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Sometimes new signings to the Premier League flop under the pressure, but for those who can manage both the robust force of the division and the media headlines, glory awaits.
It's often said that the Premier League doesn't compare to any other division in the world; it has the most consistency throughout and virtually every club is capable of causing an upset to one of the Big Six.
With TV rights alone earning clubs close to £100m per season, their transfer budgets are invariably higher than nearly every club in top-flight football. This means that they're able to bring in talent from all over the world, but it's then down to the player to prove that they can adapt to the high standard of football.
In this list, we're going to go over ten players who, despite all the hype that could have put them off, are having a great season with their new clubs.
#10 Lucas Digne
Lucas Digne is a 25-year-old left-back who currently plays for Everton. He has also featured for France's national team 23 times since having made his debut in March 2014.
Digne joined Everton from Barcelona last summer for just under £20m. He had been signed from PSG to play for the Catalans as a back-up option to Jordi Alba, but after problems arose surrounding the number of non-Spaniards in the side, certain players had to be offloaded in order for the club to comply with the regulations.
Nobody really expected a great deal from Digne when he first arrived, after his performances for Barcelona were lacklustre, to say the least. However, he came in to replace the ageing Leighton Baines and has shone from the get-go.
Digne has made a total of 29 appearances for the Toffees so far this season, scoring three goals and assisting four in the process. He has cemented himself as a first-team player at Goodison Park and has become a fan-favourite as a result of his consistency out on the pitch.
In just one season, Digne's market value has risen by about £4m, putting him at £22.5m.
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#9 Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker is a 26-year-old goalkeeper who currently plays for Liverpool in the Premier. He also plays for Brazil's national side, having featured in 35 matches since his debut back in October 2015.
Gone are the days when the Reds had to put up with calamitous performances from Karius or Mignolet; now, they have a robust keeper who remains consistent from game to game, instilling a sense of comfort in the fans, knowing that he's not prone to slip-ups like the aforementioned duo.
Alisson was bought from Roma for a whopping £56m in the summer, setting a record for the most spent on a goalie (before Chelsea signed Kepa for £70m). You would think that with a price tag like hovering over his head, he'd stumble and crack under pressure; however, that hasn't been the case and instead, he's become one of the best players in the squad.
Alisson has played in 32 matches for Liverpool so far this season, keeping an admirable 17 clean sheets in the process. He has only conceded a total of 19 goals, too -- credit perhaps to the solid defence in front of him.
If the Brazilian keeper continues to play as well as he has been, he may just win the PFA Goalkeeper of the Year award.
#8 Felipe Anderson
Felipe Anderson is a 25-year-old left winger who currently plays for West Ham United in the Premier League. He has featured for Brazil's national team just once back in June 2015.
Felipe Anderson's arrival in the Premier League was met with a mixed response; some fans were happy to see him in a Hammers shirt, but others were more cynical, pointing out that he was unproven and could easily become a flop.
However, things have turned out very well for the Brazilian trickster, who has found the back of the net eight times and assisted four in 31 appearances. He is a thorn in the side of virtually every team West Ham come up against, for he drifts across the attacking third, making it very difficult to defenders to keep track of him.
Before joining West Ham, he played for Lazio in Serie A, having moved there from his boyhood club, FC Santos for £6.5m. With Lazio, Anderson turned heads due to his impressive skill on the ball and his ability to either pick out team-mates or go for goal himself - often scoring.
His market value shot up to around £30m, and the Hammers decided not to waste any more time lest his value rose by even more, so they signed him for £34m last summer. Anderson is now valued at close to £40m.
#7 James Maddison
James Maddison is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder who currently plays for Leicester City in the Premier League. He has also made six appearances for England U21s and was recently called up to the senior squad, but is yet to feature.
Maddison has been closely watched by scouts from the moment he first signed from Norwich from Coventry back in February 2016. He spent a six-month period on loan at Aberdeen, where he excelled and was clearly far too good for the Scottish Premiership. As a result, he was recalled in January and put straight into the side, where he remained until Leicester bought him for £22.5m last summer.
Many football pundits have said that Maddison could become one of the best English players in the league if he continues developing at the rate he has been.
Maddison has featured in 30 matches for Leicester so far this season, scoring six goals and assisting the same amount. He is a key player in the Foxes squad and their reliance on him is huge.
There's no doubt that he'll end up at a top-four club soon.
#6 Rui Patricio
Rui Patricio is a 31-year-old goalkeeper who currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. He has also played in-between the sticks for Portugal a total of 79 times, since making his debut back in 2010.
I think that many people were shocked when Rui Patricio signed for Wolves in the summer, despite their links to the Portuguese player market, as he's so highly regarded that it seemed much more likely for him to head to a team in the top-four, rather than one that had just been promoted from the Championship.
Yet still, Patricio has been on top form for the Midlands club this season, appearing in 31 matches and keeping 6 cleansheets -- which, for a team who are considered underdogs in most matches, is quite a feat.
Wolves continue to build a strong side in the league - one which they can be very proud of, too, given their current standing of 7th in the Premier League.
#5 Lucas Torreira
Lucas Torreira is a 23-year-old central midfielder who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League. He has also featured 15 times for Uruguay since making his debut back in March 2018.
It wasn't until Torreira returned to Sampdoria from his loan with Pescara in the summer of 2016 that he first started on his rise to prominence. Sampdoria began to use the youngster much more regularly and he showcased his talent each and every week, turning the heads of top European clubs who would then send out scouts to monitor his progress.
Two years on, and Arsenal were the club who ultimately acquired Torreira's signature, at the cost of £27m. But no money was wasted in this deal as Torreira's performances for the Gunners have been nothing short of sublime.
His importance to the team is reflected in his 29 appearances so far this season, in which he's both scored and assisted two goals. Of course, Torreira's main duty is more defensive, carrying out the tasks a defensive midfielder would whilst also being on his toes in preparation for a counter-attack.
The clubs that missed out on the opportunity to sign the Uruguayan midfielder will surely be regretting their decision now.
#4 Fabinho
Fabinho is a 25-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Liverpool in the Premier League. He has also featured for Brazil seven times since his debut back in June 2015.
Fabinho was a rising star in European football just months after Monaco signed him for £5.4m. I think many people were surprised at how quickly he developed as a player and how comfortable he was on the ball, despite his tender age.
His performances eventually earned him a move to Anfield for around £40m. Many Monaco fans were irate with the club for having allowed one of their best players to leave so easily, but it's a well-known secret now that Monaco have become a selling club, only interested in profits.
Fabinho has been crucial in the Liverpool midfield this season, and his ability to read the game has helped the side out considerably. He's featured in 23 matches for Liverpool, scoring a single goal and assisting two.
The Reds will do well to keep hold of him this summer, though, as he's quickly turning into one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.
#3 Joao Moutinho (Wolves)
Joao Moutinho is a 32-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. He has also featured for Portugal's national team a total of 114 times since making his debut all the way back in 2005 - 14 years ago.
Another member of Wolves' Portuguese contingent, Joao Moutinho reportedly turned down offers from AC Milan and Chelsea to join the Midlands club last summer. It was one of the many shocks of the transfer window, but, boy, what a signing he has been.
Some were apprehensive about Moutinho, given his age, but he is still very fit and has enough stamina to last the entirety of a match with relative ease. He has appeared in 32 matches so far this season, assisting seven goals and scoring one for himself in the process.
Moutinho is also an asset from set-pieces, adding a new dimension to Wolves' play and rendering them a lot more efficient from corner balls and free-kicks.
#2 Raul Jimenez
Raul Jimenez is a 27-year-old centre-forward who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. He has featured for Mexico's national team 69 times since making his debut back in January 2013.
Whilst Jimenez is only on loan at Wolves from Benfica this season but given just how well he's performed for the Midlands side in front of goal, there'll be no doubt that Wolves will try and do all they can to sign him on a permanent deal.
Really, Wolves should have signed him rather than opting for a loan deal, as now the time has come for them to decide whether they should buy him, his market value has shot up from around £13m to about £25m. However, in order for them to pry the Mexican striker away from Benfica, they may have to splash out closer to £40m.
Jimenez has been a revelation this season, showing no signs of slowing down even now. He has scored 12 goals and assisted 8 from 32 matches. Most people were expecting him to have a tricky start as he had to adapt to the Premier League's speed, but he has seemed comfortable in possession and showcases great composure in front of goal, too.
#1 Issa Diop
Issa Diop is a 22-year-old centre-back who currently plays for West Ham in the Premier League. He has also featured six times for France U21s and is yet to be called up to the senior side.
When the Hammers splashed out £22m on a relatively unknown defender in the summer, many fans became cynical of the new signing, believing that he hadn't shown enough to warrant such a costly move to England. However, his performances this season have shut everybody up and he's turned into a rock at the back for West Ham.
From a total of 30 matches, Issa Diop has kept five cleansheets and scored a single goal. Some might say that the number of cleansheets he's earned is low, but consider the West Ham team right now - it's not the greatest in the league as they're in the process of rebuilding.
So, the fact that he's even managed to pick up one is verging on a miracle, given how fickle their defence is in general.
West Ham are 11th in the table at the moment, which is a reasonable standing for a club of their stature. Though they will be hoping for much more next season, with the likes of Issa Diop and other top stars playing even better than they have been.
