Sport
Who are the best Premier League signings of the 2020/21 season?
The transfer window reopening is just a month away, with managers no doubt pushing hard for the reinforcements that can boost their squads over the second half of the season. But who are the best Premier League signings who have made the biggest impact in the 2020/21 campaign so far? We have picked out half a dozen players who have already become stars for their new sides.
Best signings of the 2020/21 Premier League season
James Rodriguez (Everton)
Everton have slipped down the Premier League table in recent weeks but there is no doubting the impact James made in the early stages of the season after he joined the Toffees from Real Madrid.
The Colombia playmaker has recorded three goals and a further three assists since reuniting with Carlo Ancelotti, for whom he played at both Madrid and Bayern Munich.
It is a long time since Everton were able to field such a high-profile player and, while weaknesses in defence and in goal seem set to ultimately derail their ambitious Champions League aspirations, their fans will love watching James in blue for the rest of the season.
At the age of 29, James might not be a player Everton can build a long-term future around, but he can help them to move on to the next level ahead of the club’s crucial stadium move.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Some eyebrows were raised when Villa opted to splash out on a fee reported to be £28 million, with a further £5 million in add-ons, to Brentford in order to buy Watkins.
But the striker immediately got to work on repaying that hefty investment. Watkins has already hit six Premier League goals since making the step up from the Championship, though he also missed a penalty in a defeat at West Ham.
Watkins’ pace was too much for Liverpool to deal with as Villa ran riot against the champions, with the 24-year-old hitting a stunning hat-trick against the Reds a couple of months ago.
Also on target in the eye-catching 3-0 win at Arsenal, Watkins is one of the major reasons why Villa have made such a surprisingly strong start to the season and is certainly one of the best signings of the 2020/21 Premier League season so far, even with his hefty price tag.
Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)
Another striker thriving at a new club is Callum Wilson, whose seven Premier League goals have fired Newcastle into mid-table despite the club’s fans still being unhappy with Steve Bruce.
Wilson had a difficult season as Bournemouth were relegated last year but the switch to St James’ Park has breathed new life into the 28-year-old’s career.
A late goal and assist in Newcastle’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace maintained momentum for Wilson, who has an outside chance of winning back a place in the England squad for Euro 2020.
Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Liverpool buying Jota from Wolves came out of nowhere but he looks to be a £45m bargain.
Most Reds fans probably expected Jota to play a back-up role but he has started nine games for his new club already, including five in the Premier League. The Portugese attacker is certainly making the most of his chances, firing in nine goals including a hat-trick in the 5-0 Champions League demolition of Serie A side Atalanta.
Jota – who has also scored three Nations League goals for Portugal this season – has made it very hard for Jurgen Klopp to leave him out of Liverpool’s best XI.
In a strange season where many clubs are being affected by a lot of injuries, Jota adding quality strength in depth to Liverpool’s attack might help the Reds to retain the Premier League title.
Timothy Castagne (Leicester City)
Leicester have made a brilliant start for the second season in a row, with Castagne’s arrival helping to ensure the sale of Ben Chilwell did not leave a massive hole in the Foxes’ defence.
Since signing from Atalanta, Castagne has shown he can thrive at both right-back and left-back, while a brace of assists have demonstrated his effectiveness in attack too.
A hamstring injury has kept Castagne out of late but the Belgium defender has certainly been one of the top signings of the season so far.
Thiago Silva (Chelsea)
Another defender who makes the cut is Silva, the experienced Brazilian who joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Silva was perhaps not the most exciting of Chelsea’s raft of signings with Frank Lampard suddenly having attackers Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz added to his squad. But the Blues had an obvious weakness at the back to fix and 36-year-old Silva has plugged the gap, with his experience and leadership making a huge difference to Chelsea’s solidity.
Clean sheets against both Manchester United and Tottenham in recent weeks have shown Chelsea could be title contenders, with Silva’s signing a big reason why this is the case. Should be inspire Chelsea to a league title, Silva will undoubtedly be ranked high among the best signings of the 2020/21 Premier League season.
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