Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FOWLER: Why David Luiz is my signing of the transfer window
AS a striker by trade, you’d expect me to be all in on attacking teams.
Yet, as a coach, I reckon you’ve got to start at the back, sort out the goals conceded column and then use it as a platform for forwards to win games.
Which is why my two standout picks of the Premier League summer transfer window are both defenders – and one may surprise you.
For me, it’s no coincidence that, in the past couple of years, first Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, then Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, splashed a huge amount of cash on defenders… Pep seems to be hoarding full-backs like they’ll be discontinued.
It has worked. He transformed City from a side that could score for fun, but couldn’t defend, into one that still scores for fun, but now doesn’t concede many.
In fact, the only team which conceded fewer was Liverpool – and, given they spent £150m on a keeper and centre-back, then that was no surprise to me – or to regular readers of this column. This time around, a couple of clubs have followed that lead and that makes me believe they may just have done the best indvidual deals in the window.
Harry Maguire will come as no surprise as my top pick for the best buy.
I know it was a crazy amount of money, but I don’t go with the idea Manchester United overpaid. What does that even mean?
If you need a player, you pay what you can and what it takes to get him. United desperately needed a top centre-back… and they’ve got him. So the money doesn’t matter, getting the player does.
The same was said about Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk last season. Doesn’t look like silly money now, though, does it? United had to pay whatever it took to get Maguire and, for me, he can transform their defence in the same way.
My other “best buy” of the window comes in the bargain section and the plaudits go to Arsenal… for signing David Luiz. Yes, I know there are detractors, I know so many people don’t rate him. But £8m for a Brazil international defender who’s won the Premier League, Champions League, two Europa Leagues and two French leagues along with a Confederations Cup?
That’s a steal for that sort of experience.
I think Arsenal may just have got the best of this window.
They’ve got some exciting attacking players and also brought in Kieran Tierney for a decent price. Again, they desperately needed defenders and now they have two with pedigree.
They also spent a surprising amount of money on an 18-year-old centre-back William Saliba. I don’t know much about him, but you’d expect Arsenal to have done their homework.
So to have experience and youth to feed into defence is good work, and it could give them the base to use the attacking talent at their disposal without being quite so exposed. Dani Ceballos has Real Madrid quality, so he’s a good addition, and the Brazilian kid Gabriel Martinelli also looks a prospect.
They’ll do better this season. Maybe they need a bit more in midfield to challenge City or Liverpool – but it’s been a good window for Arsenal.