After a riveting start to the new Premier League campaign, summer signings have now had time to acclimatise to the demands of top-flight English football and starting XIs have truly started to take shape.
More than £1billion was spent during the course of the English summer transfer window, with all but just one Premier League club bolstering their armoury – some more significantly than others.
And already, a number of the league’s new recruits have adjusted swimmingly to their new environments; the likes of James Maddison, Jorginho and Richarlison have hit the ground running in emphatic fashion.
But there are still some newcomers yet to hit the headlines – or even the pitch in some cases – and truly showcase their worth as well as justifying the prices tags that perceptibly loom over their heads.
So, with all that considered, who are the summer signings that we have already forgotten about?
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Signed from: AZ Alkmaar
Fee: £17m
League minutes played: 97
Signed for a club-record fee from the Cheeseheads, Jahanbakhsh arrived in East Sussex with massive expectations resting on his shoulders, having scored 21 goals and provided 12 assists in the Eredivisie last term. The Iranian has only mustered six substitute appearances this season, and is yet to rediscover the form that swept the Dutch top-flight last campaign and earned him the Eredivisie top scorer accolade.
Florin Andone (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Signed from: Deportivo La Coruna
Fee: £5m
League minutes played: 0
Despite suffering relegation from La Liga with Clarence Seedorf’s Branquiazuis last season, the Romanian marksman was one of their better players, and while his transfer did not generate the same level of noise at the Amex as Jahanbakhsh, Andone certainly looked a tidy piece of business. However, a groin injury has so far hindered his Seagulls career, but his return is imminent, and he could yet prove to be an extremely useful acquisition for Chris Hughton this season.
Ben Gibson (Burnley)
Signed from: Middlesbrough
Fee: £15m
League minutes played: 0
Two years ago, Gibson was touted for international stardom during his Premier League maiden campaign with boyhood club ‘Boro, but having suffered relegation, his career somewhat nosedived. Burnley picked him up in the summer looking to hone his defensive craft and accelerate his progress in Lancashire. Unfortunately, Gibson is yet to play a league match, and was sent off in the club’s 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos in the Europa League last month.
Rob Green (Chelsea)
Signed from: Huddersfield Town
Fee: Free
League minutes played: 0
Though the initial transfer turned heads at the thought of Rob Green joining Chelsea when Thibaut Courtois’ future was first in doubt, the arrival of Kepa Arrizabalaga has resigned the former England number one to the training pitch. With Willy Caballero second choice and young Marcin Bulka preferred as his back up, Green is yet to appear even on the subs bench this season.
Max Meyer (Crystal Palace)
Signed from: Schalke 04
Fee: Free transfer
League minutes played: 63
The Germany international shocked the footballing world after putting pen-to-paper with Crystal Palace. The mercurial marvel forged a distinguished reputation in the district of Gelsenkirchen for his innate intelligence and understanding of the game as well as his inventive passing range. Palace fans would have been purring at the prospect, and while the 23-year-old has featured this term, he has only featured sporadically and is yet to truly light up Selhurst Park.
Sergio Rico (Fulham)
Signed from: Sevilla
Fee: Season-long loan
League minutes played: 0
For such an excellent goalkeeper, it seems almost criminal that Rico is playing second fiddle at Craven Cottage, but there can be no denying the faith Slavisa Jokanovic has put in Marcus Bettinelli after he helped clinch Fulham promotion to the Premier League. Prior to last season, Rico was an ever-present between the sticks at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but he fell down the pecking order with the arrival of Tomas Vaclik, and now once again, he is sitting on the periphery in west London only appearing twice in the League Cup.
Yerry Mina (Everton)
Signed from: Barcelona
Fee: £26m
League minutes played: 0
Known on English soil for the man who drew Colombia back level in England’s tense World Cup Round of 16 clash with Los Cafeteros, Mina never truly cemented a starting berth in Catalonia, though he was never really given a chance by Ernesto Valverde. Now on Merseyside, the mountainous centre-back will be looking to repay the faith shown in him by Marco Silva, but he is yet to play a single minute of football as of yet due to injury.
Andre Gomes (Everton)
Signed from: Barcelona
Fee: Season-long loan
League minutes played: 0
The third Musketeer in Everton’s trio of signings from Spanish titans Barcelona. However, much like Mina, the Portuguese is yet to strut his stuff at Goodison Park. Gomes played a fleeting role as Barca cantered to the Spanish title last term, but he will be hoping to make more of an impact in England this season, though a hamstring injury has so far derailed his Toffees career.
Ramadan Sobhi (Huddersfield Town)
Signed from: Stoke City
Fee: £6m
League minutes played: 6
One of the most bizarre aspects of this season is the unexpected ascent of Stoke City players; two have gone from having relegation etched on their CVs in May, to featuring in the Champions League for two of Europe’s great aristocrats a few months later. Xherdan Shaqiri and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting have joined PSG and Liverpool respectively, but have failed to make a significant impact; the same can be said of Ramadan Sobhi at Huddersfield Town, and all three may struggle for playing time this term.
Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)
Signed from: SC Freiburg
Fee: £20m
League minutes played: 0
Soyuncu was reportedly the subject of fervent interest from Arsenal and Atletico Madrid during the summer, but the Foxes fended off stiff competition to secure his signature and looked to have pulled off a real coup by recruiting the defensive starlet. Despite this, the Turkey international is yet to make his debut, with Claude Puel citing the centre-back’s lack of English as a factor for his absence on the pitch as it is difficult for him to communicate with his team-mates.
Stuart Armstrong (Southampton)
Signed from: Celtic
Fee: £7m
League minutes played: 120
Celtic’s woes this season have largely been pinned down to the absence of their former talisman, but the Scotland international is yet to hit the ground running in Hampshire, making just the single start under the stewardship of Mark Hughes. With the club struggling in 16th, expect Armstrong to feature more prominently in the coming weeks.
Gerard Deulofeu (Watford)
Signed from: Barcelona
Fee: £11.5m
League minutes played: 0
A successful loan spell at Vicarage Road last season prompted the Hornets hierarchy to sign Deulofeu on a permanent basis over the summer, but the 24-year-old is to make an appearance this season due to injury. The Spaniard is back training with the first-team and will likely make his introduction in the upcoming fixtures.
Leander Dendoncker (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Signed from: Anderlecht
Fee: Season-long loan
League minutes played: 0
Signed on an initial season-long loan, Dendoncker will reportedly make a permanent move to the Molineux next summer. With Nuno Espirito Santo having already established a dynamic central midfield consisting of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, it is unlikely the Belgian will supplant either two. Luckily for Dendoncker, he is a versatile player, and he made his second appearance in defence against Leicester City in the League Cup on Tuesday.
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