7 underwhelming Premier League summer signings as Mount "nowhere to be seen"
While some Premier League clubs have enjoyed the benefit of new signings this season, that hasn't been the case everywhere.
The top two sides Tottenham and Arsenal have thrived after adding England internationals James Maddison and Declan Rice to their respective ranks, while Liverpool are flying high with the help of summer arrival Dominik Szoboszlai. Manchester United have found things tougher, though, and Mason Mount is among those to come in for criticism.
Mount joined United from Chelsea for a similar fee to the one Liverpool paid for Szoboszlai, but hasn't registered a single goal or assist in the league this term. However, as Mirror Football details below, he isn't the only new arrival to underwhelm so far.
Mason Mount
“I think Mount can be a lot better, but I’d say the fee was too much," former United striker Louis Saha said, after suggesting the player was "nowhere to be seen" against Brentford on Saturday. "I think Chelsea was playing a game with the fee, even if the market is very competitive and a lot of players have moved for similar fees.
“I’d say, based on what we’ve seen, Mount isn’t performing and I’ve seen Casemiro play more offensively than Mount. That’s a crazy thing to say, but it’s true.”
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Mason Mount has started slowly at Manchester United (Greig Cowie/REX/Shutterstock)
The injury sustained by Mount early in his United career hasn't helped, and he may take some time to get up to speed. So far, though, it hasn't really happened for him.
Kai Havertz
While Arsenal have had some success in the transfer market, questions remain over Havertz. The Gunners looked disjointed at times as the German looked to establish himself in the team, and he dropped out of the starting line-up after beginning the first four games of the season.
Worse still, there was a feeling from some fans that the arrival of the former Chelsea man harmed Emile Smith Rowe, who remains on the fringes under Mikel Arteta. There were calls for the England international to take the new man's place when things were tough, but there has been an uptick in recent weeks.
Havertz's first league goal for Arsenal came from the penalty spot (Matt Impey/REX/Shutterstock)A goal against Bournemouth seemed to give Havertz a much-needed boost, even if it came from the penalty spot. A crucial assist for Gabriel Martinelli's winner against Manchester City ought to have a similar impact, but now it's time to see if he can build momentum after the international break.
Andre Onana
Replacing David de Gea was always going to be a challenge for Manchester United, even if the Spaniard had shaky moments of his own last season. Doing so amidst a defensive injury crisis has only doubled the difficulty for his successor Andre Onana.
There have been some shaky moments for Andre Onana (Matt West/REX/Shutterstock)Some have suggested the pre-season game against Lens, when Florian Sotoca lobbed the Cameroonian from inside the centre circle, has made Onana more tentative with his starting positions. Similarly, some suspect passing has arguably prompted him to take fewer risks.
This, along with question marks over a couple of goals conceded by Erik ten Hag's side, has seen the tide turn on Onana from some quarters. The real test will come with whether the issues remain once United are back to full strength in front of the former Internazionale man.
Raul Jimenez
Raul Jimenez has gone more than a year without scoring in the Premier League (Javier Garcia/REX/Shutterstock)Fulham knew what they were getting with Raul Jimenez, at least up to a point. The Mexican has not seen his prolific streak return since suffering a serious head injury playing for Wolves in 2020, scoring just nine times in 56 appearances.
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Marco Silva saw something in the striker, though, and decided a cut-price £5.5million fee made him worth the gamble. Then, with last season's top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic moving to Al-Hilal, the onus was on Jimenez to lead the line.
There have been some bright sparks, with Jimenez causing problems and coming close to netting in a 2-2 draw at Arsenal. He's still waiting for his first Fulham goal, though, having already played more than 500 Premier League minutes for the club.
Mark Flekken
Mark Flekken has just one Premier League clean sheet so far (Getty Images)Brentford attempted to get ahead of the curve by signing Mark Flekken before David Raya left for Arsenal. Flekken has impressed at Freiburg, helping them qualify for Europe, but hasn't had the same impact in West London.
With last season's top scorer Ivan Toney banned, it was always likely that the Bees would come under more pressure at the other end of the pitch. The return of just one clean sheet wasn't ideal, and there were shaky moments even before the Nottingham Forest goal which saw fingers pointed at the Dutchman.
Flekken missed the trip to Old Trafford through illness, with Thomas Strakosha helping his side get within touching distance of victory before two late Manchester United goals. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod from Thomas Frank next time out.
Tom Davies
Tom Davies is one of several Sheffield United stars to struggle this term (Getty Images)Sheffield United's summer transfer business was questioned on the whole, with Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye both allowed to leave despite impressing in the second tier. The Blades' lowly position was only ever going to increase the focus on their signings, and late arrival Davies has made next to no impact so far.
In mitigation, the midfielder arrived for nothing after leaving Everton, having not started a game since January. It can take a while for someone to play himself up to match fitness, but in Davies' case it looks like it will take a lot longer.
The 25-year-old has been on the field for less than 90 minutes across three substitute appearances. During that time, Sheffield United have conceded five goals and scored none, and he now faces 'months' on the sidelines through injury according to manager Paul Heckingbottom.
Youri Tielemans
All of Youri Tielemans' league appearances have come from the bench (Getty Images)A little over a year ago, Youri Tielemans was being mentioned in connection with Arsenal - potentially even as a starter. Now, though, he is being forced to wait for his chance at new club Aston Villa.
The version of Tielemans we saw at Leicester last season was nowhere near his best, with the Foxes going down as a consequence. Some felt Villa sat at more or less the right level for him, but so far his only starts for his new employers have come in Europe and the EFL Cup.
“The situation is not pleasant," Tielemans said in September, while acknowledging manager Unai Emery expects him to get a longer run in the side eventually. "I told the manager that I came to Villa to play. He understands me, but at the moment, he prefers to play with the two midfielders from last season."
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