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Another summer of signings is over, so which players can be considered the best acquisitions?

With deadline day done and dusted, Premier League clubs are now left to evaluate the business they've done over the past few months with some far happier with the players they've got than others. 

Considering the nature of the transfer market these days, a good signing that meets the exact needs of a club for a fair price is very difficult to pull off.

As such, our rankings of English summer transfers takes into account the quality of the player, value for money and how much the team stands to benefit by their addition. 

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  20Neal Maupay: Brentford to Brighton (£18m/$22m)

  With 25 goals and eight assists to his name in the Championship last season, Neal Maupay could prove a shrewd addition to Brighton's attack if he can step up to the Premier League. The Seagulls frontline was in desperate need of fresh blood having struggled over long patches last season and Maupay will be eager to give them a reliable outlet. 

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  19Albian Ajeti: Basel to West Ham (£7m/$8m)

  A young striker who scored 14 league goals last season in Switzerland, Albian Ajeti is a handy pick-up for the Hammers and gives them some nice depth in attack. Should he impress in England, West Ham could make a big profit on the Swiss player in the years to come. 

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  18Tom Heaton: Burnley to Aston Villa (£7m/$8m)

  Following six impressive seasons with Burnley, Tom Heaton was snapped up by Aston Villa and should be an ideal addition on their return to the top flight. Seemingly in the clear after a lengthy injury lay-off, the 33-year-old still has plenty to offer and on his day can guarantee Villa a few extra points. 

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• GEOFF CADDICK
  

  17Daniel James: Swansea to Manchester United (£15m/$18m)

  The 21-year-old Welshman has voiced his desire to follow in the footsteps of Ryan Giggs and, if he can deliver half of what the Red Devils legend did, Daniel James will prove a quality buy for Manchester United. Still relatively unproven after a strong season in the Championship, the winger will likely take some time to show what he's capable of in the Premier League. 

Goal rounds up some of the most exciting World Cup 2018 group stage fixtures – including Spain vs Portugal and England vs Belgium

With the World Cup set to kick off on June 14, Goal rounds up some of the biggest and best clashes to take place in Russia – including Spain vs Portugal which sees the new and old guard of La Furia Roja battle it out against the European champions, and Luis Suarez facing off against Mohamed Salah when Uruguay and Egypt play each other.

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  Egypt vs Uruguay

  Mohamed Salah propelled Egypt to the finals after scoring a 95th-minute penalty against DR Congo to ensure that the Pharoahs would appear in their first World Cup since 1990.

  The 25-year-old endeared himself to the world after an emphatic debut season at Liverpool where he smashed records and netted 44 goals in all competitions, and though he was unable to lift the European Cup with the Reds, he will be looking to redeem himself with a successful World Cup campaign.

  He is set to face off against none other than Luis Suarez for Uruguay in their sides' opening fixture. Suarez was the Salah of yesteryear for Reds supporters before he moved to Barcelona in 2014 – and his was one of the scoring records that Salah broke this season.

  It'll be an exciting game with Salah and Mohamed Elneny facing off against Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani – and a chance to assert each forward's abilities.

  Match Information: Egypt vs Uruguay | Friday June 15 | 1pm UK time (8am US ET)

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  Portugal vs Spain

  Portugal vs Spain is easily one of the most exciting fixtures of the tournament. Portugal are a threat in this competition as they are helmed by a confident Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from winning the Champions League as well as leading his side to a European Championship victory two years ago.

  The current Spanish team features a mixed assortment of promising young talent including Marco Asensio, David de Gea and Isco as well as talismen in Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Gerard Pique.

  Match Information: Portugal vs Spain | Friday June 15 | 7pm UK time (2pm US ET)

• EITAN ABRAMOVICH
  

  Argentina vs Iceland

  What will happen when Argentina – one of the most storied national sides of all-time – comes up against Iceland, one of the smallest of the qualified nations and who are set to make their first ever appearance in the World Cup?

  Lionel Messi has yet to lift a major honour on the international stage and has finished as runner-up in four of his last Copa America finals. Despite his great successes with Barcelona – he has long since been the Spanish side's all-time top-scorer and has won every major club trophy imaginable, as well as lifting the Ballon d'Or on five separate occasions – some critics still feel that to truly cement his place as one of football's greats he must win the World Cup with his nation.

  Match Information: Argentina vs Iceland | Saturday June 16 | 2pm UK time (9am US ET)

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  Germany vs Mexico

  The defending champions will be looking to make their World Cup success a back-to-back feat, starting with their opening fixture against Mexico, as the current Germany squad is still as strong as the one four years ago – even without hero Mario Gotze in the squad.

  The Germany squad is rife with experienced players in the shape of Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos as well as young talent such as Leroy Sane, who had a magnificent season with Manchester City, winning the title in the process, where he scored 23 goals.

  Add the likes of Timo Werner, Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer and Germany are once again favourites to defend their title.

  Match information: Germany vs Mexico | Sunday June 18 | 4pm UK time (11am US ET)

According to reports, Aston Villa are monitoring West Brom star Matheus Pereira ahead of a potential move.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side got a taste of what the 24-year-old can do when he delivered a superb goal-scoring display in the Baggies 2-2 draw against Villa in the Premier League at the weekend.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has now claimed that Albion’s West Midlands rivals Villa are “understood to be among the Premier League sides monitoring the 24-year-old”.

He ran Matt Targett ragged

Dubbed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never even seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira has emerged as one of West Brom’s standout performers since his arrival at The Hawthorns.

His performance against Villa on Sunday really showed what he can bring to the table, with Jermaine Jenas left raving about him after the game. The pundit said: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

Pereira gave Targett “countless problems” according to the Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece, and when you look at the stats, it’s easy to see why that was the case.

The £11.7m-rated Brazilian finished the game with the highest Sofascore match rating of 8.1 and gave Targett an absolutely torrid evening. As well as scoring from the spot, the winger hit the woodwork, completed 100% of his dribbles, provided a team-high three key passes and sent in a game-high of four accurate crosses.

While Targett had some joy going forward, he struggled defensively, being dribbled past twice (the joint-most of any Villa player), losing seven of his 12 duels and conceding possession on 16 separate occasions (Sofascore).

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With eight goals and five assists in the Premier League alone, Pereira is putting up a real fight in order to keep the Baggies in the top flight. That kind of never-say-die attitude is something Smith will surely love as he looks to build a more competitive squad for next season.

He might be playing for the enemy, but Pereira is someone for whom Villa should push the boat out to try and sign.

Meanwhile, Villa could replace Ross Barkley by signing this “unique” Premier League star…

Kevin De Bruyne has claimed the first official award for most assists in a season, but who were the players who previously set the standard?

The Premier League Playmaker award is a new individual accolade given out to the player who has provided the most assists through the season.

It joins the Golden Boot and Golden Glove as honours for individual recognition, with the inaugural award going to Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne .

But, if the award had been in existence for the entirety of the Premier League era, who would have been the winners? Here, Goal takes a look.

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  1992-93 | Eric Cantona (16 assists)

  Eric Cantona would have won the playmaker award in the inaugural Premier League season. The United number seven assisted 16 times, as well as scoring 20 in in 42 appearances for both Leeds and the Red Devils.

  United won the league that season for the first time in 26 years and the addition of Cantona in November was seen as the driving force towards that first title win. 

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  1993-94 | Andy Cole (13 assists)

  A player not many people associate with assists because he was such a prolific goalscorer. In Andy Cole’s first Premier League season he set a record for the number of goals scored in a season with 34, and he would have been the first double winner of the Golden Boot and the Playmaker prize if the award had existed at the time.

  Cole’s assists were not elegant through balls or crosses that you would see from many conventional playmakers but his hold-up play and lay-offs contributed to an assists tally which stood at 13 by the end of the season.

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  1994-95 | Matt Le Tissier (15 assists)

  Known as ‘Le God’ to Southampton fans, Le Tissier assisted 15 times in the 1994-95 season.

  Le Tissier also took on the brunt of goal scoring responsibilities at The Dell during that season, netting 19 times in 41 outings.

  Le Tissier contributed to 34 goals that season as Southampton finished comfortably in mid-table.

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  1996-96 | Steve McManaman (15 assists)

  Steve McManaman assisted 15 times in the 1995-96 season as Liverpool finished third.

  McManaman enjoyed a productive season being able to supply Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore, who both hit double figures for the season.

  McManaman’s form also earned him a place in England’s Euro 96 squad and he received praise from Pele, who called him ‘one of the best players in Europe’.

According to a report by German news outlet Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness, long time Tottenham Hotspur target Marcel Sabitzer will listen to proposals from elsewhere before even thinking about signing a new deal at RB Leipzig – and he particularly wants ‘to look for offers from England’.

Sabitzer has been on Spurs’ transfer radar since last summer, with talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook saying Daniel Levy and co were ‘looking to pull off a coup’ back in August 2020.

Sabitzer boost emerges for Spurs

Links haven’t died down since then and Sport Bild now provide an update on the 27-year-old Bundesliga star and his possible move to north London.

They claim that the Austrian’s priority is to ‘look for offers from England’ before even considering a new contract at RB Leipzig – gifting Spurs and Levy a transfer boost as they reportedly aim to snap him up.

Reliable sources, like football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, say Tottenham do indeed want Sabitzer this summer – especially considering he is out of contract in 2022 as it stands.

Transfer Tavern take

This could hand Levy more negotiating wiggle room as Leipzig risk losing him for nothing at the end of next season.

As a result, this news from Sport Bild comes as a boost for Spurs – but a caveat in the report details that a ‘turnaround is possible’ on the new RB Leipzig deal if Sabitzer doesn’t receive an ‘interesting’ offer.

Lilywhites fans, as a result, may be hoping that a fitting proposal is tabled and Tottenham take advantage of his current stance.

In other news: Tottenham touted as possible move for ‘extraordinary’ star, find out more here.

Nikola Milenkovic is on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer radar ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, Spurs are making the arrival of a central defensive leader their top priority when the window reopens, and the 23-year-old Fiorentina star is among their targets.

His contract is set to expire 12 months after the current season ends, meaning the Serie A outfit would have to cash in if they are to make any money on his signature.

The Serbia international is currently valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, whilst reports emerged last month suggesting La Viola’s asking price was around €35m (£30m).

Solid Spurs unit

Gold also claims that, despite Tottenham having the third-best defensive record in the Premier League, there has been a clear lack of cohesion and leadership at the back.

Spurs have dropped 13 points from a winning position, with individual defensive mistakes clearly a major problem, and this is where Milenkovic could be the solution.

Much of Tottenham’s defensive record may well be attributed to the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has been a rock-solid presence in front of Mourinho’s ever-changing backline.

Of all of Mourinho’s regular starters (20 or more starts), he leads the squad for tackles (2.8) and interceptions (1.3) per game, proving to be an industrious workhorse and contributing far more to stopping the opposition compared to the likes of Eric Dier, who has started the most matches of any centre-back in the league. He has managed only 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions, via WhoScored.

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At 6 foot 5, Milenkovic has drawn comparisons to arguably one of the greatest defenders to grace the English top flight in Nemanja Vidic.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” said Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic to ESPN. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

If Spurs want a colossal presence to lead them out from the back, then they shouldn’t look much further than the Fiorentina titan.

Only Franck Ribery has performed better in Serie A for them this season, with the Serbian recording an average WhoScored rating of 6.83. In terms of key defensive attributes, he is performing exceedingly well too, managing 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per game.

This shows that, despite his towering height, he’s an equally hard man to defeat on the ground – just as much as in the air – and he clearly has a great ability to read the game and then snuff out any danger.

That is something his former Partizan boss Ivan Tomic has pointed out before, as he said: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Daniel Levy ought to swoop this summer if he is to vastly improve Spurs’ defence, and in doing so, he could begin to create a dream spine for several years.

Milenkovic would be a fine addition to Spurs.

AND in other news, 19x possession lost: Spurs gem drops int’l disaster, Mourinho claim proving to be true…

Leicester City have made a number of hugely profitable transfer sales in recent years.

The names of Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Chilwell immediately spring to mind with the East-Midlanders having accumulated approximately £220m in transfer fees from their departures to Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.

However, one shrewd move that appears to fall under the radar is the jettisoning of former record signing Ahmed Musa before the 2018/19.

Signed by Claudio Ranieri following Leicester’s miraculous title success from Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, the Nigerian arrived with a big reputation and a costly transfer fee of £16m.

It was thought that he could have “played with” Jamie Vardy, according to the Italian title winner but it did not play out that way.

The 87-cap forward had a disastrous time at the King Power Stadium as he scored just five goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

Just 18 months after he had signed, Musa left the club albeit temporarily for former employers CSKA Moscow in a loan deal that saw him score seven goals in 16 games.

He had no future at the club upon his return though and just as though it looked like the Foxes were going to sustain a huge loss on him, Saudi outfit Al-Nassr swooped for Musa for an officially undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £15m.

To only make a minimal loss on a player that was dreadful in his spell at the club was a masterstroke by the Foxes and that decision looks even better a couple of years down the line.

After two years with Al-Nassr, Musa, now rated at just £5.4m, is without a club after a move to relegation-bound West Bromwich Albion fell through.

It’s a dramatic fall from grace for the Nigerian but Leicester will be hugely thankful that they cashed in on him when they did.

AND in more news, take a closer look at some of the Foxes’ woeful signings…

It isn’t often that news from Leicester City and the King Power Stadium catches supporters off-guard.

Indeed, rumours of a new signing or indeed of an extended deal usually begin developing days or even weeks before anything is usually confirmed by the club.

That is not quite exactly what happened on Thursday, however, with Danny Ward having penned a new contract at the club – and quite a lengthy one at that, with the former Liverpool stopper now tied down until the summer of 2025.

Whilst there was a real lack of any fanfare for Ward’s new deal, it was a shrewd move from Brendan Rodgers, and one which could allude to the Welshman being the natural successor to the now 34-year-old Kasper Schmeichel.

Despite having only appeared on 14 appearances for the Foxes since his 2018 arrival under Claude Puel, Ward has performed very well. In those limited appearances, he has racked up eight clean sheets, whilst only conceding eight goals in total throughout those matches.

His best performance arguably came in his first season at the club as he saved three penalties in a shootout victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.

Even current Leicester teammate Marc Albrighton is fully aware of Ward’s abilities despite his limited game time, labelling him as “incredible” following the aforementioned win against Wolves.

Considering that ability, it certainly made sense to keep Ward at the club as a hugely competent backup to regular number one Schmeichel.

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Whilst the Dane has expressed no intention of stepping away at any point yet, Ward – who is seven years his junior – could definitely be his replacement should the inevitable moment come that the long-serving Schmeichel retires.

The 27-year-old’s new deal could be the first steps in preparation for the long-term future and is an extremely shrewd move from Leicester despite catching most off-guard.

AND in more news,  Leicester have been handed a considerable injury boost ahead of the FA Cup semi-final…

Crystal Palace could be in danger of losing Wilfried Zaha in the near future.

What’s the word?

The Ivory Coast international is enjoying a prolific campaign at Selhurst Park this season, having made 19 Premier League appearances with nine goals and two assists to show for his 19 starts.

The 28-year-old has been linked with moves in the past but as things stand, he has not bee able to secure a move away.

However, Roy Hodgson believes he still harbours ambitions of playing in the Champions League and that he will face a fight to keep the club’s top goalscorer in the summer.

When asked whether he believes Zaha will stay at Palace for the rest of his career, Hodgson said: “No, I would think he still has a lot of ambitions. I think this was a very unusual transfer window, there wasn’t much going on if we’re to be honest, and there certainly weren’t many big money moves. A lot of the transfers involved loans or loans with a view to buy.

“I think when the market opens up again, Wilf Zaha will once again be a name on many managers’ and sporting directors’ lips.

“I think Wilf will retain his ambition to play Champions League football and do things that we’ve not been able to give him while he’s been playing here. But I’m hoping and believing also that the club will still be trying to persuade him that what you need to get out of football you can get here. How that will pan out, I really couldn’t say, it’s pure speculation.”

Hold firm

Whilst Christian Benteke has been linked with a move away from the Eagles in recent months – reports had even suggested West Brom tried to prise him away from Selhurst Park in the January transfer window – the potential loss of Zaha, who earns wages worth £130,000-per-week, would be more significant.

He has for so often been instrumental for The Eagles. Hodgson’s side, in fact, have yet to win a game without him this season.

Since re-joining the club after an ill-fated stint at Old Trafford, their talismanic attacker has come on leaps and bounds under Hodgson, having scored 32 goals in 132 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.

For context, Benteke has only managed to score 26 times in 131 games since arriving at Selhurst Park from Liverpool for £27m in 2016.

It’s no surprise then that Zaha has won the Crystal Palace Player of the Year award three times, with his current teammate James McArthur once branding him “unplayable.”

This is precisely why Palace chairman Steve Parish simply can’t afford to lose the £45m-rated hitman. He just means too much to the club and the fanbase both on and off the pitch.

AND in other news, Sean Dyche could be an ideal heir to Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace…

West Ham United fans are eager to sign Danny Ings after it was revealed by ExWHUemployee that the Hammers are interested in the striker.

Ings is out of contract at Southampton at end of next season (Transfermarkt) and the 28-year-old is reportedly reluctant to put pen to paper on a new deal at St. Mary’s Stadium (Dan Sheldon) – he is said to be looking for European football. As it stands, West Ham are fifth in the Premier League table and just two points off the Champions League places (Sky Sports).

According to ExWHUemployee (via the West Ham Way podcast), the Hammers are interested in the forward. Ings has a fantastic track record, having scored 22 goals for the Saints in the top flight last term, while he has seven in 16 matches this time around. Throughout his career, he has 96 goals.

The news was relayed by Twitter account @WHUFC_News, and it seems the club’s supporters want him at the London stadium. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ings news below

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“This would be a dream absolutely love Ingsy great ST seems like such a good bloke too”

Credit: @olliebruton

“Throw every cheque book we have at him”

Credit: @NickMarrable

“I would take him in a heartbeat mate? I think he would be a great signing for West Ham.”

Credit: @richpickering4

“What a signing it would be if we can keep him fit”

Credit: @ScoutSoucek

“Would love him at West Ham. Him or Bamford.”

Credit: @mitchelchilds

In other news, ExWHUemployee has revealed another of West Ham’s summer transfer targets.