da bet esporte： When a new arrival wins the PFA Player of the Year award, they become the Premier League’s Signing of the Season essentially by default. In the case of N’Golo Kante, it’s pretty hard to argue otherwise.
da pinnacle： The £30million acquisition has been sensational all season, adding the energy and dynamism he showed at Leicester City to Chelsea’s title winning side.
Without it, Antonio Conte’s two-man engine room might not be possible and the Blues may be enduring a much longer road to recovery after finishing tenth in the Premier League last term. Kante is now the first player in Premier League history to win the title in consecutive seasons with two separate clubs, another indicator that he was the division’s best piece of business last summer.
But in purely financial terms, better deals were had throughout the 2016/17 season. £30million may pale in significance to Paul Pogba’s world-record move or some of the fees recently forked out at Manchester City, but it’s still a lofty sum for most clubs in the Premier League.
Indeed, when we talk about Signings of the Season we should be looking at value-for-money; and based on transfer fees alone, these three stars were in the financial reach of all 20 sides. Lets take a look at the Premier League’s true signings of 2016/17…
Lee Grant
An out-of-the-box suggestion to start things off, Lee Grant was signed on loan from Championship side Derby County last summer as Stoke City faced a goalkeeper shortage due to Jack Butland’s injury complications.
Having been deemed essentially surplus to requirements at Pride Park, Grant’s performances have far exceeded his own, the Rams’ and Stoke’s expectations, going on to establish himself as their No.1 and accordingly earn a permanent move to the Bet365 Stadium in January.
Indeed, he ranks eighth throughout the Premier League for clean sheets, ninth for saves and ninth for distribution – not bad for an ageing goalkeeper signed for just £1.2million who started the season behind Shay Given in the pecking order. Overall, an inspired acquisition.
Victor Wanyama
His efforts in defensive midfield have been somewhat overshadowed by N’Golo Kante’s on the other side of London, but Victor Wanyama has played an instrumental role in establishing Tottenham as genuine long-term title competitors.
Indeed, he’s proved to be one of the the final pieces in the jigsaw Mauricio Pochettino is creating at White Hart Lane, adding real power, brawn and defensive protection at the base of midfield and particularly making a difference in big games, with huge performances against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Whereas Chelsea forked out £30million for Kante, Spurs paid just over a third of that sum for the Kenyan international, who has been a vital component in them claiming the best goals conceded record in the Premier League.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Huge salaries aside, in terms of transfer fees alone, you won’t find a better deal last summer than Manchester United signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer.
Not everybody has been convinced by the iconic Swede – remember all those debates about how his lack of mobility is holding back United’s attack – but imagine the kind of fee Manchester United would usually pay for a 28-goal striker (17 coming in the Premier League), or the kind of fee they might pay to replace that firepower this summer.
Throw in five assists and a vital contribution to the direct style of football Jose Mourinho has imposed upon this season, not to mention United’s struggles in the Premier League since his campaign-ending injury, and Zlatan’s got to be in the running for the best value-for-money signing of 2016/17.