The Premier League certainly has the money to attract some big names and most clubs, thanks to the TV deal and large sponsorship deals are able to pay bucket loads for the best talent. Who would have thought that Crystal Palace were in the running to sign Michy Batshuayi from Marseille before Chelsea came and swooped him up?
Similarly, there are a number of new stars who would be playing in the Premier League for the first time and with so many transfers taking place from all the 20 clubs involved in the competition, we provide a starting XI of the best new players this season.
Steve Mandanda
The former Marseille keeper left the Ligue 1 club after a span of almost eight years and now has signed for Alan Pardew and Crystal Palace. The 31-year-old was one of the best keepers in Ligue 1 during his spell at the club and with 512 appearances in club football and being a France international, Palace certainly have gotten someone who can do really well for them also.
Joel Matip
This has got to be one of the shrewdest deals of the Premier League, Liverpool do not have a lot of quality in the central defence but Jurgen Klopp pulled some strings and signed the Schalke defender from the Bundesliga side on a free. The 24-year-old is young and capable of becoming one of the best in the league, if he can leave out some of the errors he makes while playing that is.
Mike van der Hoorn
To prove how the Premier League is allowing even the “smaller” teams do well, we have the perfect example here. Van der Hoorn signed for Swansea after spending three seasons with Ajax and was also part of FC Utrecht. The 23-year-old might not be the biggest name in this list but he could turn out to be a smart signing by the team from Wales.
Eric Bailly
Manchester United didn’t waste time in fixing up one region of the side which needs help. Signing the former Villarreal man was a genius move as he was one of the best players in La Liga last season and could provide some quality to the central defence of the Premier League side. Bailly is only 22-year-old but is considered as one of the rising stars in the world and it would not be a surprise if he does make it to the team of the season this year.
Granit Xhaka
Arsenal too haven’t wasted time or money and signed one of the top players from the Bundesliga in a position that they really needed help in. The Swiss international will join the Gunners from Borussia Monchengladbach and the 23-year-old midfielder will add a lot of energy, tenacity and strength to the side that has lacked steel in the heart of midfielder for a number of years.
Ilkay Gundogan
The German international might have missed out on Euro 2016 but he still could turn out to be the best midfielder in the Premier League if he does regain his form and fitness. The Borussia Dortmund star missed a lot of last season due to injury but Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team seem to have signed one player who can turn things around in a flash from midfield and his passing and play will be something to keep an eye on this season.
Sofiane Feghouli
West Ham also are doing really well and have signed someone who was linked with a move to one of the top clubs in England. The Algerian played exceptionally well for Valencia last season but ended up moving to West Ham and even scored in the first game of the club at their new Olympic Stadium. Feghouli can play out wide or as a midfielder and he could be the one who provides a lot of energy and running to the Premier League side this season.
Leroy Sane
Pep Guardiola isn’t just happy with one or two players but also brought in a young player, someone who can turn into a superstar this season. Leroy Sane had only just become a regular for Schalke last season but his performances saw him play in Euro 2016 and now has made a big money move to Manchester City. The 20-year-old has a lot of hype surrounding him but it does seem the attacker can live up to the billing and could turn out to be one of the best in the world in a couple of years.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Jose Mourinho’s best capture so far, well at least it seems, the Armenian seems to be a great fit for the Premier League team and the side have missed someone who can actually provide that killer pass but not anymore. The former Borussia Dortmund star is known for his attacking play, passing ability and even eye for goal and should work in tandem really well with one of the players who come up later on the list.
Vincent Janssen
Tottenham certainly isn’t going to mess around this season and after coming third in the Premier League last season, they seem to be building a side that can battle for more than just the Premier League title. Signing the top scorer from the Dutch league is a bit of a coup for the London club and the 22-year-old Dutch international could just end up working his magic alongside Harry Kane.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Can this list be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic? The former PSG, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Ajax star signed a deal with the Red Devils and seem set to break a few records for the Manchester club. The 34-year-old came on a free and could very well score goals for fun in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see how the Swede does deal with the tough defenders but he too is a Taekwondo black belt so teams have to be careful when dealing with him.
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