With over £1 billion spent by the Premier League clubs, hundreds of players signed and almost as many sold, the 2016 summer transfer window was as eventful as ever. The transfer fee world record was broken, league spending record was broken, and with unearthly wages on offer, the Premier league was the destination for some of the biggest stars from all over the world.
Also read: English Premier League free transfer XI
From the £89 million world record signing of Paul Pogba to the £37 million shock signing of David Luiz, every club was on the lookout for fresh talent. But have these players proven their worth? Here we look at the best XI formed by new transfers from the 2016 summer window:
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Goal Keeper: Victor Valdes
The goalkeeper position had little competition as most of the new transfers struggled to adapt to the league and new teams. Liverpool keeper Loris Karius has been in horrific form and his recent comments have done him no favours. Even though his performances have been woeful at times, it has been surpassed by Claudio Bravo’s horror show this season.
Victor Valdes has been solid this season although not extraordinary. The 34-year-old Spaniard had a torrid time under van Gaal at Man Utd but his move to Middlesbrough this season has helped his career graduate to a respectable end.
The former Barcelona man has grown in stature with each game and looks set to have a decent stint at Middlesbrough till he decides to hang up his gloves.
Defenders
Right Back: Antonio Barragan
Not a lot of players were signed by the Premier League clubs for this position. Antonio Barragan was one of the few players signed in the league to be the first choice right back and he hasn’t disappointed.
The former Valencia right-back has been a solid acquisition for Aitor Karanka’s men. He has played every minute for Boro this season in the league and has been quite consistent throughout.
With an average of 7 defensive actions per match(tackles, blocks, interceptions), Barragan’s return to the Premier League, a decade after he left Liverpool, has been fruitful.
Centre Back: Shkodran Mustafi
The 24-year-old German international from Valencia arrived at Arsenal after a commendable performance at the Euros. With his fellow German, Per Mertesacker, getting old and Gabriel still very rash, Arsenal’s signing was a masterstroke.
Settling into the team quickly, he has kept Mertesacker and Gabriel out of the team for the most part. One of the first names on the teamsheet now, he has been nothing but rock solid at the back, commanding the line with brute force and physicality. Mustafi seems to be the efficient German in Arsenal’s backline that they have needed all these years.
Bailly’s injury forced him out of the reckoning for a month meaning he cannot be considered in this team, paving the way for the Gunner’s entry.
Centre Back: Joel Matip
Bought for free from Schalke, Joel was considered to be talented but error-prone.
His performances for Liverpool so far have hardly shown any of his negative qualities. Having played 12 matches in the league so far, he has been one of the few standout performers for the Reds at the back.
With 22 interceptions and averaging more than 8 defensive actions every match, Joel Matip forms the centre-back partnership with Mustafi for our team. While Mustafi has arguably been as solid, having an established partner like Koscielny is a luxury that Matip hasn’t been afforded.
Left Back: Marcos Alonso
The Real Madrid youth product was bought for a meagre amount from Fiorentina and has been utilised as a left wing-back for Chelsea for the past couple of months.
After a bright start to the season, his defensive errors were brought to the fore when playing as a left back. However, Conte’s tactical shift to a 3-man defence has helped him as much as any other player in the squad.
Having created 13 chances for the league leaders so far, Alonso’s performances have been crucial in their winning run. The Blues supporters would be hoping that he keeps up such a level throughout the season.
Midfielders
Central Midfielder: N’Golo Kante
The French midfielder joined Chelsea from the reigning champions, Leicester City, in the summer, and his move has signified the importance of his presence in both the teams. While Leicester are struggling in the lower mid-table, Chelsea are flying high.
Known for his never ending stamina and work rate, Kante has formed a formidable partnership with Matic. With defensive liabilities like Luiz and Cahill in the team, Kante’s involvement has been extremely crucial in maintaining the solid defensive record that Chelsea have this season.
Brushing off competition from an in-form Joe Allen, Kante is on course to become the workhorse that Chelsea have missed since the days of Essien and Makelele.
Central Midfielder: Paul Pogba
The world record signing from Juventus, Paul Pogba has been the butt of all jokes in social media this season for not living up to expectations. However, with pretty solid numbers to back him up in almost every department, Pogba has given the Man United midfield a new dimension.
The Frenchman has completed the third highest number of passes in the league so far, highest number of passes in the final third in the top 5 leagues, and has created more chances than any other central midfielder in the league this season. Pogba has also won the most duels in the league so far with 39 take-ons and 41 aerial duels won.
Due to Gundogan’s injury trouble and inconsistency, Paul Pogba makes it a french duo in the midfield.
Winger: Nathan Redmond
The new Southampton signing was always highly rated by the English coaches over the course of his youth career. The 22-year-old winger decided to leave Norwich at the end of the last campaign as they got relegated.
While Redmond hasn’t set the world on fire, he has been consistently threatening in the final third. Even though he is young, he has 230 professional matches under his belt so far.
Redmond surely seems like a good, relatively cheap signing for the future especially since he has also scored 3 goals in the league so far and created 27 chances on his own. These performances have meant he has been one of the first names on the team-sheet for the Saints.
Winger: Nolito
The 30-year-old Spanish international moved to Manchester City following a terrific season at Celta Vigo last time around.
Even though he faces competition from exciting talents like Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and the mercurial Kevin De Bruyne, he has been solid whenever he has played. His versatility has come to the fore as the Spaniard has played in various positions on both the wings as well as a false nine.
He has delivered two assists so far and scored 4 goals. Although he has often been used as a substitute or backup, he has threatened opposition defences frequently whenever given a chance. Manchester United’s Mkhitaryan would have probably been the first choice for this spot but he has hardly played so far, paving the way for Nolito’s entry.
Attackers
Striker: Sadio Mane
After a lot of speculation over his impending transfer to Manchester United, Sadio Mane finally left the Saints for Liverpool for a hefty sum of £32 million in the summer.
There were doubts regarding his consistency for the Saints but with 7 goals and 4 assists in 14 appearances for the Reds so far, Mane has quelled all the doubts so far. His pace and directness were missing in Klopp’s side before this season. Along with the goals, he has also created 23 chances in the league this season and looks set to propel this Liverpool side into the top 4.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The 35-year-old Swede was one of four big transfers Mourinho made this season at Manchester United. He arrived for free from PSG and signed a 1+1 year bumper contract for the Red Devils.
His lack of pace, inconsistent finishing and a mid-season drought was the talk of the town but his goals have gone slightly under the radar. Zlatan has scored 11 goals already for United in the league and 16 overall in the season.
He may be a short term solution but a very shrewd one. Youngsters like Martial and Rashford now have a legendary striker in their team to learn from and less pressure to score the goals, unlike last season.
Formation: 4-4-2
