5 Premier League summer signings who exceeded expectations this season

Edinson Cavani was one of several new arrivals who impressed in the 2020-21 Premier League.
Edinson Cavani was one of several new arrivals who impressed in the 2020-21 Premier League.

#3 Vladimír Coufal

Vladmir Coufal
Vladmir Coufal

Premier League club West Ham made some of the smartest moves in the 2020 summer transfer window. They signed the likes of Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen and one of their stars this season, Vladimír Coufal.

The Czech Republic international made the move to West London from Slavia Prague, along with former teammate Tomas Soucek. While Soucek had previous loan spells at the London Stadium, this was Coufal’s first season in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old looked assured in West Ham’s backline and adapted quickly to Premier League football. Coufal emerged as one of the first names in West Ham’s team sheet, playing 97% of the Hammers’ Premier League minutes in 2020-21.

In 34 Premier League appearances, Coufal played a key role in helping his team keep nine clean sheets; he also notched up seven assists along the way. With a crossing accuracy of 26% and 35 accurate long balls in the Premier League season, Coufal was one of the best attacking full-backs in the English top flight in 2020-21.


#2 Edouard Mendy

Edouard Mendy
Edouard Mendy

With Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world's most expensive goalkeeper, enduring a wretched 2019-20 campaign, Chelsea were in desperate need of a reliable shot-stopper.

Kepa was wildly inconsistent and prone to errors, which meant he fell out of favour under Frank Lampard at the start of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign. Chelsea made a move for Stade Rennais goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who had previously spent the 2014-15 season without a professional contract and the subsequent campaign in the French fourth division.

Much to their delight, the Blues reaped massive returns on their investment. The Senegalese kept 24 clean sheets in 44 appearances in all competitions. Mendy conceded just 30 goals in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, an average of 0.68 goals per match.

The 29-year-old made 31 appearances for Chelsea in the 2020-21 Premier League season, playing a key role in the Blues’ top-four finish by keeping 16 clean sheets. Only Manchester City custodian Ederson (19) kept more clean sheets in the competition than Mendy, but the former played five more games than the Senegalese.


#1 Wesley Fofana

Wesley Fofana
Wesley Fofana

After a stellar 2019-20 campaign with Saint-Etienne, Wesley Fofana ventured to English shores by arriving at Leicester City on a £31.5 million transfer.

The little-known Fofana emerged as one of Premier League’s best full-backs, notching up 28 league appearances in his debut season in English football. The 20-year old displayed immense composure in Leicester’s backline and proved equally adept in the opposition third.

In the 2020-21 Premier League, Fofana played a part in the Foxes keeping six clean sheets and registered a stellar 73% tackle success rate.

The young Frenchman completed over 60 passes per game in the Premier League, doing so with an 88% pass success rate. Fofana also tallied over 75% accuracy while sending down 75 accurate long balls in the league. The 20-year old also accumulated 51 tackles and 61 interceptions.

After signing the likes of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante over the years, the Leicester City scouting team unearthed another gem in the young Wesley Fofana.

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