Summer Transfers So Far: Let the Excitement Continue

Summer is here, yet this feels like a weird dream. Coronavirus has pretty much halted anything fun, so sorry MLB fans, you won't be getting the chance to watch your favorite teams at the ballpark with a hot dog and Budweiser. Trust me, I miss it too. The one thing that keeps me entertained during this pandemic is the amazing amount of soccer available to watch. With MLS's return to play, the universal game continues to show its determination to bring the show to fans everywhere. Also with football comes the summer transfer window, though this is a weird one. Normally, players would be off on holiday or prepping for preseason tournaments; this year, they are still playing and some deals are already worked out. Three surprises have graced the football world so far.

First up is Timo Werner to Chelsea. I guess I'm eating my words when I said in my Bundesliga Return blog that Werner to Liverpool was pretty much a done deal and there was nothing that could stop the German striker from joining the English champs. Turns out I and most of the world was wrong on that one. Chelsea paid the $87 million value to Leipzig and next season, they will be getting perhaps the most promising No. 9 in Europe. This is a huge upgrade for a Chelsea squad in serious need of a star striker. Nothing against Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham, but come on now, you think they didn't expect to be knocked down the depth chart at some point? We can only speculate on how Werner will fit in Frank Lampard's play style. He likes to run the 4-3-3, a formation that Werner definitely thrives in but they also play a lot through the midfield, which might make Werner an even-larger target for opposing defenders to mark up. Either way, I'm pumped to see Chelsea's newly revamped squad with Werner, Christian Pulisic, Hakeem Ziyech (coming in the summer from Ajax), and Mason Mount in the attacking third. Good job, Frank...now remember to fix your defense.

Next, we have the wonderful tale of Miralem Pjanic to Barcelona. This screams Barcelona's short-ended thinking. It's no doubt Pjanic is a world-class box-to-box midfielder and he's got a great free-kick, but I question whether he is the fix Barcelona is seeking. Keep in mind, Barcelona sent Arthur Melo, 23, to Juventus in exchange for Pjanic, 30. I'm honestly surprised this deal was pulled off. For the longest time, I figured a deal with Chelsea for a Jorginho-Pjanic swap was the most likely scenario. Juve coach Maurizio Sarri coached Jorginho at Napoli and at Chelsea and wanted to be reunited with his Italian golden boy. Sadly for Sarri, tough luck, but there is a massive upside. For Juve, this deal actually works perfectly for them. Arthur is young and shows significant promise; he can easily occupy the position Pjanic had in midfield. For Barca, this is their last-ditch effort to win a trophy this season. They're still in the race for Champions League and only trail Real Madrid by a point for first in La Liga, but if Pjanic doesn't fit in the squad and it all comes crashing down (there is serious concern it will), Barca can guarantee Messi will be taking his god-like talent somewhere (probably Manchester City to link back up with Pep). 

And last, but definitely not least, Inter Milan have found the fullback of their wildest dreams. Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan right wing-back who spent two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund from Real Madrid, decided to snub his original club to join Antonio Conte's surprisingly well-built squad. Hakimi is a player Inter desperately needed. Being a speedy attacking fullback, he's going to be needed to set up the goals for Romelu Lukaku and Lauturo Martinez next season. Most likely Conte will run a 3-5-2 and put Hakimi at RWB, dropping back on defense to cover the flank. It's all part of Conte's plan to overthrow the Evil Empire known as Juventus and finally crown a new Serie A champion for the first time in 9 seasons. Welcome to Milan, Achraf...hope you enjoy it enough to want to stay for three seasons of no trophies and just barely making it into Champions League.