7 Ups & 5 Downs From Premier League 2019/20 Opening Weekend

Downs...

5. A Lack Of New Faces

One of the very best parts of the new football season is getting to see a slew of big-name signings make their debuts for their new clubs.

Unfortunately for the opening weekend of the 2019/20 season, that wasn’t really the case.

To give an idea of just how many marquee signings were left out of their side’s starting line-ups, none of (big breath) Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos, Leicester’s Dennis Praet, Wolves’ Patrick Cutrone, Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin, West Ham’s Pablo Fornals, Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo, Bournemouth’s Harry Wilson, Sheffield United’s Ollie McBurnie, Burnley’s Jay Rodriguez, Crystal Palace’s Gary Cahill, Everton’s Moise Kean and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Brighton’s Neal Maupay and Aaron Mooy, and Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon started for their respective teams.

Granted, some of these players may not have had long to train with their new sides or may be working on their fitness levels, but it was still a disappointment to see so many of this summer’s big-name transfers out of action or only used sparingly.