6 new signings who are likely to perform best this season

James Rodriguez has big shoes to fill at Real MadridIf you stand still in the world of football, you move backwards. New signings are the lifeline of a football team as without them, there is no improvement. Even if your club has a profoundly successful youth system, new players are always needed to be brought in to make the side a competitive one.Whether it’s for a final push to win silverware or the last attempt at staving off the threat of relegation, transfers always have an immense effect on the season that a club has. For some clubs not merely good signings do. They need get a marquee player in for an extraordinary amount just to uplift the morale of the club and the fans alike; to tell their contenders that they are serious about things.Here are six of the summer signings that are likely to perform best this season.

#1 Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)

The World of Football was expecting Cesc Fabregas to move from Barcelona to London earlier this summer. But, very few had imagined him donning the blue of Chelsea instead of heading further north in London.

The former Arsenal man immediately upgrades the quality at the centre of the park for the Blues. Chelsea’s arsenal in centre-midfield already boasted of the Samba flavour brought in by the presence of Oscar and Ramires, and a certain muscle brought in by their January recruit Nemanja Matic. Now, they will have the soothing presence of the Spanish international that can make the difference between “title contenders” and “title favourites”.

With Fabregas, Chelsea find the string-puller they have been looking for the past few years. Four assists in the first five games, with Chelsea soaring into the lead in the Premier League standings should be proof enough that the recruitment has already started to bear fruit.

Fabregas gives them an immediate upgrade over the now departed Frank Lampard and is looking likely to be probably the best transfer deal this summer.

#2 Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

Alexis Sanchez was the answer Arsene Wenger provided to the millions of Gunner faithful as their side screamed for quality. The Gunners somehow had managed to finish fourth once again last season after showing promise to go further early on.

Arsenal were on the right track for the first part of last season, leading the Premier League table as they looked and played like a contender after many a year. However, they soon found their title challenge derailed as injuries began to mount and made the squad thread-bare.

With the arrival of Sanchez, Arsenal gets an immediate upgrade on the wings as they get a forward having the capability of being a game-changer on any day of the week. The move also gives Sanchez a new challenge after spending three productive seasons (even if they were off the bench) at Barcelona.

Arsenal fans expect much from the Chilean who was voted best player in the Serie A at the tender age of 22. A couple of goals and an assist in his first four games in Arsenal’s colours have seen him set off on the right track.

#3 Angel Di Maria (Manchester United)

One of the biggest reasons for Manchester United’s slump in quality last season was their atrocious play on the wings. Antonio Valencia, Nani and even Shinji Kagawa tried to provide the Red Devils with some fire-power down the flanks, but they simply couldn’t do anything worthwhile. The only glimmer of hope that Manchester United fans had last season with regards to wing play was the emergence of young Belgian kid Adnan Janujaz.

It took a British transfer fee of around £60 million to sort out the mess they had. Angel Di Maria arrived on English shores earlier this summer to take over the duties on the wings and was duly handed the famous number 7 shirt by Louis van Gaal.

If first impressions are anything to go by, Di Maria is set to light up not only Manchester but the Premier League as a whole. The Argentine has already scored twice and assisted twice in his first three appearances for the Red Devils and looks set to deliver even more.

For a man who is already known to unlock defences in the slower paced La Liga, where the defences are perpetually shielded by two defensive midfielders who look to keep possession, the Premier League should be a code that will be much easier to crack.

#4 Alexandre Song (West Ham United)

Alexander Song — Song has moved to West Ham to salvage a career that was stagnating at Barcelona

If the words “crash landing” can be used to describe anyone’s career in recent times, it would Alexandre Song. From being one of the most sought after midfielders in Europe to a man no one took notice about, the Cameroonian’s reputation has taken a huge tumble in recent years.

The African never quite settled at the Nou Camp, failing to make any mark whatsoever in his two seasons at Barcelona. He never quite got it going in Spain as the bench seemed be the perpetual destination one had to look in order to locate Song.

Even when he made the starting line-up there was nothing in his performances for the reporters to laud about. A dismal World Cup showing didn’t do his faltering reputation any good either.

Now Song has a fresh lease of life with his summer move to West Ham where he has the chance to become the main man at the centre of the park alongside Mark Noble. The Cameroon international would look to recapture the form which saw him become a vital cog in the Arsenal machinery a few seasons back where he was not only the chief destroyer. but also provided 11 assists in the league.

#5 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Bayern Munich always aim for the sky, setting their aim to snatch the brightest stars in the market to further brighten their prospects. In Robert Lewandowski, Bayern have probably got arguably the purest striker in all of Europe.

It was not that Bayern struggled with either Mario Gomez or Mario Mandzukic, but their insatiable appetite for success always led them to go for bigger and better. While the former two were known for their finishing abilities, Lewandowski actively takes part in build up play and is more than a handful when it comes to his passing ability. Thus, the expectations will be high for the Pole’s first season in Munich.

Lewandowski has already proved his pedigree both in Europe as well as in Germany and now with Bayern would look to replicate or even better last season’s performances, where he won die Tojägerkanone for his 20 goals in the Bundesliga, adding to his tally of six in the Champions League.

#6 Diego Costa (Chelsea)

If first impressions are anything to go by, Diego Costa looks a real coup for Chelsea even at the price of £32 million. Jose Mourinho, in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, seems to have found the second big talismanic forward in Chelsea’s history after Didier Drogba.

Diego Costa was brought in to solve the goal-scoring problems that have plagued the Chelsea forward line in recent seasons. The Chelsea forwards scored only 19 goals in all competitions last season, while Costa himself scored 36 for Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard has wasted no time in taking the English game by storm as well after ruling Spain last season.

Costa’s phenomenal strength and power combined with a striker’s best known quality of knowing where the back of the net is has already done enough for the papers to write superlatives about the Spaniard’s all round ability since the start of the season.

By the looks of things, Chelsea are well set at the forward position for a few years at least with Costa leading the line.