Five summer arrivals yet to get going in the Premier League

Summer signings like Rodri and Sebastien Haller have made encouraging starts to life in the Premier League but that hasn't been the case for all new recruits to England's top division.  

Here we pick out five summer signings who have endured tough starts to the season and discuss what's next for them.

1. Pablo Fornals (West Ham) - 6.24 rating

It was a major coup for West Ham to prise Pablo Fornals from LaLiga and an even better decision to get a deal done before the European U21 Championships in the summer.

Fornals went on to play a major role in Spain's success in Italy and his stock was at an all-time high come the end of the tournament.

West Ham supporters were understandbly excited to see Fornals in claret and blue but it's been a relatively underwhelming start for the 23-year-old in east London.

Fornals has featured in all nine of West Ham's Premier League matches but has started just four times. The Hammers have only won one of the games Fornals has started.

Given his exploits with Spain's U21s in the summer, Manuel Pellegrini may understandably be looking to ease Fornals in due to his relatively little pre-season.

However, West Ham are well stacked in Fornal's position and he could soon find himself looking in from the outside consistently if he fails to take advantage of his rare starts.

2. Moise Kean (Everton) - 6.18 rating

After shelling out £25m to sign highly rated Italian striker Moise Kean from Juventus, it's fair to say his start to life at Everton has been disappointing to say the least.

Everton's shortcomings in attack have been well documented since selling Romelu Lukaku in 2017 and Kean was signed to finally plug that gap.

Kean hit a purple patch of form with Juventus and the Italian national team towards the end of last season with six goals in seven matches but Everton are yet to see that sort of form.

The 19-year-old has featured in every Premier League game for Everton this season but has started just twice in that time.

The Italy international is still searching for his first league goal for the club and has hit the target with only one of nine attempts on goal.

Richarlison, who usually operates from the wing, is even ahead of Kean in the pecking order to play through the middle at the moment.

With Kean's age in mind, there is still plenty of time for the teenager to turn things around but Everton fans would have hoped for more from their big money signing.

3. Ayoze Perez (Leicester) - 6.57 rating

Ayoze Perez's move from Leicester to Newcastle came as a shock to many, given the lack of media coverage at the time, and even more so when it was revealed the deal cost £30m.

It was arguably one of the most intriguing signings of the summer. Perez had done well for an abysmal Newcastle side for the past few years yet was rarely, if ever, mentioned when considering players ready to compete for clubs higher in the table.

Leicester already had a number of options in attacking positions but none like Perez. The Spaniard isn't blessed with the pace and direct running of the likes of Demarai Gray and Harvey Barnes but he showed at Newcastle he has an eye for goal.

Unfortunately for Brendan Rodgers' side, they are yet to see that from Perez. Perhaps part of the problem is he is so different to the rest of Leicester's attacking options that he is struggling with the speed and pace of which they play.

The 26-year-old is managing just 0.8 shots per game and 0.6 key passes per game, down from 1.5 and 1.2, respectively, at Newcastle last season.

4. Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) - 6.68 rating

Knowing a FIFA-imposed transfer ban was on the horizon, Chelsea smartly wrapped up a deal in January to sign Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for the summer. Chelsea were also aware they were losing the battle to keep Eden Hazard from joining Real Madrid.

Chelsea beat off competition from a number of European clubs interested in signing Pulisic and it was considered a masterstroke on and of the pitch. Pulisic would form an exciting wing partnership with Callum Hudson-Odoi. That was the train of thought, anyway. However, that has not been the case so far this season.

Pulisic started the season in the team but was very quickly pushed to the fringes by Frank Lampard, who replaced Maurizio Sarri in the summer. Pulisic has featured in just two of Chelsea's last five Premier League matches, with Hudson-Odoi and Willian firmly ahead in the pecking order for places at Stamford Bridge.

It's still early days at Chelsea and Pulisic has made important contributions from the bench in their last two matches but it's not been the start many hoped for at the club. His stock in general has diminished since the beginning of last season and there is still a long way to go before he earns Lampard's trust on a weekly basis.

5. Che Adams (Southampton) - 6.34 rating

After missing out on signing Che Adams in January, Southampton finally got a deal over the line for the 23-year-old in the summer after agreeing an initial £15m fee with Championship side Birmingham.

Southampton struggled for goals in the Premier League last season and turned to Adams in a bid to solve their problems in attack. In fact, only the three relegated sides, Newcastle and Brighton scored fewer goals than Southampton (45) in the Premier League last season. Adams, meanwhile, netted 22 times for Birmingham in the Championship.

Signing players from England's second-tier for Premier League football is always a gamble. There are a players who are consistently prolific in the Championship but fail to make the transition to the Premier League. Dwight Gayle springs to mind of recent times.

It is obviously far too early to consider Adams in that bracket but Southampton would have hoped for a far better start for their big money summer signing. Adams has started six of Southampton's first nine league games this season but is still looking to get his first goal for the club. He has had 13 shots in that time. In fact, only less than a handful of players have had more shots without scoring in the Premier League this season than Adams.

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