Top ten best Premier League signings of the season

It does feel a little bit like Chelsea did some silly things in the summer when you compile a list of the ten best signings of the season.

10) Christian Eriksen (Brentford)

Despite only playing 12.9% of Brentford’s Premier League games this season, Christian Eriksen has started a third of their wins. He has helped galvanise the Bees and guide them from genuine relegation trouble to the comfort of mid-table purgatory, lifting the mood as well as the quality. A goal and an assist barely scratch the surface of the Dane’s impact.

But no amount of sentimental arithmetic is required to justify his inclusion, nor claims such as those made by Thomas Frank, who suggested even before Eriksen’s Brentford debut that he could be “potentially the greatest signing” in the club’s history. It is a truly remarkable story, life-affirming in every sense.

9) Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

But Cristiano Ronaldo has scored loads. Only three players have done so more in the Premier League this season. The campaign is coming to an end and it was far from an easy one, despite his 18 goals – the rest of the Manchester United podium is made up by players on nine and six – scored in all competitions.

8) Craig Dawson (West Ham)

By April of last year, the Hammers made it expressly clear that Dawson would be joining on a permanent basis. He has carried on precisely where he left off in terms of consistency and quiet imperiousness, even taking a career-first European campaign in his stride. West Ham signed two central defenders last summer and not only is Dawson roughly as good as his regular partner at one-fifteenth of the price, he also hasn’t yet been revealed to abuse his pets.

7) Tino Livramento (Southampton)

It is entertaining to see