The Mixer is FST’s weekly column where we catch up with our team of football betting experts and get their take on the hot topic of the week.
The first round of Premier League matches is now complete and the weekend also saw a number of new faces, as some summer signings made their first competitive appearances for their new clubs.
We spoke to our team of experts and asked which signings caught their attention over the last few days.
james milton
Newcastle fans were not impressed with Southampton striker Ben Brereton Diaz’s role in Fabian Schar’s first-half red card at St James’ Park on Saturday.
However, Saints need a bit of a boost if they are to avoid a swift return to the Championship and the dashing, clever Brereton Diaz – who is still only 25 – certainly has the ability to score goals.
He scored a couple of tries against Newcastle, combining well with Adam Armstrong, and can build on last season’s impressive loan spell in which he scored six goals in 14 Premier League games for a failed Sheffield United.
Phil Agius
Savinho’s first Premier League match for Manchester City lasted just 45 minutes, but it was enough to give the impression that he could become a regular in Pep Guardiola’s side this season.
The Brazilian winger was signed from Troyes in the summer after playing on loan for Girona in La Liga last season and was able to showcase his superb running skills on the right flank of City’s attack before making way for Phil Foden at half-time.
By that time, he had shown that he was going to be a fan favourite for the champions.
Joe Casey
Yankuba Minteh had to leave the field after just 45 minutes on his Premier League debut for Brighton against Everton but he showed why the Seagulls broke his club record to sign him.
The former Newcastle man set up Kaoru Mitoma for the first goal and caused all sorts of problems for the Everton defence with his pace and trickery.
His combined play with Mitooma will be crucial for Brighton this season and there are few teams in the league that have a more dangerous combination of wide players.
Liam Flynn
Despite his hefty price tag, Amadou Onana looked like a smart signing by Aston Villa this summer and he impressed against West Ham at the London Stadium.
His header four minutes later was an ideal start to life at Villa and his aerial presence will be vital this season.
But he also controlled the game in the middle of the field, finishing the game with a pass accuracy of just under 97 per cent and helping Villa’s defence by making three tackles, two interceptions and three clearances.
He and Youri Tielemans could form the backbone of the Villa midfield this season.
Henry Hardwicke
It was a brief appearance as a substitute for Crisencio Somerville in his first game for West Ham, but I don’t think it will take long for the 22-year-old to become a regular for the Hammers.
Somerville scored 19 goals for Leeds in the Championship last season and the Dutchman showed considerable promise representing the Whites in the 2020-23 Premier League season.
Julen Lopetegui may have to shuffle his system to include Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Somerville in his starting line-up, but I expect the 24-year-old to be a breakout player this season.
will maxwell
Despite being part of a West Ham defence that conceded twice against Aston Villa, I was impressed with Max Kilman’s performance on Saturday. The former Wolves captain was a major reason the Hammers were still in the match for long periods, his presence causing Leon Bailey to trouble them in the first half by dribbling past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
Two tackles, two interceptions and seven clearances on his debut are a decent return for West Ham’s most expensive defender and he is likely to remain a permanent part of this backline throughout the campaign.
Ian Wilkerson
Amadou Onana has struck me as a great player to play for Aston Villa following his impressive displays for Everton last season and you can hardly get off to a better start than scoring after just four minutes on your debut, which he did against West Ham on Saturday.
He has already proven his worth to Unai Emery’s side and we can see his impact from Villa’s set-pieces.
But you can see what managers mean when they choose to include players who have already proven themselves in the Premier League and it was noticeable that he was one of the few new players to start in Saturday’s matches.
He structures the game efficiently and gives Villa great strength in the middle of the field and is likely to perform better than most.
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