Premiership set to welcome stars from abroad

Premiership is not an easy league to grow accustomed to and players coming from abroad will need some time before starting to show all their potential. There hasn’t been a lot of star signings from abroad so far and the best is definitely yet to come. However, here are a couple of players who are expected to shine in their first ever Premier League season.

Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal)

The Belgian defender is Arsene Wenger’s only big name signing so far and he’d better be as good as his transfer fee suggest. 23-year-old Vermaelen spent almost entire professional career at Ajax, where he amassed more than 100 appearances playing at centre-back or left-back. Vermaelen is a very reliable defender and he could be just what Arsenal need at the back. Even though pundits in England are a bit skeptic when the Belgian is concerned for his lack of height, he is likely to do very well at the Emirates.

Giovanni Espinosa (Birmingham City)

The 32-year-old Ecuadorian defender would not be everyone’s first choice but I bet Birmingham City fans will love him if they avoid the drop. The towering defender has played more than 80 games for Ecuador national team and he participated at two World Cups. Espinosa has got a tremendous amount of experience and he is as strong as they get. We will not be seeing Espinosa a lot in the future considering his age but you will definitely hear of him next season.

Nenad Milijas (Wolverhampton)

Nenad Milijas comes from the biggest club in Serbia, Red Star, and he will have a difficult job in his first ever Premiership season since Wolves will be fighting for survival. Nevertheless, this free-scoring midfielder is already regular in his national team and his goals from midfield will be a big asset for his new team. Milijas is a highly technical player, extremely confident on the ball, whereas his long shots and free-kicks will be a big danger for all Premiership keepers.

Christian Benitez (Birmingham City)

Benitez is another Ecuadorian in Birmingham and he has the potential to become a true world class player. An excellent striker will probably miss the start of the season through knee injury but once he recovers, I have no doubts he will justify the money invested in him. 10 goals in 18 caps for Ecuador prove what a lethal striker he is and I see him as one of the leading Premiership strikers in the future.

Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea)

Yuri Zhirkov is definitely the biggest star of the transfer window in England so far and ‘Russian Ronaldinho’ is being held in high regard by all his former coaches and teammates. The excellent technician can play in every position on the left hand side and he will be a great asset for the Blues. I have no doubts he will prove all his potential and he will soon become fans’ favourite at Chelsea.

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