Alvaro Negredo ‘signing of the season’ say Barclays Premier League bosses

Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo has been voted the signing of the season so far by Barclays Premier League managers.

The Spain international, who has scored 23 goals in all competitions since moving from Sevilla last summer, was voted the division’s best signing of 2013-14 by 59% of top-flight bosses.

All 20 Premier League managers voted as part of a survey by the Barclays ‘Thank you’ campaign, with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez chosen as the player of the season so far and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey thought of as the best youngster.

The managers also recognised the achievements of three of their peers, with Crystal Palace’s Tony Pulis, Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini and Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino chosen for having done the most impressive work this season.

Pulis has guided struggling Palace out of the bottom three since taking over in November, while Pellegrini has made Manchester City the Sky Bet favourites for the title and Pochettino has made the Saints outsiders for a Europa League place.

Managers were also asked which Premier League stadium had the best atmosphere, with 40 per cent choosing Anfield over the likes of Old Trafford, White Hart Lane or the Emirates.

Manchester United fans are considered to give the best away support, followed by Liverpool and Aston Villa, and England in general is considered by 41 per cent of managers to have the most avid supporters in the world.

The study also found that 80 per cent of managers attended their first ever game as a fan before the age of nine, with over half of them going to a match before they were five, suggesting that watching football from a young age leads to a greater understanding of the game.