10 Best Premier League Transfers of This Window So Far

Paulinho, Maarten Stekelenburg, Jesus Navas and more...

The summer transfer window has been officially open for less than two weeks, and we have already seen some big names land in the Premier League.

But which players are the standout buys of the summer so far?

We have picked the 10 leading names to sign for top-flight sides ahead of the 2013/14 season and ranked them from 1-10.

The players have been rated according to factors that include their price, age and what they will bring to their respective new teams.

We start off with a list of honorable mentions, including what might be seen as a controversial choice in Fernandinho.

Agree, disagree or think there is anyone else who should make the top 10? Let us know in the comments section below!

All transfer-related information sourced from the BBC Sport website, and all performance data comes from Transfermarkt.

Fernandinho: to Manchester City—£30 million

A player who splits opinion—Fernandinho has a lot to offer, and his pairing with Yaya Toure in the City midfield could prove to be formidable. However, coming from the Ukrainian Premier League at 28 and at a cost of £30 million, Fernandinho does not make it into my top 10.

Victor Wanyama: Celtic to Southampton—£12.5 million

SPL Player of the Year in 2012/13 and scorer of a goal against none other than Barcelona in the Champions League, Wanyama could make quite the impression in the English top-flight.

Andreas Cornelius: Copenhagen to Cardiff—£7.5 million

He’s a 6’4” striker who netted 18 goals in 32 Danish Superliga appearances last season. Perhaps, he’ll be just what the Bluebirds need for their first season in the Premier League.

Dejan Lovren: Lyon to Southampton—£8.5 million (reported)

The Saints have been busy in the transfer window. The highly rated Croatian may prove to be a key signing for Mauricio Pochettino.

Modibo Diakite: Lazio to Sunderland—Free

Can the 26-year-old, who was rumoured to be linked with Liverpool and Napoli, bring stability to the Sunderland back line?

Wilfried Bony: Vitesse Arnhem to Swansea—£12 million

Wilfried Bony scored 31 goals in 30 appearances for Vitesse in the Eredivisie last season.

Nicolas Anelka: Juventus to West Bromwich Albion—Free

Acquired by the Baggies on a free transfer, does “Le Sulk” still have what it takes to impress in the Premier League?

Signed for £4 million

Aston Villa were in need of new blood. After narrowly escaping relegation last season, Paul Lambert needed to act shrewdly in the transfer market.

Highly rated Jores Okore joins Villa just six months after turning down a move to Chelsea, as reported by John Percy in the The Telegraph.

The 20-year-old has made seven appearances for Denmark’s senior international squad and won the Danish Superliga and Danish Cup with FC Nordsjaelland.

A centre-back, Okore is known for his pace, calm head and strength on the ball.

Signed for £7 million

Liverpool acted fast to sign Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo. The Merseyside club were linked with an imminent deal as early as May.

Aspas scored 12 times for Celta last term, pretty impressive for a side that scored a combined total of 36 goals all season.

Relatively unknown outside of Spain, Aspas has a lot to offer. The 25-year-old is an energetic, in-your-face striker who gives his all in every game. He can be likened to forwards like Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, as he shares a similar never-say-die attitude and can be found working tirelessly in all areas of the pitch.

Quick, good in the air and a clinical finisher, Aspas also likes to drop deep, is at home playing on both flanks and can operate behind the main striker. 

This skill set could see Aspas crowned as heir apparent to Luis Suarez at Liverpool.

Signed for £15 million

Andy Carroll struggled at Liverpool, where the £30 million price tag seemed to weigh heavily on the English striker.

A loan move to West Ham saw the 24-year-old rediscovering some of the form that he showed in earlier years at Newcastle United.

The Hammers picked up the capped-nine-times England international on a six-year deal for half of what he cost Liverpool.

As his confidence improves, and if he can remain injury-free, £15 million could prove to be a snip.

Signed for Free

Liverpool have had a very active transfer window so far. Kolo Toure was the fourth player to join the club when his signing was completed on July 2.

In terms of value for money, this is a Grade A deal for the Anfield club. They get a defender with experience in Europe and the Premier League for free, just in time to replace the retired Jamie Carragher.

The 32-year-old has won the Premier League with both Arsenal and Manchester City and has made over 100 appearances for the Ivory Coast.

Toure has signed a two-year deal with Liverpool.

Signed for undisclosed fee, thought to be £8.5 million

Not only does Ricky van Wolfswinkel have the best name in the transfer window, he also makes the top six of the best signings so far—by virtue of what he should bring to his new side.

His arrival at Norwich is a coup for the East Anglian outfit, who smashed their transfer record to bring him to the club.

The deal was agreed back in March after an impressive season with Sporting Lisbon, as seen here on the BBC Football website. 

The Dutch international scored 45 goals in 88 games for Sporting and bagged 35 goals in 80 appearances for his former side, FC Utrecht.

At 24, he has years ahead of him and is known for his finishing and eye for goal. Primarily a striker, Van Wolfswinkel can also play as an attacking midfielder.

His addition will give a huge boost to the Norwich squad, who were one of the Premier League’s lowest-scoring teams last season with just 41 goals over the course of the campaign.

Signed for £18 million

Jose Mourinho made Andre Schurrle his first signing after returning to manage Chelsea.

Schurrle is a 22-year-old Germany international who scored 18 goals in 65 games for Bayer Leverkusen.

The Blues had linked with Schurrle for some time, before securing his services on June 25.

It’s hard to see where the winger will fit into the current Chelsea lineup, as the Blues have no shortage of talent in midfield.

But his natural ability, pace and threat on the counterattack could see Mourinho facing a selection headache that most managers would love to have.

Signed for £9 million

Simon Mignolet has been one of the Premier League’s most impressive goalkeepers in recent seasons.

The Belgian looks set to take over from Pepe Reina between the sticks.

Mignolet made 101 appearances for Sunderland in the top-flight and is rated higher than Reina on the EPL index.

According to eplindex.com, Mignolet saved 73 percent of shots on target during the 2012/13 season, 68 percent of shots faced from inside the box and 45 percent of clear-cut chances conceded by Sunderland.

All of these stats were better than those of Pepe Reina.

Mignolet has signed a long-term contract with Brendan Rodgers' side, and, at 25, could be Liverpool's No. 1 for years to come.

Signed for—£9 million

 

Simon Mignolet has been one of the Premier League’s most impressive goalkeepers in recent seasons.

 

The 25-year-old Belgian looks set to take over from Pepe Reina between the sticks.

 

Mignolet made 101 appearances for Sunderland in the top-flight and is rated higher than Reina on the EPL index.

 

According to eplindex.com, Mignolet saved 73% of shots on target during the 2012/13 season, 68% of shots faced from inside the box and 45% of clear-cut chances conceded by Sunderland.

All of these stats were better than those of Pepe Reina.

Signed for £17 million

Tottenham Hotspur have spent wisely with the £17 million they shelled out for Paulinho.

The 24-year-old joins the Premier League side from Corinthians, where he made 112 appearances and scored 25 goals.

He has been capped 17 times by Brazil and played in the Selecao’s recent 3-0 Confederations Cup Final win against Spain.

Paulinho, who operates as a holding midfielder, was bought at half the price that Manchester City shelled out for Fernandinho and was also a rumoured transfer target of Real Madrid, according to Jack Pitt-Brooke in the The Independent.

What will Spurs get for their money? A strong and composed, box-to-box player, who is good in the air and is excellent at shooting from long-range. It’s these attributes that have seen Paulinho compared to Frank Lampard.

He comes to Spurs at a vital time—with new or returning managers at Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, 2013/14 is the moment for Andre Villas-Boas’ side to pounce and try to cement a position in the top four.

Signed for an Undisclosed Fee

Martin Jol has pulled off a masterstroke in bringing Maarten Stekelenburg to Craven Cottage.

The Dutch keeper has many similarities with former Fulham keeper Edwin van der Sar. The two both began their careers with Ajax, moved to Serie A with Roma and Juventus, respectively, before coming to the Premier League.

Both stoppers have also been first choice for the Dutch national team, where Stekelenburg currently wears the No. 1 shirt for the Oranje.

Van der Sar went on to great things with Manchester United after his spell with Fulham, and, at 30, Stekelenburg has a solid decade ahead of him.

No matter who is signed between now and September 2, Stekelenburg is one of the signings of the season.

Signed for £14.9 million

Manchester City confirmed that Jesus Navas was going to join the side as early as June.

The attacking midfielder was a former one-club man, having spent his whole career with Sevilla.

Navas scored 31 goals in 375 appearances for the La Liga club.

He’s a winger with exceptional speed who will bring much-needed width to the City team and his rate of 82 assists during his time at Sevilla gives an indication of where his strengths lie.

At 27, he’s yet to reach his peak and City look set to reap the benefits of the £14.9 million they paid for him. 

Navas showed how much he has grown as a player with his performances in the Confederations Cup. The player who has openly suffered from anxiety in the past, delivered a steely-nerved penalty that sent Spain through to the final against Brazil.

If the player settles in Manchester, he could be a fantastic addition to Manuel Pellegrini's side.

When compared to the £15 million that West Ham paid to acquire Andy Carroll, this really is a bargain of the highest order.