Best Value for Money signings of 2014-15 Premier League

Alexis Sanchez was Arsenal’s best player of the season, and made a huge impact

With the 2014-15 Premier League season done and dusted, let us look at the best value for money signings of the season. Value for money is a term used to assess whether or not an organisation has obtained the maximum benefit from the goods and services it both acquires and provides, within the resources available to it.

A lot of money was spent by clubs in the Premier League, as they tried to ensure that they finish as high as they could in the standings. However, not all those signings resulted in a proper return on the money invested on them.

Here we look at the players who proved to be the best value for money signings –

Esteban Cambiasso

Cambiasso has to be one of the biggest bargains of the seasons as he came to Leicester City on a free transfer from Inter Milan and literally hauled them out of the relegation zone. He had a massive impact both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, he bossed the midfield and scored 5 goals as well. A relegation dogfight would have been a new challenge for the Champions League winner, but he was committed to the cause and played a major role in helping them string together a sequence of 6 wins in 7 matches that pulled them away from the relegation zone.

His performances made him a crowd favourite as well, and he was rightly crowned Leicester City’s Player of the Year.

**Esteban Cambiasso Stats**
Matches Played	27(4)
Goals Scored	5
Assists	1
Key Passes Per Game	1.2
Pass Accuracy	73.6%
Average Tackles Per Game	2.3
Interceptions Per Game	2.1

Aaron Cresswell

Aaron Cresswell, 25 was bought by West Ham United for £4.5 million from Ipswich Town in the Championship, and did not miss even a single minute of Premier League football this season. He was deservedly voted as the Hammer of Year following an impressive debut campaign, which was not expected by many at the beginning of the season.

His good performances have already sparked rumours that link him with Premier League champions Chelsea. He has been fairly consistent throughout the season and stayed clear of any injury troubles.

What makes him a complete left-back is that he has been solid defensively, purposeful when going forward and his ability to take accurate free kicks makes him even more of a catch. If he carries on his good form to the next season, he might well be on the England team going to France for Euro 2016.

**Cresswell's season in Numbers**
Matches Played	38
Goals scored	2
Assists	4
Clearances Per Game	3.9
Key Passes Per Game	0.9
Tackles Per Game	1.2
Interceptions Per Game	0.9

Ryan Bertrand

Bertrand initially moved to Southampton on loan from Chelsea, as the replacement for Luke Shaw, and sealed a permanent transfer to the Saints at the end of the January Transfer Window. He was bought for £11 million by Southampton and their decision to invest in him has proved to be a very sound one.

His amazing performances earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year. With Nathaniel Clyne at right-back, Southampton have one of the best full-back pairings in the Premier League.

His ability to read game situations and make interceptions has been widely praised while his positioning has been very good. He did well in the attacking side of things as well with quick bursts, overlapping runs and fine crosses always adding to the threat posed by his forwards.

At the age of 25, despite suffering several jolts to his confidence in recent years, Bertrand has done to make the most of his chances, and is set to become an established player at a club looking to defy that trend by becoming a stalwart at a top club.

**Bertrand’s season in numbers**
Matches Played	34
Goals scored	2
Assists	2
Clearances Per game	1.4
Tackles Per Game	1.3
Interceptions Per Game	2
Dribbled Past Per Game	0.4

Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean enjoyed a great debut season at Arsenal, as he was absolutely brilliant, scored goals (many of them mouth-watering), gave assists and worked tirelessly. Not many doubted whether his £30 million move from Barcelona would be a success because he had the pace, technique and power to play in England.

And whenever the team needed someone to step up, he did, the FA Cup final and semi-final, and the Champions league qualifier against Besiktas some of the major examples of the same. Sanchez has helped recreate the old Arsenal aura, and there is much more self-belief in this Arsenal team, the major factor being the presence of Sanchez.

**Alexis Sanchez's Season in numbers**
Matches Played	34 (1)
Goals Scored	16
Assists	8
Key Passes Per Games	2.3
Dribbles Per Game	3.3
Shots Per Game	3.5
Crosses	0.6

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Sigurdsson returned to Swansea after two seasons at Tottenham, with Ben Davies and Vorm going the other way. It may have been seen as a step backwards for the 25-year-old, but he had a really productive season with 7 goals and 10 assists.

He has the knack for setting up chances for others and did it ever so well this season. He has the glue that held the Swansea attack together and played a major role in taking them up to a record 8th position in the table. With Bony leaving in January, he had a huge role to play and he did it admirably for the Swans.