Top 10 Premier League transfers of the season
FT Desk
- 24 May 2022 13:18 BST
- 7 min read
The Premier League season is now officially over. Manchester City won a fourth league title in five years after a dramatic final day comeback against Aston Villa.
Liverpool had to settle for second and were joined by Chelsea and Tottenham in the Champions League places.
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Arsenal, Man Utd and West Ham qualified for Europe, while Norwich, Watford and Burnley were relegated from the division.
With the season over, we can review now who the best transfers of the 2021-22 campaign were.
Below are our top 10, in no particular order.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus to Manchester United, £18m
Manchester United endured their worst-ever season since the Premier League was born 30 years ago, eventually finishing in sixth place with no trophies for the fifth year in a row.
But Ronaldo certainly could not be blamed for their disastrous campaign as he enjoyed another brilliant individual campaign.
He scored 24 goals in all competitions for a struggling side, and with 18 Premier League strikes he was the third best scorer in the division behind only Mohamed Salah and Heung-Min Son.
The 37-year-old also scored a number of clutch strikes, particularly in the Champions League group stages against Villarreal and Atalanta.
Aaron Ramsdale – Sheffield United to Arsenal, £24m
From initially being seen as a backup for Bernd Leno, Ramsdale soon emerged as the undisputed first choice for Arsenal, in addition to competing with Jordan Pickford to be Gareth Southgate’s number one for the World Cup.
During the first half of the season, Ramsdale was arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. He was the backbone for an Arsenal side that for so long seemed certain to finish fourth.
A commanding presence with personality, Ramsdale also made a number of fantastic saves throughout the campaign.
His stop from James Maddison’s free-kick against Leicester at the King Power Stadium will live long in the memory. It was one of eight saves in a man-of-the-match display for the young goalkeeper.
Maxwel Cornet – Lyon to Burnley, £13m
Although Burnley were relegated to the Championship, there was one player who certainly didn’t deserve to go down and that was Maxwel Cornet.
The Ivory Coast international had a hugely impressive season after Burnley made a rare signing from abroad.
Cornet scored nine Premier League goals and showcased a flair and finishing ability which ensured he won the Fans’ Player of the Year award.
His movement and the pace and power he shows when running with the ball is such that other Premier League clubs will surely be interested in signing him from Burnley this summer.
Jose Sa – Olympiakos to Wolves, £6.25m
Jose Sa proved to be one of the bargains of the season following his move to Wolves from Olympiakos for just £6.25m.
He joined the large colony of Portuguese players and was magnificent for much of the campaign as Wolves challenged for a European spot until the closing weeks.
Sa is very much a modern goalkeeper and his ability with the ball at his feet and his proactive attitude in possession helped set the tone for Wolves.
He even claimed an assist for his long pass to Raul Jimenez which yielded the winning goal against Southampton in a 1-0 victory at St Mary's. No Premier League goalkeeper created more chances and he also was one of the best at coming off his line quickly to sweep up.
Luis Diaz – Porto to Liverpool, £52m
Liverpool made the biggest Premier League signing of the January market as they hijacked Tottenham’s move for Luis Diaz, signing the Porto winger for a fee that could reach €60m.
And it already looks like money well-spent as Luis Diaz has had an electrifying start to life at Anfield.
He has 10 goal contributions already in a Liverpool shirt but it is his silky skills, dribbling and link-up play with teammates that has really wowed the crowds.
The Colombian has played his part in Liverpool already winning two titles, with the Champions League final still to come.
Christian Eriksen – Free Transfer to Brentford
The most romantic story of the season centres around the return to football of Christian Eriksen.
In January, Brentford agreed a short-term contract until the end of the season with Eriksen after he returned to fitness following his collapse on the pitch during Euro 2020 last summer.
Just making it back onto the field was an achievement in itself given he had suffered a cardiac arrest, but Eriksen went on to be one of the best players in the league for the rest of the season.
He played a vital role in Brentford comfortably avoiding relegation, managing four assists and a goal as he pulled the strings in midfield.
A host of top Premier League clubs are now interested in him this summer, although he could decide to stay at Brentford.
Dejan Kulusevski – Juventus to Tottenham, £34m
Despite missing out on primary targets Franck Kessie, Adama Traore and Luis Diaz, Tottenham still managed to splash the cash in the January market.
They signed Juventus pair Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur in a deal that could reach €70m in total.
Both players have performed well under Antonio Conte, particularly Kulusevski who has ably assisted the world-class duo of Son and Harry Kane.
Kulusevski has scored five goals and assisted eight in 18 games since moving from Juve, where he had been a huge flop. These contributions helped Tottenham to finish fourth, a fantastic achievement for the club.
Bruno Guimaraes – Lyon to Newcastle, £42m
There was big controversy when Saudi-funded Newcastle signed one of the best players in Ligue 1 in January.
Bruno Guimaraes had been wanted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs in Real Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal but opted for the nouveau-riche Newcastle.
After being eased into the first-team, the Brazilian has been a revelation, scoring five goals in 11 starts.
He was particularly impressive in the victory over Arsenal which ended the Gunners’ chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Marc Guehi – Chelsea to Crystal Palace, £18m
Chelsea have made a number of mistakes in recent years when it comes to selling young players who went on to become stars elsewhere.
Kevin de Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Fikayo Tomori are high-profile examples but defender Marc Guehi could also join that list soon too.
Guehi has been key to Crystal Palace's reasonably impressive campaign under manager Patrick Vieira and even made his debut for the England national team.
So impressive has he been that Chelsea are reportedly considering trying to sign him back after just one year away. They do not have a buyback clause but they do have the first right of refusal if Palace decide to sell.
Ibrahima Konate – Leipzig to Liverpool, £36m
Ibrahima Konate was Liverpool’s only signing in the summer of 2021 as Jurgen Klopp went for quality over quantity.
And unlike his former Leipzig defensive partner Dayot Upamecano – who has struggled at Bayern Munich – Konate has blossomed at Liverpool.
He has played 28 games in all competition, featuring heavily in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final.
Remarkably in the 28 games he has played, Liverpool have not lost a single game – keeping 12 clean sheets.
