For decades, La Liga has been home to some of the world's best players, such as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have played two of the best players in Spain. However, the departure of the likes of Neymar has deprived the Spanish top flight of a high-profile superstar, at least compared to the days when Barcelona and Real Madrid dominated European football. Economically, La Liga cannot compete with the Premier League and therefore has to be creative in the transfer market. Barcelona's precarious finances mean that all their recruits, with the exception of Emerson, are free to move in the summer, and Emerson, the only one who paid to sign in, was eventually sold for the club's profit. Real Madrid, meanwhile, spent a large transfer fee on Camaringa, which by their usual standards is only a small deal. But la Liga still has some brilliant transfer deals this season, with seven new signings here beating or exceeding expectations in the halfway.
Alaba (Real Madrid)
This summer, the championship-level centre-back duo of Ramos and Varane announced the dissolution, with the former heading to Paris Saint-Germain and the latter travelling to Manchester United, marking the end of an era for Real Madrid. Of course, the team's defence needed reinforcements and Real Madrid moved quickly to sign David Alaba from Bayern Munich as a free agent. Getting such an experienced and talented player for free, despite the high salary, was an excellent transfer for the club and now the Austrian has proven it to be a great deal and he quickly became the best core of the four defenders. Only two clubs have conceded fewer goals this season than Real Madrid, and Alaba's organisational and athleticism are important reasons for consolidating the Bernabeu defence. In all competitions, he has two goals and three assists, one of which was a free kick scored in the Champions League.
Danjuma (Villarreal)
Villarreal's winger Danjuma shined in La Liga in the first half of the season, and his performances have clearly attracted the interest of many clubs across Europe. The 24-year-old moved from Bournemouth to Villarreal for €23 million this summer and rose to fame. Danjuma scored five goals in 12 La Liga games and assisted two more, and was equally outstanding in his first Champions League season, scoring four goals in six games to help Huang advance to the round of 16. His form may occasionally be repetitive, but when he's in good shape, it may be difficult to stop his bombardment on the left.
De Paul (Atletico Madrid)
In the summer transfer window, the biggest buyer in Spain is Atletico Madrid, who spent around 60 million euros on newly introduced players. Of that, €35 million was spent on Udinese midfielder De Paulo, who is not only one of Atletico's best signings, but also one of the team's best players of the season. Simeone's side has struggled for some time in the La Liga title race so far this season, but De Paul's performance in Spain is one of the few bright spots for the team. His goal contribution is relatively low, with only one goal and one assist in all competitions, but he never shys away from possession and always wants to achieve something. Atletico have always lacked enough creativity, and de Paul is shouldering this responsibility.
Voith (Villarreal)
Voith never got many chances at Tottenham, which is why he was loaned to Villarreal last season. After helping the Yellow Submarines win their first major trophy, the Europa League, Villarreal completed Voith's permanent transfer in the summer, a compliment to the Argentine. The fact that only three yellow divers have made more starts in La Liga this season underscores his importance to the team.
Falcao (Vallecano)
It appears to be the last adventure of Falcao's career, as he returned to the big five leagues after three seasons in Galatasaray. In his final season in Turkey, he made only nine league appearances, but helped the Istanbul giants score nine goals, proving he still knows how to score. He signed with Rayo Vallecano in the summer and although he remains a rotational option, starting just four games and making 10 other off-the-bench appearances, he has scored five goals. At the end of October, he scored a meaningful La Liga goal that eventually led to the dismissal of Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman.
Dia (Villarreal)
The summer transfer window has proven to be a very productive window for Villarreal as they get a really good centre-forward, Dia. Last season, Dia scored 14 goals in 25 starts, which was enough for Villarreal to sign him from Ligue 1 for around €12 million. Although he is not yet a key player for Villarreal, his contribution has been outstanding. In eight la Liga starts, he has three goals and three assists, four goals and four assists in all competitions. He proved to be a very useful talent.
William José (Royal Betis)
Willian José wanted to leave Real Sociedad for a long time before being loaned to Betis. The Brazilian has had an argument with the club, which allegedly reneged on a promise to allow him to join Tottenham, Manchester United or Barcelona. He has been playing for Basque country since 2016, scoring 62 goals in 171 games, although he did go on loan to Wolves in the second half of last season. Willian is now an important player for Betis as they enjoy a great ranking in the top four of the league, while the Brazilian has scored six goals and assisted four times in just 12 starts.