From Granit Xhaka to David Luiz: The story of the transfer window

By Simeon Gholam

It was another hectic transfer window, with all 20 Premier League clubs seeing players either come in or go out the door.

Manchester United broke the world transfer record and plenty of other clubs smashed their own records as Premier League spending passed the £1billion mark.

Here's the day-by-day story of how the transfer window played out for the Premier League teams...

May 24

Just a week after the final game of the 2015/16 season, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool were already thinking about the new campaign and they wasted no time in bringing in goalkeeper Loris Karius for £4.7m from German club Mainz to challenge Simon Mignolet.

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"I wouldn't make the move otherwise if I thought I was just going to sit on the bench," the now 23-year-old said. Unfortunately for him, though, a broken hand in pre-season meant his debut was delayed.

Image: Loris Karius being presented by Liverpool

May 25

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A day after Liverpool's first major signing, Arsenal decided to enter the market with a £34m swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka, who would go on to spend the summer playing for Switzerland at Euro 2016.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said: "Granit is an exciting young player, already with good Champions League and Bundesliga experience. We have been watching him for a long time now and he is a player who will add quality to our squad."

Newly-promoted Middlesbrough also brought in midfielder Viktor Fischer from Ajax, once linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, for £3.8m.

Image: Granit Xhaka was Arsenal's first signing of the summer

June 2

A busy summer for new Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola began at the start of June as he recruited Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund for £21m.

The signing was something of a gamble from City as Gundogan was injured at the time and missed the Euros with Germany as a result. The 25-year-old is yet to make his debut for the club and is set to be unavailable for a while longer.

Image: Ilkay Gundogan was brought in by Pep Guardiola

June 8

And just as City completed the first signing of the Guardiola era, Manchester United were at it a few days later with the first deal of Jose Mourinho's tenure at Old Trafford, bringing in defender Eric Bailly from Villarreal for £30m. 

The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international, who signed a four-year deal with the club, said: "It is a dream come true to be joining Manchester United. To play football at the highest level is all I have ever wanted to do."

Image: Eric Bailly being unveiled by Manchester United

June 23

The transfer window quietened down slightly during the Euros, but that didn't stop the first major deal between Premier League clubs taking place as Tottenham signed Victor Wanyama on a five-year deal from Southampton for £11m.

"I write to you with a heavy heart to announce that I will be leaving Southampton Football Club. As you can imagine it is very emotional for me to say goodbye to the club that gave me the chance to be the first Kenyan to play in [the] Premier League," the 25-year-old midfielder said.

Image: Victor Wanyama poses at the Tottenham's training ground

June 25

Having lost Wanyama, Southampton, who were also without a manager following the departure of Ronald Koeman to Everton, wasted no time in making their first summer acquisition as Nathan Redmond arrived from relegated Norwich for £11m.

Claude Puel, who would sign arrive to take charge at St Mary's, later compared the English winger to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. "It is two men with the same possibilities, quick, a good ability in the technical and the run also," he said. "I see similarities between the two with this ability to shoot with the right foot and to curl the ball."

Image: Nathan Redmond completing his transfer to Southampton from Norwich

June 28 

Southampton are always involved in plenty of ins and outs every summer and 2016 was no different as they waved goodbye to Sadio Mane, the Senegalese winger joining Liverpool for £36m - their record transfer fee.

Mane became the latest in a long line to leave the Saints to join the Anfield club, following Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Rickie Lambert who made the same move in previous years.

"Today is a big day and I am very happy to sign for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It's a club that has won a lot of trophies and has a big history," he said.

Image: Sadio Mane posing with a Liverpool shirt after arriving from Southampton

July 1

The first day of July saw plenty of movement across the Premier League and, despite being a free transfer, there were few bigger deals this summer than the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United.

The Swede joined following the expiration of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, saying: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my career so far and have some great memories. I am now ready to create more special memories in England."

Man City also made a move as they signed Nolito from Celta Vigo for £13.8m, while Andros Townsend joined Crystal Palace from Newcastle for £13m.

Watford also got in on the act as they brought in Belgian international defender Christian Kabasele from Genk for £6m, striker Isaac Success from Granada for £12.5m and Jerome Sinclair from Liverpool for £4m.

Image: Zlatan Ibrahimovic signing for Manchester United

July 3

Less than 24 hours after being knocked out of the Euros with Italy, Antonio Conte was greenlighting his first signing as Chelsea's new boss as Michy Batshuayi arrived at Stamford Bridge for £33.2m from Marseille.

Leicester also made a positive acquisition as Nampalys Mendy joined from Nice for £13m, and Arsenal made their second signing of the summer as Japanese striker Takuma Asano came in from Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Image: Chelsea's new signing Michy Batshuayi at their training ground

July 5

Middlesbrough re-entered the market to bring in 25-year-old Dutch midfielder Marten de Roon from Atalanta for £12m, while Leroy Fer completed a permanent £4.75m move to Swansea from QPR, having spent the second half of last season on loan at the Liberty Stadium.

There was also an emotional move across London for James Tomkins, who left West Ham for Crystal Palace after nearly 20 years on the books at the east London club. 

"I am really excited to be joining Crystal Palace, a massive club and a manager in Alan Pardew that I know well and will always be thankful for how he helped me develop in my younger days at Upton Park," said the 27-year-old defender following his £10m move.

Image: James Tomkins left West Ham for Crystal Palace

July 6

Another day and another busy 24 hours in the summer transfer window as Manchester United continued their summer splurge with the acquisition of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund for £26.3m.

Mourinho's third signing of the summer said: "I am very proud to join Manchester United. This move is a dream come true for me. I am excited to play for a club with such an illustrious history and hope to be part of it for a long time. I thank the trust the club and Jose Mourinho have put in me."

Elsewhere, West Brom made their first signing as winger Matt Phillips arrived from QPR for £5.5m, while Swansea brought in defender Mike van der Hoorn from Ajax.

Image: Henrikh Mkhitaryan poses with Jose Mourinho

July 16

Leicester's key title-winning trio of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante had all been linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium, but it was only the latter who ended up leaving as he joined Chelsea midway through July.

The French midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge for £32m after rejecting a new deal with the Foxes, although that represented an impressive return on the £5.6m they paid Caen for him 12 months before.

"I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It's a dream come true for me," he said. "The opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down."

Image: N'Golo Kante (R) training alongside Chelsea boss Antonio Conte

July 22

Liverpool completed their summer spending early with a double swoop on July 22 as Georginio Wijnaldum arrived from relegated Newcastle for £25m and veteran goalkeeper Alex Manninger joined on a free transfer from German club Augbsurg, 15 years after last playing in the Premier League for Arsenal in 2001.

Asked about the prospect of working with Klopp, Dutch midfielder Wijnaldum said: "A great man - from the outside - because I don't know how he works yet and I have to work with him. 

"I always love to watch him, his passion as a trainer, I like how he enjoys the game. He gives something back to the group, so I look forward to working with him."

Arsenal also dipped back into the market on the same day to sign 20-year-old defender Rob Holding for £2m from Bolton.

Image: Georginio Wijnaldum poses at Melwood after signing for Liverpool

July 25

Wijnaldum's arrival at Liverpool spelt the end of Joe Allen's Anfield career, despite a highly-impressive string of performances for Wales at Euro 2016 that saw him named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.

The 26-year-old midfielder made the short trip to Stoke for £13m, saying: "It wasn't a difficult decision for me to make. I am incredibly excited about my future here at Stoke City."

Image: Joe Allen (L) in action for Stoke

August 2

It had been nearly a month since Guardiola had made a signing at Manchester City, but in the early days of August the Spaniard swooped for Schalke starlet Leroy Sane.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who had been a part of Germany's Euro 2016 squad, moved to the Etihad for £37m after netting nine times in 42 games for the Bundesliga club last season.

Elsewhere, Koeman made his first significant signing at Everton as Idrissa Gueye joined from relegated Aston Villa for £7.1m.

Image: Idrissa Gueye joined Everton from Aston Villa

August 8

A day firmly dominated by West Ham as they became the latest club of the summer to break their transfer window, bringing in Andre Ayew from Swansea for £20.5m. 

"I am very proud and happy to be at this magnificent club. I am happy to be playing for these fans and I hope to make the people very happy here," he said, a week before getting an injury on his debut that ruled him out for up to four months.

The Hammers also signed left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos for £6m as cover for the injured Aaron Cresswell.

Image: Andre Ayew poses at West Ham's London Stadium

August 9

Three years after Gareth Bale signed for Real Madrid, the world transfer record was broken by Manchester United as Paul Pogba returned to Old Trafford for £89m from Juventus.

"I am delighted to rejoin United," said Pogba. "It has always been a club with a special place in my heart and I am really looking forward to working with Jose Mourinho."

Determined not to be outdone, Man City also splashed the cash with the £47.5m signing of Everton defender John Stones, which could increase to £50m with add-ons, making him the most expensive defender in Premier League history.

Image: Manchester United's world-record signing Paul Pogba

August 10

Everton acted incredibly quickly to replace the loss of Stones as they signed Swansea captain Ashley Williams for £12m just a day later.

The 31-year-old said: "I've had eight great years at Swansea and, for me, the new challenge was something I felt I needed, so I'm delighted to have joined. Everton is a great club with an unbelievable manager - a world legend in football - and I believe the club is going in the right direction. This is something I wanted to be a part of."

Image: Ashley Williams moved to Everton from Swansea

August 11

Transfer records were being broken all over the place this summer and Swansea were yet another club to get in on the act as they signed striker Borja Baston for £15.5m from Atletico Madrid.

It had been a very quiet summer at the Stadium of Light, but new manager David Moyes went back to former club Manchester United to bring in young defenders Paddy McNair and Donald Love for a combined £5.5m.

Image: Paddy McNair (L) and Donald Love joined Sunderland from Manchester United

August 15

Everton didn't quite break their record transfer this summer, but Sky sources understand they matched the £28m they paid for Romelu Lukaku last year with the deal to bring in winger Yannick Bolasie from Crystal Palace.

"For me, it was a no-brainer to come here. But now that I've come to Everton, the job is not done. I've got to work hard and feel my way in. I'm ready and up for the challenge," he said.

Image: Yannick Bolasie signed for Everton on a five-year deal

August 20

But another club transfer record did fall less than a week later as Christian Benteke swapped Liverpool for Crystal Palace for £32m. 

The Belgian had only moved to Anfield the summer before for a similar fee, but had become surplus to requirements under Jurgen Klopp during the second half of last season.

"A lot of things happened at Liverpool," he said. "When I arrived it was with Brendan Rodgers as manager but then he was sacked and Jurgen came in and had his own plan, but that's part of football. I could have done better but I think I also needed some trust from the manager and the staff."

Image: Christian Benteke completing his transfer to Crystal Palace

August 25

One saga that would dominate the final few days of the summer transfer window was the departure of goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City, and his replacement in Claudio Bravo arrived a week before its closure from Barcelona for £17.1m.

The 33-year-old said: "It is not easy to leave a club like Barcelona where I had two fantastic years, but the opportunity to work with Pep Guardiola was too good to refuse."

Image: Claudio Bravo will replace Joe Hart as Man City's No 1

August 29

Southampton had seen plenty of players leave in the summer but new boss Puel broke the club transfer record with Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Boufal from Lille for £16m.

"Southampton showed big interest in signing me and I can see that this club is the best place for me to continue my progression as a footballer," he said.

Elsewhere, Tottenham offloaded Belgian midfielder Nacer Chadli to West Brom for £13m and Watford signed Anderlecht's Italian striker Stefano Okaka.

Image: Sofiane Boufal signs for Southampton with executive director of football Les Reed

August 30

Arsenal stole the headlines on the penultimate day of the transfer window as they spent more than £50m on Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi and Deportivo striker Lucas Perez with Mustafi's arrival meaning that the Gunners were happy to let defender Calum Chambers join Middlesbrough on loan.

Chelsea loaned out strikers Loic Remy and Patrick Bamford to Crystal Palace and Burnley respectively, Hull finally splashed the cash to sign midfielder Ryan Mason from Tottenham for £13m, and Swansea brought Alfie Mawson in from Barnsley for £5m.

Image: Arsenal signed Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia

August 31- Transfer Deadline Day

David Luiz made a shock return to the Premier League on Deadline Day, with Chelsea paying PSG £30m to bring the defender back to Stamford Bridge. Jack Wilshere was the other story of the day, the Arsenal midfielder signing up for a season-long loan at Bournemouth after attracting interest from Crystal Palace and Roma. 

Image: David Luiz has returned to Chelsea

Leicester City spent big on a £29.7m purchase of Sporting Lisbon's Islam Slimani to bolster their strikeforce, while Georges-Kevin N'Koudou finally completed his drawn-out move to Tottenham. Elsewhere, Porto's Bruno Martins Indi agreed a season-long loan to Stoke, Wilfried Bony joined the Potters on a similar deal, and West Ham snapped up free agent Alvaro Arbeloa

There were big names departing the Premier League, too, with Joe Hart sealing his loan from Manchester City to Torino, his City team-mate Samir Nasri heading to Sevilla on loan, Mario Balotelli swapping Liverpool for Nice on a free transfer and Juan Cuadrado going on a three-year loan to Juventus. 

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