Five Premier League Summer Signings Who Have Settled In Perfectly In New Surroundings
An inflated summer transfer window has finally come to its conclusion and some major incomings and outgoings have happened worldwide. Premier League is no different either and the big guns of the league have recruited high-profile resources in order to contest for the silverware.
The mid-table outfits have not been far behind either – Swansea City have surprised everyone by securing a season-long loan deal for Portuguese sensation Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich, whereas, Jese Rodriguez and Grzegorz Krychowiak, the PSG duo, will spend this campaign on loan with Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion respectively.
Let us now concentrate on ‘Top Five’ Premier League incomings who have already left an impression for their respective outfits.
Jordan Pickford
The 23-year-old former English youth international goalkeeper could not save Sunderland from getting relegated last season, but his imposing display between the sticks earned loads of acknowledgments from the football fanatics. Plenty of Premier League heavyweights inquired about his availability, but it was Everton who struck a £30m deal to bring him to the club.
The Merseysiders were struggling to replace Tim Howard and neither Joel Robles nor Maarten Stekelenburg managed to gain Ronald Koeman’s trust with their performances. Pickford slotted into Everton’s starting line up perfectly and made an early impression with consecutive clean sheets. He is already showing his stability in goal and can be viewed as a long-term solution to Toffees’ goalkeeping conundrum.
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian speed merchant had a failed stint with Chelsea a couple of years back. The 25-year-old wingman, however, revived his career in Serie A with AS Roma and Liverpool handed him another opportunity to shine in English football.
The Reds signed him for a club record £36.9m fee and the player has settled perfectly in his new surroundings. He had a great pre-season campaign and has resumed his goal scoring run for his new employers. Salah has already netted and assisted twice in three league outings (also scored once against Hoffenheim in Champions League playoffs) and has been nominated for August’s Premier League Player of The Month award.
Alvaro Morata
The 24-year-old Spaniard’s £60m transfer from Real Madrid happened only because of Chelsea’s failure to land former Everton hitman Romelu Lukaku, their prime transfer target, who opted to join Manchester United instead. Conte, the Blues boss, shifted his sights on Morata and the player himself was keen to play regularly.
There were doubts about his ability to adapt to his new surroundings, but the player did exceptionally well to settle in quickly and has already netted and assisted a couple of times in 3 league outings. His impressive inception has earned him a nomination for August’s Premier League Player of the Month award.
Romelu Lukaku
Manchester United’s re-signing of Paul Pogba for a hefty fee inflated the transfer market last year. The Red Devils, under Jose Mourinho, broke the bank once more this summer and snapped up a deal for Belgian hitman Romelu Lukaku for £75m from Everton. Lukaku is known for his strong physical presence in the box and great goal-poaching instinct.
The 24-year-old striker took no time to open his account and has scored thrice in three league outings that has made him the strongest contender for August’s Premier League Player of the Month award. Manchester United are the major title contenders this season and Lukaku’s presence has made them the favourites to lift the silverware that they last won five years ago.
Nemanja Matic
Chelsea made a massive mistake by letting Nemanja Matic join title rivals Manchester United for a £40m transfer fee. The 29-year-old midfield general flourished under Jose Mourinho during his Chelsea days and the reunion has started creating impact from the very beginning of the new campaign as his presence in a deeper midfield role has freed Paul Pogba up to link up more with the attackers.
Matic is resisting and blocking counter attacking threats with ease and his physicality is helping them win possession and build goal-bound attacks from the middle of the park. The Serbian international’s move to the Theatre of Dreams is arguably the best transfer of this Premier League season and Manchester United are the clear winners of the summer window.
A few other high-profile transfers are believed to produce a stellar show as well – Benjamin Mendy of Manchester City, Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal, Leicester City’s Harry Maguireand Kelechi Iheanacho, West Ham United’s Javier Hernandez, Serge Aurier of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson, Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tiemoue Bakayoko of Chelsea are the most notable Premier League incomings of summer 2017.