The much-awaited Premier League 2018/19 campaign kicked off on 10 August with a Friday night kickoff at Old Trafford and ended with a humbling at the Emirates on Sunday. With the transfer window closing before the first day of the season, all managers had their complete squads prior to their first fixture.
English clubs have become richer and richer in recent years and the Premier League has seen a number of incoming transfers this summer (except at Tottenham Hotspur). Among those were players making their bow in England.
Here are the three most stunning debutants in the Premier League’s opening weekend.
1. Naby Keita- Liverpool
Liverpool spent the most this summer among all 20 clubs in the Premier League (£167.9m) and they were the only club to have a net spend of over £100m (it was £155.4m to be exact).
Among their more illustrious signings was midfielder Naby Keita, signed for £54m from RB Leipzig. An agreement was put in place last year and his performance at Anfield underlined how much the Reds’ midfield could improve in the coming months.
A league title challenge will weigh heavily on Jurgen Klopp after such lavish spending but his burden will be eased by the way Keita has already made himself at home in Liverpool’s starting lineup.
The Guinean midfielder was central to Liverpool’s buildup in attack and completed more dribbles than any other teammate apart from Roberto Firmino.
It was also his pass that created the goal for Mohamed Salah when he slipped through a pass with the outside of his boot for full-back Andrew Robertson to lay it on a plate for the Egyptian to tap in.
Granted West Ham were not at their best – especially in midfield – but Keita didn’t pick the fixture. Mainly stationed on the left side, Keita was a busy player in the middle third of the pitch.
It was a tidy performance with the Reds keeping a clean sheet and there are positive signs. But it was probably a little too premature for Jamie Redknapp to say: “He’s been here 8 minutes but it looks like he’s been here 8 years!”
2. Richarlison- Everton
When Marco Silva moved from Watford to Everton, the manager took Richarlison with him for a fee that could potentially be £50m. The Toffees also had a spending spree of their own and the Brazilian forward was central to Silva’s plans.
It was safe to say that the 21-year-old blew hot and cold at Watford last season. Although he got into many good positions in and around the box, the one thing he clearly lacked was end product which left fans a bit frustrated.
But he is still a youngster and that will come with experience. Or a blue shirt as this weekend proved. In the 2-2 draw with Premier League returnees Wolverhampton Wanderers, Richarlison scored both goals – one in each half.
To put things in perspective, Richarlison had not scored a single goal in his last 53 shots at Watford but opened the scoring with his first shot on goal at Everton.
His second goal almost proved to be the winner before Wolves equalised but his brace will go a long way in removing the burden of the price tag Everton paid for his services.
3. Jorginho- Chelsea
When Maurizio Sarri brought Jorginho to Chelsea from Napoli, a lot was expected of the £50m signing who was also craved by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The 26-year-old was the Serie A club’s lynchpin in midfield who controlled the tempo of the game and also made crucial tackles and interceptions off the ball.
The Italian did not have a great Community Shield debut but looked right at home when N’Golo Kante complemented him in the middle of the park in this game. Completing 62/66 passes, and making a game-high 5 clearances, the game flowed through Jorginho who made nearly 10% of all touches for Chelsea.
That’s not all, Jorginho also stepped up to take a penalty instead of Alvaro Morata and scored with a hopping technique that put off goalkeeper Ben Hamer who went the wrong way even before the penalty was taken.
In the absence of Eden Hazard, Jorginho was easily the leader on the pitch as he dropped back to collect the ball to move it forward while also controlling the tempo of the game.
These are good signs for Chelsea and Sarri but sterner tests await the Blues – most notably a game against Arsenal next weekend.