The first weekend of Premier League action saw a number of debuts from big-name summer signings, with some particularly eye-catching performances in the Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United games.
While much of the focus was on new managers Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri at Arsenal and Chelsea, respectively, we’re going to focus for the time being on which players representing new clubs really caught our eye this weekend.
Without further ado, here’s eight that stood out for us…
1) Jorginho (Chelsea)
A composed midfield display showing real quality on the ball and an extremely well-taken penalty, Jorginho was one of the stars of the show as Chelsea enjoyed a comfortable opening day win over Huddersfield Town.
The Italy international should prove a very useful addition for new Blues boss Sarri, helping him bring his Napoli philosophy with him to Stamford Bridge.
If this debut display is anything to go by, Jorginho is going to prove an absolute snip at the £50million BBC Sport claim Chelsea paid for him.
2) Naby Keita (Liverpool)
Oh my, what a player. Naby Keita made an instant impact for Liverpool with a superb end-to-end display that really ticked all the boxes.
The exciting young Guinea international was immense in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, looking a perfect fit for the fast and furious football Liverpool play under Jurgen Klopp when BBC Sport reported of his £48m move.
Now we’ve seen that evidence before our eyes as he ran the show for the Reds as they demolished West Ham 4-0 at Anfield. Spot on.
3) Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal)
Okay, Arsenal may have lost this to a comfortably superior Manchester City side, but Matteo Guendouzi had some very promising moments.
Consider for a moment that this 19-year-old just made his Premier League debut against Pep Guardiola’s champions after making the step up from Ligue 2 football with Lorient last season, and you’ll find it’s as good as anything we saw this weekend.
Guendouzi should continue to get more chances to develop, with the early signs being that he could be a fantastic all-rounder in midfield.
4) Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Not his Premier League debut of course, but Riyad Mahrez made his first league outing for new club City after his summer move from Leicester.
As the only high-profile new addition by Guardiola’s side, the Algeria international did not let his new fans down with a lively performance in attack.
5) James Maddison (Leicester City)
A couple of days earlier at Old Trafford, however, youngster James Maddison showed that Leicester shouldn’t miss Mahrez too much.
The impressive 21-year-old put in a hugely exciting attacking midfield performance for the Foxes as they were pretty unlucky to lose 2-1 to Manchester United.
He certainly showed up Red Devils new-boy Fred, who was far quieter as he made his Premier League debut after his £47m move from Shakhtar Donetsk (fee per BBC Sport).
6) Richarlison (Everton)
A few eyebrows were raised by the money Everton spent on signing Richarlison from Watford, but he had a superb Premier League debut for his new club this weekend.
The Brazilian scored twice in the draw with Wolves, his second an exciting solo effort that gives Everton fans a glimpse of the talent they’ve landed here.
Wolves and Everton played out a thriller on the opening Saturday of the season, featuring a debut brace, a Neves stunner and controversial red card.
More: https://t.co/nVRLNzfVQw pic.twitter.com/ui4OxA9nq6
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 12, 2018
7) Ruben Neves (Wolves)
Not new to Wolves, but making his Premier League debut this weekend was Portuguese midfield genius Ruben Neves, who was absolutely outstanding in their promotion campaign from the Championship last season.
The 21-year-old is surely one of the finest young players in Europe right now, and announced himself on the big stage with a stunning strike from a free-kick against Everton.
It surely won’t be long before bigger clubs are linked with this guy…
8) Alisson (Liverpool)
Finally, Alisson will surely have bigger tests ahead of him for Liverpool, but he got off to a solid start with a clean sheet against West Ham.
While the Brazilian did not have much to do, this LFC back-line looks a far more calm and authoritative place with him and Virgil van Dijk in it.
Alisson is also classy on the ball and ideal for the style of football Klopp has Liverpool playing, so it will be interesting to see more of him as the season goes on.
