REVEALED: The top 10 signings in Europe this season - part one

 

As many clubs desperately look to add quality to their ranks in the current transfer window, we take a look at the very best signings of the summer to this point in Europe’s top five leagues in part one of our top ten countdown.

10) Paco Alcacer (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.22 rating

The fact that Alcacer has scored 12 Bundesliga goals at the midway point in his debut season is impressive. The fact that he’s done so from just 12 appearances is even more so, but the fact that just five of said league outings have come from the start is frankly ludicrous. It’s taken the Spaniard less than 42 minutes playing time to find the net on average, while it took until the middle of December for an opposition keeper to save one of the 25-year-old’s shots, with Werder Bremen’s Jiri Pavlenka still the only Bundesliga shot stopper to have denied the striker.

 

REVEALED: The top 10 signings in Europe this season - part one

 

9) Felipe Anderson (West Ham) - 7.33 rating

When he arrived in East London for a club record fee there was plenty of pressure on Anderson to hit the ground running but the Brazilian has done exactly that. He might not have made quite the same impact as Dimitri Payet for the Hammers but the 25-year-old would certainly rank as the club’s best talent since the Frenchman, chipping in with eight league goals already. Reaching double figures hasn’t been easy for West Ham players in the Premier League, but Anderson is well on course and leads the way for the team in key passes, dribbles (both 41) and - even more impressively - tackles (52).

8) Ricardo Pereira (Leicester) - 7.35 rating

Having had a somewhat patchy start to life for the Foxes, Pereira has hit his stride and fully adjusted to Premier League football now. The Portuguese international has earned the Whoscored.com man of the match award four times since the start of December and taken his league tallies to two goals and three assists in that time. Whether playing at full-back or further forward he has been an impressive attacking outlet, but it’s his tackling figures that really stand out, producing more than any other player in Europe’s top five league this season (80).

7) Rodri (Atletico Madrid) - 7.35 rating

That Atletico were allowed to go more or less unopposed in their bid to re-sign former academy player Rodri, and for a fee in the region of just €20m, was quite remarkable. The 22-year-old was pivotal to Villarreal’s Europa League finish last season and his departure has had a hugely detrimental effect on the Yellow Submarine. Their loss, however, has been Atleti’s substantial gain, with the youngster completing 90.6 per cent of his passes this season and averaging the fourth most tackles per 90 in La Liga (3.6) to reinforce the opinion that he will put pressure on Sergio Busquets’ Spain spot before long.

6) Lucas Digne (Everton) - 7.36 rating

Forcing his way into the Everton XI early in the season, Digne has been a consistent performer ever since but has really caught the eye over the past month, scoring three goals and registering two assists in his last seven appearances. Only Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison have had a direct hand in more goals for the Toffees all season than the Frenchman (six), with the left-back creating more chances than any other Premier League defender (41). The 25-year-old is also out in front in the entire division when it comes to accurate crosses, with 49.


REVEALED: The top 10 signings in Europe this season - part one

REVEALED: The top 10 signings in Europe this season - part one