Fernandes, Ibrahimovic and Lukaku among top ten signings of the season

Now that all of Europe's top five leagues have drawn to a conclusion, it's a chance to look back at some of the success stories in the transfer market over the course of the campaign.

While some find it difficult to find their feet at new teams or in new leagues, others hit the ground running and the following certainly did just that. We countdown the ten top rated signings of 2019/20, and it's fair to say there were some big impacts made by January arrivals in particular...

10. Marcus Thuram (Guingamp to Borussia M.Gladbach) - 7.30 rating

Having lost former star man Thorgan Hazard to Borussia Dortmund, Gladbach needed to find and adequate replacement to sustain a European push and in Thuram they managed just that. The Frenchman and son of former Bleus great Lilian split his time in the side across the left flank and centre forward roles and was effective in both, notching ten goals and registering a further eight assists in his debut Bundesliga campaign, whilst averaging 2.6 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.

9. Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United to Inter) - 7.30 rating

After a frustrating spell at Old Trafford it was clear Lukaku needed a move to reinvigorate his career and Inter, under the stewardship of long-term admirer Antonio Conte, has proven to be the perfect fit. The Belgian notched 23 goals in his debut Serie A campaign and led the line superbly, with a modest three assists a relatively unfair reflection of 1.6 key passes per 90 minutes. Meanwhile, though his impressive goal tally was only enough to rank third in Italy's top-flight, a conversion rate when excluding penalties of 18.3 per cent was in excess of both Ciro Immobile and Cristiano Ronaldo.

8. Kevin Mbabu (Basel to Wolfsburg) - 7.32 rating

Having struggled to make the right-back berth his own in the opening months of the season, Mbabu cemented his place in December and didn't look back thereafter. The Swiss international was in particularly fine form post-lockdown and ended the campaign with three goals from just 18 league starts. His ability in and out of possession became more apparent as the season wore on, with an average of 3.7 tackles per 90 enough to rank second in the league, whilst placing second of all full-backs for dribbles per 90 (2.6).

7. Christopher Nkunku (PSG to RB Leipzig) - 7.33 rating

Another fine addition to the Bundesliga that took time to settle into his new surroundings, by the second half of the campaign Nkunku was a staple in the Leipzig side and key creative force. The versatile 22-year-old split his time across a number of different positions but impressed wherever he played, ending the campaign with five goals and 13 assists despite starting only 21 of 32 league appearances. The latter haul was enough to rank third in the Bundesliga and came from a league high of 3.5 key passes per 90, whilst supplemented by a further 2.6 dribbles per 90.

6. Idrissa Gueye (Everton to PSG) - 7.33 rating

The ball winner that the Parisiens had craved for some time made an immediate impact at the Parc des Princes and took no time to readjust to a league in which he made his name prior to moving to England. The Senegal international suffered a few minor injuries over the campaign, restricting him to just 20 appearances in what only proved a 27-game season in Ligue 1. In that time Gueye ranked among the top five players for tackles per 90 (3.5) despite playing in a possession dominant side and played his part in that respect too, completing 92.7 per cent of 85.2 passes per 90.

5. Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla to Monaco) - 7.35 rating

Another player making a return to Ligue 1 last summer, Ben Yedder came from Toulouse via Sevilla and was up to his old tricks in front of goal. The 29-year-old ended the curtailed French campaign as the joint-top scorer alongside Kylian Mbappe, scoring 18 goals in 26 appearances and providing a further four assists. His 28.1 per cent conversion rate was exceptional, while figures of 1.9 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per 90 were also invaluable to a Monaco side that may feasibly been closer to the relegation zone once more without him.

4. Teji Savanier (Nimes to Montpellier) - 7.45 rating

Among the breakout stars of the 2018/19 campaign in France, Savanier earned a move to hometown club Montpellier but was ruled out of the opening months of the campaign through injury. Making up for lost time, the all action central midfielder would go on to have a real impact, scoring six goals in 18 starts whilst averaging 3.1 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 1.9 dribbles and 1.6 key passes per 90 minutes.

3. Erling Haaland (Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund) - 7.45 rating

Perhaps the biggest breakthrough star of the 2019/20 campaign, Haaland's frightening form both in Austria and the Champions League made all of Europe's elite take notice but it was Dortmund who secured an exceptional coup. The 20-year-old Norwegian made light work of the step up to the German Bundesliga, netting a hat-trick from the bench on his debut and taking his tally to 13 in just 1063 minutes of league action for BVB. The youngster's physicality was a real handful for all those he faced, but it's his composure that makes him such a special talent, finding the net with over a third of his attempts at goal and drawing comparisons to one Zlatan Ibrahimovic...

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA Galaxy to AC Milan) - 7.51 rating

Would the real Ibrahimovic please stand up? While Haaland was drawing comparisons with his fellow Scandinavian in Germany, a 38-year-old Zlatan was proving he is still more than capable of playing football at the top level. That is the level the Swede had elevated AC Milan too upon his return to the club, with no side in Italy picking up more points post-lockdown. Their talismanic striker played a huge part in that, ending the season with 10 goals and five assists from 16 starts having averaged 4.4 shots and won a whopping 5.3 aerial duels per 90.

1. Bruno Fernandes (Sporting CP to Manchester United) - 7.73 rating

In terms of impact, however, it's hard to argue with the signing of the season being Bruno Fernandes, whose arrival at Manchester United saw the club climb from outside the top four - 14 points adrift of Leicester in third - ultimately leapfrogging the Foxes to that spot and secure Champions League football. Indeed, United picked up more points from the point of Fernandes' debut than any other team in the Premier League (32), with the Portugal international scoring eight goals and registering a further seven assists in 14 appearances.