The Premier League has spent £1.95 billion on transfers this summer, breaking last year's record and is expected to surpass £2 billion by the end of the window in just five days. Their has been blockbuster signings from the league's heavyweights such as Declan Rice's £105m transfer to Arsenal and Moises Caicedo's eye-watering £115m arrival at Chelsea. Meanwhile, clubs in the lower echelons such as Aston Villa and Brighton have broken their transfer records, as they aim to continue disrupting at the precise of the table. What every club, manager and fan wants to discover is whether they're signings will elevate their team and be an instant hit or fizzle out and struggle in the top division. Here are the top five best signings, based on their performances in the first three weeks of the new season...
5. Dominik Szoboszlai - Leipzig to Liverpool : £70m
The 22 year old has played all 270 minutes in Liverpool's opening three games, as Jurgen Klopp attempts to acclimatise the midfielder to the Premier League. He has been deployed in an unorthodox deep-lying role along-side Alexis MacAllister so far, which has allowed him to get on the ball earlier and carry his team forward. The Hungarian has been at the epicentre of anything creative and offensive within this Liverpool team, possessing the confidence and ability to dribble past the opposition and make something happen. So far, he has demonstrated his stardom through-out games in moments, but is yet to find consistency which will come as Klopp finds some cohesion in midfield. It's clear, Liverpool have discovered a real talent whose versatility in attacking areas and technical ability will hurt teams.
4. Guglielmo Vicario - Empoli to Tottenham : £18m
The early capture of Vicario, appeared an underwhelming signing given Tottenham's links to serial Premier League goalkeepers David Raya and Jordan Pickford. However, he epitomises this new understated direction taken under Ange Postecoglou which is proving very successful. The Italian has kept two clean sheets in the opening three games and was integral in the hard-fought win against Manchester United. After, 11 years of Hugo Lloris it was expected to be a dramatic transformation for his successor, but instead the 26 year old has been widely overlooked, because he has been dependable and effective under the radar for the new club. He currently has the highest save percentage (86.7%) in the league.
3. James Ward-Prowse - Southampton to West Ham : £30m
After conquering Europe last season, their was surprisingly pessimism surrounding West Ham's new season exacerbated by the departure of club captain Declan Rice. After a underwhelming opening day stalemate to Bournemouth, the murmurs of discontent towards David Moyes began to emerge again. Since, signing free-kick specialist Ward-Prowse there has been a U-turn in fortunes at the London Stadium; stunning Chelsea 3-1 and then cruising to a 3-1 win away at Brighton. The 27 year old has been paramount, providing two assists on his debut followed up with the opening goal this weekend. He has re-vitalised the midfield; because his service and vision elevate the players around him and he creates so many chances that West Ham are now threatening teams upfront.
2. James Maddison - Leicester to Tottenham : £50m
Tottenham executed their capture of James Maddison unrivalled early this summer. The talismanic playmaker has made a seamless transition into this Tottenham team and has become their creative spark in the absence of Harry Kane. In the win against Bournemouth, Ange Postecoglou positioned the England international in a deep-lying central role to enable the 27 year old to dictate play early and break quickly on the counter. He appears to be the well-oiled cog that keeps the engine running at the moment and two assists with one goal shows that he is creating chances and frustrating teams. If he can continue to stay fit and keep playing with this newfound maturity to his game then he has the capacity to guide Tottenham to a very memorable season.
1.Moussa Diaby - Bayer Leverkusen to Aston Villa : £50m
Aston Villa battled the wealth of Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr to secure the signature of exciting talent Moussa Diaby. The PSG academy product provided 17 goal contributions last season in the Bundesliga, but it was still a risk to break their transfer record and bring him to the Premier League. The 24 year old has been a breath of fresh air scoring two goals in the opening three league fixtures and has strengthened Unai Emery's armoury upfront to allow the team to reach new heights. His pace and dribbling have tormented Everton and Burnley, but he is also so potent in front of goal and is so difficult to contain due to his movement and positioning. He has unlocked a new gear in striker Ollie Watkins, because he creates space and time with his intelligent runs and by-line crosses. If he continues at this level all season, then Aston Villa's attack should be feared this campaign.
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