While Mohammed Kudus signed for Tottenham Hotspur in a high-profile £55 million switch from West Ham United during the offseason, Samuel Chukwueze's arrival at Fulham went comparatively under the radar.
Both made big contributions in this weekend's London derby at the Tottenham Stadium, as Fulham -- thanks to an early flurry -- defeated their capital rivals 2-1. Chukwueze's assist for Kenny Tete after four minutes set the Cottagers on their way, while Kudus added his second of the season just before the hour mark to at least give the hosts hope.
The opener owed a lot to the Nigerian's trickery, invention and pace, as he flummoxed Archie Gray and Pedro Porro with his fine footwork down Fulham's left before sending in a cross for the advancing Tete to fire home via a deflection off Destiny Udogie.
Harry Wilson added another for the visitors two minutes later, to the chagrin of the home supporters, although Kudus at least threatened to reinvigorate the Lilywhites. Receiving a Lucas Bergvall ball wide on the right, he turned towards goal, and lashed a left-footed shot into the roof of the Fulham goal beyond Bernd Leno.
Chukwueze, relishing the first Premier League start of his career, also hit the woodwork, another highlight of a true 'arrival' in the world's greatest league.
No Fulham player created more goalscoring opportunities during the course of the contest than Chukwueze, while no one on the pitch completed more successful dribbles than the Super Eagles winger.
Marco Silva deserves credit for deploying the winger in an unfamiliar role on the left-hand side, where his desire to cut on his right foot and tear at goal struck fear into Spurs hearts.
Following on from his decisive assist against Fulham last weekend -- a late moment of inspiration to set up Raúl Jiménez for the winner -- Chukwueze has finally regained a measure of momentum again in a career that has threatened to run out of steam.
Still only 26, this is the first time the winger has registered direct goal contributions in consecutive matches since October 2024, with the wideman increasingly losing his sense of direction at parent club AC Milan.
Shaka Hislop wonders where the quality is at Tottenham after Thomas Frank's side are beaten at home by Fulham.
Certainly, while Kudus must still prove that he's worth Spurs' outlay for his services, and that he can transform his eye-catching West Ham individualism to more rarefied climes, Chukwueze has a major point to prove this season.
Moving to AC Milan from Villarreal for €20 million in July 2023 represented a significant step up for the youngster. In truth, his time in Italy was not an unbridled success. Given the fee, the expectations, and Chukwueze's promise, a contribution of four goals and five assists across two Serie A campaigns is a poor return.
Admittedly, the winger never truly had the trust of Milan's head coaches over the last two seasons -- making just 21 league starts since his arrival -- with hamstring and thigh injuries leading to frequent spells on the sidelines while preventing him from consistently establishing himself in the Rossoneri's starting XI.
Consistency of availability naturally bled into consistency of performance, a Chukwueze characteristic that was hardly a strength for the youngster while in La Liga, with last season's month absence for the Africa Cup of Nations another contributing factor.
The context at the club, where Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca, Sergio Conceicao and Massimiliano Allegri all held the reins between Chukwueze's arrival and his loan move to Fulham, has hardly helped, with the West African having to adapt to different styles, varied approaches on the training round and the general drift of transition during these challenging years.
Regardless of the head coaches, there's a sense that his playing style was never a perfect fit for Italian football either, with Chukwueze struggling to find the space he needed to operate, and lacking the subtly or creativity in the final third to prise open more dogged defences.
Once upon a time, he was one of the most eye-catching wingers in Spain, while his five goal contributions in 11 Europa League games in 2020-21 -- en route to the title -- set him apart as one of the bright prospects to watch across Europe's major leagues.
"Samuel Chukwueze's time in Milan has not been very consistent," Nigeria legend Mutiu Adepoju said earlier this year. "He needs to work harder because if you leave Milan and go somewhere else and still have the same level of performance, that would be a huge mistake.
"He needs to work more so that he can get into the team and play consistently, and from there, his career will go up."
It was a sentiment shared by Chukwueze himself, who acknowledged during the summer that he'd failed to live up to his own standards during his second campaign in Lombardy.
"Last season is something we don't really want to talk about," he began, as per Tribuna.
"It was a bad season for the Milan fans and for everyone involved. Honestly, it's one of the worst seasons of my professional career."
Fulham have been willing to take gambles on talents in danger of losing their way or rejected elsewhere in recent years, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Ryan Sessegnon, Raul Jimenez, Andreas Pereira and Leno each enjoying a new lease of life on the banks of the Thames.
Then there's Alex Iwobi, Chukwueze's international teammate, and the nephew of the winger's childhood idol - Jay-Jay Okocha - who enjoyed the best season of his career under Marco Silva last season, scoring nine and registering a further six assists.
In the aftermath of Chukwueze's performance against Spurs - a showing that earned him a first PL Man of the Match award - Iwobi was quick to heap praise onto his compatriot.
"He is energetic on and off the pitch," the ex-Everton man told Sky Sports. "We are happy to have him. You can see the magic he does on the field. He's a great addition to the club. We want to give him the confidence and the license to enjoy football.
"'Chukwu-magic' - that's his nickname on the training field," Iwobi added. "He's able to do it in training, he's able to do it in matches. As long as he remains consistent, that's the main thing for him."
Chukwueze couldn't contain his joy after the match, appearing a player rejuvenated and revived as the confidence that steadily evaporated during those years in Italy seeps back into his system.
"I love [the nickname]," he responded. "As long as it's working, I love it.
"I wasn't expecting [to start] today, but I've been training hard, been focused, the last months have been difficult but I keep my head down, keep working, and today I took the opportunity.
"[Iwobi] and Calvin [Bassey] are the ones who always pushed me more in training," he added. "It works, telling me 'keep your head down, keep working, it's going to come', so it motivates me a lot."
Consistency, as Iwobi noted, is clearly the big question mark hanging over Chukwueze over the coming months; can he remain fit, can he make a sustained impact in the Prem, and to what extent will the AFCON absence impact his ability to establish himself at Craven Cottage?