Premier League sides spent a record £3 billion on new players over the summer; some will become legends, others will flop. For now, anticipation is building, and some of the window’s biggest signings could make their debuts this weekend.
Here are the five we believe could prove to be the most exciting.
5. Nick Woltemade – Newcastle
After a summer of rejection, Eddie Howe finally got his new striker in the dying stages of the transfer window. Standing at 6’6”, Woltemade is the latest in a long line of giants forwards that were imported into the Premier League this summer.
He starred in this summer’s Under-21s European Championship, scoring six goals and providing three assists in his six games. The English topflight is an entirely different beast, however, and a club-record £69 million is a lot of money.
Woltemade is a lot more than his height, however. Capable of dropping further deeper and playing as a number ten if needed, he’s incredible at linking play, averaging 1.2 key passes per match in the Bundesliga. He may need a little time to adapt to a less transitional league, but he has everything in him to be a huge success.
4. Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea
Everyone’s favourite transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, was telling us every 15 minutes that a deal was close, and he finally made the move from Man United on August 30th for a reported fee of £40 million.
United fans were glad to see the back of him due to his off-field antics, but there is absolutely no doubt that Garnacho is a very talented footballer. During his time with the 20-time champions, he produced some magic moments, not just his Puskas Award-winning bicycle kick against Everton.
He may not always make the right pass or be as clinical in front of goal as people would like, but in terms of getting bums off seats, there are few players in the Premier League quite like him.
3. Xavi Simons – Tottenham
With Heung-Min Son no longer at the club, Spurs needed a new poster boy. For weeks it looked like Simons would be a Chelsea player, but for whatever reason, they never made an official bid despite agreeing personal terms.
Tottenham picked up the phone, Simons answered, and now the North London club have one of the best young attacking midfielders in the world on their books. For those that watched Spur’s 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth last time out, the lack of creativity was clear to see.
James Maddison is unlikely to feature much this season, if at all, so Simons is their new creator in chief. It’s his biggest strength, and with 21 goals and the same number of assists in his 78 games for RB Leipzig, his return is proof enough.
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma – Man City
Yes, we know, goalkeepers aren’t particularly exciting, or at least they shouldn’t be. Donnarumma is on this list because it will be very interesting to see how he fits into Pep Guardiola’s City side this season.
The Italian’s struggles with playing out of the back are well documented, he ended last season with an 84.5% pass accuracy rate in PSG Ligue 1 winning campaign and only 62 of his long balls met their intended target.
In comparison, City’s former number one Ederson had an 86.3% pass accuracy rate and clocked an impressive 139 accurate long balls in the league despite playing just two more games (26).
Still, Donnarumma has to be considered one of the best ‘keepers in the world. When it comes to shot stopping, there may not be anyone who can compete. A penny for James Trafford’s thoughts.
1. Alexander Isak - Liverpool
Who else? The most expensive player in British football history has a lot to prove after throwing such a massive stink at St James’ Park to get his move to the Premier League holders throughout the summer.
£125 million is quite the outlay for Arne Slot’s side, but it’s easy to see why they were so willing to pay so much money. Only Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s very own Mohamed Salah have scored more than him over the past two Premier League seasons.
It feels hard on Hugo Ekiteke, who has started the season so well, but Isak now has to be considered Liverpool’s number nine. The only thing that kinda derailed him at Newcastle was his injury record, he missed a grand total of 206 days during his three seasons at the club.