Although the Premier League summer transfer window has closed, the summer in Spain is open and the Spanish clubs have been very busy this summer. That being said, they are far from done.
Real Madrid lost Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, and they have an uphill task to replace the talismanic Portuguese. Barcelona also lost a key member of their squad this summer as Andres Iniesta joined Japanese side, Vissel Kobe.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are not the only La Liga clubs who have been busy this summer. Atletico Madrid have had a terrific summer as they’ve signed some outstanding young players.
Other clubs like Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla have also done some notable business this summer. All the new faces give enough reason to be excited for the upcoming season, and we’ve picked out five new entrants into La Liga to watch out for this season.
#5 Thomas Lemar (Atletico Madrid)
Thoma Lemar was a transfer target for several clubs including Arsenal and Liverpool, but it was Atletico Madrid who snapped up the Frenchman.
Lemar was one of the standout performers for Monaco in the 2016-17 season when he scored 9 goals and assisted 10 more in the league alone. Despite most of his teammates jumping ship last summer, Lemar stayed put for another season.
Atletico Madrid snapped him up for €60 million, making him the most expensive signing ever by the Spanish club.
Los Colchoneros lacked natural wide players in the squad, signing Lemar addressed a key area of concern. His pace and crossing ability should bring more goals to the Atletico Madrid side as he can feed the likes of Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann.
#4 Arthur Melo (Barcelona)
Barcelona seems to have taken a liking for Brazilian players recently, as they’ve followed up the signing of Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho last season with the arrival of Malcom and Arthur Melo this summer.
Barcelona announced in March that they reached an agreement with Gremio for the transfer of Arthur for €31 million plus €9 million in added variables. In July, he was officially announced as a Barcelona player.
Arthur impressed in preseason, and earned a starting spot for the 2018 Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla which his side eventually won 2-1. Given the long season Barcelona have in front of them, we will have plenty of opportunities to witness the 22 year old Brazilian in action.
#3 Michy Batshuayi (Valencia)
Michy Batshuayi could prove to be an exciting player to watch this season, given how well he performed while he was on loan at Dortmund.
The Chelsea man hasn’t got a lot of opportunities to shine at his parent club so far, given he faced competition from the likes of Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud.
Batshuayi spent the second half of last season on loan at Dortmund, and ended his short spell in the Bundesliga with 9 goals in 14 games. Although there were rumours of potential suitors for him, Chelsea still believe there is a future for the 24 year old at the club. This explains why they’ve only loaned him out.
#2 Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
Vinicius Jr. has made a lot of headlines even before he has kicked the ball for Real Madrid because of the €46 million they paid for him about a year ago.
The 18 year old is known for his pace, trickery and dribbling skills which have drawn comparisons with Neymar. This alone gives us enough reason to be excited about the teenage sensation.
#1 Arturo Vidal (Barcelona)
A few years ago, the transfer of a player of Arture Vidal’s mould to Barcelona was unforeseeable, but given that they signed Paulinho out of the blue last summer, Vidal’s transfer was not a huge surprise, but it was one nevertheless.
The 31 year old midfielder rose to fame during his time with Juventus, and then shined in midfield for Bayern Munich for three years, before making his switch to Barcelona.