Premier League 2021-22 review: signings of the season

Given what happened to him last summer, Christian Eriksen signing for anyone this season would have merited a place in this season’s list, but in Brentford the recuperating Eriksen found a perfect fit. Thomas Frank’s progressive side always looked too good to go down in their first top-flight campaign since 1947 but some lean runs of form caused sporadic alarm. Eriksen’s arrival on a short-term deal in January, a little more than six months after his cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, did much to assuage those fears, providing that extra creative touch in midfield to keep opponents on their toes. Brentford won seven of the 10 games the Danish international started and his performance in the stunning win at Chelsea in March in particular will live long in the memories of Bees fans. Wherever he goes from here – expect him to feature frequently in transfer-gossip bulletins over the summer, with his former club Tottenham among possible suitors – Eriksen will always have a place in Brentford folklore.

As if Jürgen Klopp’s fabled attacking juggernaut at Liverpool possibly needed new angles, new lines of attack, along came Luis Díaz in January to provide them. “We believe he has everything needed to fit into our way and adapt to the Premier League, both physically and mentally,” said Klopp after securing the Colombia international from Porto for an initial €40m. Díaz’s four Premier League goals and three assists barely tell the story of just what a threat his presence on the left of Liverpool’s attack poses. He has also been pivotal to Liverpool’s cup successes, notably in the comeback at Villarreal, in unstitching Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final and in the opening half-hour of the final, when Chelsea didn’t know how to