When Igor Julio stepped off the bench in the dying stages of that 1-1 draw at Everton, it meant every one of West Ham United’s six first-team additions had made their Premier League debuts at their new club.
It’s fair to say, though, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag.
Graham Potter removed Mads Hermansen from the firing line after one disastrous afternoon too many. Kyle Walker-Peters and Callum Wilson have proven themselves to be solid bits of business, a pair of experienced free-agents, while Mateus Fernandes made an ‘exceptional’ start during the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest, even if he hasn’t quite hit the same heights since then.
Malick Diouf has certainly been the standout addition to this West Ham United roster. Soungoutou Magassa will hope to make a similar impact once he settles into Premier League life.
Over in Italy though, the Genoa supporters hoping to see Maxwel Cornet come flying out of the blocks back in Serie A will have been disappointed to learn that his first appearance of 2025/26 will have to wait.
Having initially joined on loan in January, Ivory Coast international Cornet scored twice and assisted another during his first six outings in a Genoa shirt. That was, though, before the injury curse struck again.
Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty ImagesMaxwel Cornet yet to play since re-joining Genoa from West Ham United
A winger who just couldn’t catch a break after joining West Ham in a £17.5 million move from Burnley in 2022 appeared to find himself on the wrong side of Lady Luck once again.
Cornet has missed around 50 games now for club and country since swapping Turf Moor for the London Stadium. That number is likely to rise, if recent history is anything to go by.
Genoa coach Patrick Vieira has consistently backed Maxwel Cornet during his time in Liguria.
The former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder played a key role in the deal which brought Cornet back to Serie A for another spell too. The versatile 29-year-old joined Genoa on another, albeit longer-term, loan deal on September 1st.
Now, however, Cornet faces a race against time if he wants to return to the field by the beginning of November.
“Unfortunately, Cornet has a strained adductor and will be out,” Vieira told reporters ahead of Genoa’s 2-1 defeat by Scudetto holders Napoli in the final match before the international break, via Tuttomercatoweb.
According to Il Secolo XIX, Vieira hopes to have Cornet back for Parma’s trip to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on October 19th. But, given his long-running fitness issues, a Genoa fanbase who have seen him start only two league matches in nine months will not be holding their breath as they wait for number three.
“He came here with the desire to help the team,” ex-Crystal Palace, Nice and New York City FC coach Vieira said after Cornet initially touched down in the winter.
“He wants to play. He misses the pitch.
“He is an ambitious boy and wants to return to the national team but to do so he must do well here. He is hungry for football and [has the] desire.”
Mohammed Kudus hits back after flying Tottenham Hotspur start
While Cornet is unlikely to ever feature for West Ham again, no fewer than nine players left the London Stadium on a permanent basis over the summer.
Nayef Aguerd has made an ‘incredible’ start at Marseille, Vladimir Coufal scored a free-kick against Bayern Munich for Hoffenheim, and Mohammed Kudus has been an immediate hit down the road at Tottenham Hotspur.
One of the Premier League’s standout forwards in the first two months of 2025/26, Kudus hit back at his West Ham critics in an interview with Sports Illustrated last month.
Those of a claret and blue persuasion, though, will argue that their criticism only reflected what the eyes could see. The Ghanaian a shadow of his usual effervescent self in his final season in claret and blue.
“Being talked about almost every day on the TV, it’s hard to deal with,” Kudus said.
“From people who don’t even know you, literally, they just watch you for maybe 90 minutes and then there’s a judgement on sometimes who you are or what you are and stuff like that, which I personally I don’t think is fair.
“I think the best people can really talk about you are the people that spend the most time with you almost every single day, you know.
“But, that’s part of the work. And we as athletes, of course, we have to deal with that. That’s why I say don’t be famous or something like that, but you can still use it to your best ability and, and have an impact on other people’s lives.”