Could Stoke’s Bojan Krkic be one of the Premier League’s best summer signings
This summer as usual Premier League clubs have been very busy in the transfer market.
While big name signings have arrived at last season’s top seven, other clubs have also been busy making some exciting signings.
So here it is my list of players who I believe could have a big impact on the Premier League next season, without the clubs who finished in the top seven last season:
Enner Valencia (West Ham)
Valencia was one of the stars of the World Cup group stages, netting three times in as many games for Ecuador.
The 24-year-old had also previously scored three times in the three games leading up to the World Cup finals.
At £12million the converted midfielder seems like a slightly risky signing. However, Valencia headed to Brazil having scored 18 goals in 23 appearances in his debut season with Mexican club Pachuca, so his goals at the World Cup was not out of character.
Valencia seems to have everything needed to be a hit as a Premier League front man. He has pace, is good in the air and is very athletic. West Ham will be in need of his quality up front with England striker Andy Carroll expected to be out of action for the first few months of the season.
Dusan Tadic (Southampton)
Tadic joins the Saints as a replacement for England international Adam Lallana, who joined Liverpool earlier this summer. Tadic arrived at St Marys from Eredivisie side FC Twente for a fee in the region of £11million.
The Serbian has impressed in the Dutch top-flight in recent seasons. Last season the attacking midfielder scored 16 goals and got 14 assists, which is impressive from an attacking midfielder.
The 25-year-old Serbian international is a skilful player, who if employed in the right way could be a major success in the Premier League.
Siem de Jong (Newcastle)
Newcastle has been busy strengthening their squad this summer with the arrivals of the likes Remy Cabella and Daryl Janmaat arriving at St James Park. However, it is 25-year-old attacker Siem de Jong who could prove be one of the signings of the summer.
The versatile Holland international was regarded a team leader at former club Ajax, where he scored 57 goals in 168 Eredivisie appearances. De Jong was skipper at the Amsterdam Arena and Ajax boss Frank de Boer did not want to lose his star performer.
A fee of around £6million could prove to be an absolute steal, if he can fulfil his potential. De Jong struggled with injuries last season, making just 19 Eredivisie appearances, scoring seven goals and getting one assist.
Newcastle struggled going forward at times last season. De Jong along with Riviere and Cabella could give the Magpies more of an attacking edge in the new season.
Bojan Krkic (Stoke)
The Britannia Stadium is a far cry from Barcelona, but former-Barca wonderkid Bojan will be plying his trade in the Premier League with the Potters. The forward has arrived at Stoke this summer for an undisclosed fee in one of the most unexpected deals of the summer.
Bojan broke into the first team in Catalonia at just 17 and looked set to be a future star. However, at 23 he has struggled to fulfil his potential, having played for AC Milan, Roma and last season at Ajax.
Once described as the ‘next Lionel Messi’, one of Bojan’s main problems seems to be that he lacks confidence and has struggled under the weight of expectations.
There will be expectations of the forward in the Potteries, but they certainly will not be as high as at the Nou Camp or San Siro, so it could just be the place for one-time the Spanish international star to revive his career.
Mauricio Isla (QPR)
The Chile international wing-back has arrived at Loftus Road on a season-long loan deal from Italian champions Juventus. The energetic star was part of Chile’s exciting World Cup team and has been a solid performer in Serie A for quite a while.
Isla joined Juve in 2012 for £12million after impressing for Udinese. Isla has made 29 Serie A appearances for the Old Lady, but was deemed surplus to requirements in Turin.
His ability to both attack and defender makes him ideally suited for the role of wing-back. The 26-year-old could prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer.
Surprising
Every season there seems to be a player that arrives in the Premier League for a small fee or with a small reputation and then impresses in the English top-flight. With all the big name arrivals overshadowing some of the other signings, one of these five players could just be the diamond in the rough this summer.
Which EPL new signing will be this season’s surprise success?
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
