Doing business in the transfer window is fraught with risk, especially for clubs that spend a lot of money.
This point has been well proven in the Premier League this season, where big money has failed to live up to expectations. Alexander Isak, Florian WIRTZ and Benjamin Sesko are among the plethora of players yet to justify their expensive transfer fees.
However, it was a different story in Laliga, with many clubs signing influential players quickly.
Before we explore some of the main success stories, here are several incoming transfers completed by LALIGA clubs during the 2020 summer transfer windows:
| The player | From the | at | Fixed income for work |
| Dean Huijsen | Bournemouth | Real Madrid | €62.50m |
| Alvaro Carreras | Benfica | Real Madrid | €50.00m |
| Franco Mastantuno | River plate | Real Madrid | €45.00m |
| Alex Baena | Villarreal | Atletico Madrid | €42.00m |
| Georges Mikautadze | You are a sinner | Villarreal | €31.00m |
| David Hanco | Feyenoord | Atletico Madrid | €26.00m |
| Joan Garcia | Espantol | An airplane | €25.00m |
| Renato Veiga | Chelsea | Villarreal | €24.50m |
| Johnny Cardoso | Real betis | Atletico Madrid | €24.00m |
| A large type of sponge that is small in size | Manchester United | Real betis | €22.00m |
| Giacomo raspadori | Naples | Atletico Madrid | €22.00m |
| Thiago Almada | Botafogo | Atletico Madrid | €21.00m |
| Matteo Ruggeri | Atalanta | Atletico Madrid | €17.00m |
| Alberto Moleiro | Las Palmas | Villarreal | €16.00m |
| Marc Pubill | You are not | Atletico Madrid | €16.00m |
| Vladyslav Vanat | Dynamo Kyiv | Girona | €15.00m |
| Jesus are there | Osasuna | The Athletic Club | €12.00m |
| Nelson Deossa | Monterrey | Real betis | €11.70m |
| Angel Herrera | Girona | The Real Sokeyad | €11.00m |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liver pool | Real Madrid | €10.00m |
| Aerymer Laporte | Al-nasr | The Athletic Club | €10.00m |
| Santiago mouriño | Atletico Madrid | Villarreal | €10.00m |
The Madrid Giants lead the way
Real Madrid are famous for their shrewd business in the transfer market, especially when it comes to acquiring players at the end of their contracts.
Paradoxically, that strategy has not paid dividends this season, with Trex Alexander-Arnold failing to impress following his move to Liverpool. His battles should send a cautionary warning to the Club’s Hierarchy section, which is considering another red attack next summer.
Defender Ibrahima Konate has been strongly linked with a move to Madrid after failing to agree a new contract with the Premier League giants. However, he has produced a string of impressive performances this season and Los Blancos must consider whether he is worth the huge salary he will be demanding.
While skepticism persists over the wisdom of the move from Liverpool, it was undoubtedly a huge success with their biggest signing of the summer. Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono all made an impact for Xabi Alonso’s side during a strong start to the season.
Huijsen and Carreras are part of a defense that has conceded 13 goals in 14 league games. Five of these were accused of derby with Atletico Madrid. Mastantuono has also shown the emergence of his opportunities following his move to the river plate, although injuries have halted his progress.
Atletico spent big last summer, shelling out €176 million on new players in an attempt to rival Barcelona at the top of the standings.
After taking a while to settle, Atleti posted the Laliga Table and are now in fourth place, just three points above the top spot. Most of their most expensive signings have done well, although Giacomo Rispadori is inconsistent following his move to Napoli.
Villarreal Force their way to the top four
Villarreal finished fifth last season and have continued to impress this term, moving up to third in the standings after losing 14 matches.
Their progress is even more remarkable when considering that they capitalized on their transfer achievements during the summer transfer window. Villarreal spent €102m of the €108m they produced on several new players including Georges Mikautadze, Renato Veiga and Alberto Moleiro.
While Mikutadze has been hitting his stride in full, Veiga and Moleiro have played key roles in Villarreal’s rise to Villarreal’ Santiago Mouriño and Tajon Buchanan have impressed and impressed, highlighting that transfer money does not need to be more than players who can succeed.
Elsewhere, Barcelona’s financial situation is limited by the business they were able to do last summer. Goalie Joan Garcia was their most expensive purchase.
He started the season well, conceding just four goals in his first six league appearances. Garcia missed the next six games with a knee injury, but kept a clean sheet in his return to the athletic club.
Barcelona have also struck gold in the loan market, with Marcus Rashford an immediate stay at the club after leaving Manchester United.
The 28-year-old has two goals and six assists in 13 league appearances, and has also been a standout in the Champions League.
Zach Lowy is a sports journalist who has written for leading outlets such as Fotmob, Betus, Apuestas Deportivas, and who has appeared as a guest on radio and television for the BBC, SiriusXMFC, and various other platforms. After pursuing a degree in international sports journalism at George Washington University, Zach was able to tap into their multilingual backgrounds and interview major soccer figures in Spanish and Portuguese for the Podcast ‘wak soccer show.
