Top 5 arrivals in La Liga in the 2020-21 season

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the La Liga can be gauged from the fact that perennial-spenders Real Madrid didn't buy a player for the first time in 40 years.

Several other La Liga clubs also followed suit, with the exception of perhaps Barcelona, who were the biggest spenders in the Spanish top flight last season.

The likes of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla each made one marquee signing, while Cadiz brought home a familiar face.

Top five arrivals in the La Liga this season

Despite the pandemic wreaking the finances of various clubs, there have been some new arrivals in the La Liga since the start of the season. Here is a look at the top five in this regard:

#5 Sergino Dest (Barcelona) - €21 million

Sergino Dest could evolve into a key player at Barcelona.

Several promising young talents from the US have been making their mark in Europe lately; one of them is Sergino Dest who joined La Liga giants Barcelona after an impressive season with Ajax in the Dutch league.

A right-back by trade, Dest combines strong attacking prowess with solid defensive play while also being excelling in possession.

He didn't take long to establish himself in Barcelona's lineup, participating in all but four league games since his arrival while assisting once.

Dest is still only 20. But given the confidence with which he has taken on new challenges, he could have a bright future ahead of him with the La Liga behemoths.

---

#4 Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla) - €5.5 million

Alejandro Gomez could bolster Sevilla's attack with his wide array of creative skill.

Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez is a relatively new arrival in the La Liga. But nevertheless, he is an interesting piece of business from Sevilla, as they roped in a talented player at a very low price from Atalanta.

Gomez is a creative genius, who laid the most assists (16) in Italy's top flight last season.

A technically-gifted player with impressive dribbling skills and exceptionally good passing range, the Argentine wizard thrives in a playmaking role and possesses a keen eye for goal too.

Papu Gomez has already made an impression for Julen Lopetegui's side, netting on his La Liga debut against Getafe after coming off the bench. If that is a sign of things to come, Sevilla fans could be in for a treat.

#3 Alvaro Negredo (Cadiz) - Free transfer

Alvaro Negredo (right) is having a fairly successful homecoming in the La Liga.

Alvaro Negredo is no stranger to the La Liga, as he has played for five different sides, which includes Real Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia among others. He has made over 260 appearances in the Spanish top flight before joining Cadiz last summer.

After enjoying two productive seasons with UAE side Al-Nasr, the Yellow Submarine came calling for Negredo after gaining promotion back to La Liga. The 34-year old answered the call, and has marked his return with a prolific run so far.

The former Manchester City striker has netted six times from 19 La Liga games, including one in the historic win over Barcelona, and most recently, a brace against Atletico Madrid.

Negredo has chipped in with three assists to go with those numbers too, which includes an assist for Anthony Lozano's winning goal at Real Madrid. Thanks to Negredo's exploits, Cadiz have managed to stay away from the La Liga drop zone so far.

---

#2 Miralem Pjanic (Barcelona) - €60 million

Miralem Pjanic has been struggling for game-time lately.

Barcelona continued their recent trend of expensive acquisitions by roping in Miralem Pjanic from Juventus for €60 million in a swap deal involving Arthur, who went the opposite direction.

It seemed like an odd choice at first. But the Bosnian international has settled in after a slow start to life in Catalonia, looking more at home now and showing exceptional work-rate.

Pjanic has also forged a nice partnership with Lionel Messi, often linking up with the Argentine and sharing free-kick duties too.

However, the 30-year old is struggling for game-time, as Ronald Koeman has been using him sparingly of late.

---

#1 David Silva (Real Sociedad) - Free transfer

David Silva's homecoming has been marred by injuries.

Another player who needs no introduction and understands the rigours of the La Liga very well is David Silva. The Spanish veteran returned to his homeland last August after a decade of tremendous success in the Premier League with Manchester City.

Having played for three Spanish teams before in his career, it was his exploits with Valencia that shot David Silva to fame. Now the 35-year old is plying his trade with Real Sociedad as he looks to wind down his career.

However, it hasn't been a successful La Liga return for the midfield legend so far, as his season has been plagued with various bouts of muscle and hamstring problems.

David Silva has scored once (against Celta Vigo) and made two assists (both against Huesca) in La Liga 13 games. But there's no doubting David Silva's quality; once he finds his feet, La Real could be firing on all cylinders.