We present to you the best (and the worst) players who’ve made the move from La Liga and are now residing in the Premier League.
The Good
1. Sergio Aguero (Man City)
Aguero turned out to be the exact player City had hoped when they bought him off Atletico Madrid for hat now seems like the bargain price of €45 million.
Since then, he’s bagged 106 goals in all competitions in just four seasons and has become arguably the finest sharpshooter in England.
We’re still trying to figure out how, despite finishing as the league’s top marksman with 26 goals, the Argentine managed to miss out on the team of the year.
2. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
Despite being on Chelsea’s books for nearly five years, from 2011/12 to 2013/14 Courtois was very much an Atletico Madrid player.
The Spanish outfit claimed the La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League and a UEFA Super Cup with the Belgian between the sticks, and since rejoining the side they beat in the Super Cup, he’s added even more trophies to the cabinet.
3. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Undoubtedly Arsenal’s player of the season. It seems almost a disservice to call Sanchez a revelation considering he was fairly stellar at the Camp Nou.
However, few predicted he’d adapt to the pace and the physicality of the Premier League so quickly. Barca’s loss is certainly the Gunners’ gain. 21 goals and nine assists in all competitions in his first season says it all, really.
4. David de Gea (Man Utd)
He might not be a Premier League player for much longer, but he certainly left his mark on the league. During a season that has been, at times, somewhat tumultuous for the Red Devils, De Gea has been the paragon of consistency.
5. David Silva (Man City)
We’ve gotten so used to seeing him in that sky blue jersey that you’d almost forget he had 119 appearances for Valencia before moving to the Etihad stadium.
Silva’s has become the fulcrum of City’s attack and his link up play with Aguero often results in the ball in the opposition net.
6. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)
2014/15 season was arguably Cazorla’s best for the Gunners. Prior to 2014, he could be seen doing his time on the left wing like almost every relatively new Wenger signing, but has embraced his more central role this campaign. His 11 assists and seven goals in the league this season really illustrate his improvement.
7. Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Costa didn’t need long to find his feet in England. The striker was in lethal form in the first of the season. Although his form tapered off slightly after Christmas, mainly due to his niggling hamstring injury, he still finished with a tally of 20 goals and made the Team of the Year. Not bad for your first season in England.
8. Ander Herrera (Man Utd)
The former Athletic Bilbao man has been outstanding for United this season. Six goals and four assists is a decent return for a box-to-box midfielder plying his trade for the first time in England.
9. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
If we had been putting this list together in January, Ozil probably wouldn’t have joined the list of disappointing La Liga imports. However, the German has been stellar for the Gunners since the Christmas break. He finally started to gel with the likes of Sanchez and Cazorla and has produced some magical moments in the latter half of the campaign.
10. Pablo Zabaleta (Man City)
Like Silva, Zabaleta has been playing for City for so long that we had almost forgotten he was anywhere else. He showed noticeable signs of decline this season, but overall he has had a fine career in England since joining City from Espanyol in 2008.
Two league titles, an FA Cup and a club player of the year are just some of the accolades the Argentine boasts since making the switch from Spain.
11. Bojan Krkic (Stoke City)
The ex-Barca man just about makes it into the good category. Even though he spent most of the season out injured, he looked sensational when he did play.
12. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
Injury slowed him down towards the latter half of the season, but the Barca cast-off really hit the ground running when he returned to the Premier League with the Blues. 21 assists and five goals in all competitions in a season is ridiculous return and he could well be the difference
13. Ayoze Perez (Newcastle)
One of the few bright sparks in a dark season for the Toon. Perez’s form came as a bit of a surprise considering he didn’t figure in Carver’s plans at the start of the season. The Newcastle boss had intended on loaning out the youngster, but when he began cropping up with goals, that idea was soon scrapped.
14. Yaya Toure (Man City)
Despite being condemned for his form since returning from African Nations Cup win, Toure still managed to hit double figures for league goals this season. Has been a revelation since moving from La Liga and has become a real attacking threat. It’s by no coincidence that Toure won African Player of the Year four times in a row after signing for Man City.
The Not So Good
1. Roberto Soldado (Tottenham)
Tottenham splashed out a whopping £26 million to Valencia to snap up the striker, who finished that season as the fifth highest goalscorer in La Liga. In nearly 800 mins of league football this season, the Spaniard has remarkably only managed to find the net once. Jermain Defoe has scored four for Sunderland… just saying.
2. Angel di Maria (Man Utd)
A massive disappointment. After looking like he could set the league alight in his first few appearances, he quickly hit a slump. United face a real dilemma this summer whether to cut their losses and sell the big-money signing or keep him in the hope he’ll come good eventually.
3. Filipe Luis (Chelsea)
Hindsight is always 20/20 but Chelsea may well regret forking over £15 million to Atleitco Madrid for the Brazilian fullback who just doesn’t seem to fit in at Stamford Bridge.
4. Alberto Moreno (Liverpool)
The jury’s still out over the former Sevilla defender. At times he looks like a real threat going forward, but seems to have graduated from the Ashley Young school of crossing. At the back, there is less confusion. For us, that is, he seems to be very confused about his role in defence, which is illustrated by his highly suspect positioning.
5. Victor Valdes (Man Utd)
Through absolutely no fault of his own, Valdes just hasn’t been giving the opportunity to show what he can do at Old Trafford. Perhaps he’ll rack up more appearances next season.
6. Jesus Navas (Man City)
Not that Navas has been hugely disappointing this season, it’s just he hasn’t been massively impressive either. He feels like a bit of a luxury option in the talent-filled City midfield.
7. Javier Manquillo (Liverpool)
19. That’s not just some random number we’ve plucked out of the air. It’s the number of appearances Manquillo has made for the Reds this season, and he’s been woeful in every single one of them.
