EPL

4 Weeks from today (Friday, Jully 14) the Premier League (PL) season kicks off.

There have been some big name player transfers across Europe, with many more to come. Click here for a live look at the transfer window, which for the PL runs through September 1.

Transfers & Loans

For more detail on how Transfers and Loans work in Soccer click each link.

• Transfer - There are no “trades” like the NFL. If a player is on contract and transfers, the new club pays the old club for the player. The Transfer Fee. New contracts with the player can then be agreed upon or the new club just takes the old contract and starts paying it.

• Loans - This is a concept many American sports fans struggle with - here’s the basic concept.

  • For the loaning team, they want a player to get game experience and know they will not see playing time

  • For the loanee team, they would like to upgrade a position of need but may not be able to afford it or want to sign a long term deal for the level of talent they are looking for.

• There are many different clauses in these contracts. Who can control the return date? Is there a loan to buy clause? The loaning team may decide to fully, partly or not subsidize the players wages.

• Players are loaned within the same league but also to other leagues across Europe.

Who’s Where

Here are some key transfers, as well as key names that may yet move. All of this will impact the futures betting lines.

• Chelsea has been extremely active as new Gaffer Pochettino focuses on a remake of the side that just was not working.

  • Christian Pulisic - from Chelsea to AC Milan for $27M

  • Also Out, Kai Havertz to Arsenal for 85M, Mason Mount to Man United $80M, Mateo Kovacic to Man City for $40M

  • In, Nkunku from RB Leipzig for $60M and Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for $40M

• Liverpool picked up Dominik Szoboszlai for $75M and Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for $45M

• Man City’s captain, and hero of the Champions League, moved to Barcelona for $27M

• Tottenham picked up Pedro Porro (Sporting), Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus), James Maddison (Leceister), Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli) for a total of $160M

• There have been many big names moving to Saudi Arabia. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact these moves will have both today in the future.

  • Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, and N’Golo Kante all from Chelsea. Bobby Firmino from Liverpool. Ruben Neves from Wolves.

Players to keep an eye on

The news is fast and furious on movement - see here. Names you may recognize that may be on the move

Off Island

Messi’s debut is set for 1 week from today, July 21. And he is wasting no time bulking up on an American diet? Publix IS a good grocery store

Pulisic to AC Milan - is a great deal for Paramount + who will have all the Serie A (Italian League) matches AND the Champions League matches.

The significance of number 11 - Club icons have worn it (Carlo Ancelotti, Dejan Savicevic, Roberto Donadoni, Rivaldo, and most recently Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Very big shoes to fill.

Zlatan retired in June. He had some great quotes, and this great full page add when he was rumored to be going to the LA Galaxy of the MLS.

Or this billboard