The summer transfer window has now officially slammed shut after one of the most hectic last days in recent memory as clubs scrambled to fill perceived gaps within their squad. The end to the transfer window is a time when rational thought can go out of the window.
Before I worked within football, I assumed that deadline day was a time for clubs who were not smart or organised because of course you would look to have all of your business complete before that point, right? Well, while there is perhaps some truth to that, the reality is that no club can afford to completely sit things out. You always have to be aware of any potential opportunities for deals that suddenly become available where previously they were not realistic or achievable.
Even with that said though, I still believe that a smart club will only be looking for these type of deals and not looking to add players in key areas of their squad.
There was a sense of panic around so many clubs as the window came to a close yesterday and you have to wonder how many of these deals were completed without real due diligence being completed. There are though, of course, always instances in which deals made towards the end of the window do work and we see those players become important pieces for their new sides.
In this data analysis piece, we will pick out four interesting transfers that occurred in the last week of the window. We will use data and statistics, from the 2021/22 season to give a decent sample size, to give an idea of the type of profile of the player that these clubs have signed and we will give a brief overview of each player.
The data for this piece is from Wyscout and has been converted to percentile rankings which compare each player to others who played in their division in the same position.
#1 Sasa Kaladzic, 25-years-old, Striker, Vfb Stuttgart to Wolves
The move of the Austrian international striker Sasa Kalajdžić from VfB Stuttgart to the English Premier League was one that has made sense for a long time now. This would have, for example, been a move that would have improved Manchester United or Everton in particular given their issues at the striker position. As a consultancy, we at TFA HQ have actually done some work in the past on Kalajdžić and his suitability for the Premier League was very much surfaced in that report.
Wolves are the team, however, who have won the battle, if there was actually a battle, to sign the Austrian international and he represents a real upgrade at the position, at least given the loss of form of Raul Jimenez.
Lets get the obvious part out o
