Debut seasons do not always go to plan and there are a number of last season’s Premier League signings who failed to hit the ground running.
However, a new season offers fresh hope. More settled in their new surroundings and with a season of adaptation behind them, these five faces will want improvement in 2024/25.
Five of last summer’s Premier League signings who must improve in 2024/25
Moises Caicedo (Chelsea)
Chelsea beat Liverpool to the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton last summer, with the Blues breaking the bank to sign the midfielder in a £115m British transfer record deal.
Caicedo underwhelmed across his opening months in West London, where the Ecuadorian struggled to impose himself on games in the manner he had done at Brighton. A prolific ball-winner with the Seagulls, last season Caicedo fell short of the numbers that saw him rank in the Premier League’s top five players for tackles won and interceptions in 2022/23.
However, the 22-year-old showed improvement across the run-in and will be determined to build on that progress as the new campaign gets underway.
???? Moises Caicedo ????#UECL pic.twitter.com/vM5oDRp6ZD
— UEFA Conference League (@europacnfleague) July 24, 2024
“The beginning was tough for me, because you are at a big club, the price, you always have to win every game,” Caicedo told The Telegraph recently.
“It was tough for me because when I was in Brighton, the pressure is less. At Chelsea, it is different. I felt a lot of pressure because, you know… the club, the history, the players who were there.
“But after the last four or five months, I felt more comfortable at the club.”
Mason Mount (Manchester United)
Mason Mount made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea last summer as the fan favourite was squeezed out at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder failed to agree terms on a new contract with Chelsea and sought a new challenge after feeling underappreciated in the capital.
Manchester United signed Mount in a £55m deal but the 25-year-old’s first season failed to get going. Mount missed an extended period with a calf problem and ended the 2023/24 campaign with just five Premier League starts and a solitary goal.
Question marks remain around how Mount fits into a midfield already containing Bruno Fernandes and the midfielder enters the new campaign with a point to prove. Having not been capped for England since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there’s plenty to play for for Mount this season.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
Dominik Szoboszlai’s debut season at Liverpool was far from a disappointment. Indeed, during the opening months of 2023/24, some were suggesting the Hungarian was one of the signings of the season after a bright start at Anfield.
However, Szoboszlai failed to maintain his early-season levels with the latter half of the campaign punctuated by inconsistent spells. A collection of spectacular goals underlined his quality last term but there is no doubt more to come from the 23-year-old.
Dominik Szoboszlai showed off Liverpool’s new (and unreleased) away shirt at an event in Philadelphia ???? pic.twitter.com/eD2S2zsxZO
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 30, 2024
After recording 14 goals and assists in his final Bundesliga season with RB Leipzig, Szoboszlai managed just five goal involvements in 33 league appearances for Liverpool. There is room for improvement from a player with obvious quality.
Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
Matheus Nunes would have hardly believed his luck last summer.
After a rather modest first season in the Premier League at Wolves, the reigning treble winners swooped in to offer the Midlands outfit a swift profit on their investment.
Pep Guardiola had, quite publicly, been a long-term admirer of the midfielder but soon did a U-turn on earlier comments calling Nunes ‘one of the best in the world’ after a mixed start at the Etihad.
Big season coming up for Matheus Nunes! ????️???? pic.twitter.com/Mq1s2XgNG8
— City Report (@cityreport_) August 6, 2024
“Maybe I overexaggerated a little bit. He’s not (one of the best midfielders in the world),” Guardiola said.”
“He is a really good player but sometimes, maybe I said this comment after 1-5, it was 5-0? But he’s an exceptional player.”
Nunes made just seven league starts last season and has appeared an awkward fit for Guardiola’s game plan to date.
Ibrahim Sangare (Nottingham Forest)
Nottingham Forest’s signing of Ibrahim Sangare appeared a real coup for the Tricky Trees last summer, with the Ivorian midfielder’s name regularly linked with teams higher up the division.
A standout performer at PSV Eindhoven, Sangare struggled to live up to expectations in the Premier League. After returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, the 26-year-old started just two of Forest’s final 12 league fixtures. In one of those, he was withdrawn at half-time, while he was an unused substitute on six occasions. He is yet to justify his £30m price tag.
Nice to see Ibrahim Sangaré with consistently top performances throughout pre-season.
Think he’s been one of the most consistent – really important for his confidence going forward.
Really can’t wait to see how he does this season for Nottingham Forest ????????#NFFC pic.twitter.com/zFITIVnsX3
— Jamie Martin (@ImJamieMartin) August 3, 2024
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