Chelsea made the long-rumored move official on Wednesday when it made its first major addition of the summer by swooping in to sign winger Pedro for £21M from Barcelona. While the player must still pass his medical, the deal looks like it is officially done.
The Premier League has brought in a lot of players this offseason with plenty who show promise of filling the boots of those who have left England. Two players in particular, Jordan and Andre Ayew, are newcomers this year and are looking for anyway to put their names up in headlines. Just like the Toure or Wright-Phillips brothers before, the two Ayew brothers bring a sibling rivalry to the league that is one to watch for.
Sometimes, you just need to know when to quit while you’re on top.
For Ashley Cole, this could have been valuable advice when he was entering his last year with Chelsea before signing to Roma. After a long season of awkwardly fitting in with his new Italian club, Roma has decided to terminate Cole’s contract a year early.
The summer transfer window in England is usually syncopated by splashy arrivals at Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and/or either of the Manchester powerhouses. But with lucrative TV deals in place, clubs a little further down the Premier League table now have the resources to woo the most talented footballers to England.
Liverpool have a very exciting year set out before them with new players, new attitudes, and a high chance of succeeding in Europe. Roberto Firmino is one of many new additions to the Liverpool squad that has excited fans to watch the link-ups between him and his Brazilian compatriot Philippe Coutinho.
Angel Di Maria has written an open letter to Manchester United after having completed his big money move to Paris Saint-Germain, ostensibly in order to smooth things over with a fan base that holds him in just slightly higher regard than Radamel Falcao, which is to say it doesn’t like him.
The letter is professional, and makes it clear that he is really sorry for failing to live up to expectations.
To Manchester United:
Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid was without a doubt one of the greatest and most drawn-out transfer sagas in football history, and it all began shortly after Manchester United rise to the top of the world as newly crowned 2008 European Champions.
American international Aron Johannsson is reportedly moving to Werder Bremen for the 2015/16 Bundesliga season. AZ Alkmaar, the club Johannsson departs, announced the transfer on Twitter.
AZ in hoofdlijnen akkoord over transfer Jóhannsson naar Werder Bremen. http://t.co/hL8OHDQLM3 pic.twitter.com/k8yLV3yqAC
— AZ (@AZAlkmaar) August 4, 2015
Borussia Dortmund have announced the extension of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract with the club until 2020, according to the club's website. The Gabonese forward has been sought out by many European clubs, including Arsenal and Bayern Munich. His pace makes him an attractive player to many managers, but his talents will remain with Dortmund.
Former Liverpool and Southampton striker Rickie Lambert is off to an auspicious start with new club West Bromwich Albion.
Lambert, a lifelong Liverpool fan who spent just one year with the club, was signed away by West Brom after a disappointing 2014-2015 season.
A few hours later, Lambert bagged a brace against Bristol Rovers (another former Lambert team) in 56 minutes of work with his new club, which led to great jokes on Twitter.