Five Premier League signings who are impressing and five with it all to prove

Eight games into a Premier League season is no basis on which to make definitive judgements, but some tentative conclusions about this summer's signings are surely permissible.

A curious trend across the league is how many new arrivals have been kept under wraps, as they adapt to a new league and their manager's methods.

Here we examine five players enjoying a blissful honeymoon period, and five who have left us underwhelmed.

Five of the best

James Maddison (Norwich City to Leicester City)

At £22 million, Leicester cannot claim to have unearthed an obscure gem but Maddison is the latest example of their smart recruitment. Called up to the senior England squad last week, Leicester stand to make a profit on Maddison already, though fans will hope he stays at the King Power for a good few years yet.

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Leicester's task this summer was to replace the craft and invention of Riyad Mahrez, and Maddison's talent for finding space between the lines and taking the ball on the half-turn is comparable. Three league goals and two assists is a tidy return and the 21-year-old played with swagger and poise on his debut at Manchester United, where he was unfortunate not to score. Technically excellent but blessed with a change of pace, Leicester will not be looking down the back of the sofa for the receipt on this one.

Jorginho (Napoli to Chelsea)

Jorginho's quality and attributes are no surprise while Chelsea paid £50 million, but Maurizio Sarri would not have implemented his ideas this quickly without him. The deep-lying midfielder has enjoyed more touches and completed more passes than any player in the league, but crucially he is also progressive with his passing. It is amusing to reflect on the hysteria that greeted Chelsea's decision to sell Nemanja Matic to Man Utd, now that they have a far more modern and advanced option in this position.

The crucial cog in Chelsea's build-up play, although his presence has pushed N'Golo Kante into a more advanced role. This left Chelsea looking vulnerable, particularly in the first-half of their win over Arsenal, but they tightened up considerably for the visit of Liverpool and look to be figuring things out.

Lucas Torreira (Arsenal from Sampdoria)

When Arsenal appointed Sven 'Diamond Eyes' Mislintat as head of recruitment, this is exactly the type of signing they would have hoped for. The acquisitions of Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner were pragmatic, while Zircon eyes are enough to spot the quality of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Torreira however, is the perfect example of the player Arsenal should target. At 22, he is mature enough to make an immediate difference but also has huge potential sell-on value. Arsenal do not presently have the financial and sporting clout to buy from Europe's elite clubs, so signing talented players before they reach that level should be the goal.

Specifically, Torreira offers Arsenal the speed and snap in the challenge their midfield has lacked since the ad-hoc partnership between Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla. Torreira is a combination of both players. As he demonstrated at the World Cup with Uruguay, Torreira can sit deep and shield his centre-backs when required but he can also dribble out of pressure and spread play with his passing range.

Put simply, Torreira does most things to a very good standard and that means he can be paired with any of Arsenal's midfielders. For a squad that has carried a few too many specialists, that is a real asset for Unai Emery. Eased in slowly, but was outstanding in Arsenal's 5-1 win at Fulham.

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Aleksandar Mitrovic (Newcastle to Fulham)

Fulham spent more than £100 million this summer and the pick of the bunch is the player they had on loan last season. Slavisa Jokanovic's team have won only five points from their first eight games and look worryingly porous.

The form of centre-forward Mitrovic is one positive, with Eden Hazard the only player in the division to better his five league goals. Rafael Benitez's deserves plenty of sympathy for the occupational restrictions at Newcastle, but jettisoning Mitrovic was a questionable decision. Mitrovic is excellent at converting crosses and is a fine link-up man, and looks to have his temper under control. Fulham might be fortunate to find three worse teams than them this season, but they are very reliant on the individual quality of their attacking players to make up for their shortcomings.

Issa Diop (Toulouse to West Ham)

“Congratulations to the scout who found Diop, a monster who dictated everything," was Jose Mourinho's assessment of Diop after West Ham's 3-1 victory over Man Utd, and he has the potential to bring West Ham the defensive mobility they have sorely lacked. Diop had an uncertain start, scoring an own goal in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal that he knew little about. West Ham's owners used the same contacts who brokered the deal to bring Dimitri Payet in, and look to have pulled off another coup from Ligue 1.

Five with it all to prove

Fabinho (Monaco to Liverpool)

Fabinho is yet to lace a pair of boots in anger for Liverpool in the Premier League, and for that reason alone he has plenty to prove. There is no doubting the quality of a player who was part of league-winning spine at Monaco, who also reached a Champions League semi-final with Fabinho at the heart of their midfield. Liverpool fans will rightly point to the slow introduction of Andrew Robertson last season, and how the left-back flourished post-Christmas.

Jurgen Klopp spoke quite candidly about the reasons for his omission from the team, and wanting to give Fabinho an extended period to learn Liverpool's style of play.

"It’s not different between him and other players," said the Liverpool manager. "It’s really not complicated, only you need to get used to it. It’s about positioning, it’s about reaction, it’s about spaces – defensively, closing them; offensively, use them. It’s a football team with a specific way of playing. That always needs time and they were all used to other football teams."

Jack Wilshere (Arsenal to West Ham)

It is not Jack Wilshere's fault that he sustained an ankle injury, but now now he battling for his future as a regular Premier League player. An old football adage is that a player's stock rises when they are absent, but the opposite has happened with Wilshere - West Ham have been notably more balanced since his injury.

Clairvoyance was not necessary to foresee that Wilshere and Mark Noble would go together like toothpaste and orange juice as a midfield pair, and they were over-run badly in West Ham's early fixtures. Declan Rice coming in as a defensive midfielder alongside Pedro Obiang and Noble has solidified Manuel Pellegrini's team. It looks like West Ham will have to choose between Wilshere and Noble once the former Arsenal man returns. Wilshere still has a sound first touch and natural vision, but transforming the pictures in his mind into action is where his body is restricts him. Lacks a burst to drive past players which was once his calling card.

Max Meyer (Schalke to Crystal Palace)

Another central midfielder on this list, Palace have Meyer on big wages after his free transfer but he is yet to establish himself. The German has started just one league game, but has made five appearances from the bench. Meyer was considered a future superstar of German football and inherited Schalke's No.7 shirt from Raul aged 18. He was heavily linked with a Bosman move to Arsenal, possibly as a Wilshere replacement, but Arsenal went cold on a possible deal. Meyer was moved back into a deeper, central midfield position during his final season in the Bundesliga and is known as a neat and proficient passer if slightly lacking in dynamism. Yet to make his mark.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar to Brighton)

Brighton's record signing for £17 million, Jahanbakhsh did not make his first Premier League start until their 1-0 victory over West Ham this month. He scored 21 goals in 27 games in the Eredivisie last season, and can play on either flank as well as in a No.10 role. Such versatility can leave a player at risk of never pinning down one role, and there is plenty of competition from Pascal Gross, Anthony Knockaert and Solly March. Chris Hughton said: "I think I've got a bit of flexibility with Solly, also with Alireza. I think he is one that can play probably three positions, left, right, or off the front. We all know Anthony (Knockaert) can play there. We have got options and when Dale is back fit again we also know Davy Propper can play in that position and has done (for Holland)."

Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk to Manchester United)

Has been displaced in United's midfield by Marouane Fellaini, which says plenty about Fred's start and Jose Mourinho's philosophy. Bought to provide greater energy and technical quality to United's midfield, Fred has shown flashes of promise without making himself one of the first names on the team-sheet. Mourinho is steadfastly loyal to Nemanja Matic, a steady player but one prone to taking four touches when others would require two. The United manager has bemoaned a lack of 'technical quality' in their build-up play from the back. Involving Fred might be a start.