Aleix García, Girona to Bayer Leverkusen (€18m)
If you wanted a good judge of a Spanish defensive midfielder, then Xabi Alonso’s opinion would be sought first. After winning the Bundesliga last year, the head coach wants to ready Bayer Leverkusen for the Champions League. He earmarked García early on as the man he needed in front of the defence to improve a team that went through the league season unbeaten. The 27-year-old missed out on the Spain squad for their victorious European Championship but he has faced worse ordeals. After joining Manchester City from Villarreal as a teenager, he looked set for a fine career trajectory but was released by City having made no impact and ended up joining a failing Dinamo Bucharest, leaving after three months. The rebuilding job started at Eibar before he headed to Girona, culminating in Champions League qualification last season.
Marc Guiu, Barcelona to Chelsea (€6m)
The striker required 23 seconds of his Barcelona debut to score the winner against Athletic Club at the age of 17 in October. Only two more league appearances followed, leading Guiu to head to Chelsea after they triggered his release clause. A six-year deal was hard to turn down for a player who considered his path to the first team blocked at Barcelona, a club in flux. Brought up in Catalonia, Guiu looked set to help a fresh generation of La Masia graduates begin a new era under Hansi Flick but after 10 years on the club’s books he cut ties. Nicolas Jackson was Chelsea’s first-choice No 9 last season but struggled to find consistency, giving his new teammate the hope he can make his case.
Elliot Anderson, Newcastle to Nottingham Forest (£20m)
The joys of the profitability and sustainability rules resulted in Newcastle selling Anderson, an academy graduate, to avoid a potential charge and points deduction. It was less than ideal for Newcastle but Forest are becoming smarter in the transfer market and when they see a good deal, they are willing to get things done at speed, leaving behind their whack-a-mole transfer policy of recent years. Anderson cannot have anticipated after a second full season with the Newcastle first-team squad and playing in the Champions League that he would have to leave his boyhood club, but the inner workings of football finance have made these deals inevitable. The energetic 21-year-old midfielder will bring added thrust to Forest who will be eager to avoid another relegation battle, aided by a group of talented acquisitions.
Mats Wieffer, Feyenoord to Brighton (£25m)
If Brighton have signed someone, it seems only right to look in further detail because their business model suggests that he will be sold for considerable profit after a couple of years acclimatising to the Premier League. Wieffer joined from Feyenoord, where he helped Arne Slot earn the Liverpool job. The Netherlands international joins Yankuba Minteh, who was on loan at Feyenoord last season, as Brighton start life under Fabian Hürzeler. “I also can play box-to-box but I prefer to play at [No 6], to join the buildup, to play a lot of balls forward,” the 24-year-old Wieffer said upon arrival. “I like one-touch play a lot too and, of course, if you play [No 6] you have to win a lot of duels. Those are my qualities and sometimes I score as well, maybe in set pieces.”
Ross Barkley, Luton to Aston Villa (£5m)
After the derailment of a once promising career, Barkley rolled the dice and took a move to promoted Luton last summer after departing Nice for nothing. It was a gamble that few anticipated would pay off, with Rob Edwards’ side set for inevitable relegation. For Barkley, however, it was a huge success, reminding everyone why he was the most sought-after youngster in England after breaking through at Everton. Playing as a deep-lying midfield playmaker, Barkley was a shining light, helping Luton put up more of a fight than anticipated in August. The 30-year-old was linked with an international recall but even though England did not come knocking, Barkley is very much a fine Premier League player once more.
Hiroki Ito, Stuttgart to Bayern Munich (€30m)
Left-sided centre-backs are highly desirable, giving balance to a defence whether in a three or four. Bayern wanted someone who could provide this and triggered the €30m (£25m) release of the Japan international. Ito likes to bring the ball out and show off an ability in possession that supplements his cerebral defending. The 25-year-old, who provided two assists last season, will become the third Japanese player to represent Bayern. The previous two – Takashi Usami and Taichi Fukui – made a combined six appearances.
Oscar Højlund, Copenhagen to Frankfurt (€1.5m)
It would not be a summer without a Højlund transfer. After brother Rasmus’s move to Manchester United a year ago, Oscar – two years younger – has flown the nest, too. Unlike Rasmus, who left FC Copenhagen for Sturm Graz in 2022, Oscar has headed straight to one of the big five leagues. The midfielder made six Champions League appearances for Copenhagen as they progressed out of the group at the expense of Rasmus’s United. The 19-year-old is combative, gets box-to-box thanks to his stamina and looks a sound investment. His twin, Emil, has also made the leap to Germany, joining Schalke, leaving Copenhagen officially Højlund-less.
Khéphren Thuram, Nice to Juventus (€20m)
The 23-year-old French midfielder returns to the country of his birth, where his father, Lillian, was then working as a defender at Parma. Within a few months, Khéphren was heading to Turin after his dad was snapped up by Juventus, where he won two Serie A titles, giving his offspring something to aim for. Brother Marcus is already in Serie A at Inter, making it an intriguing rivalry when the two come face to face.
Charlie Cresswell, Leeds to Toulouse (€3m)
Speaking of father-and-son combinations, Richard’s kid has swapped Leeds for Toulouse, taking the road less trodden. Papa Cresswell spent most of his career in Yorkshire and Lancashire but Cresswell Jr decided he needed to spread his wings. Centre-back Charlie has 14 caps for England Under-21s but found opportunities at Elland Road limited, despite a fine loan at Millwall in 2022-23. He again has a platform with which to prove himself on a regular basis.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Hatayspor to Lazio (loan)
When the midfielder’s Sheffield Wednesday contract expired in 2023, he looked an intriguing prospect on the market. In the end, the unheralded Turkish club Hatayspor snapped him up. Dele-Bashiru scored a goal that helped keep them in the Super Lig on the final day, confirming his influence in a struggling team. His efforts in Turkey turned a few heads, resulting in Lazio luring the 23-year-old Nigeria international to the Italian capital on loan with an obligation to sign.
Ciro Immobile, Lazio to Besiktas (€5m)
At 34 and with his force fading, it was inevitable Immobile would end up in Turkey. Turkish football cannot resist splashing wages in the hope that a player’s reputation can boost their chances and Immobile is certainly in that wheelhouse, as is the former Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Paulista, who has joined Besiktas from Atlético Madrid. Immobile scored 207 goals in eight years with Lazio but only one in the final four months of last season. Besiktas are again in need of revitalisation, after a sixth-placed finish.
