Premier League: 10 Best Transfer Bargains of 2012

9. Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading, free)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rup0n_mJFXo&feature=related Why did Fulham not permanently sign him when they had the chance? After impressing for the Cottagers last season during his loan period, with an average of a goal every other game in the league, the Russian looked all set to join them properly in the summer. Yet Reading waded in, supported by their loaded foreign owners, and blew Fulham out of the water. Yet this cannot be seen as an excuse for Fulham, who instead signed Berbatov, a player who was infamously spurned by many clubs this summer because of his wage demands. While it paid off for them, one has to wonder why they chose to take such a gamble on a player with a well-known poor attitude. Pogrebnyak's record this season stands at 4 goals in 8 games in all competitions, including a goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge; not bad against the side with 4 clean sheets, the most in the league so far. He has the potential to be a goal machine, and has already shown glimpses of what he can do at this level. Rating: 8/10