how first and last teams to make a signing fare

Brighton were the first team to make a summer signing. The last two sides to do so were relegated in 19th. Eleven clubs are yet to start their business.

2022/23

First club to make a signing: Leeds
The signing: Brenden Aaronson (£24.7m from Salzburg)
The date: May 26
His stats: 36 games, 28 starts, 1 goal, 3 assists, 0.86 PPG
Their final position: 19th

Last club to make a signing: Leicester
The signing: Alex Smithies (free agent)
The date: August 12
His stats: 0 games
Their final position: 18th

Perhaps it doesn’t matter when you make a signing, just that said signing is not a) quite bad or b) a free back-up goalkeeper.

2021/22

First club to make a signing: Watford
The signing: Imran Louza (£9m from Nantes)
The date: June 1
His stats: 20 games, 17 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0.5 PPG
Their final position: 19th

Last club to make a signing: Newcastle
The signing: Joe Willock (£25m from Arsenal)
The date: August 13
His stats: 29 games, 24 starts, 2 goals, 0 assists, 1.28 PPG
Their final position: 11th

Watford signed four players by June 21 and a further five in July and it did them a great deal of good. Newcastle made a loanee permanent as their only summer addition and still stayed up handsomely through the power of excellent coaching and absolutely nothing else.

2020/21

First club to make a signing: Chelsea
The signing: Hakim Ziyech (£33.3m from Ajax)
The date: February 24
His stats: 23 games, 15 starts, 2 goals, 3 assists, 1.65 PPG
Their final position: 4th

Last club to make a signing: Aston Villa
The signing: Matty Cash (£16m from Nottingham Forest)
The date: September 3
His stats: 28 games, 28 starts, 0 goals, 2 assists, 1.5 PPG
Their final position: 11th

After the transfer embargo of 2019 – in which they still bought Mateo Kovacic for £40m – Chelsea acted fast to secure Hakim Ziyech. Aston Villa waited to withdrew their Cash. It is no secret as to which is happier with their lot two years on.

Story continues

2019/20

First club to make a signing: Aston Villa
The signing: Jota (£4m from Birmingham)
The date: June 5
His stats: 10 games, 4 starts, 0 goals, 1 assist, 0.7 PPG
Their final position: 17th

Last club to make a signing: Liverpool
The signing: Adrian (free from West Ham)
The date: August 5
His stats: 11 games, 9 starts, 2 clean sheets, 3 PPG
Their final position: 1st

Aston Villa jumped the gun a year earlier and might well wish they hadn’t bothered in the end. Liverpool boiled every millilitre of p*ss that their fanbase could muster by signing two teenagers for £3m, as well as 30-something goalkeeping back-ups on frees. Then they won the title by 18 points. Go figure.

2018/19

First club to make a signing: Leicester
The signing: Ricardo Pereira (£22m from Porto)
The date: May 17
His stats: 35 games, 35 starts, 2 goals, 7 assists, 1.34 PPG
Their final position: 9th

Last club to make a signing: Tottenham
The signing: No-one. They signed absolutely no-one. So technically I suppose they weren’t the last club to make a signing but here we are.
Their final position: 4th

Four days after Danny Simpson played in a 5-4 defeat to Tottenham, Claude Puel had seen about enough and wasted little time in securing a significant upgrade in the position. Tottenham did nothing and reached a Champions League final.

2017/18

First club to make a signing: Brighton
The signing: Pascal Gross (£3m from Ingolstadt)
The date: May 19
His stats: 38 games, 35 starts, 7 goals, 8 assists, 1.05 PPG
Their final position: 15th

Last club to make a signing: Tottenham
The signing: Davinson Sanchez
The date: August 23
His stats: 31 games, 29 starts, 0 goals, 0 assists, 2.16 PPG
Their final position: 3rd

Brighton used their newfound status as a Premier League club to bring in Pascal Gross for an absolute bargain. Daniel Levy did a Daniel Levy.

2016/17

First club to make a signing: Liverpool
The signing: Joel Matip (free from Schalke)
The date: February 15
His stats: 29 games, 27 starts, 1 goal, 0 assists, 2.03 PPG
Their final position: 4th

Last club to make a signing: Hull
The signing: Will Keane
The date: August 30
His stats: 5 games, 4 starts, o goals, 0 assists, 0.8 PPG
Their final position: 18th

That is quite the juxtaposition. Jurgen Klopp sealed his first summer signing at Liverpool in February and Hull closed their first deal of the window on the penultimate day. The former qualified for the Champions League. The latter qualified for the Championship.

The article Brighton down; 11 hope to match Liverpool champs: how first and last teams to make a signing fare appeared first on Football365.com.