The first half of the Premier League season has just concluded, with Liverpool being at the top of the league table with 45 points from 20 matches and the likes of Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City following them closely.
While usual suspects like Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka keep performing as per their reputation, a few of the new signings have really impressed with their performance this season so far. In this article, we are going to take a look at three such players, who have more than justified their signings. Let us get on with the list:
#1. Declan Rice:
Rice has been the most impressive player for Arsenal so far. He has led from the front, providing the necessary assurance in the midfield with his commanding presence. Additionally, he has also proven his quality while venturing forward and has scored three goals and registered a couple of assists, too.
Arsenal have missed the services of Thomas Partey for the majority of the current season, but Rice has compensated for his absence in a big way. His performance has meant that the Gunners have switched to a 4-3-3 from their preferred 4-2-3-1, with the 24-year-old Englishman being their lone defensive midfielder.
I has allowed Mikel Arteta to play both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard as central midfielders in their playing XI. Should the Gunners are to end their Premier League title-drought of two decades, Rice will have to keep performing in the second half of the season as well.
#2. Cole Palmer:
Winning trophies is not new for the 21-year-old Palmer, but getting enough game time and being the best-performing player of his team certainly is. He was signed by Chelsea at the start of the season from Pep Guardiola’s trophy-winning machine that is Manchester City.
Since then, Palmer has played in a variety of attacking roles and notched up eight goals and four assists from 16 matches for the Blues. He has played as the right winger as well as the false nine and the No. 10.
Palmer’s dribbling skills and composure on the ball have been assets for Mauricio Pochettino’s team. He has cemented his place in Chelsea’s starting line-up and has been a source of inspiration for them in what has been an otherwise disappointing campaign so far.
#3. James Maddison:
The third Englishman to feature in this list, Maddison suffered an unfortunate injury that has side-lined him for the last couple of months. Still, the 27-year-old playmaker has three goals and five assists for Tottenham Hotspur in 11 matches this season.
Maddison was signed from Leicester City at the start of the season and has proved to be every penny’s worth for Spurs. His ability to find his teammates with inch-perfect passes has been a treat to watch.
Tottenham were at the top of the league table as long as Maddison was fit to start for them. The fact that his club’s fortunes have dipped with his absence underlines his importance for them. Ange Postecoglou will hope that Maddison gets fit as early as possible.