EPL: Five New Signings To Watch This Season

The summer transfer window always brings with it the arrival of a few new faces. Some cost millions of pounds; some cost less than a smile.

Either way, all of the players have something in common: they are looking to prove they deserve to play at their new club, in one of the best leagues in the world.

Naturally, every season some players achieve this aim, while others falter. For every Carlos Tevez, there is a Claudio Pizarro. For every Roque Santa Cruz there is a Christian Wilhelmsson. For every…well, you get the idea.

Who then will join the former category this season? In no particular order, here are five of the most likely candidates.

     1.  Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur, £16.5m)

Forget the popular notion proclaiming that Andrei Arshavin is the most exciting attacking midfielder in the world. The en vogue Zenit St. Petersburg player seemingly gained his newfound status after just two good Euro 2008 performances and a talismanic appearance in the UEFA Cup Final.

Don’t get me wrong; he was mesmerising in these games, but it is hardly the most comprehensive scouting report of the 27-year-old.

Rather crucially, all three of these appearances were against sides either woefully disorganised at the back (Sweden, Netherlands) or just plain bad (Rangers). Against Spain (whose defence fill neither of the above criteria) he disappeared quicker than David Copperfield, which is ironic, since many have labelled the Russian a "magician."

But I digress; it is another attacking midfielder who is the protagonist of this piece. Luka Modric, the 23-year-old former Dinamo Zagreb player, is a star in the making.

At just 5-foot-6, questions about his adaptability in the rough and tumble of Premiership abound. Watching him in action should put many minds at rest.

While he may look like he couldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight, Modric is deceptively strong and notoriously difficult to manoeuvre off the ball.

Years of playing against bigger opposition have taught the Croatian how to use his body to best effect. He will certainly make even the best defensive midfielders work hard for possession.

With his low centre of gravity and great balance, many defenders will need a pugel stick to knock him down.

As many pundits have remarked, Modric is reminiscent of Johan Cruyff in both appearance and playing style. There is always a place for such technical players in the Premiership (Zola, Bergkamp to name but two) and Modric certainly has the ability to etch his own name into Premiership folklore.

If Modric can adapt to Juande Ramos’ tactical preferences, then such an ascent should begin this season. It may take a few months for him to settle, indeed it probably will, but expect him to soon forge his own identity.

Breaking free from comparisons with the Dutch legend, surely it is Spurs and the Premiership that will benefit. Can the little Croatian bring Champion’s League football to White Hart Lane?

     2.  George Boateng (Hull City, undisclosed)

Yes, you did read that correctly. George Boateng, formerly of Aston Villa and Middlesbrough fame. The one who has looked distinctly average the last few seasons. The one you don’t remember seeing on Match of the Day, even though the paper insists he played the full 90 minutes.

Yep, I believe he deserves a place on this list of most important transfers of the upcoming season. Before you accuse me of relying a little too much on the crack pipe and not enough on facts, hear me out.

Every season in the Premierships, the promoted teams often go straight back down. This is the unfortunate truth we have come to accept. The gap in quality between the Premiership and Championship has grown so big that it has become almost impossible to bridge.

Playoff winners traditionally face an even tougher task, which is grim for any Hull City fans. But, by bringing in Boateng, the Tigers look to have already made some giant steps.

I firmly believe that the defensive midfielder is the most important position in any team. Responsible for both defending and starting attacks, the position has a huge influence on the ebb and flow of any game.

Whilst far from the master of his trade, Boateng is a veteran top-flight midfielder who knows what it takes to survive. The experience that he will offer to the club alone will prove invaluable.

Out on the pitch, Boateng is not afraid to get stuck in and is never less than fully committed. Breaking up attacks before they can reach a (inevitably) shaky defence, he will relieve much of the pressure that would otherwise build on his backline.

With a calm head and decent distribution, he will also be crucial in providing the likes of (new signings) Geovanni, Fagan, and Halmosi with enough possession to be effective.

If Hull stay up, it will surely be greatly down to the Dutch enforcer. It may be something of a cliché, but the Holland international will do the dirty work that enables those around him to prosper. That is why he has made this list.

     3. Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, £11m)

Does anyone honestly believe that the “little ‘n’ large” combination of Defoe and Crouch will not be an outrageous success? Yet to run out together in the blue of Pompey, they already remind me of Sunderland’s Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips, one of the Premiership’s greatest strike partnerships.

Crouch will win the aerial balls—Defoe will pick them up and put them away. Simple. If they can form an understanding quickly (and, with regular England performances together, they should) then they have the potential to score goals from the very first game, much like the Sunderland duo did.

Even if the aerial threat does not work, Crouch has such good feet for a big man (incidentally, has any player ever had "a good head for a small man?!") that he can be equally dangerous on the deck. Such a double threat up front at Fratton Park, especially with great service from the likes of Niko Krancjar and Lassana Diarra, should make then a difficult side to strategise against.

Eleven million pounds is a lot of money for a club like Portsmouth, but surely it will pay dividends. In Europe, the twosome could cause havoc against continental defences unfamiliar with such a partnership. Could Harry Redknapp add a European trophy to his CV this season?

    4. Olivier Kapo (Wigan Athletic, undisclosed)

Ironically, if Wigan had managed to capture the signature of Ivan Klasnic, it would be the Croatian occupying this spot on my list.  But apparently, Wigan is just too cold for the sensitive striker, so it is the former Birmingham and Juventus (great combination!) attacking midfielder who has the honour.

Infuriating and exceptional in equal measure at St. Andrews last year, Steve Bruce obviously has a lot of faith in the former French international. Kapo has one of the sweetest left feet in the game (even John Arne Riise feels a bit envious) and is capable of fleeting moments of magic.

The problem, for Kapo and his former managers, is that such moments of magic have all too often been obscured by prolonged periods of mediocrity. Like many mercurial talents, the Ivory Coast-born player seems to have problems concentrating fully on the game at hand.

If Bruce can get Olivier’s head straight, then the player so good he signed him twice could yet start to repay some of the faith he has shown in him.

Ideally, however, Kapo needs a big man ahead of him to act as a distraction for defenders, thus creating the space for him to work in. Klasnic, ironically, would have fulfilled this role perfectly. Wigan desperately need to find someone to fill this role.

If Bruce can get in this sort of striker before the season starts, Kapo could begin to fulfill the promise he always shown, by putting in consistently dazzling performances. At 27 years old, it would be about time.

     5. Samir Nasri (Arsenal, undisclosed ~£11m)

Having been effusive in my praise for Tottenham’s big summer signing, I feel it is only right I offer similar plaudits to their North London rivals. Arsene Wenger, so long reliant on grooming young players on the cheap, has seemingly recovered from the Jose Reyes Affair to once again spend big money on a promising talent.

Nasri, behind Karim Benzema, is the most talented young French player in a country that hardly lacks  for such players. Blessed with good close control, the Algerian-born player has carried well the moniker of "the next Zinedine Zidane." He demonstrates great mental fortitude.

It is this mental strength that may have persuade Arsene Wenger that Nasri will not become Reyes Mark II.

With Champions League experience under his belt already at L’Olympique Marseille, he is already familiar with European competition. He should be ready to help the Gunners' continental campaign from week one.

In the Premiership, however, things may be slightly different. Nasri will have to adjust to the physical nature of the league. Whether he can do this in time, I do not doubt, but it is how quickly he manages it that might define the Gunners' 2008/09 campaign. Much like Edinburgh, the French league is not what it used to be, so Nasri might be in for a culture shock.

The French international certainly has the credentials to become a key component at the Emirates Stadium for years to come. But this season, he faces a baptism of fire. With Alexander Hleb leaving, Nasri is crucial to the attacking component of the team. Much of the pressure will rest on his shoulders.

While the likes of Carlos Vela and Aaron Ramsey may carry some of the weight, the Frenchman will ultimately have to perform consistently well if Arsenal are to improve on last season’s ultimately disappointing result.

Can he meet this demanding target? Only time will tell. Arsene Wenger may be in the best position to judge, but surely even he would not be prepared to bet.

Others to watch:

Didier Digard (Middlesborough, £4m): Boateng’s replacement at the Riverside will be expected to boost the spine of a sometimes lightweight side. The former PSG man looks up for the challenge.

Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea, £16.2m): Chelsea’s problem position, if such a position exists, should be comfortably filled by the athletic right-back.

Danny Guthrie (Newcastle, £2.5m): The former Liverpool man will have learnt a lot from his loan spell at Bolton last term, and should prove to be one English midfielder (not in jail) that can drive the Toon on.

Gio Dos Santos (Tottenham, £4.7m+): The young Mexican has a point to prove. Barcelona did not think he had the talent to be a top class attacking threat and so were happy to let him leave. Were the Catalan giants right, or have Spurs got themselves a steal? This season should provide some clues.

Jo (Manchester City, £19m): With the Brazilian forward leading the front line alongside Valeri Bojinov, City will have the most feminine sounding strike pairing in the league. Jokes aside, the former CSKA Moscow man should be battle hardened from his time in Russia—English weather and football should be idyllic by comparison. Expect goals, and lots of them. Mark Hughes seems to have a magic touch with his strikers.

Manucho (Manchester United, £3m): Forget Dimitar Berbatov, Huntelaar, or any other big name strikers linked with Old Trafford. How about showing some faith in this young Angolan? The 25-year-old was outstanding at the African Cup of Nations, and looks like he could fit in well to a flexible United frontline. Expect him to have a great impact this season. Signed in January, work permit issues prevented him joining up with the club until now.

So, what do you think? Disagree with the players mentioned? Or is there another signing you believe will have a massive impact this season?