Best Bargain Signings of the Summer Transfer Window so Far.

1: Maarten Stekelenburg (Fulham, £3m)
  Ajax, Italy, Fulham. Dutch. Goalkeeper. Sound familiar?

No, not Manchester United great, Edwin van der Sar, but if all goes well, you wouldn’t bet against Maarten Stekelenburg taking the same path (though David de Gea will have something to say about that).

For now, Stekelenburg will be focused on doing his job for Martin Jol, who brought him to Craven Cottage for just £3m this summer, according to the Daily Mail. If his performances at his previous teams and for the Netherlands international squad are anything to go by, Fulham have pulled off a brilliant signing.

2: Kolo Toure (Liverpool, Free)
Title-winning experience, pace, heading, physical ability and dressing room presence.

That’s what Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool got for free when they brought in the out-of-contract Kolo Toure from Manchester City, as reported by BBC Sport.

Taking over the No. 4 shirt (whose previous bearers include a certain Sami Hyypia), Toure instantly imposed himself on the dressing room and on the pitch. Brought in to replace the experience of the retired Jamie Carragher, Toure featured prominently in the Reds’ preseason matches and started their first two league games.

His pace allowed Rodgers to maintain a high defensive line when Liverpool were on the attack, and his power and heading kept the Reds at bay while defending against a pacy and strong Aston Villa forward line.

His all-action display and enthusiastic interviews have already seen him elevated to cult hero status at Anfield. Those same fans who wrote off his signing will have been the ones cursing the injury he sustained in the Capital One Cup tie against Notts County.

3: Dejan Lovren (Olympique Lyon to Southampton, £6.8 Million)
  One transfer that has gone completely under the radar this summer—probably because not many people know him—was Dejan Lovren’s move from Olympique Lyon to Southampton.

Aside from Paris Saint-Germain’s Thiago Silva, there aren’t many defenders in Ligue 1 who are known by people outside of France. At just £6.8 million though, according to The Guardian, Southampton have snapped up one of the best centre-backs in Ligue 1.

Strong in the tackle, dominant in the air, and standing tall at 6’2", the Croatian international’s attributes are suited perfectly to English football.

Southampton have shown a knack for pulling off smart signings in the past few summers: Gaston Ramirez, Nathaniel Clyne and Jay Rodriguez, to name a few. In Dejan Lovren, the Saints have made yet another shrewd addition to their squad.

4: Simon Mignolet (Sunderland to Liverpool, £9 Million)
  Although the £9 million—according to BBC Sport—that Liverpool paid Sunderland for Simon Mignolet is no small fee, it’ll certainly be viewed as a real coup.

Mignolet was one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League last season, making 149 saves—second only to West Ham’s Jussi Jaaskelainen. At times, he single-handedly (see what I did there?) saved Sunderland during their grueling battle against relegation—without the Belgian between the sticks, the Black Cats likely would’ve gone down last season.

As a part of this modern influx of young Belgian talent, the 25-year-old Mignolet is still quite young, and can one day be the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Will he fulfill his potential with Liverpool?

5: Peter Odemwingie (Cardiff City, £2.25m)
  Hands up if you still remember Peter Odemwingie’s shenanigans on deadline day last January (Independent).

Any wonder, then, that the Nigerian international has finally left West Bromwich Albion?

Cardiff City have added the likes of Gary Medel and Steven Caulker to their squad this summer, but for a paltry £2.25m, as reported by BBC Sport, their deadline day signing may prove to be Malky Mackay’s most important.

After all, Odemwingie was once West Brom’s top single-season goalscorer ever in the Premier League, and held the Premier League Player of the Month three times in his career at the Hawthorns. So his ability to put the ball in the back of the net will not be questioned.

Now he takes his talents to Wales, where he will be an important member of the first-team squad. Spearheading the Cardiff attack alongside Frazier Campbell or Andreas Cornelius, Odemwingie has every chance to resurrect his Premier League career at age 32.