Premier League's most intriguing summer moves: Cherki, Barry, more

Stach's strengths lie more on the defensive side rather than going forward, but he's not a lost cause. He shows awareness of knowing where to be in trying to tie together buildup sequences, although his play with his back to goal isn't always smooth. He possesses long strides as a progressive carrier, which is a useful trait to have. While active at looking to switch the play, there are occasional attempts where he puts too much loft on the ball and gives opponents more time to reorganize. I also think that despite being in the 70th percentile or higher for passes into the final third and penalty box, you'll find instances of him recycling possession rather than attempting a high value pass to open up a set defense.

It is a different story when it comes to receiving ground passes. Barry's touch was inconsistent last season with Villarreal; there was too much weight on them while playing with his back to goal as teammates were trying to make off-ball runs around him. He did prove to be a more capable carrier of the ball than his stature would suggest, ranking in the 76th percentile among LaLiga strikers for both carries into the final third and carries into the box, per FBref.

Barry's movement is the swing skill for how good he can be. The league he's coming from provides at least a bit of promise for it translating to English football. LaLiga has long been a good platform where young strikers could get valuable experience and learn the trade. In part due to how tight defenses tend to be in Spanish football, this helps mold forwards to become more prolific off the ball since space is at a premium. His physicality certainly helps, but he's also shown flashes of cerebral off-ball cuts in the box. In addition to hunting for channel runs in behind, he'll show the willingness to try and work the blindside of defenders so he can crash either posts. The end result is a very healthy shot chart, with a ton of high quality chances:

Barry's career has seen almost linear growth so far. He moved from the second division of Belgian football (SK Beveren) to FC Basel in the Swiss Super League. Villarreal acquired him last summer for €14 million, and he produced 15 goals and assists in his lone season in La Liga. If he continues at the pace he's shown so far, the transfer fee Everton paid (€35m + add-ons) will look like a bargain.

Maxim De Cuyper, DF: Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton's reputation as a shrewd operator in the transfer market has long been established. During their initial rise, it was largely due to low-risk, calculated bets on young players who had intriguing data profiles in smaller leagues across different continents. The past couple of years saw the Seagulls be more aggressive with their recruitment, routinely spending €30 million or more on transfer fees for prospects in the hope of finding talents who can make an impact in the not-too-distant future and eventually net a massive financial fee.

De Cuyper differs a bit in that at 24, he's already entering his prime years and his acquisition leans more towards immediate production than future return.

Defensively, De Cuyper is inconsistent. He's pretty good at knowing when to juggle different responsibilities in his own box when defending an opponent's cross, including covering for a teammate. Higher up the pitch, however, the awareness is less present: he can be guilty of ball-watching and losing track of his marker, leading to opponents advancing down his flank. When defending in 1v1s, he can sometimes be guilty of overextending himself and giving an opening to his marker. His slight frame can also be taken advantage of during duels, where he tries to be physical with the opponent only to end up bouncing off of them and losing possession.

Acquiring De Cuyper gives Brighton another option at fullback to help juice their attack. Despite the talent on hand, they ended up middle of the pack in expected and non-penalty goals, but the variety in his movement could make the left-hand side truly stand out in the club's second year under manager Fabian Hürzeler. If the defensive deficiencies can be kept to a manageable amount, De Cuyper could be another in a growing recent list of stealth signings.

Evann Guessand, FW: Aston Villa

It's undeniable that clubs are shifting more of their financial resources towards younger players. The average age of players signed by Premier League clubs (weighted by transfer fees) has declined from around 25 in 2009-10 to 23 in 2025-26. You can understand why: if the younger player is a success, you either get a high-end young talent on the left end of the age curve who can be a mainstay for the club over several years, or someone who becomes valuable when it comes to raising funds through the transfer window.

However, the method has become so commonplace that it has led to price inflation, since it's no longer the clever strategy it once was. As a result, there's a possibility that guys in the age 24-26 cohort have become slightly undervalued.

At the extreme high case, you get an example like Liverpool, where their decade of excellence is due to hitting the jackpot on multiple early-peak players (Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah to name just three). While it's unrealistic for other clubs to expect the same result, there is value to be had and Aston Villa are hoping Guessand, their newest summer signing, over-performs expectations considering the age profile of their squad and related issues with their standing according to the Premier League's profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules.

There is a lot to like about Guessand from Aston Villa's point of view. They acquired a really good attacking talent who can help improve their attack immediately, and he gives them flexibility with future squad planning (including being a sneaky choice as a potential Ollie Watkins replacement down the line). Tracking data paints him in a very positive light with his combination of off-ball running and penetrative passing. For a club who desperately needs Champions League qualification to balance their aggressive wage to turnover ratio, hitting on these types of moves is essential.

Rayan Cherki, MF/FW: Manchester City

For someone in his early 20s, Cherki's name had long been on the lips of fans and analysts alike. At age 16, he made his senior debut with Olympique Lyonnais in the 2019-20 season, an accomplishment that helped fuel the opinion of him being the best talent to come from Lyon's academy since Karim Benzema. It's high praise when you consider the academy graduates (Alexandre Lacazette, Nabil Fekir, Bradley Barcola, Malo Gusto, Pierre Kalulu) to have graduated since Benzema did in 2009.

There were flashes of stardom from Cherki in the years that followed, with the 2022-23 campaign being his true breakout (four goals, six assists in under 2,000 Ligue 1 minutes). After a downturn in 2023-24, last season was Cherki's best yet, with eight goals and 11 assists -- he was also second in Ligue 1 in total key passes, and first in expected assists. Over the past three seasons, he ranked 5th, 11th, and 12th in sequence involvements ending in a shot among Ligue 1 players with a minimum of 1,000 minutes played.

Put another way, few players matched Cherki across Europe when it came to getting his team into the opposition's penalty box.

Who were the best BOX PENETRATORS in the Top 5 Leagues?

-Doku is an anomaly when it comes to box penetration.
-Cherki, best at passing it into the box, Haaland must be happy.
-Olise and Yamal also pass dominant.
-Barcola, bring him to LFC.
-Minteh, future Salah successor? pic.twitter.com/2IchJMkQEY

— Pranav (@pranav_m28) June 13, 2025

What makes Cherki such a fascinating player is that he plays at his own pace. You wouldn't confuse him for being an elite straight-line athlete, but his ability to dictate tempo is already near masterful levels despite his young age. He can stop and start almost at will to get opponents on their heels, which makes him a tough player to cover in combination with being able to make almost every pass possible and being close to two-footed. To make a cross-sport comparison, he's football's answer to Luka Dončić in the NBA. Neither are elite athletes in the conventional sense, but their unique style of play has helped them be successful.

This past season showed improvements in Cherki's efficiency, becoming a greater threat in terms of providing goals and assists -- it's notable that the 24-25 campaign was the first season in which his xG/shot was 10% or higher. He was also more aggressive getting into high-value zones off the ball in the final third through third-man runs (when a player moves off the ball into space after a teammate receives possession) and underlapping sprints toward the wide area of the box to juice his passing. There are still questions with his defensive work, though -- it's less to do with his intent, but more a reality of his slight frame.

Cherki's spellbinding creativity will certainly be an asset to Man City, especially with the departure of Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli during the offseason. On the other hand, fitting Cherki into a functional defensive unit (especially one that looks to press) will be a challenge and could well influence where, and when, Guardiola plays him. This is especially pertinent given City's defensive woes since winning the Treble in 2023.

How Pep Guardiola brings Cherki into the fold at both ends of the pitch will be one of the most interesting subplots of the 2025-26 Premier League season.