It’s been a busy pre season for Premier League teams with lots of players on the move, old faces moving on to pastures new and an influx of exciting new talent into the Premier League.
In this article, we’ll take a look at a Premier League XI, taken from all the players who have been signed from abroad or the lower leagues in England to play in the Premier League for the first time in the 2014-2015 season.
Which players are we tipping for Premier League success? Read on to find out.
1. David Ospina (Arsenal – £3m from Nice)
The Colombian goalkeeper was one of the surprise star performers between the sticks in this summer’s World Cup and £3m for a proven international who already possesses experience was a snip.
Ospina will provide top quality cover for the accident-prone Wojciech Szczezny and may even have the ability to earn the first team jersey on his own merit. He is a marked upgrade over Lukasz Fabianski and improves Arsenal’s goalkeeping depth considerably.
2. Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle Utd – From Feyenoord £5m)
After several eye-catching performances at the World Cup for Holland in the summer, Newcastle moved to firm up their interest in the young right back Daryl Janmaat following the conclusion of events in Brazil.
A pacy full back who defends ruggedly, he will be a capable replacement for the Arsenal-bound Mathieu Debuchy but it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the faster pace and higher quality of the Premier League compared to the Dutch Eredivisie.
3. Filipe Luis (Chelsea – From Atletico Madrid £16m)
Sebastien Pocognoli and Aaron Cresswell were in contention for this position in our team but Atletico Madrid’s sale of Filipe Luis to Chelsea looks to be another top quality signing. The Brazilian’s defensive qualities, combined with his willingness to get forward was a key element of Atletico’s success last season.
At £16m, he represents good value for Chelsea, who already have a strong left back option in Cesar Azpilicueta, as well as Ryan Bertrand who has now joined Southampton on loan since Luis arrived at Stamford Bridge.
4. Eric Dier (Tottenham – From Sporting Lisbon £4m)
He may not be one of the marquis signings of the summer, but the £4m Spurs spent on Sporting Lisbon’s English youngster Eric Dier could well be one of the long-term bargains of the summer. Dier has spent time on loan in England in the past when he went to Everton as a youngster.
Since then he has matured into a fine defender. Making his debut for Sporting Lisbon’s B team in August 2012, within three months he made his debut for the first team and in the 18 month since has played 26 league games for the club, prompting Spurs to snap him up. Already an England U21 cap, he could well be one of the best unheralded signings of the season.
5. Harry Maguire (Hull City – From Sheffield United £2.5m)
Fans of League One teams will not be surprised that Sheffield United’s talented defender Harry Maguire has moved into the upper echelons of the game. The talented 21-year old has already played 134 league games for Sheffield United.
Certainly one of the best defenders in League One, Maguire was called up into the England U21 squad in 2012 and his £2.5m move to Hull may well establish him as one of the best young centre backs in the English game. A fact Blades fans have been stating for quite some time already.
6. Ander Herrera (Manchester United – From Athletic Bilbao £29m)
Manchester United’s midfield has been criticised in the past couple of seasons for lacking creativity and incisiveness in front of goal. The club spent heavily to land Juan Mata last season from Chelsea and now he has been joined by another creative force in Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao.
Herrera was wanted by United last season but a deal failed to materialise. A clever midfielder with an eye for a creative pass, United will be hoping Herrera continues his decent pre-season form into the new campaign, though it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the pace of the English game.
7. Remy Cabella (Newcastle United – From Montpellier £12m)
An unused member of the France 2014 World Cup squad, the talented anchoring midfielder Cabella was wanted by Newcastle in January when they sold Yohan Cabaye to Paris St-Germain. Eight months later, Alan Pardew finally landed his man in a £12m deal from Montpellier.
The 24-year old midfielder has a good strike rate from midfield of 24 goals in 97 games for Montepellier in Ligue One. A diminutive midfielder who has great touch and an eye for a creative pass, he will certainly help fill the void left by Cabaye’s departure on Tyneside.
8. Lazar Markovic (Liverpool – From Benfica £20m)
Replacing Luis Suarez is not a task for any single player, but in Lazar Markovic, Liverpool hope to have signed a player with the potential to go on and be as influential and important to them as Suarez was in his career at Anfield.
A hugely talented Serbian blessed with pace and skill, Markovic shone at Benfica when played in a withdrawn striking role, or when he drifted to the flanks. It will be interesting to see how he lines up at Liverpool and whether he can adapt his game to the more frantic confines of the Premier League.
9. Diego Costa (Chelsea – From Atletico Madrid £32m)
He’s feisty, powerful and often controversial, but for £32m for a striker that terrorised La Liga last season, Diego Costa is an outstanding purchase for Chelsea. The ex-Atletico striker is a fabulous all round striker and fits the mould of a powerful, combative striker that Jose Mourinho feels he needs to bring the best out of his team.
Add to that the fact that Costa scored a fantastic 27 league goals last season and you have a striker that not only fits into Mourinho’s overall plan, but who can fire the goals they need to become genuine title contenders once again.
10. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal – From Barcelona £35m)
The World Cup showed just what a talent Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez is and at £35m, Arsenal seem to have picked up a real bargain for one of the premiere striking talents in the World Game.
A clever striker, whose mind is as sharp as his feet, Sanchez moves beautifully both on and off the ball and he scored an impressive 19 league goals last season for Barcelona. Arsenal fans will be confident that with Sanchez at the helm, he should be able to get close or maybe even surpass that total this time around. A top class buy at a first rate price.
11. Enner Valencia (West Ham – From Pachuca £12m)
The Colombian striker made his mark at the World Cup for his home country alongside several other talented players, but his threat inside the penalty area is the reason why West Ham opened their chequebook to pay £12m for the striker.
Strong in the air with an uncanny knack of finding space in the crowded goalmouth, Valencia will provide an excellent alternative in attack for the notoriously shot-shy Hammers. The question is, can his team mates give him the ammunition to fire them up the table? If they can, Valencia could well be a surprise hit in the Premier League next season.
John Fisher
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