The top ten biggest bargains of the 2013/14 season.
10. Loic Remy – Newcastle United
He may only be on loan, but the pact Frenchman has been one of the consistencies in an otherwise inconsistent season. After taking to the Premier League like a duck to water with QPR last term, he has continued to prove that he is more than capable at performing at the top level with Newcastle this time around, bagging himself 13 goals in 23 appearances so far. Where he ends up next season still remains a mystery, but he will no doubt be a bargain there too.
9. Fabio Borini – Sunderland
The young Italian was shipped out on loan again by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, and many believed that in doing so it marked the beginning of the end of his time at Anfield. However, despite only bagging three goals in the league this term, he has often looked the most dangerous and more creative members of the Sunderland attack. He had notched a further two goals in the Black Cats march to the League Cup final, but sadly, his goal in the final couldn’t help the club to overcome Manchester City.
8. Leandro Bacuna – Aston Villa
The 22-year-old was a virtual unknown when he signed for Villa last summer in a deal worth £880,000 from Dutch side Groningen, but he has now made a name for himself as one of the Premier League’s most versatile stars. Having displaced Matty Lowton at right-back, he can also play further forward on the wing or in the middle. Possessing a rocket of a free-kick, two of his five goals this season have come from deal ball situations as he makes himself the highest scoring right-back in Europe.
7. Dejan Lovren – Southampton
The big Croatian centre-back made the shock move to St Mary’s last summer for a fee of around £8.5m and has proved to be a popular figure amongst Saints fans, as well as Premier League fans on a wider scale. He has proved to be an intelligent and uncompromising opponent, showing exactly why he is often a first choice for the Croatian national side, and his performances have already caught the attention of the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.
6. Steven Caulker – Cardiff City
Caulker may have cost the Welsh side £8m, but he has so far proved to be worth every penny so far, as his four goals have made him the club’s joint top scorer. He has shown that all of the loan spells he endured whilst at Spurs have matured him into a promising centre back, and though he may not be there next season should Cardiff slip back down to the Championship, he will undoubtedly leave them for considerably more than he arrived. His emergence is also good news for the national team, as he could one day become a regular fixture for the Three Lions.
5. Marko Arnautovic – Stoke City
The Austrian international has been a key part of Stoke’s change of style since Tony Pulis was moved on, and for a man who has often been labelled as a troublemaker he has shown that that particular tag is an outdated one. For just £2m Stoke now have a star like one they haven’t seen in the Premier League before, as his pace, power and positioning, as well as his ability from free kicks has made him a dangerous proposition for opposing sides.
4. Mathieu Flamini – Arsenal
Arsene Wenger pulled off a tiny masterstroke by bringing his compatriot back to the club last summer after a successful spell at AC Milan. He has since come back to be an integral lynchpin of the Gunners midfield and has slotted straight back in as if he had never been away. The move cost the north London club absolutely nothing, and it wouldn’t be impossible to imagine him staying at the Emirates until he hangs up his boots.
3. Tom Huddlestone – Hull City
The 27-year-old shocked many by heading to Hull last summer, believing that there would have been a plethora of clubs after him, especially for the £5m he cost the Tigers. There was a real danger that he could have become a ‘might have been’ at Spurs after a series of serious injuries threatened to put his career on the skids. However, two goals and seven assists later at the KC Stadium, he has catapulted himself back onto the fringes of the England team, and could even make a surprise appearance in Brazil this summer.
2. Christian Eriksen – Tottenham Hotspur
The young Dane may have cost the club £11m, but for the star they’ve already paid for, and the potential that he possesses for the future then that fee doesn’t look like much at all. He has taken to the Premier League with no trouble at all, and the only thing that makes his eight goals in 29 appearances across all competitions look like less of an achievement is Spurs’ poor form as a collective.
1. Romelu Lukaku – Everton
The young Belgian stopper has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a proven Premier League goalscorer by notching up 11 goals for the Toffees. Should a move become permeant then he will probably no longer be considered as a bargain, but for a cash strapped Everton he has come as a welcome tonic to the club after a summer of upheaval.
SEE ALSO: PES 2014 best players: the 20 highest ranked players on Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.