Welcome to a brand new series of Onside/Offside! The Premier League is back, and with it, new signings and debutants to the league have also arrived. Luis Miguel Echegaray shares his thoughts on some of the biggest names and determines the ones who will immediately shine, and those who might need a little more time to find consistency in their debut campaigns for their respective clubs.
ONSIDE: Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool
Wirtz is one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, and one of the best players in Germany. What makes him special is his ability to find the holes no other player seemingly can. In this Liverpool side, where you're supported by a strong core of defensive buildup, he will be able to orchestrate and eventually find the opportunities to create for his team.
In the Premier League season opener against Bournemouth on Friday night, he did not have his best game, but I think this was a solitary issue that was more about the opponent than Wirtz himself. Against a side coached by Andoni Iraola, you will be demanded to run a lot because their high press and intoxicating way of playing forces the attacking midfielders to play catch-up whenever the ball is lost. That's exactly what Wirtz had to prioritize, as he averaged more distance covered per minute than anyone else on his team. Only teammate Dominik Szoboszlai covered more, but he played more minutes. Wirtz practically had no touches in the opponent's box, nor could he find those killer passes that usually turn into goals.
Again, I think Wirtz will adjust quite rapidly; he's too smart not to, because he is from the school of adaptation. For Bayer Leverkusen, the right-footed star was primarily used as a left-sided No. 10, but he can also slot in more centrally. All of this will be on display once he finds his rhythm, which will hopefully come fast because Arne Slot's side's next two games are against Newcastle United (away) and Arsenal (home).
- Summer transfer window grades: Assessing every major move
- O'Hanlon, Connelly: Premier League mega-preview, 2025-26
- The best tifos from the Premier League's opening weekend
Speaking of Newcastle, I have no idea what will happen with Alexander Isak's situation. But if the Swedish striker ends up moving to Merseyside before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline, Liverpool would have completed the greatest summer of business in the history of the league. Honestly, do they even need Isak? Because I have to tell you, while Wirtz struggled, Hugo Ekitike was wonderful against the Cherries. The French striker scored the first goal Friday night at Anfield and assisted the second, but he also showed his versatility.
When he was growing up, Ekitike had two players he loved to watch: Neymar Jr. and Karim Benzema. This makes perfect sense, because he is a striker who doesn't have to be a center forward. There are multiple assets to his game, and that will be beneficial for a Liverpool side who can tinker with three mobile attackers in a lineup. I expect big things this season from the former Eintracht Frankfurt man.
ONSIDE: Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, Manchester City
Now, I want to put this on the record. I wrote most of the following analysis before the opening weekend, so I just want to make sure everyone is aware I am not just going off from what we saw on Saturday. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint, and most of the productivity that will be needed from these players will be truly tested in the later months.
Having said all that, out of any new duo of arrivals to the Premier League, Reijnders and Cherki to me are the most exciting because I think they are perfect for Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola's philosophy.
Replacing Kevin De Bruyne is all but impossible: the Belgian midfielder will forever be remembered as one of the club's and Premier League's greatest players. It's also true that you don't replace De Bruyne with just one person -- as Guardiola has mentioned in the past, you do it with multiple.
Cherki and Reijnders are wonderful arrivals to the Etihad because they will provide this "so fresh and so clean" new-look City with a more dynamic punch. The former, who arrived from Lyon, is an incredibly versatile and talented 21-year-old who can cause multiple headaches with his dribbling, vision and scoring. He ticks many boxes: Last season, the France international earned 34 goal contributions in all competitions for Lyon. He came on in the 73rd minute in City's Premier League opener on Saturday, and scored his goal against Wolves with wonderful skill and instinct just eight minutes later.
Reijnders, 27, arrived after winning Serie A midfielder of the season in 2024-25. In some ways, he has the brain of a young Sergio Busquets, making him able to get out of sticky situations when facing pressure from the opposition. Or maybe a Dutch Juan Roman Riquelme. Oh, and he also loves to score as he netted 16 goals in all competitions for Milan last year. He was magnificent against Wolves, delivering one of the best debuts I have seen by a midfielder in this league.
With a goal and assist, he became the second player in City history to do this in a Premier League debut alongside Sergio Agero. That's what I call being in good company.
City have a new personality, one that's actually closer to what Pep used to do with Barcelona. He is not just about possession, as there's now a willingness to carry the ball and exploit spaces, causing headaches with dynamic dribbling and penetration. Back then it was Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry. Now, it's Cherki, Reijnders, Haaland and others who are realizing that there are more ways than one to hurt an opponent.
OFFSIDE: Viktor Gykeres, Arsenal
Please don't let the "offside" tag scare you, Arsenal fans. Nor should you be too critical of his uninspiring debut against Manchester United. There is, however, food for thought for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
There are absolutely no doubts about the qualities possessed by the Swedish striker. None. The 27-year-old has come far since his days with Coventry City, when he ended as the second-top scorer in the 2022-23 English Championship season with 21 goals in 46 matches. That prompted Portuguese side Sporting CP (managed by Ruben Amorim) to sign him in summer 2023. Fast forward to the present, and Gykeres has arrived in the Premier League after a tremendous time in Portugal, netting 39 goals in 33 matches in the Primeira Liga last season. Overall, he scored 54 in 52 matches.
As I said, we know this man can score.
"He is a player that the moment you leave him with space one-on-one, he is going to destroy you," Arteta said after Arsenal's final preseason match, a win over Athletic Club at Emirates Stadium. "He's going to create a lot of space for us as well. In any moment or situation, he is a player that can score a goal."
The problem, however, is that these moments Arteta talked about can happen only once Gykeres acclimates to the league.
He was woeful on Sunday against Manchester United, facing his former boss, failing to register a shot and earning just three touches in the opponent's box. But this is the thing: Arsenal are not a team that likes to play based on chaos, while Gykeres thrives on it. I think the goals will come, but Arsenal and their new striker have to find a balance that suits their personalities.
My other qualm is about consistency -- and I know it sounds like a scapegoat commenting on the very simple question, "can he do it week-in and week-out in a stronger league?" -- but it's definitely legitimate to ask, especially for a striker, where the transition from Primeira Liga to the Premier League is not easy. Back in 2021-2022, Darwin Nez, for example, was magnificent with Benfica (26 goals in 28 league matches), but left Liverpool for Al-Hilal without ever matching that number. In fact, during his entire time with Liverpool, he only scored 25 goals in the Premier League.
I don't think this will be the case for Gykeres, but a lot rests on his shoulders because the Gunners know that patience is running out with their fans. They want to win the league -- or the Champions League -- and in this campaign, alongside the additions of Martn Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera, a more experienced Ethan Nwaneri and other tools at their disposal, they have never been closer. The biggest criticism for Arsenal has been to get a top striker, especially after last season when they failed to get out of sticky situations and endured 14 draws, the joint-biggest number in the top half of the table. The addition of Noni Madueke (alongside Bukayo Saka) helps, as deliveries from wide areas will be key, but again, expectations on Gykeres are high, especially in a congested season. He can do it, but it will be difficult. The start to the league's campaign also doesn't help because after playing Manchester United at Old Trafford to open the season, Arsenal must face Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle United in the first two months of action.
The reported arrival of Eberechi Eze -- as Arsenal pulled an Idris Elba and reportedly hijacked the deal ahead of Tottenham -- to cover Kai Havertz's injury is a tremendous get for the Gunners and it will hopefully help Gykeres as maybe Arteta will play both of them and create a one-two punch, in the same manner Eze would do it with another powerful striker in Jean-Philippe Mateta. But those talking points are for another day.
Ultimately, the questions return for the Swede: Can Gykeres help Arsenal finally win the Premier League after 22 years? Will he score 20 or more goals in his debut season? Are these questions mutually exclusive? We'll have to wait and find out, but all I know is this: A team who likes to build when attacking has to find a way to fit their new player who lives not to build, but to destroy.
OFFSIDE: Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United
Manchester United have a similar issue with their new attacker. It's not exactly the same as we're talking about a younger player, but time is of the essence for both player and club.
Arriving from the Bundesliga and RB Leipzig, the Slovenian has a strong foundation, but much like Gykeres and Arsenal, the pressure to deliver for Manchester United is massive. For a 22-year-old, that can be a lot to ask of your new forward in the best league in the world.
Again, just like with his Swedish counterpart, there is no denying Sesko's talent. He is very tall (6-foot-5), fast and possesses a very powerful shot. Ruben Amorim also likes his strikers to do multiple things, so Sesko's diverse attributes should help United in many categories. He will be needed a lot, too, because the Red Devils are in a full-scale rebuild after finishing 15th last season and losing in the Europa League final. The bad news: Due to the United's myriad needs and an urgency for drastic improvement, Sesko's season depends on confidence and stability, not exactly things you get in plentiful supply at Old Trafford. At least, not recently. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha's arrival might also steal some of the spotlight, but again, at 22, Sesko is not yet the finished product.
Against Arsenal, Sesko came on as a substitute in the 65th minute to replace Mason Mount, who was acting as a false nine to complement Mbeumo and Cunha. But 25 minutes and change are just not enough for him to make an impact. Sesko was making good runs but wasn't receiving the ball in desired opportunities. I actually think that if Sesko started the match, United might have been able to even take the lead. His presence would have forced Arsenal to rethink how they chose to defend.
I think the striker's time will come, but Amorim has to be very careful about the way he handles his lineup because Mbeumo, Cunha, Fernandes and Sesko all demand the ball.
I think Sesko is a fantastic addition to United and the Premier League, but is he the club's savior? Can he help them reach a Champions League place and jump from 15th to fifth or fourth? It's a big ask. But all Sesko can do right now is get his necessary time on the pitch to answer these questions.
