Power Ranking Europe's Top 25 Clubs on Transfer Window Activity so Far

If you want to keep up with the movers and shakers of European football, read this slideshow as it will power rank the top 25 clubs based on transfer window activity so far.

The transfer activity of the selected 25 European clubs will be subjectively ranked via two key factors:

• Economic efficiency of the transfer.
• Transferred footballer's quality.

25. West Bromwich Albion

Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Brown Ideye	Dynamo Kiev	€12.7/£10M
Sebastien Pocognoli	Hannover 96	€1.9/£1.5M
Chris Baird	Burnley	Free Transfer
Craig Gardner	Sunderland	Free Transfer
Joleon Lescott	Manchester City	Free Transfer

Ideye has been on the radar of big European teams, so it is a coup for West Bromwich Albion to sign him. 

"[Ideye is] a strong, quick, powerful player who likes to get in behind defences," West Brom manager Alan Irvine said, per the club's official website. "[He] is a quality striker and I'm looking forward to working with him."

Pocognoli is a serviceable defender. 

Gardner and Baird provide West Brom cover. 

Lescott may have been found wanting at the highest level, but he will be central to West Brom avoiding relegation. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
George Thorne	Derby County	€2.5/£2M

Thorne, an elegant ball-playing midfielder, did not want to stay. 

"George has made two transfer requests," West Brom technical director Terry Burton said, per West Brom's official website. "Derby have now met our valuation for the player."

Two months ago, West Brom also released a bevy of players including Steven Reid and Zoltan Gera, per BBC Sport.

24. Hoffenheim

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Oliver Baumann	Freiburg	€7/£5.5M
Adam Szalai	Schalke	€6/£4.8M
Pirmin Schwegler	Eintracht Frankfurt	€1.9/£1.5M
Jin-Su Kim	Albirex Niigata	€1M/£790K
Ermin Bicakcic	Eintracht Braunschweig	€400/£316K

When Baumann is not making mistakes, he is one of the best shot-stoppers in Germany. 

Some games, Szalai looks like an elite No. 9, other days he plays at 3. Liga standard. 

Schwegler bolsters Hoffenheim's midfield. 

Don't know much about Kim. 

Bicakcic was awful in Bosnia and Herzegovina's 2-1 defeat to Argentina, but he had a decent season for Braunschweig.  

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Joselu	Hannover 96	€5/£4M
Eren Derdiyok	Kasimpasa	€2.5/£2M
Fabian Johnson	Borussia Monchengladbach	Free Transfer

Joselu has size, is great in the air and can get past his marker.

Despite Derdiyok's promise, he flopped at Hoffenheim.

Johnson's directness will be missed. 

23. Marseille

David Vincent/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Michy Batshuayi	Standard Liege	€6/£4.8M
Romain Alessandrini	Rennes	€5/£4M

Marseille are wagering on the raw ability of Batshuayi and Alessandrini.

Should the two perform, Marseille could cash in. 

Watch out for Alessandrini, who scores some of the most spectacular goals you'll ever see. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Florian Raspentino	Caen	€400/316K

Raspentino was lively on loan at Bastia, in particular when he took over against Reims, scoring and creating a goal for Gianni Bruno.

Caen are depending on Raspentino to be the man like Youssef El-Arabi used to be.  

---

Unconfirmed Transfers (at the time this slideshow was published) 

"Arsenal and Liverpool are still in the race to sign Mathieu Valbuena after the player's agent rubbished talk of a move to Dynamo Moscow," per talkSPORT. 

22. Sevilla

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Grzegorz Krychowiak	Reims	€5.5/£4.4M
Aleix Vidal	Almeria	€3/£2.4M
Nicolas Pareja	Spartak Moscow	€2.5/£2M
Daniel Carrico	Reading	€1.9/£1.5M

Krychowiak is superb in the air and a threat to score from set pieces. He is influential in midfield, winning back the ball 193 times last season. 

Vidal provides pace and incisive passing.

Carrico and Pareja are cheap acquisitions who are already familiar with Sevilla's setup. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Ivan Rakitic	Barcelona	€18/£14.3M
Diego Perotti	Genoa	€300/£238K

Rakitic arrived at Sevilla as a promising player and left as a world-class midfielder. 

Perotti is the opposite because he gradually declined.

21. Wolfsburg

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Sebastian Jung	Eintracht Frankfurt	€2.5/£2M
Mateusz Klich	PEC Zwolle	€750/£594K
Aaron Hunt	Werder Bremen	Free Transfer

Going forward, Jung was superb, creating seven goals in the Bundesliga last season. Though, he left gaping holes at the back. 

If Jung ups his defending, he will be one of the most coveted right-backs in Europe. 

Klich can make every pass, has expansive range, possesses vision and is technically brilliant.

He failed to make the grade in his first stint at Wolfsburg, so management activating a buy-back clause suggests they believe he can become a top Bundesliga midfielder.  

You know what you are going to get with Hunt, who is a seasoned professional. He is a goal threat, he can create goals and he will hustle to win back the ball. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Tolga Cigerci	Hertha Berlin	€1.5/£1.2M
Nassim Ben Khalifa	Grasshopper	€150/£119K

Cigerci could turn into a great all-round midfielder, so Wolfsburg may rue letting him go down the line.

In hindsight, Ben Khalifa should have stayed at Grasshopper. 

Injuries have derailed a career once destined for greatness. 

20. Hertha Berlin

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Valentin Stocker	Basel	€3.5/£2.8M
Julian Schieber	Borussia Dortmund	€3/£2.4M
Roy Beerens	AZ	€1.5/£1.2M
Tolga Cigerci	Wolfsburg	€1.5/£1.2M
Jens Hegeler	Bayer Leverkusen	€900/£713K
Genki Haraguchi	Urawa Red Diamonds	€500/£396K
Marvin Plattenhardt	Nurnberg	€500/£396K
John Heitinga	Fulham	Free Transfer

It is an intriguing transfer window from Hertha Berlin thus far with management spending around €11.4 million on eight players.

Cigerci and Plattenhardt are the two players to keep an eye on. Cigerci has an all-round playing style, and Plattenhardt could transition into an elite left-back. 

Hegeler and Heitinga will bolster Hertha's depth. 

Schieber's career has been in decline, and Hertha are betting on his talent. 

There are question marks around Beerens, Stocker and Haraguchi matching the standard of play at the Bundesliga level.

Though, Beerens is a make-something-happen type of footballer, capable of conjuring up moments of brilliance. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Adrian Ramos	Borussia Dortmund	€10.4/£8.2M
Pierre-Michel Lasogga	Hamburg	€8.5/£6.7M

Ramos is one of the best centre-forwards in the Bundesliga, and Lasogga's goals kept Hamburg from going down. 

19. Ajax

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Richairo Zivkovic	Groningen	€2.5/£2M
Nick Viergever	AZ	€2/£1.6M
Arkadiusz Milik	Bayer Leverkusen	Loan

Zivkovic scored six goals in his last 11 games for Groningen.

He has some of the highest upside of any European footballer. At just 17 years of age, he reached double digits in goals (11) last season. 

Viergever can play at left-back, centre-back and in midfield. 

The reason why these two signings are great for Ajax is both are likely to garner significant profits when they are sold. 

Milik may have failed to make the grade in the Bundesliga, but he should find more opportunities to score in the more open Eredivisie.

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Siem de Jong	Newcastle United	€7.6/£6M

De Jong was a great player for Ajax, but it was time for him to test himself in the Premier League. 

18. Schalke

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Sidney Sam	Bayer Leverkusen	€2.5/£2M
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting	Mainz	Free Transfer
Fabian Giefer	Fortuna Dusseldorf	Free Transfer

Bargain-basement acquisitions is how Schalke have approached this summer transfer window so far. 

In the first half of the last Bundesliga season, Sam was one of the best players.

Choupo-Moting is an impact sub with tremendous take-on ability. 

Giefer is a good signing if he can avoid making mistakes like Timo Hildebrand.

Schalke also extended Dennis Aogo's loan into a permanent deal. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Adam Szalai	Hoffenheim	€6/£4.8M
Philipp Hoffmann	Kaiserslautern	€1M/£790K
Lars Unnerstall	Fortuna Dusseldorf	€200/158K
Tim Hoogland	Fulham	Free Transfer

Szalai looks like an elite centre-forward, but he never got it together for Schalke.

Hoffmann and Unnerstall were prospects who did not pan out. The latter's upside was considered lower than Giefer's by Schalke management. 

Hoogland was a serviceable defender who competed with Atsuto Uchida for the starting right-back position. 

17. Manchester United

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Luke Shaw	Southampton	€37.9/£30M
Ander Herrera	Athletic Bilbao	€36.6/£29M

The £30 million valuation suggests United are projecting Shaw to become one of the greatest left-backs in history. 

Not only does he need to be secure at the back, but he has to be a productive attacking outlet. 

Ander's fee is overpriced, but he is a superb passer who works hard without the ball. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Alexander Buttner	Dynamo Moscow	£4.4M
Patrice Evra	Juventus	€1.9/£1.5M
Federico Macheda	Cardiff City	Free Transfer
Nemanja Vidic	Inter Milan	Free Transfer
Rio Ferdinand	Queens Park Rangers	Free Transfer

United are also losing Evra, Vidic and Ferdinand, three senior players with invaluable experience. 

That said, it was the right time to clean house. 

While not a transfer, it was sad reading Ryan Giggs' official retirement.

Deep down he probably wishes he could do a Sir Stanley Matthews.

But, Giggs has the experience to become a great manager. 

If all goes to plan, Giggs—the assistant manager—will succeed Louis van Gaal in three years' time. 

16. Arsenal

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Alexis Sanchez	Barcelona	€44.2/£35M
Mathieu Debuchy	Newcastle United	€15.2/£12M

Alexis is a world-class footballer who can provide a cutting edge to Arsenal's attack. 

Debuchy was not the best right-back option available, rather, he was the safest. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Bacary Sagna	Manchester City	Free Transfer
Lukasz Fabianski	Swansea City	Free Transfer

Arsenal should have treated Sagna better given his loyalty, but who can blame him for cashing in, especially after enduring two leg breaks. 

Fabianski redeemed himself with some great displays of goalkeeping when his name was called.

In other news, free agent Nicklas Bendtner—one of the 11 players Arsenal let go last month—is living his life to the fullest. 

15. Roma

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Juan Iturbe	Hellas Verona	€22/£17.4M
Radja Nainggolan	Cagliari	€6/£4.8M
Ashley Cole	Chelsea	Free Transfer
Urby Emanuelson	AC Milan	Free Transfer
Salih Ucan	Fenerbahce	Loan
Tonny Sanabria	Sassuolo	?

Iturbe is one of the most gifted players in the world. If he can improve his consistency, he will be a world-class footballer. 

Nainggolan is a pit bull in midfield. 

Cole and Emanuelson are useful additions to Roma's squad.

Though, Cole looked past it at Chelsea and Emanuelson is passable for a top-flight footballer.  

Never-seen Ucan play. 

January 29, 2014, per Barcelona's official website:

"

FC Barcelona and US Sassuolo have agreed to terms for the transfer of Tonny Sanabria. The total transfer sum could reach €12 million. €4.5 million are guaranteed and the rest, up to €12 million, are dependent on the player's performance and his future value. The process to purchase the player started with AS Roma, but the transfer was closed with US Sassuolo.

"

Last season, Sanabria was a Sassuolo player, and now he is a Roma player—talk about wheeling and dealing. 

UEFA president Michel Platini should investigate some of Italy's transfers, which are complex, elaborate and shady. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Marquinho	Al Ittihad	Loan
Tin Jedvaj	Bayer Leverkusen	Loan

Jedvaj could develop as rapidly as Daniel Carvajal did at Leverkusen.

14. Juventus

Handout/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Alvaro Morata	Real Madrid	€20/£15.8M
Stefano Sturaro	Genoa	€5.5/£4.4M
Luca Marrone	Sassuolo	€5/£4M + Federico Peluso
Patrice Evra	Manchester United	€1.9/£1.5M
Kingsley Coman	Paris Saint-Germain	Free Transfer

Morata going down with a knee injury in training is a bad omen. If given an extended starting run, he is good enough to score 15-20 goals per season.   

Sturaro can create scoring chances for his teammates, but his tackling needs to improve.

What you love about Marrone is how composed he is on the ball. 

Evra is a seasoned professional who fortifies Juventus' defence. 

Don't know much about Coman, but if he is half as good as Paul Pogba, then the transfer will be a success. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Mirko Vucinic	Al Jazira	€6/£4.8M
Fabio Quagliarella	Torino	€3.5/£2.8M

Vucinic and Quagliarella leaving are not the reasons why Antonio Conte resigned. 

Surely Juventus are prepared to sell their most valuable assets, a la Arturo Vidal and Pogba, which triggered Conte walking out. 

13. Newcastle United

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Remy Cabella	Montpellier	€15.2/£12M
Siem de Jong	Ajax	€7.6/£6M
Emmanuel Riviere	Monaco	€7.6/£6M
Daryl Janmaat	Feyenoord	€6.3/£5M
Jack Colback	Sunderland	Free Transfer

Newcastle United have been astute in their transfer business. 

Cabella and De Jong are class players. 

Riviere was Monaco's top scorer last season, and Janmaat is an adequate replacement for Debuchy.

Colback is a handy player able to start at left-back or central midfield. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Mathieu Debuchy	Arsenal	€15.2/£12M

Janmaat may prove to be an upgrade over Debuchy.

12. Borussia Monchengladbach

EuroFootball/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Yann Sommer	Basel	€8/£6.3M
Andre Hahn	Augsburg	€2.25/£1.78M
Fabian Johnson	Hoffenheim	Free Transfer
Ibrahima Traore	Stuttgart	Free Transfer
Thorgan Hazard	Chelsea	Loan

Sommer has the unenviable task of replacing a once-in-a-generation goalkeeper in Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Hahn, Johnson and Traore offer dynamism, incisive running and game-changing plays. 

Excluding passing accuracy, Hahn is one of the most complete footballers in Germany.

He has speed, scores goals, sets up his teammates and is strong in the air. 

It will be interesting to see if Hazard breaks into Gladbach's starting XI. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Barcelona	€12/£9.5M
Luuk de Jong	PSV Eindhoven	€5.5/£4.4M
Juan Arango	Tijuana	Free Transfer

Ter Stegen will be a massive void to fill for Sommer.

Once Gladbach manager Lucien Favre changed to a system without a conventional No. 9 (he plays with two deep-lying forwards), De Jong was never going to last. 

It is a shame that Arango will be off the European radar because he still has the quality to play at top-flight level. 

11. Bayer Leverkusen

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Hakan Calhanoglu	Hamburg	€14.5/£11.5M
Wendell	Gremio	€6.5/£5.2M
Josip Drmic	Nurnberg	€5/£4M
Tin Jedvaj	Roma	Loan

Calhanoglu is not ready for a major European club (yet), but he has the potential to develop into a world-class midfielder. 

Leverkusen rate left-back Wendell highly. 

"Wendell is a very talented player who...can help strengthen our squad," Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller said, per Leverkusen's official website. "We're convinced he can continue the tradition of top Brazilian players at Bayer 04 Leverkusen."

Paying €5 million for Drmic who scored 17 league goals is a steal. 

Jedvaj, an 18-year-old centre-back, is one of Roma's many wunderkinds (the Serie A club even have one from Australia in Danny De Silva).

Jedvaj will be expected to perform at Leverkusen, a la Daniel Carvajal.

Vladlen Yurchenko from Shakhtar Donetsk has also been added to Leverkusen's squad. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Emre Can	Liverpool	€12.31/£9.75M
Sidney Sam	Schalke	€2.5/£2M
Arkadiusz Milik	Ajax	Loan

Can was streaky throughout the season, though he has immense potential.

While Sam is a lethal impact player, the knock on him is inconsistency and injury issues.

Despite the hype, Milik failed to make an impression at Leverkusen and was below par on loan at Augsburg. 

10. Liverpool

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Adam Lallana	Southampton	€31.6/£25M
Lazar Markovic	Benfica	€25.3/£20M
Emre Can	Bayer Leverkusen	€12.31/£9.75M
Rickie Lambert	Southampton	€5.1/£4M

Can potentially could be Steven Gerrard's long-term replacement. 

Markovic is one of the most exciting prospects in European football. 

Lambert was a cost-effective signing, whereas Lallana was an inflated transfer. The positive is both have played together and are Premier League-proven. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Iago Aspas	Sevilla	Loan
Luis Alberto	Malaga	Loan

Aspas never adjusted from being Celta Vigo's Luis Suarez to just another player at Liverpool. 

What may happen is Aspas regaining his reputation—like Borja Valero, Diego Forlan and Giuseppe Rossi—post-Premier League. 

If Alberto cleans up his act, he will have a lengthy top-flight European career.

If he doesn't, he will be playing football in obscure parts of the world to make a living. 

---

Unconfirmed Transfers (at the time this slideshow was published)

"Liverpool on verge of sealing deals for Dejan Lovren and Loic Remy," per Alan Smith at The Guardian. 

"Divock Origi close to joining Reds," per Ben Smith at BBC Sport. 

9. Real Madrid

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Toni Kroos	Bayern Munich	€25/£19.8M

Kroos is one of the best midfielders in the world, and he sets the tempo.  

His signing signals another Galacticos era.

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Alvaro Morata	Juventus	€20/£15.8M
Nuri Sahin	Borussia Dortmund	€7/£5.5M
Casemiro	Porto	Loan

Morata is a quality prospect and should have received more extended starting runs.  

Injury curtailed Sahin's chances of making it at Real. 

There is not a lot separating Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi, so that is a major concern for Real supporters. 

If Illarramendi does not improve, he will end up being shifted out on loan.

---

Unconfirmed Transfers (at the time this slideshow was published) 

Per Carmen Colino at AS:

"

James Rodriguez is a new Real Madrid player, with the transfer now only awaiting official confirmation. The 23-year-old has arrived in the Spanish capital after a short stop in Portugal, and an announcement of the deal is imminent. It is very likely that he will be unveiled on Tuesday lunchtime. Talks between Madrid and Monaco are complete. Los Blancos will pay around 80 million euros.

"

Per Sky Sports: "Levante coach Jose Luis Mendilibar ... insists the Costa Rica international [Keylor Navas] is still his player as things stand."

8. Barcelona

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Luis Suarez	Liverpool	€81/£64.1M
Ivan Rakitic	Sevilla	€18/£14.3M
Claudio Bravo	Real Sociedad	€12/£9.5M
Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Borussia Monchengladbach	€12/£9.5M

Signing Suarez showed Barcelona's "More than a club" motto is as authentic as UEFA president Michel Platini's Financial Fair Play rules.

Suarez will lessen Lionel Messi's workload, who looked exhausted towards the end of last season. 

Rakitic is a world-class midfielder who is a cheaper alternative to Cesc Fabregas.

Bravo and Ter Stegen will duke it out for the vacant No. 1 role. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Alexis Sanchez	Arsenal	€44.2/£35M
Cesc Fabregas	Chelsea	€34.1/£27M
Jonathan dos Santos	Villarreal	€2/£1.6M
Cristian Tello	Porto	Loan

Alexis and Fabregas were sold off to fund Suarez in part to help Messi.

It goes to show how much Barcelona are investing in Messi to counteract Real Madrid's new Galacticos era. 

---

Unconfirmed Transfers (at the time this slideshow was published) 

"Luis Enrique will reportedly raise [Barcelona's] opening €15 million bid to Valencia's €20 million asking price in order to secure the services of French centre-back Jeremy Mathieu," per Tom Conn at Inside Spanish Football. 

7. Borussia Dortmund

Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Ciro Immobile	Torino	€19/£15.1M
Adrian Ramos	Hertha Berlin	€10.4/£8.2M
Matthias Ginter	Freiburg	€10/£7.9M
Nuri Sahin	Real Madrid	€7/£5.5M
Dong-Won Ji	Augsburg	Free Transfer

Immobile "was born in an offside position" like two-time UEFA Champions League winning centre-forward Filippo Inzaghi, per Rob Bagchi at The Guardian. 

Having scored 22 goals in Serie A last season, Borussia Dortmund are receiving a marksman in Immobile. 

Ramos is a complete No. 9 able to lead the line, poach goals, create scoring chances for his teammates and take on opposing players. 

If Ramos, 28, was five years younger, he would be joining compatriot James Rodriguez at Real Madrid. 

While Ginter is a world-class prospect, his positional play at times was woeful.

He can be worse than Mats Hummels on a bad day.

Though, Ginter has world-class upside at 20 years of age, he possesses prototypical centre-back size (6'2", 187 pounds) and is a passing outlet.

He also gives Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp flexibility by interchanging from defence into midfield. 

Sahin's resurrection reinforces the cliche: "The grass is not always greener on the other side."

Ji will be a glorified squad player.

It is a comprehensive and economically efficient transfer window so far for Klopp. 

There is depth and quality, so Dortmund should seriously contend for the Bundesliga title. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Julian Schieber	Hertha Berlin	€3/£2.4M
Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	Free Transfer

Remember when Schieber was a top talent?

He was a constant threat for Nurnberg, but his career has since gone downhill. 

Lewandowski out, Immobile in—keep calm and trust Klopp. 

6. Manchester City

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Fernando Reges	Porto	€15.2/£12M
Willy Caballero	Malaga	€7.6/£6M
Bacary Sagna	Arsenal	Free Transfer

Fernando and Sagna further strengthen Manchester City's team, one of the deepest squads in Europe. 

Caballero is an incredible shot-stopper, who will most likely relegate Joe Hart to the bench. 

City signed three elite players at economically efficient prices—unbelievable. 

To put that in perspective, Luke Shaw—€37.9/£30 million—is worth more than Fernando, Caballero and Sagna combined. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Costel Pantilimon	Sunderland	Free Transfer
Gareth Barry	Everton	Free Transfer
Joleon Lescott	West Bromwich Albion	Free Transfer
Marcos Lopes	Lille	Loan

Lopes should have joined a smaller Ligue 1 club to maximise his potential playing time.

5. Porto

Martin Rose/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Adrian Lopez	Atletico Madrid	€11/£8.7M
Yacine Brahimi	Granada	€8.5/£6.7M
Bruno Martins Indi	Feyenoord	€7.7/£6.1M
Daniel Opare	Standard Liege	Free Transfer
Casemiro	Real Madrid	Loan
Oliver Torres	Atletico Madrid	Loan

Porto generally win out in transfer deals. 

Let's say Adrian scores 20-30 goals this season. You can guarantee a club offering a chance for Porto to make a profitable transaction on their calculated gamble on Adrian.

Brahimi is one of the most lethal dribblers in Europe, so he will create a plethora of highlight-reel moments, a la Hulk and Ricardo Quaresma.

Martins Indi is a defender with immense physical attributes. 

Opare was a highly touted youth international, so it is a low-risk, high-reward transfer for Porto. 

Casemiro and Oliver can contribute greatly if afforded an extended starting run. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Fernando Reges	Manchester City	€15.2/£12M
Juan Manuel Iturbe	Hellas Verona	€15/£11.9M
Andre Castro	Kasimpasa	€3.5/£2.8M

Just another regular transfer window for Porto. 

4. Bayern Munich

Gero Breloer/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Juan Bernat	Valencia	€10/£7.9M
Robert Lewandowski	Borussia Dortmund	Free Transfer
Sebastian Rode	Eintracht Frankfurt	Free Transfer

Bernat is a risk-free passer, can zip past opposing players and is a left-back with upside. 

Bayern Munich signed Bernat for €10/£7.9 million, meanwhile Manchester United spent €37.9/£30 million on Luke Shaw. 

Lewandowski and Rode on free transfers are an indication of Bayern wining and dining opposing players. 

Bayern's plan is a winning strategy: consolidate power and weaken the rest of the Bundesliga.

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Toni Kroos	Real Madrid	€25/£19.8M
Mario Mandzukic	Atletico Madrid	€22/£17.4M

Borussia Dortmund need to follow in Bayern's lead. If a star player does not want to commit long term, sell him as opposed to losing him on a free transfer. 

That was Bayern's thought process when they sold Kroos. 

Kroos and Mandzukic provided another €47 million to Bayern's reserve—the rich keep getting richer. 

3. Southampton

Marko Drobnjakovic/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Dusan Tadic	Twente	€13.8/£10.9M
Graziano Pelle	Feyenoord	€11.4/£9M

Tadic can play across midfield and was one of the most productive players in Europe last season.

He scored 16 times and created 14 goals in the Eredivisie.

Graziano Pelle is a target man with outstanding technique and a lethal scoring record. But failing to make the grade at Serie A is a red flag. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Luke Shaw	Manchester United	€37.9/£30M
Adam Lallana	Liverpool	€31.6/£25M
Rickie Lambert	Liverpool	€5.1/£4M

Not only have Southampton recruited two top-notch players at a fair price, they have reaped the rewards of backing Shaw, Lallana and Lambert.

This is why Southampton are ranked so highly on this list. 

2. Chelsea

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Diego Costa	Atletico Madrid	€40.4/£32M
Cesc Fabregas	Barcelona	€34.1/£27M
Filipe Luis	Atletico Madrid	€25.3/£20M
Mario Pasalic	Hajduk Split	€3.8/£3M

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is assembling his version of the Invincibles with the intent of not having a weak link in the team. 

Fernando Torres is desperately clinging on to his excessive and inflated contract a la Winston Bogarde, so signing Costa addresses Chelsea's weak link of not being able to rely on a No. 9.

Despite receiving Mesut Ozil-like criticism in Spain, Fabregas is Premier League-proven and a world-class passer. 

Finding an elite left-back is rare, but Luis bolsters Chelsea's back four. 

Pasalic is a cash cow who has been loaned out to Elche, per Heath Chesters at Inside Spanish Football.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich avoided making knee-jerk decisions late in the transfer market. 

"The market closes Aug 31 and we close our market on July 18," Mourinho said, per Matt Law at The Telegraph. "We did our business in almost record time."

In return, Abramovich will be expecting attacking and free-flowing football to be Chelsea's method of winning trophies. 

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
David Luiz	Paris Saint-Germain	€49.5/£39.2M
Demba Ba	Besiktas	€5.9/£4.7M
Ashley Cole	Roma	Free Transfer
Tomas Kalas	Koln	Loan
Thorgan Hazard	Borussia Monchengladbach	Loan

£39.2 million for Luiz? This was Abramovich's reaction. 

Ba was a serviceable centre-forward for Chelsea who had expended his best football for Newcastle United.

After years of being mocked as Ca$hly, Cole proved his haters wrong.

Instead of going for financial gain playing in Major League Soccer or the Middle East, he will extend his European top-flight career by playing for Roma. 

"Roma is an ambitious club, it's a challenge for me and I'm prepared to fight for my place," Cole said, per The Guardian. "This is a chance for me to try a different language, culture and way of living."

Hazard and Kalas are two of the many Chelsea young guns loaned out. 

Chelsea also released Frank Lampard, Henrique Hilario and Samuel Eto'o.

Lampard is one of the greatest footballers in Premier League history and a consummate professional.

Hilario was a handy squad player who has a stack of trophies from his Porto and Chelsea days. 

Eto'o's relationship with Mourinho was never the same after the age-cheating accusations, per Sky Sports.

1. Atletico Madrid

Paulo Duarte/Associated Press

Notable Transfers In	Club	Fee
Mario Mandzukic	Bayern Munich	€22/£17.4M
Jan Oblak	Benfica	€15.9/£12.6M
Guilherme Siqueira	Granada	€10/£7.9M
Miguel Angel Moya	Getafe	€3/£2.4M

Mandzukic scored 18 goals in the Bundesliga despite not starting every game. He is a quality No. 9, who will spearhead Atleti's attack next season. 

Atletico Madrid have smartly dealt with filling Thibaut Courtois' void. 

Oblak is a goalkeeper of immense quality, but he is untested in La Liga.

To cover him flopping in Spain, Atleti have brought in Moya, a La Liga veteran.

Siqueira is a risky signing given his defending can be Andre Santos-like.

Notable Transfers Out	Club	Fee
Diego Costa	Chelsea	€40.4/£32M
Filipe Luis	Chelsea	€25.3/£20M
Adrian Lopez	Porto	€11/£8.7M
Roberto	Olympiacos	€6/£4.8M
Sergio Asenjo	Villarreal	€5/£4M
David Villa	New York City FC	Free Transfer
Diego Ribas	Fenerbahce	Free Transfer
Oliver Torres	Porto	Loan

Now this is a revenue stream. 

If only Atleti ran their football club this efficiently throughout their history, because the Spanish club are struggling financially, per Alex Duff at Bloomberg: 

"

Atletico was late with 37 percent of payments to suppliers last season, according to its latest financial statement.

Chief Executive Officer Miguel Angel Gil said that, with Spanish banks restricting lending to the club during a six-year slump, the team turned to investors from Azerbaijan, the U.S. and Kazakhstan to help finance the signings of six players including striker Diego Costa.

Gil said he has also used a home he owns as collateral to secure a loan.

"

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored.com