3 Best and 3 Worst EPL Transfers of the Summer Window so Far

Only mid-way through June, many of the Premier League clubs have already begun to take a serious interest in the reshaping of their squads ahead of the 2013-14 season.

For some clubs it's been a matter of quickly securing free transfer deals before rival sides decide to target the same players, while for others much bigger fees have been shelled out extremely early in the Summer.

While a good dose of strategic planning can help ensure the right players are brought in at the right prices, somewhere along the way a team will occasionally land an exceptional talent who can help them significantly—or, at the other end of the scale, they can make what seems at first like a poor transfer, overspending or bringing in a player who might not quite be the one to make the difference.

Here are the three best and three worst of the summer deals confirmed so far involving Premier League teams.

The Bad: George Boyd to Hull City

Hull City have won themselves promotion back to the Premier League, with the club's fans hoping they can learn from the mistakes of their relegation last time around.

Quite simply, a lack of quality within the playing staff was the big problem, with Hull winning only six games when they were relegated in 2009-10. Their lack of quality signings included Kamel Ghilas, Paul McShane and Steven Mouyokolo, so they should realise they are going to need proven top-flight quality to stay there this time.

George Boyd then isn't quite the best way they could have started.

Not that he's a bad player; Boyd has proven himself an effective performer from the left of midfield or in an attacking central role—but at Championship level.

And turning 28 years of age shortly into the new season, is he really likely to improve significantly further?

Boyd might play a part in Hull's squad, and he might be one of their better players. But he alone is not going to keep them in the Premier League, and that's the kind of signings Hull City need.

Dejan Lovren to Southampton

On the face of it, Southampton managing to sign a Lyon central defender should be a good thing.

Dejan Lovren is a good quality centre-back, has international experience and is a composed, technically able defender who should fit well into Mauricio Pochettino's team at St. Mary's.

However, he also hasn't been anything like an undroppable first-choice, costing an awful lot of money to a team in the bottom half of the Premier League, and if he is to be a regular at Southampton, he'll be something of a defensive gamble for the club to build upon.

£8.5 million makes Lovren one of Saints' biggest deals, and considering they conceded 60 goals last season (only four teams conceded more), they'll need him to be right on the money in terms of helping restructure the back line.

This move could pay off handsomely. But it could also hinder Southampton's progress in a big way if Lovren doesn't settle quickly and show his best form on a much more regular basis.

Valentin Roberge to Sunderland

Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio will likely restructure large parts of his squad this summer after he helped them avoid relegation to the Championship late last season.

Already he has brought in Lazio's Modibo Diakite and Valentin Roberge on frees to shore up the defence.

Roberge is a French defender who also arrives on a free transfer from Maritimo in Portugal. He's been a regular there for the past three seasons, having also played in Greece and the lower leagues of France, and is something of an unlikely signing.

As in, unlikely to have a huge impact on Sunderland's first team.

Maritimo ended the season in 10th place in the Liga Sagres, neither threatening to enter the upper reaches of the division nor battling against the drop late in the season.

Perhaps it's just Di Canio beefing up the depth of his squad, or perhaps he sees something in the defender that can compete with the likes of John O'Shea and Carlos Cuellar. Either way, here's to betting he's not the most successful signing they make this summer.

And the Good: Fernandinho to Manchester City

Manchester City conceded their Premier League title to rivals Manchester United this season, and they've wasted no time in rectifying that, or at least trying to, with a couple of big-money signings.

Jesus Navas is one, but the big deal of the summer so far is that of Fernandinho.

The powerful and athletic central midfielder has been brought in from Shakhtar Donetsk and despite his excessive transfer fee of £30 million, he brings to the squad exactly what the club has been missing over the past year.

Aside from his physical traits, the Brazilian can control and dictate a game from the centre of the park, has a good range of passing and makes terrific driving runs from deep areas of midfield, all which will aid significantly in attack next season.

He'll bring quality competition to an area which looked light at times last term, and if he's paired with Yaya Toure in midfield at any point, it will be a centre of the park which few will expect to lose many one-on-one battles.

It is an expensive signing, but one that could really make the difference for City.

Jores Okore to Aston Villa

Aston Villa finished 15th in the Premier League last season and had the third-worst defensive record, so reinforcements at the back were pretty high on the agenda for this summer.

What most people wouldn't have expected was for them to turn around and sign one of the highest-rated young centre-backs in Europe, one who featured in the Champions League last year and had been linked to some of the top clubs around only months ago.

But that's what they've done with the capture of Jores Okore from Nordsjaelland.

Even better, they've sealed the deal for around £4 million, which is quite excellent business on their part.

Villa has more work to do to get the squad ready for progress further up the league table, but Okore's signing is an excellent starting place.

Sascha Riether to Fulham

The final deal on our list is one which is a loan deal made permanent: that of Sascha Riether, who signed a long-term deal for Fulham.

The right-back had an impressive debut campaign with the Cottagers, playing 35 times and claiming six assists. His dangerous crosses from deep areas will make him an important part of Fulham's play going forward, while he also showed good consistency and awareness at the other end of the pitch.

At 30 years old, he is neither an extremely long-term part of the team, nor one to significantly lower Fulham's squad's average age—they had the second-oldest team in the league last season—but he will provide a measure of stability at the back as manager Martin Jol changes around other areas of the side.

Riether was one of the better right-backs in the league last term, and securing his signing on a permanent basis is a great way for Fulham to start their summer as they look to press for a place in the top half of the league next season.

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