The European soccer season is about to get underway and teams are close to wrapping up their preparations. And as is always the case with European club leagues, the power structures of the continent’s various leagues have shifted significantly with the movement of several high-powered transfers between seasons.
To get you up to speed, we break down the ten biggest soccer transfers of the 2014 offseason below. Read on for all the pricey details, and don’t miss our previews and predictions for the Premiership, La Liga, and Bundesliga, all of which kick off this month.
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Ten Most Expensive Soccer Transfers in 2014
1) Luis Suarez (Liverpool to Barcelona – 88 million euros)
[sc:Soccer240banner ]His reputation may have taken a beating after he bit Italian Giorgio Chiellini and cut short his World Cup campaign, but that didn’t stop Spanish giant Barcelona from paying Liverpool an astonishing 88 million euros for his services.
The reigning Premier League player of the year was simply unstoppable last season as he scored 31 goals in 33 appearances for Liverpool to lead all goal scorers. In his four-year stint with Liverpool, he scored a total of 82 goals in all competitions. Barcelona hopes he can translate that form to the Primera Liga and lead them back to the title.
2) James Rodriguez (Monaco to Real Madrid – 80 million euros)
To say that James Rodriguez is having a fabulous summer would be a severe understatement. He led Colombia to its first-ever quarterfinals appearance in the World Cup where they fell to Brazil, 2-1. Even with an early elimination in the knockout stages, he managed to win the Golden Boot as he scored the most goals in the competition with six. And to cap it off, Real Madrid, arguably the world’s biggest club, snapped up his services in a major transfer coup.
The Galacticos paid the French outfit a whopping 80 million euros for the 23-year-old, who scored just nine goals for Monaco last season. Real Madrid will expect more from their prized signing as they try to recapture the La Liga title this season.
3) David Luiz (Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain – 49.5 million euros)
His World Cup dreams may have ended in disappointment after Brazil suffered that humiliating 7-1 defeat to eventual-champions Germany, but David Luiz can still take heart in the knowledge that he is the most expensive defender in the history of football.
Paris Saint-Germain invested mightily on the 27-year-old defender, paying Chelsea a staggering 49.5 million euros, as they envision him continuing his World Cup partnership with fellow Brazilian center-back Thiago Silva at the heart of the PSG defense. He has a knack for scoring goals as well, knocking in six for Chelsea last season.
4) Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid to Chelsea – 44 million euros)
The 25-year-old was sensational last season for Atletico Madrid, scoring a total of 36 goals for the club, as he led the Spanish outfit to their first La Liga title in 18 years, breaking up the dominance of rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
His style of play at the forward spot fits nicely with Jose Mourinho’s plan of attack at Chelsea and the Portuguese manager decided that the Spanish international was going to be his main transfer target spending a cool 44 million euros for his services. In his three years at Atletico Madrid, he scored a total of 64 goals in 94 appearances.
5) Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona to Arsenal – 38 million euros)
There was a time when manager Arsene Wenger was criticized by Arsenal fans for being too frugal on the transfer market. After signing Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid to a big-money transfer last season, that philosophy has certainly changed.
This year, Arsenal, fresh off their FA Cup win last May, splashed the cash once again, spending 38 millon euros to acquire the services of 25-year-old Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez. He scored 19 goals in the Primera Liga last season and Wenger will be optimistic he can quickly form an understanding with his main stars such as Aaron Ramsey and Ozil for Arsenal to have a chance of winning their first Premier League title in 11 years.
6) Luke Shaw (Southampton to Manchester United – 37.8 million euros)
Manchester United had a horrendous season last time out, finishing seventh in the league as David Moyes failed to match the exploits of former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. With a new man in charge, though, in Dutchman Louis Van Gaal, things are about to change and he has made his intentions clear right at the outset bringing in Luke Shaw for 37.8 million euros making him the most expensive teenager in football history.
The left back will play a crucial part in Van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation now that former starter Patrice Evra is gone and will be one of the players to watch for United as they try to claim their 21st league title.
7) Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao to Manchester United – 36.5 million euros)
Joining Shaw at Old Trafford is the 24-year-old Spanish midfielder from Bilbao who has excelled so far in United’s preseason tour of the United States. In United’s opening match against the LA Galaxy, Herrera proved to be an imposing presence in central midfield as he delivered three assists in a comprehensive 7-0 win.
Just like Shaw, he fits in nicely with Van Gaal’s preferred formation, as his box-to-box style in the midfield will provide the necessary tools missing in United’s attack last season.
8) Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea to Everton – 35 million euros)
Who says Everton can’t hang out with the big boys? Everton made a huge statement on the transfer market last week signing Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku to a club-record-fee of 35 million euros. Lukaku was impressive in his loan stay with Everton last season scoring 15 goals in 31 Premier League appearances as he led the Toffees to a fifth-place record, their best finish since 2009.
9) Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona to Chelsea – 33 million euros)
The 27-year-old midfielder makes his return to the Premier League after a disappointing three-year spell with hometown team Barcelona where he managed to score just a total of 42 goals in 151 games in all competitions.
He had trouble finding a permanent spot in the Barcelona midfield with Xavi and Iniesta in the lineup but he will have no such problems with Chelsea this time around with Mourinho expecting him to form a midfield axis with young stars Eden Hazard and Oscar.
10) Adam Lallana (Southampton to Liverpool – 31.5 million euros)
Adam Lallana was spectacular for the Saints last season as he led Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder scored nine goals for the club in 38 appearances and his exploits were definitely noticed by Brendan Rodgers and the rest of the top brass at Liverpool. He is expected to form a midfield partnership with captain Steven Gerrard, as they try to atone for that missed opportunity last season which saw them finish two points behind eventual-champions Manchester City.
Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich)
After failing in their bid to win back-to-back European titles last season, the German champions went out and strengthened their attacking lineup even further when they acquired Polish international Robert Lewandowski from rivals Borussia Dortmund.
The 25-year-old striker was the Bundesliga’s top goal scorer last season with 20 goals and he will fortify an already impressive attacking unit that already includes Frenchman Franck Ribery and Dutch star Arjen Robben. His arrival will help offset the departure of Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic who joined Spanish side Atletico Madrid this summer.
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