Winners of 2022 summer transfer window

Although the transfer window doesn’t officially close for another month, we’ve seen some blockbuster moves so far this summer as teams in Europe get ready to kick off the new season. Most of the top flight leagues will get started in early August, with an earlier start date due to the FIFA World Cup taking place in November this year.

The 2021 summer transfer window boasted some giant moves like Lionel Messi heading to PSG and Cristiano Ronaldo jumping back to Manchester United. This year’s transfer window will give last year a run for its money, as we’ve already seen a slew of top European talent making moves to other clubs and leagues. Let’s go over a few of the winners from this year’s summer transfer window.

Winner: Barcelona

It’s been quite a busy window for Barcelona, who made a handful of big moves highlighted by none other than Polish superstar striker Robert Lewandowski making the jump from Bayern Munich. The 33-year-old was sent to Barca in a €45 million ($45.9 million) deal that will leave a giant hole in Bayern’s attack, but will fill a position that Barcelona was in desperate need of. Widely seen as one of the best strikers in the world, he should give Barca a few strong years as they look to reclaim the La Liga title for the first time since 2018-19.

That’s not the only move they made, as they also signed Brazilian winger Raphinha from EPL side Leeds United for a cool €58 million ($59.1 million), as well as defender Andreas Christensen from Chelsea on a free transfer. They also look to have signed star center back Jules Kounde from Sevilla in a bizarre saga that saw Barcelona swoop in and outbid Chelsea for the young defender in the 11th hour, with reports indicating the deal could be worth up to €60 million ($61.3 million).

Winner: Kylian Mbappe (and PSG)

Although it came with some controversy, superstar Kylian Mbappe ultimately signed a new contract with PSG, keeping the 23-year-old in Paris for at least another three years. It was widely expected that Mbappe would be making a move to La Liga side Real Madrid after his existing contract expired on June 30 but he announced back in May that he would be signing an extension with PSG instead. It came with some backlash from La Liga and Real Madrid, who were reportedly prepared to give a €131 million ($133.5 million) sign-on fee to Mbappe and roughly €23.8 million ($24.3 million) per year in salary.

Mbappe has been at the forefront of the world stage since his breakout performance as a 19-year-old at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 when he scored four goals through seven matches, helping France lift their second-ever World Cup trophy. Since that World Cup, he’s averaged 26.5 goals per season for PSG in Ligue 1 play, while also topping the assists chart last season with a career-high 17.

Winner: Arsenal

Arsenal scored huge when they signed striker Gabriel Jesus from fellow EPL side Manchester City this summer. The 25-year-old scored 95 goals through 236 matches for City through nearly six seasons with the club and although Arsenal had to pay £45 million ($55 million) to secure him, the Gunners will benefit greatly not only from the talent but the experience and leadership a veteran like Jesus will bring. He’ll also be reunited with coach Mikel Arteta, who he cultivated a relationship with at City when he served as an assistant under Pep Guardiola.

Aside from Jesus, the Gunners were also able to bring in Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko from City, as well as Fabio Vieira from FC Porto. Arsenal also signed American goalkeeper Matt Turner, who spent five seasons with the New England Revolution and was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021.

Winner: Manchester City

City have gone about the summer window the right way, making world headlines with their signing of 22-year-old striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Haaland’s market value is estimated somewhere around €161 million ($165 million), but thanks to a release clause in his contract with Dortmund, City was able to get him for significantly less as the transfer fee ended up at €60 million ($65 million, £50.3 million). What’s even better for City is with the £45 million sale of Gabriel Jesus, they ended up only having to pay roughly £5.3 million ($6.4 million) out of pocket for one of the most sought-after strikers in the world.

The defending EPL champions also brought in Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United for £42 million ($50.9 million), which is a big sigh of relief for Pep Guardiola after losing central midfielder Fernandinho.

Winner: Darwin Nunez (and Liverpool)

Nunez has been on an insane upward trajectory through the last few years, as just a couple years ago he was playing for second-tier Spanish side Almeria. He made the move to top flight side Benfica where he scored 32 goals through 57 matches, and now he’ll be starting alongside world class superstars like Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Virgin van Dijk next season at Liverpool. Nunez impressed Jurgen Klopp when Benfica met up with Liverpool in last season’s Champions League quarterfinals, and the young striker scored a goal in each leg of the series.

With the departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Nunez will bring some exciting talent to the Reds’ attack and help fill the hole left by Mane as they look to chase down Manchester City in the EPL table next season. Even with the high price point, Liverpool has been excellent at spotting young talent and developing it.