Now that the Euro is finally over, July 1 has gone by and teams are finally starting to make moves, besides the transfers that were already agreed upon in the middle of last season. Gylfi Sigurdsson finally made his decision, choosing Tottenham, while Lucio made a surprise move from Inter to Juventus.
After a few days of foreplay, which involved rumors and player announcements, like Robin van Persie or Diego Forlan (another player leaving Inter), we’ve finally arrived to that time of summer which has us seeing player getting on planes and switching teams.
Lucio, from Inter to Juventus
Not much is left from the team that won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho, as Inter have hit sort of rock bottom last season, finishing a very disappointing sixth, meaning their out of the Champions League. Lucio, now 34, after three seasons with the club and two years left on his contract, decided it’s time to move elsewhere, getting a mutual consent release. He did have an offer from Fenerbahce as well, where he probably would have played more, but staying in Italy for a team wit title ambitions like Juventus was important for player, who’ll probably be coming off the bench if Chiellini, Bonucci and Barzagli can’t play.
Lucio signed a two-year deal with the club, arriving via free transfer. Despite his ‘age’, he hardly missed any matches last season, playing an overall of 41 matches for the club. He won a league title, two Italian Cups and the Champions League during his time with Inter, playing in 136 matches and scoring 5 goals.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, from Hoffenheim to Tottenham
Swansea nearly had Sigurdsson come on a permanent deal with a £6.8 million offer, but that was before Brendan Rodgers moved to Liverpool and the deal fell apart. Then Liverpool came through as the leaders to sign the talented Icelandic player, who had 7 goals in 3 assists for Swansea in half a season with the Welsh club. But as days went by, Tottenham, even without a manager to speak of, took the reigns. The moment Andre-Villas Boas got the job, it was easier to complete. Tottenham simply offered more money in both transfer fee and wages for the Icelandic international, paying £8 million to the German club. According to rumors, AVB has £62 million more to spend.
Miguel Veloso, from Genoa to Dynamo Kiev
One of the more surprising post-Euro moves, for a number of reasons. The 26 year old Portuguese midfielder was a part of a very impressive midfield trio for Portugal, along with Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles. A good Euro usually means a move to a bigger club in one of the Western European leagues, but Dynamo Kiev, not exactly a club short of money, snatched up the midfielder who completed two so-so seasons with Genoa in the Serie A.