12 major Premier League selection headaches created by summer transfers: Isak v Ekitike, Garnacho v Gittens…

After another busy summer for Premier League transfers, plenty of players are waiting to make their mark for their new clubs.

There’s always anticipation to see new signings get up and running, but in some cases, their roles open up selection dilemmas for their new managers, who either have to pick between a new player and an existing one, or even directly between two new arrivals.

So let’s take a deep dive into some of the most high-profile selection battles that are now set to pan out in the Premier League on the back of summer transfers…

1. Isak v Ekitike – Liverpool

Liverpool’s striker chase, and the repercussions it had on Newcastle United, was the story of the summer in the transfer window.

Requiring an upgrade on Darwin Nunez to stand the best chance of defending their title, Liverpool began dreaming of a move to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle – who were adamant he was going nowhere.

Nevertheless, Newcastle revived their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in an attempt to bolster their own attack.

Ironically, Liverpool then swooped in and agreed a deal of their own to sign Ekitike. Then, remarkably, they began bidding for Isak as it started to become clear he was unsettled.

In the end, Liverpool signed Isak for a British record transfer fee, despite Ekitike starting the season well with goals in his first three appearances – including against Newcastle – by that stage.

Now, Arne Slot has the luxury of being able to pick between £125m man Isak and £69m man Ekitike – either of whom you could imagine starting for most other teams in the league.

Isak will be expected to start most often when fit, which leads to a dilemma of how to use Ekitike. Playing slightly off the left? A strike partnership? Or a luxury impact sub?

Ekitike doesn’t seem too fazed, stating while on international duty with France: “When you play for the best teams, you expect to be competing with the best players. Isak is a player I’ve watched too, so seeing him arrive is a pleasure.

“It’s going to be tough competition, but I’m going to focus on performing well so that it’s a problem for the manager.”

GO FURTHER – How Liverpool can use Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in unreal new attack

2. Eze v Odegaard – Arsenal

Arsenal were one of the busier teams strengthening their squad over the summer, with some signings set to be clear starters (Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, for example) and others being more long-term propositions (such as Cristhian Mosquera).

One signing expected to give Arsenal a boost is Eberechi Eze, who chose a return to the red side of north London over a move to rivals Tottenham Hotspur from Crystal Palace.

Eze is a versatile player who may start out on the left wing for Arsenal, given their need for extra quality there. But he spent most of last season in a central attacking midfield position for Palace, which has led several pundits to suggest he could put pressure on his new captain, Martin Odegaard.

“I think if Arsenal were to go and sign Eze from Crystal Palace, then you’ve got an option there,” Darren Bent said in August. “Because, he can play 10 or he can play off the left and that will put him [Odegaard] under more pressure because at the minute he’s the captain, he’s not really being challenged or pushed, he’s almost coasting through games at the minute.”

Eze’s debut for Arsenal actually saw him come on at the same time as Odegaard, who played centrally while the new signing stuck to the left. But as the season goes by – and with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard still around to compete on the left wing, as could new signing Noni Madueke – the pair may have to battle for minutes in the middle.

Arsenal spent an initial £60m to sign Eze, who will be hoping to justify his fee with significant game time in a World Cup year.

It won’t just have to be in the no.10 role that Eze plays, but the tides may be turning in terms of how Odegaard is judged at the Emirates Stadium and that could lead to the new occupant of the no.10 shirt having a central role in Arsenal’s progression – figuratively and literally.

3. Donnarumma v Trafford – Manchester City

After helping Burnley win promotion to the Premier League with the best defensive record in the Championship last season, Trafford was in demand again this summer.

Newcastle were close to signing him, but Manchester City made the most of their matching rights to lure him back to the Etihad Stadium.

At the time, it wasn’t entirely clear whether he was returning to be their first choice or backup goalkeeper, since Ederson was still at the club but linked with a move away.

Trafford went on to start the first three games of the Premier League season before Ederson was sold to Fenerbahce. But how City responded in the transfer market presented another setback for the former England U21 keeper.

By deadline day, City completed a deal for Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the best goalkeepers in the world who was freshly available after being pushed out of PSG thanks to their signing of Lucas Chevalier.

In the final year of his contract, City managed to sign Donnarumma for a lower fee than they got Trafford for, but that doesn’t really seem to be an indication of the true hierarchy.

Donnarumma, still only 26, has arrived at City as a Champions League winner and it would be a major surprise not to see him starting regularly.

Pep Guardiola is keen to give his players fair amounts of gametime, though, so will need to work out a way to keep Trafford involved as they juggle different competitions.

Former City keeper Joe Hart said recently: “Look, I’m a big James Trafford fan, I’m really pleased for how he’s done and him coming back to Manchester City I think is a really positive move.

“But why would you not sign Donnarumma and have him as part of your system, and someone who can win you games? He’s absolutely humongous in goal making top, top saves at the top level.

“And when it comes to James Trafford, I think they’re in such a zone right now, Pep Guardiola’s in such a zone where maybe he thought the Premier League he could just continue winning it, and maybe he’d win last year and move out.

“I think he [Guardiola] is ruthless now and he wants someone in there who he knows is world class.

“James Trafford has potential, I think they will nurse that and respect that. But he might not get what he wanted out of this season… But I still think he’ll have a Manchester City career, for sure!”

4. Gittens v Garnacho – Chelsea

Chelsea won the race to bring Jamie Gittens – a player that was once in their academy – back to England from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

He was ineligible for the Club World Cup, but started Chelsea’s first game of the new Premier League season on the left wing against Crystal Palace.

Pedro Neto took his place in the starting lineup for Chelsea’s next two league games before the international break – and Gittens now faces further competition for a place on his preferred left-hand side.

Chelsea completed a late summer deal for Alejandro Garnacho, who had fallen out of favour at Manchester United but was keen to prove himself in the Premier League still.

Like Gittens (but unlike Neto, who may revert to the right-hand side now), Garnacho is a right-footed winger.

Garnacho has played on either wing before, as has Garnacho, but both made their breakthrough as a left winger and that’s where they’ll be competing with one another for gametime.

“They are quite similar,” head coach Enzo Maresca admitted prior to Garnacho’s confirmation as a Chelsea player. “In terms of, when we are looking for a winger, we like wingers who are good in one-v-ones, they are quite vertical, aggressive, they can attack, they can create something. Jamie is that profile. If Garnacho arrives, we will see.”

Chelsea went on to sign Garnacho for £40m, which is less than they got Gittens for. But Garnacho boasts more Premier League and international experience.

In some ways, both have a point to prove. Gittens will be keen to show what he can do on home soil after having to head abroad to take his first steps into senior football, while Garnacho will be eager to silence his doubters from the end of his Man Utd spell.

5. Woltemade v Wissa – Newcastle

Newcastle were already in the market for a striker after releasing Callum Wilson at the end of his contract, but the Isak situation prompted them to pursue two.

They were rejected by several top targets and it wasn’t until August 30 that they finally signed a new centre-forward in the shape of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart, for a club-record fee of £69m.

But just two days later, Newcastle equipped themselves with another striker. As Isak made way, Yoane Wissa arrived from Brentford at the end of his own protracted transfer saga.

Replacing Isak is no small task, so Newcastle have a couple of options to go about the task.

Wissa and Woltemade.
Little and large.
5ft9 and 6ft6.
Newcastle United’s new strike partnership 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Z82SbVORQU

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 1, 2025

It’s not impossible that Woltemade and Wissa will line up together. The German can also play as a support striker or no.10, while the DR Congo international is usually deployed further forward but can play on the wing as well.

Wissa’s existing Premier League experience could see him get the nod to start with, once he recovers from injury, but Woltemade – six years his junior – is a long-term investment that the Magpies will be aiming to make the most of.

6. Wirtz v Szoboszlai – Liverpool

Liverpool’s first record-breaking signing of the summer was the addition of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100m.

It was a statement of intent from the reigning champions, who beat some big competition to convince Wirtz that Anfield was the place to be.

Liverpool’s blockbuster swoop for Wirtz indicated there could be repercussions for Dominik Szoboszlai, who was usually the no.10 in their 4-2-3-1 system last season.

There never seemed to be any doubt that Szoboszlai’s future would be at Liverpool as well, but with Wirtz overtaking him in the pecking order, the Hungarian would have to reinvent himself.

Recently, he has filled in as an auxiliary right-back, but will be restored to a midfield role in normal circumstances.

Szoboszlai could either play deeper – which in itself would open up another selection dilemma, as only two from him, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch would start – or still in the no.10 role.

Wirtz is still awaiting his first Premier League goal contribution after three games, but Liverpool will surely give him all the time he needs to settle in.

However, Szoboszlai has started the season in good form wherever he has played, so could keep Wirtz on his toes if there isn’t room for him in one of the other positions he can play.

Szoboszlai’s agent told Hungarian media in June that he was “neither afraid nor interested” in the idea that Wirtz’s arrival would threaten his client’s involvement.

“Dominik has been in an environment where competition is the norm since he was 16,” said Matyas Esterhazy. “I have never seen a Premier League-winning club that does not want to develop, that does not want to sign top players.”

7. Arokodare v Strand Larsen – Wolves

When Wolves activated a late move for Tolu Arokodare, sources emphasised he wasn’t seen as a replacement for Jorgen Strand Larsen, despite interest from Newcastle.

Wolves got their way on both fronts, signing Arokodare while keeping Strand Larsen. But now, they have the dilemma of how to use them.

Strand Larsen scored 14 goals for Wolves while on loan from Celta de Vigo last season. Meanwhile, Arokodare was the joint-top scorer in the Belgian Pro League for Genk.

In his introductory interview with Wolves, Arokodare admitted to being “almost the same profile” as their existing strikers, indirectly referring to Strand Larsen.

“Some have suggested that [Vitor] Pereira could play Larsen and Arokodare together, but I would be very surprised if we switched to a 3-5-2 because the two strikers are very similar,” warned ex-Wolves player Dave Edwards.

“If you’re chasing a game then that is a tactic we could use and I’m sure we’ll see them play together at some point, but I would be surprised to see them start together.

“Maybe Pereira will shock me with his selection, but since he’s been at Wolves he’s stuck with 3-4-3 and when he makes substitutions he rarely changes the shape.”

8. Nmecha v Calvert-Lewin – Leeds

Finding more firepower was deemed to be an essential task for Leeds after their promotion back to the Premier League, but neither of the two centre-forwards they signed came with a transfer fee.

The first free-agent they picked up was Lukas Nmecha, formerly of Wolfsburg. He went on to score their first goal of the new season.

But by that point, Leeds had added more Premier League pedigree to their attack by signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin after his release by Everton.

Along with existing striker Joel Piroe, Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin are now battling it out for gametime at Elland Road. The latter may be the favourable option as long as he can stay fit, but he’ll need to rediscover his goalscoring momentum after only getting three goals in his final season with Everton.

Earlier in his career, Nmecha sometimes played as a winger, but that hasn’t been for a few years, so Daniel Farke will usually be considering him as a centre-forward option.

Both of Leeds’ new strikers have patchy injury records, which may be part of the reason why they felt both were required. But if both remain healthy, one will probably have to put up with a role on the bench.

DON’T MISS – Every completed Leeds United transfer in summer 2025: Signings, exits, loans

9. Pedro v Delap – Chelsea

Due to Delap’s injury, this isn’t a headache for now for Maresca, but it will be in the future.

Chelsea wanted to improve their centre-forward options this summer and made the first strike by signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town in early June.

But the Blues – who have developed a reputation for making an abundance of additions to their squad under their current ownership regime – still saw room for another striker.

After paying £30m for Delap, they agreed a deal worth potentially double that for Joao Pedro from Brighton.

This was Enzo Maresca last May, wonder if he is happy with Joao Pedro, Liam Delap? pic.twitter.com/YywGv1Bvoy

— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) September 10, 2025

The double deal led to Chelsea sacrificing Nicolas Jackson, with Delap’s subsequent injury prompting them to recall Marc Guiu early from his loan at Sunderland.

There will come a time when Delap and Pedro are simultaneously available and Maresca will have to make his pick.

Pedro has played as an attacking midfielder before, so could slot behind Delap, but Chelsea already have Cole Palmer as their main no.10 and he’s one of their best players, so it should be a straight battle between Pedro and Delap up front in the future.

10. Kolo Muani v Solanke – Tottenham

Tottenham sensed a late opportunity to add a new element to their attack and completed a deadline day loan move for Randal Kolo Muani after his most recent loan spell at Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain.

A versatile attacker, Kolo Muani shouldn’t have too many problems getting into the Spurs team if he can match his Juventus form. But will his versatility be a help or a hindrance to his hopes of gametime?

Centre-forward has been his main role in recent seasons. In that position, Spurs already have Dominic Solanke, whose fitness concerns were part of the reason for the Kolo Muani addition.

Kolo Muani can also play out wide, but Spurs have added the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons to support the strikers.

Mathys Tel has turned out to be another early casualty of the move, missing out on Spurs’ Champions League squad just after making his move from Bayern Munich permanent.

But if everyone was to play in their best position, Thomas Frank would be faced with a choice between Kolo Muani and Solanke.

Their goal tallies in league football last season were similar; 10 for Kolo Muani between Ligue 1 and Serie A, and nine for Solanke in the Premier League.

11. Hutchinson v Ndoye – Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest broke their transfer record (ranked by initial fee rather than with add-ons) twice this summer. Curiously, it was for two players who can play in the same position.

First, at the end of July, Dan Ndoye arrived from Bologna in a deal worth £34.5m. Then, a little over two weeks later, Omari Hutchinson joined from Ipswich Town for £37.5m.

However, they have since left Hutchinson out of their squad list for the league phase of the Europa League.

Competition for a place on the wing at Forest is also now posed by Dilane Bakwa after his late summer move from Strasbourg, while in the attacking midfield position, where Hutchinson can also play, there’s a battle brewing between Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee.

In Forest’s first three games of the season before Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked, the starters were Ndoye on the right, Gibbs-White in the middle and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the left.

Many of their attacking players, now ready to work under Ange Postecoglou, are versatile. Ndoye is right-footed and can play on the left wing, as he did for Bologna last season; McAtee could play on the right as well as behind the striker, as could Hutchinson.

But after keeping Gibbs-White away from Tottenham, Forest have significantly boosted their strength in depth for attacking midfield options and wingers. The big question now is how they all fit together.

12. Sadiki v Le Fee – Sunderland

It was seen as a coup for Championship level when Sunderland attracted Enzo Le Fee to the club in January, reuniting him with Regis Le Bris.

Their promotion via the play-offs triggered an obligation for them to make his move from Roma permanent in a new club-record deal. But his status as Sunderland’s all-time record signing didn’t last long.

Sunderland broke their record again less than a month later to add Habib Diarra to their midfield department from Strasbourg.

They later bolstered the same position further with moves for Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki.

In their first three games of the season, Sunderland have always used Xhaka, Diarra and Sadiki as their starting midfield combination, which leaves Le Fee – as well as former captain Dan Neil and talented prospect Chris Rigg – battling to break back into the team.

Indeed, Le Fee’s first start of the season came as a left winger rather than in midfield. If he wants minutes in his natural role, he’ll have to look at Diarra and Sadiki as the players to threaten.

Given how much Sunderland paid for Diarra, Sadiki might be the player whose position he mainly targets, but it will be a battle.

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