Ahead of the new Premier League season, here is a look at five players who will be making their bow in the Premier League this season, who have joined clubs in the English top flight after playing at the World Cup in Russia in the summer.
___________
Read more
Predictions: Are Liverpool the biggest threat to Man City's title defence?
Premier League 2018/19 preview: Team-by-team guide and predictions
___________
Alisson
At almost £70 million (Dh334m), the Brazilian became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when moving to Liverpool from Roma. Alisson is his national team’s No 1, so good that he kept Manchester City’s Ederson on the bench during the World Cup.
The Brazilian No 1 cures what has long been a problem position at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp described him as “exceptional” during his first week at training.
Lucas Torreira
A £25.6m signing from Sampdoria, the Uruguayan brings some much-needed bite to Arsenal’s midfield. Played in all five of his country’s matches at the World Cup, exhibiting his talent and tenacity.
Torreira is only 22, but has taken significant experience from two seasons in Italy. Arsenal have for some time had a soft centre, but Emery looks to have remedied that almost immediately.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
One of Asia’s standouts, the Iran winger will offer Brighton & Hove Albion another dimension in attack. Jahanbakhsh joins from AZ Alkmaar for a fee believed to be around £17m, having performed well for the Dutch side since arriving in 2015.
Featured in all three of his country’s World Cup matches. His versatility will be a huge positive for Brighton, who are seeking to settle into the Premier League following last season’s relegation escape.
Joao Moutinho
Linked forever with a transfer to the Premier League, the Portuguese midfielder made the shock switch to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It represents a statement of intent from last season’s Championship champions: Moutinho spent five years at Monaco and won the 2016 European Championship with his country in France.
At £5m, and given Moutinho’s skill set and CV, could turn out to be one of this summer’s best pieces of business.
Yoshinori Muto
Seeking to ease their troubles up front, Newcastle United plumped for the Japan striker. The frontman scored eight times for Mainz last season to help the German club avoid relegation from the Bundesliga.
The fee is reported to be £9.5m, a decent outlay for a player who made an appearance at this summer's World Cup. Can create as well as score, but has a tendency to drift during matches.