Merson’s transfer grades

As the summer transfer window officially shuts, Paul Merson runs the rule over which sides did the best business.

With pressure on managers and owners following the biggest summer spree in Premier League history, the Magic Man tells us who he thinks topped the class in the market, and who missed the target.

Will Jose Mourinho’s additions lead him to another title? Did Arsenal get the right striker? Did Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte play their cards right? See below…

Arsenal – B+

Major ins: Granit Xhaka – Borussia Monchengladbach, £34m, Rob Holding – Bolton, £2m, Lucas Perez – Deportivo, £17.1m, Shkodran Mustafi – Valencia, £35m

Major outs: Serge Gnabry – Werder Bremen, undisclosed, Joel Campbell – Sporting Lisbon, loan, Calum Chambers – Middlesbrough, loan

They could have done their deals a little bit earlier, but they’re not bad. Shkodran Mustafi is a good player, and Granit Xhaka from Gladbach looks a decent midfielder too.

There was a bit of panic towards the end but I’ll give them a B+ because they did one thing they needed to and that’s sign a centre-half. They would have got an A if they had signed a top forward because I’m not sure about Lucas Perez. He’s been in Spain and their national team have been looking for a centre forward for a long time and he hasn’t played.

Bournemouth – B+

Major ins: Jordon Ibe – Liverpool, £15m, Lys Mousset – Le Havre, £5.4m, Marc Wilson – Stoke, £2m, Nathan Ake – Chelsea, loan, Lewis Cook – Leeds, £10m, Brad Smith – Liverpool, £6m, Jack Wilshere – Arsenal, loan

Major outs: Matt Ritchie – Newcastle, £12m

Jordon Ibe has a lot to learn, Marc Wilson is a solid player and has been around, and I like what Nathan Ake did at Watford last year. The big one is Jack Wilshere, which is a phenomenal signing. They are getting a £30m player for nothing, which is unbelievable. It’s a credit to Eddie Howe and the way they play that he has chosen them. It could be the difference that keeps them up.

Burnley – B+

Major ins: Patrick Bamford – Chelsea, loan, Steven Defour – Anderlecht, £8m, Jeff Hendrick – Derby, undisclosed

Major outs: None

I’m still to be convinced by Patrick Bamford. He drifts in and out and has had a lot of loans now. Jon Flanagan won’t let you down and if Jeff Hendrick can find his Euro 2016 form, he will be a success. Sean Dyche has strengthened where he needed to instead of just buying anybody, and they haven’t lost any key players.

Chelsea – A+

Major ins: Marcos Alonso – Fiorentina, £23m, Michy Batshuayi – Marseille, £33.2m, N’Golo Kante – Leicester, £32m, David Luiz – PSG, £30m

Major outs: Mohamed Salah – Roma, £12m, Juan Cuadrado – Juventus, loan

I don’t think Marcos Alonso is good enough for Chelsea. Michy Batshuayi looks lively so far, and N’Golo Kante makes Chelsea the team to beat this season. David Luiz? No, no, no, no, no. Did you watch him play against Monaco last week? He gave away the silliest penalty I’ve ever seen and Paris Saint-Germain probably dropped him off. Having said that, I’m still giving them an A+ because I think Kante is that good.

Crystal Palace – B+

Major ins: Christian Benteke – Liverpool, £32m, Andros Townsend – Newcastle, £13m, James Tomkins – West Ham, £10m, Loic Remy – Chelsea, loan

Major outs: Yannick Bolasie – Everton, £28m, Dwight Gayle – £10m

Christian Benteke hasn’t found his Aston Villa form and that worries me but I like the signing of Andros Townsend, who gives his all. Benteke and Loic Remy need to prove themselves again, and they are deals that could go either way for Alan Pardew. This could be a D in six months, or an A+.

Everton – B+

Major ins: Yannick Bolasie – Crystal Palace, £28m, Ashley Williams – Swansea, £12m, Idrissa Gueye – Aston Villa, £7.1m, Maarten Stekelenburg – Fulham, undisclosed

Major outs: John Stones – Man City, £50m, Tim Howard – Colorado Rapids, free, Steven Pienaar – Sunderland, free

Yannick Bolasie gives them pace and Ashley Williams is an organiser, but Maarten Stekelenburg has a mistake in him, and I thought they would go for Joe Hart. Ronald Koeman has done OK and to sign Williams with the John Stones money was a good move. 

Hull City – C

Major ins: Ryan Mason – Tottenham, £13m, Will Keane – Man Utd, £3m, David Marshall – Cardiff, £3.5m

Major outs: Mohamed Diame – Newcastle, £4.5m

Ryan Mason needs to play football and he has had a result by staying in the Premier League. He …

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