Premier League Ponderings: The five most potentially impactful signings

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Simon Mignolet was a key signing for Liverpool in the Premier League.

With English clubs having spent a record amount of money over the summer on transferring players during the summers transfer window (more than $1 billion), this week we take a look at five signings set to make a big impact for their new club.

1. Simon Mignolet
Age: 25
Nationality: Belgian
Signed For: Liverpool
Signed From: Sunderland (England)
Transfer Fee: $14.7 million
Part of the recent emerging generation of Belgian footballers, Mignolet was signed by Liverpool as a replacement for outgoing veteran Pepe Reina. No stranger to the English Premier League, having spent the last three seasons playing with Sunderland, Mignolet offers a youthful yet commanding presence as the last line of a new-look Liverpool defense. The goalkeeper was praised as one of the key reasons that his former team remains in the Premier League, finishing last season in 17th, one place above the relegation zone and standing at 6'4”, will offer Liverpool a more commanding presence in the defensive area in their quest to return to the top four. Mignolet did not allow a goal in his first three matches, and Liverpool supporters are hoping that he can continue his fantastic early season form.

2. Wilfried Bony
Age: 24
Nationality: Ivory Coast
Signed For: Swansea City
Signed From: Vitesse (Netherlands)
Transfer Fee: $19.5 million (club record)
Having defied the odds after losing manger Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool and beginning their second premier league season under Michael Laudrup, the first Welsh team in Premier League history is aiming to establish itself higher up the English League table. In order to do so, the club broke their transfer record in signing young Ivorian striker Bony from Dutch club Vitesse. The young striker was rumoured to be the target of some of the world's biggest clubs after topping the scoring charts in Holland last season, with 31 goals in 30 games. With a debut goal in the opening round loss to Manchester United, Bony looks to be more than capable of making a successful switch from Holland to England.

3. Roberto Soldado
Age: 28
Nationality: Spanish
Signed For: Tottenham Hotspur
Signed From: Valencia (Spain)
Transfer Fee: $42.3 million
Tottenham Hotspur coped with the loss of superstar Gareth Bale by shrugging their shoulders and signing every available and talented player in the world, it was a tough call on which of the very, very good new signings would have the biggest impact. Being the only out and out striker to have signed for ‘Spurs' in their summer rebuild, Spanish striker Soldado will be expected to make up the majority of the goals in this new look Tottenham attack. Solado has scored 81 goals in 141 appearances across all competitions during his three seasons with his previous club, already endearing himself to Tottenham supporters with two penalty shot goals to secure 1-0 victories in two matches. With a truly outrageous amount of money spent by Tottenham ($177.5 million) on new players, they will be expected to make a serious challenge for the Premier League.

4. Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Age: 24
Nationality: Dutch
Signed For: Norwich City
Signed From: Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Transfer Fee: $13.8 million
One of the highest regarded young strikers in the European game, football journalists and fans alike were surprised when van Wolfswinkel announced in March that he would be making a summer switch from the Portuguese capital to tiny Norwich on the west coast of England. With a strike rate of over a goal a game during his time in Portugal (45 in 87 appearances), the signing of the striker represents a massive statement of intent from a club who are attempting to improve upon their 11th place finish the previous season. This could turn out to be one of the smartest pieces of business done by a team in England this summer.

5. Mesut Ozil
Age: 24
Nationality: German
Signed For: Arsenal
Signed From: Real Madrid (Spain)
Transfer Fee: $68.4 million (club record)
Having gone over eight years without winning a trophy, and having sold their star players and captains to rivals the last few summers, it was looking to be another frustrating summer for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. An undervalued bid for Liverpool superstar Luis Suarez, as well as the failure to convince Gonzalo Higuain to come to the club combined with an opening day loss to Aston Villa, had, for the first time in years, fans booing Wenger. Then as the window came to a close everything changed with the capture of German international Ozil. A world class attacking midfielder in every sense of the word, the 24-year-old last season scored 10 goals and provided his Real Madrid teammates with a team high 23 assists in all competitions, and is widely regarded as one of the finest in his position, he instantly turns Arsenal into a potent threat to any team.