Alex Telles
Manchester United bolstered its defensive options by signing left-back Alex Telles on the final day of the summer transfer window in the wake of a 6-1 loss to Tottenham.
United already agreed to a deal with Porto ahead of Sunday's humiliation but it was completed on Monday at a cost of 15 million euros ($18 million) plus potentially another 2 million euros depending on the 27-year-old Brazilian’s success with the club.
“He is a player we have been tracking for some time and his performances over the past few years are exactly what we are looking for,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “He is a fighter and a winner and will add real determination and competition to the squad.”
United, which was also pursuing a deal for free agent 33-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, has only three points from its first three English Premier League games.
Everton is the surprise leader after winning four out of four. And after remodeling his midfield to great effect, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti added a defender by bringing in Ben Godfrey from second-tier Norwich for a reported 25 million pounds ($32 million).
The 22-year-old Godfrey was part of the Norwich team that was relegated from the Premier League last season, but is regarded as a top prospect and was captain of England Under-21s last year.
With Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite injured, Ancelotti has no backup to center backs Yerry Mina and Michael Keane as Everton looks to maintain its brilliant start to the season.
“The manager’s past speaks for itself," Godfrey said of Ancelotti, a three-time Champions League-winning coach. "He has worked with some top-class center backs. I will be able to learn so much from him and he is going to help me get to that next level, which is where I want to be.”
Everton has prioritized improving its midfield in this transfer window, signing Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and playmaker James Rodriguez, and it has had an immediate effect.
