Premier League debutants: Memphis, Ayew and Payet
- Published
New season, new faces.
The Premier League got under way this weekend, with many teams showing off their new signings, but who impressed and who had a debut to forget?
From scoring a wonder goal to being booked after barely a minute on the pitch, BBC Sport takes a look at how some of those making their top-flight bow got on.
Dimitri Payet (West Ham) - hit
Dimitri Payet, signed by West Ham from Marseille in the summer, created more chances than any other player in Europe's top five leagues last season and he certainly added a creative edge to the Hammers' attack in Sunday's shock 2-0 win at Arsenal.
The 28-year-old took the free-kick that caught out Petr Cech and allowed Cheikhou Kouyate to head home the opener, and was a lively presence throughout.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle) - hit
Newcastle's signing of Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum from PSV was certainly one of the more impressive captures of the summer, and the 24-year-old made a strong impression on his Premier League debut.
Wijnaldum headed Newcastle ahead against Southampton on Sunday, but the hosts could not hold on as the Saints fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.
How BBC Radio 5 live pundit Pat Nevin described Wijnaldum's goal |
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"You might not think I'm saying much but that is the goal of the season so far. The break down the right, the pace of it, the brilliant cross from Gabriel Obertan - he smacked it to the back post - and I had no idea Georginio Wijnaldum was so good in the air. Steve McClaren will be in heaven just now." |
Andre Ayew (Swansea) - hit
There were plenty of reasons to be impressed with Swansea's performance as they held defending champions Chelsea to a 2-2 draw, and Andre Ayew was one of them.
The Ghana forward showed cat-like instincts to pull a rebound from a Thibaut Courtois save to catch out John Terry, before calmly steering the ball home for one the opening weekend's best goals.
Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa) - miss
The same could not be said for Andre's younger brother, however.
Jordan Ayew started for Aston Villa at Premier League new boys Bournemouth, but the former Lorient striker failed to make an impression and was substituted on the hour.
His replacement, Rudy Gestede, instead caught the eye as he grabbed the Villa winner.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle) - miss
With fellow debutant Wijnaldum impressing, Aleksander Mitrovic was evidently keen to make an impression when he climbed off the bench in the 75th minute.
Sadly, it was not the kind of impression he would have liked as, less than a minute after coming on, he was booked for a foul on Matt Targett. Youthful naivety from the 20-year-old.
Memphis Depay (Man Utd) - maybe
Exciting, fast and skilful. Memphis Depay certainly looked like a signing that will get Manchester United fans on their feet, but what his Premier League debut performance lacked was a goal threat.
The 21-year-old Netherlands winger had a couple of half chances, but never really looked like troubling Michel Vorm in the Tottenham goal during Saturday's 1-0 win for Louis van Gaal's side.
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