Haaland, Saliba, Nunez and the weekend's best Premier League debuts ranked

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 8 Aug 2022 10:32 BST
• 4 min read

The opening weekend of the Premier League saw some debuts, as players made an early mark for their new teams and spurred their sides on to victories.

One of the most exciting aspects of the start of a season is to see how its new players will perform, and there were a fair few decent performances over the course of this weekend.

From Erling Haaland’s brilliance to Kalidou Koulibaly’s composure at the back, here are the Premier League’s best debuts from this weekend ranked.

6 – Gabriel Jesus

There was lots of interest in Jesus coming into the season, with fans finally believing he can show his best form as Arsenal’s primary forward option.

He impressed in pre-season, scoring at free will, including a hat-trick against Sevilla, and while he couldn’t get on the scoresheet on debut against Crystal Palace, he still put in a solid display.

In the first half, he was linking up well with his team-mates, and even had a fine solo run that was saved, in a good overall display for the Gunners.

5 – Kalidou Koulibaly

The Chelsea faithful rarely had doubts about Koulibaly’s signing for Napoli – his experience and reputation in Serie A said it all about him.

And he showed that same class in a composed Premier League debut, even setting up the pass that won Chelsea’s penalty, which was converted by Jorginho for the Blues to win the game.

At the back, he was a stern figure too, helping keep a clean sheet against Everton and setting the precedent for the rest of his time at Stamford Bridge.

4 – Kieffer Moore

Bournemouth made a great return to the Premier League after a season in the Championship, beating Aston Villa 2-0 in their opening game of the season.

At the heart of it was new forward Kieffer Moore, who scored the second goal in the win, adding the cherry on top of a brilliant forward display.

Apart from the goal, the January signing from Cardiff, who makes this list because he had never played in the Premier League before, was a constant threat, troubling the Villa defence and causing havoc to a backline that was hoping to keep him quiet.

3 – Darwin Nunez

There was a bit of surprise when Jurgen Klopp picked Roberto Firmino to start over Nunez, but when he brought on the Uruguayan at half-time, his talents were well-known.

The record signing from Benfica didn’t take long to make an impact after coming on, scoring a wonderful back-heel flick from Mohamed Salah’s cross, announcing himself in style.

He then contributed to Salah’s goal, as Liverpool equalized to take a point home in a 2-2 draw against Fulham, with Nunez making it clear he was here to be a star.

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2 – William Saliba

Saliba’s debut was long in the making, having signed for Arsenal in 2019 and spending time away at various Ligue 1 clubs on loan.

He finally got his Arsenal chance this season, with Mikel Arteta making it clear the Frenchman was part of his plans, and he shone in his debut against Crystal Palace.

The defender was named Man of the Match after a superb defensive showing, and has proven he’s got the qualities to be one of the league’s best defenders at such a young age.

1 – Erling Haaland

Haaland’s Premier League debut for Manchester City was one of the most anticipated, and the forward didn’t disappoint in his match at West Ham.

After an average display against Liverpool in the Community Shield, he shone against West Ham in the league opener, scoring twice and proving why he’s one of the world’s best.

He won the penalty, showing rapid speed before being brought down and converting it with ease, while his second goal displayed his wonderful finishing skills.