At the weekend, three of the big five leagues got back underway. Football has returned in England, Germany and France whilst Italy and Spain are still to come. This duo will be back this coming weekend and they are both riddled with storylines. Focusing on the latter and here are some of the best La Liga transfers of the summer window to date.
La Liga Transfers to Keep an Eye On
Axel Witsel will wear the number 20 🤩 pic.twitter.com/VtdSis3FgS
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 13, 2022
Axel Witsel to Atletico Madrid
Kicking things off in the Spanish capital and no one knows what to expect from Atletico Madrid this year. With Diego Simeone at the helm, they will always be there or thereabouts.
The Argentinian manager has brought Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel on board. Besides his injuries, he performed well with Borussia Dortmund despite being 33.
Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona
The issues surrounding Barcelona regarding the hierarchy and their funds are there for all to see. There are various question marks over the legality of their dealings and this is emphasised by a very busy window. From Raphinha to Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde to Franck Kessie, it really is mind-boggling.
These are some very smart La Liga transfers when you take the money out of the equation and it could well propel them towards the title.
¡La llegada de @OscarMingueza ILUSIONA! 🤩
Más de 1M de views en @TikTok_ES 🔝 pic.twitter.com/Im9mbXOiHE
— RC Celta (@RCCelta) August 4, 2022
Luca de la Torre and Oscar Mingueza to Celta de Vigo
From Barcelona’s incomings to outgoings as Spanish defender Oscar Mingueza joins Celta de Vigo on a free transfer. There has been an increase in quality all over the field as the reliance on Iago Aspas at Balaidos has slowly died down.
Mingueza had some great games for the Blaugrana and another new arrival is USMNT midfielder, Luca de la Torre. He has had a good couple of years in the Netherlands after struggling to get minutes with Fulham so this is a big year for him.
Roger Marti to Elche
Long-standing top-flight teams getting pillaged following relegation is commonplace in European forward. Levante have experienced some of that with their key strike duo moving on. One half of that is Roger Marti who has hit double figures in goals in three of the last four campaigns.
His best performance saw him contribute 12 goals and four assists the season before last and Elche would be very glad of a similar output.
Luis Milla and Portu to Getafe
Granada have lost a couple of forwards of their own with mixed success. Luis Suarez was very exciting and earned himself a move to Marseille whilst a struggling Luis Milla has been snapped up by Getafe.
Milla joins along with Portu who is arriving on loan from Real Sociedad after a tough year all round. It was a poor season for La Real yet Getafe have a very talented player on their hands.
Valentin Castellanos to Girona
One of the La Liga transfers that has been very underrated so far this summer is the move of Valentin “Taty” Castellanos to Girona. This is a great use of the City Group links as the Argentinian striker is fresh off of a couple of electric seasons in front of goal.
He began as a wasteful forward with NYCFC in MLS but he now is very aware of where the net is.
Moi Gomez to Osasuna
Moi Gomez has been a very able squad player for Villarreal under Unai Emery in recent seasons. Various players have been brought in, including Arnaut Danjuma and Samuel Chukwueze, and jumped ahead of Gomez in the pecking order.
This sweetens the deal for Osasuna who have snapped him up for just over £1 million, which is very smart business indeed.
Luiz Felipe to Real Betis
Under Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis have gone from strength to strength and are well within a shout of making the top four. Breaking into the big three is one thing but they could easily pip their Seville rivals to the post this time around.
The signing of Brazilian centre-back Luiz Felipe from Lazio is a great one, a man who had a great time in the Eternal City. He was loved there yet departs on a free at just 25 – a great addition for Betis.
🆕 Debut match! 🆕
☝️ @ToniRuediger
☝️ @atchouameni#RMInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/u84SuecMhi— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) July 24, 2022
Antonio Rudiger and Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid
Back to the big boys and it isn’t surprising to see Real Madrid in and amongst the La Liga transfers of the summer. Aurelien Tchouameni was a wonderkid with Monaco and adding him to Los Blancos midfield for a decade to come is quite something. Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Tchouameni as a midfield three can succeed the legendary trio very well indeed.
On top of that, Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea is a no-brainer.
Takefusa Kubo and Brais Mendez to Real Sociedad
There is a Real Madrid man on the move too as Takefusa Kubo’s future at the Bernabeu is finally settled. There may be no scope for him to play in the famous white jersey but with Portu leaving Anoeta on loan, Kubo and Brais Mendez have a chance to thrive under Imanol Alguacil.
Mendez has been the man to aid Aspas with Celta more often than not and so this step up for him is thoroughly deserved.
Read More: Top 10 European Football Managers to Watch This Season
Isco to Sevilla
Carrying on that theme when it comes to La Liga transfers and Isco has finally cut ties with the defending champions, too. He is 30 now and it was Malaga where he shone to earn that Real Madrid move.
His talent is clear in that Sevilla are snapping him up. Players similar him to often frequent the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan – Suso, Erik Lamela and Lucas Ocampos are all in the squad that Isco is joining.
Samu Castillejo to Valencia
Penultimately to Valencia and despite all of the issues away from the pitch, they have made one of the best La Liga transfers of this off-season. Samu Castillejo was very capable in the red and black of AC Milan but he, like many others, was unable to live up to the history of the club.
A return to Spain is ideal for all parties involved and he has the chance to fill the Goncalo Guedes void.
Jose Luis Morales to Villarreal
The final name on the list is Roger Marti’s strike partner from Levante. One shouldn’t expect him to play regularly as a 35-year-old with Villarreal and at Levante, the Valencia-based club, he scored a fair amount of goals.
Defending was clearly their issue. Morales hit double figures in four of the last five league campaigns, keeping Levante up on his own at times. Him deputising for the likes of Boulaye Dia, Gerard Moreno and Danjuma in the forward line could be very effective.
