6 Premier League Summer Signings Under the Most Pressure to Perform This Season

The mood around the Emirates Stadium has dramatically changed since this time last season. After years of stagnating under Arsene Wenger, the club now heads into a new era under the management of Unai Emery.

One position fans have urged to strengthen for a number of season has been the defensive midfield area, and Emery has done just that.

Arsenal completed the signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria for a fee of around £26m, and fans have already grown increasingly optimistic about the forthcoming season. Torreira will be a key part of a team that will be under immense pressure to perform in 2018/19, after the club missed out on Champions League football for the second consecutive season last term.

Will Torreira prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw Arsenal have been looking for or will it prove to be a wasted move for the midfielder? We’ll soon find out with the start of the new Premier League season just two weeks away.

West Ham fans couldn’t believe what they were witnessing when the news broke the Hammers had broken the club record transfer fee to bring Felipe Anderson to the London Stadium for £42m.

The club hierarchy spoke of lofty ambitions when they moved into their new home back in 2016. However, since then the Hammers have found themselves heading away from European football and flirting with the danger zone. After back-to-back years of fighting relegation, fans will be hoping the arrival of Anderson, as a poster boy among other high profile arrivals this summer, can spark a resurgence for the club.

Anderson will play a pivotal role in West Ham’s attacking play and will be expected to hit the ground running with his new club as they look to avoid another relegation scrap.

Many fans are still having to pinch themselves, with Wolves having shocked the footballing world with the signings they’ve made in recent months.

Joao Moutinho joins fellow Portugal international Rui Patricio in swapping the glitz and glamour of European football for Molineux this summer, and the club have spent big to help push their survival bid.

Wolves are taking a risk this summer, but one that could pay off tenfold if their big names perform. However, should it backfire, there could be huge repercussions to follow (see Queen’s Park Rangers), meaning the players will be under a lot of pressure to perform this season.

They will be relying on the experience of Moutinho to help avoid the threat of relegation and push on towards the Premier League’s top half.

A transfer saga which dates back all the way to the beginning of 2017 is now over, with the confirmation that Riyad Mahrez is officially a Manchester City player.

The club finally announced that they have signed the Algeria international for £60m and the 27-year-old has already made his debut for the club during their 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

Mahrez finally got the move he’s wished for, but after months of controversy at Leicester trying to push through a move to the Etihad Stadium – which included a number of transfer requests and even a refusal to train with the team – he seems to have created more pressure for himself.

He will be determined to show everyone why he wanted the move so badly and that all the hassle and controversy at his former club was all worth it.

After years of urging the club to bring in a world class keeper, Liverpool fans finally got what they wanted when the Reds signed Brazilian shot stopper Alisson for a world-record £67m. Following Loris Karius’ traumatic Champions League final performance and with Simon Mingolet seemingly unwanted by Jurgen Klopp, it was about time for a change to be made.

To many fans their goalkeeping nightmare is finally over, but the pressure certainly isn’t. Alisson is yet to even make an appearance for the club and it already looks as though expectations for the keeper are sky high.

Only time will tell whether or not Alisson is the keeper Liverpool have needed for many years, but for now he will want to make a good first impression at Anfield when they host West Ham on the opening day of the season.

Perhaps the most surprising transfer of the window so far, Everton decided to splash the cash and signed Watford’s Richarlison for a fee of £40m, which could rise to £50m with add-ons.

This time last year, the Brazilian was preparing for his first season in the Premier League and after making a promising start to life at Watford scoring five goals and bagging four assists in the first half of the season, Richarlison then seemed to disappear and failed to contribute to any of the Hornet’s goals in the second half of the campaign.

Despite his dwindling returns, Marco Silva is confident of the 21-year-old forward’s potential and has taken a risk in bringing him to Goodison Park. Whether Richarlison sinks or swims could define Silva’s tenure at Everton.