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Nordi Mukiele
Six games into their first Premier League season since 2016-17, and Sunderland are flying high in fifth place. It’s their best start to a top-flight campaign in 70 years. A lot of that success can be attributed to their new signings, none more than the outstanding Mukiele – WhoScored’s second-highest rated player this season after Erling Haaland.
Signed for just £12m in the summer, the former RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen defender was given his chance when Dan Ballard picked up an injury in the second game of the season. The 27-year-old has embraced the challenge, producing a series of standout displays. In his four games, Sunderland have picked up eight points and conceded just two goals. His physicality and athleticism have been central to the team’s fast start.
He attacks the ball aggressively (he ranks third for clearances per 90 minutes in the league), wins his duels (he ranks ninth for tackles per game among defenders), and is just one of seven players in the league yet to be dribbled past. Sunderland pulled off a coup by landing a player of his pedigree and talent at such a low cost.
Mohammed Kudus
Kudus has wasted no time making an impact after his £55m switch from West Ham to Tottenham. Only Jack Grealish (four) has more assists than Kudus (three) in the league this season. Having been moved around the park at West Ham by Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter, he has been installed on the right of Thomas Frank’s attack and is thriving.
One thing that Kudus has carried over from his time at West Ham is his ability in one-on-one situations. He ranks top for successful take-ons (24) in the Premier League and is only behind Kylian Mbappé (25) in Europe’s top five leagues.
Despite his relentless attacking, he never forgets his defensive duties. He ranks third in the Spurs side for tackles per game (2.2). If Kudus can add a few goals, Frank might just have a complete player on his hands.
Hugo Ekitiké
Of all the players recruited by Liverpool in their £450m summer spending spree, Ekitié has stood out. The Frenchman has taken to Arne Slot’s system seamlessly, with five goals and one assist in his first nine appearances.
Ekitiké has embodied the idea that price tags are irrelevant on the pitch. He hasn’t been fazed by Alexander Isak’s arrival for a Premier League-record price of £125m. Rather, he has relished the competition, staking his claim to lead the Liverpool attack. “We play in such a big club, and I can’t see any big clubs playing with just one striker in their squad,” he says. “It is good that Alex is here. For me, at my age, I have a lot of things to improve and learn.”
Ekitike is sharing a dressing room with a striker who scored 44 goals in the last two Premier League seasons, but he is giving his manager a selection dilemma. That shows just how impressive he has been so far this season.
Florian Wirtz
Things have not quite gone to plan for Wirtz this season. The £116m signing from Bayer Leverkusen is yet to make his mark in a Liverpool shirt. The German has not scored or assisted in eight games and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has voiced concerns, saying: “I don’t think the balance of the team is right, and the obvious one that stands out is Florian Wirtz.”
There is clearly an issue with Wirtz’s end product, and the 22-year-old midfielder is taking some time to adapt to the speed of the Premier League, often taking too many touches (he has the second-most dispossessions in the Liverpool side). But it’s early days. Wirtz is still adapting to a new league and country while playing a new role in a team that is transitioning, with Liverpool experiencing a 14-player turnover this summer.
There are reasons for optimism. He leads the team in shot-creating actions (31) and has created more chances than any other Premier League player this season in all competitions. He ranks second for take-ons attempted (21), and third for carries into the final third and touches in the attacking third. The goals and assists will come.
Anthony Elanga
Three minutes into his debut against Aston Villa on the opening weekend, Elanga had a great chance to score his first goal for Newcastle. But he was denied by Villa’s new goalkeeper Marco Bizot. That attempt carried an expected goals value of 0.48, and it still makes up the bulk of his Premier League tally this season, which stands at 0.6 xG.
Elanga arrived at Newcastle in the summer with no shortage of expectation after his £55m move from Nottingham Forest. His record at Forest was steady: 31 goal contributions in 74 Premier League appearances. So far, though, he has not replicated that output at Newcastle. Nine appearances in black and white have come and gone without a goal or assist.
Eddie Howe has been conservative in his use of the club’s third most expensive signing. Despite starting the first two games of the season, he is yet to start another Premier League game, with Jacob Murphy preferred while Elanga settles in his new environment.
Like Wirtz, Elanga’s lack of end product does not tell the whole story. He ranks second among Newcastle players for expected assists (xAG) across all competitions. His player-of-the-match display in the 4-0 win against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League was a reminder that the output will come.
Benjamin Sesko
Being a Manchester United striker is a thankless task as 22-year-old Sesko has discovered early in his time at Old Trafford. One goal in seven appearances for a player who cost £74m is far from ideal, but there is no need to jump to conclusions just yet.
Sesko’s lack of output looks more a symptom of United’s wider attacking problems than an individual shortcoming. The new-look front three of Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo is yet to click, with the lack of chemistry compounded by poor finishing (United’s xG difference of -7.26 is the worst in the division).
Service has been a particular issue. Sesko averaged 34 touches per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga last season, but that figure has dropped to 17.6 at United – and many of them are in areas where he is less effective. His trademark runs in behind are going unnoticed, with teammates slow to spot his movement or execute the pass. That is likely to improve once Ruben Amorim settles on him as a regular starter. The three new signings have only started one game together so far and Sesko has started just four games.
He has played just 417 minutes for Manchester United so far, and while his start has been slow, it is still early days. He remains the same striker who scored 39 goals in two seasons at RB Leipzig. With more minutes in a settled attack, his output should improve.
This is an article by WhoScored
