A Premier League debut and two goals to go along with it, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has certainly made a big name for himself, in England at least, as he seems to be taking Manchester United back to the top, where they belong.
The Swede wasn’t the biggest signing in terms of money being spent but being a free agent also would not come cheap for the Manchester club as they do have to pay a significant amount for his salary.
The former PSG striker though should score a ton of goals, at least based on his initial performances and this deal could be a great one for Jose Mourinho but the Premier League isn’t bereft of other smart signings from managers.
We might be only two games into the league season but some of the players seem set for a great run in the league and here are three players who might have come on the cheap but they will do extremely well for their sides.
Ragnar Klavan
When Liverpool were busy recruiting their players for this season, it was a certainty that they would need to get someone who can play and provide the experience that the departing Martin Skrtel had. Not many would have expected Jurgen Klopp to move for Ragnar Klavan, the 30-year-old defender from Augsburg.
Even though Klavan only cost €5 million, there weren’t a lot of expectations from the Estonian but he has proved to be one of the best players for the side in these two games and has shown that the Premier League is going to be a piece of cake for him.
Klavan might not be the quickest but he uses his experience in dealing with quick players really well. He is comfortable on the ball and is great in the air too, the only issue could be when Joel Matip gets back to full fitness and if Klopp would decide to drop him but going at the moment, Klavan is Liverpool’s best defender and should be looking to do well in the rest of the 36 Premier League games.
Steven Defour
While Liverpool were left licking their wounds at Turf Moor, there was one player in midfield who put his heart out and closed everything that Liverpool tried to do. The Reds could not break down a miserly Burnley defence but one player was shielding the back four incredibly well, even though he had moved to the club just a week ago.
Defour was brought in from Anderlecht and the Belgian defensive midfielder was immense for the newly promoted side as they registered their first ever Premier League win over Liverpool. The 28-year-old might have been a target for many other teams in the country but Burnley pulled off a great deal by paying only €8.6 million for the midfielder.
The side aren’t expected to stay up this season but anything can happen in the Premier League and if Defour plays like he did against Liverpool, the 28-year-old could keep Burnley away from the drop.
Nampalys Mendy
It was never going to be easy to replace N’Golo Kante at Leicester City but Nampalys Mendy has a tough job on his hands but has done pretty well so far. The 24-year-old seems to be another great find by Claudio Ranieri and his team of scouts and even though he did pick up an injury in the game against Arsenal, the former Nice player did put himself about against the Gunners.
Mendy still has a lot of time on his hands but the signs look good at the moment. He might not be the tackler that Kante was but his presence in midfield certainly has been great for Leicester City and at only €15.5 million, he does seem to be a great bargain signing as well and could turn out to be the Kante of this season for the Foxes.