Several La Liga clubs will look slightly different after this crazy summer transfer window, which has been officially shut last Tuesday.
Barcelona are still a hot mess despite doing everything they can to clean up the mess made by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu while Real Madrid didn’t accomplish their main objective.
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid have strengthened their La Liga 2021 odds of a repeat with their transactions while Sevilla were able to address some areas of concern.
Together with SBOTOP, let’s examine who are the biggest winners and losers during the summer extravaganza.
Loser: Barcelona
Despite tallying positive La Liga 2021 results to kick off their campaign, Barcelona fans remain unhappy in these past few weeks and it’s hard to blame them.
Starting life without Lionel Messi is a bitter pill to swallow for the proud Catalonians since his impact for the club goes beyond the pitch.
In lieu of Lionel Messi, the Blaugrana added some new pieces that have garnered mixed reactions from their supporters so far.
Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, and Eric Garcia were claimed for free while former Sevilla forward Luuk de Jong has been brought in as well.
Depay has been the brightest among the bunch since he’s their most impactful player as of the moment. The former Lyon striker leads with two goals and one assist and he’s looked very comfortable donning the Barca kit already.
Sergio Aguero has yet to make his debut since he injured his calf during the preseason. Eric Garcia, on the other hand, has started in two La Liga matches already.
Their latest loanee in Luuk de Jong will undergo a medical before he’ll get to play for Barcelona. The Swiss international is replacing Antoine Griezmann, who is set for a move back to Atletico Madrid on loan.
Winner: Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid are arguably one of the biggest winners in the summer transfer window since they were able to load up on their attack while getting rid of their wantaway star for now.
Los Rojiblancos know that it is unlikely that Luis Suarez will replicate his totals last term, so they wisefully added Matheus Cunha and Antoine Griezmann.
Cunha was one of Brazil’s breakout stars in the Tokyo Olympics and instead of being on a lacklustre club with Hertha BSC, he now has a shot at glory here with Atleti.
Griezmann is back at the Wanda Metropolitano and Atletico Madrid can opt to keep him permanently should things work out for him this term.
It can be noted that the Frenchman was sold to Barcelona for €120-M in 2019. Atletico Madrid can buy him back for €40-M after this season, which is an €80-M heist on their end.
Furthermore, Los Rojiblancos added Rodrigo De Paul to replace Saul Niguez, who just completed his move to Chelsea via loan.
Loser: Real Madrid
Real Madrid were disappointed to learn that Kylian Mbappe is going to stay for at least a few more months in Paris.
Los Blancos weren’t shy in their desire for the precocious striker as they’ve tried to offer the moon and the stars for his services – for €200-M to be exact.
However, PSG weren’t willing to let go of Mbappe despite the lucrative offer, insisting that they can change his mind given their own set of summer transactions.
With the transfer window now shut, Real Madrid will bide their time and they’ll capitalise once his contract expires in 2022.
Moreover, Real Madrid also lost Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Martin Odegaard, who all have been key members of the club in these past few seasons.
To try and compensate, they’ve brought in David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga while securing extensions with Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, and Fede Valverde.
Winner: Sevilla
Sevilla at second of the La Liga table isn’t a coincidence given their shrewd moves this past transfer window.
Their top scorer as of the moment is Erik Lamela with three goals — who was acquired from Tottenham — while fellow new additions Rafa Mir and Thomas Delaney appear to be seamless fits to Julen Lopetegui’s tactics.
But their biggest achievement this summer was fending off suitors for Jules Kounde, who is one of the top young centre-backs in European football today.
Chelsea were pushing hard to get his signature but Sevilla were firm that they won’t allow any transfer for less than his €80-M release clause.
Kounde will lead the backline for Sevilla again this season. And if he continues to do well, expect his value to shoot up in the next couple of months.
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