Any football fan worth his salt knows that business done off the pitch is as equally important as the events that unfold before our eyes whenever our favourite players suit up and play the beautiful game.
Playing the transfer game is fun and terrifying at the same time: you feel giddy at the thought of a drool-worthy talent coming to play for your club, but you feel the pit of your stomach get full of lead when you realize that your 20-goals-a-season star striker will be poached by a bigger club.
The European transfer market is a section that does not lull for long. Clubs are always looking to improve and are always willing to throw ludicrous amounts of money from one place to another to get that one player they believe will take them to the footballing and financial glories of the Champions League.
This piece will talk about some of the moves that caused tremors across the footballing landscape. Of course, we will not be able to cover every single move that happened and you may not agree with some of the items that I will enumerate.
However, you cannot deny that these moves have affected how you approach and bet on the games listed at the SBOBET football page!
Thibaut Courtois: Chelsea to Real Madrid for €35,000,000
Want to learn how to piss sets of people off and earn big money at the same time? Ask Thibaut Courtois how!
The Golden Glove recipient during the World Cup 2018 all of a sudden got homesick and demanded that Chelsea sell him to one of the few clubs bigger than the side based at Stamford Bridge. The fact that the deal went down so quickly that Chelsea panicked into splurging loads of money for Kepa Arrizabalaga left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans that bleed blue.
What made two sets of fans hate him, you ask? It’s the act of Courtois kissing the Real Madrid badge that got Atletico Madrid fans fuming. Why? He once donned a shirt of Los Rojiblancos earlier in his career. You can definitely expect the Madrid derby to be extra loud and rowdy if Julen Lopetegui tells his new keeper to set up shop between the posts at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Arturo Vidal: Bayern Munich to Barcelona for €18,000,000
Chilean stalwart Arturo Vidal joined Barcelona for a reported €18-million fee. That doesn’t sound that insidious, but his arrival at Camp Nou triggered a transfer saga that almost ended in Barcelona hating Paris Saint-Germain even more.
With Vidal’s arrival, Barcelona’s ridiculously strong and deep midfield gets another talented player in its coffers. Ivan Rakitic, who was nothing short of amazing during the World Cup, felt that he might be out of place in the Barcelona rotation and was seriously mulling his options after PSG came knocking at his door.
Fortunately for the Catalan giants, they didn’t have to endure another saga like Neymar’s as the Croatia international decided against the move and stick it out with the La Liga giants. Rakitic shared with the press that staying in Barcelona was not a hard decision to make and he is looking forward to progressing with the Catalans.
Barcelona have Vidal, Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho, and Ousmane Dembele fighting for spots in the starting roster. I feel sorry for La Liga defenders because they have to deal with such an overpowered midfield!
Aleksandr Golovin: CSKA Moscow to Monaco for €30,000,000
The most recent World Cup was a joy for the neutrals to watch due to the absurd amount of upsets that happened in the tournament. One of the biggest stories in the competition was how Russia defied expectations and played exciting football on the biggest stage.
Aleksandr Golovin was one of the biggest stars of Stanislav Cherchesov’s squad. He was only 22 but his game was that of a grown man’s. His age and talent made European transfer 2018 predictions wild with his possible destinations. A youngster as talented as he is was not going to stay in Russia for long.
Monaco eventually picked him up, paying CSKA Moscow big money and locking him up for a five-year deal. I’d say that Monaco might still be donning some rose-tinted glasses when they splurged €30 million on Golovin. After all, not all players who step up on the international stage live up to the hype. And yes, I’m giving a little shoutout to Renato Sanches.
However, they have an eye for talent and they know what they’re doing. After all, their youth system produced that monster of a talent named Kylian Mbappe.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid to Juventus for €117,000,000
There are plenty of European transfer 2018 highlights that shocked my brain when they dropped. However, the cocky super attacker known as Cristiano Ronaldo still takes the cake when it comes to bombastic moves.
Less than a year ago, he was the press that he will don the Real Madrid shirt until he is 40. However, all that it took to get the Portuguese superstar to pack up and leave was to stand up and applaud him for his superb football display.
One disappointing World Cup and an attention-grabbing summer later, Ronaldo is donning the badge of the Old Lady and is tearing up the Serie A with his attacks and pinpoint passes. And he still looks stylish while doing it.
This man never does anything by halves!
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