This summer was dominated by the World Cup which was taking place in Russia as 32 nations experienced the highs and lows that international football has to offer, but clubs all around Europe were making attempts to strengthen their respective squads ahead of the new campaign. Unless you are associated with Tottenham Hotspur, your team spent big money in order to bring in established players before the Premier League deadline of August 9, but there were also players who are signed that were either considered relative unknowns, unproven at the highest level or whose careers had stalled in recent years, and some of those players have gone on to impress over the opening four matches in England's top flight.
Just like it worth a punt at one of these vetted UK no deposit casinos, Arsenal boss Unai Emery decided to try his luck by signing Matteo Guendouzi. The young Frenchman had been limited to 26 league outings for Lorient spread across Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, but Emery wasted no time in providing the 19-year-old with the opportunity to showcase his talent in the Premier League. The France Under-20 international made his competitive debut in a home fixture against champions Manchester City, and the prospect has not looked back with Emery continuing to place faith in his ability. Whether Guendouzi can remain ahead of Lucas Torreira in the pecking order remains to be seen but for now, Arsenal's supporters have taken him into their hearts and are giving him every confidence to fulfil his potential in the middle of the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.
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Many feel that Everton have taken a huge risk in shelling out so much money to sign Richarlison from Watford, and the majority will feel that their opinion is justified after the Brazilian got himself sent off for a headbutt during his third Premier League outing against Bournemouth. However, there is no doubting that the 21-year-old can provide value for money when he is present on the pitch, which was proven in the games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton. His double against Wolves earned his side a point when they were down to 10 men, while the attacker also netted the decisive goal against the Saints. Everton see Richarlison as a long-term investment but their new star man is already single-handedly earning points for his team in the top flight.
James Maddison comes under the same category as Richarlison. Leicester City have shelled out an inflated transfer fee to get their man, despite there being the expectation that he would not necessarily start every game this season. However, the England Under-21 international has began each of the four fixtures, as well as contributing a goal and an assist. Maddison did that on a regular basis with Norwich City in the Championship, but he is already making the step up in a squad which does not lack strength in depth in the middle and final thirds. The 21-year-old still has improvements to make, but that does not mean that Maddison is not already exceeding expectations during the early stages of life at the King Power Stadium.
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For a goalkeeper perceived to spend a lot of time on the substitutes' bench and who was dropped from England's squad for the World Cup, Joe Hart still made 60 first-team appearances during loan periods at Torino and West Ham United over a two-year period, but there were question marks over whether the 31-year-old would gain regular football at Burnley. Hart moved to Turf Moor partly due to an injury to Nick Pope, but the experienced stopper has responded to the faith shown in him by manager Sean Dyche. The Clarets had endured a difficult start to the campaign, but Hart has kept three clean sheets from six matches in all competitions and has also saved a penalty from Manchester United's Paul Pogba. There is little doubt that so far, Hart is proving his doubters wrong.
Andre Schurrle also had his critics after his competitive debut for Fulham. The Germany international was ineffective during a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace and it resulted in the 27-year-old being dropped for the next game. However, since being recalled, Schurrle has netted in two games in a row and contributed to a Cottagers attack which has scored six goals in their last 180 minutes of action. The former Chelsea man scored just eight times in 51 outings over the past two seasons with Borussia Dortmund, but being held in high regard by Slavisa Jokanovic and returning to West London appears to have revitalised Schurrle's career at a time when it looked to be stagnating.
