10 best transfers in La Liga this season
The biggest names in world football lay their heads down on cash-filled pillows upon the setting of the Spanish sun, but no such star signings graced La Liga's shores in 2016-17. Instead, teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid reinforced key positions with talented players, while the rest just tried to keep afloat.
Here are the 10 best signings in La Liga from the 2016-17 season.
10. Kevin-Prince Boateng
Having once plied his trade at Tottenham, AC Milan, and Schalke 04, a move to lowly Las Palmas of the Canary Islands almost seemed beneath the larger-than-life Boateng. But the Ghana international made the most at his latest stop, scoring 10 goals in 28 appearances in Quique Setien's side.
9. Leo Baptistao
It took a paltry €3.5 million to pry Baptistao out of Atletico Madrid, but the move paid off right away for Espanyol as the 24-year-old attacker enjoyed a fine season at RCDE Stadium. His six goals and four assists in 21 appearances tell half the story, but Baptistao's pace and poacher's instinct gave Quique Sanchez Flores a versatile option to use as he saw fit. A Brazil call-up awaits.
8. Kevin Gameiro
At €32 million, Gameiro did not come cheap for Atletico. It may have been a hefty fee to pay for the 30-year-old out of Sevilla, but it afforded Diego Simeone another quality option up top besides Antoine Griezmann. With 16 goals and six assists in 44 appearances - only 27 as a starter - Gameiro could also help mitigate the potential loss of Griezmann in the summer transfer window.
7. Willian Jose
Real Sociedad's sixth-placed finish this season had a lot to do with the goal-scoring and attacking exploits of Brazilian forward Jose. The 25-year-old striker joined out of Uruguayan side Maldonado for about €5 million and went on to score 14 goals this season.
6. Wissam Ben Yedder
Sevilla brought in a number of attacking options this season to try to replace Gameiro, Fernando Llorente, and Ciro Immobile, and struck its best bargain in €9-million man Ben Yedder out of Toulouse. His 18 goals in 38 games certainly repaid that figure in spades, but Jorge Sampaoli knew what to expect: Ben Yedder has notched at least 15 goals every season for the last five years.
5. Pablo Sarabia
How much would you pay for a player who can play in almost every position? If you're Sevilla, just €1 million does the trick. Sarabia joined Sevilla out of relegated Getafe and then went on to score 11 goals and notch nine assists in 43 appearances. Talk about a bargain!
4. Pablo Piatti
Espanyol unearthed yet another gem - albeit, a far more proven one - when the club rescued Piatti from the turmoil at the Mestalla. For, as Valencia endured humiliation this season, the young Argentine winger thrived on loan, scoring 10 goals and recording 10 assists in 30 starts on either flank.
3. Samuel Umtiti
Want to talk about an impact player? Barcelona won almost every match that featured Umtiti and won just twice in 11 games during a stretch where he was dealing with injury this season. That's how important the young French defender proved for Luis Enrique's side, who came to Barcelona out of Lyon for €25 million.
2. Sandro Ramirez
The best free transfer of the season belongs to Malaga, who had no problem finding space for former Barcelona rising star Sandro, still only 21, in its roster. Sandro returned the kindness with 14 goals and three assists, the best output-per-euro-spent in La Liga this season.
1. Alvaro Morata
The best move of the season was also the most expected, as Real Madrid pulled the trigger on Morata's Juventus contract and bought him back for around €30 million. Relative to his skill and his output, that figure is a steal, and it's a testament to Madrid's savvy dealings that a ready-made replacement for Karim Benzema could both strengthen its own ranks and weaken Juventus, who would later be Real Madrid's final opponent in the Champions League.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)