The Premier League returns this weekend after the international break, with several players set to make their debuts after changing clubs in the final days of the transfer window. Before the giddy funfair ride starts again here is a guide to some of the newcomers who will be attempting to become household names, along with a couple of established names who have recently changed households.
1) Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Has to be top of the list because of the money that changed hands in bringing him from Monaco to Manchester. At £36m, potentially rising to £58m (and United say they hope they end up paying all the add-ons) Martial is not only the most expensive teenager in history, he is almost a complete stranger to English audiences, which is why in an attempt to convey his style people have been billing him as the new Thierry Henry.
Transfer deadline day: De Gea deal off, Berahino anger, Martial signs and more – as it happened
Interesting that Liverpool have let Ilori, Coates & Glen Johnson leave. Presumably that means there were at least 3 defenders worse than Lovren at the club.
Whether that is a helpful comparison or not remains to be seen, though it would be as well to remember that even Henry’s career featured early big-money deals and false starts. Martial is unlikely to be thrown in for the whole of United’s game against Liverpool on Saturday – what an introduction to England that would be – and doubtless Louis van Gaal will play him out of position a few times before he finds his ideal role. Yet United have not shelled out all that money on a reserve, and while a degree of patience may be required, Martial’s initial task will be to link up with Wayne Rooney to add some speed and sparkle to a pedestrian attack.Spotlight rating 9/10
2) Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Nothing like as much to prove as Martial, having played in England before and earned acclaim with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, yet Manchester City have invested a lot (£55m) in a player Wolfsburg only bought for £18m a year earlier, and it is not immediately obvious where Germany’s footballer of the year will fit into a side who have made a flawless start to the season. Not only will De Bruyne want to demonstrate that Chelsea made a mistake in letting him go, as the second most expensive transfer in British football history he needs to show he can be of more value in Manchester than £60m Angel Di María proved last season. On paper that does not look too difficult a task, but huge fees, as all City fans know, can sometimes bring unforeseen problems. Should be a great addition to the squad but needs to be careful not to turn into a modern-day Rodney Marsh, the vanity signing who ended up admitting he cost City the 1972 title. Spotlight rating 8/10
3) Ramiro Funes Mori (Everton)
Not the most expensive signing at £9m, though that was £3m more than Everton originally budgeted for, but Roberto Martínez has history with South American centre-backs. He signed Antolín Alcaraz twice, first for Wigan, then for Everton, and a large proportion of the Goodison faithful are still struggling to work out how such a thing could be possible. Martínez is under a certain amount of pressure to show he knows a good defender when he sees one, even if Evertonowe him a debt of gratitude for his bolshy stance over John Stones. Mori, who has two caps for Argentina but grew up in the US, can expect close scrutiny when he begins to play, but may not be needed for a while. Spotlight rating 7/10
4) Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Signed to ease the burden on Harry Kane, so no pressure there. At £22m the most expensive Asian player in history, so coping with that attention should be a breeze, too. Lighting up the Lane might prove the hardest task of all, Spurs dearly want to be on the up again and signing Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen was a bit left-field.
Dimitar Berbatov did all right the last time Spurs went to Leverkusen for a player, though that is one more thing for Heung-min to live up to. Spotlight rating 7/10
5) Papy Djilobodji (Chelsea)
No big fee to live up to, just £3m. Not included in Chelsea’s Champions League squad either, so José Mourinho clearly does not see the 26-year-old as an alternative to John Stones. But it is not often these days that Chelsea have to fight off interest from Sunderland and Aston Villa to sign a player, and this season the Stamford Bridge central-defence is under scrutiny as never before. At 6ft 4in, the Senegal player could be about to make a big impression. Spotlight rating 5/10
6) Obbi Oularé (Watford)
A promising 19-year-old striker on his way up through the Belgium national ranks, Oularé is too young and inexperienced to be under real pressure, even if Watford did part with £6m. At that age, at that price, for a club like Watford, such a signing is a gamble, no more. But Oularé did call attention to himself in apologising for his poor performance at Old Trafford when Brugge were beaten in a Champions League qualifier last month. Must try harder now he is in England for good. Spotlight rating 5/10
7) DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
The 2014 World Cup is receding from memory and the American could do with reminding people why his electric pace and unflagging energy earned him rave reviews in Brazil. Just one appearance in six months at Tottenham, now on loan for a season in the north-east. Still a lot to prove but if anyone can trust him with game time he could prove well worth the risk. Spotlight rating 5/10
8) Dieumerci Mbokani (Norwich)
You have to warm to anyone with a name like that, although disappointingly the Norwich acquisition’s real first name turns out to be Dieudonne. On loan from Dynamo Kyiv, the Congolese striker has also played for Standard Liège, Anderlecht and Monaco in his time. A decent goalscoring record, and in his prime at 29. If he turns out to be a flop it might be Norwich’s fault rather than his own.Spotlight rating 4/10
9) Joleon Lescott (Aston Villa)
Needs just Birmingham and Walsall to complete a cleans sweep of West Midlands teams after joining Villa for £1m from West Brom on deadline day. You know what you are going to get with Lescott, though at 33 he is no longer the athletic stopper that Mark Hughes ended up paying Everton £22m to sign in 2009. Villa fans will be keen to see whether he can do a decent impression of Ron Vlaar, which in terms of the whole season, may be a tall order. Spotlight rating 3/10
10) Glenn Murray (Bournemouth)
The Cumbria-born striker is under no pressure at all at his latest club, he makes this list simply because it is a pleasure to reel off his previous teams and his determined climb through the ranks to finally make his Premier League mark at Crystal Palace. So here we are then, Murray has played for Workington, Wilmington (US), Barrow, Carlisle, Stockport, Rochdale, Brighton, Palace, Reading and now Bournemouth. An immensely popular player, except with opposing defences, what could possibly go wrong? Spotlight rating 0.5/10
Signed to ease the burden on Harry Kane, so no pressure there. At £22m the most expensive Asian player in history, so coping with that attention should be a breeze, too. Lighting up the Lane might prove the hardest task of all, Spurs dearly want to be on the up again and signing Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen was a bit left-field.
Dimitar Berbatov did all right the last time Spurs went to Leverkusen for a player, though that is one more thing for Heung-min to live up to. Spotlight rating 7/10
5) Papy Djilobodji (Chelsea)
No big fee to live up to, just £3m. Not included in Chelsea’s Champions League squad either, so José Mourinho clearly does not see the 26-year-old as an alternative to John Stones. But it is not often these days that Chelsea have to fight off interest from Sunderland and Aston Villa to sign a player, and this season the Stamford Bridge central-defence is under scrutiny as never before. At 6ft 4in, the Senegal player could be about to make a big impression. Spotlight rating 5/10
6) Obbi Oularé (Watford)
A promising 19-year-old striker on his way up through the Belgium national ranks, Oularé is too young and inexperienced to be under real pressure, even if Watford did part with £6m. At that age, at that price, for a club like Watford, such a signing is a gamble, no more. But Oularé did call attention to himself in apologising for his poor performance at Old Trafford when Brugge were beaten in a Champions League qualifier last month. Must try harder now he is in England for good. Spotlight rating 5/10
7) DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
The 2014 World Cup is receding from memory and the American could do with reminding people why his electric pace and unflagging energy earned him rave reviews in Brazil. Just one appearance in six months at Tottenham, now on loan for a season in the north-east. Still a lot to prove but if anyone can trust him with game time he could prove well worth the risk. Spotlight rating 5/10
8) Dieumerci Mbokani (Norwich)
You have to warm to anyone with a name like that, although disappointingly the Norwich acquisition’s real first name turns out to be Dieudonne. On loan from Dynamo Kyiv, the Congolese striker has also played for Standard Liège, Anderlecht and Monaco in his time. A decent goalscoring record, and in his prime at 29. If he turns out to be a flop it might be Norwich’s fault rather than his own.Spotlight rating 4/10
9) Joleon Lescott (Aston Villa)
Needs just Birmingham and Walsall to complete a cleans sweep of West Midlands teams after joining Villa for £1m from West Brom on deadline day. You know what you are going to get with Lescott, though at 33 he is no longer the athletic stopper that Mark Hughes ended up paying Everton £22m to sign in 2009. Villa fans will be keen to see whether he can do a decent impression of Ron Vlaar, which in terms of the whole season, may be a tall order. Spotlight rating 3/10
10) Glenn Murray (Bournemouth)
The Cumbria-born striker is under no pressure at all at his latest club, he makes this list simply because it is a pleasure to reel off his previous teams and his determined climb through the ranks to finally make his Premier League mark at Crystal Palace. So here we are then, Murray has played for Workington, Wilmington (US), Barrow, Carlisle, Stockport, Rochdale, Brighton, Palace, Reading and now Bournemouth. An immensely popular player, except with opposing defences, what could possibly go wrong? Spotlight rating 0.5/10
Guardian
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