English Premier League 2010/11: Top 10 Transfers So Far...
The total amount of money spent in this summers transfer window by the English Premier League is a whopping £345,625,000, majority of which was spent by Man City, but was all this money well spent. I have compiled a list of ten players who I believe have been worth their money based across five different criteria: Value for Money, Prestige of Move, Player History, Player Quality and Performance so far followed by an overall grade for the player. Here is the methodology for the grading:
Value for Money
Grade is given based on the amount paid for the player compared to how good they are (example: £50,000,000 for Zat Knight would receive a low grade whilst £2,000,000 for Wayne Rooney would receive a high grade)
Prestige of Move
Grade is given for how much media coverage the transfer was given (example: Ronaldo to Real Madrid would get a high grade whilst Marlon Harewood to Blackpool would receive a low grade)
Player History
Grade is given for how well the player has performed in their career so far (example: Gerrard would receive a high grade whilst Jo would receive a low grade)
Player Quality
Grade is given for how good the player is generally (example: Arshavin would receive a high grade whilst Karl Henry would receive a low grade)
Performance So Far...
Grade is given for how well the player has performed so far this season (example: Malouda would receive a high grade whilst Cattermole would receive a low grade)
So sit back and enjoy my Top 10 Transfer So Far this Season.
Honorable Mentions
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Luke Varney - New Blackpool striker on loan from Derby County who has made an impact for his new club by bagging three goals already this season including one in a win against Liverpool
David Silva - One of Man City’s huge summer signings from Valencia who is sure to become a star player in the Premier League but so far is lacking something extra to push him into my top ten.
James Milner - Again similar to David Silva, a huge signing but yet to show his stuff so far this season.
Yaya Toure - Probably the biggest signing this summer, money wise, is not putting in performances that match his whopping £240,000-a-week contract.
Frederic Piquionne - The small glimmer in a very poor West Ham team who is putting in a good performance game after game but is let down by the rest of his team.
10. Carlos Salcido
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From: PSV
To: Fulham
Transfer Fee: 1.6 Million
Value for Money: B+
Prestige of Move: D+
Player History: C+
Player Quality: B
Performance So Far: A-
Opinion: Salcido really showed off his class at the World Cup being one of Mexico's best players in the tournament and when Mark Hugh's signed him up as replacement for Konchesky he continued his form into the Premiership season. For £1.6M he was a bargain for Fulham and regularly tears down the left week and causes mayhem in the box with his outstanding crosses.
Overall: B-
9. Martin Petrov
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From: Manchester City
To: Bolton
Transfer Fee: Free Transfer
Value for Money: A-
Prestige of Move: C
Player History: C+
Player Quality: B
Performance So Far: A-
Opinion: For the majority of the clubs Petrov played for he was a solid attacking midfielder but with his move to Manchester City he was seen out of favour for the first team with the continual signings of new talent. Though with his free transfer to Bolton he is now putting in great performances every game and will help Bolton push towards a top ten finish.
Overall: B
8.Asamoah Gyan
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From: Rennes
To: Sunderland
Transfer Fee: Excess of £13M
Value For Money: C+
Prestige of Transfer: B
Player History: C-
Player Quality: B +
Performance So Far: A
Opinion: Asamoah Gyan was hands down the best African player at the 2010 World Cup which led to him being Sunderland's record signing. So far he is putting in top notch displays and is now putting away goals aswell to make up for the injury to Darren Bent.
Overall: B
7. Joe Cole
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From: Chelsea
To: Liverpool
Transfer Fee: Free Transfer
Value For Money: A
Prestige Of Transfer: A
Player History: A
Player Quality: A-
Performance So Far: F
Opinion: 4 out of the 5 categories Joe Cole is excelling in but his performance so far this season is equal to Liverpool's, terrible. With a sending off on his debut followed below average performances he has not shown the quality he can produce. Though as Liverpool start to pick up their game I can see Joe Cole becoming the player their fans are hoping for.
Overall: B
6. Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez
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From: Guadalajara
To: Manchester United
Transfer Fee: Undisclosed (Believed to be £7M)
Value For Money: B
Prestige Of Transfer: B
Player History: C-
Player Quality: B+
Performance So Far: B+
Opinion: Before Manchester United signed Hernandez no one knew who he really was and at the 2010 World Cup fans finally got to see the potential star they had snapped up. Pre-season and early in the league he was scoring in every game and although his performance has been dipping he is still a top signing.
Overall: B
5. Mario Balotelli
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From: Inter Milan
To: Manchester City
Transfer Fee: £24M
Value For Money: B+
Prestige Of Transfer: A
Player History: B
Player Quality: A
Performance So Far: C+
Opinion: He is a very similar player as Anelka as he is very talented and is a great finisher but unfortunately he is let down by his attitude. He has played 4 games so far and scored 3 goals but has also been sent off. Only time will tell if he goes down as a success or failure.
Overall: B+
4. Ben Foster
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From: Manchester United
To: Birmingham City
Transfer Fee: £4M (could rise to £6M)
Value For Money: A
Prestige Of Transfer: B
Player History: C
Player Quality: B+
Performance So Far: A
Opinion: Good goalkeepers are hard to find nowadays and good young goalkeepers are ever harder to locate so Birmingham City got a bargain when they signed Ben Foster from Manchester United. He has put in great performances so far and has potential to be the next England No. 1, Manchester United must regret selling this future star now.
Overall: B+
3. Ramires
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From: Benfica
To: Chelsea
Transfer Fee: 22M Euros
Value For Money: B+
Prestige Of Transfer: B
Player History: C
Player Quality: A-
Performance So Far: A+
Opinion: You may be thinking why Ramires is so high up on my list because not much is said about him by pundits or reporters but he is doing a very similar job to what Makelele used to do for Chelsea. He is putting in top notch displays in the holding midfield role both defensively and attacking wise and is a future world star.
Overall: A-
2. Marouane Chamakh
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From: Bordeaux
To: Arsenal
Transfer Fee: Free Transfer
Value For Money: A+
Prestige Of Transfer: A-
Player History: B-
Player Quality: A-
Performance So Far: A
Opinion: Arsenal were trying to sign Chamakh for a whole year before they actually signed him and now you can see why. He is a naturally goal scorer and a strong presence in the penalty area, he is already building his way to a possible golden boot award.
Overall: A -
1. Rafael Van Der Vaart
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From: Real Madrid
To: Tottenham Hotspur
Transfer Fee: £8M
Value For Money: A-
Prestige Of Transfer: A
Player History: A-
Player Quality: A
Performance So Far: A+
Opinion: As a youngster van der Vaart was hailed as the next big thing in the footballing world and although he made it to Real Madrid he never quite lived up to his potential. Though with his move to Tottenham he has found a new flair which has been missing from his game the past few seasons. In my opinion he is to Tottenham what Gerrard is to Liverpool and Lampard is to Chelsea.
Overall: A
Conclusion
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Well there you have it the ten players who i believe to be the best transfers so far. If you don't agree feel free to comment below and I will take it into consideration.
But the next thing you have to think about is who could be coming to the premiership in the January transfer window?
