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Last season, we saw so many unexpected and high-profile transfer take place: Neymar and Mbappe to PSG, Dembele and Coutinho to Barcelona, Lukaku to Manchester United and many more. Some players have been superb additions to their club, whilst some have struggled heavily.
Not only the new additions, but also the players who made their big money moves in the seasons before need to prove why the club put faith and money in them in the first place. Regardless of the talent they have, it is surely time for them to repay the trust put in them by the club and the manager.
Let's take a look at the players who need to step up their game this season to prove their worth.
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#1 Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Signed from Borussia Dortmund only last season for €105 million, plus a reported €40 million in add-ons, he had a season to forget at the Camp Nou. His campaign, which was plagued with injuries, eventually led him to only get 17 appearances in the league, racking up a total of just three goals and seven assists.
Barcelona had spent big bucks on this young talent, so will be expecting him to light up the Camp Nou this season when Messi is given a rest, or probably alongside Messi as well. Let us all hope he brings his Dortmund form which earned him the move in the first place, where he had netted 19 goals in the Bundesliga.
Although he has started this season in fine form thus far, scoring the winner in the Super Copa against Sevilla and also scoring the winner in a drab 1-0 win against the newly promoted Real Valladolid side, it will be very vital for Barcelona for the treble push if he continues firing on all cylinders.
#2 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
"60 million down the drain, Tony Martial scores again" is what the Old Trafford faithful hoped to be singing week-in week-out after the British media had written him off. Last season Martial had a pretty good first half to the campaign when he and Rashford were trading places in the left winger spot on rotation. But when Manchester United signed Alexis Sanchez in January, his playtime significantly reduced and he was barely playing towards the end of the season.
There were many transfer rumours surrounding his future at the club but he is still here for now and has to put in the performances Jose expects him to. Let's see how Tony turns out for Manchester United this season, with added competition from fellow youngster Rashford and the experienced Sanchez.
#3 Alvaro Morata (Chelsea)
During the 2017-18 summer transfer window, Romelu Lukaku was destined for a Stamford Bridge return, with Morata on his way to the Theatre of Dreams. But with Manchester United hijacking a move for Lukaku, Chelsea ended up with a deal for Morata.
At the start of the season, Morata started off the season in spectacular fashion, but as the season progressed, he went through a rough patch, finishing the season with 11 goals and 6 assists in 31 appearances in the league.
Under Sarri, this season he hasn't gotten any better, only scoring a solitary goal in 4 appearances thus far. Morata really needs to step his game and find the form where he scored 15 goals and assisted a further 5 in 26 league appearances.
#4 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
The former world record signing hasn't really lit up the Old Trafford faithful the way he did the Juventus fans in Turin. In his final campaign at the Old Lady, he scored 8 goals and assisted a further 13 in 35 appearances, but what awed the world was how he dictated play from midfield and ran riot at the opposition defences.
Ever since his move Pogba was either found playing in a defensive system or when given the freedom, he hasn't really controlled the midfield which everyone really expected him to. Given his 'rift' with Mourinho and his transfer links to Barcelona, it is high time he gave something for the United fans to cheer about.
