The nine debuts we can’t wait to see this weekend

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The January transfer window is over, leaving us all breathing a big sigh of relief.

Instead of being glued to rumour sites for the slightest hint that Lionel Messi has been spotted treating himself to a meal deal at Watford Gap services, we can finally get back to watching our teams challenge for titles, flounder for survival or fade into mid-table insignificance.

This weekend’s fixtures, though, will be an extra special treat as we get to see some of those January signings in action and making their debuts at their respective clubs.

So, which nine debuts are we here at Squawka most excited for?

1. Peter Crouch 

There really wasn’t any other player to start with, was there? If you can hand on heart say you are not excited at the prospect of Peter Crouch coming back to the Premier League and maybe, just maybe, seeing the robot again, then we can no longer be friends.

At 38-years-old and with just two goals in 26 appearances all season with Stoke, this move should make absolutely no sense. Crouch, though, has a knack for proving people wrong time and time again and his aerial threat, as well as his massively underrated ability with the ball at his feet, may be the difference in Sean Dyche up the table this season, rather than down it.

2. Youri Tielemans

Leicester’s deadline day swap of Youri Tielemans for Adrien Silva until the end of the season is surely one of the best pieces of business of the January window. Silva simply didn’t work out for the Foxes, while Tielemans has been a rare shining light in what has been a drab season for Monaco.

The 21-year-old scored five goals in 20 games for the Ligue 1 strugglers and can slot straight into the Leicester midfield with his equally brilliant ball-carrying, passing and tackling abilities.

“I’m really happy to be here and I’m excited to get started on Sunday,” the Belgian told LCFC TV. “I think every kid dreams about playing in the Premier League.”

3. Denis Suarez 

Denis Suarez may have struggled like hell to get a game at Barcelona over the years but after their season together at Sevilla in 2014/15, he is reunited with Unai Emery once more.

The Spaniard, typically for a Barcelona academy product, brilliant with the ball in tight spaces, while he is able to operate centrally and in wide spaces – this could be key to Emery’s gameplan of creating overloads on the wings.

Suarez can also take a lot of pressure off the shoulders of Mesut Ozil, who looks like he’s holding up the weight of the world at the moment, and his audition for a permanent deal, intriguingly, begins against former club Manchester City this weekend.

4. Josh Maja

Many neutrals may only know young striker, Josh Maja, from the incredibly honest Netflix documentary, ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’, but he’s actually been on fire in League One this season, scoring 15 goals in 23 starts.

That form has earned him a remarkable move to French Ligue 1 side, Bordeaux, who fended off interest from Rangers for Maja’s signature.

Bordeaux are currently sat in midtable obscurity in France, while Francois Kamano is the only player in their squad to score more than four league goals this season. For this reason, Maja may well be slung into the fire this weekend as Les Girondins face Marseille.

5. Karlan Grant 

It’s not hard to spot Huddersfield’s problem this season – they are absolutely useless in front of goal – the Terriers are the lowest scorers in the Premier League with just 13 goals in 24 games

Huddersfield’s main strikers, Steve Mounie and Laurent Depoitre, have just one goal between them this season, while the pacey Karlan Grant scored an impressive 14 goals in 25 starts for Charlton, albeit in League One.

Terriers boss, Jan Siewert, doesn’t seem fazed by that and has talked up the prospect of throwing the 21-year-old into the deep end: “He is quite brave, I think, he is a guy who says he didn’t come to hide. So, yes, maybe he is already an option.”

6. Michy Batshuayi

The signal is up and ‘Batsman’ has answered the call. Throughout the January window, it looked as if Michy Batshuayi could have ended up at any one of Monaco, Everton, West Ham and Real Betis but, against all odds, rocked up at Crystal Palace on deadline day.

The Belgium international has seriously struggled with Valencia this season, scoring just three goals in 23 games, but he tore the Bundesliga apart last season with Dortmund and has 12 goals in 23 caps for Belgium to boot. Many pundits are now tipping Palace to fly up the Premier League table, backed by Batshuayi’s goals – a leaky Fulham could be his first victims this weekend.

7. Leandro Paredes

Leandro Paredes was reportedly high on the list of Maurizio Sarri’s targets as he sought to replace Cesc Fabregas at Stamford Bridge.

In the end, Paredes made the switch to French champions, PSG, who were in desperate need of central midfielders after being forced to field the likes of Dani Alves and Marquinhos in that position.

Paredes’ range of passing and relentless defensive contributions make him a classic Argentine ‘Cinco’ and could be the perfect replacement for Adrien Rabiot to pull the strings for Thomas Tuchel. His debut could come against third-placed Lyon this weekend.

8. Jese Rodriguez

From Madrid to Paris (and Stoke), Jese Rodriguez’s career has been one spectacular failure after another to this point.

However, an olive branch has been handed to the 25-year-old in the form of a loan move to Real Betis, who are managed by the incredibly progressive Quique Setién.

The demands on Jese will be high, with Setién installing an intense high line and incredibly risky but effective possession game, but his ability to cut inside and drive at a defence will be a very useful weapon in the Betis armoury.

Jese’s new side face Atletico Madrid on Sunday in what promises to be an incredible tactical battle between two of La Liga’s most lauded coaches.

9. Wu Lei

How many players from the Chinese national team are playing outside China right now? One.

That one player happens to be Wu Lei who joins Espanyol after becoming the Chinese Super League’s top scorer for the 2018/19 season with 27 goals.

The 27-year-old managed 169 goals during his time with Shanghai SIPG and joins an Espanyol side that have won just three of their last 15 games in all competitions.

The Catalan side face Villarreal at the weekend and will be hoping for an immediate impact from Wu Lei, while it will be very intriguing to see how a Chinese international gets in one of Europe’s top leagues.

The post The nine debuts we can’t wait to see this weekend appeared first on Squawka News.



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