We are halfway through the 2022-23 football season and the Premier League has not failed to enthrall the spectators so far. Arsenal are leading the group table with 50 points from 19 matches, five more than second-placed Manchester City, who are also the defending champions, with a match in hand.
Mikel Arteta has taken a giant stride towards becoming the youngest manager ever to win the Premier League title, but he has to ensure that his team does not suffer some major setbacks during the second half of the season.
There have been a few players who have stood out with their performance for their respective clubs, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka excelling. However, there has been a few new signings as well, who have exceeded the expectations of the supporters.
In this article, we will look at three such signings. Let’s get on with the list:
#1. Erling Haaland:
Haaland’s playing style does not quite sit well with Manchester City’s possession-based football. The big Norwegian striker prefers to receive crosses into the opposition penalty box to utilize his huge presence and aerial prowess and City does not often provide him with that.
Still, Haaland already has 25 goals in the Premier League and has virtually ensured the Golden Boot midway through the season. He has scored hat-tricks for fun and most of the opposition defenders have looked helpless while defending against him.
Moroever, he has also shown that he can be nimble-footed and agile when the situation demands him to be by coming up with a commanding performance against Manchester United in October, when he scored a hat-trick and also registered an assist.
Haaland is still only 22 and has the potential to break all the goal-scoring records. Not since Romario have we seen a striker so dangerous inside the penalty box and hulking Norwegian has a much bigger physical presence than the Brazilian striker. He has been yet another wonderful addition to Pep Guardiola’s already formidable side.
#2. Casemiro:
There was a fair bit of scepticism regarding Casemiro‘s signing from Real Madrid at the start of the season, as many thought that at 30, the Brazilian defensive midfielder was already past his prime. However, he has proved his doubters wrong since then and has emerged as probably the most influential player for Manchester United.
Casemiro has shepherded the defense extremely well and has often played as an auxiliary centre-back. He is not very fast, but has great anticipation and positional sense to make up for his lack of speed. Moreover, he also has the ability to play probing through passes and has scored a few important goals, too.
Casemiro has been central to United’s transformation under Erik ten Hag and is already promising to be the club’s best signing during the last decade or so. The United faithful will like to see the club return to its glory days and should that happen, Casemiro will play an important role in it.
#3. Gabriel Jesus:
Manchester City’s loss seems to have been Arsenal’s gain, as the 25-year-old Jesus, who signed for the Gunners at the start of the season, has played a key role in their transformation. It remains a pity that he suffered an injury during the World Cup in December and has not played since, but his return of five goals and six assists for Arsenal prior to that is awe-inspiring.
Winning titles is nothing new to the 25-year-old Brazilian as he won four Premier League titles with Manchester City. He has brought that winner’s mentality to the Emirates and has also impressed with his enviable work-rate that is evident in his relentless pressing and switching to the flanks at times despite playing as a centre-forward.
Jesus should be fit to play again by the end of February and might play a key role during the latter part of the season as Arsenal’s title-charge gathers force.
Also Read:Top international men’s football goal scorers List by country.