My Ten Premier League Signings of the Summer

With the transfer window slamming shut late last night, I've decided to run through my top 10 signings of the summer, in no particular order.

Roberto Soldado (Valencia to Tottenham Hotspur)

The signing of Soldado seemed to solve Spurs’ striking troubles. 2012/13 saw Andre Villas-Boas’ side have only Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe as recognised forwards. Thankfully for AVB, he had the talents of Gareth Bale at his disposal. In Soldado though, Spurs have really got that elusive 20-goal-a-season man in their ranks. A current Spain international, the 28-year-old moved to the Premier League from La Liga side Valencia for £26m, a club record until the capture of Erik Lamela. A total of 59 goals in 101 games for Valencia proves that Soldado, a former Real Madrid youth graduate, knows exactly where the net is. The ex-Getafe frontman has already netted twice in his opening three games with the north Londoners, both goals coming from the penalty spot.

GOAL-DADO: Spurs have their man

Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid to Arsenal)

It finally happened! I’m not talking about the capture of 24-year-old Ozil, who seemed to be having a medical for days rather than hours, more to the fact that Arsene Wenger finally decided to open the chequebook to go big. £42.4m was enough for Real Madrid to part with arguably one of the world’s best players on the same day that Gareth Bale rocked up at the Bernabeu. Ozil came to the attention of the world back in 2010 in South Africa, starring in a Germany team that tossed England aside on their way to bowing out at the semi-finals stage. It was Real that moved quickest to sign the German, snatching him from Werder Bremen for a fee of £13m. Over 80 assists since he joined Madrid, I have a feeling that Olivier Giroud is licking his lips. Arsenal could be sensational with their attacking options of Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski and Ozil.

Wenger has spent big on the quality capture of Ozil

Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala to Chelsea)

A player I’ve always wanted to see in the Premier League has finally arrived. Eto’o has been linked numerous times in the past, however, has pursued moves to Italy and then Russia, after departing Barcelona. A man who has scored goals wherever he's been, Eto'o didn't have the best of times at Anzhi, but still managed to find the net 25 times in 53 appearances for the Russian side. Even at the age of 32, you still expect that a man of Eto'o's quality should be fine with the quicker play and step up in quality from the Russian League to the Premier League, as he links up once more with Jose Mourinho. The duo were previously involved in the Inter Milan side that became the first ever Italian side to win the treble. The Cameroon striker has won everything on offer in Spain and Italy, will an FA Cup triumph or a Premier League title be next on his list of honours?

SAM THE MAN: Eto'o and Mourinho are back together

Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea to Everton)

A slightly surprising late move was Lukaku's more to Merseyside, departing Chelsea for his second successive season loan move, this time to Everton. An excellent campaign at West Brom in 2012/13, netting 17 goals for the Baggies, seemed to signal a stay at Stamford Bridge. However, after the signing of Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba staying at the club, Lukaku was farmed out on loan again, Roberto Martinez pulling a rabbit out of the hat by snaring the big Belgian, adding firepower to his new-look squad, Lukaku joining the likes of Nikica Jelavic and fellow new signing, Arouna Kone up top. Lukaku should thrive on the excellent service from the likes of Kevin Mirallas and the rampaging Leighton Baines, who is regularly seen scampering down Everton's left side. Expect 15+ goals again for 20-year-old Lukaku.

THINGS ARE LUK-ING UP: More goals on the way for Lukaku?

Scott Sinclair (Manchester City to West Bromwich Albion)

After a year of disappointment for Sinclair, he finally took off from Manchester City on a temporary loan spell at West Brom. It wasn't too long ago when the winger was excelling at Swansea City, playing for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games and being touted for a call up to Roy Hodgson's England side. It's finally a chance to play for Sinclair and show his worth once more. He'll certainly get games at the Hawthorns and expect him to get a few assists for Baggies strikers Shane Long and fellow new signings Matej Vydra and Victor Anichebe. An opportunity for 24-year-old Sinclair to rebuild his career once again to reach the potential he had during his days at Chelsea.

Sinclair knows Steve Clarke from their Chelsea days

Pablo Osvaldo (Roma to Southampton)

A real statement of intent from Southampton was the signing of Italian international Pablo Osvaldo for a club record fee. Roma let the striker leave Serie A for a sum of £15m, with Osvaldo another option up front for Mauricio Pochettino, complimenting the likes of Jay Rodriguez and new England international Rickie Lambert, nicely. The Argentina-born striker netted 27 times in two seasons at Roma and worked with Pochettino at Espanyol in Spain. With the service from the likes of Adam Lallana and Gaston Ramirez, Osvaldo's goals could fire the Saints into the Europa League. See you in Westquay, Pablo!

RECORD BREAKER: Pablo's a Saint

Gary Medel (Sevilla to Cardiff City)

For a team that have earnt promotion to the Premier League for the very first time, Cardiff always needed a midfield enforcer, a battler in the middle of the park. Someone to get stuck in and get their foot on the ball is vital if they aim to stay in the top flight. In Gary Medel, Malky Mackay has snapped up a tough tackling little Chilean who's known as "The Pitbull". A consistent performer during his two years at Sevilla, Medel earned himself rave reviews, with Cardiff's capture something of a coup. The 26-year-old penned a four-year-deal at the Cardiff City Stadium after a record fee of £11m was agreed.

GOLD MEDEL: Cardiff have captured "The Pitbull"

Dejan Lovren (Lyon to Southampton)

Another player that will share residence with me in Southampton is Dejan Lovren. The experienced centre back made over 70 appearances in three years during his time at Lyon, and has 17 caps for Croatia. Defenders were the main priority for Mauricio Pochettino after conceding 60 Premier League goals in 2012/13, and with Victor Wanyama also arriving on the south coast, Southampton have certainly added quality to their backline. With the centre back still only being 24, he has plenty of time to develop into a world class defender at St Mary's.

HE'S LOVREN IT!: A coup for the Saints

Darren Bent (Aston Villa to Fulham)

An extremely shrewd loan signing by Fulham boss Martin Jol was that of Darren Bent. The duo worked together at Tottenham Hotspur and Bent, a prolific scorer wherever he's been will certainly get goals in west London. On paper, the striker duo of Bent and Dimitar Berbatov looks mouth watering for Whites' supporters as Jol looks to take Fulham to the next level, especially with the recent takeover at the club by Shahid Khan. It was surprising to see Bent left out in the cold by Aston Villa last season, and could have formed an excellent partnership with Christian Benteke.

Bent is back in the capital after time at Sunderland and Villa

Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Lisbon to Norwich City)

My final choice is Norwich's purchase of Ricky van Wolfswinkel. It was confirmed at the back end of last season that the talented Dutch hitman would head to Norfolk from Sporting Lisbon, despite City's Premier League status still in the balance. A striker that scored goals a plenty in Portugal, averaging a goal every other game at Sporting, van Wolfswinkel moved to Norwich for £8m, as Chris Hughton added a proven goalscorer to his ranks after hitting only 41 league goals last term. Has also notched almost 30 times back in his homeland with Utrecht. "The Wolf" could form a fruitful partnership with fellow new striker Gary Hooper.

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF: Norwich have got themselves a goalscorer

The Possible XI On The Move

In this blog piece I will be picking the XI that I believe will be on the move this Summer.  All of the players picked aren't out of contract so fees will need to be agreed if any managers are reading this!

Goalkeeper - Paul Robinson (32) - Blackburn Rovers

Despite being unable to stop Blackburn slip through the trap door, Robinson was one of the bright sparks in an otherwise drab season for the Lancashire side.  A number of impressive performances saw the former England international tipped for a recall to the side despite him announcing his international retirement in 2007.  The Rovers captain will have no shortage of offers after his impressive two seasons at Ewood Park and, even at the ripe old age of 32, being a goalkeeper, he will have a number of years left in him yet. QPR, West Brom, West Ham are believed to be interested in the former Leeds and Tottenham stopper.   My money is on West Ham though, especially after confirming that Robert Green will leave the club and with Robinson having worked with Sam Allardyce at Blackburn before Steve Kean's appointment. 

Right back - Chris Gunter (22) - Nottingham Forest

The Welshman hasn't quite lived up to the billing since bursting onto the scene as a 16 year old with Cardiff City.  His potential led to a number of clubs bidding for the youngster with Tottenham winning the race for his signature.  Soon later however, he joined Nottingham Forest on loan before signing a permanent deal with the Reds for a fee of around £1.75m.  Having been at the City Ground for three season's now, the 22 year old full back has impressed greatly and was part of the Forest side, under Billy Davies that reached two successive play offs.  However, this season has seen Forest struggle and, amidst a couple of financial issues, the club may be forced to cash in on their prized asset.  A number of clubs including Swansea City and Norwich City are sniffing around Gunter who may even opt to join Reading to team up once again with former team-mate Garath McCleary who joined the Royals from Forest last month.  Surely he won't do the cardinal sin and be an ex-Bluebird that joins Swansea?!

Centre back - Richard Keogh (25) - Coventry City

In Richard Keogh's ast two years at Coventry City, he has won the Player of the Year award both times.  Relegated in a disappointing season for Coventry which saw them fall into League 1, the defender looks to be on the move.  A large number of clubs such as Cardiff City, Burnley, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and a former club Bristol City are interested meaning that Keogh will probably see a move back to the Championship sooner rather than later.  Figures between £750,000 - £1m have been banded about for the ex-Carlisle defender which shows he has the quality for the higher league.  At 25, he's a good age to get better as well as having plenty of experience.  Will be a good capture for whatever Championship club he does indeed join.

Centre back - Kyle McFadzean (25) - Crawley Town

Being a Crawley fan, of course I'm going to be ever so slightly bias but, I truly believe that "Fadz" will be playing Championship football soon (hopefully with the mighty Reds!).  Since joining from then Blue Square North side Alfreton Town in 2010, he has been an absolute colossus at the back and I have no doubt he can play at a higher level.  Plenty of clubs have been looking at the former Sheffield United trainee with Peterborough making a £1.9m bid for Kyle and Tyrone Barnett (Who eventually joined the Posh) in January.  Previously the likes of Millwall, Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday have sent scouts down to the Broadfield Stadium however, with promotion success in the two seasons he has spent in West Sussex, hopefully McFadzean will see his future at Crawley.  Expect plenty of offers to be laid on the table but hopefully he will stay (please)!

Left back - Leighton Baines (27) - Everton

The long term Ashley Cole backup has been a consistent performer for Everton since joining from Wigan Athletic five years ago. The 27 year old actually began his career in the Everton youth ranks (As did Phil Jagielka) before joining for a fee of £6m.  With Everton being renowned for not having a lot of money to spend on players, clubs are circling to bring the Scouser away from Goodison Park.  Recently, Manchester United (looking for a long term successor for the 32 year old Patrice Evra) and German giants Bayern Munich are looking to add Baines to their ranks.  Baines has now started to add a few more goals to his game now and is a free kick specialist which may add to a nice figure that the Toffees could command.  Expect a fee of £10m upwards to be enough to sway a move for the attacking left back.

Right midfield - Robert Snodgrass (24) - Leeds United

Robert Snodgrass has been a top class performer for Leeds for the last four seasons now since joining from Livingston in 2008.  The left footed attacker has tormented numerous Championship sides since his arrival being a key figure in goals scored by the Yorkshire club.  Proven at a higher level after performing against the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal in FA Cup ties, Snodgrass will be looking to test himself in the Premier League after playing over 150 times for the club.  Expect Norwich City to make a bid to bring Snodgrass to Carrow Road to join former team mates Bradley Johnson and Johnny Howson in the City midfield but West Ham and West Brom are also looking at signing the Scotland International star.  Personally, I think he will go to Norwich.

Centre midfield - Peter Whittingham (27) - Cardiff City

Similarly to Snodgrass, Peter Whittingham has been tearing up the Championship for a number of years after joining Cardiff from Aston Villa five years ago. After a large number of play-off defeats when the going gets tough for Cardiff, Whittingham maybe tempted away from the Welsh.  Every Summer sees the 27 year old linked with a move away from Wales and this Summer, at his age he may have to move to better his career. West Ham had a bid turned down for the midlander in January, they are rumoured to be interested again as are Reading, West Brom and Fulham.  A move back to the Premier League looks to finally be on the cards for Whittingham.

Centre midfield - Gylfi Sigurdsson (22) - Hoffenheim

The former Reading star has had a terrific last six months.  Joining Swansea on loan in January he impressed greatly during his time in south Wales with the Swans being keen to make his stay a permanent one.  With the deal looking close, manager Brendan Rodgers joined Liverpool and the speculated £6.8m deal seemed to be put on hold.  With Rodgers' new team ready to pounce and Reading's new owners ready to splash the cash to bring the Icelandic back to the Madejski Stadium.  The three way tussle is likely to hot up for the signature of the talented goalscoring midfielder.  Where will he go? I reckon he will join Liverpool.... Now I have said this, he will probably just stay in Germany with Hoffenheim!

Left midfield - Nick Powell (18) - Crewe Alexandra

Nick Powell is another prospect to have come from the Crewe Alexandra Academy.  The Crewe-born teenager came off the same conveyor belt as Danny Murphy, Dean Ashton, Rob Hulse and Luke Varney and Powell is one that Crewe believe will be their best ever Academy player.  Having seen him first hand twice last season you could see the quality that he has even at his young age.  Manchester United and Chelsea are just two of the clubs bidding to pull him away from Gresty Road with United rumoured to have offered Crewe a whopping £4m for the player.  Scouts flocked to Wembley to watch the youngster in the play-off Final between Crewe and Cheltenham and saw Powell score a wonder goal in a 2-0 win for The Alex that sealed promotion to League 1.  If he does join one of the big boys, expect to see him back in the Football League on loan at around Championship or League 1 level.

Striker - Edin Dzeko (26) - Manchester City

Unbelievably, it seems that Manchester City are willing to let the big man leave the club.  In a season where City gained Premier League success, Dzeko chipped in with 21 goals; including the important second goal on the final game of the season against QPR.  Bought for a whopping £27m from Wolfsburg in January 2011, it now looks as if the striker may be heading back to Germany with Bayern Munich interested.  Other clubs looking into signing the forward include Juventus and big spending PSG with Carlo Ancelotti keen on him.  It took him a while to get going but he eventually found his feet in the Premier League and adds another dimension to City's play and a valuable option from the bench if or when needed.  In fact, an interesting statistic from the season just gone, of all the Premier League players who made 20+ appearances, only Wayne Rooney and Mario Balotelli had a better minutes per goal rate than Dzeko (106.9).

Striker - Grant Holt (31) - Norwich City

Finally we come to the final member of the starting XI.  If anything, Grant Holt seems the most likely of the lot to leave his club.  A contractual disagreement between him, his agent and the Norwich City people that sort out the contracts meant that Holt submitted an unsuccessful transfer request.  With two years left to run on his contract and Holt seemingly signalling his intentions to leave Carrow Road it looks as if he will go.  With a superb first Premier League season under his belt which saw the former Nottingham Forest forward hit 17 goals in all competitions he has attracted a number of admirers.  Rumour has it that the likes of West Ham have lodged bids for him although, it is looking increasingly likely that Holt will join his former Canaries manager Paul Lambert at Aston Villa.  Expect a fee of around £6m - £7.5m to be agreed some time soon with Holt's Norwich career in disarray.

The Subs bench:

Matt Phillips (21) - Blackpool (Winger/Striker)

Clint Dempsey (29) - Fulham (Attacking Midfielder)

Eunan O'Kane (21) - Torquay United (Midfielder)

Sam Baldock (23) - West Ham (Striker)

Fraser Forster (24) - Newcastle United (Goalkeeper)