7 Standout Players In The Portuguese Top Tier Who Premier League Clubs Should Be Looking At

Next in the series is the Primeira Liga. For those of you that don't know, it's the Portuguese league. This league is very much like the Bundesliga or La Liga in terms of there are only two or three teams that really challenge for the title, but even in those three, there's still that team who is expected to always finish behind the top two.

It's very F.C Porto-dominated with Benfica and Sporting Lisbon often fighting it out for second place. With that in mind, the league differs from the Bundesliga and the La Liga because they usually don't have two teams battling it out for the second. The Portuguese is famous for discovering talents from South America, Porto at the forefront of this. It's a very exciting league full of top talents, and today I will name a few of those top talents and suggest who could be available based on rumours I've seen.

1. Fredy Montero

The Colombian is currently plying his trade for Sporting Lisbon but is on loan from Seattle Sounders, which makes him impossible to buy in January but there is the potential of a pre-contract agreement to be had and that may well be an option that will be explored by some teams considering the form he's in. 9 goals in 9 league games is an incredible stat. Perhaps he'll be the next Colombian to make a big money move to Europe.

2. Jackson Martinez

 The Colombian that is likely to pull off a very big money to some big club in Europe. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund and many other clubs are said to be interested in him and it's no wonder either. He already has 7 goals and a single assist in 9 appearances and is well on his way to achieving the 26 goals in 30 games last season.

3. Oscar Cardozo 

5 goals in 7 games are some very good stats to show employers that you've still got it at the age of 30. The previous season it was 16 in 25, so he's very much on top of his game still and if a team want a consistent goalscorer then the Paraguayan is your man.

4. Juan Quintero 

Yet another Colombian and yet another South American - well, so far they've only been South American which just proves my point about the influence from that part of the world. Quintero has a lot of hype surrounding him because of his performances at Pescara and Atletico Nacional. Chelsea have been linked with the 20-year-old.

5. Nemanja Matic 

The Serbian has been a strong figure at the heart of the Benfica midfield since his arrival back in 2011. He's an extremely consistent defensive midfielder that helped Benfica all the way to the Europa League Final last season. An expensive but worthwhile buy, perhaps. The first non-South American in the list, as well.

6. Eliaquim Mangala 

The French international has been subject to intense speculation in the past few months, especially from Chelsea who were prepared to pay big to sign him. That's saying an awful lot about the ability and potential of a 22-year-old centre back. He may yet get that big money in the future.

7. Ezequiel Garay 

Another player heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, but this time with Manchester United who, according to some news outlets, had agreed to sign for them. However, they turned out to be false and he remained at Benfica. But I wouldn't rule out United returning in the future.