Suarez heads summer list of eye-catching transfers

With football set to return to pitches across Europe in just a matter of a week or two, we herald in the new season – and the launch of our 2014-15 Euro Fantasy League competition – by taking a look at some of the players who will be pulling on a new shirt this season. We are not of course talking about a club’s new home kit, but those who have swapped employers already in this transfer window and who will be kicking off the campaign wearing the new colours of the club they have joined.

The biggest transfer of the summer would seem to be Luis Suarez departing Merseyside for the sunnier Spanish climate as he completed a move said to be in the region of €75m to Barcelona. This would seem to set him in good stead as a healthy choice for many of our fantasy managers – the guy has proven himself to be among the world’s elite when it comes to talent. He did, however, have something of a controversial World Cup campaign which ultimately saw him given a global ban from all football related activities until November, and so this will probably go some way to explaining why only 5% of our managers have selected him in their squad.

That said, he has proven himself capable enough before, and so if he is able to recapture the form and clinical finishing he displayed in front of the Kop then those missed months could surely just mean the Uruguayan has a bit of catching up to do – he will, when he finally debuts, be turning out alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar week in, week out after all – Barcelona will be dangerous this season.

One of the busiest clubs in regards to transfer activity this year has been Southampton, who have just completed their second season back in the Premier League. However, unfortunately for Saints fans the bulk of the dealings have seen some of their top international stars departing St. Mary’s, rather than a host of talent arriving to join the revolution being enjoyed on the south coast.

England striker Rickie Lambert ended his five-year stint at the club by rejoining boyhood club Liverpool, and his EFL value of €7.00m mean he could prove a popular choice for a backup striker in any squad. He could prove great as a starter, but with Liverpool’s attacking lineup remaining strong despite the aforementioned departure of Suarez he may be a player managers will do well to watch with caution in the early stages until his true status in the squad is better clarified.

He is joined at Anfield by former Southampton team-mate – and international partner too – Adam Lallana, and the former Bournemouth loanee will be looking to establish himself at Anfield and maintain his England berth which he held admirably during the Three Lions’ indifferent World Cup campaign. He is valued in our competition only marginally more than Lambert, at €7.50m, and so the pair could be included for only €14.50m – two great talents for a relatively low outlay.

Another former Saint, Luke Shaw, completed a big money move to Man Utd and has been rated at €5.50m for the purposes of our EFL competition. This is a lovely valuation considering his actual transfer saw him become the world’s most expensive teenager at around £30m, and with the recent departure of Patrice Evra from Old Trafford to Juventus there is certainly room for Shaw to get himself plenty of football – he will surely be a cert to be included?

World Cup shopping: Top 5 moves earned in Brazil

The World Cup is over but the ramifications are still being felt – and with the average length of a summer transfer saga rivalling a short ice age, that will be the case for some time. Some of the tournament’s stars have already been on the move while it appears a number of others will be. Here’s a selection…

Toni Kroos
The World Cup winner has officially moved from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid. Kroos’ Bayern contract was to expire next year and the Germans have cashed in, reportedly to the tune of €30m. He was one of the highest-rated midfielders in EuroFantasyLeague during the tournament and apparently caught the eye of Madrid even before the World Cup, the Champions League holders moving now rather than wait 12 months.

Alexis Sanchez
One of the World Cup’s revelations, Alexis’ face didn’t fit Luis Enrique’s new-look Barcelona and he was sold to Arsenal to make room for Luis Suarez. The Gunners will now benefit from his speed, dribbling skills and direct running, all of which were on show in Brazil, having beaten Juventus, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid to his signature. He’ll bring goals too, netting twice in four games this summer.

Luis Suarez
One of the strangest transfers in a while, the terms of Suarez’s FIFA-imposed biting ban mean he is barred from all football activity for four months – which includes playing, training, entering a football stadium or even attending a press conference to discuss his move to Barcelona from Liverpool, but doesn’t prevent the Uruguayan completing the transfer itself. £75m took Suarez to Camp Nou.

James Rodriguez
Reports in Spain say it’s only a matter of time before James leaves Monaco for Real Madrid. After claiming the World Cup Golden Boot it’s easy to see why Los Blancos want the Colombian, if not where he will fit in considering Carlo Ancelotti’s other options. A fee of €70m or so has been talked about, a substantial rise on the €45m Monaco paid Porto a year ago.

Antoine Griezmann
Close followers of La Liga have been talking about the Real Sociedad winger for a while but the rest of the world took notice this summer when he lined up for France. La Real usually struggle to hold on to their best players so it was inevitable Griezmann’s name would come up in the reams of transfer gossip during pre-season – Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are among the parties said to be interested, as well as Bayern Munich and Monaco.