Football Features

Premier League players to watch in GW9: Will Damsgaard, Jiménez or Havertz make history?

By Mohamed Moallim

Published: 11:00, 25 October 2024 | Updated: 17:08, 5 November 2024

The 2024/25 Premier League season is entering its ninth gameweek, and certain players are starting to stand out. Let’s take a closer look at them.

Erling Haaland leads the scoring charts but is currently experiencing an unexpected drought.

Meanwhile, an in-form Arsenal forward is on the verge of joining an illustrious predecessor, while an underrated forward has the chance to make league history this weekend.


BetMGM sign-up offer: Get £40 in bonuses when you bet £10

Not signed up to BetMGM yet? Here's how eligible readers* can take advantage of their welcome offer:

  1. Open an account at BetMGM using this link.
  2. Select the Sports Welcome Offer.
  3. Get the offer from the ‘My Offers’ page.
  4. Deposit and place a £10 bet at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater.
  5. When it settles, unlock £40 in bonuses

New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware.org


Haaland to match his worst run?

After the opening five matches, things looked ominous for the competition, with Erling Haaland scoring ten goals and firmly leading the race for the Golden Boot. During that stretch, he registered back-to-back hat-tricks and was just one goal away from achieving three consecutive matches with a hat-trick.

However, the Norwegian striker seems to be experiencing a dip in form, having failed to score in his last three Premier League appearances, even though Manchester City accumulated seven points from nine available during that period.

This marks the second time in his brief Premier League career that Haaland has gone three games without scoring; his longest goal drought has been four matches between December and February last season.

There has been much discussion about Haaland’s involvement in games. In his previous match against Wolves, he registered only 13 touches, his fewest in a game across the top five leagues in Europe when he completed a full 90 minutes.

Can Jiménez join an exclusive club?

Age is merely a number; if you’re talented enough, you’re old enough. This adage is often applied to emerging young talents in their teenage years, but it holds true for those entering their later years as well.

Take Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez, for example, who is experiencing a notable comeback season. He has scored or assisted in each of his last five Premier League appearances, recording four goals and one assist.

No player from Fulham has achieved this feat for six consecutive games. Moreover, only three players aged 33 or older have scored or assisted in six straight games: Gus Poyet at age 34 in 2001, Dennis Bergkamp at 35 in 2004, and Zlatan Ibrahimović at 35 in 2017.

Damsgaard seeks a unique feat

Brentford are experiencing an inconsistent season. They started strong with two wins in their first three matches but have since suffered three losses in five outings.

One highlight was a thrilling 5-3 victory over Wolves, where Mikkel Damsgaard made a significant impact by providing two assists. Damsgaard continued to shine in the Bees’ next match against Manchester United, creating another goal, surpassing his total assists from his first 55 games in the competition (two).

He has delivered assists from corners in his last two games, meaning he can equal something Ashley Williams did for Everton in April 2017: assisting a goal from a corner situation in three consecutive appearances in Premier League history.

Fernandes faces his bête noire

Manchester United’s recent match against Fenerbahçe ended in a draw after they squandered another lead, marking their failure to win any of their last five away games without Bruno Fernandes in all competitions (two draws and three losses).

During those five matches, they managed to score only two goals. Fernandes missed the recent game after receiving a red card in the previous Europa League match against Porto, but he will be available for their upcoming visit to West Ham this weekend.

Interestingly, the Portuguese midfielder has faced the Hammers 12 times as a Manchester United player and has never scored against them. They are the team he has faced most often without finding the net, despite attempting 25 shots across those 12 games.

Havertz chasing ‘Titi’

Kai Havertz had a slow start in North London, but under the guidance of Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta, he’s transformed into a master of space and timing. He is now on the verge of equaling a remarkable milestone. Havertz scored in his last five Premier League appearances at the Emirates Stadium.

The only Arsenal player with a longer streak of successive home appearances in the competition is club legend Thierry Henry, who accomplished this twice: six goals from March to August 2000 and seven from May to October 2004.

Not many imagined this following his surprising move from Chelsea last summer, and the Gunners will need him and his teammates to be in form when facing a scintillating Liverpool side without influential centre-back William Saliba.

Read more: