Premier League 2015/16: 5 Players who have impressed so far

#2 Eliaquim Mangala - Manchester City

Mangala was bought from Porto for a fee of £31.8m

After a disastrous 2014-15 campaign, Eliaquim Mangala is finally responding to his £31.8m price tag this season. Heavily lambasted for his weakness while going one-on-one with an opposition player and tendency to scuff the offside trap, Eliaquim Mangala seems to have returned to his old ‘rock’ figure which made him the heart of the Porto defence.

His liability in defence was confirmed when he played 3 Manchester United attackers onside while handling a set-piece delivery for Chris Smalling to find the target unchallenged for United’s 4th goal, a match which the Red Devils eventually won 4-2.

Come the 2015/16 season, and with an average of 5 key clearances per game and around 3 key interceptions every 90 minutes (highest in his team) and 4 games without conceding a goal alongside a much improved Vincent Kompany, Mangala has made a mockery of his critics over the past month with his concentration and solidity in front of Joe Hart in the goal.

With another CB Nicklas Otamendi joining the table-toppers from Valencia, Mangala’s biggest challenge over the next 9 months will be to hold off first-team competition from the Argentine (who made the most successful clearances in La Liga last season) and keep him on the bench for as long as possible. This trio of quality centre-backs has assured boss Manuel Pellegrini of a stronger defensive performance as compared to last season.

Manchester City clearances/game