Premier League: From Kepa Arrizabalaga to Riyad Mahrez, top 5 most expensive transfers in this window

Thursday marked the end of a whirlwind transfer window for the Premier League, with several clubs making unexpected moves on deadline day and a record or two being broken as teams shelled out big bucks. Here’s a list of the most expensive transfers in the English top flight this summer window: [caption id=“attachment_4940441” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Kepa Arrizabalaga became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time after Chelsea triggered the release clause in his contract with Athletic Bilbao. AP[/caption] Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) - £71.6m Chelsea signed Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a record fee after selling Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid. The club announced the signing on Wednesday after paying Kepa’s $92.6 million buyout clause — the biggest fee ever for a goalkeeper. The transfer was completed shortly after Courtois’ move to Madrid – a deal that also saw midfielder Mateo Kovacic move to the London club on a season-long loan. “Kepa is a talent we have admired for a long time and we are extremely excited about his arrival,” Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said in a statement. The young keeper is considered Spain’s goalkeeper of the future and was a reserve at the World Cup in Russia. He played 53 La Liga matches for Athletic Bilbao since breaking into the team in 2016. After being strongly linked to Real Madrid, Arrizabalaga signed a new deal with Bilbao in January which raised his release fee exponentially. Alisson Becker (Liverpool) - £67m Brazil goalkeeper Alisson briefly became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he joined Liverpool from Roma, only for Chelsea to one-up their Merseyside rivals with their last minute purchase of Arrizabalaga. At the time, Roma said the deal for Brazil’s starting goalkeeper at the World Cup in Russia “could be worth up to € 72.5 million” ($84.5 million). Alisson is set to replace Loris Karius, who made two high-profile mistakes in Liverpool’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May. “At one point in the last few weeks it came up, the opportunity to sign one of the world’s best goalkeepers,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said in July, adding, “then it’s not a long thought, to be honest, it’s only that you need to have a little talk with the owners. They were quite excited, so we did it.” Alisson became Brazil’s starting goalkeeper in 2016, under then-coach Dunga, because of his impressive form with Internacional. Tite, Dunga’s replacement, stuck with Alisson despite Ederson’s excellent displays for Man City last season. Fred (Manchester United) - £61.2m Joining from Shakhtar Donetsk for $66 million, Fred likely will take up a position in midfield alongside anchorman Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, who should play in his preferred place on the left of a central three and have fewer defensive responsibilities. The Brazilian international’s biggest positive is that along with offering United more energy and solidity in central midfield, he also potentially gives a platform for fellow midfielder Pogba to be more expansive and attacking this season. Mourinho has often struggled with unlocking the form that Pogba showed during his days at Juventus, where he was supported by the likes of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo. “This is the biggest club in the world and I am delighted to be a part of this amazing team,” Fred told United’s website upon joining, adding, “to work with (manager) Jose Mourinho, who has won so many trophies in his time as a coach, is an opportunity not to be missed." “Fred will complement our other midfielders’ qualities, which we need; his creative brain and passing vision will give us another dimension to our game,” Mourinho said. Fred won three Ukrainian league titles with Shakhtar after joining from Brazil’s Internacional in 2013. Riyad Mahrez (Man City) - £60m Manchester City signed Leicester City’s Algeria forward Riyad Mahrez on a five-year contract, with British media reporting that the deal had cost a club record £ 60 million ($79.64 million). The 27-year-old Mahrez, who won the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016, said he had moved to The Etihad stadium for the chance to win more silverware and improve his own game. He wanted to move to Manchester in January and handed in a transfer request but ended up staying with Leicester when the club’s valuation ended City’s interest. “I am so pleased to have joined City, a side playing great football under Pep Guardiola,” said Mahrez, who played 179 times for Leicester, scoring 48 goals. He signed for Leicester in 2013 and helped the club win promotion to the Premier League by the end of his first season. Mahrez was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year after scoring 17 league goals in 37 matches as unfashionable Leicester shocked the soccer world by winning the Premier League two years ago. Mahrez mostly played on the right wing during his time at Leicester, cutting in on his favored left foot, but Sterling and Bernardo Silva already feature there for City. The defending champions may opt to use Mahrez centrally as Guardiola looks to manage the 32-year-old David Silva’s game time. Jorginho (Chelsea) - £57m Around two hours after the announcement of Sarri’s arrival at Chelsea, the English club stated that Jorginho had joined on a five-year deal from Napoli. British media reported the fee was £ 57 million ($75 million). Jorginho was a deep-lying playmaker in Sarri’s Napoli team that finished second in Serie A last season, and was instrumental in the brand of football they employed. This was reflected by the fact that the 26-year-old had more touches per minute than any player in Europe’s top five leagues last season. “He was one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe and will become an important member of the playing squad,” Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said upon his arrival at the club. “I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea,” Jorginho stated in his first interview as a Chelsea player, adding, “it is not easy to become part of such a big team so I am very, very happy.” The 26-year-old Jorginho will instigate attacks with his snappy passing from the base of the midfield, allowing the marauding N’Golo Kante to play further forward alongside a more creative central midfielder like Cesc Fabregas, Ross Barkley or the newly-arrived Mateo Kovacic. With inputs from agencies.