00:00155 Premier League transfers, 3.1 billion pounds spent.
00:05Here are my thoughts on the best and worst of it all.
00:08Papa Pink is here with 442. Let's talk about it.
00:14Let's start off with the biggest steals of the summer in my opinion.
00:17And number three is Christian Mascara to Arsenal for 13 million pounds.
00:23As brilliant as William Saliba is and as central he's become to Mikel Arteta's project,
00:27the truth is there's a lingering inevitability that Real Madrid will eventually come calling.
00:33History tells us that when Madrid truly want a player, particularly a Frenchman in his prime,
00:38they usually get what they want and Arsenal may one day have to face the difficult reality of losing him.
00:44In that context, the signing of Christian Mascara feels almost like forward thinking of the highest order.
00:50Stylistically, he's the closest thing Arsenal could realistically find to Saliba,
00:54a right-sided central defender, elegant on the ball, physical, so composed under pressure
01:00and doesn't mind an adventure or two forward.
01:03By bringing him in at just 21 years of age, Arsenal could allow him to develop in Saliba's shadow for a little bit,
01:10learn the Premier League without the immediate weight of expectation.
01:14Although saying that, I think he was absolutely immense at Anfield the other week.
01:19There was a lot of pressure on him to hold his own and we know that Gabriel and Saliba feed off each other,
01:24but he stepped in and showed that he ain't looking to be a backup for much longer.
01:29£13 million in today's market is unbelievable business.
01:33Granted, he did have less than a year on his contract,
01:36but we've seen deals like that and how difficult they can be to get done.
01:40Brilliant work from Arsenal's new man, Andrea Berta.
01:44Coming in at number two, we've got Granit Xhaka to Sunderland for £17 million.
01:49And let's have it right, there isn't a single football fan outside of Tyne and Weir that didn't love this move.
01:55It's one of them that's so random, but it just makes so much sense.
01:59Sunderland are back in the Premier League and their main priority is, of course, survival.
02:04Anything more than that is a bonus.
02:06And in order to do that, you need a certain level of leadership, experience and sheer grit in the heart of the side.
02:13Granit Xhaka brings all of that and more.
02:16He was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, for God's sake.
02:19Xhaka is the perfect player to manage the intensity of a 38-game grind.
02:25Through all the highs and the lows, he will be that anchor.
02:29He'll steady that midfield.
02:30He'll set the tone for the entire team.
02:33Sunderland have got that commander in the middle who can drag them through tough moments.
02:37In a relegation scrap, that is priceless.
02:40And I think it's something a lot of relegated teams in the past have lacked.
02:45I think he will be instrumental in keeping them up.
02:48And coming in at number one, the biggest steal this transfer window for me is Jack Grealish to Everton.
02:54Yes, I know it's alone, but oh my word, it's just so beautiful to see.
02:59In the past few weeks, as a football fan, it's honestly been so heartwarming to see Jack Grealish
03:04get the love and appreciation for the wonderful footballer and human being that he is.
03:10And I'm not saying that he didn't get that at City,
03:12but he didn't really get enough opportunities to actually show it.
03:16David Moyes came out and said the other day, and I quote,
03:19the biggest compliment I can say about Jack is that he's even better than I thought he was.
03:25Wow.
03:26Four assists in his first three games.
03:29He looks electric.
03:30He looks like he's starving to impress.
03:32He looks like he is genuinely enjoying playing football again.
03:36And I think it is fair to say that Everton fans have become victim of falling in love with a lone player.
03:42That being said, if life at Everton for Grealish continues like this,
03:46I think it's fairly obvious they'll pull the trigger on that 50 million buy option.
03:50You're the man, Jack.
03:51Steeler the summer for me.
03:53Along with some very clever steals, there have been a fair few signings that make little to no sense to me.
03:59Let me talk you through a few.
04:01Coming in at number three is Johan Wisser to Newcastle.
04:05It might sound harsh as Wisser is a great player,
04:08but Brentford have quite literally pulled Newcastle's pants down.
04:12Wisser, 29 years old, one year left on his contract,
04:16and Newcastle go and chuck 55 million pounds at him.
04:20Panic buy if I've ever seen one.
04:23And he could very well end up being a backup.
04:25Volta Mardy literally walked through the doors the other day for 69 million pounds.
04:30Talk about blowing the ESAC money.
04:32It just doesn't really make much sense to me from Wisser's perspective as well.
04:36The main man at Brentford, the fans adore him.
04:39Guaranteed to start every single week,
04:41and he's thrown all of it away to potentially sit on the bench up north.
04:46What is he doing?
04:47Coming in at number two, I think Jamie Gittins to Chelsea.
04:51Now, I was watching Chelsea vs Fulham the other day.
04:54Liam Delatt was forced to come off in the 14th minute after pulling his hamstring.
04:58We wish him a speedy recovery.
05:00Two attackers on the bench to replace him.
05:02The new man, Gittins himself, and Tyreek George.
05:06Who does Maresca tell to take their bib off?
05:08The teenager that they were actively looking to sell at the time.
05:12I was sat there and I thought,
05:14if I'm Gittins, I'm handing in a transfer request.
05:17Why on earth would Chelsea chuck 53 million quid at someone
05:21who is second choice to a kid that they wanted to sell?
05:25And on top of that, Estaval, Pedro Neto, Buenannotte,
05:29Garnaccio they just signed,
05:31and Tyreek George to Fulham ended up falling through.
05:33So on paper, Gittins is arguably their sixth choice wide forward.
05:39Maybe I'm being naive and maybe there is a proper plan in place for Gittins.
05:42But for now, it just seems like a waste of money for Chelsea
05:45and a waste of a move for Gittins.
05:48And number one, a transfer that I cannot wrap my head around
05:51is James Trafford to Man City.
05:54Why?
05:55Why Man City?
05:56Why chuck 27 million pounds, which is a huge fee for a goalkeeper,
06:00at someone who has fully established himself as a top-end Premier League keeper,
06:05with hopes and dreams of one day becoming England's number one,
06:09promise him this, promise him that,
06:11and then on deadline day, you sign Donnarumma and stick him on the bench.
06:16Kills his chances of overtaking Pickford anytime soon.
06:19Kills his confidence.
06:21Kills his upward trajectory.
06:22And what upsets me about this is you can see how hungry Trafford is
06:26to cement that number one spot.
06:28He is desperate to be a citizen.
06:31I really do hope this doesn't affect him too much
06:33and he hasn't given up on that chance to make that spot his.
06:37Donnarumma's contract is running until, I think, 2030.
06:41So he's got some time to battle it out.
06:43But this move makes zero sense to me.
06:46City, Pep, Trafford's agents, what were you thinking?
06:50Away from the individuals, let's move on to some club matters.
06:54Who had the worst window?
06:57It's harsh, but probably true.
06:59Brentford have had an absolute nightmare of a summer.
07:02On the surface, it doesn't look catastrophic.
07:05Kelleher, arguably the best number two in the world, in my opinion.
07:09Wattara from Bournemouth is a big move.
07:12Jordan Henderson to anchor the midfield and bring some experience.
07:15And on deadline day, they've got Rhys Nelson.
07:17Adds that bit of flair and unpredictability.
07:20But beneath the surface, dig a little deeper
07:23and you realise that they have been completely stripped of their identity.
07:27No Thomas Frank, no Johan Visser, no Brian Mbwemo.
07:32Ouch.
07:32When I think of Brentford, I think of those three.
07:34I think of a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday at the GTEC.
07:38Visser and Mbwemo on the score sheet.
07:40Thomas Frank's full-time dressing room speech on Twitter.
07:43I worry that they might be one or two down in some games.
07:47Think to themselves, ah, it's fine.
07:49Whistle will nick a goal.
07:50Maybe Brian with a near post finish.
07:53Oh wait, they're gone.
07:55So which club had the best window?
07:56Well, it's fairly obvious, isn't it?
07:58Liverpool.
07:59Jeremy Frimpong.
08:01Florian Vertz.
08:02Milos Kerkhez.
08:03Giovanni Leone.
08:04Hugo Eketike.
08:06And the holy grail, Freddie Woodman.
08:09I'm joking.
08:09And they signed Isak as well, for f**k's sake.
08:13A record-breaking £446.5 million spent.
08:19Arnie Slott is absolutely licking his lips.
08:23In one window, they have attained one of the best right-backs on the planet.
08:27One of the best left-backs on the planet.
08:29One of the most exciting talents in decades in Vertz.
08:32A seemingly goal-scoring machine in Eketike.
08:35And to top it all off, as if that wasn't enough.
08:39One of, if not the best number nine in world football.
08:42They did it.
08:43They finally did it after months.
08:46Millions and millions of man-hours spent talking, typing,
08:50thinking about this man in the Liverpool shirt.
08:53He's here, and he's absolutely terrifying.
08:56On deadline day, Liverpool Football Club broke the British transfer fee
09:00for the second time this window for Alexander Isak.
09:04125 million great British pounds.
09:09But who actually cares what the fee is?
09:12If you've got the money, for a player like Isak, who is arguably priceless, you pay it.
09:17Simple.
09:1744 Premier League goals in his last two seasons.
09:20Again, we really do not need to do much explaining as to who he is and what he can do.
09:26It kills me to say it as an Arsenal fan, but I'm not quite sure.
09:29I see a world where they don't win the league.
09:31It would be, arguably, an embarrassment if they don't.
09:35Salah, Isak, Eketike up top.
09:38Sorry?
09:38That gives Messi no more Suarez a run for their money.
09:41I'm being a bit silly now, but Liverpool, fair enough.
09:44I am petrified as the rest of the league are.
09:47I'm expecting goals.
09:48Lots and lots of goals.
09:50It is an absolutely absurd window.
09:53It's petrifying for the rest of the Premier League.
09:56Having won the title last season by 10 clear points to go on and bolster your squad in this
10:02fashion is unlike anything I've ever seen.
10:05Additions that will potentially set them up to dominate the Premier League for the next
10:09three, four, five years?
10:11There isn't a single weakness in Liverpool's team.
10:14I mean, there wasn't really last season, but now, Jesus Christ.
10:18Slott can play a 4-3-3.
10:20He can play a 3-5-2.
10:22He can play a 3-2-5, 4-2-3-1.
10:24Any system he wants.
10:25He can play a double striker system if he wants.
10:28And my question to you lot is, which clubs do you think had the best and worst windows?
10:32And what a window it was, by the way.
10:34Almost impossible to keep up with it all.
10:37Thank you all for watching.
10:38Till next week.
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