Real Madrid Transfers: Grading Jose Mourinho's Moves in the Summer Market

Real Madrid a club that likes to make a splash in the market. However, this summer there was only one massive signing coming out of the clubs deep pockets.

This year it seemed it was more about tweaking the squad and removing excess fringe players than in many years past.

Luka Modric's signing was surrounded by the offloading of a host of midfielders to help make room for the talented Croatian maestro, and it clearly showed that the club were finally making their decisions as to who to keep for the future and whom to move on.

Jose Mourinho made several shrewd loan moves in both directions with the loan of Nuri Sahin to Liverpool where the player will see much more playing time to gain experience, and also the loaning in of Chelsea veteran Michael Essien to add some steel to his holding midfield position.

From start to finish, lets take a look at Madrid's moves this summer in terms to how they stack up grade wise to effective or positive they are or could be for the club.

The Free Transfers

Real Madrid allowed a few players to leave the club this summer on free transfers that were not part of the long term plans of the Spanish Champions.

Dutch midfielder, Royston Drenthe took his leave to join Turkish club Besiktas while 24-year-old goal keeper Isaac Becerra moved to second division side Girona FC.

Drenthe showed talent anywhere but in a Real Madrid uniform and was allowed to move on with his career. Becerra was never going to achieve regular playing time with Iker Casillas in the picture and at his age deserved the chance to play every weekend somewhere.

Grade: A

Hamit Altintop

Hamit Altintop joined Real Madrid from Bayern Munich last summer, but never made an impact. With one goal from five appearances it was time to let go of the 29-year-old.

He was sold early on in the transfer window for a fee of €4 million to Galatasaray as announced by Goal.com.

Grade: A

Sergio Canales

Real Madrid completed a solid piece of business in the transfer of Sergio Canales to Valencia. He was loaned out to Los Che last season with the option for the club to purchase him.

ESPNsoccernet announced the deal for Canales to move to Valencia for a fee reportedly set at €12 million with an option for Madrid to buy him back for €18 million in the next two seasons.

Grade: A

Fernando Gago

Valencia made a second purchase from Real Madrid when they signed 26-year-old Argentine midfielder, Fernando Gago for a cut rate price of only €3.5 million according to ESPN Star.

Gago never could make a permanent return to the Madrid first team, and despite taking a huge loss on the player it was time to sell him.

Grade: B+

Borja Garcia

Yahoo Sports announced Real Madrid's signing of 21-year-old midfielder Borja Garcia from Rayo Vallecano for the fee of €1.5 million.

An obvious signing for the future, the player will remain in the Segunda division with Rayo for the 2012-13 season, but could move to Real Madrid next summer once his loan is over.

There is little belief currently that he will become a major part of Jose Mourinho's squad next season, however.

Grade: D

Joselu

The sale of Joselu still is a mystery. The player was prolific in this youth days with Real Madrid B where he scored 40 goals in 72 games, and in his only senior club appearance he scored a goal.

However, despite the promise of the youngster he was sold to TSG Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga this summer for an undisclosed fee according to Goal.com.

Grade: C-

Nuri Sahin

Liverpool stole the march on the loan move for Nuri Sahin from Arsenal, and thanks to a great friendship between Jose Mourinho and new Red's manager Brendan Rodgers, the Anfield club may have gotten a massive blessing in the loan signing of Sahin.

The move made since for both Madrid and Liverpool as Sahin spent most of last season injured or recovering from injury. A move to a side where he will see much regular playing time in a tough and fast paced league will only make him better for Mourinho in the long run. BBC Sports were the first to announce that the deal had gone through.

Grade: A

Luka Modric

Real Madrid made an ample amount of moves to facilitate the playing time in their line-up for their marquee summer signing, Luka Modric as reported by the Telegraph.

Tottenham received a massive inflow of cash to forward their restructuring and Real Madrid gained a world class midfielder to add to their current stable of star central players.

Grade: A

Esteban Granero

Midfielder Esteban Granero was never looking to have a first team place at Real Madrid. Although the 25-year-old made 96 appearances for Los Bloncos in his career, he was past the age of growing into the squad. The players entrenched in the lineup are younger than him, so he was excess baggage.

Granero was better served moving to a club like Queens Park Rangers, as confirmed by the Telegraph, where he could make a difference, and after Real's outlay of cash for Luka Modric his sale was a positive move.

Grade: A

Michael Essien

Real Madrid's official site announced the loan signing of Michael Essien from Chelsea on deadline day in a move that could see many fans of the club scratch their heads.

During his prime at Chelsea, the Ghanaian defensive midfielder was a force to be reckoned with, but injuries have plagued the player since 2008. Jose Mourinho knows that a top performing Essien could be a masterful addition to his side in hopes of finding a way to win a UEFA Champions League.

However, the move could also blow up in the face of both Mourinho and Real Madrid.

Grade: B-

Lassana Diarra

Selling Lassana Diarra to Anzhi Makhachkala, as confirmed by ESPN, was the end result of signing Michael Essien on loan from Chelsea.

If Essien's loan works out it could all have been worth it, as the club will experience a great year with the Ghanaian in fine form while Diarra gains valuable experience in Russia.

However, this is another case where it could all prove to be a major mess for Jose Mourinho and his club.

Grade: B