5. Stewart Downing – £6m (Liverpool to West Ham)
There will be instant derision from readers of this across the globe; however Downing will be a good signing for West Ham. He is finally out of the spotlight that he clearly hates. Just look at his average performances for Liverpool and England, but there was a reason he was so highly rated before then. He can cross, he can pass well and he can hit a good shot occasionally. West Ham needs a good winger to supply Andy Carroll (who almost made this list) with chances.
4. Romelu Lukaku – Loan (Chelsea to Everton)
This may not be a long-term signing, but Lukaku is one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League. He shone during his time with WBA and made it clear he would like to go back, but Everton stole him in the final hour of deadline day. His strength, power and speed are already at their peak and he is a great target man who can hold the ball up. If Martinez finds a way to get him scoring, this Belgian will grab 15 goals for them.
3. Simon Mignolet – £9m (Sunderland to Liverpool)
Liverpool have struggled to sort out their defence for years now. Mignolet changes that. He was one of the two best goalkeepers last year and came for a great price. The issue Liverpool has had is finding a manager who realises that Pepe Reina was on a downward slope. He needed replacing. Mignolet will win points on his own. He conjures up brilliant performances, especially when his teammates seem to be awful. The tide could soon turn in Liverpool, and this man will be a key part of that.
2. Christian Eriksen – £9m (Ajax to Tottenham)
The young Dane, targeted by Europe’s leading clubs just 2 years ago as the hottest property, slipped right under the radar of many clubs. Eriksen has the potential to make himself a top player in England within just a season or two. The price tag hardly justifies his ability and he could be used a lot this year. Spurs fans will be licking their lips at the thought of him in two years time.
1. Mesut Özil – £45.3m (Real Madrid to Arsenal)
There was only one thing that could possibly take just a bit of the publicity away from Gareth Bale joining Madrid, and that was Arsenal spending big. It happened, and what a signing. The German equalled the top of the assist charts for the past two years in the top European leagues. He has been admired by top coaches, including Jose Mourinho who called him “the top number 10 in the world”.
The admiration that Germans and fans of all his past clubs have for him is testament to his mark left on the clubs and nation. He is a devout Muslim, so don’t expect him to be caught sleeping with prostitutes or being photographed drunk on the pavement.
The truly world-class player helps on the pitch as well as off the pitch. His signing shows a sign of direction at Arsenal: forward. This signing makes sense on the pitch and is a very good move off the pitch, so it is surely the signing of the summer!
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