Premier League Players Facing '007' Criticism
Football fans on social media have taken to tracking players who have unfortunately earned the label of 'going 007.'
This term is used to describe players who have failed to score or assist in their first seven matches with a new club.
The phrase originated in 2021 when a graphic from Sky Germany depicted new Manchester United signing Jadon Sancho in a James Bond-style tuxedo, accompanied by the caption, 'they call me 007 - zero goals, zero assists, seven games.'
Sancho had recently made a £73 million transfer to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund, following months of speculation.
Current Premier League Players Labeled '007'
Liverpool's £116.5 million summer acquisition, Florian Wirtz, has become the latest target of this taunt, having not scored or assisted in his first seven Premier League appearances.
However, he did manage to register an assist during his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace in August.
Manchester United's Matheus Cunha, who transferred from Wolves for £62.5 million this summer, has also been labeled as '007.'
His teammate, Benjamin Sesko, who was signed for £74 million, narrowly avoided the label by scoring in his sixth match for the club, despite a 3-1 defeat to Brentford.
Everton's Thierno Barry, who moved from Villarreal for £27 million, is also without any goal contributions this season.
Several Premier League players have had sluggish starts at their new clubs only to later achieve great success, including Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
Henry took eight games to score his first goal back in 1999 and went on to net 175 Premier League goals, earning four Golden Boots during his career in England.
Cunha faced a similar '007' situation at Wolves but dramatically improved his performance, scoring 33 goals over three seasons at Molineux.
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