Grealish, Sancho and more: How 5 summer signings fared on their Premier League debuts for their new clubs

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From Jack Grealish to Jadon Sancho, we take a look at how these five debutants got on for their new Premier League sides

Premier League
(Image credit: Getty)

A number of summer signings made their Premier League debuts on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Jack Grealish was in the starting lineup for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City following his £100m move from Aston Villa, Jadon Sancho made his Manchester United bow as a second half substitute against Leeds United, and Ben White started for Arsenal. 

But how did the new boys get on? We analyse the performances of five key summer signings on the opening Premier League weekend. 

Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish (right) played the full duration of Manchester City's 1-0 defeat at Tottenham (Nick Potts/PA).

Jack Grealish (right) played the full duration of Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham (Nick Potts/PA).

After coming on as a substitute in the Community Shield loss to Leicester the previous weekend, Grealish made his league debut for Manchester City from the start at Tottenham on Sunday. The £100million playmaker produced some good moments but was quiet overall as City were beaten 1-0. He received a booking in stoppage time.

Jadon Sancho

Grealish’s fellow England attacker Sancho came off the bench in the 75th minute of Manchester United’s 5-1 win over Leeds at Old Trafford on Saturday. The 21-year-old was unable to help the hosts add to the five goals they had already scored but did provide glimpses of his talent.

Ben White

Friday’s match at Brentford was not the debut new Arsenal recruit White would have hoped for. The Gunners produced a below-par display as they were beaten 2-0, with White and the rest of the defence given a tough time by the Bees attack and left red-faced by the way they allowed the hosts to score their second goal.

Danny Ings

Ings also endured defeat on his debut, with Aston Villa going down 3-2 at Watford on Saturday – but he did at least get on the scoresheet. The former Southampton striker registered the final goal of the game in stoppage time, reducing the deficit with a penalty.

Emmanuel Dennis

Emmanuel Dennis (right) scored Watford's first goal against Aston Villa on Saturday (Jonathan Brady/PA).

Emmanuel Dennis (right) scored Watford’s first goal against Aston Villa on Saturday (Jonathan Brady/PA).

Watford’s capture of Nigeria forward Dennis from Club Brugge may have been overshadowed by more high-profile summer signings, but he made a big impression in the contest against Villa, scoring 10 minutes into his debut with a slotted finish and then setting up Ismaila Sarr’s goal that made it 2-0.

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Ed McCambridge
Ed McCambridge
Staff Writer

Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.