Haaland, Casemiro and the top 10 transfers of the season

Tom Weber

• Updated: 2 Jun 2023 12:54 CDT
• 5 min read

The 2022/23 has proved to be an exciting one as the title races of four of the big five leagues went on well into the spring.

Transfers were, as always, a big reason for that. Some of Arsenal's new signings, for example, propelled them up the table to challenge Manchester City. Napoli's news signings did one better and helped them to win their first Scudetto in 33 years.

FootballTransfers takes a look at the top ten best transfers of the 2022/23 season (in no particular order).

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Erling Haaland (Man City, €60m)

Where else to start than with Erling Haaland? The Norwegian machine arrived in the summer from Borussia Dortmund and while expectations of him were high, he has somehow managed to exceed them and then some.

The 22-year-old has hit an utterly absurd 52 goals in 51 games across all competitions this term, his 36 Premier League goals firing Manchester City to the Premier League title - and they could yet win a historic treble.

Casemiro (Man Utd, €70.7m)

From the blue side of Manchester to the red one, next up is Casemiro. Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United parted with more than €70m to land the then-30-year-old defensive midfielder. It has cleary been money well spent.

Casemiro was a vital cog at the heart of United's midfield as Erik ten Hag revitalised the Red Devils, getting them back into the Champions League. The Brazilian has made 50 appearances, chipping in with an impressive seven goals and six assists, winning the League Cup and still having a chance to claim the FA Cup.

Lisandro Martinez (Man Utd, €57.4m)

Staying at United, another player deserves a mention: Lisandro Martinez. People said the diminutive Argentine was too small to play centre-back in the Premier League, but he has proved them totally wrong.

The 25-year-old followed Ten Hag to Old Trafford and the Dutchman put his trust in the tenacious defender. His trust was thoroughly repaid as Martinez was one of the Premier League's standout performers in his position prior to his injury.

Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona, €45m)

Robert Lewandowski had won everything there is to win in Germany, so he made the move to Barcelona in the summer. Unsurprisingly, he picked up right where he left off in Bavaria.

The Pole hit 33 goals in 45 outings across all competitions, firing Barcelona to their first LaLiga title since 2019 with his 23 league strikes.

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Kim Min-jae (Napoli, €18.1m)

Similarly, Kim Min-jae's arrival at Napoli also turned them into title winners. The successor to Kalidou Koulibaly at the heart of the south Italian club's defence, the South Korean arrived for just a little over €18m and was the much better player in 2022/23.

Dubbed the best defender in the world by his now-former coach Luciano Spalletti, Kim was utterly imperious as Napoli strolled to their first Serie A title in decades. His form has earned him repeated links to Manchester United.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli, €11.5m)

Sticking with Napoli, we have to mention the Georgian Messi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He arrived from Dinamo Batumi for just €11.5m and was one of the most exhilarating players of 2022/23.

Together with Victor Osimhen, he formed one of the deadliest partnerships in Europe. The 22-year-old recorded 14 goals and 17 assists in 42 outings.

Alexander Isak (Newcastle, €70m)

Alexander Isak arrived in Newcastle for big money, but he has also turned out to be a big player. Though 10 goals are not necessarily anything to write home about for a €70m player, Isak has shown himself to be vitally important to the reborn Magpies.

His teammate Sven Botman could have also featured here, but strikers get all the attention. Sorry, Sven! Expect more big things from Isak next season.

Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal, €52.2m)

Few people could have anticipated when Gabriel Jesus arrived at the Emirates that he would almost help the Gunners beat his former side to the Premier League title. It ultimately wasn't to be, but Arsenal gave it a good go.

Jesus was a big part of their surprise title challenge. The 26-year-old hit an impressive 11 goals and seven assists in the Premier League despite lengthy spells on the sidelines.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, €35m)

Another Arsenal player that deserves a mention is Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian also traded the Etihad for the Emirates and he has been just as important as Jesus, though for different reasons.

The versatile Ukrainian defender has displaced Kieran Tierney as Arsenal's starting left-back and impressed with his technical ability.

Joao Palhinha (Fulham, €20m)

Last but not least, we have decided to go for Fulham's Joao Palhinha. The midfielder arrived from Sporting CP in his native Portugal and has turned out to be a complete revelation.

The 27-year-old was crucial in keeping Fulham in the Premier League, and his exceptional performances at the base of midfield have seen him linked with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.