It’s been a heck of a season for Premier League transfer buys, and that includes a bevy of intra-league purchases.
So who’ve been the best imports? Probably a safe bet to set some parameters.
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We won’t count players like Aaron Mooy, who’s Huddersfield Town purchase was formalized after a loan, or those who returned from loan like Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen or Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere.
We’ll also opt against a couple Chelsea loanees signings, if just to whittle our list. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was magnificent before a long-term injury at Palace, and Kurt Zouma probably just sits beyond the Top Ten.
Mainz loanee Jonas Lossl of Huddersfield Town fits the bill, too. And for injuries: Who knows how high Benjamin Mendy would’ve surged up this list?
Stats culled from WhoScored and Squawka.
Honorable mention - Antonio Rudiger, Mario Lemina, Richarlison, Alexandre Lacazette, Mat Ryan, Bernardo Silva, Steve Mounie, Kyle Walker, Alvaro Morata, Florian Lejeune.
10. Jordan Pickford, Everton -- Under siege at Sunderland for most of last season, Pickford probably expected smoother sailing than this: the Everton backstop has been forced into making the most saves in the Premier League (95). Fifty-four of those required him to dive. Only four teams have allowed more goals than Everton, which explains why some of you might be scratching your head at his inclusion.
9. James Tomkins, Crystal Palace -- I thought the signing was silly, but Tomkins is nearly unrivaled in terms of interceptions per game in league play. Palace hasn’t been a defensive powerhouse, but his former club West Ham looks terrible since he moved across London.
8. Davinson Sanchez, Tottenham Hotspur - There have been bumps along the way -- Sanchez is 21 -- but he’s blessed with the speed to make up for his and others mistakes. A fine passer, Mauricio Pochettino should only further benefit from his career progression.
7. Ahmed Hegazi, West Bromwich Albion -- Hegazi’s 2757 minutes played are the most amongst field players in the Premier League (though Alfie Mawson, Harry Maguire, Jack Cork, and Lewis Dunk could pass him by playing more than an hour in their match-in-hand).
6. Harry Maguire, Leicester City -- The Foxes badly needed to lower the age of their center back corps, and can count their purchase of Maguire from Hull City as a coup. Perhaps no player other than Wilfred Ndidi has been as influential for Claude Puel’s bunch.
5. Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United -- Lukaku started dispelling myths about his production versus big teams when he was one of the lone stars in United’s Super Cup loss to Real Madrid. While he’s been up-and-down in terms of goals in said contests, his hold-up play and work ethic have been better than expected. His 21 key moments (14 goals, seven assists) are even with Roberto Firmino and trail only Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, and Leroy Sane. Anthony Martial is the closest United comparison, and he has 14. Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard have 12.
4. Pascal Gross, Brighton and Hove Albion -- The Ingolstadt transfer’s promise was quickly realized, and he’s posted five goals and eight assists. On a team with the fourth-lowest goal total in the league, that’s impressive. The only players with more PL assists: De Bruyne, Sane, Dele, David Silva, Salah, Pogba. Gross also ranks third in the league in crosses per game.
3. Nemanja Matic, Manchester United -- It’s hard to fin the numbers to meet the eye test, but Matic flat out makes his team better. Maybe it’s organization, maybe it’s toughness, but there’s little doubt United is better in the middle of the park while former club Chelsea has struggled to find the same form since he skipped town. Advantage: Mou.
2. Ederson, Manchester City -- Look only to last season’s status of City net minders to know how important the sweeper-style passing keeper is to Pep Guardiola’s side. The Brazilian has pushed himself into competition for the starting gig at one of the World Cup favorites.
1. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool -- There is no other answer here, and Harry Kane’s injury essentially gift wraps the Golden Boot to the Egyptian. There was a question as to whether he’d bring his Serie A flourish over to England, and that seems absurd now.
