Believe it or not, we are at the END of the Premier League transfer window. This means that starting tomorrow at 5pm in the UK, English Premier League clubs can no longer sign players. Now, they can still sell players to other leagues, as Serie A, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La Liga all have transfer windows that close later in the month. As always, these are your questions (and thanks for them). If you have a question for the next Calcio Bag, please write to me on twitter @CPerfetto11 or email calciobag@gmail.com. Onto the topics...
"How true are the Danny Welbeck to Southampton whispers going around? If it were to happen would it be a loan deal or a permanent transfer?" - From @SaintsDanSFC via Twitter DM
Well Dan, as always, when I don't know the answer I go to my colleagues who do. Luckily, we have an Arsenal expert in house (Twitter: @ArsenalNexus) in Dean. Dean mentioned to me that the last he heard, Welbeck had interest from Southampton, Everton & Bournemouth. He has also been linked with a loan to Besiktas. As we now know, Everton are in pole position for Bernard as the player has begun his medicals with the club, so they are not likely to sign Welbeck any longer. There are rumors that Welbeck has visited Staplewood this week so Southampton look to be in the lead, however, it does seem like Southampton are also interested in Danny Ings of Crystal Palace, so that might have an effect on their chances of signing Danny Welbeck. It will be interesting to see how it plays out on deadline day.
"Any chance of Arsenal signing a quality winger this window?" From @ClinicalRamsay via Twitter
We'll go back to Dean for this one. Dean believes Arsenal were after Ousmane Dembele, but were unsuccessful in their attempt to pry him away from Barcelona. This has undoubtedly wasted time and the club are still looking for a centre-back and winger on deadline day, but it might be difficult to pull off any transfers given the short amount of time remaining. It's a shame about Dembele, as he has struggled in La Liga and it would be great to see him join the Premier League, but it doesn't look meant to be during this window.
"How do you rate Chelsea's transfer market so far and do they have any moves left?" - From Jeffrey via email
Chelsea went from a possibly very, very bad transfer window to a very successful one in my opinion. The ability to lock up Maurizio Sarri and bring his most important player along with him were huge moves. On top of that, it seems like they are going to be able to hang onto Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, both of whom are very important to the club. Thibaut Courtois has left but they replaced him quickly and with a young, promising goalie in Kepa Arrizabalaga, although the fee is very high. The fee won't matter though if he performs well and doesn't hinder Chelsea in the future. The loan deal for Kovacic is low risk, high reward. He is a very good midfielder that Sarri will utilize well. The threesome of Kovacic, Jorginho and Kante has great balance and will be one of the best midfields in England this season. I don't see Chelsea making any other major moves. They would have liked a striker, but not be able to move Morata has hindered them and it looks like Sarri would like to give the Spaniard a chance. In my opinion Chelsea are right up there with Manchester City and Liverpool as having the best windows in the Premier League, with Arsenal right behind. All four of these clubs are ahead of Tottenham and Manchester United, which brings us to our next question...
"Is Manchester United alive? If so, will they make any moves?" - From Martin via email
This is a very fair question. It has been a freakishly quiet transfer window for United, and one that their manager has been complaining about nonstop. They desperately need a centre-back and are still being linked for Toby Alderweireld. Aside from this, it doesn't look like they will be making any moves which is scary. In addition to a CB, they need a winger and a backup striker to Romelu Lukaku. Something is going on at the club and it does not bode well for the future of Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager already suffers from a "third season curse" as things did not go well for him at Chelsea in the third term of each tenure, nor at Real Madrid in his third season. It seems like he is already making excuses and letting the world know that when he fails this season its because of the lack of spending. Even though he is not acting appropriately, he is still right about the lack of transfer moves. The Premier League will be hotly contested with Manchester City being so far ahead of everyone last year, Liverpool making the final of the Champions League and then adding significant signings in the summer and Chelsea & Arsenal improving as well. Top four is not guaranteed for United and it might seem very tough for them to get there.
"Will Luka Modric join Inter Milan?" - From @je_saraa via Twitter
The fact that this is even being talked about as a concrete rumor is a win for Serie A. Real Madrid do not want to sell Modric, so he will have to convince Florentino Perez to let him go. This is very similar to the Cristiano Ronaldo sale as Ronaldo also had to convince Perez to sell him. Things were a little more concrete in that transfer, however, as Ronaldo had a gentleman's agreement for a 100 million euro fee, and the reports clearly stated Juventus were willing to pay that fee as well as Ronaldo's salary. We haven't heard anything yet about what the fee would be for Modric or if Inter have fully agreed to his salary and what the amount would be. Inter still have to abide by Financial Fair Play parameters, so if the numbers get too high it might be too difficult for them to pull off. One thing is for sure though, it seems that Modric wants to leave Real Madrid and he wants to join Inter. The player's desire is often very important in these types of dealings, so as long as thats the case Inter have a solid chance of signing the Croatian star.
"Do AC Milan have anymore major moves left in them after Higuain?" - From Francesco via email
Well, I sure hope so. Leonardo has been downplaying big moves whenever he has spoken to the media. Take that with a grain of salt though, because he also mentioned that Higuain would be a very tough, if not impossible move, before he ended up signing him. UEFA are watching Milan with a very close eye, so they would have to get creative in order to sign a major player. I think Leonardo is capable, and the presence that he and Paolo Maldini bring to the club will undoubtedly attract star players. Milan are desperate for a top quality midfielder and an additional winger. Look for Leonardo to make a move in one, or both of these areas in the next week. I can see him pulling this off with a loan + option to buy format.
Thanks again for your questions. If you have any for the next edition, please send them via Twitter to @CPerfetto11 or @CSportsFootball. You can also email them to calciobag@gmail.com. If you've enjoyed this, please like and share the article.