A number of new signings have hit the ground running for their respective teams this season, including Real Madrid's current top goalscorer Jude Bellingham. Here are five stars who are enjoying excellent debut campaigns for their new clubs in Europe!
Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid
The England international has arguably been the best signing of 2023/24 after joining the Spanish giants for a staggering €103 million (R2.1 billion) from Borussia Dortmund in July 2023. The move is paying off profoundly as he has 20 goals and eight assists in his first 30 matches for the club. Despite being a midfielder, his sensational form in front of goal also sees him lead the LALIGA Golden Boot race with 16 goals, ahead of strikers such as Borja Mayoral of Getafe, Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata, and FC Barcelona talisman Robert Lewandowski. He is set to miss the next two league games, though, after he was served with a ban for his red card against Valencia on Saturday.
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Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
From one Englishman to another, Kane has had a dream start to life at Bayern Munich from an individual perspective. After netting a brace against Lazio to help the German giants to a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, the centre-forward now has an outstanding tally of 33 goals and eight assists in his first 33 matches for the Bavarians. Kane also holds the record for the most goals scored by a player in their debut Bundesliga season. The 30-year-old is now just 14 goals away from breaking Lewandowski's record for the most goals (41) scored by a player in a single German top-flight season, which was achieved in 2020/21.
Cole Palmer – Chelsea
Palmer was recently named the Men's Young Player of the Year at the 2024 London Football Awards. This is largely thanks to the excellent start he has had at Stamford Bridge after parting ways with Manchester City ahead of the current season. Palmer has now registered the most goal involvements in the Premier League by a Chelsea player under the age of 21, with 10 goals and 17 assists in 23 games so far. After joining the Blues, his impressive displays saw him being handed his first England national team call-up by Gareth Southgate, and will be eager to get the nod for the final squad chosen for the 2024 UEFA European Championship later this year.
Declan Rice – Arsenal
Arsenal's record signing seems to be justifying his lofty €116.6 million (R2.3 billion) price tag in his debut campaign for the Gunners. The deep-lying playmaker has started every league match this term, chipping in with five goals and six assists so far. Rice is also just one of three Arsenal players who have registered more than 3 000 minutes of action for the north London outfit, alongside centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. Following Arsenal's 6-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, pundit Jamie Carragher had a glowing review of the 25-year-old, saying: "I'm delighted Declan Rice is getting goals, because I've always been a big admirer of Declan Rice. It's easy to say that, you can be an admirer of him, because he's a top player. There's no doubt about that. But there used to be criticism of him, in that 'he can't be a great midfield player, because he doesn't score enough goals'."
Yann Sommer – Inter Milan
Lastly, Sommer has been a revelation for Inter Milan after he was brought in to replace Andre Onana. The Swiss goalkeeper has kept 22 clean sheets in 34 matches in all competitions, while conceding only 15 goals in the process. He certainly filled the gloves left by Onana, who had been an integral part of the Italian side's run to the 2022/23 Champions League final. Sommer's reliable hands have ensured that Inter have lost just once in Serie A this term, and the club currently holds a 15-point lead at top of the standing too.
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