Chelsea first, Liverpool second – ranking £650m worth of signings by how excited we are for debuts
Fifty Premier League summer signings are yet to make their debut, including the last piece of the Liverpool midfield jigsaw and some Chelsea talents.
50) Steven Benda (Fulham)
Fee: £1m
Reason for absence: The double whammy of third-choice goalkeeper who was signed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
What the manager has said: It feels like Marco Silva might not actually know Benda plays for him.
When he should debut: For various reasons, not soon.
49) Lawrence Vigouroux (Burnley)
Fee: Free
Reason for absence: Third-choice goalkeeper signed from League One.
What the manager has said: “He has come through top academy systems to become the player he is today with stand out performances in recent years. He is a very talented goalkeeper with a good personality and someone we will enjoy working with.”
When he should debut: Salford City in the Carabao? Vigouroux only conceded three times in six games against them for Leyton Orient. But Aro Muric might not be thrilled at his minutes being taken away.
48) Tom King (Wolves)
Fee: Free
Reason for absence: Third-choice goalkeeper signed from League Two.
What the manager has said: Well he was signed when Julen Lopetegui was in charge and he quit over transfers so read into that what you will. Sporting director Matt Hobbs was happy enough, saying: “Tom is a player who has played a lot of league games, has a great stature, good physicality and plenty of experience from his previous clubs. With this experience he will be able to help our younger goalkeepers develop, while also allowing those who need senior football the opportunity to gain it out on loan rather than keeping them around the club as back-up to Jose and Dan.”
When he should debut: In an ideal world he wouldn’t; no-one touches Dan Bentley’s Carabao minutes.
Premier League summer transfer window winners: Brighton, Villa, Forest, promoted clubs, Pochettino
47) Han-Noah Massengo (Burnley)
Fee: Free
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Nothing from Vincent Kompany yet but Massengo, signed from Bristol City spoke of the “dream come true” it was to move to the Premier League, adding that “it’s good for a young player to know someone has a plan for you, wants to develop you and help you to reach your potential”.
When he should debut: There is plenty of competition in the Clarets’ central midfield so it probably isn’t imminent.
46) Djordje Petrovic (Chelsea)
Fee: £12.5m, rising to £14m
Reason for absence: Signed as back-up.
What the manager has said: Mauricio Pochettino does not have time to formally welcome every new Chelsea signing but co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were “very pleased to welcome Djordje to the club,” adding that “his performances in MLS have earned deserved praise and recognition – and have prepared him for the challenge of playing for Chelsea.”
When he should debut: Spare Robert Sanchez the shame of losing to Brighton and give Petrovic the Carabao baptism of fire instead.
45) Neal Maupay (Brentford)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “Neal will strengthen the squad, the front positions. As a player, he’s a very good link-up player, a pressing player. As a nine, he’ll find good positions in the box and I think he’s a good finisher.”
When he should debut: Against Newcastle on Saturday seems a sensible shout for a player who Knows The Club and offers something different to those rapid forwards who indulge in such frivolities as scoring goals.
Neal Maupay says he feels 'home' after completing his return to Brentford 🔴⚪pic.twitter.com/an4jRLZ2Jy
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 1, 2023
44) Altay Bayindir (Manchester United)
Fee: £4.3m
Reason for absence: Signed as back-up.
What the manager has said: “Yeah, we followed him, scouted him very intensely and we think he has the skills to fit in Man United, to fit in English football. So, we are really glad that we signed him and we are confident that he will make a lot of progress in the coming period in the coming years and he will be a huge contribution to our game.”
When he should debut: Andre Onana will get a red sooner or later.
43) Michael Obafemi (Burnley)
Fee: £3m
Reason for absence: Hamstring injury.
What the manager has said: “It’s always been our intention to ease him in. I think that’s where he’s at, at the moment. But what he’s always got is he’s a little bit in his own profile, a little bit of that [Manuel] Benson-esque type of thing where he doesn’t need that much time to have an impact.”
When he should debut: Maybe in the Carabao but Obafemi has started a solitary Burnley game – in the FA Cup against Fleetwood – since joining on loan last January. They have a few attacking options.
42) Ashley Phillips (Tottenham)
Fee: £2m
Reason for absence: (Well done) he’s 18.
What the manager has said: Not much, but Michael Bridge of Sky Sports says Phillips ‘has impressed’ Ange Postecoglou and ‘will be a permanent member of the first team’.
When he should debut: Save for an injury crisis and Cristian Romero suspension – admittedly an entirely plausible scenario – it might not even be this season without any quench-thirsting Carabao.
41) Fode Ballo-Toure (Fulham)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Ballo-Toure himself “didn’t expect it” and “thought I was going to stay in Milan” so Silva can hardly be expected to have passed his judgement.
When he should debut: If and when Antonee Robinson needs a rest at left-back. They have Norwich at home in the Carabao, in case you were wondering.
40) Clement Lenglet (Aston Villa)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “After Tyrone Mings’ injury, we were analysing how we can face this season playing a lot of matches. Lenglet was a very good opportunity on loan for one year. I’m very happy with him because he is joining us with his quality, his experience, his capacity to help and support Pau Torres playing on the same side.”
When he should debut: Sooner rather than later if Aston Villa insist on incurring injuries in central defence, playing a high line and conceding loads of goals. Some rotation might be in order once the Europa Conference League grind starts.
39) Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £11m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Nothing yet. It did come out of nowhere.
When he should debut: Soon, if only to improve his personal aggregate score of 3-14 from his previous five Premier League games with Norwich.
38) Deivid Washington (Chelsea)
Fee: £17.2m
Reason for absence: He is 18 and has played 16 games of professional senior football.
What the manager has said: Nothing really. By his own admission, the Brazilian “can’t wait to make my debut here at such a big club, and provide lots of goals and assists”. But it might take a while if failed attempts to ship him out on loan are anything to go by.
When he should debut: Not for a while. He needs to prove himself in the EFL Trophy first.
37) Alejo Veliz (Tottenham)
Fee: £13m
Reason for absence: He is 19 and has played 63 games of professional senior football.
What the manager has said: “It will take a while for him. We’ve just got to let him settle. He’s a young guy, it’s a fairly different level. He’s one we’re all invested in for the long term, but I wouldn’t expect him to see any minutes over the first part of the season.”
When he should debut: Obviously the second part of the season, if at all.
36) Enso Gonzalez (Wolves)
Fee: £5.2m
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “He’s very young, coming from South America, so there will be some adaptation time needed. He’s also had a long couple of days as well, so we’ll need to bed him in and help him with the transition of living in a new place, with a new group, and getting used to a very different league to what he was playing in.”
When he should debut: Ipswich in the Carabao? Anything Premier League feels a little soon.
35) Sergio Reguilon (Manchester United)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “He is a very experienced player, a player for big clubs, a player that’s played already a lot of games in La Liga, in the Premier League. So, he has a very good background, we have seen he can play very intense football, so we are happy. While we had a problem with Luke Shaw injured, Ty Malacia injured, they are, for long term, out, so I think we responded very well in that emergency situation.”
When he should debut: As soon as Diogo Dalot starts to buckle under the left-back pressure; the two-games-a-week slog is already looking daunting.
34) Rob Holding (Crystal Palace)
Fee: £1m, rising to £3.5m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “Rob Holding is player who has interested us for a while. You can’t have too many good-quality players in your squad. I can only say I would be very happy to work with him here.”
When he should debut: Whenever Joachim Andersen or Marc Guehi do something silly. Or maybe the default answer of: Carabao.
Premier League summer transfer window losers: Everton, Manchester United, Liverpool, Hodgson
33) Jack Harrison (Everton)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Hip injury.
What the manager has said: Sean Dyche has not said too much but director of football Kevin Thelwell was thrilled at securing “one of our main targets this summer,” a player he hopes “can have a real impact on our team once he recovers from his minor injury in the next few weeks.”
When he should debut: October has been earmarked for a while.
32) Tom Davies (Sheffield United)
Fee: Free
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “He’s just not ready yet. Tom had not trained with any players since the beginning of May. We are trying to put him through a pre-season to get him ready to attack the games. We don’t want to risk his body at that point. He’ll have had a good block of work and then the international break as well. Then he’ll have had his pre-season and all we need to get into him then is the game time.”
When he should debut: You heard the man. After the international break it is. Watch out, Spurs.
31) Teden Mengi (Luton)
Fee: Undisclosed
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “Teden is someone who we have been aware of for a long time. He’s a fantastic age and comes with great experience for a young player. He’s had an amazing education at Manchester United and he will help us in that outside centre-half position. He’s got an excellent future, and we want his future to be here. There’s no quick pressure on him being the ‘main man’ straight away – but it’s great if he does, but there’s no getting away from the fact he is here to compete.”
When he should debut: Rob Edwards might let the 21-year-old settle first before chucking him in at the Premier League’s deepest end.
30) Divock Origi (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Nothing from Steve Cooper directly but Origi discussed one of their brief chats: “You can see the work he’s doing and the energy he’s bringing. I could tell from afar before I spoke with him. He told me how he saw me, how he sees the team and he translated the values of the team very well.”
When he should debut: Next game off the bench seems likely.
29) Tyler Adams (Bournemouth)
Fee: £20m
Reason for absence: Hamstring injury.
What the manager has said: “He is a player that hasn’t played I think since March. He’s coming from surgery with difficult situations in this period so we cannot rush it. We have to make sure that he also feels safe and he makes all the ticks before starting with us.”
When he should debut: With no clear indication of a return date either way, the Carabao Cup home game against Stoke might be crudely pencilled in for some introductory substitute minutes. But that is pure conjecture.
28) Sofyan Amrabat (Manchester United)
Fee: Loan for £8.5m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “It was already, from the start of the season, one of my wishes to get another six, a holding midfielder, in the squad because through the season you need that depth there. In that position we only had Casemiro who can play really well there. With others we have to make compromises but, with Sofyan Amrabat, we have another one. It’s very good to have him and I think he fits very good to Premier League football, to Champions League football.”
When he should debut: The midfielder’s withdrawal from Morocco duty means things are rather vague but Brighton at home on Saturday seems sensible for Joao Palhinha’s back-up target.
27) Igor Julio (Brighton)
Fee: £14.5m, rising to £17.2m
Reason for absence: Signed for rotation.
What the manager has said: “I think he has the right quality, the right characteristics to play in the Premier League because it is a different league, a different competition. He can be a right player for us to complete the squad and to be important for us.”
When he should debut: Lewis Dunk remains untouchable as the left-sided centre-half, with Jan Paul van Hecke and Adam Webster taking it in turns to partner him so far. Igor’s continental experience might be called upon once the Conference League kicks off after the break.
26) Luis Sinisterra (Bournemouth)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “It is a situation that happened on the last day of the window. The club thought that we could be stronger adding a player like Luis Sinisterra. It is another player we have who can make the difference, starting from wide. It is a good addition for us.”
When he should debut: Certainly by the end of the month, but Andoni Iraola did make a point of saying that Sinisterra was called up for international duty with Colombia soon after joining so the winger will need time to acclimatise and settle in.
25) David Raya (Arsenal)
Fee: £3m loan with £27m option
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “He brings the qualities for our game model, it’s very simple. We want two players per position. You see what happened to Jurrien [Timber] and that could happen to our goalkeeper. It recently happened to Thibaut Courtois so we have to be prepared. We have to be prepared and we have to be proactive so now we have two excellent goalkeepers now who fit our style.”
When he should debut: Mikel Arteta is considering handing Raya ‘a prolonged first-team opportunity in the coming weeks,’ according to the Daily Mail. Aaron Ramsdale has been the Premier League’s worst keeper so far this season on one key metric. The England keeper was once introduced into the team in the Carabao Cup and history might repeat itself after Brentford gave Raya the green light to face them in the third round later this month.
Prediction on keepers.
David Raya gets the nod against PSV > If he plays well, pressure mounts > 1 mistake by Ramsdale (even minor), and the gloves go to the Spaniard.
We aren't winning the league conceding 40 goals. We can't keep conceding from 1st shot. Clock is ticking. pic.twitter.com/5RZLLrLCB3
— LE GROVE (@LeGrove) September 5, 2023
24) Murillo (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £10.3m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “Murillo has shown his high level of ability and potential at Corinthians so naturally we are delighted that he now joins Nottingham Forest. At only 21 years old we know how high his potential is and we look forward to helping him to maximise that,” said chief football officer Ross Wilson.
When he should debut: It might be a long wait if Forest are even keeping clean sheets away now.
23) Alex Iwobi (Fulham)
Fee: £19m, rising to £22m
Reason for absence: Hamstring injury.
What the manager has said: Not much. This isn’t the first time Marco Silva has signed Iwobi on deadline day. Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan reckons a player “we’ve admired for some time” will “make a valuable contribution to Marco’s squad.”
When he should debut: Soon after the international break.
22) Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
Fee: £53m
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: Pep Guardiola is resting up from back surgery but director of football Txiki Begiristain has spoken excitedly of how Nunes “will help us this season and beyond” and “bring a fresh dynamic to this team”.
When he should debut: Could be whenever really. He is fit and available and has his feet under the Etihad table after not being selected by Portugal for these internationals. Shame he will be rubbish for a year before becoming absolutely phenomenal, as is the Pep way.
21) Albert Sambi Lokonga (Luton)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “I’m delighted to get him in and had a really good chat with him. He’s really keen to come and help us and play, he’s desperate to play football too. I think he’s going to be someone who can help us control the game a little bit more, he’s going to be able to give us something different from an in-possession point of view, so that’s a real plus.”
When he should debut: Against Fulham; Luton need him in quickly.
20) Odysseas Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £7.7m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Wilson again: “He is very talented and brings an abundance of experience with him, and he will add real competition to our goalkeeping department.”
When he should debut: It will certainly be interesting to see come next Monday evening’s game against Burnley. Perhaps Matt Turner keeps the gloves for another week but it doesn’t feel as though Vlachodimos has rocked up without first-team assurances.
19) Santiago Bueno (Wolves)
Fee: £10.3m
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: Hobbs again, is it? “Santiago’s personality is one we look for in a player, driven, hungry, hardworking and humble, but with a bit of an edge and can play. He’s a perfect fit for what we’ve been looking for.”
When he should debut: Wolves need him as soon as possible but it might take more than a couple of training sessions for the Uruguay international to get rolling.
18) Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £3m, rising to £5m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Cooper has a lot of catching up to do but Wilson will help him out, saying of Hudson-Odoi: “We all know the potential that Callum has shown. He was enthused to work with Steve again, given the relationship they formed with the national team.”
When he should debut: It will likely be soon after the forward played an hour for the U23s in an EFL Trophy defeat to Harrogate Town last week.
17) Mike Tresor (Burnley)
Fee: Loan with an obligation to buy for £15.4m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Nothing publicly. Weird. Mysterious. Makes us want to see him more. Tresor “had a long discussion with the coach so that convinced me to make the de7cision,” so at least Kompany isn’t keeping his counsel privately.
When he should debut: As soon as possible if Burnley want to start being good.
16) Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves)
Fee: £12.8m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: Hobbs has gone into rather more detail than Gary O’Neil, saying: “He’s another player who adds to our depth and gives us something different. He will add creativity and he’s got good end product. With the runners that we have going forward, his athleticism from the middle of the pitch, as well as his strength and his ability to find that final ball – as he’s shown in France – will be really important to us.”
When he should debut: As soon as he is ready; the 25-year-old is proper and that Wolves midfield is light.
Bellegarde becomes our most important player by default 😂
— 👤 (@fvilz) September 3, 2023
15) Carlos Baleba (Brighton)
Fee: £23.2m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “Baleba is a really good player, he’s not started yet with us but he can become an important player for us this season. He will show his quality, for sure, he’s the right player for us, for our policy, for our club. I think he’s very close with Moises. Different because all players are different but he has the same quality, the same characteristics. He can become as good a player as Moises Caicedo.”
When he should debut: The teenager will need time to get up to proper De Zerbi speed but Baleba is already relatively well-versed in European football thanks to his breakthrough season with Lille.
14) Matheus Franca (Crystal Palace)
Fee: £17m, rising to £26m
Reason for absence: Back injury.
What the manager has said: “There isn’t really a timeframe because he will need another scan to start with, and that will then tell us if the injury that he had when he joined us is progressing and clearing up. Then, after that scan – which will hopefully take place before the end of the month – we’ll draw up a new plan. In the very best of scenarios it will be that he’s okay, and we can really accelerate his training and get him back onto the field of play with us. In a worst case scenario, it might mean he needs more time to recover from the injury.”
When he should debut: If Roy isn’t sure then who possibly can be?
13) Romeo Lavia (Chelsea)
Fee: £53m, rising to £58m
Reason for absence: The Belgian was being held back for “reconditioning” before suffering an ankle injury in training during the break.
What the manager has said: “I think he still needs a few weeks to be ready to be involved with the team. He’s working to try to catch his team-mates.”
When he should debut: The latest is that it will take at least six weeks for Lavia to recover, so he might provisionally be looking at some time after the next international break. Yes, there’s one in October. Yes, that’s very sad.
12) Nicolas Dominguez (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £6.8m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: You know the drill. At least there were some words from Dominguez: “I watched the game that Forest played against Sheffield United. I saw the fans in the stadium and that attracted me. It feels amazing to join a club with so much history.”
When he should debut: Some very healthy competition for midfield places means the 25-year-old may be blooded in slowly.
11) Tommy Doyle (Wolves)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Knee injury.
What the manager has said: “I am hoping he will be available for after the international break. He will be good to help us with the structure and how we try to play. We have been a little bit short, especially with the injury to Joe Hodge in the week, a little bit short in central midfield.”
When he should debut: Home game against Liverpool on Saturday sounds good.
10) Konstantinos Mavropanos (West Ham)
Fee: £20m
Reason for absence: Back injury.
What the manager has said: “We’ve been looking to add to our centre-half options this summer, so it’s good we’ve been able to bring in an international defender of his ability. We’re really looking forward to integrating him into the group.”
When he should debut: With West Ham flying and Manchester City visiting the London Stadium immediately after the break, perhaps his introduction could be delayed. But Mavropanos did score twice for Greece from a couple of corners against Gibraltar so put him out there and get James Ward-Prowse standing over the ball.
9) James McAtee (Sheffield United)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “He’s someone we kept tabs on. He knows us and he was keen to come back to us, which says a lot. and he’s keen to improve further. We can offer the Premier League this time but he knows that he’ll be pushed along the way.”
When he should debut: Give him his old locker and stick him on after an hour against Spurs.
8) Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
Fee: £25m
Reason for absence: A “significant” knee injury.
What the manager has said: “I think we are not close. They need time. The club signed the players knowing they would be out for some games and I think Tyler [Adams] should be earlier than Alex. Alex probably is the one who will spend more time out. But neither of them are close to playing a game right now.”
When he should debut: Not soon, that’s for sure.
7) Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
Fee: £15m, rising to £20m
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “Sam Johnstone will be in goal against Wolves – Dean’s only just arrived at the club, and needs to get to know the club and get to know his team-mates before he can really provide the competition we’re expecting him to do. We signed him because he is very good. We were able to persuade him to come here and now there is a situation where, like several other teams, we are looking at two goalkeepers, either of whom can play in the first team and both of whom will be accepting of the fact that they do both want to play and they’ll have to accept the competition that provides.”
When he should debut: In the next few weeks; Palace play Manchester United twice in four games at the end of September, both times at Old Trafford, so that would be fun.
6) Lewis Hall (Newcastle)
Fee: Loan with an obligation to buy for up to £35m
Reason for absence: Signed as competition.
What the manager has said: “He is a player we have tracked closely, as have a number of clubs, so it’s very pleasing to secure him and to add a player of his quality, versatility and high potential to our squad. He’s trained with us, but he’s not played a game during pre-season. He’s only trained, so he’s some way short of being match-fit.”
When he should debut: Sooner rather than later if Newcastle’s defensive situation continues to deteriorate.
5) Brennan Johnson (Tottenham)
Fee: £47.5m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “He’s a real threat in the front third, he’s different from what we’ve already got, he’s young and ambitious. It’s no secret that’s the model for me. It’s just as much about the person as well as the footballer, and looking at him he’s going to fit in really well with this group.”
When he should debut: A brief cameo in front of the home fans against Sheffield United on Saturday? Might as well.
4) Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest)
Fee: £30m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: There don’t appear to be any quotes from Forest on this one yet. What a signing.
When he should debut: As soon as he is ready.
3) Ansu Fati (Brighton)
Fee: Loan
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “I’m very pleased, it’s a big player. We lost Enciso and we needed one big player. If you work with this talent, you have much responsibility because it’s our football heritage and we can’t make mistakes with these players because football needs this talent and you have to manage it in different ways. Sometimes the coaches think only of the result, only of their career but football needs to have great players. It’s a big responsibility and I feel it. I think our style is very close with his characteristics, with his qualities.”
When he should debut: Chuck him straight in against Manchester United and watch the fun unfold.
2) Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Fee: £34.2m
Reason for absence: Not signed in time to play yet.
What the manager has said: “He’s an exceptional talent. Everybody knows that. We have a lot of games to play. We will see how long he needs now because I don’t know, we need to have a look at that. He had a full pre-season, that’s good. The medical was as clear as it can be pretty much, looks really fit. It fits into our squad.”
When he should debut: The 21-year-old has risked the wrath of Ronald Koeman by turning down a Netherlands U21 call to focus on settling in with his new club, which should earn enough brownie points with Jurgen Klopp to get an immediate chance, even if just from the bench at first.
1) Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)
Fee: £52m
Reason for absence: Knee injury.
What the manager has said: “We are working in the market because we are going to miss an offensive player like this. We feel very sorry about him. He was doing well, he is very important for us. Now it’s about not thinking too much about the injuries and to be positive about when he can be back with us.”
When he should debut: December has been mentioned as the target for Nkunku’s return but no-one will want to rush things.
