X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Analyzing The Big Summer Signings So Far

By Christopher Johnson (Flickr: IMG_0045) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Luke analyzes big signings around European soccer (EPL, BPL, La Liga and more) including Petr Cech, Danilo, Dmitri Payet, Andre Ayew and Yohan Cabaye. Read all of his soccer news and analysis.

It's been less than a week since the transfer window opened, and there's already been a host of top signings that have been made by clubs in Europe.

Along with this, there are prearranged deals (from before the window even opened) that have got fans talking. We take a look at some of these big signings and discuss them below.

Editor's Note: be sure to check out all of our articles, and read more about football news and general analysis.

 

Yohan Cabaye - Crystal Palace

Recently signing for Crystal Palace in a club record deal, it only goes to show the impact of the new TV deal that a club like Palace - only promoted in 2013 - can afford and acquire a player like Cabaye from PSG.

Not that it doesn't make sense of course. Cabaye struggled for game time since leaving Newcastle in 2014 and with Euro 2016 - hosted in France - approaching next summer, he needed a move to get regular game time.

A genuinely top class player, Cabaye will strengthen the ever improving Palace significantly and while it might seem a step down, he'll get the regular first team football he was seeking as well as reuniting with manager Alan Pardew.

 

Andre Ayew - Swansea

Another signing that is a product of the TV deal impact, Ayew joined Swansea on a free transfer a few weeks ago. You might recognize him as the Ghanaian player who scored against the US in the 2014 World Cup with a wonderfully worked team goal, and he can be even better at club level.

A player with not only international experience but Champions League experience as well, Ayew - who is now the club's highest ever earner - will no doubt, galvanize Swansea's attack as they look to improve on their record breaking 8th place finish in the 2014-2015 league season.

Expect him to be one of the stars of the upcoming season.

 

Dmitri Payet - West Ham

Like Ayew, Payet joined West Ham from Marseille and is another genuinely exciting signing. A huge upgrade from the likes of Stewart Downing and Matt Jarvis, the TV deal is making another impact as he is now West Ham's second highest earner.

The Frenchman created the most chances in the top five European leagues last season so it is a bit of a wonder why noone else went for him.

But Slaven Bilic and his West Ham team won't be complaining as exciting football could be on the horizon at the Boleyn Ground.

 

Arda Turan - Barcelona

A shocking signing because of how quickly things occurred, Arda Turan joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in a move that will strengthen the already strong best team in the world.

Linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, Turan opted for the Catalans who he had hoped to play for back in 2011 while he was at Turkey. While he won't play for another six months because of Barcelona's transfer ban, this is another top signing as he can not only play wide but also operate as a playmaker, in a similar ilk to Andres Iniesta.

He might not be first choice straight away but if Luis Enrique gives him an opportunity and he takes it with both hands, there's no reason why the Turkish international can't claim a regular starting berth at the Nou Camp.

It's also not a bad deal for Atletico Madrid who get €34 million (plus €7 million in variables) for a top player, but slightly injury prone in the last few seasons.

 

Danilo - Real Madrid

One of the most exciting attacking defenders in world football, Porto's Danilo was signed by Real Madrid midway into last season.

It still seems like an unnecessary signing - there was a need for a new rightback as Alvaro Arbeloa looks set to leave but with Madrid already having Dani Carvajal, surely a player of Danilo's quality wasn't required?

Carvajal - who came through the Madrid ranks - has already established himself as the best young rightback in world football and with Danilo now in the team, it begs the question: who will sit on the bench?

Regardless, Madrid now have two top class rightbacks at their disposal.

 

Petr Cech - Arsenal

As we wrote earlier, Petr Cech is a gamechanger of a signing for Arsenal.

Not only does he have title winning experience but he's a genuinely top class player - certainly in the top five players in the world in his position.

He is also reliable and confident with great leadership skills which Arsenal desperately needed between the sticks.

We'll only see his true impact in one month's time when the season ends but Cech has to be the bargain of the season from a top club's point of view.

 

Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-60" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Stefon Diggs

Delivers Triple-Digit Yardage in Win
TreVeyon Henderson

Scores Hat Trick in Career-Best Outing
Brenton Strange

Limited Again on Thursday
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Says There's a "50-50" Chance he Returns to Mets
Shohei Ohtani

Wins his Fourth MVP Award
KJ Simpson

Probable to Play Friday
Tory Horton

Downgraded to Non-Participant on Thursday
Aaron Judge

Wins AL MVP Award Again
Ausar Thompson

Unavailable Friday
Isaiah Stewart

in Danger of Missing Fourth Straight Game
Ryan Kalkbrenner

Won't Play Friday
P.J. Washington

Questionable Friday Against Clippers
Calvin Ridley

Limited in Practice on Thursday
Zion Williamson

to Remain Sidelined Friday
Malik Monk

Could Miss Another Game Friday
Dereck Lively II

Questionable Friday Versus Clippers
Brian Thomas Jr.

Limited Again on Thursday
Zach LaVine

Available for NBA Cup Action Friday
Jonathan Kuminga

Listed as Questionable for Friday
Domantas Sabonis

Considered Questionable for Friday
LaMelo Ball

Tagged as Probable for Friday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Expected to Return Friday
Jalen Duren

Listed Questionable For Friday Night, May Miss Second Straight Game
Bam Adebayo

to Remain Out Friday
Cade Cunningham

Listed As Questionable For Friday Night Against Philadelphia
Justin Fields

Playing for his Job on Thursday Night?
Anthony Davis

Listed as Questionable for Friday
LeBron James

Practices Thursday Without Lingering Pain
Joel Embiid

Won't Play on Friday
VJ Edgecombe

Questionable For Friday Night With Back Spasms
Day'Ron Sharpe

Listed as Probable for Friday Against Magic
Dylan Samberg

Makes Season Debut Thursday
Justin Fields

Expected to Start on Thursday Night Against Patriots
Samuel Girard

Available Thursday
Valeri Nichushkin

Considered Week-to-Week
Boone Jenner

Out Long-Term With Upper-Body Injury
Ricky Pearsall

Will Play in Week 11
Mikael Granlund

Returns to Action Thursday
Geno Smith

Not on the Week 11 Injury Report
Anthony Stolarz

Out Day-to-Day
Auston Matthews

Likely to Miss One Week
Brock Purdy

to Start in Week 11 Against Cardinals
Raisel Iglesias

Dodgers Interested in Signing Raisel Iglesias
Pete Alonso

Orioles Could be in the Mix to Sign Pete Alonso
J.K. Dobbins

Misses Second Straight Practice on Thursday
Xavier Worthy

Added to Thursday's Injury Report With Ankle Injury
Garrett Wilson

Jets Place Garrett Wilson on Injured Reserve Due to Knee Injury
C.J. Stroud

Officially Ruled Out for Sunday
Isiah Pacheco

Absent From Practice, Questionable for Sunday
Dalton Kincaid

Yet to Practice Ahead of Week 11 Matchup
Sam LaPorta

Misses Thursday Practice, Questionable for Week 11?
Lamar Jackson

Returns to Practice Thursday
Khalil Shakir

Dealing With Multiple Injuries
C.J. Stroud

Missing From Practice Again on Thursday
Matt Savoie

Collects Two Assists Wednesday
Artemi Panarin

Delivers Four Assists in Wednesday's Victory
Simon Nemec

Becomes Hat-Trick Hero Wednesday
Zack MacEwen

Exits Early Wednesday
Cody Glass

Exits With Injury Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Injured in Wednesday's Loss
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Could Return in Second Half in 2026
Kodai Senga

Attracting Trade Interest, Will the Mets Move him?
Yordan Alvarez

Expected to be Ready for Spring Training
Byron Buxton

Could Waive his No-Trade Clause
Paul Skenes

the Unanimous NL Cy Young Winner
Tarik Skubal

Wins AL Cy Young for Second Straight Year
Zach Hyman

Nearing Season Debut
Colten Ellis

to Make Second Career Start Wednesday
Adam Erne

to Miss "a Few Weeks"
Tyson Foerster

on Track to Return Wednesday
Andre Burakovsky

a Game-Time Call Wednesday
Frank Nazar

Out on Wednesday
CFB

Still No Update on Jermod McCoy's Return Timeline
Sami Valimaki

Riding Momentum Into Bermuda
Matthieu Pavon

Struggling Through a Rough Season
Taylor Montgomery

Hopes to Get Back on Track at Port Royal
Ben Martin

a Risky Play at Bermuda Championship
Mark Hubbard

Primed for a Bounce-Back Week in Bermuda
Boone Jenner

Exits Win With Upper-Body Injury
Lee Hodges

Searching for a Spark in Bermuda
Frederik Andersen

Pulled by Concussion Spotter
Stephen Vogt

Wins Back-to-Back AL Manager of the Year Honors
Milwaukee Brewers

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager of the Year Again
Patrick Fishburn

Looking to Bounce Back in Bermuda
Eric Cole

Carrying Momentum into Bermuda
Tommy Edman

to Have Ankle Surgery Next Week
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks Unlikely to Trade Ketel Marte
Roman Anthony

to Have a Normal Offseason
Jarren Duran

Red Sox Think Jarren Duran Needs a Fresh Start
MacKenzie Gore

Nationals Expected to Trade MacKenzie Gore?
Sahith Theegala

Finishes Tied for 27th at Bank of Utah Championship
Sam Stevens

Finishes Tied for 36th at Baycurrent Classic
Patrick Rodgers

Finishes Tied For Sixth at World Wide Technology Championship
Luke List

Finishes 75th at World Wide Technology Championship
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied for 63rd at World Wide Technology Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied for 14th at World Wide Technology Championship
Luke Clanton

Finishes Tied for 46th at World Wide Technology Championship
Blades Brown

Finishes Tied for 18th at Korn Ferry Tour Championship
Tarik Skubal

Tigers Unlikely to Trade Tarik Skubal
Framber Valdez

Cubs Could Land Framber Valdez in Free Agency
Sandy Alcantara

Marlins Ready to Trade Sandy Alcantara
CFB

Nic Anderson Could Return for LSU this Season
Randy Brown

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Gabriel Bonfim

Extends His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

Gets First-Round Submission Win
Matt Schnell

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Muslim Salikhov

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Uros Medic

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ismael Bonfim

Loses Back-to-Back Fights
Chris Padilla

Remains Unbeaten In The UFC
Marco Tulio

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christian Leroy Duncan

Scores Second-Round Knockout Victory

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP