Welcome to a brand new series of Onside/offside! The
Premier League
is back, and with it, new signings and debutants to the league have also
arrived. Luis Miguel Echegaray shares his thoughts on some of the biggest
names and determines the ones who will immediately shine, and those who
might need a little more time to find consistency in thier debut campaigns
for their respective clubs.

Wirtz is one of the most exciting prospects in Europe,and one of the best
players in Germany. What makes him special is his ability to find the holes
no other player seemingly can.In this Liverpool side, where you’re
supported by a strong core of defensive buildup, he will be able to
orchestrate and eventually find the opportunities to create for his team.

in the Premier League season opener against Bournemouth on friday night, he
did not have his best game, but I think this was a solitary issue that was
more about the opponent than Wirtz himself. Against a side coached by
Andoni Iraola, you will be demanded to run a lot as their high press
and intoxicating way of playing forces the attacking midfielders to play
catch-up whenever the ball is lost. That’s exactly what Wirtz had to
prioritize, as he averaged more distance covered per minute than anyone
else on his team. Only teammate
Dominic
covered more, but he played more minutes. Wirtz practically had no touches
in the opponent’s box, nor could he find those killer passes that usually
turn into goals.

Again, I think Wirtz will adjust quite rapidly; he’s too smart not to,
because he is from the school of adaptation. For
Bayer Leverkusenthe
right-footed star was primarily used as a left-sided No. 10, but he can
also slot in more centrally. All of this will be on display once he finds
his rhythm, which will hopefully come fast because arne Slot’s side’s next
two games are against
Newcastle United
(away) and
Arsenal
(home).

–
Summer
transfer window grades: assessing every major move
–
O’Hanlon,
connelly: Premier League mega-preview, 2025-26
–
The
best tifos from the Premier League’s opening weekend

Speaking of Newcastle, I have no idea what will happen with
alexander
Isaac‘s situation. But if the Swedish striker ends up moving to
Merseyside before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline, Liverpool would have
completed the greatest summer of business in the history of the league.
Honestly, do they even need Isak? Because I have to tell you, while Wirtz
struggled, Hugo Ekitike was wonderful against the Cherries. The French
striker scored the frist goal Friday night at Anfield and assisted the
second, but he also showed his versatility.

When he was growing up, Ekitike had two players he loved to watch: Neymar
Jr. and
My
wife. This makes perfect sense,as he is a striker who doesn’t
have to be a center forward. There are multiple assets to his game, and
that will be beneficial for a liverpool side who can tinker with three
mobile attackers in a lineup. I expect big things this season from the
former
Eintracht
Frankfurt man.

Now, I want to put this on the record. I wrote most of the following
analysis before the opening weekend, so I just want to make sure everyone
is aware I am not just going off from what we saw on Saturday. Remember,
this is a marathon and not a sprint,and most of the productivity that
will be needed from these players will be truly tested in the later months.

Having said all that, out of any new duo of arrivals to the premier League,
Reijnders and Cherki to me are the most exciting as I think they are
perfect for Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola’s philosophy.

play

Will Tijjani Reijnders be the signing of the season?

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate if Tijjani reijnders will be the
signing of the season after scoring on his Manchester City debut.

Replacing Kevin De Bruyne is all but impossible: the Belgian midfielder
will forever be remembered as one of the club’s and Premier League’s
greatest players. It’s also true that you don’t replace De Bruyne with
just one person — as Guardiola has mentioned in the past, you do it with
multiple.

Cherki and Reijnders are wonderful arrivals to the Etihad because they
will provide this “so fresh and so clean” new-look City with a more
dynamic punch. The former, who arrived from
Lyonis
an incredibly versatile and talented 21-year-old who can cause multiple
headaches with his dribbling, vision and scoring. He ticks many boxes:
Last season, the
France
international earned 34 goal contributions in all competitions for Lyon.
He came on in the 73rd minute in City’s premier League opener on Saturday,
and scored his goal against Wolves with wonderful skill and instinct just
eight minutes later.

Reijnders, 27, arrived after extraction
Serie
A midfielder of the season in 2024-25.In some ways, he has the
brain of a young
Sergio
Busquetsmaking him able to get out of sticky situations when facing
pressure from the opposition. Oh, and he also loves to score as he netted
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