Timber, Gravenberch… Foden? Premier League players ‘like a new signing’ in 2024/25

The phrase ‘like a new signing’ means exactly what it says. It more than often refers to players returning from injury, a lengthy suspension, a loan spell, or those who have vastly improved having barely been used.

Nearly every club has experienced the boost of a player who can be considered ‘like a new signing’ in the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Arsenal: Jurrien Timber
Timber suffered a serious knee injury on his Premier League debut for Arsenal and was not seen again until the final day of last season against Everton.

The Dutch international has been Mikel Arteta’s first-choice right-back in 2024/25 and has also played left-back and centre-back.

He has impressed with his versatility and one-on-one defending, recently helping shut out Real Madrid’s talented attacking trio of Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in the Champions League.

Aston Villa: Youri Tielemans
After a difficult debut season at Villa Park, Tielemans has been completely transformed in 2024/25. He has been the Villans’ best player this campaign, playing a large part in their run to the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals, where they will face Crystal Palace on April 26.

Brentford: Mikkel Damsgaard
Damsgaard’s form for Brentford this season has caught many of us by surprise. It’s a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

Brighton: Yasin Ayari
After six months on loan at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, Ayari returned to his parent club and has had plenty of minutes under Fabian Hurzeler.

The 21-year-old has played 28 times in the Premier League this term, starting 18 of those matches. In games he has not played, the Seagulls have lost two, drawn one and beat Tottenham Hotspur – which doesn’t count.

Bournemouth: Justin Kluivert
Where has this season come from then? Kluivert has been sensational, scoring 12 goals and making six assists in 28 Premier League matches.

The Netherlands attacker joined the Cherries from AS Roma in July 2023 and was pretty underwhelming, though seven goals in 32 league appearances was a decent enough return last season.

Chelsea: Reece James
A player who was not actually signed and has been at the club since the age of six probably doesn’t qualify for the ‘like a new signing’ patter, does it? Adjudication in the comments, please.

There have been a few improved performers under Enzo Maresca but James’ return to fitness has been a huge boost. His injury troubles are very well-documented and have been holding back a potentially tremendous career as someone who superbly combines defensive and offensive attributes to be a very well-rounded full-back.

As expected, Chelsea and Maresca have managed James’ minutes very carefully but it has been a positive second half to 2024/25 in terms of his fitness, even returning to the England squad to score his first goal for his country in March.

Crystal Palace: Chris Richards
The Crystal Palace defence was restructured in the summer transfer window following Joachim Andersen’s return to Fulham, while Newcastle United tried to sign captain Marc Guehi.

Maxence Lacroix joined and has been a very handy signing, while Richards has come into the side and been, you guessed it, Like A New Signing.

The American international is well-suited to Oliver Glasner’s three-at-the-back formation and started 17 Premier League matches in 2024/25, becoming a mainstay in the starting XI from late December.

Are we doing him a disservice? Possibly. He was hardly rubbish last season. Regardless, he is one of the most under-rated players in Our League and his lack of minutes and injuries at the start of this campaign means he fits the bill.

Everton: Jake O’Brien
We are going meta with this one, folks. An actual new signing can qualify if they never played under one manager and a new one comes in and makes them a regular starter. Ironically, O’Brien might be the most qualified player in 2024/25.

Fulham: Sasa Lukic
Lukic’s level of performance has not dramatically increased but his importance has.

Fulham sold star man Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich in the summer and instead of bringing in a direct replacement, they brought in attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe and put faith in Lukic to hold it down in defensive midfield. He has done just that and when many expected Marco Silva’s men to struggle post-Palhinha, they have got better.

READ MORE: Every Premier League club’s pleasant surprise this season: Amad, Kluivert, Burn, Tielemans…

Ipswich Town: Cameron Burgess
Living in a Premier League bubble means promoted clubs are a bit more difficult for us to determine who has been ‘like a new signing’. Forgive us for our sins, but it was made even more tricky by the performances of Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton, which have been absolutely terrible. We would really be as well omitting them from our one per club stuff moving forward.

Burgess will do. Why? Not a clue, mate.

Leicester City: Mads Hermansen
To throw another spanner in the works, we are truly debating whether or not a goalkeeper can have the necessary impact that earns them the description: ‘like a new signing’.

In this instance, we have gone for Leicester’s best player this season and someone who has kept them in several games.

Liverpool: Ryan Gravenberch
The most fitting player in the Premier League that is not returning from injury or suspension, Gravenberch has been immense in midfield for champions-elect Liverpool.

Signed by Jurgen Klopp before in the 2023 summer transfer window, Gravenberch found minutes hard to come by in his debut season. His fellow Dutchman, Arne Slot, came in and has heavily relied on the ex-Bayern No. 6.

Liverpool might have tried to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad last summer but missing out on him might have been a blessing in disguise.

Manchester City: Phil Foden
The phrase ‘like a new signing’ is a positive thing, but not in this instance. Phil Foden’s form this season is the complete opposite to in 2023/24 when he won a bunch of individual honours.

See him more as ‘like a new big-money flop’ and like us, appreciate the anomaly of it.

Manchester United: Amad Diallo
For some bizarre reason, Erik ten Hag never seemed to rate Amad. Maybe it’s because he isn’t a very good manager. Honestly, who knows?

Following his dismissal and Ruben Amorim’s arrival, the young Ivorian quickly became United’s best player, coming into the side as if he was, indeed, a new signing.

Amad unfortunately suffered a potential season-ending injury back in February and the Red Devils have sorely missed him.

Newcastle United: Sandro Tonali
We wrote all about the Italian already. He is f***ing brilliant.

Nottingham Forest: Neco Williams
Forest have been like a team of new signings. The difference between this season and last is night and day and Nuno Espirito Santo deserves endless credit.

Given their incredible performances in 2024/25, it was pretty difficult to single out one player here. We considered Matz Sels and Chris Wood but doubted where or not they fit the criteria, so settled on ex-Liverpool full-back Williams.

The 24-year-old struggled in the opening weeks of the campaign, fell out of favour, then came back stronger and has been one of Forest’s most consistent performers in recent weeks.

Southampton: Tyler Dibling
Been proper rubbish, this mob. If James doesn’t qualify for Chelsea, neither does young Dibling. The thing is, we don’t really care. Southampton have been so bad that we’d be as well not including any of their players.

Tottenham Hotspur: Djed Spence
Spence fits nicely into the ‘found down the back of the couch’ category.

Spurs’ injury crisis was bloody ridiculous but Spence was able to benefit from injuries to every single starting defender to prove he is actually a very good footballer – something everyone, including his managers, seemed to forget.

From being an outcast at the start of the season to being very unlucky to miss out on the England squad in March, it has been a huge turnaround.

West Ham: Tomas Soucek
We have seen glimmers of Lockdown Soucek this season. We missed you, old pal.

Soucek’s performances have been far from elite but his goalscoring touch returning hit us with some behind-closed-doors nostalgia.

Wolves: Goncalo Guedes
He has hardly set the Premier League alight, but two goals and four assists after several loan spells away from the club is so ‘like a new signing’.