’s try to put that saga out of our mind and focus on the players they did manage to bring in.

Danilo

Firstly, Danilo. They signed him from Porto a few months ago, though he has only joined the squad this summer.

The Porto right-back cost a lot of money at €31.5 million, but at 24, he has plenty of years ahead of him.

He was an impressive performer in Portugal, and Madrid feel he is ready to make the step up and play at an even higher level.

Few doubt that Danilo will be a good signing, but given they already have Dani Carvajal, 23, it will not drastically change how their team performs.

Verdict: B

Casemiro

The next deal is bringing back Casemiro from Porto, activating his €7.5 million buy-out clause.

Porto had loaned the midfielder from Los Blancos and were hoping to keep him, but Madrid, having been impressed by his development, decided to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu.

It was a complicated deal, as explained by Marca here:

The Portuguese club’s board had told its counterparts at the Santiago Bernabéu several days ago that it intended to make his loan deal permanent for €15m. The loan deal included a clause allowing the La Liga side to block Porto’s move so long as they told the Portuguese side of their intentions to buy Casemiro back for €7.5m before 5th June. That is what they did.

So Madrid had to shell out for a player they already owned.

Despite this poor business work, they are getting a good defensive midfielder, something they lacked at times last season.

Verdict: B

Lucas Vazquez

Similarly, they had to pay to sign another one of their own players in Lucas Vazquez.

The tricky winger had spent the season on loan at Espanyol, and Los Pericos wanted to purchase him. This was for only €1 million, according to Goal.

Madrid are getting a good player, but not one you expect to pull up trees at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The wide man would have to kick on a lot to make an impact at Real Madrid, and it’s easy to imagine his long-term future lies elsewhere.

Verdict: C

Kiko Casilla

Another player signed from Espanyol is Kiko Casilla.

The goalkeeper was presumably brought in to play second-fiddle to De Gea, but now it looks like he’ll be battling Navas for the No. 1 jersey.

He’s an impressive, young goalkeeper, and now that the De Gea deal is off, Casilla will be hoping he can replace Casillas, and not just in terms of having a similar name.

He is a good prospect, though occasionally prone to making a glaring error.

Casilla had played at Madrid before, in the youth system, so he will have no problems adapting to life in the Spanish capital.

He was a regular first-choice at Espanyol, and he’s a good back-up to have on the bench.

Verdict: A

Mateo Kovacic

Mateo Kovacic was the biggest name that Madrid brought in this summer.

The Inter Milan star is not expected to play a huge part this season unless injury affects Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, but the 21-year-old has a huge future ahead of him.

He has drawn some comparisons to his Croatian compatriot, Modric, but a more similar player is Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta.

Obviously, Kovacic has a long way to go to match the Spanish star, but Madrid clearly feel he can do it, and that’s why they put €32 million on the table for him.

An inventive attacking midfielder who can also play in deeper positions, Kovacic isn’t really a player Madrid need right now.

They have Gareth Bale currently playing the No. 10 role, and there is no shortage of competition for it, with James Rodriguez and Isco keen to start in that position.

That makes his signing odd, but there is no doubt that Madrid have gotten themselves a quality player, and it would be churlish to give him anything other than a top grade when you consider the impact he may have in a few years.

Modric even claimed, per Sport, that he will win the Ballon d’Or within two years. That won’t happen, but it’s high praise indeed.

Verdict: A+

Jesus Vallejo

Jesus Vallejo, the Real Zaragoza centre-back, has also joined the club, but he’s been loaned back for this season.

At €5 million, Madrid have signed one of the hottest prospects in Spanish football for an excellent price.

While it will be a while before we see if he can reach his potential, this looks like an excellent deal.

Verdict: A+

Outgoings

Asier Illarramendi, Sami Khedira, Casillas, Lucas Silva and Fabio Coentrao have left, either permanently or on loan.

Based on last season’s form, bar Casillas, they will not be missed. Marco Asensio has gone on loan to Espanyol, and if he can play and develop there, it will be great experience for a talented youngster.

Fans can have no complaints with the outgoings at Madrid.

Verdict: A

So Real Madrid have clearly done some decent work in the window. But it will go down in history more for what they didn’t do than for what they did.

And if Navas‘s confidence has been shaken, and Casilla can’t step up and handle the pressure, we may be talking about De Gea for a long time to come.

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The 2015 summer transfer window has been a frenetic one for many Premier League clubs, and with deadline day looming, the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea look set to continue this desperate search for the right signing—or, at least, another body to add depth to an area.

While there have been many surprises and shrewd acquisitions in this transfer window, none match up to James Milner’s free-transfer move from Manchester City to Liverpool.

After a prolonged flirtation with new contracts and potential moves to join Arsene Wenger’s ambitious Arsenal outfit, Milner opted to sign a “long-term deal” with the Reds in June, as reported by Sky Sports.

The midfielder’s arrival was a significant statement of intent for Liverpool, and though he represents a decidedly unfashionable selection among a plethora of exciting signings in this summer’s transfer window, Milner remains the standout transfer for a variety of reasons.

But just why does Milner stand out as the transfer of the 2015 Premier League summer transfer window?

James Milner

Eighty-two minutes into Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to West Ham United on Saturday, Hammers manager Slaven Bilic introduced 16-year-old midfielder Reece Oxford—a player who, on being named in Bilic‘s starting lineup on the first day of the season against Arsenal, became the second-youngest to start a Premier League match since its inception in 1992, according to Nicholas Godden of the Mail.

Recalling the top 10 youngest starters in Premier League history, Godden noted the full debut of Milner in 2003, aged just 17 years old:

Milner burst on to the scene making his first Premier League start for Leeds United as they beat West Ham 1-0 at Elland Road on February 11, 2003. Before making his first start for the Yorkshire-based club Milner had already become the youngest goalscorer in the history of Premier League when he came on and netted against Sunderland on Boxing Day 2002. Milner joined Newcastle before moving on to Aston Villa. His performances earned him a £24m to Manchester City, where he went on to win two titles. Milner left City at the end of his contract this summer and signed for Liverpool.

Godden‘s brief summary, rounding off with his summer move to Liverpool, highlights Milner’s reputation. Over the 14 seasons he has spent in the Premier League so far, the Yorkshireman has become a top-flight institution, making almost 400 appearances and winning two league titles—both during his time with City.

The fact that Godden‘s list features only four other regular Premier League fixtures in Stephen Carr, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Barry and Emile Heskey speaks volumes about Milner’s longevity. He is a hugely dependable player—something which Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers desperately needed following the departure of captain Steven Gerrard to L.A. Galaxy.

Gerrard had long been Liverpool’s best and most influential player, and one who, until his final season on Merseyside, was close to irreplaceable. His decline throughout 2014/15 ensured that his MLS move was a wise one, but with the Reds having previously failed to address his drop in quality by signing a replacement, Gerrard’s loss was a significant one within Rodgers’ squad.

Like many other sides this summer, Rodgers had a key position to fill, but unlike many others, the signing of Milner effortlessly catered for this.

The Summer Transfer Window

The injection of even more TV money into the Premier League has increased the pulling power of even the most historically unattractive of clubs.

For example, Leicester City have signed Shinji Okazaki and Gokhan Inler, West Bromwich Albion have added Salomon Rondon to their ranks, Sunderland acquired European talents such as Yann M’Vila and Jeremain Lens and Stoke City oversaw an influx of surprising signings including former Barcelona midfielders Ibrahim Afellay and Moha El Ouriachi, Hannover 96 forward Joselu and former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan winger Xherdan Shaqiri.

Elsewhere, the likes of Swansea City, Southampton and Aston Villa have continued to make strong progress with signings from the upper echelons of Europe.

Andre Ayew, Franck Tabanou and Eder were all signed early in the summer by Swansea; Juanmi, Cedric Soares and Jordy Clasie have all joined Ronald Koeman’s Saints; and Tim Sherwood’s first foray into the transfer market as a manager heralded the arrivals of Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout, Jordan Ayew and Adama Traore.

It can be argued that this increase in revenue has levelled the playing field in the Premier League, but more so it has just boosted the English top flight into a position where they are able to financially outmuscle all but the most wealthy of clubs on the continent.

This has given United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City—the Premier League’s elite—the ability to outspend their rivals. To add to the likes of Ayew, Shaqiri and Adama, each of these top sides has furnished their squad with a host of truly exciting talents.

Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Matteo Darmian and Morgan Schneiderlin all joined Louis van Gaal’s cause at Old Trafford; Jose Mourinho snatched Pedro from under United’s noses; Arsenal signalled their intent by signing Petr Cech from Chelsea; and City have spent big on Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Nicolas Otamendi and now Kevin De Bruyne, with the Sky Blues confirming the 24-year-old’s arrival on a six-year deal on Sunday.

Speaking on De Bruyne‘s arrival, City manager Manuel Pellegrini declared: “I have no doubt that he will be a big success on his return to the Premier League.”

But, in reality, De Bruyne falls in with the majority of these transfers in that he is a considerable risk signing—something which makes Milner truly stand out.

Low Risk

“James Milner has been absolutely exceptional,” Rodgers told the Press Association (h/t This Is Anfield) prior to Saturday’s 3-0 loss to West Ham. “You know he is a good player but you don’t realise how good he is until he comes into your club.

“He is a proper man how tough he is but he is an outstanding footballer and he has added massively to the squad in terms of mentality. He is a winner and his work with the players has been outstanding on and off the field.”

Milner’s arrival has boosted Liverpool immeasurably, but this should have been no surprise to Rodgers: The 29-year-old was a rare no-risk signing.

“He’s such a wonderful professional, freakishly fit, versatile and exceptionally good at almost every aspect of the game,” Bleacher Report’s City correspondent Rob Pollard told This Is Anfield after Milner’s move to Liverpool.

Pollard spoke with a reverence similar to that of Pellegrini, who praised Milner’s professionalism and all-round quality in an interview with the Guardian‘s Sid Lowe last season:

I’m Milner’s No. 1 fan. Find me a more complete English player. There are players who’re better technically, yes. Quicker players, yes. Players who head better, yes. But show me one who does all the things Milner does well. There isn’t one.

It’s hard to leave him out. Respect, commitment and performance level: 10/10, fantastic. He’s polyfunctional: full-back – the only position he doesn’t like – attacking midfield, wide.

[…]

He gives everything. You leave him on the bench and he’s absolutely furious but watch him during the game: encouraging, shouting, supporting. And in the next training session he kills himself.

Milner’s a phenomenon.

The impact Milner has had on Rodgers’ side suggests that this is a wholly accurate summary. The Englishman has been in consistently high form in all four of Liverpool’s games so far in 2015/16—even producing a solid display in Saturday’s Anfield loss; a result which showered few of Rodgers’ players in any semblance of glory.

Milner sets the tempo for Liverpool’s game, both in terms of defence—with his relentless pressing—and attack—with his creativity and third-man runs. He will likely play every minute of every Premier League game, and for a free transfer he represents incredible value.

Few signings from this summer transfer window will have as much of an all-round impact on their sides in the Premier League, with Arsenal’s Cech and Swansea’s Ayew arguably the most likely.

The likes of Depay, De Bruyne, Pedro, Shaqiri and Adama all have the potential to truly light up the Premier League for their respective sides, but each brings a level of risk with them.

Will Depay‘s Eredivisie form translate to the English game? Can De Bruyne improve on his ill-fated Chelsea spell on his Premier League return? Can Pedro make the transition from dependable also-ran to key player? Will Shaqiri finally match talent with temperament? Can Adama hone his raw ability into match-winning quality?

There are very few question marks over Milner’s transition into the Liverpool squad, and at this point that makes him the best signing of the Premier League’s summer transfer window.

Statistics via Soccerbase.com.

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As far as celebrations to mark 100 not out go, Chelsea’s defeat at home to Crystal Palace went according to plan about as much as organizing a surprise party for a great-grandmother reaching a century, only for her to die of shock upon being greeted with party poppers at the venue.

Given Alan Pardew had overseen nine victories from Palace’s 11 away games prior to their trip across the capital, shock value should have been in short supply for Mourinho’s 100th league game at Stamford Bridge. In the previous 99, he had tasted defeat just once, to Sunderland in April 2014. Throughout a managerial career that has spanned significant stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, he has lost just five of 192 home league matches combined.

Such records give licence to a view that this is merely a temporary blot on the most decorated of landscapes, a sorry footnote that has seen Chelsea make the worst start to a title defence since Blackburn in 1995—Kenny Dalglish’s side went on to finish seventh after picking up three points from their opening four matches—but a footnote nonetheless for a better chapter still to be written.

The immaculate start Manchester City have made has amplified how significantly Chelsea have fallen short, but that Mourinho felt compelled to reassure the watching world that slipping eight points behind the leaders before August is out does not signal the end of a title tilt suggests it has crossed his mind.

“In the Premier League I don’t say game over because last season we had seven points to the second and in one month we lost the seven points. On January 1 we were on the same points as the second,” said Mourinho, relayed by James Benge of the Evening Standard. 

“This is the Premier League and I think it’s getting more difficult than before. The reality is that we had a bad start. Four points in four matches is a very bad start.”

It’s the measure of the man that one worries when he is magnanimous, yet there was something slightly unnerving about the manner in which a second defeat of the season was met with such reasoned good grace. Albeit with the odd caveat in tow.

Let us pause for a moment and consider that this is a grown man who once, according to the Daily Mail (h/t Reuters), hid in a laundry basket so he could escape a UEFA ban and deliver a team talk to his side for a Champions League clash with Bayern Munich. Regardless of whether the story is apocryphal, the point is it’s not hard to image him ordering one of his subordinates to place towels over his head to avoid detection. Just mentally picture the scene. This is how far he’ll go to gain an advantage. 

Part of what makes Mourinho a serial winner is that, like Sir Alex Ferguson, he’s a horrible, embittered loser.

He’d rather blame the doctor (versus Swansea, 2015), floodlights (QPR, 2014), buses (West Ham United, 2014), eggs (in a row with Roman Abramovich about how to make omelettes/transfer policy), fans (after “only 300” Madrid fans made the short trip to Rayo Vallecano), referees (take your pick) and the media (Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness after the Paris Saint-Germain game last season) than accept the root of his side’s respective problems may lie closer to home.

Stupefaction was replaced with acceptance on Saturday. Other than a half-hearted groan about a penalty that wasn’t awarded for a shirt pull on Kurt Zouma, Mourinho was effusive in his praise of both Pardew and Palace.

“Thoughts? The first thought is for Palace. They come with everything. Team ready, players ready, fans ready, fantastic spirit. I prefer to go in this order because the most important thing [in the result] was Palace,” he said, reported by Simon Rice of the Independent. 

Mourinho is right. First thoughts should belong to Palace. This was not a smash-and-grab job. Palace went toe-to-toe and traded blows to leave the champions bloodied. No balaclavas were required; this was three points earned rather than stolen.

Trademark counter-attacks, long-since intoxicating studies in power and pace, proved enthralling once again. The rangy Wilfried Zaha, Bakary Sako and Yannick Bolasie, who came on as a second-half substitute after returning from compassionate leave, all left their respective marks to give Chelsea’s back four the appearance of sailors on shore leave, replete with the familiar punch drunk look that has characterized their season to date. 

Bolasie’s showboating when Branislav Ivanovic closed him down with all the enthusiasm of a vegan in a butchers will have made Mourinho’s blood boil. 

The additional poise provided by Yohan Cabaye since his club-record move from Paris Saint Germain has oft been commented upon, but the form of Jason Puncheon alongside him in Palace’s midfield has been at least the equal of the Frenchman.

On Saturday, he frequently outshone Cesc Fabregas. Quick of mind as he is of feet, Puncheon’s wit in possession was in marked contrast to the Chelsea man’s more prosaic and pedestrian promptings. Fabregas, whose lack of defensive wherewithal in a holding role appears to be having an adverse effect on an overcompensating Nemanja Matic, who was hauled off after 73 minutes to be replaced by teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Fabregas was a leading suspect when Mourinho spoke of a frustration at only being able to make three substitutions. The hapless Ivanovic was another. As was the ineffective Eden Hazard. 

When so many top class players are performing so substandardly, the question has to be asked if there are bigger issues afoot? With a back four that has conceded almost half as many home league goals in two matches as they did in the whole of last season at Stamford Bridge (nine), a midfield that lacks both bite and cohesion, wide men that look leggy and a striker that seems to have stolen all of the fight left in his team-mates to become a one-man wrecking ball, eight points currently looks a sizeable gap to make up. 

“Two or three of them, their individual performance were far from good. I blame myself for not changing one of them. I kept him in the game for 90 minutes and when I made the third change I realised I needed a fourth,” lamented Mourinho, per Sam Mokbel of the Mail on Sunday.  

Rare is it that Mourinho chooses to criticize his own players. Again, though, he was willing to break self-imposed protocol as his charges left for home with the proverbial flea in their collective ear.

He added:

If a player is not performing there are two ways to look at it. The first one is I trust so much the player that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait and wait and maybe it comes or doesn’t come. Or even while you are trusting the players arrives a moment when you think I have to change. And I can go both ways.

Mourinho’s portent words recall a scene in Seinfeld when Jerry ruminates on the machinations of a parting of ways.

“Breaking up is like knocking over a Coke machine. You can’t do it in one push; you gotta rock it back and forth a few times and then it goes over.”

One suspects several of Chelsea’s players may not enjoy the forthcoming international break as much as they’d have liked. Certainly not until after Tuesday’s transfer deadline has passed.

United Stuck on Repeat

If Mourinho’s entry to the 100 club proved to be a damp squib, perhaps he’ll draw consolation from the fact his old mentor, Louis van Gaal, suffered a similarly miserable fate at the gates of the 50 club a day later. 

There was a lovely symmetry, perhaps not for Louis van Gaal, but certainly for those who enjoy the little coincidences life throws up from time to time, as the Dutchman’s 50th game in charge of Manchester United ended up exactly the same as his first: a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City.

This latest feather in the managerial cap sported by Garry Monk (metaphorically, as opposed to horribly literally in the case of Claudio Ranieri on Saturday) comes courtesy of getting the better of Van Gaal for a third successive time. And this one will be all the sweeter given the game turned on a tactical switch the Swansea boss made in the aftermath of going behind to Juan Mata‘s opener after half-time. 

As per Michael Cox of the Guardian, Van Gaal conceded he was tactically outwitted when Monk changed his formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-1-2.

“The opponent changed their shape. At 1-0 they changed their shape and we couldn’t cope with that,” he admitted after watching his side usurped in the table by their increasingly impressive hosts.  

Twice Swansea got in behind Luke Shaw, when he was encouraged to buccaneer forward, because of the fact he no longer had a winger to keep an eye on, as Wayne Routledge had been replaced. Swansea’s first saw the irrepressible Andre Ayew ghost into the box to nod in Gylfi Sigurdsson’s centre from the right before the Ghanaian played a pass with the outside of his foot that was so beautiful it would have been understandable had the ball given itself a standing ovation en route to Bafetimbi Gomis. 

From there, for the fourth successive game, we were treated to the Frenchman’s idiosyncratic, and slightly unnerving, celebration, as he slipped the ball under Sergio Romero. David De Gea could have stopped it with Monk’s cap, let alone his own.

United head into the international break on the back of a performance that seems to have been played on a perpetual loop since the start of the season. A fast incisive start that hints everything has finally clicked into place before the pace slows like a standard 45 rpm record played at 33⅓ rpm.

As Gary Neville said on Super Sunday (h/t Sky Sports), Manchester United should not be seen as title contenders. It’s difficult to argue with that assessment with Van Gaal’s side currently playing with nothing like enough tempo in the final third.

Could Have Been Worse

On a weekend when only Manchester City really enforced their title credentials with anything like conviction, as Raheem Sterling got off the mark for his new club to break Watford’s resolve before Kevin De Bruyne was added at a cost of £55 million, per the Telegraph, Liverpool supporters will justifiably lay claim to being the most miserable of all. Sunderland fans can take a week off after their team’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.

West Ham travelled north on the back of home defeats to Leicester City and Bournemouth and in the knowledge the last time they left Anfield with maximum spoils was the year John F Kennedy was shot, 1963. It’s probably a little dramatic to describe the intervening period as 52 years of hurt, but it’s fair to say they were due a win on Merseyside.

A fourth successive clean sheet for Liverpool was off the table within 148 seconds as the highly impressive Manuel Lanzini caught Joe Gomez ball-watching to stab in at the near post. Thereafter, it only got worse for the home side.

Philippe Coutinho’s red card, harsh perhaps but very much of his own design, means he’ll miss Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford, and on this showing, with both Firmino and Christian Benteke having drawn blanks again, goals could again be in short supply.

The ghosts of last season returned to haunt Dejan Lovren too, with the Croatian’s chaotic display, summed up by a piece of defending for West Ham’s second goal that is only done full justice when accompanied by the Benny Hill theme, meaning further disruption to Liverpool’s defence is inevitable.

For West Ham, even Mark Noble’s dismissal, for a challenge that was barely even a foul, could not spoil an afternoon’s work that Slaven Bilic spoke of with the reverence usually reserved for titles and silverware. Given it’s been 52 years, it’s easy to forgive him a little exuberance over a victory made even more emphatic when Diafra Sakho added insult to injury in the final minute. 

“After 52 years, in this special stadium, and I think we did it in style. We didn’t nick it. It was a great performance. I’m very proud of the players,” said Bilic, relayed by Derick Allsop of the Daily Mirror. 

“It was one of those victories that will be written about in books for years to come.”

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Arsenal are continuing their pursuit of another striker but appear to have missed out on Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi.

According to Italian journalist Emanuele Giulianelli, the Gunners pursued the striker but were knocked back by the Serie A outfit:

Arsenal have scored just three goals in their four matches this season, and two have come courtesy of own goals.

Olivier Giroud is the Gunners’ only scorer this year, but as Squawka Football notes, he is otherwise going through a dry spell of his own:

Theo Walcott featured in Giroud‘s centre-forward role Saturday but failed to score against 10-man Newcastle United and was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance, while Alexis Sanchez’s failure to get off the mark could be a lack of sharpness as a result of his extended summer break following the Copa America.

Icardi would have been a strong step in the right direction for the Gunners. The 22-year-old enjoyed a prolific season last year, notching 27 goals and 9 assists in all competitions and would likely have made an excellent long-term acquisition.

According to Metro‘s George Bellshaw, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is still hopeful of landing a striker before the end of the transfer window. He said:

We are open and we are in the transfer market. If we find any exceptional player in any sector, we will do it. At the moment, I don’t know if something will happen or not.

We’re working on it; I’m not any more or less optimistic than I was last week. You always want more goalscorers, but it’s unpredictable.

TalkSPORT’s James Dodd has a suggestion for the Gunners with time running out before the window slams shut:

QPR‘s Austin on the move

Per David Wright of the Express, Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin has been linked with a whole host of Premier League clubs in a £15 million move, albeit his report fails to mention the Gunners.

Nevertheless, Giulianelli claims that any such links with Arsenal are not to be believed anyway:

With the likes of Karim Benzema seemingly staying put this summer, Austin could be worth pursuing, however.

The 26-year-old scored 18 goals in the Premier League last season and created seven in a poor team that finished bottom of the table.

In a team as creative as Arsenal, Austin would likely contribute plenty of goals thanks to his incisive play and power in the air.

The Englishman may not be the star Arsenal need to promote a title challenge, but the prolific striker is a natural goalscorer who could certainly be of use in lieu of a bigger name. Ultimately though, a move elsewhere or even staying at QPR seems the most likely outcome.

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Former England international Owen Hargreaves believes Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Calhanoglu would be a “perfect” signing for Liverpool, expressing his admiration for the Turkish playmaker while appearing on BT Sports (h/t Daily Star‘s Jamie Anderson).

Calhanoglu, who was born and raised in Germany but opted to represent Turkey at the international level, is widely regarded as one of the best young attacking midfielders in the world, and Hargreaves is a big fan, saying:

Calhanoglu is the star he is the feature of this team. If you think about Liverpool or Tottenham he would be perfect in those teams. I love Calhanoglu, I think he’s gonna be a superstar, honestly he’s one of the best strikers of the ball you’ll see.

The 21-year-old emerging star showed exactly what the fuss is all about during Leverkusen’s 3-0 win over Italian side Lazio Roma in the Champions League play-offs, as shared by OptaPaolo:

A free-kick specialist, Calhanoglu is at his best when he gets to play in a central role behind the striker, although he has moved out wide in the past. It’s easy to draw comparisons with Mesut Ozil, although Calhanoglu is very much his own man.

As reported by WhoScored.com, he scored eight goals and provided six assists last season in the Bundesliga, with a number of those assists coming from set pieces. The year before, he managed 11 goals, showing his incredible scoring potential.

Calhanoglu is a phenomenal prospect and a player who is quickly rising in the eyes of scouts and fans alike, but he’s unlikely to be available this late in the transfer window. Judging by the comments he made after it became clear Heung-Min Song could be on his way to Tottenham Hotspur, he seems more than committed to Leverkusen, via Goal’s Liam Twomey:

I think he is badly advised. I have written to him, called him, but he has not answered his phone. I am very sad, the whole team is a bit disappointed.

When you’re 23 years old, of course you have respect for your father. But you have to sometimes make your own decisions. We were there for him always – that’s why we are sad. Everyone has tried to reach him.

He’ll play Champions League football with the Germans in 2015-16, something the Reds can’t offer, and given his importance to the squad, Leverkusen won’t even think of selling unless Calhanoglu openly asks for it.

Liverpool already field one of the world’s top attacking midfielders in Philippe Coutinho, but the Brazilian has plenty of experience playing out wide. There’s every reason to believe the two could coexist and rotate on the pitch, even if it would take some width out of manager Brendan Rodgers’ side.

But summer arrival Roberto Firmino also prefers to play the No. 10 role, and he’s likely to move into the starting XI once he’s fully fit and adapted to the Premier League. Calhanoglu could hypothetically move out wide, but that would take away some of his best qualities, like his ability to play a pass into the box when the Reds are pressing.

It’s difficult to see how Rodgers would fit those pieces together, and while there’s no denying Calhanoglu would improve the squad should he move to Anfield, a transfer looks unlikely at this point.

Spurs Want Fabio Borini?

According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Liverpool Echo‘s Kristian Walsh), Tottenham Hotspur are eyeying Fabio Borini as a last-minute option to chase should moves for their other attacking targets fall through.

Walsh provided the latest on the speculation:

In what would surely be the most Spurs transfer ever, the London club have been linked with a move for the out-of-favour striker – in the Italian media, of course – in case their move for West Brom man Saido Berahino falls through.

Website Tuttomercatoweb says the 24-year-old has attracted interest from a host of Serie A clubs, with Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and Bologna all mentioned.

But Spurs may be about to step in, they say. Fantastico.

The Reds have been trying to offload the out-of-favour Italian throughout the summer, and with less than a week left in the summer transfer window, Borini is still at the club. As explained by Walsh, a host of Italian clubs have been linked with a move, but so far, nothing has materialised.

It’s fair to wonder why. He’s been training separately throughout summer, per the Guardian‘s Andy Hunter, and he’s unlikely to earn even a second of playing time this season in the event that he stays.

If the likes of Bologna and Lazio, who will be without striker Miroslav Klose for the foreseeable future―via AFP for FIFA.com―are all eyeing the forward, how is he still at Anfield? The Reds’ demands can’t be that high―Borini barely played last season and did nothing to warrant a significant investment.

Regardless of what Rodgers was hoping to fetch in return for the Italian, the club’s asking price must have dropped drastically by now. A move to north London seems a little far-fetched, but at this point in time, you have to assume the club would agree to just about any deal.

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In January this year, as English football obsessed over winter moves for the likes of Wilfried Bony and Juan Cuadrado, Raul Albentosa swapped Eibar for Derby County in a move that barely registered on England’s transfer radar.

In Spain, however, the reaction was very different. 

“Albentosa worth his weight…in pounds,” said a startled Marca in the Spanish capital, summing up the feeling of the country’s footballing community. Here was an Eibar first-team regular swapping La Liga for the Championship, England’s second tier financially outmuscling Spain’s first. It wasn’t even the Premier League doing the damage.

Imagine, then, what the Premier League could do to La Liga. Or to the Bundesliga. Or to Serie A or Ligue 1. Or to the Eredivisie, Primeira Liga, the Super Lig or the Russian Premier League. Well, you actually don’t need to imagine it; the reality is already evident.

When the Premier League announced its colossal, £5.136 billion TV rights deal in February, the league’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, admitted he was “surprised” by the sheer weight of cash coming the Premier League’s way. “Burnley are now, economically, bigger than Ajax,” he said. And he wasn’t wrong: This summer, Burnley, even after relegation, have spent £14.46 million in the transfer market; Ajax have spent £7.91 million, per Transfermarkt.

If you look around, you’ll find the Clarets aren’t the only English outfit overwhelming decorated European clubs. 

This summer, Newcastle United, who fought relegation last season, have taken the 14-goal Georginio Wijnaldum from PSV Eindhoven, as well as Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba from Anderlecht and Florian Thauvin from Marseille, all three selling clubs title contenders in the Netherlands, Belgium and France respectively. Newcastle’s neighbours, Sunderland, have also gotten in on the act, signing Jeremain Lens from Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv.

Elsewhere, another of last season’s relegation-threatened outfits, Aston Villa, recently outbid Ligue 1 runners-up Lyon for Nice’s Jordan Amavi, the Frenchman joining Idrissa Gueye in Birmingham after the latter’s switch from Lille—the 2010-11 French champions. Fellow Midlands outfit West Bromwich Albion lured Jose Salomon Rondon to the Premier League, the Venezuelan fresh from scoring 13 goals in Zenit Saint Petersburg’s title-winning season in Russia.

Those four clubs aren’t alone, either; nearly every club from the Premier League’s middle and lower classes is doing the same.

Southampton have signed Jordy Clasie from Feyenoord; Swansea City have pinched Andre Ayew from Marseille; Stoke City pulled off a heist by getting Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter Milan; Crystal Palace went shopping at Paris Saint-Germain to get Yohan Cabaye; West Ham United bought Dimitri Payet from Marseille and Angelo Ogbonna from Juventus; Leicester City took Gokhan Inler from Napoli and Christian Fuchs from Schalke; Bournemouth signed Max Gradel from Saint-Etienne; Watford got Jose Manuel Jurado from Spartak Moscow. 

Evidently, the Premier League’s financial might means its clubs are gobbling up most of Europe. 

This is now a world in which, according to Deloitte’s Football Money League, West Ham and Aston Villa have bigger budgets than Italian heavyweights AS Roma and Sunderland’s annual revenue is almost on par with that of 2014 Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. 

And this before the £5.136 billion of TV money even arrives, the new deal coming into effect next season. So if England’s lesser lights are enjoying the feeding frenzy, what does it mean for the country’s elite, the Manchester Uniteds, Manchester Citys, Arsenals, Chelseas and Liverpools of this world?

Ironically, little more than a month after the Premier League announced its landscape-altering deal with Sky and BT Sport, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal were dumped out of the Champions League, the world’s richest competition left without a representative in Europe’s final eight.

At the same time, LFP president Javier Tebas (Spain’s equivalent of Scudamore), like most football administrators around Europe, was frantically looking for an answer for La Liga, for a way his league could compete. Doing so was “urgentisimo,” he told Sid Lowe of ESPN FC. 

Yet despite La Liga’s financial inferiority to the Premier League, Spain’s top division had three representatives in the Champions League’s final eight in Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Admittedly, the hegemony of Barca and Real contributes significantly to the vast financial inequalities in Spain, but Atletico continue to punch above their weight in Europe, and this season they’ll be joined in the continent’s top tier by Valencia and Sevilla—excellent sides entirely capable of toppling England’s elite.

So the question then becomes: Shouldn’t the Premier League’s cash be addressing this shortcoming? The obvious should be yes, but in reality, it might actually be no. 

The transfer market activity witnessed in England this summer has neatly outlined the problem the Premier League’s elite face. Below them, the division’s bottom 14 clubs are spending like they never have before, shopping in places they’ve only previously dreamed about. Think about it: Relegation-threatened clubs in the Premier League are signing leading players from title contenders in Europe. 

Consequently, the top-to-bottom standard of the league is being driven north, the gulf between the respective ends of the table narrowing. Already this season we’ve seen that Swansea, West Ham and Crystal Palace will be a real handful, that the newly promoted sides won’t at all be pushovers, that the race to be best of the rest will be absolutely ferocious.

After three games, only one team has a perfect record in the Premier League, only five out of 20 have won more than once, and out of 30 completed games, there have only been six home wins. Six.

It’s not unreasonable to suggest, then, that it’s never been harder to win a Premier League game than it is right now. Every outing is a battle, a scrap, time and comfort rarely available to experiment or slip down a gear.

For the league in isolation, it’s magnificent; every game has the potential to be an enthralling contest. But for the league’s elite, it’s hardly beneficial for their aspirations in Europe, the energy and preparation time needed for Champions League ties denied to them by the demands of their own domestic competition.

But the issue could also go beyond the way the division’s “have-nots” are closing in on being “haves”. Indeed, even with the cash influx, the Premier League’s heavyweights are still struggling to close the gap on the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich because they already appear to be shopping in the highest player bracket they can. The league’s financial muscle doesn’t appear to be changing that. 

This summer, Chelsea’s biggest signing to date is Pedro Rodriguez, Arsenal’s is Petr Cech, Manchester United’s is Memphis Depay, Manchester City’s is Raheem Sterling and Liverpool’s is Christian Benteke. Do those men improve their respective squads? In most cases, yes. But are they the difference between the Champions League round of 16 and the competition’s final? Probably not.

Last summer, it was similar. The Premier League’s headline arrivals were Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Eliaquim Mangala—players either discarded by Barcelona and Real Madrid or players who wouldn’t get into their first XIs. And despite Arsenal’s ability to fork out £42.5 million on him, Mesut Ozil fell into the same group the summer before, his services not needed at the Bernabeu.

Thus, what we appear to have in the Premier League is a situation in which the division’s elite, despite their wealth, are shopping in group, say, “1b.” But to close the gap on Barca, Real and Bayern, that’s not enough: They need to be shopping in “1a.” But can they?

Late last year, the Guardian, using a panel of 73 experts, provided its ranking of the top 100 players in world football. Of the top 50, only 14 at the time played in the Premier League, and only 12 still do. Among the top 10, just one does.

Even with its extraordinarily deep pockets, England can’t keep or sign the creme de la creme: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Neymar, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm or Manuel Neuer. Those 11 men were in the Guardian‘s top 15 but none of them play in the Premier League. And not far behind them in the rankings were Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal and Javier Mascherano, among others.

Not surprisingly, it’s Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich who are the last three European champions, the Premier League’s elite watching their domestic competitors below them get stronger and stronger, concurrently finding themselves unable to take the next step to catch the world’s leading trio.

To make the jump from very good to great, England’s top clubs need the sort of players who simply aren’t available to them at present.

But could all of this be cyclical? After all, as recently as 2008, the Premier League had three of the four Champions League semi-finalists. Could it swing back that way again?

It’s certainly possible, but there are trends that suggest the current dominance of Barca, Real and Bayern on the European stage may be here to stay for the short term at least. Potentially longer. 

One of the major issues seemingly facing the Premier League is that it can’t match the allure of the aforementioned triumvirate for the world’s hottest talent beds.

The last two World Cup winners are Spain and Germany, demonstrating the countries’ current superiority in developing the finest the continent has to offer. Additionally, Spain and Germany have also dominated European football at youth level in recent years, sharing three of the last four under-21 titles, four of the last five under-19 crowns and having appearing in four of the last six European finals at under-17 level—they split the three titles before that too.

For reference, when English clubs last stood at the forefront of the European game, the talent pools were more diverse, as the history of the European Under-21 Championship illustrates. Finalists in the tournament between 2000 and 2007 included the Netherlands, Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, France and Italy, an almost decade-long wave of talent coming through Europe with little sense of attachment to La Liga’s giants or Bayern. 

But it’s now very different. Not only do Barcelona and Real Madrid represent the undisputed pinnacle in the minds of most, but they also hold a social significance and identity that resonates with the players populating one of the continent’s two hottest talent beds. For the other, Bayern Munich is exactly the same. Players from those nations will rarely, if ever, turn down those clubs, their pulling power unmatched for where the largest crops of stars are emerging from.

The fact Bastian Schweinsteiger is the first German to ever play for the Manchester United first team demonstrates the effect of that allure, a nation that is a footballing powerhouse having remained essentially untouched by the Premier League’s biggest of all.

What’s more, in the case of Real Madrid and Barcelona, the talent hotbeds in South America and elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula are further resources that are easily tapped into. With the similarities in culture, language and climate, moving to one of La Liga’s big two is both attractive and natural for the finest players hailing from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Portugal—five countries that currently reside high up FIFA’s world rankings along with Spain and Germany.

As such, this is the problem for the Premier League’s elite. Around them, their own league is growing stronger, the depth increasing, the collective spectacle from top to bottom becoming greater. The division’s middle and lower classes are benefiting immensely from the cash influx, possibly closing the gap in front of them. But the heavy hitters themselves can’t seem to take steps of a similar extent, unable to close the gap they want to close—the one to Barca, Real and Bayern.

Right now, the very finest, group “1a,” the creme de la creme, continue to elude them. And while the talent hotbeds, the next generation of stars, continue to have a nationalistic connection and association in identity to places such as the Spanish capital, Catalonia and Bavaria, it’s possible that even the immense cash influx coming to the Premier League in the very near future won’t immediately change that.

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Mario Balotelli has left Liverpool to join AC Milan, with the Italy international agreeing to a season-long loan at the Serie A club.

Milan confirmed the deal on Tuesday, posting a stirring speech from the player, via La Gazzetta dello Sport:

I feel like someone who has just put the first part of his career to one side. Played and lived like a boy. But the ‘match’ is not over… Now I will have my say and live like a man. I know that many people don’t believe in my comeback. But I have to try. And have the belief that I can do it.

I have a promise to keep to myself, my family, Milan, [coach Sinisa] Mihajlovic, [agent Mino] Raiola and all those that want the best for me… I know that I cannot make any more mistakes.

Balotelli infamously only found the net on one occasion in the Premier League for Liverpool following a £16 million move from the Rossoneri in the summer of 2014.

Leaving the Reds represents a major blow for Balotelli, who has now failed to make the grade at four illustrious European outfits. The former Inter Milan prodigy now faces an almighty challenge if he is to rediscover the spark that once saw him rated as one of European football’s brightest prospects.

As noted by OptaPaolo, playing in England has been a major struggle for Balotelli:

Another spell with Milan for the Italian is intriguing. After managers such as Roberto Mancini, Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho struggled to get the best out of the frustrating forward, Sinisa Mihajlovic faces a major task if he’s to get a tune from a complex character but an undeniably talented player.

Here’s a reminder of what he is capable of at his best and why teams continue to take chances on the controversial striker:

Milan know what Balotelli is capable of—the striker scored 26 Serie A goals in a season-and-a-half with the club in his previous spell, per WhoScored.com. But with the likes of Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca in the Rossoneri squad, the Italian faces an almighty fight getting into the starting XI.

But a step back might be exactly what this bespoke player needs if he is to eventually make his way to the top. Balotelli is box office as it is, but playing for sides like City, Liverpool or either of the Milan giants, the minutiae of every move made both on and off the pitch is examined in forensic detail.

Balotelli now needs to focus on his football, get regular game time and, as tough as it may be, avoid the media attention that is constantly trained upon him. But even at this relatively early stage in his career, it’s tough to see all those factors aligning for the forward.

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