10 Biggest Soccer Transfers of Summer 2023
This summer has provided some monumental shifts in the soccer landscape for the upcoming season. The Premier League alone has spent over $1 billion this window alone,with many record-breaking transfers taking place. Let’s take a look at my top 10 transfers of this summer, with input from other fans as well:
Harry Kane- Bayern Munich
After a multi-year transfer saga, Harry Kane has finally left Tottenham. The 30 year old English striker has left his boyhood club in favor of a move to Germany. After becoming the club’s highest goalscorer in history this past season, it seemed as if Kane was pushing for a move away from London this summer. However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was never going to make a move away easy. For a while it seemed like this summer was going to be a repeat of past summers, but in the end, a $126 million fee was agreed upon, and the English striker was on a plane to Germany.
Declan Rice- Arsenal
Declan Rice was on his way out of West Ham, but it was unsure of where he would end up. The race for his signing boiled down to two teams: Manchester City and Arsenal. The English midfielder ended up joining Arsenal for a club-record fee of $131 million. This is a huge boost to the midfield of the Gunners, who were nearly Premier League champions last season. It will be interesting to see how the team fares this year, after making necessary improvements to their squad.
Jude Bellingham- Real Madrid
After joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of $110 million, Bellingham has shown he very well may be the signing of the summer. Through four games, the English midfielder has netted five goals, also adding an assist. In a Madrid team that is loaded with talented midfielders, Bellingham has proven himself to be a major asset. In light of these recent performances, the 20 year old has quickly become a fan favorite. Though it was early, he seems to be a player that the team will be able to count on for the coming years.
Lionel Messi- Inter Miami
It is hard to name a player that has had a more impressive career than Lionel Messi in the history of the game. After playing for Ligue 1 giant PSG for the last few seasons, it was evident that the player was on his way out. Unsurprisingly, teams all over the world were fighting to get him. In Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal offered him a contract of over $1.5 billion over three years. However, he turned it down in favor of going to play for David Beckham’s Inter Milan in the MLS. Since arriving, he has taken Miami from bottom of the table, to consistently winning games, and winning the Leagues Cup. Through 11 games, the Argenginian forward has a staggering 11 goals and 8 assists. It is going to be a fun end to the MLS season, and it will be interesting to see how far he can lead this team in the playoffs.
Neymar- Al-Hilal
This was a bit of a surprising move, and it shows how far the former Brazilian wonderkid has fallen. On the other hand, this could prove to be a good move for him, as this is a league that he should do well in. Neymar will be playing for a pretty penny as well, making between $300 and $400 million over the next two years. Even with this money, it is hard to not wonder what could have been in his career that started out so promising.
Moises Caicedo- Chelsea
Yet another young midfielder made an expensive transfer this summer, this time to Chelsea. The Blues were not shy of spending money this summer, spending $1.15 billion in the last 2 years. The former Brighton player was a standout youngster in the Premier League last year, and is a very exciting player for the future. With this being said, he will have a lot of competition to get playing time in the Chelsea midfield. It will be interesting to see how he pans out in this new team, and if he is successful.
Randal Kolo Muani- Paris Saint Germain
Kolo Muani was a standout player following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. If it weren't for a last-second heroic save from Emi Martinez, he would have had a last second goal to win the World Cup for France. Thus, he was going to be an expensive signing from Eintracht Frankfurt. Ultimately, the 24 year old striker signed with PSG for $96 million. I really like this transfer, as it is a step up in his career, and it also fills a new hole in the PSG squad. With both Messi and Neymar gone, Kolo Muani will be an excellent replacement, and should provide the team with plenty of goals throughout the course of the season.
Dominik Szoboszlai- Liverpool
The 22 year old Hungarian captain made a big money move from Red Bull Leipzig to Liverpool. He is a very dynamic player that will greatly improve a Liverpool team that struggled last season. With the loss of Jordan Henderson, Szoboszlai should be a key player that can hopefully help guide the Reds into competing at a high level in the Premier League this season.
Sandro Tonali- Newcastle
Sticking with the theme of this article so far, yet another young midfielder made a move this summer. After playing well for AC Milan, there were questions about whether he wanted to leave, even after his transfer had been completed. However, he seems to have adapted to the style of the Premier League quickly. He has transformed the midfield of a Newcastle team that seems to have taken on a new identity under the new ownership. Expectations are high for the team this season, and Tonali should have a big role to play throughout.
James Maddison- Tottenham
Yes, he is another midfielder. Yes, he plays in the Premier League. I get it. But here is a player that has played incredibly well in the first games of the season. He has tallied 2 goals and 2 assists in the Premier League so far this season, and has played a big role in Tottenham’s unbeaten start to the season. He has also quickly become a favorite of the fans of the team, with fans wondering if this could possibly be the year that the team ends its trophy drought.
In addition to hearing my opinions of the summer, I asked some other fans this question: “Who do you think was the best signing of last summer?” Here is what they said:
“Jude Bellingam to Real Madrid because of his impact on the team and his ability to score goals in high pressure and important games/times.”-Ian Bailey, fan
“Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid without a doubt. Losing Benzema as a striker was definitely a big thing for Madrid, but Bellingham is definitely filling his shoes, and showing up for the team.” -Hayden Franco, fan
“Lionel Messi, because we’ve never had a player of that caliber play in the MLS since David Beckham in 2007. Even then I feel like Messi is better than him.” -Drew Larkin, fan
“I would say Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid. In the prime of his career (and probably the most important period in his career), everyone thought his next move was back to England to play for Liverpool, but Madrid came in and signed him. Another good shoutout is Messi to Inter Miami of course. All summer long it went back and forth between going to Inter Miami, Al Hilal, and Barcelona. I personally thought he was going to Saudi Arabia when Al Hilal offered him $500 million, but he turned it down and chose to go to Miami not long later.” -Caiden Kopytin, fan
“Messi to the MLS. Why? Because he’s the greatest soccer player ever, and he’s arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time as well. The amount of publicity that comes with his name is exactly what American soccer needed. He’s breathing a whole new light to soccer and to the US.” -Leo Gonzalez, fan
*quotes have been edited for clarity