Ian Wright: Naby Keita and Matteo Guendouzi make impressive Premier League debuts as teams suffer contrasting fortunes
Keita's distribution, tackling and strength bolstered Liverpool who eased to victory against West Ham
THERE were new faces galore across the Premier League but two men caught my eye more than any others.
Jurgen Klopp was so desperate to sign Naby Keita for Liverpool that he slapped down the deposit 12 months ago and was prepared to wait a year before he had him in a red shirt.
On Sunday you could see exactly why, because this guy was absolute dynamite. The positions he took up, his distribution, tackling and strength, everything was top drawer.
You won’t win Player of the Year on one performance, but as markers go it could hardly have been more impressive.
Later on Sunday afternoon another less obvious new boy impressed me in Arsenal’s young midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, signed from the relative wilderness of Ligue 2 Lorient in France.
Yes, he found it tough going at times against City but what impressed me was his attitude and effervescence.
It would have been easy to hide — let’s face it, others in the Arsenal side did — but he was still demanding the ball, still showing and still battling to the end.
Gunners fans left the Emirates desperately looking for positives after an opening loss and Guendouzi was the biggest one of all.