Money well spent Ten eye-catching Premier League summer signings
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UPDATED:
12:38 GMT, 13 August 2012
Some are big-money, big-headline buys designed to dazzle the Premier League, others are the result of a rummage in the bargain basement.
But all could turn out to be the shrewdest signing of the summer when the new season unfolds. With just five days until the big kick-off, Sportsmail selects ten moves that could be the best business of the year.
Santi Cazorla Malaga to Arsenal 16.5m
Given that the summer transfer window normally represents a time of utter terror for Arsenal fans as they watch their best players sprint towards the exit door, this year (so far) hasn’t turned into the nightmare many expected.
Robin Van Persie has been hammering on it and screaming ‘let me out!’ but he remains in situ for the moment, while the squad has been enhanced by some promising and refreshingly unparsimonious signings.
Strikers Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski know what is expected of them, but Santi Cazorla, a 16.5m acquisition from Malaga, is creating genuine excitement. Small, technically excellent and blessed with good vision, passing and movement, Cazorla is the kind of footballer in fashion at the moment.
Ambidextrous, he can play on either wing and shot to prominence as an integral part of the Villarreal side which impressed in the Champions League at the end of the last decade. He seems like an Arsenal kind of player and we’ll see how he adapts to the Premier League.
Good business rating: 8/10
Defences will need to keep a tight rein on Cazorla (right) this season
Oscar Internacional to Chelsea 25m
There’s almost as much buzz around Chelsea’s new signing as the prestigious movie awards ceremony with which he shares a name.
As Brazil coach Mano Menezes said: ‘Put it this way… He wears the No 10 for Brazil and we don’t give that shirt out to just anybody.’ No pressure then, Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Junior.
His appearances in the Olympics provided a tantalising glimpse at what we can expect from the new Stamford Bridge whizzkid this season. Those expecting a replica of Kaka might be surprised when Oscar stops and caresses the ball, scanning the options ahead of him before intelligently threading the ideal ball rather than accelerating towards goal. The 20-year-old also seems to possess a sonar-like awareness of space and when to navigate towards it.
Oscar’s potential is enormous; he could illuminate the Premier League. But there have been others cursed with such high expectations before.
Good business rating: 7/10
Oscar's performances for Brazil in the Olympic tournament have whet the appetite ahead of the new season
Joe Allen Swansea City to Liverpool 15
When Brendan Rodgers dropped his 180-page manifesto, called ‘The Vision’, for attractive and attacking football on the desk of Liverpool owner John W Henry, who would have thought a 22-year-old from Narberth in Pembrokeshire would be at the heart of it.
Rodgers wants to oversee a culture change at Anfield that will recall the glory days of the seventies and eighties – passing, possession and movement that’s pleasing on the eye. Fittingly, he compares the technique and ability of Allen, who was a key cog in Rodgers’ team at Swansea City, to a Spaniard.
The trouble with culture shifts is that they take time and, with some strong competition for places in the Liverpool midfield, Allen will want to shine from the very start.
Good business rating: 6/10
Joe Allen (left) was swiftly reunited with his former Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool
Shinji Kagawa Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United 17m
Lots of sniffing around in the transfer market, but only two done deals thus far at Old Trafford – the talented Nick Powell brought in from Crewe and Japanese superstar Kagawa. Players from the Far East have been a bit hit and miss in the Premier League but Kagawa, having already shone in the Bundesliga, could buck the trend.
Adept at working his way out of tight situations in midfield with his nimble feet and clinical passing, he looks like a player who can prosper in a United midfield which has sometimes mis-fired. As his former Dortmund teammate Nuri Sahin eloquently put it, ‘the boy plays like an angel.’
Unlike some of the others in this list, Kagawa comes in to the Premier League with two German titles in two seasons and 29 goals in all competitions, and so should have no trouble settling.
Good business rating: 8/10
Kagawa (right) in pre-season action for Manchester United against Hanover
Jan Vertonghen Ajax to Tottenham Hotspur 10m
If the reign of Andre Villas-Boas started on a sombre note with the retirement of fan favourite Ledley King, there is consolation in the stature of the man brought into replace him. The deal for Belgian Jan Vertonghen looked as though it might stall in light of the managerial changes, but the player’s determination to sign drove the deal through.
Equally comfortable at centre or left-back, Vertonghen will compensate for most, if not all, of the commanding presence that went with King’s knees. The 25-year-old is also dangerous going forward, though this may be a little more restrained in the Premier League than in the Eredivisie with last club Ajax.
With Villas-Boas not doing anything to dampen fan hopes of a top four finish, much will depend on keeping the defence watertight and this new signing should fit the bill.
Good business rating: 8/10
The new Tottenham signing, Jan Vertonghen (left), tussles with Teemu Tainio in a pre-season friendly with New York Red Bulls
Park Ji-Sung Manchester United to Queens Park Rangers 2m
It’s not very often Sir Alex Ferguson admits to regretting something, but the United manager didn’t hide his sadness at losing ‘ultimate professional’ Park to QPR. In seven years at United, Park was a quiet but effective constant in the midfield, and was never fazed by the biggest of stages.
His arrival at QPR has been described as a ‘stunning coup’ and, at 31, Mark Hughes will feel he can get another few years out of the Korean, who will play more regularly than at any point of his Old Trafford career.
Park’s move to the Capital could turn out to be the shrewdest of the summer, especially considering the bargain price.
Good business rating: 9/10
The signing of Park Ji-Sung by QPR for 2m looks like good business
Michu Rayo Vallecano to Swansea City 2m
As Swansea adjust to life after Brendan Rodgers and aim to avoid a nasty bout of second season syndrome, a lot of hope is being placed in 26-year-old attacking midfielder Michu – also known as Miguel Prez Cuesta.
Manager Michael Laudrup hailed the 2m deal as ‘fantastic’ and a ‘bargain’, pointing out that his new charge scored 15 times for a club battling relegation. He certainly looks like a good replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has gone to Tottenham.
Michu said the chance to work alongside Laudrup was too good to turn down, though whether the Dane can find someone who admires him enough to replace Joe Allen will be a greater test.
Good business rating: 7/10
Michu (left) in action for Rayo Vallecano against Kaka, of Real Madrid, last season
Modibo Maiga Sochaux to West Ham United 5m
A Malian striker who was on the verge of signing for Newcastle last year and had a few suitors in the Premier League before settling on West Ham. Maiga’s main strength is in the air, with many of his 24 goals for Sochaux in Ligue 1 over the last two seasons coming from headers.
Having bounced back to the Premier League at the first attempt, the Hammers will value the 10-15 goal contribution that Maiga should deliver. Though his athleticism and strength will trouble defenders in the penalty box, he sometimes plays on the flanks as well.
Good business rating: 7/10
Maiga after scoring for Sochaux in a Ligue 1 match with Auxerre last season
Karim El Ahmadi Feyenoord to Aston Villa, 2.5m
Aston Villa needed a lot of things during a disastrous 2011-2012 season, but a bit of steel and toughness would be high on the list. That’s why new boss Paul Lambert swooped for the Moroccan defensive midfielder El Ahmadi from Feyenoord for his first signing.
He is skilled at performing those unglamorous tasks in front of defence; stemming attacks with an interception or a strong tackle, looking for the right outlet and putting in the shift of hard graft that is often unheralded, but always essential.
Good business rating: 7/10
El Ahmadi gets stuck in to Nottingham Forest's Andy Reid during a pre-season encounter
Steven Davis Rangers to Southampton, Free
As the bloated carcass of crisis-stricken Rangers was pulled apart this summer, there were bargains to be had for the Premier League clubs. Southampton moved quickly for the 27-year-old midfielder Davis who, like many of his teammates, was in the shop window on a free.
The Northern Irishman returns to the Premier League after four seasons in Scotland and brings a useful amount of experience for a side returning to the top flight. He captained Rangers for a spell and made 140 league appearances for them, as well as winning 51 international caps.
Steven Whittaker has joined Norwich City, Steven Naismith has gone to Everton and Jamie Ness had signed for Stoke City, all on frees, after Rangers was wound up.
Good business rating: 8/10
Steven Davis (right) captained Rangers last season and was snapped up by Southampton on a free
