The Premier League is well under way, and the drama is coming thick and fast.
The two Manchester clubs lead the way, with Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal in hot pursuit. Burnley are sixth, while Watford and Newcastle find themselves in the top 10, and Crystal Palace are yet to win or even score.
Lukaku 2/1 to be PL top scorer
But away from the teams, who have been the best individual signings this season thus far? Goal takes a look at those lighting up the English top flight...
ROMELU LUKAKU | MANCHESTER UNITED
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A £75 million transfer fee spent on a proven Premier League striker should, in theory, guarantee goals, yet Romelu Lukaku has still managed to upend expectations at Manchester United this season.
Lured from Everton, Lukaku has scored in every single game he has played in for United, bar one – a 2-0 win over Leicester City – and that, amazingly, includes European competition.
He leads the Premier League goalscoring charts with seven from seven, and has had a profound impact on Jose Mourinho’s team, which now has a pacey, powerful centre forward around which the whole unit revolves.
ALVARO MORATA | CHELSEA
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The sight of Alvaro Morata limping out of Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City was greeted with abject sadness from the majority of Blues’ supporters, such has been his impact at Stamford Bridge following a big-money move from Real Madrid.
Diego Costa may have sealed his homecoming to Atletico Madrid, but Morata has stepped into his shoes admirably, scoring six goals in seven games and also providing two assists.
Morata may be the purest striker Chelsea have had since Didier Drogba and they will be praying that he is not injured for too long, as his absence could seriously hinder Antonio Conte’s hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title.
MOHAMED SALAH | LIVERPOOL
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Electric pace coupled with an unerring eye for goal makes Mohamed Salah an absolute nightmare for defences, and the prototypical Liverpool player under Jurgen Klopp.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Egypt international has lit up the Premier League since his move to Anfield from Roma, having a hand in six goals in seven games and also leading from the front with his energy and dynamism on the ball.
Liverpool have struggled somewhat in recent weeks, but it could have been far worse had they not procured the services of the former Chelsea star.
AARON MOOY | HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
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It is never a surprise to see a promoted club spend a fortune on a truck-load of new players in the summer before their crack at the big time, but Huddersfield Town made probably the smartest move they could have done in the summer, by tying down the exceptional Aaron Mooy to a permanent contract.
Having called upon his services last season in a loan deal from Manchester City, Town paid £8 million to make the move permanent, and Mooy has since been relentless.
An all-action midfielder, only Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City has made more tackles than Mooy this season, while the Australian also scored the winner in the club’s first home game in the Premier League, as they beat Newcastle United 1-0.
At £8m, Mooy represents a bargain in today’s market, and he is pivotal to their hopes of survival.
KYLE WALKER | MANCHESTER CITY
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When Manchester City acquiesced to Tottenham’s demand of £45m for Kyle Walker, many pundits immediately labelled the deal a farce, decrying City’s decision to spend such a lavish sum on a full-back.
Yet Walker has been exceptional since moving north, adding a true attacking outlet from defence that was unseen at the Etihad Stadium last season, and fitting snugly into Pep Guardiola’s vision of how football should be played.
A harsh red card against Everton blots his copybook somewhat, but the facts remain that City have conceded just once while Walker has been on the pitch, and they have yet to lose in the Premier League.
RICHARLISON | WATFORD
A snip at £11.5m, Watford appear to have secured the services of one of the brightest young Brazilians in the game in Richarlison.
Unheard of in England before his move to London, the 20-year-old already has something of a reputation for rescuing matches for the Hornets, scoring a late winner against Swansea City before netting an injury-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw with West Brom.
Quick, strong and agile, Richarlison speaks barely any English, but he has done just fine in expressing himself on the pitch, and his heroics have left Watford safely ensconced in the top half of the table.
NEMANJA MATIC | MANCHESTER UNITED
Chelsea’s decision to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United remains something of a mystery, but the Blues’ loss has almost certainly been Mourinho’s gain in recent months.
A colossus in midfield, Matic allowed Paul Pogba the freedom of the pitch before his injury, and is now allowing Marouane Fellaini to cause havoc further forward – the Serbian is exactly the type of player Mourinho loves, his calmness on the ball and aggressiveness off it personifying the Portuguese’s gameplan.
It is no coincidence, then, that United, like City, have yet to taste defeat in the Premier League.
ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE | ARSENAL
When utilised correctly, Alexandre Lacazette is one of the most fearsome striking prospects in the league. A striker with a deft touch and a clinical eye for goal, Lacazette scored in his debut game for Arsenal following a £50m transfer from Lyon, but that outing remains the only match in which he has played 90 minutes.
Nevertheless, he has still scored four goals for the Gunners and he has the talent to become one of the very best Arsenal strikers of recent years, if Arsene Wenger can build his team around him. Lacazette is a thoroughbred waiting to score goals, yet he was left out of the starting XI as Arsenal were thumped 4-0 by Liverpool in their third game of the season.
There is a clear message for Wenger there, and if Lacazette can continue the form he showed in September, when he scored three goals in three games, Arsenal will be on to a winner.
MIKEL MERINO | NEWCASTLE UNITED
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A loan deal that flew somewhat under the radar in the summer, Newcastle’s acquisition of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino looks shrewder by the day.
Though Mike Ashley may not have stumped up all of the funds that Rafael Benitez so clearly asked for, he did get a deal over the line for a truly elegant midfield player.
Merino has an excellent eye for a pass, and has injected both creativity and forward thinking into a team in need of a cultured head in the centre of the pitch. Deployed in defensive midfield by Rafael Benitez, Merino was excellent in the recent 1-1 draw with Liverpool, and promises to be central to the Magpies’ hopes of success this season.
JONAS LOSSL | HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
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Of the goalkeepers to keep four or more clean sheets this season, all but one play for a team that is playing in European competition this term, and he can, amazingly, be found at Huddersfield Town.
Jonas Lossl, signed on loan from Bundesliga club Mainz in the summer, has excelled for the promoted team this season.
It took him three games to concede a goal in the top-flight and though he shipped four against a rampant Tottenham side before the international break, Lossl remains in esteemed company, alongside Petr Cech, Hugo Lloris and Ederson in the clean sheet ranks. He will hope for a few more as David Wagner’s side bid to beat the drop this term.
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