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Bazoumana Touré: Newcastle
Anthony Gordon will be a difficult act to follow at Newcastle, but Touré could be a shrewd replacement. Blessed with electric pace, the 20-year-old is a bit more of an old-fashioned winger in that he predominantly plays from the left and is left-footed. As a result, he was more of a creator than a goalscorer for Hoffenheim last season.
Of his 14 Bundesliga goal involvements last term, nine were assists, and Touré’s total of 44 chances created in open play was bettered by five players. Gordon laid on only 24 chances in open play in the Premier League last season. Touré is a high-volume crosser (his 115 in open play were the fourth most in the Bundesliga last season) and will be different to Gordon, but potentially a valuable source of danger.
Christos Tzolis: Arsenal
While hardly the most glamorous name in the Premier League, Leandro Trossard was a useful and dependable player for Arsenal. Replacing him is easier said than done. Tzolis has been given that task and he looks a good fit.
For starters, he was a highly effective creator for Club Brugge last season, with his 135 chances created being 35 more than anyone else in the Belgian Pro League. Crucially, he produced the goods at set pieces – and we know how important they are for Mikel Arteta. Declan Rice was Arsenal’s most effective player from set pieces last season, creating 27 chances; Tzolis’s deliveries yielded 52 opportunities. That accounted for 38.5% of his total chances created. While Rice (42.9%) had a greater proportion from dead-ball situations, his total (63) was far lower than the Greek winger’s.
Tzolis is unlikely to match the 40 goal involvements he recorded last season, though he made a strong first impression during the Community Shield win against Manchester City with two assists.
Mamadou Sangaré: Brentford
There are plenty of French football experts who were very surprised to see Sangaré only end up at Brentford this summer. The fact the Mali international has just a single season’s experience in a top league may have counted against him, though Brentford look set to benefit from the hesitance of others.
Sangaré proved himself to be an eye-catching all-round midfielder at Lens last season. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Elliot Anderson (8.26) and Exequiel Palacios (8.04) averaged more possession regains per 90 (900+ minutes) than him (8.01). And when looking specifically at possession won in the middle third of the pitch, his 4.7 per 90 saw him rank second.
Sangaré offered plenty on the ball as well. Only four Ligue 1 players tallied more secondary chances created (that’s the pass before the pass that creates a chance) than his 31. He uses the ball smartly and is a dependable presence in the buildup, both in terms of his distribution and ability to hold on to the ball under pressure.
Hayden Hackney: Everton
Hackney built a strong reputation during his four full seasons in the Championship with Middlesbrough after coming through the club’s academy. But, after Boro failed to earn promotion last season, it seemed highly unlikely the former England Under-21s international would be staying at the Riverside Stadium. Everton were the ones to make the move for a fee that could rise to £25m.
Hackney is a deep-lying playmaker who is accurate in possession but also brings a degree of progressiveness with his passing – without being overly risky. At 33.5%, his proportion of open-play passes played forward is only a little over average among positional peers in the Championship last season, but at the same time his 52 secondary chances created were the most of everyone in the division. Similarly, his 4.86 expected assists (xA) saw him rank seventh. If the 24-year-old adjusts to the top flight, an England call-up may not be too far away.
Caleb Yirenkyi: Coventry
Coventry attracted a lot of praise (and envy) when they signed Yirenkyi from Nordsjælland this month. The 20-year-old Ghana international has been exciting people in analytics circles for a while thanks to his broad skill set. Nominally a central midfielder, Yirenkyi can feature as a No 6, a No 8 or even at right-back, and his range of talents suggests he could be a good fit for the Premier League.
In the Danish Superliga last season, he was one of just six midfielders to average at least 1.0 open-play chances created (1.1), 1.5 tackles (2.0) and 6.0 possession regains (7.1) per 90. But of those six, his 81.1 touches per 90 were comfortably the most, and his 91.8% pass-completion rate was the best of all midfielders in the competition (900+ mins), highlighting how much of a central figure he was for his team. Yirenkyi rated above average across the board.
Emersonn: Ipswich
The last time Ipswich were in the Premier League, in 2024-25, they put faith in a young centre-forward, Liam Delap. They’re doing so again this time around, having spent £24m on the Brazilian striker Emersonn from Toulouse.
The 22-year-old is a bit of a gamble. He scored only six times in 28 league appearances last season. But he should still offer plenty. He’s quick, tall, technically sound and effective at running in behind and dropping deep to knit play together.
He ranked eighth among centre-forwards in Ligue 1 last season for carries ending in a shot or chance created (17), and most of those above him played considerably more minutes. Watching his adjustment to the Premier League could be fascinating.
Johan Manzambi: Aston Villa
Aston Villa lost Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans in the summer, so some extra attacking impetus in midfield was always going to be required. The hope is Manzambi will help ease those losses. The 20-year-old is a forward-thinking midfielder who is capable of bursting forward and evading opponents in tight spaces.
At Freiburg last season, only three regular Bundesliga midfielders averaged more than his five progressive carries of at least 10 metres per 90. And he ranked 14th for dribble attempts (2.8) per 90, with many of those above him more like wingers. He then impressed at the World Cup, becoming the youngest player in at least 60 years to manage five goal involvements at a single tournament (three goals, two assists).
Manzambi was subject to something of a transfer tug of war; Villa won and the prospect of him developing under Unai Emery is an exciting one.
Lucas Herrington: Hull
He did not make his Colorado Rapids debut until February, but Herrington was still named to the MLS All-Star squad after his first World Cup campaign with Australia. The 18-year-old’s rise has been rapid. He was linked with a host of elite clubs, but opted for Hull on the basis that he will play first-team football.
The teenager is an elegant, ball-playing centre-back. Among defenders to play 400+ minutes in MLS this year, Herrington ranked sixth for touches per 90 (92.3), eighth for passing accuracy (93.8%), fourth for carries per 90 (24.4) and third for progressive carries of 10+ metres (5.4) per 90.
Adapting to the physical aspects of the Premier League may require time, but his 71.2% aerial success rate in MLS was reasonably high, enough to rank 15th among the same group of defenders. If Herrington can adapt quickly, we could be watching one of the world’s next top centre-backs.
Tarik Muharemovic: Leeds
Leeds made Muharemovic their second-most expensive signing (at the time) when they paid Sassuolo £34m this summer, and he feels like the kind of centre-back supporters will appreciate. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international has technical ability and is also a unit and strong competitor.
He’s not afraid to be adventurous with his passing – his 191 long passes were the 11th most of all outfielders in Serie A last season, while he ranked joint-sixth for switches of play (12). He is a keen tackler although he does pick up his fair share of yellow cards, with seven in the league last season. Leeds fans will appreciate his committed nature and, at 23, there’s a lot of upside to his signing.
This is an article by Opta Analyst
