With the big Premier League kick-off just days away and the transfer window wide open until the end of the month, England’s top clubs are busy wheeling and dealing.
Some stars are coming through the door for a small fortune, while others sign for free.
Sportsmail takes a moment to look at how each club is doing and assess if they’re getting value for money.
Manchester United have been busy in the transfer market this summer with five players signed so far
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CHELSEA
Asmir Begovic (Stoke - £8m)
Value for money: 8/10
The Bosnia goalkeeper hasn’t had the most auspicious of starts in pre-season, but there is no doubting Begovic’s pedigree in the Premier League and, at £8m, he represents good value.
The 28-year-old is arguably coming into the prime of his career and will provide valuable back-up for Thibaut Courtois following the departure of Petr Cech.
Asmir Begovic has struggled in pre-season but there is no doubting his pedigree and he represents good value
Radamel Falcao (Monaco – £4m loan)
Value for money: 4/10
No-one who saw the Colombian play for Manchester United last season would argue that Falcao was worth the £43m Monaco wanted to make his loan move permanent – including Louis van Gaal.
Chelsea can get him for £35m after the two clubs agreed a similar deal and Falcao took a £145,000-a-week wage cut.
If Jose Mourinho fulfils his ambition to help the 29-year-old ‘reach his level again’, then £4m will be a small price for a man who was one of the most feared strikers in world football. But it’s a big if …
Chelsea have taken a risk in bringing Radamel Falcao (right) back to the Premier League on loan
CHELSEA TOTAL SPEND: £12m
MANCHESTER CITY
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool - £49m)
Value for money: 6/10
Many questioned the wisdom of City making Sterling the most expensive English footballer in history after the untidy manner in which he left Liverpool. It was a lot of money to pay for a 20-year-old, driven by City’s desperation for homegrown talent.
Less than a month on, and the picture looks a little different. Sterling has impressed in pre-season, from scoring two minutes into his debut against Roma to setting up both City’s goals against Stuttgart last weekend.
His attitude has been that of a young man determined to prove his critics wrong. There’s still a long way to go to justify that fee (£44m plus £5m in add-ons) but it has been a promising start.
Raheem Sterling has impressed in pre-season but there's still a long way to go to justify that £49m fee
Fabian Delph (Aston Villa - £8m)
Value for money: 7/10
City were more than happy to pay the £8m buyout clause that was written into Delph’s new contract at Villa in January although the player himself seemed less sure of his intentions, making a couple of U-turns before moving to the Etihad.
The 25-year-old represents a significantly cheaper addition in central midfield than Paul Pogba, whose £70m valuation at Juventus was too rich even for City, and will prove to be good value if he can maintain the progress that has seen him break into the England squad. Can he make the step up? Time will tell.
Manchester City signed Fabian Delph for just £8m and he will hope to keep making progress in England
Enes Unal (Bursaspor - £2m)
Value for money: 7/10
The price of £500,000, building up to a possible £2m, will be well worth it if the Turkish shooting star maintains the progress that attracted interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United after scoring 182 goals in 110 games for Bursaspor’s youth team.
City got him, and although Unal was swiftly sent out on loan to Genk, he is one to watch for the future.
Enes Unal may have moved to Genk on loan but he is one to watch for in the future at Man City
MANCHESTER CITY TOTAL SPEND: £59m
ARSENAL
Petr Cech (Chelsea - £10m)
Value for money: 9/10
Jose Mourinho knew that Chelsea might regret selling Cech to one of their main rivals, and the veteran keeper’s early impact at Arsenal suggests that those concerns were well founded.
The Gunners have been crying out for a strong, authoritative figure in goal for years, and in Cech they have one of the best in the Premier League era.
The confidence and calm he brings to the team was evident as Arsenal beat his old club in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. Chelsea got a decent fee for a 33-year-old, but it might prove to be the best £10m Arsene Wenger has spent in a long time.
Petr Cech is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League era and he could prove to be a bargain at £10m
ARSENAL TOTAL SPEND: £10m
MANCHESTER UNITED
Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven - £25m)
Value for money: 7/10
United stole in ahead of rivals Liverpool to sign one of the most highly rated young players in Europe and Louis van Gaal is confident that it will be money well spent.
He gave Depay his big break at international level and the 21-year-old has since established himself as a key player for Holland as well as helping PSV win the Dutch title last season.
A quick, powerful and technically gifted young winger, Depay has earned comparisons with Arjen Robben and a young Cristiano Ronaldo. If he’s half as good, he will be worth it.
Memphis Depay has been compared to Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo and could shine at Old Trafford
Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton - £25m)
Value for money: 7/10
Van Gaal is very specific about his requirements, and signing a ‘No 6’ – a midfield linchpin who can dictate the midfield tempo – was his priority this summer.
Several players were used in that position at Old Trafford last season but Michael Carrick’s injury problems necessitated a move for Schneiderlin, and the Frenchman is a more prudent option than the headline-grabbing acquisition of Schweinsteiger.
Southampton have banked another sizeable transfer fee for one of their star players, but the 25-year-old is a proven Premier League performer who will have no problem fitting straight in at United.
Manchester United spent £25m to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton and he is a proven performer
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich £14m)
Value for money: 5/10
Pep Guardiola’s claims that Schweinsteiger has not been fit for the last three years compound the theory that United are getting a player who is well past his best. If that is the case, then Bayern Munich did well to get £15m for a 31-year-old who only had 12 months left on his contract at the Allianz Arena.
If the German star can prove it wrong over the course of his three-year contract at Old Trafford, however, then United will benefit from one of the best midfielders of his generation.
It’s a gamble but one that Van Gaal, who knows Schweinsteiger well from his spell in Bavaria, is prepared to take.
Bastian Schweinsteiger may be past his best but United will hope he can rediscover his form in midfield
Matteo Darmian (Torino - £14.4m)
Value for money: 6/10
The departure of Rafael to Lyon demonstrates that, first and foremost, Van Gaal demands defensive discipline from his full backs. The United boss felt that he couldn’t trust Rafael and preferred winger Antonio Valencia at right back last season.
Phil Jones and Chris Smalling can play there too but Darmian is a specialist full back who can also operate on the left.
If the 25-year-old’s Italian mentality can help give United the strength and shape they need at the back, it will prove to be a good deal.
Matteo Darmian is a specialist full back and his mentality can help give United the strength they need
Sergio Romero (free agent)
Value for money: 8/10
Another player well known to Van Gaal after working under him in Holland at AZ Alkmaar, Romero has been brought in to replace the out-of-favour Victor Valdes as United’s No 2 goalkeeper or even as an experienced replacement for David de Gea if he leaves for Real Madrid before the transfer window closes.
The 28-year-old impressed for Argentina at the World Cup last summer and also has extensive European experience with AZ, Sampdoria and Monaco, so signing him on a free made sound business sense.
Sergio Romero is an experienced goalkeeper with plenty of Argentina caps and United signed him on a free
MANCHESTER UNITED TOTAL SPEND: £78m
LIVERPOOL
Christian Benteke (Aston Villa - £32.5m)
Value for money: 6/10
It’s not difficult to see why signing a star striker was a priority for Brendan Rodgers this summer after Daniel Sturridge’s chronic injury problems and minimal contributions from Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert severely limited a strikeforce that has also lost Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling.
Benteke is more of a battering ram centre forward than any of them, but his goalscoring record in the Premier League persuaded Liverpool to activate the hefty buyout clause in his contract at Villa.
If the big Belgian has the big impact Rodgers expects, Benteke will be worth it – but the pressure is on.
Christian Benteke is a battering ram of a centre forward but his Premier League record speaks for itself
Roberto Firmino (Hoffenheim - £29m)
Value for money: 6/10
Rodgers has already struck Brazilian gold once by signing Philippe Coutinho for £8.5m from Inter Milan two years ago.
At three times that price, Firmino is a bigger gamble after four years in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim.
Like all the South American players who appeared at the Copa America this summer, he returned late to pre-season training and only made his Liverpool debut against Swindon at the weekend. Only time will tell if he can justify the price tag.
Roberto Firmino is a bigger gamble than Philippe Coutinho but he impressed in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim
Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton - £12.5m)
Value for money: 8/10
Clyne has emerged as the most accomplished defensive right-back in England, and was the ideal candidate when Liverpool came to address their problems in that position following Glen Johnson’s departure from Anfield.
He ignored overtures from Manchester United and Chelsea to move to Merseyside, and will be a key figure for Rodgers this season.
Again, Southampton will be satisfied with the money they have received for a player who had 12 months left on his contract and was expected to leave St Mary’s, but Liverpool look to have got a very good deal.
Nathaniel Clyne was the ideal candidate for Liverpool after Glen Johnson left the club
Joe Gomez (Charlton - £3.5m)
Value for money: 8/10
You could say it’s a lot of money for a teenager who only made his debut for Charlton less than a year ago, but Gomez is a young man with huge potential.
The versatile defender was voted onto UEFA’s team of the tournament after helping England Under-17s win the European Championships last summer, and Rodgers saw enough last season to make his move.
Any thoughts that Gomez would be held back for a while or go out on loan have been quickly dispelled, and he could even make his full debut at left-back against Stoke this weekend. If the 18-year-old’s future turns out to be nearly as bright as predicted, then Liverpool have got a bargain.
Joe Gomez is a young defender with huge potential and he could make his debut against Stoke this weekend
James Milner (Man City – free)
Value for money: 8/10
City’s desire to tie Milner to a new £165,000-a-week deal demonstrated just how highly they rated the England midfielder, but he preferred to join Liverpool as a free agent where the promise of a more influential, central role appealed at this stage of his career.
Rodgers knows what he is getting: a gifted, hard-working, powerful player who is well accustomed to the demands of the Premier League. From the point of view of the player and his new club, it was a perfect match.
Liverpool and James Milner could be a match made in heaven after the midfielder signed on a free from City
Danny Ings (Burnley – tribunal)
Value for money: 7/10
Although Ings arrived at Anfield as a free agent this summer, his move from Turf Moor could cost Liverpool as much as £8.5m at tribunal.
Even that could prove to be good business, however, if the striker maintains the progress that brought 11 goals for relegated Burnley in his first season in the Premier League and put him in contention for a call-up to England’s senior squad.
If Harry Kane is valued at £50m then Ings has to be worth a punt.
Danny Ings (right) could cost Liverpool as much as £8m but even that could prove to be good business
Adam Bogdan (Bolton – free)
Value for money: 5/10
Liverpool wanted more competition for Simon Mignolet after releasing Brad Jones this summer, but whether Bogdan can provide it remains to be seen.
The Hungarian only made 10 appearances in the Championship for Bolton last season, and excelled in a FA Cup tie against Rodgers’s side at Anfield in January.
A free transfer means there is no financial gamble on Liverpool’s part, but will signing Bogdan prove to be a wise move?
Adam Bogdan only made 10 appearances in the Championship last season but Liverpool still signed him
TOTAL SPEND: £86m*
*If Danny Ings tribunal fee is £8m
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3184796/Are-Chelsea-Manchester-United-Arsenal-getting-value-money-summer.html#ixzz3hqo0fxh6
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