A good signing can define a team’s season, and in the case of the Premier League, could be the difference between a side winning the league or avoiding relegation. With so much money being spent in England’s top flight these days it's easy to judge a player based entirely on price tag. We’ve already seen the likes of Jadon Sancho and Leon Bailey crumble under the weight of their own expectations this season, whilst others have thrived after switching clubs and been a true revelation for their respective sides.
As the Premier League season begins to wind down and we approach another transfer window, let’s take a look at some of the best signings so far this season and how they’ve performed across the campaign.
Luis Díaz
We’re running out of superlatives to describe the astronomical rise of Luis Díaz at Liverpool. The Colombian, who arrived in January from Porto after their Champions League exit, has given Jürgen Klopp a new dimension to his side for the second half of the season and while players usually need integrating to the German’s intense system, Díaz has quickly established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.
Blessed with lightning-fast pace and an eye for goal, his performances could be the difference maker if the Reds do win a famous quadruple this season, having scored three in ten starts domestically as well as securing the club’s place in the Champions League final. £37 million is looking like a real bargain now.
Conor Gallagher
Looking back to the start of the season, the Premier League relegation odds all tipped Crystal Palace to go down. Patrick Vieira was an inexperienced coach compared to Roy Hodgson and the club had just released 13 players in pre-season to cut down their wage bill. Palace were at a crossroads. And for all the good work Vieira has done to keep the Eagles a float, he owes a lot of his good work to Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher, who has really found his feet at Selhurst Park this season.
Gallagher has enjoyed more gametime in his natural attacking midfield position this year and while his loan to West Bromwich Albion last season ended in relegation, it’s clearly given him the confidence to feel like he belongs in the top flight. Having scored goals and earnt an England call up, it will be interesting to see if the 22-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge next season, or whether Palace break the bank to sign Gallagher permanently.
Dejan Kulusevski
While Tottenham Hotspur were unable to secure Díaz back in January, they picked up Dejan Kulusevski on loan from Juventus, and the versatile forward has been instrumental in Antonio Conte’s first season in north London. The Italian still has plenty of work to do on this squad, but if they can finish in a Champions League position, they’ll likely be able to secure Kulusevski’s signature permanently. Having looked lukewarm in front of goal while playing in Turin, there were certainly eyebrows raised about this signing, but all doubters were quickly proved wrong when the Swedish international linked up with a resurgent Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son to form a deadly attacking trio.
