Done Deals
Fabian Delph
Less than a week after making a public statement reassuring Aston Villa fans that he would stay on board as their captain for the upcoming season, England midfielder Fabian Delph was officially unveiled as a Manchester City player. The most public change of heart of the summer made Delph arguably the most hated man in Birmingham, Villa’s home. The 25-year-old told reporters that his original decision to stay at Villa park was based purely on emotion and that he wasn’t looking at the great professional opportunity placed before him at the Etihad Stadium. Delph will join his compatriot Raheem Sterling in Manchester, but it’s yet to be determined whether or not the former Villa captain will be able to find a place in the starting 11.
Kiko Casilla
It looks like Real Madrid are throwing in the towel when it comes to bringing Manchester United’s David De Gea to the Spanish capital this summer. Last week, Los Blancos secured the signature of Espanyol’s keeper Kiko Casilla to presumably serve as Keylor Navas’ backup for the upcoming La Liga season. The switch to Real marked an end to Casilla’s seven-year stint with Espanyol during which he made over 100 appearances for the club. The move to Madrid gives the 28-year-old keeper a much greater chance of bringing home silverware, but his playing time will almost certainly take a drastic hit.
Giovani Dos Santos
The latest big name player to join the growing MLS is Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos. The 26-year-old striker has spent the majority of his professional career playing in La Liga between the likes Barcelona, Mallorca and Villarreal, but he was never able to live up to the potential that some fans thought he had. Dos Santos will join arguably the most star-studded lineup in the MLS as he lines up along side Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Omar Gonzales. Some fans were surprised that the Mexican international chose the American league over the Mexican Liga MX, but the forward told reporters that the time was right for a move to the MLS and he believes that he is still in the prime of his career.
Getting Traction
Christian Benteke
The summer of selling isn’t over yet for Villa fans as more and more media outlets are reporting their star forward Christian Benteke is on the verge of moving to Liverpool. Benteke led the Villains with 13 goals last season, and his departure would leave Villa with just two options at the striker position, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Libor Kozák. The reported fee that Liverpool are shelling out for the big Belgian is around £32.5 million and Benteke would join fellow summer signings Danny Ings and Roberto Firmino in the competition for a starting spot.
Filipe Luís
After just one season at Stamford Bridge, it looks like Filipe Luís will return to Atlético Madrid. The big-name Brazilian defender moved to London for a reported fee of nearly £16 million last summer, but managed to appear just 15 times in the famous blue shirt. With the emergence of César Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic as the team’s preferred fullbacks, playing opportunities for the 29-year-old were very limited and a move back to La Liga will almost surely guarantee more playing time for the aging defender. It looks as if Atlético will basically just repay the fee they received for Luís last summer to bring him back to Spain, and it will mark the end of a very disappointing experience in the Premier League.
Crazy Rumor
Thomas Müller
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As Manchester United continues their search for a striker this summer, one name being consistently mentioned is Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller. The 25-year-old is one of the hottest players in Europe due to his amazing performances at the past two World Cups so it’s no surprise that other big clubs are looking at him. However, it’s not the idea of the forward joining United that is crazy, it’s the fee that media outlets are reporting. Several outlets published articles saying United made a club record €100 million bid for the player. That fee is greater than all of United’s current summer signings’ fees combined. Even with the inflated prices that are present in today’s transfer market, I do not believe that any club is going to dish out that kind of money unless they are getting a world beater of a player.
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