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In over 20 years, the English Premier League has seen many stars grace the field and light up the game. These stars include an equal number of English and foreign players. Over the last decade or so, the number of foreign players has significantly increased, and this season it’s the same story too. Here, we take a look at some of the biggest foreign superstars that you should watch out for this year.
#10 Robin van Persie
It seems like Robin van Persie has been in the EPL for ages, and rightly so. With close to a decades experience in English football, he only seems to have truly lived up to his potential in the last few years. With a rip roaring last season at Arsenal, hes taken that form to Manchester United, helping them win the league. Hes continued that form despite the shambles of the David Moyes season, and is sure to continue the same under fellow countryman Louis van Gaal, fitness permitting of course.
#9 Nemanja Matic
Ever since his return to Chelsea, Nemanja Matic has proved to be a major asset to the team, and the results were there to see for everybody. Since January, when he made his way back to the club, Chelsea seemed that much more assured defensively, and he slotted in seamlessly into the team as well. Suddenly, Chelsea looked unbreakable, with Matics defensive abilities aiding Cahill and Terry in fending off opposition attacks. He seems to be continuing in the same form this season, this time combining with Cesc Fabregas, giving the latterthe freedom to go forward and create opportunities for the team.
#8 Yaya Toure
Another Manchester City player that has had a major influence on the club and the league is Yaya Toure. When hes playing in the midfield for City, there is quite literally no stopping the team. Equally adept at going forward and screening the defence, hes a portent weapon for the team and has had a major influence in the clubs successes in the past few years. In fact, just like in the case of Aguero, City tend to be weak when hes missing from the team, with the opposition a little bit more confident when playing against them.
#7 Sergio Aguero
Calling Sergio Aguero a major cog of the Manchester City team would be a major understatement. Whenever Aguero gets injured, City tends to struggle in dispatching teams with the same ease with which they do when the Argentine is in the team. While they do get the results, its very laboured and they miss the assurance Aguero brings to the team and the fear to the opposition. One mistake and he will punish the defence, as Arsenal found out to their misery over the last weekend in their 2-2 draw. He is certain to continue his good work this season as well, with more goals in the offing.
#6 Mesut Ozil
For a large part of last season, Mesut Ozil was derided for not showing enough effort while playing for Arsenal. That assessment couldnt have been farther from remark. What Ozil brings to the team is a key to unlock defences, which need not always be assists. He brings in other players into spaces who can then connect with the frontline to assist or score goals. True, he doesnt track back often, but he has never been that player and shouldnt be expected to do so. With Sanchez, Welbeck and Walcott in front of him, this season could well see him with more of those cunning balls that released Ronaldo at Real Madrid to do his thing.
#5 Angel Di Maria
After having thefabulous year that hes had with both club and country, you would be forgiven to think that Real Madrid would do everything in its power to keep him at the club. However, it seems they were more than happy to let him go and Manchester United swooped in to make the purchase. For a midfield that is bereft of any sort of quality, and has been running on fumes for at least a couple of seasons now, Di Maria is certainly going to add pace and quality down the wings. With excellent finishers in the form of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcoa in the frontline, hes bound to rack up a lot of assists this season.
#4 Cesc Fabregas
It wasnt too long ago that Cesc Fabregas was nailed on to transfer only to Arsenal if he ever wanted to leave Barcelona. But as the game continues to show, strange things happen so regularly that nothing surprises anyone anymore. Fabregas completed his transfer to Chelsea in the summer, after an apparent refusal from Arsenal. His quality has already shown through, assisting Costa and Schurrle in the early part of the season, and is more than likely to pick up where he left off in the EPL. This is one transfer Arsenal fans are sure to rue that they passed up on.
#3 Diego Costa
Another striker that has made his move the Premier League is Spains Diego Costa. After a tremendous season at Atletico Madrid which resulted in a league title win and almost securing the Champions League, Costa made his big money move to Chelsea and already has had a glorious impact in the short span of time hes been here. In 4 appearances, hes already scored 7 goals, and despite constant threats of getting injured for a considerable period of time, hes stayed fit and already looks like hell have another special season.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
In a surprisingly early signing for Arsenal’s standards, Alexis Sanchez might well prove to be the game changer the club has so desperately needed in all these years. While new signings from other leagues tend to take at least a season to fully adjust, Sanchez seems to have made a seamless transition, already scoring 3 important goals for the team. With Ozil and Cazorla to provide the through balls and Walcott at his side to help in outpacing the opposition defenders, Sanchez is most certainly going to light up the league with his work rate and performances, irrespective of what Arsenal does or does not achieve this season.
#1 Radamel Falcao
He may be a deadline day signing and a loan signing, but the goalscoring pedigree of Radamel Falcao speaks for itself. Wherever he has played, he has scored a bucket load of goals, and he will certainly be one to watch out for this season. Despite the obvious deficiencies at the back, Manchester United have plumped for a proven goalscorer in the belief that scoring more goals would certainly instill the fear back in their opponents, and in Falcao they have exactly the kind of beast who can do just that.
While stats don’t always tell the complete story, Falcao has that part covered with his goal scoring rate in comparison with match appearances always on the high side. Whether he can restore United’s wounded pride singlehandedly is a question that can only be answered at the end of the season. But the one thing for sure is that he is a significant upgrade over Hernandez and Welbeck, irrespective of which part of the frontline he plays in.
