The Rondo, Transfer Window edition: How bad is the Folarin Balogun saga for the USMNT? Did Arsenal make the best signings? Who made the worst moves?

Tom Hindle: Could get a bit trendy here and say Mamadou Sangare to Brentford. His rise has been meteoric and he will probably be wearing a Man United shirt in 18 months.

For the cream of the crop, though, it's Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal, by some distance. Guimaraes is a top five Premier League center midfielder, one of the best in his position in the world, and a stalwart of the Brazilian national team. He can play as a No.6, No.8 and No.10, and has the tenacity required to play in a Mikel Arteta team. Plus £75 million is a "bargain" in this market. Perhaps most importantly, though, this shores up Arsenal's most obvious position of weakness. Any Declan Rice injury might have derailed the Gunners' season. Now, his legs can be saved.

Alex Labidou: Rodri to Barcelona, although I have a surprise pick at No. 2 - and it’s close. Rodri gives Barça something they’ve lacked since Sergio Busquets left: control and steel at the base of midfield. He’s the world’s best No. 6 and, as he showed at the World Cup, can make life miserable for the opposition. Real Madrid may still be the favorites to win La Liga, but don’t be surprised if Barcelona win the Champions League this season.

As for No. 2, how about Bradley Barcola to Liverpool? Yes, the Reds still have holes and aren’t the favorites to win the Premier League, but the Anfield side made the kind of statement England’s top flight has needed for a while. Premier League clubs can usually buy nearly anyone, but prying a player of Barcola’s quality away from PSG as he enters his prime is different. Just look at Arsenal’s pie-in-the-sky pursuit of Vini Jr. The fact that Barcola chose to leave the comforts of Paris and chase the opportunity to become the guy at Anfield says plenty about his ambition. Allez.

Ryan Tolmich: There's a clear winner and that's Barcelona getting Rodri for what feels like a steal of a price. The best midfielder in the world waltzed right into Barcelona's team, giving them a general who could and probably will take this team to a new level. He's not a signing for the future; he's a signing for now, and Barcelona are now a much better team.

TH: Savinho moving to Spurs for £75m and then immediately rebranding as "Savio." The Brazilian is a decent footballer, and really impactful in one-v-one situations. But his goal return of just two in two years for Man City is concerning to say the absolute least. Spurs probably reckon he's got a lot to offer, and at 22 that makes sense. Still, this is a massive overpay for someone who hasn't proved that he could be more than a decent Premier League winger.

AL: Tottenham’s entire window? If a club spends around £400 million and still leaves you wondering whether it acquired anyone capable of transforming the side, is it time to insert the Joker-burning-money meme here?

Savinho and Omar Marmoush are talented, and Sandro Tonali is a proven Premier League midfielder, but Spurs paid superstar prices for a collection of players their former clubs were willing to lose. Yes, players have to want to play for Tottenham, and that’s probably half the challenge. But where is the centerpiece? Their poor start has only made the window look worse. And the deal for
Mykhailo Mudryk? LOL.

RT: While there was a clear need in midfield following Rodri's exit, Manchester City spending crazy money on Enzo Fernandez seems so, so misguided. Is he a good player? Surely. He is also persona non grata in England after this summer's World Cup and, in truth, has never really shown that he can be a nine-figure player in the Premier League. Was it panic or just upside that many of us don't see? We'll find out.

TH: The best? Probably Gio Reyna, who parlayed an alright-ish World Cup into a move to Strasbourg. That seems a tidy fit in a less-intense league for a talent that probably just needs the right environment to show what he can do. This writer's conspiracy theory is that half a decent season gets him a spot at Chelsea, where they can market their "new American star." As for the worst... There haven't been any stinkers, per se. But Sebastian Berhalter's transfer to Middlesbrough isn't great for MLS. The North American top flight is trying to position itself as superior to the English second division, and his decision to get out of an MLS Cup contender for mid-table mediocrity is a little disappointing - strong start notwithstanding.

AL: I’m going hipster with both picks: Sebastian Berhalter to Middlesbrough for the win and Diego Kochen to Lyngby for the loss.

Berhalter has been a very good player for years, but his success has always come with the “just MLS” label attached. In England’s second division, he’s playing lights out and quickly becoming a fan favorite for a team with its eyes on promotion to the Premier League.

As for Kochen, I understand the logic behind the loan. He desperately needed matches. But was joining a newly promoted Lyngby side expected to battle relegation really the right destination? The team is winless and has conceded 11 goals through its first six matches. Kochen is getting plenty of work and has shown flashes individually, but loans for top prospects are supposed to develop confidence. It’s difficult to imagine much confidence flowing through the suburbs of Copenhagen right now.

RT: By and large, it seems most USMNT movers put themselves in a position to succeed. None more so than Zavier Gozo, though, who ended last cycle just barely outside the USMNT squad but begins this cycle as one of the top prospects to watch. Crystal Palace seem to have plans for him, and that's important for a player with Gozo's potential.

"Worst" is harsh, but the one with some questions? There's so much talk about the Americans at Middlesbrough, but three of them are in the same position in midfield. With Aidan Morris already established and Sebastian Berhalter already thriving, where does Rokas Pukstas fit? It's a question mark, but one that could be answered quickly if all three play together.

TH: Get over it. We're talking about a good six months and a few decent games at a World Cup here. Sure, we all want to see Americans play in the Premier League. That is totally fine and valid. But Everton was a bit of a strange fit. As long as Balogun continues to prove himself, his moment will come - perhaps as early as January.

AL: This is the last thing Folarin Balogun needed.

Coming off a summer in which he was unfairly tied to the White House surrounding the reversal of his controversial red-card suspension against Bosnia, Balogun needed to make headlines for the right reasons. Instead, his name is at the center of another messy story. He needed a clean transfer and a fresh start. He got neither.

Until the full story emerges, it would be unfair to place everything on Balogun - there is plenty of blame to go around. Monaco knew from the moment the World Cup ended that Balogun wanted out, so waiting until the final hours of the window to get a deal near the finish line reeks of poor planning. Everton aren’t absolved, either, given that their late medical concerns changed the terms while the player was already in the building. But Balogun also has to accept some responsibility. Walking away from a transfer after arriving at the club’s training ground is his right, especially if Everton tried to renegotiate the deal, but it still leaves him in a difficult position. His representatives will also face questions about why the relationship deteriorated so completely that no solution could be found.

The immediate concern is that Balogun becomes the next Peter Odemwingie. He returns to Monaco disgruntled, with questions hanging over him and potential suitors wondering whether a January deal is worth the trouble. That would leave him in an even worse position than the one he was trying to escape.

RT: Not great, and it didn't reflect well on anyone. Monaco look like the bad guys, particularly to Chelsea. Everton lost a striker and failed to replace him. And then there's Balogun, who is at the center of a second controversy in one summer, fairly or unfairly. It's not ideal, and it leaves Balogun in limbo while adding another weird moment to his Wikipedia page.

TH: The dust really needs to settle, but this really felt like a summer of chopping and changing without outright "upgrading". Spurs brought in some serious talent, but early performances suggest that their improvement as a team should be called into question. Adding Bradley Barcola to the mix is a win for Liverpool. A £400m rebuild of Man City's rebuild looks decent, but it won't make up for the loss of Rodri. There's a shout for Arsenal, but failing to sign Vinicius - who they seriously thought they might have a shot at - is a big miss. How about Real Madrid, then, who just acquired a bunch of good footballers? (again).

AL: Although Monaco derailed what could have been an epic Chelsea window by pulling the plug on Lamine Camara’s move to London, let’s talk about the Blues.

Yes, they lost Enzo Fernandez and failed to land his intended replacement, but they added Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Martínez, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda and several other useful pieces. This is as balanced a squad as Chelsea have had in years. There are still holes, particularly in midfield after the Camara collapse, and questions remain defensively. But this side can contend immediately. The combination of hiring Xabi Alonso and making several shrewd signings is the reason why.

RT: This might be a controversial answer because there was a section of social media that said they didn't do enough, but Arsenal have really positioned themselves to run away with the league this season. New additions Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimarães and Ezri Konsa instantly elevate a team that entered this season as defending champions. Did they get a "world-class" name? No, but they didn't need it. The Gunners opted for incremental increases, which is generally what sustains winning, not money-splashing for the sake of it.

TH: The Liverpool center midfielder thing has come up quite a bit, and that's maybe a bit overblown. Alexis Mac Allister can handle a deeper-lying role, and there was no obvious upgrade in the position for Andoni Iraola. Man United are the obvious ones, because why the heck is Luke Shaw still their left back?

AL: Going back to Monaco and Balogun here. From the club’s perspective, this is one of the worst transfer-window failures in recent memory.

Monaco now have two players in Balogun and Lamine Camara who were prepared to leave, only for their moves to collapse at the last possible moment. More concerning is that Monaco appeared to have already started planning for life without them by turning to younger players. The club was coming off an impressive win over Marseille and sitting atop Ligue 1, but the way it handled the window threatens to derail that momentum.

Monaco now have serious damage control to perform with both players. Much of this could have been avoided had the club acted earlier instead of trying to play 3D chess in hoping to make two interdependent deadline-day deals work simultaneously.

RT: Liverpool might need me at defensive midfielder this season. The club's lack of bodies in midfield is so, so concerning, even if the attackers they have might just be able to overcome it. Every game is going to be a track meet and, while they may win most, you can't really win at the top level in that way. That may come back to bite them, and it truthfully already has through the first few games.