Antonio Conte the new Chelsea Manager (Picture from Metro Uk). The rumours had been making the rounds for weeks but it has finally been confirmed that current Italy national team manager, Antonio Conte, will be Chelsea's boss next season. He will take the reins at Chelsea after his Euro 2016 campaign with Italy. Conte was not the only candidate for the job, two others were also rumoured to have been in consideration - Diego Simeone and Max Allegri. The three world class managers are similar in three distinct ways - their teams are tactically disciplined, mentally strong and are simply just hard to beat. This tells you that Mr. Abramovich knows exactly what his team's problems have been this season and it's difficult to disagree with his diagnosis. With the recruitment of Antonio Conte, he has found a solution to these problems.
Chelsea have been deplorable for the better part of this season, spending most of it languishing at the bottom third of the table but now sit tenth on the table with seven matches left to play so you could say Guus Hiddink, brought in to steady the ship after Jose Mourinho was sacked, has successfully done just that. The Chelsea defence, their most dependable department last season, has been in a shambles this season. It's probably the most surprising part of what has been a forgettable season for the Blues and their fans. Their incoming manager, who won three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus, will be sure to fix their defensive shortcomings before anything else. The veteran trio of Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini, deployed as the back line in a 3-5-2 formation, were key to Conte's success with the Bianconeri. The 46-year-old Italian is now known to prefer that system.
Hazard and Costa after the Everton game. (Pic: Chelsea-news.co)
Most people are of the opinion that he may bring one or more of the aforementioned trio (all current Italy internationals) to Chelsea with him but I think he has the right personnel ready and waiting for him at Stamford Bridge. I'm talking about Gary Cahill, John Terry, Kurt Zouma and Branislav Ivanovic. Playing any three of the four in a 3-man back line has more advantages than disadvantages for all parties involved. Ivanovic has been atrocious at right-back (his natural position) this season. At 32 years of age, one could say that maybe age has caught up with him and he has lost some of his pace but he can still do an excellent job at center-back with his aerial prowess, strong physique and natural defensive instincts. The future of legendary skipper Terry is in doubt at the club as his contract, as of yet, has not been renewed. In my opinion, the impending arrival of Conte should sway those at the upper echelons of the club towards renewing his contract. He is showing, even this season, that he still has a lot to offer. The issue here again is age but Conte clearly has no problems getting the best out of older players. Bonucci, the youngest of the Juventus back three was 27 when Conte left the club and the trio, if fit, will still be his first choice defenders in France this summer. Barzagli, the oldest, is now 34. Young Kurt Zouma essentially usurped Cahill (who is still one of the best defenders in the Premier League and an England international) before he was sidelined with an ACL injury. Conte could even recall Andreas Christensen from his loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, where he has been extremely impressive, to offer a younger option from the bench alongside Matt Miazga who made his Chelsea debut last weekend. For his preferred formation, Conte will certainly be spoilt for choice at the back and should not need to purchase.
John Terry fighting for a new contract at Chelsea (Pic: Sky Sports)
I think he will have a problem in midfield though. The midfielders at his disposal do not suit his system. Arturo Vidal was a colossus in the Juventus midfield with Conte as manager. A tireless box-to-box midfielder, like Conte himself in his playing days with the Old Lady, he was the team's engine and garnered worldwide acclaim. Chelsea lack such a player. Matic comes to mind but he looks like he lacks the pace to get around the pitch in that role and may not have an eye for goal to contribute much up front. Mikel certainly doesn't. In the friendly match between Italy and Germany last week, Conte deployed Montolivo and Motta in the middle of the park and both did not have the legs to keep up with the world champions' slick passing. As a result, the Italians were drubbed 4-1. Conte may have to go into the market and get a player like Vidal. The first name that comes to mind because of his stellar performances this season is N'Golo Kante. He may have found fairytale success with Leicester City as they are on course to win the league this season but I doubt they can repeat this feat next season. The only deterrent is the lack of Champions' League football next season that will come with a move to Chelsea. Wow, Leicester will really be in the Champions' League next season...it's still unbelievable. Anyway, that being said, Chelsea is still a bigger club in world football. Kante could certainly choose to not be myopic and make a long-term investment as I am certain, even more so now with the employment of Conte, that Chelsea will be back fighting for the Champions' League spots next season. Renato Sanches is a player who could also do the Vidal job and is even much younger than Kante at 18 years old. Manchester United look like the favourites to land his signature but it is not a done deal yet. Conte could even go for a player he knows better than the former two, Alessandro Florenzi, a very energetic, technical player who is one of the most versatile players in the world and could even fill in at wing-back (which happens to be used in a 3-5-2 formation). He does seem like a player dedicated to Roma like Totti before him but in the world of football, you never know. Radja Nainggolan, Florenzi's teammate at Roma, will also be a good option.
Arturo Vidal, one of the players being linked to Chelsea (pic: The Express Uk)
Oscar and Willian will have to fight for the third midfield position and attempt to play the Marchisio or Pogba role. Cesc Fabregas, however, must be relaxed and smiling at the news of Conte's appointment as he could well become Chelsea's very own Andrea Pirlo. He is definitely the best if not the only candidate for that role. The two forward positions will probably be filled by Eden Hazard and Diego Costa with Baba Rahman and Azpilicueta as wing-backs. There have been whispers that this could be Hazard's last season at Chelsea, so maybe Loic Remy or Falcao could step into the limelight. An outside thought - Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front with Diego Costa ? Imagine how devastating that could be for opposition defenders. The idea alone terrifies me.
Where will Eden fit in? (Pic: Chelsea-news.co)
This is all just hypothetical though and Antonio Conte could choose to step out of his comfort zone and do something different. He may stick with the current system and personnel and just bring about a change in mindset and mentality. After all, it's the same team that won the league last season and this season may just be a blip. The only problem with Conte is that he failed to make an impact in the Champions' League with Juventus, despite his domestic success but that will not be on his agenda for his first season . His sole focus will be domestic success with the 2012 European Champions and maybe after he has achieved that, he can take them back to the top of Europe. I predict good things for the Conte regime at Chelsea !
We can't stop saying happy new year to our fans thank you for supporting as always. Another transfer window has come so that means we will be giving you updates on Transfers Weekly. Here are some early transfers,
Emmanuel Emenike Fenerbahce To West Ham FEE: Loan
The Nigerian International has not been himself since he was highest goal scorer at the AFCON 2013 with controversies at parent club Fenerbahce and could not get a goal at AL-Ain. Nigerians have been flourishing in the Premier League this season, so Emenike can charge himself and produce the form he is known for. He will suit West-Ham's style of football with his strength to hold up play and surely he can pop in some goals
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Florian Thauvin Newcastle To Marseille FEE: Loan
The tricky youngster did not have things his way at Newcastle and he could not show his quality in front of the geordie crowd due to limited chances and he could not deal with the pace and strength of the Premier League. He has gone back to Marseille where he could build himself and come back with a bang. Goodluck to him.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Seydou Doumbia AS Roma To Newcastle FEE: Loan
Seydou Doumbia was on loan to Cska Moscow earlier scoring 11 goals in 21 appearances, that's an average of a goal every other game. He seems not to be liked at Roma so another loan move is due and this time its to the premier league with Newcastle and the 28 year old can show his quality in England.
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Mario Suarez Fiorentina To Watford FEE: £4,000,000
This might just be the signing of the window as no one saw this coming. His creativity and dogged style will help the Watford midfield and this could not only cement their stay in the Premier League but could also boost their chances in qualifying for Europe. Watch out for Watford.
Transfer Rating: 9/10 Alberto Paloschi Chievo To Swansea FEE: £8,000,000
The 26 year old will wear the no9 shirt for Swansea and he could help them get goals in which they have lacked in recent weeks. He has scored 8 goals this season in 21 appearances and he can boast about a shooting accuracy at 50%.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Sandro QPR To West Brom FEE: Loan (6 months).
The Power center midfielder has had an injury ravaged career and it showed at QPR as well making only 28 appearances since september 2014. He has a chance to prove his fitness again as he joins West-Brom and can get a fresh start to show his quality.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Eder Sampdoria To Inter FEE: Loan (2 years).
The Italy International has got his dream move to Inter and with his 12 goals and 2 assists this season He can help reduce the burden on captain Mauro Icardi. He has a shooting accuracy at 60% and has created 16 chances in total in the Serie A. It's probably because of his age that's why he was given a two-year loan.
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Andrea Ranocchia Inter To Sampdoria FEE: Loan
After he was stripped off the captaincy he has fallen down the pecking order in Roberto Mancini's squad and playing time does not come his way. So a move was very likely for the Italian. Sampdoria have bailed him out so there's still a chance he can find his form back in order to give Antonio Conte a headache in his selection for EURO 2016.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Lamine Kone Lorient To Sunderland FEE: Undisclosed
We are sure the lad will be happy that the deal has been done after a merry go round saga about the transfer. He is a tall powerful center-halve that has won 11 tackles with a success rate at 48% , also has 50 interceptions, 97 clearances and 12 blocks. This man could help Sunderland shore up their leaky defence as they push for survival to remain in the league.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Ashley Cole AS Roma To LA Galaxy FEE: Free
The veteran left-back has had it tough this season as he hardly got games under his belt. So he decided to terminate his contract with the capital club and get a move to the MLS were he will join LA Galaxy. With most of the old legs going to the MLS, Cole should meet some familiar faces and use this time to get retirement money.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Stephan El Shaarawy AC Milan To AS Roma FEE: Loan
The 23 year-old attacker was on loan to AS Monaco and in 15 appearances in Ligue 1 he did not find the net at all. He was frozen out of the team by the Monaco gaffer and he found away to force a move back to Italy. He did not enjoy his football at Monaco so lets hope he can revive himself in the capital.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Fredy Guarin Inter To Shanghai Shenhua FEE: Undisclosed Another surprise move to China, we all taught Guarin was one of the top players for Roberto Mancini's side but he is being let go. Again we can say the money paid for him must be good and the Colombian International can improve the Chinese Super League.
Transfer Rating; 6/10 Alexandre Pato Corinthians To Chelsea FEE: Loan As at 2008 Pato was the golden boy of his generation but he found it hard to reach this expectation due to him always being in the treatment room. A move back to Brazil has settled him and now he has appearances numbers under his belt, the only problem is his goal ratio is still a bit poor for a striker of his calibre. He will be back-up for Diego Costa at Chelsea and this move could help show his quality and build his confidence. He is 26 so this should be his primetime
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Andros Townsend Tottenham To Newcastle FEE: Undisclosed
Sad for him to leave but he needs game time and that is not what he is getting at Spurs. They're reports of a fall out between him and Tottenham coach Pochettino but we will leave that for another day. At Newcastle he will get a fresh start and try and fight for his place in England's EURO 2016 squad.
Transfer Rating: 5/10.
Emmanuel Adebayor Free Agent To Crystal Palace FEE: Free
The 31-year old has not had any game time after he was released by Spurs earlier this season. He is back now with Crystal Palace and he might just be the missing piece to their puzzle due to the striker misfortunes all season. Adebayor always has a good first spell in most of the clubs he has been to so Palace could do with that form in their push for European Football.
Transfer Rating: 7/10 Ramires Chelsea To Jangsu FEE: £25,000,000 This is one transfer no one saw coming it was lowkey and very unexpected. Ramires is a very humble player and always does his duties when called upon so we don't know why Chelsea are letting him go. The price is he is being sold for is very good knowing they're making a profit on the Brazilian. We don't see Ramires staying in China for long but lets give the benefit of doubt.
Transfer Rating: 8/10 Gervinho AS Roma To Hebei China FEE: £15,000,000 The tricky winger was always looking for a move away from Roma since he start of the season and now he has got his move. People will say its weird for him to move to China but on the other side this move improves their league, the only problem we have with it is that these Chinese teams hardly keep these world stars but lets see how it goes.
Transfer Rating: 5/10. Victor Valdes Manchester United To Standard Liege FEE: Loan
The decorated goalie was not part of Van Gaal plans all season and he needed to move after completing his rehabilitation process. His experience will work for Liege in their push for the belgian title.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Daniel Amartey FC Copenhagen To Leicester City FEE: Undisclosed
The young Ghanaian International has been raved about as one of the next to blow out of the African continent and this move could be a stepping stone to greater heights. He averages at least 4 defensive actions per game and has won 45% of his duels. Leicester have once again boosted their defensive ranks as they look to shock the Premier League with the position they finish this season.
Transfer Rating: 5/10. Papy Djilobodji Chelsea To Werder Bremen FEE: loan
The Senegalese International played only 59 seconds for this blues since he joined them in the summer, he was never favoured at Chelsea and Bremen have been interested in him for a while now so both parties agreed a loan move for the player. Papy can play at CB and at CM so Werder have more numbers in their ranks as they look to push up the table.
Transfer Rating: 5/10 Steve Harper Free Agent To Sunderland FEE: Free
The veteran has signed on a short term loan to help Sunderland in their survival premier league chase. Sunderland needed to fill the space Pantilimon left and the experience of Harper could help young Jordan Pickford develop his game and put a little competition in the goalkeeping area for Sunderland. This move won't go down well with Newcastle fans.
Transfer Rating: 4/10. Giuseppe Rossi Fiorentina To Levante FEE: loan
Very good player but injuries have damaged his career. Rossi has only made 11 appearances for the Viola this season and has no goal to show.He has fallen down the pecking order so a move was likely for him. At Levante he will get more game time and work on his fitness. If he has a second good season he might just have a wildcard chance at going to EURO 2016 with italy.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Gokhan Tore Besiktas To Atletico FEE: £15,000,000
Atletico have pulled one from under their hat again as they completed the signing of Gokhan Tore from Besiktas. He remain at the turkish club for the remainder of the season and will join up with his new team next summer. He is a tricky forward who has won close to 50% of his duels and has a passing accuracy at 82%. Atletico might just be preparing for life without Antoine Griezmann with move
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Andrej Kramaric Leicester City To Hoffenheim Fee: loan
The record signing hardly got game time this season and a move was imminent for him in January so when Hoffenheim came with an offer the croat did not waste time in packing his bags. Hoffenheim have found it hard to score goals this season so Kramaric could just be their key to success and help them beat relegation
Transfer Rating: 6/10. Costel Pantilimon Sunderland To Watford Fee: Undisclosed
The romanian was dropped from number one goalie at Sunderland after a series of blunders and mistakes by him. Sunderland Gaffer Sam Allardyce had to call back Jordan Pickford from his loan spell to boost his goalkeeping ranks and this probably convinced Pantilimon that he has to move. Watford came knocking and he has chose to join them but we're sure he will definitely be number two to Heurelho Gomes, who has been in fine form all season.
Transfer Rating: 4/10 Steven Naismith Everton To Norwich FEE: £8,000.000
The forward has had limited chances to play this season due to the form of Arouna Kone and Deulofeu, His coming off the bench hat-trick against Chelsea won't be forgotten easily, and it will serve as a remainder that there's a poacher in there somewhere. He will definitely get into the Norwich starting 11 and also he can play anywhere across the forward line. It's a good option for coach Alex Neil, which helps boost their chances of survival in the premier league
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Alessio Cerci AC Milan To Genoa FEE: Undisclosed
Cerci has had a torrid season this term. In 13 appearances he has scored no goals and registered only one assist. Surely things are not going on well for him at Milan so maybe a move to Genoa can revive him and boost his chances for an Euro 2016 ticket.
Transfer Rating: 5/10. Rolando Mandragora Genoa To Juventus FEE: Undisclosed
He is basically one for the future and at 18 he is already getting lots of plaudits. He has played five times for Genoa this season and he won of 50% of his duels, boasting of a pass accuracy at 81%. With most of the Italian keys getting to the twilight of their career's Mandragora's time will come up soon enough
Transfer Rating: 5/10.
Timm Klose Wolfsburg To Norwich FEE: Undisclosed
Norwich have had a busy window thus far with in and outs. They have marshalled their defense after the signing of Ivan Pinto and now Timm Klose will join them in other to push their charge for Survival in the league. The Swiss defender had limited chances at Wolfsburg and with this move he will surely get more playing time. He averages at least 6 defensive actions per game and has won over 50% of his duels.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Nordin Amrabat Malaga To Norwich FEE: £6.100,000
With Victor Ibarbo and Alessandro Diamanti leaving the hornets this window they've dug into the market by signing Nordin Amrabat. We can't say it's a step-up from latter but this just shows intent by Watford to remain in the Premier League. Nordin has created 17 chances in 13 appearances for Malaga this season with an average pass accuracy at 72%. Am sure Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney will be licking their lips.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Charlie Austin QPR To Southampton FEE: £4,000,000
Everyone expected Charlie to leave QPR last summer after he scored 18 premier league goals in the 2014/2015 season. He's what you call a poacher in the box and will give the saints another dimension to their attack. Austin has scored 10 goals in 16 appearances for QPR this season and can boast of an impressive 49% shooting accuracy. He will surely help the saints to push up the table and with more good performances could get a wildcard into England's Euro 2016 squad.
Transfer Rating: 7/10 Sam Byram Leeds To West-Ham FEE: £3 Million
The versatile player has told Leeds he will not sign a new contract so they are looking to cash in on him this window. Byram can play as a winger or fullback and he loves bombing forward to join the attack which most definitely suits the style of play for West Ham, He also has an eye for goal as he has scored 3 in 21 appearances for Leeds this season. He averages at least 2 defensive actions per game and also has an average pass accuracy at 75%. He is surely one for the future look out for him.
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Ciro Immobile Sevilla To Torino FEE: Loan
Since Ciro Immobile left Turin for Germany last season Immobile has not been the same at all. His numbers in his first season at Dortmund was nothing to write about and has had limited chances at Sevilla so as soon as he got the chance to go back to Turin he took it and this move could help revive himself in other to be in contention for Italy's Euro 2016 squad.
Transfer Rating: 7/10.
Henri Saivet Bordeaux To Newcastle FEE: £4.5 Million
The Geordies have gone into the french market once more to look for players that can improve their team. Saivet is a winger and plays attacking midfield as well, he averages an 81% pass accuracy and has won 56% of his duels. He also has an average of 3 defensive actions per game. He rarely scores goals as he had 2 in the french Ligue 1 and created 14 chances in total. But his passion and zeal will thrill the St James's crowd and add something to the team. He is basically a workaholic and this is what Newcastle need at moment.
Transfer Rating: 6/10 Dame N'doye Trabzonspor To Sunderland FEE: Loan
The Senegalese International was at Hull City last season but his goals could not help them beat the drop so he moved to Trabzonspor where he has failed to score in all his appearances for the Turkish Club. Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce is willing to take a gamble on the striker and hope he can help the black cats avoid relegation.
Transfer Rating: 5/10.
Alessandro Diamanti Watford To Atalanta Fee: Loan
Diamanti decided to cancel his loan from Guangzhou to Watford due to playing time. The attacking midfielder only represented the hornets 3 times this season and did not have any stat at all while he was at the club. He has moved to Atalanta now and this could boost his chances of going with Italy to Euro 2016. He has tricks and an eye for goal as well, so at Atalanta he can express himself again.
Transfer Rating: 6/10.
Lewis Grabban Norwich City To Bournemouth Fee: £8,000,000
You could call it home coming because Grabban left Bournemouth for Norwich in 2014 and now he is back with the cherries for a second spell. Grabban tried to force a move away from Norwich during the summer but he was unsuccessful in his bid to leave due to limited chances at Norwich. Now that he has got his move, Grabban will like to prove himself at the top level and help Bournemouth beat the drop this season. He is pacy and loves to run the lines or should we say beat the offside trap of opposing teams.
Transfer Rating; 5/10. Jonjo Shelvey Swansea City FC to Newcastle United FC FEE: £12,000,000
Jonjo Shelvey has shown so much promise in the Premier League but has failed to live up to his potential. Coming up through the ranks at Liverpool, he was expected to be the natural successor to Steven Gerrard but was eventually sold by Brendan Rodgers to Swansea. He scored a few goals and was influential early on but failed to solidify his place in the team. He is now at Newcastle and will slot in the team immediately and help in their relegation fight. Should be a good addition to the team.
Transfer Rating: 8/10
Mohamed Elneny FC Basel To Arsenal FEE: £7,000,000
Mohamed is an Egyptian midfielder who plays in the defensive midfield position. Arsene Wenger has been scouting the 23-year-old for a while and has deemed it necessary to bring him in to address the current deficiencies in that position. He has a pass accuracy of 92% in the Europa League and 70% of those are forward passes. He'll be a very welcome addition to the squad and we expect him to boost their title chances.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Benik Afobe Wolves To Bournemouth FEE: £10,000,000
Started at Arsenal and couldn't break into the team so he had take two steps down to show his quality, first he moved to Mk Dons were he had good numbers then Wolves picked him up and he has been the shining light in their torrid season. He has fought his way back into the Premier League and we know definitely he would help his new club with goals that could make them beat the drop.
Transfer Rating: 7/10 Morgan Amalfitano West Ham To Lille FEE: Free
He is a good player but does not seem to hold down a club for more than a year. Rumours say he has an attitude problem and if he does he needs to check that. The 30 year old has good skills and can control the game in the no 10 position. He can play series of positions so he is an a bonus for Lille. Hope he can hold his own this time
Transfer Rating: 5/10.
Gerson Santos Da Silva Fluminense To Roma FEE: Undisclosed
Roma signed the 18 year Brazilian tagged the new Neymar and loaned him back to Fluminense for the remainder of the season. The young lad has been tagged to have a bright future and he is showing it with his performances in the Brazilian Serie A. This season he has scored 1 goal, creating 20 chances which resulted to 3 assists. His passing average is phenomenal as well. He has made 431 passes in which 80 % were completed and 70% of them were forward passes. One for the future.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Jan Kirchhoff Bayern Munich To Sunderland FEE: £750,000
Kirchhoff has never had it good at Bayern. After 2 loan spells at Schalke04 the 25 year old did not make any appearances for Bayern this season so he had to move on. He is very brave for choosing Sunderland in relation to where they're on the table so it's the perfect way to sell himself and show the qualities he has. Plus he only signed an 18 months contract so don't expect him at Sunderland for long.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Marko Grujic Red Star Belgrade To Liverpool FEE: £5Million
The 19 year Old has been tagged the new Nemanja Matic and is a regular for club and country at junior level(latter). He will be Klopp's first signing and it looks like like he will be loaned back to Belgrade for the remainder of the season then join the reds in the summer. Suitors have said he can play the high pressing game and controls the midfield very well. Looks like a player that can work with the normal one's(Klopp) philosophy.
Transfer Rating: 5/10. Younes Belhanda Dynamo Kyiv To Schalke 04 FEE: Undisclosed
The tricky Moroccan wizard has had a merry-go-round career and after winning the league in Montpelier in france we expected he would move on to greater heights but he has been below the radar since. In Dynamo Kiev this season his chances has been limited as he has only made 2 appearances for them this season. This move to Germany could help the 25 year old to show his greatness once again.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Suso AC Milan to Genoa Fee: Loan
The forward has found playing time hard at Milan after he made only one appearance for Milan in the past six months. With this move to Genoa he can revive himself and so Milan what they're missing because there is definitely a player in there somewhere.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Kevin Prince Boateng Schalke 04 To AC Milan Fee:Free
Boateng fell out with Schalke so his contract was terminated and he has been training with Milan since the summer. He probably looked good in training that is why the Mihalovic is taking a gamble on him and if he can show the form he had when Milan won the Scudetto in 10/11 season, am sure the 28 year old would find his feet again.
Transfer Rating: 6/10. Kevin Grosskreutz Galatasaray To Stuttgart Fee:Undisclosed
If you're looking for someone that has been unlucky it has to be Kevin Grosskreutz, his transfer to Galatasaray was not approved by FIFA due to late paperwork submission and can only play for Galatasaray this year, so he has not played football for about 6 months. The world cup winner is about to sign for Stuttgart to help them stay in the Bundesliga. We know about his qualities over the years playing for Dortmund and he can play series of positions as well so he would be an added bonus for this struggling Stuttgart team.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Urby Emanuelson AS Roma To Hellas Verona FEE: Free
His career has been a sliding slope in recent seasons and the 29 year old has to prove his qualities playing for Hellas Verona. He can play in series of positions and we believe he can still be useful in football especially the dutch national team. He will be lacking fitness as he has not played enough matches in recent season so he will surely get regular game time at Verona and could prove his fitness and qualities once again.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Demarai Gray Birmingham City To Leicester City FEE: 3.5million
The 19 year old has been a regular for Birmingham City this season and is one of their important players. His numbers are not that good but this move could improve the lad as he has great potential. His pace is a great asset of his and could take anybody on. Gray has won 54% of his duels and helps defensively as well as he averages 2 defensive actions per game. Watch out for this lad.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Ricky Alvarez Inter Milan to Sampdoria FEE: Free
The 28 year old seemed not to find his feet at Inter, then tried a loan at Sunderland last season where his chances were limited. He was released by Inter early this season and now Sampdoria have taken a gamble on him(Alvarez), He is very comfortable on the ball and his manager has said he can beat his marker at any time. Let's hope this move can help revive the tricky argentine's career.
Transfer Rating: 6/10
Juan Iturbe
AS Roma To AFC Bournemouth
FEE: Loan
The versatile forward could not find his feet at Roma and expectations were not met after the hype the young Argentine got. He was at first linked to Watford but Bournemouth swept in and hijacked the deal. It is a brilliant signing for the small seaside club and this could help boost their chances of survival in the Premier League. Iturbe will sooth the Bournemouth style and his main con will be his finishing. But Eddie Howe should be able to deal with that.
Transfer Rating: 7/10.
Diego Perotti
Genoa To AS Roma
FEE: £7million
An Argentine for another Argentine, Perotti will be brought in by Roma to fill the void left by Juan Iturbe who left for Bournemouth. He(Perotti) is a more established player and gives more end product than his predecessor. He has poor stats this season as he has only notched up a goal and an assist in the Serie A, he needs to improve on that but his passing is his main skill. He has made a total of 339 passes completing over 82% of them and 65% of them are forward passes.
Transfer Rating: 5/10
Augusto Fernandez
Celta Vigo To Atletico Madrid
Fee: Undisclosed
Diego Simeone has waved his magic wand again and this time he has signed an enforcer too boost his midfield options as they fight for the league and Champions League. Fernandez will help to contain the midfield with his stats that runs at an average of 4 defensive blocks per game and has won 43% of his duels. He also has a decent pass average which is at 90%.
