Deals done: Man City and Chelsea bolster squads as Mitrovic scores on Al Hilal debut
August 25 - The Premier League continues its trend of spending big on talented youngsters by welcoming Belgian talents Jeremy Doku and Romeo Lavia. The duo were bought for more than double their Transfermarkt value as they only expected to play a rotation role next year at Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
Belgian Doku arrives from France's Stade Rennais as a direct replacement for outgoing Riyad Mahrez and, at 21, has extensive first-team and international experience.
In the case of Lavia, also Belgian, arriving from Southampton, despite his high price, the player is only 19 years old and has experience in the Premier League. The price soared due to competition with other Liverpool bidders.
The Saudi Pro League's inflated spending on Europe's top talent spilled over this week after securing Porto's Otavio and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic (pictured) for a total fee of €112.6million more than 50 million euros above their market value. The acquisition of Brazilian talent Otavio is particularly unusual as it breaks the 'big money = big stars' trend that has until now been a staple of the SPL's transfer strategy. The winger had a lackluster season last term, scoring five goals and seven assists for Porto and has never played in a top five at the age of 28.
Mitrovic, however, returns after a surprising season for Fulham in the Premier League where he scored 14 times. Following his €52m move to Al-Hilal this week, the 28-year-old scored on his debut in his new side's 4-0 win over Al-Raed.
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia have yet to offer anyone a contract longer than three years, despite European deals, including at Stamford Bridge, which locked players in for almost a decade.< /p>
This week, the trend to build squads continues before the window closes in a few days, in a minefield-like market swollen by recent activity. The Premier League's top teams are interested in young talent who can grow from the bench, while other teams look to fill the gaps left by recent vacancies.
The transfer window ends September 1 at 23:00 BST.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1693030933labto1693030933ofdlr1693030933owedi1693030933sni@o1693030933fni1693030933
August 25 - The Premier League continues its trend of spending big on talented youngsters by welcoming Belgian talents Jeremy Doku and Romeo Lavia. The duo were bought for more than double their Transfermarkt value as they only expected to play a rotation role next year at Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
Belgian Doku arrives from France's Stade Rennais as a direct replacement for outgoing Riyad Mahrez and, at 21, has extensive first-team and international experience.
In the case of Lavia, also Belgian, arriving from Southampton, despite his high price, the player is only 19 years old and has experience in the Premier League. The price soared due to competition with other Liverpool bidders.
The Saudi Pro League's inflated spending on Europe's top talent spilled over this week after securing Porto's Otavio and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic (pictured) for a total fee of €112.6million more than 50 million euros above their market value. The acquisition of Brazilian talent Otavio is particularly unusual as it breaks the 'big money = big stars' trend that has until now been a staple of the SPL's transfer strategy. The winger had a lackluster season last term, scoring five goals and seven assists for Porto and has never played in a top five at the age of 28.
Mitrovic, however, returns after a surprising season for Fulham in the Premier League where he scored 14 times. Following his €52m move to Al-Hilal this week, the 28-year-old scored on his debut in his new side's 4-0 win over Al-Raed.
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia have yet to offer anyone a contract longer than three years, despite European deals, including at Stamford Bridge, which locked players in for almost a decade.< /p>
This week, the trend to build squads continues before the window closes in a few days, in a minefield-like market swollen by recent activity. The Premier League's top teams are interested in young talent who can grow from the bench, while other teams look to fill the gaps left by recent vacancies.
The transfer window ends September 1 at 23:00 BST.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1693030933labto1693030933ofdlr1693030933owedi1693030933sni@o1693030933fni1693030933
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