da betsul: It's been a wild summer of comings and goings in Europe – so who did the best deals – and who made an absolute mess of the market?
da aviator aposta: The transfer window has closed – in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues, at least – and now the first international break is upon us, which means this is a perfect time to reflect on one of the craziest summers in football history.
The emergence of Saudi Arabia as a major power in the market was arguably the major talking point, with the Pro League's pursuit of many high-profile players bringing with it both positives and negatives for Europe's elite.
On the one hand, the Public Investment Fund's (PIF) willingness to pay over the odds for thirty-something reserves was a huge boost for those looking to clear some dead wood. At the same time, the incredible amount of money on offer in Saudi Arabia proved an unwelcome distraction for some top teams, as it led to key men looking to leave.
On top of that, there was also the usual in-house drama in Europe, with Chelsea's new owners embarking on another historic spending spree that put several noses out of joint once again.
So, who coped well with the chaos? And who made a mess of the market? GOAL ranks and grades the business done by the 15 biggest clubs on the continent…
Getty Images15Chelsea
Pure madness. Manchester United disproved the notion that you can't win anything with kids many, many years ago – but people often forget that Sir Alex Ferguson already had a solid base in place when he blooded 'The Class of '92'. Chelsea have no such foundation.
They signed potential stars of the future but they need success now in order to cover the cost of their historic expenditure. Chelsea have overpaid for nearly every single player they've signed, and while they should come good if Mauricio Pochettino is given time to develop the likes of Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer, there are no guarantees on that front, as Graham Potter learned earlier this year.
However, the most worrying thing is that despite another record-breaking window, which has taken the new owners' total outlay to more than a £1 billion (£860m/$1.1bn) since taking over, Chelsea still look four world-class players short of a title challenge – as Saturday's home loss to Nottingham Forest hammered home. It's often said that Todd Boehly & Co don't have a plan, but they do. It just doesn't appear to be a very good one. Grade: D-
Advertisement(C)GettyImages14Juventus
Financial irregularities have hit Juventus hard. The Old Lady would have finished fourth in Serie A last season had they not been hit with a 10-point penalty deduction, and then they had their Conference League place taken away by UEFA.
So, after such a chaotic and costly campaign, it was unsurprising to see very little transfer activity in Turin. Indeed, Timothy Weah was the only new arrival, with the American replacing veteran wing-back Juan Cuadrado.
Leandro Paredes, Angel Di Maria and Leonardo Bonucci also left on free transfers, severely reducing the wage bill as Juve are forced to put their faith in youth, while the fans are ecstatic that a player-plus-cash deal involving Dusan Vlahovic and Romelu Lukaku collapsed, meaning the Serbian could yet form a formidable partnership with fully-fit-again Federico Chiesa. Grade: D
Getty Images13Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid didn't hang about when it came to getting some defensive reinforcements through the door, with Cesar Azpilicueta among four players to arrive during the first week of the window.
However, Diego Simeone made no secret of his desire to bring in another midfielder this summer, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sofyan Amrabat among those heavily linked with the Rojiblancos, but not one arrived.
Joao Felix's loan move to Barcelona removes an unwanted welcome distraction for at least a season, while Atleti have shown during the early rounds of the new campaign that they look more than capable of building on a tremendous second half of last season, but the fear is that they won't have sufficient strength in depth to sustain a title challenge. Grade: D+
Getty Images12Manchester United
This negative appraisal isn't a knee-jerk reaction to Sunday's loss at Arsenal; we called it after the transfer window closed – Manchester United are no stronger than they were last season despite investing nearly £200m in new players.
Rasmus Hojlund could yet develop into the prolific No.9 the club is so sorely lacking, Sofyan Amrabat should help solidify the midfield once he's eligible to play, while Andre Onana is already showcasing his fantastic array of passing. But there are a lot of question marks surrounding these signings.
Furthermore, it already looks like the money spent on Mason Mount should have been put towards a world-class centre-back. The fact that United finished the game against Arsenal with both Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans on the field tells you everything you need to know about United's worrying lack of strength in depth in defence. Grade: C-