Back page The Premier League wheeling and dealing has been kept to a minimum this offseason but some clubs have still bolstered their ranks with some intriguing signings.
Even though Manchester City ran away with the title, they haven’t stood still, while Liverpool have gotten stronger and the promoted clubs have also put their hands in their pockets.
Jorginho – Chelsea
When Maurizio Sarri was appointed the new manager of Chelsea two weeks ago, his first order of business was to bring one of his generals with him.
Jorginho was an integral part of Sarri’s Napoli side which did so well in Serie A in recent seasons, and the Brazilian-born naturalised Italian has already shown some promising signs for the Blues.
In just 45 minutes of action against Perth Glory in Chelsea’s first preseason hit out, the 26-year-old completed a whopping 98 passes which averages out at one every 27 seconds.
With Sarri stating that he wants to bring the fun back to Stamford Bridge, we can expect to see a lot of Jorginho in possession of the ball this season.
Andre Schurrle – Fulham
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Fulham announced the two season-long loan signing of Andre Schurrle from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year-old, who has been capped more than 50 times for the German national side, has previous Premier League experience with Chelsea and is in the prime of his career.
Comfortable playing as a winger or in the number 10 role, Schurrle adds an exciting dynamic to the newly promoted side whose target will be survival in their first top flight campaign since 2013/14.
Joao Moutinho – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Last season’s winners of The Championship have added yet another Portuguese star to their ranks in the form of experienced midfielder Joao Moutinho.
The 32-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the past but Wolves’ connections with super-agent Jorge Mendes have once again proved the trump card.
A classy ball player, Moutinho was part of the Portugal side which won the 2016 European Championships, and he is a title winner in his homeland with both Sporting and Porto as well as in France with AS Monaco.
Moutinho joins compatriots Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio, Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa, Ruben Vinagre and Diogo Jota at Molineux who also have a Portuguese manager, Nuno Espirito Santo.
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
As if Manchester City didn’t have enough attacking talent at their disposal, they have now added one of the Premier League’s top performers in recent seasons to their squad.
A title winner with Leicester City, who you can bet on ahead of their season opener against Manchester United, Mahrez has completed his rags to riches career having started out in the lower tiers of French football.
Where the Algerian playmaker fits into Pep Guardiola’s system remains to be seen and he enters an attacking midfield rotation that also includes the likes of Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.
Alisson Becker – Liverpool
It’s taken Jurgen Klopp a few years to spend big on Liverpool’s biggest problem position but the German may have finally acquired the missing piece of the puzzle.
Having been bought from AS Roma for £66.8 million, a record transfer fee for a goalkeeper, much will be expected of 26-year-old Alisson Becker as he looks set to succeed the error prone Loris Karius between the posts.
Alisson was superb in Serie A last season and is Brazil’s first choice goalkeeper ahead of Manchester City’s Ederson so he arrives at Anfield with big expectations from supporters and potential critics alike.
