Man United's Nemanja Matic and four other top Premier League summer signings

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  • With the international break this week giving us a breather from the Premier League action, it’s a good time to look at how some of the summer signings have fared.

    With eleven matches played, the new recruits have had time to try and make an impact on their team’s and quite a few have impressed.

    Here’s a look at the top five signings of the summer so far.

    NEMANJA MATIC | MANCHESTER UNITED | £35M (£5M IN ADD-ONS)

    When Jose Mourinho won the title during the 2014-15 season at Chelsea, Nemanja Matic was arguably his key signing that summer. He provided the stability in midfield and cover ahead of the defence that propelled the Blues to victory.

    So when the opportunity came about to sign the Serbian at Manchester United this summer, Mourinho pounced and so far, it’s an impulse that’s paid off well.

    Matic has seamlessly slotted into United’s midfield despite enduring a pre-season hampered by transfer speculation. He’s been the most consistent performer for his new employers and looks as if he’s played at Old Trafford for years.

    If United do managed to beat cross-town rivals Manchester City to the title this year, Matic will be paramount to their charge as his composure and positional awareness has allowed those around him to play with more freedom.

    RATING: 8/10

    Nemanja Matic

    Nemanja Matic

    MOHAMED SALAH | LIVERPOOL | £37M

    After a phenomenal season with AS Roma last term, Mohamed Salah arrived at Anfield amidst plenty of fanfare but given his failed Premier League stint at Chelsea earlier in the season, there was an air of trepidation around his signing as well.

    There are no doubts about the Egyptian’s effectiveness now though as he’s terrorised several defences in the league with a great start to life in the red half of Merseyside.

    With seven goals so far, he is the highest scoring midfielder in the league and only premium strikers Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane (eight each) have scored more overall.

    He’s also bagged two assists but it’s his directness in attack that has seen him shine for Liverpool and flourish in Jurgen Klopp’s system. With two dribbles per game and 3.4 shots per game, he’s emerged as one of the league’s most threatening players.

    RATING: 9/10

    Mo Salah.

    Mo Salah.

    PASCAL GROSS | BRIGHTON | £3M

    German midfielder Pascal Gross has set the Premier League alight with his midfield play and at just £3 million is turning out to be the bargain of the summer.

    His passing and vision has brought a new dimension to Brighton’s attacking play although that should not come as a surprise given that he created 98 chances for Ingolstadt last season, the most in the Bundesliga.

    With five assists and two goals in the league so far, he’s crucial to the team’s eighth place standing at the moment and is one of the better set-piece specialists in the division.

    His industry is also perfect for a team like Brighton, regularly seeking to punch above their weight. According to Sky Sports, only Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure (130km) and Burnley’s Jack Cork (133km) have covered more distance than Gross (129km) in the league so far.

    RATING: 8/10

    Pascal Gross

    EDERSON MORAES | MANCHESTER CITY | £35M

    After the shambles that was Pep Guardiola’s decision to give Joe Hart the axe and bring in Raul Bravo from Barcelona, Ederson Moraes’ arrival has gone rather well for the Spanish tactician.

    Hart was deemed incapable of playing the ball out from the back, a prominent feature of Guardiola’s system, but Bravo almost proved incapable of making a save, a rather necessary asset for any goalkeeper.

    Playing for the most dominant team in the league at the moment, Ederson hasn’t had too many shots to face and is last place in terms of saves made with only 15 so far while Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris is just above him with 18.

    However, he’s managed a few outstanding stops when he’s been called upon and with the ball at his feet, he’s certainly the best custodian in the league to pick out a pass.

    The Brazilian has a pass completion record of 84.1% which is unusually high for a keeper with Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois coming closest with 68.2%. Ederson’s arrival has consolidated a key area of weakness in City’s team last season and with him in their ranks, they look far more likely to win the title.

    RATING: 7/10

    Ederson Moraes

    Ederson Moraes

    ALVARO MORATA | CHELSEA | £58M

    After a lengthy summer transfer saga, Alvaro Morata ended up at Chelsea after United got tired of waiting around for Madrid and opted for Romelu Lukaku instead. The Spaniard’s season so far has blown hot and cold. A fine start which included a hat-trick away to Stoke City, was followed by a six-game goal drought in all competitions.

    Of course he ended that goalless streak with a fine match-winning header against, as fate would have it, United. While he’s had his fair share of criticism already, much of it has been rather harsh for a foreign recruit who had the big shoes of Diego Costa to fill in a demanding Antonio Conte system.

    On the whole, he appears to have coped rather well, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 10 league appearances. He will only get better as he settles in west London and looks set to be a key figure in Chelsea’s title defence.

    RATING: 7/10

    Alvaro Morata

    Alvaro Morata

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