I’ve kept my cards close to my chest on this one as I wanted to see how certain players performed for their respective international sides over the summer and get a sense of whether some of the form we saw over the course of last season is sustainable or not. But now it’s time to do my rundown of the best Premier League signings from the 20/21 season.
This is all about individual performance and impact on team performance. It doesn’t matter if your team finished rock bottom, if they signed someone who performed outstandingly as an individual and also helped improve the team by a significant margin then they are just as likely to be here as a title-winner. Shoutout to West Brom’s midfield.
Let’s get started.
GK – Emiliano Martinez
Summer window: Aston Villa – £15.66m; Arsenal, Premier League
Emiliano Martinez signed for Villa in the summer after Arsenal finally decided to settle on Bernd Leno as the number one choice in goal at The Emirates. Since moving to Aston Villa, Martinez has not only produced a number of stunning individual performances at club level that allowed Villa’s defence to progress significantly but he also was one of the key performers as Argentina won Copa America 2021. It’s been a fantastic year for Emi and he is one of the most deserving names on the list of an inclusion here.
RB – Vladimir Coufal
Summer window: West Ham United – £5.4m; Slavia Prague, Fortuna Liga
Undoubtedly the value signing of the 20/21 season, Vladimir Coufal arrived as a relative unknown towards the end of the summer window following an injury to Ryan Fredericks. All we had really heard is that fellow Czech international and former Slavia Prague teammate, Tomas Soucek had recommended him to the West Ham hierarchy. But despite his unheralded arrival on an inexplicably low fee, Coufal’s impact was instant. Within just a few games he had proved himself to be a diligent, dynamic and confident right-back and an expressive leader in the West Ham squad. An instant fan favourite, Coufal scarcely put in a performance that warranted less than a 7/10 with one particularly memorable outing against Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish. He finished the season on seven assists and went on to get another two at Euro 2020 with the Czech Republic.
CB – Wesley Fofana
Summer window: Leicester City – £31.5m; Saint-Etienne, Ligue 1
Former partner of Arsenal centre-back William Saliba at Saint-Etienne, Wesley Fofana stepped into last season with much to prove after becoming Leicester’s second most expensive signing ever in the summer. And he wouldn’t just stroll into the team either as there was strong competition for a spot at centre-back with both Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans already at the club. Though Fofana would get his chance early on following an injury to Soyuncu that would keep him out for a significant stretch and once he got that starting spot he wouldn’t relinquish it again. An excellent, front-foot defender who proved himself to be very capable on and off the ball, Fofana had a magnificent debut season. It’s such a shame that he picked up such a serious injury in preseason and we’ll have to wait quite some time to see the young Frenchman again.
CB – Ruben Dias
Summer window: Manchester City – £61.2m; Benfica, Liga BWIN
Manchester City started the 20/21 season slowly and there were early concerns that they were so far off the pace that one of their rivals at the top of the table might just have the time to run away with it in the early stages of the season. That all changed after Ruben Dias formed a rock-solid partnership with John Stones. This one is simple really. The fee and expectations were huge and they were more than matched. Dias’ arrival propelled Manchester City to their nineteen clean sheets and eventually into a position from which they could cruise toward the title. He was brilliant individually but also brought the best out of those around him. Constantly organising and putting his own body on the line where needed, others went up levels; Zinchenko, Stones and Walker all hitting their best form.
LB – Ben Godfrey
Summer window: Everton – £24.75m; Norwich City, EFL Championship
There was lukewarm reception in the media for Ben Godfrey’s transfer to Everton in the summer. Godfrey had excelled the season before within a Norwich side that had eventually fallen pretty limply to a bottom-placed finish but the fee seemed pretty significant for a young player coming up from the league below and while there was little doubt over his potential, there were some questions over whether his current ability would be enough to have a serious impact on the Everton starting eleven. Frankly, that was all put to bed very quickly. Godfrey went straight into the Everton side after arriving and his flexibility in being able to play across the back-line brought great assurance to an Everton defence that was heavily impacted by injuries. Godfrey is combative, not the type to ever shirk a tackle – the kind of committed, determined professional who would make up for any lack of raw ability with an excellent attitude. That’s not to say he lacks raw ability though; Everton have found a real gem.
DM – Tomas Soucek
Summer window: West Ham United – £14.58m; Slavia Prague, Fortuna Liga
The first of the two Czech’s to arrive in East London this summer, Tomas Soucek signing on a permanent following his incredibly successful short-term loan at the back-end of 2019/20 was perhaps the least surprising deal of the season. The Czech Republic international brought enthusiasm to a previously leggy West Ham midfield and he also happened to bring an absolute boatload of goals. With an amazing knack for timing runs into the box to get on the end of crosses, Soucek scored 10 goals for West Ham last season and was one of the key players in their drive for Europe. He has formed one of the best defensive midfield partnerships in the Premier League with on-pitch captain Declan Rice and has been part of a crop of players who have breathed some desperately-needed new life into things at the London Stadium.
DM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Summer window: Tottenham Hotspur – £14.94m; Southampton, Premier League
The signing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton initially looked to be one of the odder moves of the 2020/21 summer window. Hojbjerg had been impressive but unspectacular at Southampton and it seemed that Spurs would need more than that to rejuvenate a defensive midfield unit that contained both Eric Dier and Harry Winks. Wrong. Hojbjerg’s arrival proved to be a masterstroke from then-manager Jose Mourinho, perhaps the best thing he did for Spurs given he was robbed of the chance to win a trophy by a combination of Daniel Levy and Ryan Mason when he was sacked just prior to the final taking place (great stuff). Instantly bringing steel alongside a good range of pass, Hojbjerg would become a classic image of a Mourinho footsoldier. And he would follow up on his domestic form by being one of the outstanding performers in a Denmark team that defied gravity at Euro 2020 as they refused to roll-over after the serious circumstances surrounding their talisman, Christian Eriksen. Two goals and four assists in the Premier League and three assists at Euro 2020 – easily in the team.
RW – Raphinha
Summer window: Leeds United – £16.74m; Stade Rennais, Ligue 1
Leeds back in the Premier League and managed by Marcelo Bielsa… It doesn’t really get much more exciting than that. And yet adding flying Brazilian winger Raphinha to the mix meant it absolutely did. The fee here is one of the key reasons for Raphinha’s inclusion because £17m for a player that has lit up the Premier League from the moment he arrived is excellent business. An enthralling player with bags of pace and trickery and a wand of a left foot, Raphinha returned six goals and nine assists in his debut Premier League season. Leeds have done magnificently well in hanging on to their key men this summer and I really look forward to seeing what Raphinha, Harrison, Phillips, Bamford and co. can produce in their second season in the top flight.
AM – Jesse Lingard
Winter window: West Ham United – Loan, £2.07m; Manchester United, Premier League
I almost want to accuse myself of bias here as I pick the third West Ham player to go into this team but Jesse Lingard’s nine goals and four assists in 16 games says otherwise. Easily the best signing of the January window, Lingard revolutionised West Ham’s attack in the second half of the season as the Hammers grew even stronger in their pursuit of European football. We’ve always known that Lingard is an excellent player in transition and that’s what David Moyes’ West Ham team do supremely well. Lingard powered through counter-attack after counter-attack in claret and blue and looked like scoring every single time he took a shot at goal. If his xG overperformance began thanks to some freebies being handed his way by Emiliano Martinez (a rare bad day at the office for the Argentine), it swiftly became all about Lingard finding the corner from whatever angle he fancied. If West Ham hadn’t faded right towards the end of the season with injuries to Declan Rice and Michail Antonio, Lingard’s magisterial performances would have propelled West Ham to Champions League football. Need I say more?
LW – Matheus Pereira
Summer window: West Bromwich Albion – £7.43m; Sporting CP, Liga BWIN
The only player from the relegated sides to make it, Matheus Pereira forced his way in here on account of his talismanic performances for a West Brom side that came up a long way short in the end. Pereira arrived at West Brom for a surprisingly low fee after providing 20 (twenty!) assists and eight goals in the EFL Championship the season before. And while he did take a little while to really get going in the Premier League, he finished the season in storming form, returning 11 Premier League goals and six assists in the end. Sometimes cutting a slightly sulky, disconsolate figure, the Brazilian didn’t let his emotions about his side’s lack of competitiveness at the level get in the way of his individual form.
ST – Ollie Watkins
Summer window: Aston Villa – £30.6m; Brentford, EFL Championship
Another name to roll off the Brentford conveyor belt, Ollie Watkins’ stock has risen exceptionally quickly. After Wesley suffered a long-term injury last season and Mbwana Samatta proved himself to be miles off the required level, Villa desperately needed to sign a striker and Watkins was the chosen answer. Having played across the front three for Brentford he often appeared from the left or down the middle as he stormed to 45 Championship goals across three seasons, 25 of those coming in 2019/20. And he would translate that electric form straight across into his first season in the Premier League. His pace, determination and calmness in front of goal caused Premier League defences issues all season as he picked up 14 goals and five assists in his first year at the top level.
Signing of the Season: Ruben Dias
Best Value: Vladimir Coufal
Best Transfers (Team): West Ham United
Worst Signing: Anthony Knockaert
Worst Transfers (Team): Burnley
All rights reserved. Jack Elderton. 2020. Statistical input taken from Wyscout & Fbref (Statsbomb).
Jack Elderton 