Premier League Transfers: Top 10 Deals Done This Summer

20 Premier League clubs have spent a total of more than £130 million in less than two months since the end of the 2010/2011 campaign.

On face value, that is a lot of money. However, if you consider that Liverpool and Chelsea splurged more than £100 million between them on three forwards on transfer deadline day back in January, this summer has been calm to date.

That may be about to change, as Luka Modric this afternoon claims that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has reneged on a "gentelman's agreement" the two discussed last year in Dubrovnik, whereby Spurs would allow the Croatian midfielder to leave White Hart Lane if a suitable offer came in for a top club.

Modric goes on to allege Levy will order manager Harry Redknapp to demote Modric to a part-time role at the club if he refuses to accept the situation: ''He said if I didn't accept the club's stance, they would make me sit on the bench or in the stands."

This news will surely persuade the Chelsea chairman, if he has the consent of new coach Andre Villas-Boas, to make Spurs an improved offer on the £22 million the Spurs management scoffed at last month.

With Manchester United and Liverpool having already signed expensive creative midfielders and Samir Nasri on the verge of a £22 million move, the path seems to have cleared for Chelsea to entice Modric, 25, to Stamford Bridge.

A bid of £35 million and a part-exchange involving Daniel Sturridge or a Salomon Kalou could be alluring to Harry Redknapp, who has so far failed to replace misfiring Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane with a proven goalscorer.

Of course, much of this is speculation and we may have to wait for another fortnight before an amiable agreement can be made between the rivals.

So which of this summer's transfers represent real value money, excite the fans or just solve a problem?

In the following slideshow I count down the 10 best transfers of the transfer window so far. Please leave your comments below as I am sure there will be much heated debate over several inclusions and omissions...  

10: Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur to Swansea City, Loan)

Age: 19

Position: Centre Back

Fee Paid: Unknown. Loan fee and wage contribution may apply.

Value: £3 million

Player Profile: Caulker is a brute of a defender. 6' 3" tall and with a muscular frame, the Londoner has failed to break into Tottenham's first team ahead of Ledley King, Michael Dawson and William Gallas. Nevertheless, he has shone during loan spells at Yeovil Town and Bristol City, where last season he picked up numerous awards including four of five available at Yeovil and Young Player of the Year, as well as a nomination for the Player of the Year award for the Robins.

Quote: “We feel his general size and ability are perfect qualities to add to our team. It is an exciting signing for us. There was other interest in him prior to this deal being agreed, but Tottenham felt it was perfect for Steven to continue his deal here.” (Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins)

9: Keiren Westwood (Coventry City to Sunderland, Free Transfer)

Age: 26

Position: Goalkeeper

Fee Paid: Nothing. Free Transfer

Value: £2 million

Player Profile: Westwood started playing football at Manchester City aged 17 but did not manage to break into the first team ahead of No. 1 David James or reserve Nicky Weaver during his two-year spell. But he won the title with new club Carlisle and also collected all of the club's end-of-year awards. His talent was quickly spotted by Coventry, for whom he won Player of the Year in his first season. In his second year at the Midlands club he was awarded Championship Goalkeeper of the Year, and has since won several caps for the Republic of Ireland. 

Quote: "Getting released by [Manchester] City as a 19-year-old was the kick up the backside I needed. It gave me the hunger and desire to prove a lot of people wrong." (Westwood on his move to Sunderland)

8: David De Gea (Atletico Madrid to Manchester United, Undisclosed)

Age: 20

Position: Goalkeeper

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £18 million

Player Profile: A 6' 4" goalkeeper who joined Atletico Madrid aged 10 and made his first-team debut in La Liga nine years later. Last year, he helped Los Colchoneros win both the UEFA Super Cup and Europa League with some solid performances in between the sticks. With Dutch giant Edwin Van der Saar announcing his retirement this summer, the English champions had to ensure they had a player with similar qualities to fill the big Old Trafford No.1 boots. That Sir Alex Ferguson chose this 20-year-old speaks volumes about his quality, as do 44 appearances for Spanish youth sides. But how will De Gea handle the pressure?

Quote: "David is from a little town outside Madrid and has been at Atletico since he was very young. He doesn't speak any languages other than Spanish. He is going over with his girlfriend and family though, which will help." (Old Trafford flop Diego Forlan hopes former teammate De Gea will be afforded time to settle in the Premier League)

7: Ali Al-Habsi (Bolton Wanderers to Wigan Athletic, Undisclosed)

Age: 29

Position: Goalkeeper

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £7 million

Player Profile: Oman international Al-Habsi's move from Norwegian side Lyn Oslo to Bolton Wanderers in 2006 was highlighted as lacking transparency in the famous Stevens Inquiry, which was unsettled by the conflict of interested between the player's agent Craig Allardyce and his new manager Sam Allardyce, his agent's father.  Since then his rise has been undocumented but impressive, starting from an excellent performance for Bolton in the UEFA Cup against German giants Bayern Munich, leading through to winning Wigan Athletic's Player of the Year award last season for some brilliant saves and trustworthy performances.

Quote:  I think the gaffer is building a really exciting young team here and I am thrilled that I can be a part of that again." (Al-Habsi on his transfer to Wigan this year)

6: Ashley Young (Aston Villa to Manchester United, Undisclosed)

Age: 26

Position: Winger / Forward

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £15 million

Player Profile: Ashley celebrated his 26th birthday this year with a big-money move to English title holders Manchester United. Not bad considering the diminutive winger was earning a living at Championship plodders Watford just a few years ago. In fact, there was much surprise when former Aston Villa Martin O'Neill paid nearly £10 million for a raw and untested Young back in January 2007. But Young proved O'Neill's shrewd judgement with 30 Premier League goals in 157 appearances and claimed a remarkable 14 assists last season in a team which flirted with relegation until April. He now has two goals in 15 caps for England.

Quote: "I'm not one of those that believes you have to be six-feet plus to be a good footballer. I just saw a fantastic footballer and luckily they listened to my opinion about Ashley and kept him there." (Watford's former Youth Development Officer Chris Cummins on Young's youth days)

5: John O'Shea (Manchester United to Sunderland, Undisclosed)

Age: 30

Position: Defender / Midfielder

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £8 million

Player Profile: O' Shea joined the Red Devils at the early age of 17 and made his senior debut a year later. But the tall Irishman only really broke into the team in the 2002-03 season following loan spells in previous seasons with Borunemouth and feeder club Royal Antwerp. Since then, he has amassed 256 league appearances for one of the world's top clubs and 70 caps for his country. Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has signed a vastly experienced and versatile footballer with an excellent grounding by the best manager who has ever lived.

Quote: "The Manchester City fans think I'm gay. It's ridiculous. It's just a bit of banter really...I'm always ready for the sing-song when we play City."

4: Craig Gardner (Birmingham City to Sunderland, Undisclosed)

Age: 24

Position: Centre Mid

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £7 million

Player Profile: Gardner started his career at Aston Villa in 2005, before moving to city rivals Birmingham City five years later in a deal reported to be worth £3.5 million. In one season at the Blues he made more of an impression than during five with the Villains. In fact, he scored ten goals last year in all competitions, including the extra-time winning goal to take his team to the League Cup final in which they beat Arsenal. Will probably claim to have been a lifelong Sunderland fan, having made similar statements at his last two clubs...

Quote: "Obviously, I have heard so much about Steve Bruce and his backroom staff and how good a chairman Niall Quinn is. It's such a massive club and their ambitions for this season meet my ambitions, and it was too good to turn down." (Gardner was unreserved in his praise for his new team Sunderland)

3: Brad Friedel (Aston Villa to Tottenham Hotspur, Free Transfer)

Age: 40

Position: Goalkeeper

Fee Paid: Free Transfer

Value: £3 million

Player Profile: Former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa goalkeeper Friedel will be the oldest player in the Premier League next season after Spurs offered him a two-year contract to be their No. 1. He currently holds the record for the most consecutive league appearances by far, having started all of his teams' last 275 matches, and has now clocked up 426 matches in 15 seasons. This experience will be vital to shoring up new club Tottenham Hotspur's defence, which has suffered in recent seasons from a lack of midfield cover, persistent injuries to top players and unreliable handling by Brazilian stopper Heurelho Gomes.

Quote: "It is good to have three such experienced top goalkeepers at the club in [Heurelho] Gomes, Carlo [Cudicini] and now Brad. It means we have competition for places, particularly with the number of games we'll hopefully face next year." (Spurs manager Harry Redknapp trying to hide what this move means for Gomes's future at White Hart Lane)

2: Charlie Adam (Blackpool to Liverpool, Undisclosed)

Age: 25

Position: Centre Mid

Fee Paid: Undisclosed

Value: £10 million

Player Profile: Charlie Adam was originally spotted by Scottish club Dundee when he was only 14. After three years, he made a prestigious move to Rangers, where he scored 13 goals in 61 matches, despite spending nearly half of his career on loan at other clubs. But Blackpool caretaker manager Tony Parkes was desperate to show faith in the youngster and persuaded his chairman to sign the Scottish international on a full-time contract in 2009. In his first full season, he won the Championship Player of the Year award and was one of seven nominees last year for the PFA Players' Player of the Year gong.

Quote: “They had better start by putting a figure one in front of the complete rubbish they have been offering so far.” (Blackpool manager Ian Holloway's incensed reaction to Liverpool's ''disgraceful" £4.5 million bid for Adam earlier this year)

1: Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City to Sunderland)

Age: 26

Position: Winger

Fee Paid: Free Transfer

Value: £10 million

Player Profile: Having spent four years in Swedish youth teams, Larsson joined Arsenal at the age of 16 but had to wait three years before making his debut out of position at left back. However, he failed to break through into the Gunners' first team and was signed by Birmingham City. There he quickly built a reputation as a versatile player and was adjudged the most accurate direct free-kick taker by Opta. Sunderland have acted quickly to manipulate the Blues's relegation to the Championship by securing an amazing Bosman free deal for a player rated by the EA Performance Index as the 42nd-best player in the league last season.

Quote: "[Sunderland manager] Steve Bruce has done much to bring about a deal and has been every active." (Larsson's father Svante on the reason behind his son's decision to snub Arsenal and Aston Villa in favour of Sunderland)