The Fan Hub

The full blown exodus from AC Milan was complete when PSG agreed to pay over 60 million pounds to sign striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and centerback Thiago Silva from the Italian club.

Ibrahimovic and Silva’s unexpected moves to PSG quickly overshadowed signings such as Eden Hazard’s transfer to Chelsea FC, Shinji Kagawa’s move to Manchester United, and Jordi Alba’s move to FC Barcelona. Just two years after signing at AC Milan, Ibra was on the move again.

Hazard and Ibrahimovic were both in action on sunday in a rare opportunity for American fans to see some of the world’s best players live. Ibra, making his PSG debut, scored his first goal for the club at Robert F. Kennedy stadium against MLS side DC United in a 1-1 draw. Hazard played an impressive 75 minutes for Chelsea against AC Milan at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, in a 1-0 defeat.

While Ibrahimovic’s move to PSG turned heads, Hazard is a much younger player who will have a stronger core of players around him. In this respect that leaves Hazard with a lot of potential to grow into a player who will provide a very strong contribution to Chelsea for a number of years.

Hazard is a very skilled player, but the team that adressed one of their biggest needs with a big-time signing was Manchester United in signing Shinji Kagawa. The former Borussia Dortmund central midfield will plug a hole in United’s lineup that was in desperate need of being filled. Kagawa had a very strong goalscoring record in the Bundesliga and can make immediate contributions to a Manchester United team that was immensely disappointing in the 2011-2012 campaign.

The sleeper transfer of the window, however, will likely be Jordi Alba to FC Barcelona. At just €14m, Barcelona’s acquirement of arguably the world’s best Left back could make a huge impact at Barcelona for years to come.

Time will tell which transfer proves to be most pivotal in shaping the scene of European football in years to come – but it may not be Ibrahimovic’s move.