Transfer grades: Grading big signings for Europe’s top clubs

The summer transfer window is in full swing, and after a record-low transfer expenditure during last winter’s window, clubs around Europe are scrambling to make up for lost time and strengthen their squads headed into the 2024-25 season.

Euro 2024 and Copa América somewhat delayed transfer market activity, but several big-money moves have already taken place, with many more on the horizon (Calafiori to Arsenal, anyone?). Here are grades for the destination clubs of the top confirmed moves so far this summer. Class is in session. 💯

Getting the best player in the world on a free transfer should be an easy A+, right? Wrong.

Firstly, this wasn’t really a free transfer. Madrid reportedly paid Mbappé a $164 million signing bonus, which is an amount so obscene it makes me question why I ever decided to become a writer. Secondly, Real Madrid were excellent without Mbappé last season, and the World Cup winner joining threatens to upset the balance of the world’s best team. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion Madrid’s new no. 9 will get on just fine at his new home.

It’s still up in the air whether the impetus of this swap deal was Luiz joining his girlfriend in Turin or Aston Villa offloading the Brazilian to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), but either way it’s a damn good move for Juventus.

Luiz is a do-it-all midfielder that incoming manager Thiago Motta is sure to love. Juve won’t be thrilled to lose promising youngsters Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea as part of the swap deal, but it’s a small price to pay for a player who should instantly become the best at the club. Expect the Bianconeri to be in the thick of the Serie A title race next season with Luiz leading the charge. 😤 

Neymar. Ronaldinho. Ronaldo. Every decade or so, a new generational talent emerges from the streets of Brazil, making a big-money move to Europe in hopes of becoming the soccer-crazed nation’s next great star. This generation’s superstar-in-the-making is Endrick, who by all accounts is the real deal and should be worth every penny for Real Madrid.

It’s a lot of money to spend on a teenager, but Endrick is no ordinary 18-year-old. He’s already made 66 top-level appearances in Brazil, and has ten caps (and three goals) for the national team. Don’t be shocked if €48 million feels like a bargain in five years.

Coming off a breakout campaign in which he registered ten goals and six assists in just 19 Premier League appearances with Crystal Palace, Olise has decided to join the wave of English players taking their talents abroad. The 22-year-old joins his compatriots Harry Kane and Eric Dier in Munich, where he’ll have to fight for playing time in a stacked attacking corps.

It’s a steep fee for a player who likely won’t start week in and week out, but Bayern could use the depth as they challenge for both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Solid move all around.

Man United and defensive stability go together like testicles and Icy Hot, but that’s about to change with Yoro in town. The French center back looked rock-solid in his debut against Rangers, and looks bang-on to start for the Red Devils at just 18 years old. €62 million is a lot to pay for a player who still has some rough edges to his game, but his profile and trajectory is reminiscent of a young William Saliba – if not better. 😮 

Aston Villa are surely kicking themselves for losing Douglas Luiz. The Villans set out to deepen their squad following their first-ever Champions League qualification, bringing in the 6’6” Onana for a club record fee.

The Belgian international should be a solid tactical fit for Unai Emery’s side, offering a physical, ball-winning presence in a midfield pivot alongside Youri Tielemans. €59 million, however, is a lot for a player who averaged just a 6.71 average match rating in the Premier League last season, and, quite frankly, does not have the game-breaking technical quality required to be a top midfielder in today’s game. Villa would have done better to secure Moussa Diaby. 🤷‍♂️

I love this transfer for Man United. Zirkzee may not have lit the world on fire with Bologna last season (nine non-penalty goals in Serie A), but he offers a lot more than just goalscoring. His link-up play, intelligence, and work-rate make him a modern center forward capable of contributing in all phases of the game, which should be the perfect compliment to the physicality and goalscoring instinct of Rasmus Højlund. United should continue to prioritize sensible transfers like this instead of dropping €95 million on a fancy Brazilian fidget spinner.

The best transfer of the window, hands down. Guirassy was a revelation with Stuttgart last season, scoring 28 league goals in as many appearances for the Bundesliga runners-up. Shoot, there’s a case to be made that the 28-year-old Guinean was even better than Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Dortmund made the no-brainer decision to activate Guirassy’s release clause for the relatively small fee of €18 million, making this a low-risk deal with incredibly high upside for the Champions League runners-up. Top of the class. ✅

Dest enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023-24, playing a key role while on loan at a PSV team that took the Eredivisie by storm before tearing his ACL in April. Despite this, the Dutch champions decided to bring on the American right back on full-time, gambling that he’ll make a full recovery in 2025. I guess you get an extra long leash when you’re not spending any money.

Olivier Giroud is gone, but Milan have found another equally under-appreciated journeyman striker to replace him in Morata. It feels like the Euro 2024 champion has been around forever, but he’s only 31 years old and still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Plus, he’s Serie A proven, having won two titles with Juventus, making this an easy ‘A’ for a relatively small fee. 👍