English Premier League (EPL) clubs spent Over £1 billion in the summer, but was it money well spent? Tossyard takes a look at 5 of the best Premier League signings during the 2023 summer transfer window.
5. Micky Van De Ven (Tottenham)
Another Spurs player who has been a major success since arriving in the summer is defender Micky van de Ven, who has had a largely similar impact in defence to that of Maddison in attack.
His arrival from Wolfsburg went slightly under the radar during the summer, with Van de Ven somewhat of an unknown quantity, but he has proved to be a clever addition in north London.
The 22-year-old possesses immense levels of pace and enables manager Ange Postecoglou to set his side up with a high defensive line, which has been key to their superb performances so far.
Unfortunately for Spurs fans, Van de Ven was another injury casualty during their loss to Chelsea and he won’t be seen again until 2024.
4. James Maddison (Tottenham)
Probably the signing for the season before his injury, James Maddison has been a huge factor in Spurs’ rise up the EPL table after arriving from Leicester City. The midfielder has been one of the league’s most creative players with five assists (behind only Pedro Neto and Kieran Trippier) and has also scored three times.
His influence at the top end of the pitch has completely changed Spurs’ attack and allowed fellow stars like Heung-min Son to flourish – leaving the Londoners fourth in the table and just two points from first. A serious ankle injury suffered against Chelsea could have detrimental effects on Spurs’ season, highlighting how important he already is to the team
3. Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
Manchester City opted to bring in Jeremy Doku over the summer, with the young Belgian arriving from French club Rennes. Usually, it takes some time for a new signing to bed into a Pep Guardiola team – as seen with Jack Grealish – but Doku has taken no time at all to get used to the pace of the Premier League and even usurp Grealish in the pecking order on the left.
His direct, tenacious dribbling brings a new level of excitement to City’s attack and can often be devastating, as shown by a goal and four assists in the 6-1 thrashing of Bournemouth. With his best moments still ahead of him, Doku’s strong form since arriving seems to be just the beginning.
2. Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa)
Moving away from midfield and into the attacking areas, Moussa Diaby made quite the surprising switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Aston Villa in the summer. Theex-PSG forward arrived with big expectations and has so far delivered, scoring three and assisting three in the Premier League.
His devastating partnership with Ollie Watkins has been one of the main contributors to Villa’s impressive start, seeing them to fifth in the league and just three points off of first place. Special mention to Pau Torres, who has been great in defence.
1 . Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Over to the other side of north London, and Declan Rice’s £105 million move from West Ham to Arsenal. The Gunners bought Rice in to give them further options and strength in their midfield and he has done just that – excelling in almost every EPL game he has played so far this season and proving himself as one of the best in the division in his position.
The Englishman has been particularly impressive during the big occasions – netting the winner in a 3-1 victory against Manchester United and putting in a superb performance in a tight 1-0 win against champions Manchester City.
