Birmingham City may have won the 2011 Carling Cup, but their season went downhill from that point, eventually getting relegated. Not only did they lose top flight status, but also many key players for almost nothing, including perhaps their best player last season, Sebastian Larsson. The dead ball specialist, looking to maintain his run of games for Sweden decided it was best to stay in the Premier League and signed for Sunderland. Larsson has proved to be a shrewd piece of business done by their ex-manager Steve Bruce, being the focal point of the team and consistently delivering classy performances. With 5 goals (including a stunning volley and 2 sumptuous free-kicks) and 3 assists in 17 games in all competitions this season, the midfielder has certainly deserved a spot as the top free transfer this season in England, and will continue to deliver some eye-catching performances for Sunderland as the season wears on.

Craig Bellamy may be 32, but he definitely doesn’t play like he is 32. The Welsh forward signed for his former club, Liverpool on a free transfer from Cardiff City. He is currently seen as one of the best deals in recent times for Liverpool having scored 3 goals and assisting 4 times in 14 appearances in all competitions – a majority of those coming on as a substitute. Small in stature but fierce by nature, Bellamy has already made a positive impact at Anfield, and has earned praise from the Anfield faithful; Kop favorite, John Aldridge reckons Bellamy has been a steal for Kenny Dalglish,

“He must be the signing of the season. To get Bellamy on a free transfer was remarkable business for Liverpool FC. We’re talking about a player worth £15m plus.”

Another Kop favorite, Mark Lawrenson has also praised Bellamy: “Many reckoned it was a bit of a gamble to bring him on board, but given Craig was available on a free transfer it was a must-do deal. Bellamy’s ability has never been in question.”

Kenny Dalgish was also delighted about his new signing: “I don’t know what age he is. I know he’s not a teenager but since he came in, he’s been fantastic on and off the pitch.We said when he came in that we were delighted to have him and we know he wants to be here. The performances he has put in have been excellent for us.”

What can you say about Demba Ba – the man has been a goalscoring machine since his arrival in England in the 2011 January transfer window from Hoffenheim. Having signed for now relegated West Ham United, he didn’t fail to impress at Upton Park. Bagging 7 goals in just 13 games – coming from the German league and adapting so fast to English football is no mean feat. He was out of contract due to a relegation clause in his contract , but his goalscoring record didn’t go unnoticed and he was soon snapped by Alan Pardew and his Newcastle side, how has he fared so far? Well, he is one of the main reasons Newcastle can be hopeful of playing in Europe next year – racking up 13 goals and 1 assist in only 18 games in all competitions.

Only Robin van Persie, Sergio Aguero & Edin Dzeko currently have better figures in England. Speaking of van Persie, they say Arsenal is a one man team with van Persie scoring 49% of all Arsenal’s PL goals, but Ba has scored 57% of all Newcastle’s PL goals. And they are not just tap ins, all of them are special goals.

Newcastle right-back, Danny Simpson praised Ba saying, “He looks strong, full of energy, he works his socks off and he’s in the right place at the right time.”

Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew: “I think Demba Ba’s all-round ability in terms of goals and everything he has given us has been a real big bonus this year.”

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