In the extremely inexact science of deciding a soccer player's value, the one thing that most Premier League teams can agree is that they want players with Premier League experience. Just as they might pay more for younger players than older ones, clubs put a premium on players who have proven they can perform in England's top flight.

The idea is that the Premier League is too different in style and quality from other European leagues and lower leagues to take a chance on anyone else. It makes sense, too. Players from abroad...