Top 25 British Transfers of the Summer

Another contentious and alarmingly immature list. It may take 3, 4, 5 years, if not longer, to fully diagnose the importance and value of the deals conducted during the transfer window but this is the new millenium, we want answers now!

Below are a list of the top 25 transfers made to Premiership clubs since last season ended and attempts to consider potential impact, cost, longevity, statural significance and how necessary their signing was. I say attempts because I've just noticed that Tuncay is no.3 on the list. Well, I'm leaving him there. Don't like it? At least you read it...

1. Gareth Barry (£12m, Aston Villa to Man City) - I can hardly effuse enough about the ‘value’ of this transfer. Not the blockbuster deal that have been the hallmark of the Sheikh Mansour era (whether completed or not) but an adroit addition; Barry should be the leader and heartbeat of this team over the next few years.

2. Thomas Vermaelen (£10m, Ajax to Arsenal) - Looks like he has been there for years and is younger and cheaper than the departed Kolo Toure. Wenger rarely makes lavish signings but appears to have struck gold with Vermaelen and last years major acquitsition Andrei Arshavin.

3. Tuncay Sanli (£5m, Middlesbrough to Stoke) - Highlights Stoke’s ambition that they were able to seal the double deal for Tuncay and Robert Huth with the Turk bringing flair and imagination to the Potters. Also an undoubted team player, hard worker and able to play anywhere across the front. A steal.

4. Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m, Arsenal to Man City) - Two years ago he was worth £30million, last year he was worth about a third of that. City didn’t quite split the difference but, if the languid Togo forward can play to his peak and maintain his motivation, then City have the target man they so sorely missed last term.

5. Lorik Cana (£5m, Marseille to Sunderland) - Quite the coup for Sunderland, Cana was impressing for Marseille in the Champions League in the last couple of years and has already impressed on Wearside with his intelligence, tenacity and distribution.

6. Yuri Zhirkov (£18m, CSKA Moscow to Chelsea) - Not cheap and yet to start but the versatile Russian left-sider should contribute soon. He can provide some much needed width and is the kind of player Ancelotti craves; pacy, diligent and unselfish.

7. Carlos Tevez (£25.5m, Man Utd to Man City via MSI) - Too expensive? Doesn’t score enough goals? Stupid hair bands? All of the above are potential slights but, if nothing else, he proves that City can compete with the elite in terms of potential signings. Put the wind up Fergie also as an added bonus.

8. Glen Johnson (£18.5m, Portsmouth to Liverpool) - A hefty price tag for a right back but Johnson offers far more than his defensive position suggests. He will be an ancillary attacker in many respects, evidenced already by two goals this season, and has developed defensively over the last couple of years, working his way into the England starting XI.

9. Nenad Milijas (£4m, Red Star Belgrade to Wolves) - Easy to imagine that the Serb had no real idea where Wolverhampton was and probably hadn’t heard of any of his team mates. They might respond by suggesting they didn’t know of him but the talented left-footer was the player of the year in his homeland last year, scored 22 goals from midfield and has become an integral part of the national team that are dark horses for next years World Cup. Watch him. He’s good.

10. Sylvain Distin (£5.3m, Portsmouth to Everton) - Another member of the Portsmouth exodus and the replacement for the departed Lescott. Doesn’t possess the upside of Joleon and is nearing the end of his peak but arguably as talented and almost £20million less.

11. Niko Kranjcar (£2m, Portsmouth to Tottenham) - Cheap as chips for a player proven at this level. Expect Harry Redknapp to play him in place of the injured Luka Modric and for the Croatian trio of Corluka, Kranjcar and Modric to propel Spurs to European football.

12. Darren Bent (£10m, Tottenham to Sunderland) - For some reason, it seemed clear that D-Bent would flourish slightly out of the limelight and in a more direct style of play. He’ll score, we won’t notice too much.

13. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£9m, Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton) - A commentator’s nightmare but, by all accounts, a managers dream; an excellent professional, a former captain and capable of filling a number of different roles in the team. Moyes will likely play him just behind the forwards or on the left but expect him to have a Fellaini-esque impact after he settles.

14. Sebastien Bassong (£8m, Newcastle to Tottenham) - Cost Newcastle only £500,000 last summer so must have had a hell of a season to develop his value 16-fold. In truth, he didn’t shine to that extent for the Geordies last year but is a young, strong centre-half that fills a much needed void for the Londoners.

15. Joleon Lescott (£24m, Everton to Man City) - The third highest fee ever for a defender and more costly than the likes of Diego, Etoo, Sneijder, Huntelaar, Robben, Diego Milito, Chygrynski, Felipe Melo and many other non-City summer signings. Good? Yes. Worth it? Not quite. In fairness, they needed a defender (sorry Richard Dunne, but no team can win the league with you in it) and the actual monetry sums are hardlya concern.

16. Stephen Warnock (£8m, Blackburn to Aston Villa) - The good; a mobile and adaptable performer that will add to the team on and off the field. The bad; O’Neill finally has to accept that the Nicky Shorey deal was something of a misstep.

17. Stewart Downing (£12m, Middlesbrough to Aston Villa) - Out until Christmas time but, considering how he single handedly kept his former team competitive at times, should be a big player for the Villa.

18. Michael Turner (£6m, Hull to Sunderland) - Hull’s best player three years running and a star during the first half of their first Premiership campaign. On this list partly for his ability and partly due to the Black Cats necessity for a centre-back.

19. John Heitinga (£6.2m, Atletico Madrid to Everton) - Kinda looks like a slightly less conscious Craig Bellamy but don’t let that fool you, the Dutchman is probably his countries best and most accomplished defender. Can play at the heart of the defence but will probably feature more on the right for the Toffees.

20. Stephen Hunt (£3.5m, Reading to Hull) - Makes things happen. Cant believe nobody secured his signature last year. Bound to become best mates with Jimmy Bullard.

21. Jozy Altidore (Loan, Villarreal to Hull) - Still pretty raw (think an American Carlton Cole) but blessed with undisputed physical tools and effort. He’ll have some shockers but has already shown that he can trouble Premiership defenders. Kamel Ghilas, his strike partner, will probably look brilliant until about mid-October. Enjoy it while it lasts.

22. Alberto Aquilani (£20m, Roma to Liverpool) - Xabi Alonso had developed into one of the league’s premier passers and creators and will be fondly remembered by the Liverpool devotees. Aquilani will have to adapt quickly and avoid the bane of injury but has the tools to be a major contributor and replacement for new ‘Galactico’ Xabi.

23. Frederic Piquionne (Loan, Lyon to Portsmouth) - Here’s a list of the other forwards in the Pompey squad; Kanu, John Utaka, Tommy Smith. Piquionne is not much more than a decent striker but fills a massive need and can lead the line.

24. Christian ‘Chucho’ Benitez (£6.5m, Santos Laguna to Birmingham) - Could go either way. Either he’s somewhere between Mauro Zarate and Christophe Dugarry or he’s not fit to clean Marcus Bent’s boots.

25.Michael Owen (Free, Newcastle to Man Utd) - Ronaldo he isn’t but the former England international will score. The big question is whether he scores pretty meaningless strikes like the one against Wigan or whether he can deliver against when the Reds really need him.

No Roque Santa Cruz, no Kolo Toure, no Lee Cattermole, no Allessandro Diamanti and no Richard Dunne amongst many, many other candidates. Only time will tell as to who the best players purchased over the last couple of months were and, with that in mind, I might just update this list at Christmas, if you're lucky.