Who are the best bargain signings by Premier League teams so far this summer…
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Liverpool completed the signing of controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli yesterday, with the Reds paying out around £16m to take the player from AC Milan.
Opinion has been split thus far as to whether that price represents excellent value for money, or whether the on and off field issues that have plagued the early years of the forward’s career mean that his signing will turn out to be a huge mistake.
While many players that have moved in this transfer window have been accused of having inflated price tags, there have been plenty of Premier League bargains as well. Click through our top ten to see where Balotelli ranks:
10) Martin Kelly (Crystal Palace)
Kelly moved from Liverpool to Palace for around £1.5m this summer, after finding himself well down the pecking order at Anfield. Putting aside his recent injury problems, he still has the potential to be an excellent player – he was well liked at his previous club, and was part of England’s Euro 2012 squad before his issues stalled his development.
9) Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea City)
Swansea were in need of a striker after losing Michu, and pulled off an excellent coup with the free signing of Gomis from Lyon. A French international who has scored almost 150 goals during his time in France, and has hit at least 10 league goals in every season since 2005-06, when he was 20-years-old.
8) Bojan (Stoke City)
The Barcelona prodigee cost Stoke a little over £3m this summer. Admittedly, he has endured a few difficult years, but a 23-year-old Spanish international, who scored 41 goals for the Catalan giants as a teenager, represents excellent value for money. Mark Hughes will have made the signing of the season if he can get Bojan firing again.
7) Rickie Lambert (Liverpool)
No, he is not a direct replacement for Luis Suarez, and yes he has had a difficult start to his Liverpool career – but the Reds could still prove to have made a bargain £4m signing. That is, after all, a nominal fee to pay for an England international who scored 28 league goals in the last two seasons. He should prove a decent impact player.
6) Gareth Barry (Everton)
Everton made Barry’s loan move from Manchester City permanent this summer, and the former England international already looks to have fitted straight back in at Goodison Park. His best years may behind him, but still a very good player who cost his team absolutely nothing.
5) Joleon Lescott (West Bromwich Albion)
Another Manchester City outcast, who was surprisingly picked up by West Brom. If Albion can help the former England defender rediscover his best form, he could prove to be the difference between them staying up and going down.
4) Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle United)
Newcastle are believed to have paid as little as £5m for Janmaat, who joins the club from Feyenoord. It still seems surprising that Manchester United did not move for the player: a right wing-back and a Dutch World Cup international who would have fitted their system perfectly. But United’s loss is Newcastle’s gain.
3) Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
The £30m fee is steep compared to some of the other movers in this list, but it is a price that represents excellent value for money when compared to similarly priced players – such as Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Adam Lallana. The former Barcelona man is still only 27, and has the small matter of 91 Spanish caps behind him.
2) Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur)
The 20-year-old cost Tottenham just £4m from Sporting Lisbon, and has already made a huge impact – scoring on his first two appearances for the club (as a defender). An England international of the future, he could prove the cornerstone of the Spurs’ team for years to come.
1) Mario Balotelli (Liverpool)
A world class striker with a proven goal-scoring record at the highest level. Love him, or hate him, he his excellent value for money, and definitely worth the gamble Liverpool have made. Whether he will be a success at Anfield is another question – but the Reds’ would have paid twice that price, maybe more, for the likes of Radamel Falcao or Edinson Cavani.
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