Welcome back to the second season of the Premier League Ones to Watch column, a weekly piece that highlights the most notable performance of the previous matchday, as well as predicting a top performer for the weekend ahead. This column is made for West Coast fans in particular, as I help you decide which games you should wake up for by identifying the players who are worth the price of admission, so to speak.
The Premier League is back after a brief delay for the international break. This week, Bryan Mbeumo starred for Manchester United and recorded one of the strongest performances in the league.
In United’s 4-2 victory against Brighton at home, Mbeumo scored what would be the winner in the 61st minute as well as the dagger in the 96th minute to score his third and fourth goals of the season.
Mbeumo now has four total goals and an assist as United has now won three consecutive games for the first time in over a year. The Cameroonian has been a sensation for the Red Devils so far as they attempt to claw back into European contention. Following his goal against Liverpool the week prior, Mbeumo looks to be in excellent form.
Center back Mickey Van De Ven showed out this matchweek as well. Van De Ven not only contributed to Tottenham’s clean sheet but also contributed two goals in the first half. Spurs’ 3-0 win over Everton catapulted them into third place, making this campaign far better than their last as they look to return to being a powerhouse in the Premier League.
The last performance worth mentioning was from Burnley’s Dutch striker Zian Flemming. Flemming scored a brace in a dramatic 3-2 victory against Wolves. While still early in the season, Flemming’s pair of goals could become significant with Burnley being a serious relegation contender this season. The win against another relegation contender could do wonders for their survival hopes later this year.
Looking ahead to next week’s fixtures, the One to Watch is Hugo Ekitike. Liverpool has struggled to find its form in the past couple of weeks with four consecutive league losses. However, Ekitike has continued to be a bright spot for the side, notching three goals and an assist. With an aging Mohamed Salah and a struggling Florian Wirtz, Ekitike seems like the most obvious candidate to put the team on his back. Despite Isak’s presence, Ekitike looks to be a much better fit for Slot’s system. Time will tell if Liverpool can manage to get back to winning ways.
The next player to keep an eye on is fellow Premier League newcomer Nick Woltemade. The striker has been excellent this season with four goals in six appearances. Newcastle’s match against a struggling West Ham side could lead to another big performance from the German striker.
The last player to keep an eye out for is Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze. The Gunners have been by far the most dominant team in the league this season with a record of seven wins, one draw, and one loss. A creative player like Eze could be the difference-maker in this matchup, as Burnley’s deep defensive block doesn’t allow for much open space.
In the last predictions, the Salah pick was dead wrong following his forgettable performance in a loss to rivals Manchester United. However, the Mateta pick was spot on, and he secured a hat-trick against Bournemouth in a 3-3 draw. He would have been the player of the week had there been an edition last week. The final pick was Carlos Baleba, who played quite well in Brighton’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle.