5 Foreign Imports Which Have Caught The Eye

Every year millions of pounds are spent in the summer transfer window in a bid to improve a club's squad. Countless hours of watching the player, thought and dealing are spent to make sure the right player is signed to improve the club in some way. However there is no way of being sure that the right player is signed until at least a couple of months of the season have gone by. Now we're reaching the end of November I thought I would take a look at some of the 'less big name' imports from abroad and come up with 5 that have impressed me a lot in recent weeks.

Christian Benteke – Aston Villa, from Genk (£7 million)

Christian Benteke, Aston Villa

Christian Benteke initially needed a few games to settle into the Premier League (despite scoring on his debut), but since finding his feet he is becoming one of the most feared strikers in the league. After joining from Belgian side Genk on deadline day for £7 million, Benteke was first of all seen as a back up or partner to Darren Bent - a consistent goalscorer in England for the last few years. However Paul Lambert has promoted him to the first choice lone striker role which he has flourished in since.

Benteke's physical presence makes him a nightmare for defenders, and this allows him to bring the midfielders behind him into play, offering a great outlet when Aston Villa are under pressure. A struggling club like Villa needs a striker who offers more than just goals in their play, and he offers a lot outside the box, as well as in it. Talented with his back to goal, he is able to help the likes of Andreas Weimann create chances too - as shown in their 3-2 defeat against Man Utd. Benteke could be crucial to Aston Villa staying up this year.

Pablo Hernández – Swansea, from Valencia (£5.5 million)

Pablo Hernandez, Swansea

Whilst many plaudits of Swansea's signings this season are aimed at Michu, fellow Spaniard Pablo oozes class. The Swans were very fortunate that Hernández, a Spanish international playing in the Champions League, wanted to join the Premier League and play under the legendary Michael Laudrup (as well as Valencia's need to sell occasionally due to financial issues). Blessed with tremendous speed and quick footwork, he also has an eye for goal - reflected in his two goals against Wigan and Chelsea, the latter a brilliantly placed finish past Petr Cech.

Signed for a (then) club record fee of £5.5 million, Hernández has acted as a replacement for Scott Sinclair after his move to fellow Premier League club Manchester City. Sinclair's performances last season attracted plaudits but Pablo is without a doubt a technically better player. A consistent performer who can play on either wing, the fact that he only has 4 Spain caps shows just how good their players are.

 

Kevin Mirallas – Everton, from Olympiakos (£6 million)

Kevin Mirallas, Everton

After reportedly turning down a move to Arsenal, Kevin Mirallas made the move to the blue half of Merseyside for a fee of £6 million. A constant problem associated with Everton in recent years is the lack of depth in their striking positions, and the Belgian international helps to provide this depth. With Jelavic being on such good form since his January move from Rangers, Mirallas was shifted to the wings to fit into Moyes' 4-4-1-1 formation - and he hasn't looked back since.

This versatility means Everton have a much bigger threat on the wing to compliment Pienaar (who's mainly deployed on the left but has been moved around occasionally to mix it up). Despite a small build his sheer pace, close control and technique create problems for defenders - Moyes has picked up a very good player here, and yet another Belgian in the Premier League.

Gastón Ramírez – Southampton, from Bologna (£12 million)

Gaston Ramirez, Southampton

Southampton's promotion to the Premier League in May prompted a bit of a spending spree, and no signings show this more than Gastón Ramírez - signed for a club record £12 million from Serie A. Wanted by the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham, he instead chose to move to St Mary's - which could be seen as an 'interesting' decision. There is no absolutely doubt about this guy's talent though - a Uruguayan international since 2010, the 21 year old has established himself already as being one of the biggest emerging stars in Europe.

The midfield maestro plays just off the striker and roams the midfield, interchanging with the likes of Adam Lallana and Jason Puncheon at will, effectively given a free role by Nigel Adkins. He has a superb eye for a pass, brilliant movement and is extremely composed on the ball. His audacity is reflected by his quick footwork, typical of many South American players. Adkins was initially wary of trying him out as Southampton looked to use a fighting spirit over technical prowess to win games, but players of Ramírez's quality are impossible to leave out. He works quite hard for the team as well now, and a superb man-of-the-match worthy performance at home to Newcastle at the weekend shows just why he was worth a club record fee. If Southampton don't avoid the drop this year then keep an eye out for a big move for this kid - he should be playing in the top division and in European competition football.

Claudio Yacob – West Brom, from Racing Club (Free)



Claudio Yacob, West Brom

Claudio Yacob has proved instrumental to West Brom’s midfield since joining them on a free in the summer. His 6 year affiliation with Racing Club of Argentina came to an end as he made the move to the Premier League to work under Steve Clarke. Yacob was instantly put into the team next to Youssouf Mulumbu, who compliments him perfectly. A very good tackler, the Argentine is very good in possession - winning the ball back and distributing it with class.

His displays in the middle have improved more and more as the season go on, and he has been the key in their midfield - leading them to the Champions League places. His willingness to sit back when needed is illustrated by his small goal total throughout his career so far, but this is only a small issue with his game. He does what is needed to do and often plays quite a simple game, but he has an eye for a pass and often starts or links up a move to trouble the opposition.