Part Two | New Premier League arrivals to keep an eye on
Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal) Here's a player to get Arsenal fans on the edge of their seats. The Gunners broke their transfer record to sign Pepe from Lille for £72 million. Pepe, 24, was exceptional in France last season, scoring 23 goals and registering 12 assists in 41 games. Lille signed the lightning-paced Ivorian winger from Angers ahead of the 2017/18 season, and Pepe notched 13 goals and caught the eye in a difficult season for the club. Only Kylian Mbappe outscored Pepe in Ligue 1 last season, and no player in the Premier League can match Pepe's goal involvements. The 24-year-old will bring a new dimension to Unai Emery's attack. His direct running and electric pace will give Premier League defenders plenty of problems, and Pepe is also renowned for cutting in off the right flank and finishing on his left foot. He arrives in the box regularly, with all but one of his goals coming from inside the area. An added bonus is his proficiency at penalties; he scored nine last season for Lille. Pepe can operate on the right of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, and he will bring versatility, pace, power and goals to Arsenal's attack. Watch this space.
33 - Nicolas Pépé was involved in 33 goals in Ligue 1 for Lille last season; only three players within the top five European Leagues were involved in more: Messi, Mbappé & Quagliarella. Eurostar. pic.twitter.com/FwjZqna0Y1 — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 31, 2019
Patrick Cutrone (Wolves) Wolves have snapped up one of Europe's most highly rated young strikers by signing Patrick Cutrone. The 21-year-old has joined the Premier League club from AC Milan in a deal which could rise to £20 million. Cutrone - who was won one senior Italy cap to date - scored 18 goals in all competitions in his breakthrough campaign in the 2017/18 season. The arrival of Krzysztof Piątek restricted his opportunities, and he leaves the San Siro having scored 27 goals in 90 appearances for Milan. A number nine with excellent finishing abilities, Cutrone could join Raul Jimenez up front, or serve as a backup option to the Mexican forward. Cutrone was also used on the left at times in Milan, giving Nuno another option in attack. Wolves finished seventh last season, and the addition of quality players like Cutrone to the squad is necessary in order for the 2017/18 Championship winners to take the next step. Jesus Vallejo has also joined Wolves on loan from Real Madrid. Exciting times for the club.
We’re delighted to announce that Patrick Cutrone has become our latest summer signing! #WelcomeCutrone ✍️🐺 pic.twitter.com/jq1kTQf9v5 — Wolves (@Wolves) July 30, 2019
Moussa Djenepo (Southampton) Southampton made Moussa Djenepo their first signing of the summer in a £14 million deal. The Saints have signed the Standard Liege winger after Djenepo's breakthrough season in Belgium. Djenepro, 21, scored 11 goals and registered six assists last season for Liege, who finished third in the Belgian league. The lively winger has won eight senior caps for Mali, and has been tipped for a big future. He is fast, strong, a good dribbler, and is likely to create plenty of chances for his new teammates. Southampton struggled for goals last season, so the addition of a goal-scoring winger will be seen as a welcome one. “His style is sought after in Europe: players that can beat players who can provoke dangerous situations," his compatriot Freddie Kanoute says. “I think it’s going to be a perfect match.” Southampton will be aiming to improve on last season's 16th-placed finish in Ralph Hasenhuttl's first full season in charge, and Djenepo will likely be a key player for the Saints.
20 Year old Moussa Djenepo's goal for Standard Liège 🇲🇱🙌@Standard_RSCL @MoussaDjenepo2 pic.twitter.com/KjldrGlTGK — Fox Sports Africa (@foxsportsafrica) October 2, 2018
Moise Kean (Everton) Everton have struggled to find a top striker to replace Romelu Lukaku. Richarlison has performed well as a false nine, but the acquisition of Moise Kean from Juventus is likely to give the Toffees a new dimension. The 19-year-old has moved to Goodison Park on a five-year deal for an initial fee of £27m. Kean became Juve's youngest ever debutant in 2016 - and the first player born in the 2000's to compete in one of Europe's top four leagues - after emerging as a prolific striker at underage level. The talented teenager scored seven Serie A goals in 17 appearances for the Old Lady, and has earned three senior international caps for Italy. Kean attracted worldwide attention last season after celebrating a goal in front of the Cagliari fans who had racially abused him. He is regarded as one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe, and has been compared to compatriot Mario Balotelli, though Everton fans will hope Kean is more disciplined than Mario. The teenager averaged a goal every 95 minutes last season, compared to Richarlison's ratio of a goal every 205 minutes. He is capable of dropping deep for the ball, and also has the pace to get behind defenders. There is room for improvement in terms of pressing and link-up play, but the raw attributes are there. Kean has stated his desire to bring Champions League football to Everton, and his arrival to Merseyside may help Marco Silva's side build on last season's eighth-placed finish.
Sebastien Haller (West Ham) West Ham are yet another club to break their transfer record this summer. The Hammers have signed striker Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £45 million fee. Haller formed a superb partnership with Luka Jovic up front for the Bundesliga club last season, and both players have now departed Frankfurt for hefty fees. Haller scored 15 goals and provided nine assists in the German top flight last season, and also scored five times in the Europa League as Frankfurt reached the semi-finals. The 25-year-old French forward is strong on the ball, a huge threat in the air, and is excellent at bringing others into play. This means that he is more than capable of leading the line of his own, though he showed through his relationship with Jovic that he can also thrive alongside a striking partner. At 6"2, he is an imposing figure, and is likely to offer West Ham the aerial threat they've lacked since Andy Carroll was a regular in the side. His goalscoring record was excellent last season, and his arrival should fill the void left by the departure of Marko Arnautovic. He has already impressed in pre-season, and has all the tools to make it as a Premier League striker.
"Sebastien is a very good player, he is very strong and he has very good technique and I hope he is going to score a lot of goals for us," Hammers defender Issa Diop says of his compatriot. With the creativity of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmolenko, and fellow new arrival Pablo Fornals behind him, expect Haller to contribute plenty of goals and assists for Manuel Pellegrini's side.
West Ham's new striker 🔥pic.twitter.com/t5JbTHIXri — Goal (@goal) July 17, 2019
Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan (Aston Villa) It's been a busy summer for Aston Villa. In part one of this article, we profiled their new striker Wesley. Another interesting acquisition comes in the form of Egypt international Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan from Kasimpasa for an initial fee of £8.5 million. 'Trezeguet' score nine goals and laid on 10 assists for Kasimpasa in the Turkish league last season. He also ranked as the third most prolific dribbler in Europe’s top five leagues. Villa manager Dean Smith personally scouted the 24-year-old at AFCON, and was impressed enough to snap up the wide midfielder.
"We're really excited to work with 'Trez'. I've watched him a number of times," Dean Smith told the club's website. "He's the type of wide player that we have been looking for who is direct, causes problems for the opposition in the final third and scores goals." 'Trezeguet' arrives to Birmingham with plenty of experience; he's already played won eight league titles and has played at the World Cup. As well as his dribbling skills and his ability to produce plenty of assists, the Egyptian winger has scored eight goals from outside the box in the last two seasons. He also works extremely hard; a prerequisite in most successful newly promoted sides. At 24, he has plenty of time to improve, and could be a shrewd signing for last season's Championship play-off winners.