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After a long summer of international football, the Premier League is finally set to restart this week, so which players should you keep an eye out for across the season?
Club football is finally back on Friday night, when Arsenal make the trip to face newly-promoted Brentford, in the first game of the 2021/22 Premier League season.
The fixture marks a significant change between this year and the last, as fans are being welcomed back into stadiums with full capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit 18 months ago, as the country begins to return to some form of normality.
So on the eve of the new campaign, it’s only right to pick out a few players who could have a big impact on their teams in the coming weeks.
Emi Buendia
After an impressive campaign with Norwich in the Championship last season, in which he notched 15 goals and 17 assists in 39 appearances and helped the club win the division for the fifth time, Buendia was earmarked as the perfect successor to fill the void of Jack Grealish.
Aston Villa were able to pick up the Championship Player of the Year for a club-record fee of £33 million, which may well turn out to be a shrewd piece of business in a few years time if he continues to develop at the same rate.
The 24-year-old’s impact for the Canaries during their last season in the top flight was significant, and although he wasn’t able to help them avoid relegation, his creative stats were amongst the best in the league. Throughout the 2019/20 season, the Argentine created 83 chances, a statistic better only by the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kevin De Bruyne, who are some of the most established creators in Europe.
Buendia will be looking to build on this when he makes his awaited return with Villa and the signs look positive after his debut against Walsall. It appears Dean Smith will deploy him in a similar role to the departed Grealish, as the playmaker will be gifted the freedom to operate in either the spaces behind the striker or stay out wide on the right-hand side, to receive the ball in the pockets and look for the key final pass in the opposition third.
His first appearance for the Villans was capped with two excellent assists, both of which for Ollie Watkins, as his tendency to always look up and play forward really stood out. The two passes were of a very similar nature with Buendia taking the ball on the half-turn and picking out his striker with a low, but accurate through ball to set him one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
In just 45 minutes, he had showcased to his new supporters exactly what his style was about, and more importantly just how influential he could be in the upcoming season. There’s little doubt that Villa will be disappointed to lose their captain, but the signing of Buendia could help them to forget about that rather quickly.
Cristian Romero
Another player to keep an eye on throughout the season is Tottenham’s new signing Romero, who comes into the side to replace the ever-dependable Toby Alderweireld, following his scintillating form for club and country last term.
The 23-year-old played a key role at the heart of Argentina’s defence to help them win their first Copa America title since 1993 and also scooped Atalanta’s Player of the Season award as they secured Champions League football for the fourth consecutive year.
Spurs were able to secure his services on loan with an obligation to buy set at €55 million, which could be deemed as smart business considering that they don’t have to stump up the full fee in this transfer window.
Romero’s style looks bespoke for the Premier League, as he’s comfortable in possession and likes to play progressive passes into the midfield, while also possessing the physical capabilities to deal with the intensity in England.
Despite being just six-foot, one of his main strengths is aerial situations, whether that be attacking or defensive which is another quality that any successful player in that position must-have.
However, one question mark over Romero is surrounding his ability to play within a back four, due to him being deployed at the centre of a three-man defence for much of his time in Italy.
It remains unclear whether new manager Nuno Espirito Santo will persist with his preferred 3-4-3 formation which he used frequently at the start of his tenure in England or if he will switch to a 4-2-3-1 which he experimented with towards the back end of last season. The arrival of the South American could be an indicator of his intention t0 stick with the former as it’s served him so well in the past.
After sanctioning the sales of some key players in this area of the squad, it was imperative for Spurs to get in a replacement with suitable quality, and it appears they have done so in Romero. The young centre-back has all the tools to succeed in North London, therefore it will be interesting to see how he fares in his first season at the club.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Perhaps a surprise addition to the list is Lokonga, who made his move to Arsenal this summer in a €20 million move from R.S.C Anderlecht, after a promising campaign under former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany. Not many supporters away from the club will know much about the midfielder, however, if his performances in pre-season are anything to go by, they certainly will in the coming weeks.
Despite only making a handful of appearances under Mikel Arteta, the Belgian looks to be an exciting prospect playing just in front of the backline, with his main aim being to help win the ball back and distribute it quickly through forward-thinking passes.
Lokonga’s desire to receive the ball on the half-turn in order to get his head up and scan the different options around the pitch is evident thus far, which will stand him in good stead when competing in the Premier League due to its quick nature.
Although he’s only 21-years-old, Lokonga portrays the key characteristics that any leader should have, as he’s not afraid to get on the ball during difficult spells in the game or give out orders to teammates. This is an aspect of his game that hasn’t just been noted since his arrival in North London, as Kompany also spotted this as a strength, and therefore awarded him with the captain’s armband in his last season with the club.
Whilst Thomas Partey’s injury is far from ideal for Arsenal, it could gift Lokonga further minutes to showcase his ability, ahead of potentially forming a partnership with the Ghanian upon his return. With some difficult fixtures coming up in the Gunners’ opening six games, it will provide an insight into the potential of the youngster, and whether he’s ready to become a key player for the club.
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