Last summer, England’s big clubs went in on signing strikers. This summer, they’ve addressed defensive midfielders.
It’s obviously a coincidence, but four of the Premier League’s top six have signed defensive midfielders, with only Manchester City and Spurs not bringing a pivot in. And poor Manchester City actually tried to sign two of the men on this list, only to be gazumped in the transfer market by their rivals.

Of course the question everyone now wants to know is, who got the best player? Well, it’s not quite as simple as that is it? Because a player being better or not could be meaningless if he isn’t a good fit for his team. So then the question becomes, which player is the best fit for what their team needs? We’ve had a look at the four signings and graded each one in terms of their fit:

Liverpool – Fabinho

What Liverpool needed: A robust defensive midfielder who knows how to defend space and protect against counter-attacks, with the athleticism to make covering runs but also drive forward in attack.

What Liverpool got: A robust defensive midfielder who knows how to defend space, with the athleticism to make covering runs against counter-attacks.

Fabinho was the rock at the base of Monaco’s midfield as they first knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League in 2015, and then after a quick season of transition, starred as Monaco powered to an incredible Ligue 1 win in 2016/17 and was a big presence as Monaco made the Champions League semi-finals, scoring some big upsets along the way.

Fabinho is athletically and technically impressive. He’s so comfortable on the ball, passing the ball forward and starting attacks. Moreover he’s a rock when his team is out of possession, and should bring a new kind of defensive solidity to Liverpool’s midfield. The Reds went through all of last season with Jordan Henderson manning the pivot spot, and although he played well, he’s not a true defensive midfielder and Liverpool were vulnerable to teams that could pass between the lines.

Fabinho corrects that flaw, but it is also why he may struggle to fit in right away. When he played for Monaco, he was very much the holding midfielder next to a more dynamic Tiemoue Bakayoko in a 4-2-2-2. Now, the Bakayoko dynamic can be replicated with Naby Keita, but the Liverpool system is different. Having Fabinho in that role would represent a slight shift in the way Liverpool play, as Jurgen Klopp has never really used a proper holding midfielder since Sebastian Kehl over half a decade ago. Can he adjust his system so the team doesn’t become vertically stretched? We’ll have to wait and see.

Grade: B+

Manchester United – Fred

What Manchester United needed: A two-footed passing midfielder who can play at the base of midfield and be defensively responsible whilst starting play with quick passes.

What Manchester United got: A left-footed passing midfielder who can play at the base of midfield and be defensively responsible whilst starting play with quick passes.

Fred was heavily linked with Manchester City for the longest time (they even tried to sign him in January) but in the end he will wear United red, and Mourinho should be delighted. Here in Fred, the Red Devils have acquired a player who is almost exactly what they needed. The Brazilian is cool, calm and in control.

Fred is a combative tackler who doesn’t shirk defensive responsibilities, but primarily he is a playmaker and shines whenever his side have the ball. He won more tackles (23) and completed more take-ons (23) than any other Shakhtar player in last season’s Champions League. He’s exactly the kind of passing playmaker to get Paul Pogba rolling, whether in a three or a two. Although José Mourinho will likely use him a bit further forward, preferring to use fellow leftie Nemanja Matic as his primary defensive midfielder.

This is really the only downside to Fred; he and Matic are both left-footed and this will adversely effect the way United build-up play from the back. Matic is already slow enough with the ball at his feet, but given he is passing along the same angles as Fred, then if he plays in the same line as the Brazilian (almost a given considering Mourinho) then Fred’s best attributes could be nullified by his own team-mate being in his spaces. Fred himself is great but José Mourinho’s team structure makes this slightly less than perfect.

Grade: A-

Arsenal – Lucas Torreira

What Arsenal needed: A tenacious and technical defensive midfielder who has the aggression to be “enforcer” for the side whilst also being technically good enough to start. Basically, Javier Mascherano 10 years ago.

What Arsenal got: A tenacious and technical defensive midfielder who has the aggression to be “enforcer” for the side whilst also being technically good enough to start. Basically, Javier Mascherano 10 years ago.

This is a perfect signing. Really well and truly spectacular. The only issue is language and culture – will Torreira settle in London right away? And given how multicultural London is, it’s almost certain that he will find a cluster of South Americans to help him feel more at home. That’s the only hurdles he will face because on the pitch this kid is the real deal and will fit in perfectly as the defensive counter-weight to Arsenal’s myriad of attacking talents.

Torreira showed for Uruguay at the 2018 FIFA World Cup that he can be a genuine difference-maker, having the instincts to know when to push up and press, when to retreat and hold the line, and of course the ability to make last-ditch defensive interventions. He made 72 interceptions in 2017/18; only N’Golo Kanté managed more from the Premier League’s top six. And when you’re putting up Kanté numbers, you know you’ve got it made. Arsenal now have a defensive midfielder who can make all their average centre-backs look amazing whilst also unleashing the likes of Granit Xhaka to simply roam forward and pick his passes.

Grade: A+

Chelsea – Jorginho

What Chelsea needed: A passing midfielder capable of orchestrating the team’s tempo and rhythm in a distinctly Sarri-esque style.

What Chelsea got: A passing midfielder capable of orchestrating the team’s tempo and rhythm in a distinctly Sarri-esque style.

Chelsea were dead set on appointing Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri, and they eventually did. That meant they could no longer play N’Golo Kanté at the base of midfield: the Frenchman is an elite tackler, but cannot pass the ball as Sarri would like him to. What Sarri needed was a passer, someone like Sergio Busquets, Miralem Pjanic, Julian Weigl, or the man who played the position for him at Napoli: Jorginho.

So, Chelsea went out and got Jorginho.

Manchester City have been pursuing Jorginho for weeks after missing out on Fred, but the lure of Sarri (and London) was too much for Jorginho to turn down and he’s going to be wearing Chelsea blue next season. This is beyond perfect. Sarri’s style of football needs intense passing and Jorginho attempted 3,197 passes in Serie A last season (at an 89.5% success rate). For clarity, that means that in Serie A last season he averaged a pass every 50 seconds. 50 seconds!

Grade: A+

Who is the best fit defensive midfielder?

It has to be Jorginho. Chelsea won’t play Champions League football here but they signed a defensive midfielder who is literally exactly what they need. Fabinho will be good, Fred too if Mourinho can play him in the right position. Lucas Torreira is the man Arsenal have waited for since Gilberto Silva got old, but Jorginho?

Again, the word “literally” gets misused a lot, but Jorginho is literally the perfect man for the position he’s filling. He did it last year for Sarri in Naples! The only way this move could have possibly been better is if Roman Abramovich used the Infinity Gauntlet to make Jorginho 21 years-old and English; because besides that he fits amazingly.

Of course all this is caveated on Sarri settling in England and not being the combustible eccentric we know he can be. If Sarri leaves then Jorginho may find himself a man out of sync with the Chelsea team. But for a side who will now look to get onboard the Sarri Hype Train, they got themselves the ideal conductor.