When the summer transfer window slammed shut, focus was on the biggest signings completed in the Premier League. Players like Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Joao Pedro captured the headlines – but we aren’t interested in them today.
Instead, we’ll be looking at five excellent summer signings in the Premier League who have flown under the radar. We’ll be looking at players from teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, amongst others. Who are your picks for the most under-appreciated summer signings?
Piero Hincapie
When Piero Hincapie was brought on board at Arsenal, many audiences believed he would be lost in the mix. However, injuries to Gabriel, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera gave the Ecuadorian international a chance to shine.
Hincapie has shown a surprisingly complete skillset for the Gunners – he’s an excellent defender, but he is also very comfortable on the ball as well.
Hincapie is currently on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, with a clause in his contract that will allow Arsenal to buy him on a permanent basis in £45 million next summer. With the way he is going, Mikel Arteta will surely opt to exercise this clause – at just 23 years of age, the best is yet to come from Hincapie.
Kevin Danso
From one underrated centre-back to another – Tottenham are in the midst of a spell of poor form, but their defence invariably looks stronger when Kevin Danso is a part of it.
The Austrian international was snapped up for a fee of £20.9 million in the summer – this is starting to look like an absolute steal for the Lilywhites.
He doesn’t always make it into the first team – manager Thomas Frank generally prefers to field Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero. As such, Danso has become a bit of an under-appreciated gem at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Lukas Nmecha
Lukas Nmecha is currently injured, but the former German international has nonetheless added a bit of bite to Leeds United’s forward line since his arrival at the club.
So far, Nmecha has scored four goals in 14 Premier League appearances, always looking to get in behind with his darting runs.
On top of all this, Leeds snapped him up in the summer for free from Wolfsburg. Leeds’ transfer window was lauded by many for the intelligent frugality employed by their recruitment team, but Nmecha may have been the best signing of the lot.
Omar Alderete
Omar Alderete may not be quite so underrated any more – after a string of fantastic displays at the back for Sunderland, he is becoming one of the Premier League’s better defenders.
In particular, Alderete was excellent in the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday afternoon, as he used his physicality to keep Newcastle United at bay and maintain a clean sheet.
The Black Cats were able to snap him up from Getafe for a meagre fee of £12 million – in today’s market, this is a real bargain.
Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki has been one of the best signings of the summer. Everyone believed he would do well at Manchester City, but no one thought he would hit the ground running quite so quickly.
The French international has already formed an effective partnership with Erling Haaland, supplying the Norweigian with a plethora of good chances. He has scored one goal this season, alongside five assists in the Premier League.
At £34 million, Cherki wasn’t cheap – but you would expect to pay much more of a player of his quality in this day and age.