The excitement associated with the return of the English Premier League could not be hidden by its fans worldwide. While other sports have kept us company for the past few months, none can compare to the thrills and nerves of the Premier League.
The Premier League’s New Boys
The transfer window has seen a lot of movement so far, with teams strengthening their squad to give them a better chance at competing over the new league season. The transfers have also given more room for punters to experiment on what players to back on the best site for football betting online. Fans were able to see several of these stars in action for the first time. We look at some of these players and how they fared in their debut games.
As the league’s opening weekend kicks off, soccer analyst and author Kate Richardson looks at the new entrants into the league and their adaptability potential. You can read more about the author here.
1. Gabriel Jesus
The curtain raiser for the 2022/2023 Premier League season kicked off at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace played host to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Having had a great pre-season tour that saw them trump the likes of Chelsea and Sevilla, expectations were high for the Gunners. New signing Gabriel Jesus led the attack and put up an impressive showing but could not find the back of the net. Nonetheless, the Arsenal board would have been happy with his shift and hope his preseason form continues.
2. Oleksandr Zinchenko
Like Gabriel Jesus, Ukrainian defender Zinchenko is no stranger to the Premier League. However, his transfer to North London puts him on our list. The 25-year-old versatile footballer made his league debut against Crystal Palace and showed glimpses of his attacking quality as Arsenal went on to win the game 2-0. Life at left-back will sure be tough, with Kieran Tierney back from injury and a host of games to come in the Europa league. Nevertheless, Arteta and the Arsenal board will be hoping for a good return on investment.
3. William Saliba
The list is all full of Arsenal players, ehh? Saliba isn’t a new signing, but that’s what happens when it takes three years to make your professional debut. The highly rated defender won the best young defender award in the Ligue 1 this season and showed why as he put in tackle after tackle to ensure his team kept a clean sheet. At 21 years of age, there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but Saliba is definitely a strong addition to the team.
4. Darwin Nunez
If you’ve been online in the past month, you’d have seen a few memes and compilation clips of Darwin Nunez’s errors. However, the Uruguayan footballer shut his critics in his league debut as he played the part of super sub for Liverpool against Fulham. The towering striker came off the bench to score one and provide another to help Liverpool rescue a point against newly promoted Fulham. Nunez constantly pressed the Fulham defense, giving Jurgen Klopp reasons to reconsider his substitute status for the next match.
5. Erling Haaland
Norwegian phenomenon Haaland made a much talked about move to Manchester City during the summer transfer window and had a good start to life, scoring against Bayern. However, his performance in the Community Shield fixture against Liverpool would have given Pep Guardiola a few worries. Ahead of their league opener against West Ham United, it will be interesting to see what tweaks and manoeuvers the Spaniard makes to his team’s tactics to accommodate their new striker.
6. Aleksandar Mitrovic
Fulham’s Mitrovic made his return to the English top flight against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. The Serbian forward scored 43 of Fulham’s 106 goals in the English Championship last season and continued his fine form as he scored two goals against the mighty Liverpool defense. Fulham manager, Marco Silva, will have been pleased with the forward’s performance and will be hoping to see more of the same if his team is to stay in the Premier League next season.
Other debutants in the league this season include Raheem Sterling, who made the switch from Manchester City to Stamford Bridge last month. Another interesting signing is Marco Cucurella, who has just signed for the Blues from mid-table side Brighton. As the games and fixture schedule thickens, it will be interesting to see how well these players will adapt to a new league or teammates.
The outcome is sure to entertain neutrals and fans who will be hoping to see their teams defy preseason expectations if possible. Punters will also have a thrilling time as the performances of these players may influence their fortunes on sports betting websites.
