Five signings from the top five European Leagues to have stood out

Sooraj Kamath - Writer 18:45 21/10/2018
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  • The summer transfer window was an eventful one with a lot of top players deciding to ply their trade in different skins.

    A few teams have found a stroke of serendipity in unlikely places. We are two months into the season and this would be a good time to evaluate the new signings.

    Here we examine five players who have impressed at their new club. 

    PACO ALCACER 

    paco-alcacer

    Paco Alcacer

    Paco Alcacer has arguably been the best transfer of the season so far. The Spain international moved to Borussia Dortmund from Barcelona on a loan deal which will be converted to a permanent transfer in all likelihood.  

    The 25-year-old has already netted seven goals in the Bundesliga despite having played just 127 minutes. In fact, he’s only started one game and made three substitute appearances in total. 

    A hat-trick was plundered against Augsburg after arriving from the bench in the 62nd minute, including a brilliant free-kick in the final moments., 

    Alcacer’s exploits in the league earned him a national team call-up and he justified his selection with a brace against Wales in a friendly and a consolation against England in Spain’s 3-2 defeat in the UEFA Nations League. 

    ANDRE SILVA 

    Andre Silva

    Andre Silva

    The Portuguese moved from Porto to AC Milan for £19.8m in the 2017 summer transfer window. The expectations were high, but Silva failed to click with his new team. He was then shipped off to Sevilla in a loan move and hasn’t looked back since. 

    With seven goals in nine games, he has taken the Spanish League by storm. He has formed a formidable partnership with Wissam Ben Yedder and the duo have been key to Sevilla’s brilliant start to the season.  

    A brace against Real Madrid in Sevilla’s 3-0 win has been the hallmark and the 22-year-old was the best player on the pitch by some distance. 

    JORGINHO 

    Jorginho

    Jorginho

    Jorginhos brilliant season with Napoli triggered a bidding war between Manchester City and Chelsea. He followed his boss Maurizio Sarri to London and joined Chelsea for £51.3m. It’s fair to say that it was money well spent as he has been the fulcrum of Chelsea’s success so far. 

    The 26-year-old’s style of play blends in perfectly with Sarri’s brand of football and the Italian’s sense of positioning has allowed easy transitions into attack. This has also resulted in N’Golo Kante enjoying more freedom and the France international finds him in more advanced positions more often now. 

    Chelsea have one of the best midfield in the world and Jorginho pulling strings from deep and forming triangles during transitions has been crucial to the blues. 

    NICOLAS PEPE 

    Lille's Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe

    Lille’s Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe

    Lille find themselves in the second position in Ligue 1 after 10 games. With 22 points, Les Dogues have done exceptionally well to enter the top three after finishing just one point above the relegation last season.

    A huge chunk of the credit goes to attacking midfielder Nicolas Pepe who joined them from Angers for just £9m. 

    The 23-year-old has already scored seven goals in the league this season, which also included a hat-trick against Amiens. Pepe has been an all-round forward for Lille and creates as much as he scores. The Ivory Coast international has registered four assists and likes to cut lines with his through balls.  

    KRZYSZTOF PIATEK 

    Krzysztof Piatek

    Krzysztof Piatek

    Piatek has been quite a revelation for Genoa in the Serie A, with the Polish international heading the top-scorers chart by quite a distance. Genoa bought him from Cracovia Krakow for just £4.05m and there is every chance he’ll eventually be sold for significantly more than that. 

    The 23-year-old has scored nine goals in eight league games and entered the Juventus clash with an impressive record of scoring in every game before failing to stretch that mark. 

    Genoa are just two points below a Champions League spot and Piatek’s flair for finishing will be crucial in the long season ahead. 

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