Top 10 transfers of 2022: Norwegian machine and Georgian jackpot
Wesley Fofana (22)
From Leicester to Chelsea, Price: £70million
After losing key centre-backs Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea had to urgently find a decent replacement. This was the young Frenchman Fofana, who arrived in London from Leicester, where he managed to adapt to the English style of football quite quickly. The talented defender had a contract with the Foxes until 2027, meaning Chelsea had to pay a high amount for him, which made him the fourth most expensive defender in history. He has only managed to play four games in the blue shirt of Chelsea due to a knee injury. Only time will tell whether the Blues' expensive purchase will pay off.
Robert Lewandowski (34)
From Bayern to Barcelona, Price: £40million
Although the Catalan giants are not in the best financial shape, they managed to bring in Lewandowski in the summer transfer window. The Polish sniper, who left Bayern after eight years, immediately began to reaffirm his qualities. In 19 matches, he managed to score 18 goals and set up four more for his team-mates. However, Lewandowski, who helped Poland reach the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, will miss Barcelona's next three matches due to disciplinary action. He received it for an elbow strike in a match against Osasuna. His opponents in the fight for La Liga's top scorer will thus have a chance to get closer to the striker - he currently has a five-goal advantage over Iglesias and Muriqi.
Erling Haaland (21)
From Dortmund to Man City, Price: £52million
If anyone hit the jackpot, it was Pep Guardiola, who brought feared striker Erling Haaland to Man City in the summer. The Norwegian forward, who had health issues before arriving in England, quickly got his act together and immediately became a terror for defences across the Premier League. The fact that he is really doing well at the Citizens is best documented by the numbers - in 19 competitive games, he has already managed to score 24 goals, add three assists and set several records, including scoring three hat-tricks in his first eight Premier League games.
Sadio Mane (30)
From Liverpool to Bayern, Price: £28million
Bayern, who lost long-time fixture Robert Lewandowski in the summer, got a replacement in the wings. Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, who had won everything possible with Liverpool, needed new motivations. He settled into the Bavarian club relatively quickly, which is also evident in his productivity. In the 23 matches in which he started, he managed to score 11 goals and assisted in another four. Everything looked great from Mane's point of view, but then a small personal tragedy came - in the last match before the World Cup, the Senegalese got injured and missed the tournament. In Bayern, however, there must be satisfaction with his services.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (21)
From Dinamo Batumi to Napoli, Price: £9million
When Napoli's management announced the arrival of the talented Georgian in July, few expected that he would become a world-class star within a few months. The player, who already showed his qualities in Rubin Kazan, has become an indispensable man for Napoli since the first round of Serie A. He made his mark both against Hellas and Monza, scoring even two goals. In total, he has made his mark eight times in the colours of the Partenopei, in addition he added 10 assists and it is no wonder that he started to be nicknamed "Kvaradona". This transfer has been really successful for the Italian club, a lot of music for little money.
Adam Hlozek (20)
From Sparta Prague to Leverkusen, Price: £11.5million
One transfer, which can boast of world-class parameters, also took place on the route of Prague to Leverkusen. The German club, in which Patrik Schick has been playing since September 2020, have picked up Adam Hlozk, apparently the greatest talent in Czech football. They had to pay £11.5m for the versatile Spartan attacking midfielder. Hlozek certainly imagined the beginning of the relationship differently; much like the rest of the team, he has not beeing doing well and is still getting used to the level of the Bundesliga. In November, however, he overcame the pain and scored his first league goal in a 5-0 win over Union. Having picked up the pace, he now has scored once in the national cup and recorded an assist in the Champions League.
Antony (22)
From Ajax to Man Utd, Price: £84million
The most expensive transfer of the past year was the transfer of Antony, who moved from Ajax to Man Utd. It promised big things from him at Old Trafford, as reflected in his transfer fee. But the expectations placed in the Brazilian winger have not been fulfilled yet, and Antony is still looking for his lost form in Manchester. He has scored only three goals in 12 matches. Much more is certainly expected from a reinforcement for an astronomical sum. Will it begin after the post-World Cup restart?
Darwin Nunez (23)
From Benfica to Liverpool, Price: £70million
Liverpool have also eyed another attacking star in Portugal's top flight, following the arrival of Luis Díaz from Porto. The Uruguayan headed to Anfield in July for a large sum. The beginning of his career with the Reds has gone well, scoring a goal in his first appearance and an assist in the next one. However, a red card and a three-game suspension came shortly afterward, which slowed him down somewhat. However, although Nunez only played 18 games for Liverpool, he has scored nine times, which is a solid record. However, his potential is definitely higher than he has indicated so far.
Paulo Dybala (29)
From Juventus to Roma, Price: Free
Dybala, who played for Juventus for seven seasons, left for Roma as a free agent in the summer. But in Turin, the Argentine attacking midfielder (sometimes forward) made such a name for himself that he received a royal welcome in the capital. For Roma, Dybala is a great reinforcement - that is, if he can play, because he was sidelined for a significant part of the season by an injured thigh muscle. But when he was on the pitch, it was very noticeable. In 12 games, he scored seven goals and assisted two more. In this case, the management of Roma certainly hit their mark.
Gabriel Jesus (25)
From Man City to Arsenal, Price: £46million
He didn't get as much playing time as he needed at Man City under Pep Guardiola. Maybe not as much as he deserved, so Gabriel Jesus decided to leave. Of the many offers, he finally decided on the one that arrived from Arsenal. And he certainly doesn't have to regret it. He is an indispensable part of the Gunners' line-up and with some thanks to him, Arsenal are basking at the very top of the Premier League. In 20 games, Jesus has scored five goals and set up another seven.
Other interesting transfers: Raheem Sterling, Richarlison, Alexander Isak, Aurelien Tchouameni, Timo Werner
*All amounts taken and converted from Transfermarkt.com