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Which Summer Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In The Premier League?

With the new Premier League season less than a week away, we consider which new signings will make the biggest impact for their new club this season. My biggest frustration with the way in which English clubs have conducted their player recruitment in recent seasons is that there seems to be a distinct lack of buying and selling between Premier League clubs. Far too many clubs use their sometimes limited resources to bring in mostly unknown quantities from lesser European leagues and every corner of the footballing world apart from that of their own back yard. I am not naïve enough to think that this is for any other reason than the valuation that English clubs put on their players to avoid losing them to their direct rivals coupled with the financial stability of the majority of the clubs in the league taking away the pressure to cash in on a player to balance the books means that clubs have no other option but to look further afield when bringing in players to strengthen their squads. Perhaps it is the change in this financial stability within the league that has led to a total of fifteen players moving directly between Premier League clubs and a further twenty players recruited from clubs residing in the English League Championship.

 

We will attempt to highlight the biggest signings this summer and identify the players that have the potential to make the biggest impact for their new club.

 

Gervinho (Arsenal) – The 24 year old Ivorian international signed from Lille during the summer after helping the French club to not only their first silverware in over 50 years but an unprecedented League and Cup double. Gervinho scored an impressive 15 goals in all competitions last season, building on the consistency of the 2009/10 season when he finished up with 13 in all comps. But Gervinho is much more than a goalscorer. His real strengths lie in his direct approach, using his exceptional dribbling ability to take on defenders and drive towards goal at every opportunity. He is also known for his electric pace and ability to create chances for his teammates. One of the major limitations for Gervinho is his lack of physical presence which may see him struggle to compete with the more robust defenders in the league. But in another predictably quiet summer of recruitment from Arsene Wenger, the addition of Gervinho has the real potential to give Arsenal fans something to smile about this season.

 

Charles N’Zogbia (Aston Villa) – This choice may raise a few eyebrows but there is no doubting that the solid form of N’Zogbia was one of the main reasons why Wigan Athletic successfully avoided the drop last season. In a struggling team that managed only 40 goals (second worst record in the league after Birmingham), the 25 year old French International scored a highly respectable 9 goals from the left flank and probably more importantly added 8 assists to boot. After securing a reported £9.5million move to Aston Villa during the summer, it must trouble Wigan fans as to how they will replace their most influential player. No such worry for Aston Villa fans, who after losing both Ashley Young to Man United and Stewart Downing to Liverpool, probably had similar feelings about who could replace the goals and assists the English duo provided for them in recent seasons. But with the acquisition of N’Zogbia, Villa boss Alex McLeish has a perfectly good replacement for at least one of those players. Downing and Young each scored 7 times last term and recorded 9 and 11 assists respectively. I feel that under McLeish’s guidance, Aston Villa will have a much more solid season than last and if N’Zogbia can excel in a struggling side like Wigan, perhaps the best is yet to come from him when performing with a more talented group of players.

 

Charlie Adam (Liverpool) – The highly-courted Scot came onto the English football scene when he signed for Ian Holloway’s then struggling Blackpool side in February 2009 (initially on-loan and then signed permanently for £500,000). His impact on the side was evident immediately. He showed impressive form to help steady the Seasiders’ ship and avoid relegation straight back to English football’s third tier, and in the following season continued to improve, scoring 19 goals from midfield on the way to helping Blackpool achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 30 years. Last season’s commanding performances for the Tangerines saw Adam receive praise from all corners of the Premier League and the player looked destined to seal a move to a big club during the January Transfer Window. Unfortunately for the 25 year old, that didn’t materialize due to potential suitors undermining Blackpool’s valuation of their captain, and he battled on in vain to save his club from relegation back to the Championship. He has now realised his dream and has the chance to prove that he is a big club player with his move to Anfield, and as his then manager Ian Holloway was quoted as saying; he has the ability to provide the Reds with a much needed replacement for the long since departed Xabi Alonso.

 

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – The 23 year old Argentinian International arrived at the Etihad Stadium following a decent showing at the Copa America after scoring 3 goals in 4 games for a widely disappointing Argentina side. He arrives at Manchester City to a quite strange scenario. On one hand he could see himself spearheading the side’s attack and finding himself as their key and perhaps only goal threat. On the other hand he could end up joining forces with one of the most complete strikers in the world, and International teammate, Carlos Tevez. At the current time it is still very much up in the air as to which one of those scenarios will become reality, but either way I’m sure that the man nicknamed “Kun” will be a huge success for City. His goal scoring record speaks for itself. In his time at previous club Atletico Madrid, Aguero kept up a goal ratio of almost a goal every other game. In five seasons he netted 75 times and last season outscored Atletico’s other prolific striker, one Diego Forlan, by 12 goals. He is immensely quick both with and without the ball, and for a relatively small player has the strength of an ox and will take no time whatsoever to adapt to the pace and physicality of the English game. His finishing ability is that of one of the best in the world and it is no wonder that he draws so many comparisons to his Father-in-Law, Diego Maradona. Manchester City fans and football fans in general are in for a treat now that Kun Aguero is on the scene; Tevez or no Tevez.

 

Ashley Young (Manchester United) – Young had been linked with a move away from Villa Park for a while before this summer’s Transfer Window opened. But few would have expected that his destination would be Old Trafford. Manchester United’s interest in the winger had either been one of the closest kept secrets in football, or Sir Alex had only recently decided the 26 year old Englishman was to be his long-term replacement for the evergreen Ryan Giggs. But Young does fit the bill well. He is not as silky a dribbler as Giggs, but he does possess lightning pace which is equally effective at beating full-backs in the modern game. His crossing is almost on a par with his Welsh counterpart and his ability to score goals as good, if not better. The major difference between the two is that whilst the natural left-footer, Giggs, is a master of the art of taking defenders right back to their own goal line before driving into the box, Young has the tendency to cut onto his preferred right foot in order to put in dangerous balls from the corner of the box. Whether or not this style of play will please Ferguson is yet to be seen but, regardless, the Red Devils have acquired a proven player in this league, approaching his prime and hungry for medals and the chance to prove he can cut it at the very highest level.

 

Have we missed anyone? Let us know who you think will take the Premier League by storm this season. Whether it be dominating the top scorers list and challenging for the title or delivering those much needed points to your team down the other end of the table come next May. KU