10 Summer Premier League Signings We Won't See The Best Of Until Next Season
Not all signings settle as quickly as Alvaro Morata...
This summer was another record-breaking transfer window in the Premier League, with combined spending across the division eclipsing half a billion pound for the first time.
As Frank de Boer recently discovered with his ruthless sacking by Crystal Palace, time is a rare commodity in football these days. And with transfers fees at a nauseating high, the pressure is greater than ever on a new signing to make an immediate impact.
The Premier League is considered the hardest league in the world for a reason. It may not be the best league in the world, but no other style of football demands the same combination of physical, mental, and technical excellence as the top flight of the English game.
Some recruits such as Alvaro Morata - who has three goals in as many starts for Chelsea since joining from Real Madrid for £70 million - can be hits straight out of the gate. Other signings will never settle and are offloaded for as much cash as their clubs can recoup.
And there are those in between who eventually come good, but take a little bit longer to return the investment made on them. All that is required is some patience...
10. Alexandre Lacazette - Arsenal
Arsenal have bought a proven goalscorer in Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman hit the 20-goal milestone in three straight Ligue 1 seasons for Lyon, going past 25 on two occasions.
He has started in a similar vein for the Gunners, scoring twice in his first four games. But the uneasy atmosphere at the Emirates is not conducive for a new signing to arrive and immediately produce their best form. The fans are divided on Arsene Wenger, and a squad that appears to have fallen behind that of their rivals is home to several unsettled players.
This is not to say that Lacazette will underperform this season - he might well score 15-18 league goals - but the Premier League will not see the very best of him until Arsenal, as a club, are on steadier ground. And Wenger is not the man to oversee that return to stability.