Camel Live interviewed a number of renowned agents in the European football industry to evaluate Premier League summer transfers from an agent’s perspective.
What was the best deal of the summer?
“Donnarumma. I also considered Jack Grealish. I know he’s on loan and his wages are high, but you don’t have to pay a transfer fee for such a strong player.However, I think Donnarumma can really get Manchester City back on track in the title race. He’ll save points for them this season. So he’s the best signing, especially considering the price they paid for him.”
This answer covered the two most popular choices—nearly half of the agents were torn between Manchester City’s new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the revitalized Grealish. Grealish, on a one-season loan from Manchester City to Everton, has already contributed 4 assists and 1 goal.
“Everton signed a player they would never have been able to get under normal circumstances, and I think this also gave them room to sign Taylor Harwood-Bellis (their first signing of £35 million from Southampton). That’s why I think this deal is smart,” another agent explained when justifying his choice of Grealish.
Donnarumma topped the votes thanks to his Italian talent, his age of 26, and his £25.9 million transfer fee.
“Lots of money was spent on other positions, but I still think this goalkeeper is undervalued,” one agent said. “I think Donnarumma is among the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best. So it’s quite impressive that Paris Saint-Germain sold him at a very low price just because they wanted to try a different style of play.”
“His footwork may not be the best,” another agent added, “but he’s the best goalkeeper in the world, and that’s probably exactly what Manchester City needs.”
Another player who received more than one vote was Viktor Gyökeres—two agents believed he was a striker who could bring Arsenal “what they’ve been missing.”
In addition, other mentioned players included Eberechi Eze (“He will perform brilliantly in this Arsenal team”), Xavi Simons (“If he has a good season, his value will be considerable”), João Pedro (“His value is great considering his age and the prices of other strikers”), and Alexander Isak (“He will transform Liverpool’s attack in the next few years and help replace Mohamed Salah”).
What was the worst deal of the transfer window?
Donnarumma’s top spot in the previous question was directly linked to some responses here.
After spending two seasons at Burnley, James Trafford returned to Manchester City in July to replace Ederson, but he was demoted to second-choice goalkeeper after Donnarumma’s deadline-day arrival. Three agents regarded this as the worst deal of the window.
“I think this was a wrong decision,” one of the agents said. “Trafford could have played every week for Burnley or gone to Newcastle to play regularly. Instead, he’s now sitting on Manchester City’s bench behind the best goalkeeper in the world.”
The deal, which is detrimental to Trafford’s career, was also seen as bad for Manchester City. “Spending another £40 million on a goalkeeper to replace him in a few weeks?” another agent questioned.
However, in the end, Benjamin Šeško—who moved from RB Leipzig to Manchester United for £73.6 million (including add-ons)—attracted the most criticism.
“Too much money, too soon,” one agent said.
“They signed this player out of pressure,” another agent commented.
“Spending a lot of money on someone with little pedigree,” a third agent argued.
Other deals mentioned included Jamie Bynoe-Gittens’ move from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea (“The club is completely unsuitable for him”), Dango Ouattara’s transfer from Bournemouth to Brentford (“Spending £42 million on a player who can’t fill the gap left by the sold player is really a stretch”), Ivan Toney’s move from Brentford to Newcastle (“It’s too expensive for a 29-year-old, and he was low down on the target list”), and Gyökeres (“The Premier League is about pace and sharpness—I’m not sure if he’s that type”).
