With Premier League spending continuing to hit record heights over the past summer, there is an ever-growing pressure on clubs in the English top flight to splash big money on the signings of marquee names to enhance their squads.
Even greater pressure arrives on the shoulders of the players who are subject to such sizeable transfer fees. Many big investments often hit the ground running, as their quality generally correlates with their price tag, whilst others are overshadowed by the large amounts invested in them by their clubs.
With figures in the region of £70m and over now being spent even on goalkeepers and defenders, and figures well in excess of £100m now seemingly the norm for world class forwards, the pressure on big money signings is greater than ever to justify their fees. Here are seven expensive signings with a Premier League point to prove...
7. Alexandre Lacazette
Often questioned over his place and consistency in the Arsenal team since his then-club record transfer in the region of £50m from Lyon in July 2017, Lacazette struggled with a knee injury which disrupted his adaptation to life in his first season in north London.
The arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January, for a figure which eclipsed Lacazette's and became Arsenal's new record transfer, added further pressure on the Frenchman to step up and not be overshadowed by another new star striker.
Aubameyang hit ten goals in his first 13 appearances for the club, and his form often saw Lacazette restricted to appearances from the bench towards the end of last season, and the same has been true in the early stages of this campaign.
The Frenchman has proved his worth, though, with a vital contribution in the 3-1 win over West Ham and a starring performance from the start against Cardiff, scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory. Lacazette must continue in his current vein of form to prove he was worth the investment.
6. Alvaro Morata
Signed for a club record £70m from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017, Morata made a blistering start to life at Stamford Bridge with a strong run of goalscoring form in his early appearances in a Chelsea shirt.
The Spaniard's good performances fell away, however, and the former Juventus star failed to continue his best form across his debut season in west London. Signed to replace cult hero Diego Costa following his compatriot's return to Atletico Madrid, Morata has rarely looked close to providing a like-for-like attacking force capable of spearheading Chelsea to another Premier League title.
Following a summer of speculation, Morata has started the new Premier League season brightly under new manager Maurizio Sarri, with a goal in the 3-2 win over Arsenal reminding his club what he is capable of, and the Spaniard must continue to fire if he is to prove worthy of his place and his price tag.
5. Romelu Lukaku
Following in the footsteps of some great names at a club with a rich history of legendary frontmen, Lukaku was always going to have his work cut out in making the grade at Manchester United.
£75m was spent to bring the big Belgian to United from Everton, and though he has found a decent consistency in goalscoring form at Old Trafford, Lukaku still has a long way to go in proving that he is of Red Devils quality in front of goal.
A history of players such as Andy Cole, Eric Cantona and Ruud van Nistelrooy have graced the Theatre of Dreams with ruthless finishing abilities, making them deadly weapons in the United attack. Though Lukaku has often demonstrated his quality, some big misses in the recent 3-0 defeat to Tottenham suggested that he still has much to do to reach the same level as his iconic predecessors.
4. Riyad Mahrez
Stepping into a side that achieved an imperious 100-points haul on the way to a dominant Premier League title triumph would be a tough task for any player, but the pressure is on for Riyad Mahrez to justify his club record £60m fee after joining champions Manchester City in the summer.
The Algerian has the unenviable task of seeking to break into a City attack which is already bristling with the likes of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva occupying the wide areas in which Mahrez is seeking to bed down in Pep Guardiola's side.
As City's club record transfer and their only major signing of the summer, the pressure is on the former Premier League champion to replicate his best Leicester form at the Etihad and breathe fresh impetus into a City side which offers little room for improvement in attacking terms.
Mahrez has started only two of CIty's four games so far this season, and faces a tough task in forcing his way into Guardiola's side on a regular basis.
3. Lucas Moura
Having become the first side in Premier League history to fail to make a major signing during a summer transfer window, it is clear that Tottenham are not a club willing to make big investments off the cuff.
Lucas Moura was, however, a big money signing in a £25m move from PSG in January, and is the closest thing Spurs have to a player capable of making a fresh impact and providing the effect of a big new signing for Mauricio Pochettino this season, having made a slow start to life in north London.
The Brazilian was often left on the bench during the second half of last season following his winter move from Ligue 1, but demonstrated the kind of impact he is capable of having by scoring a decisive brace during Spurs' recent 3-0 win away at Manchester United.
Moura displayed the ability to provide an effective new strike partner for Harry Kane, with the pace and movement to compliment the qualities of Tottenham's star man, though a lesser performance in the 2-1 defeat away to Watford more recently proved that Moura still has much to do to justify being Totteham's only recent big investment.
2. Gylfi Sigurdsson
In a summer of big spending at Goodison Park last summer, Gylfi Sigurdsson was the eye-catching signing as the Icelandic midfielder shattered Everton's transfer record in completing a £45m move from Swansea City to Merseyside.
Despite the promise which came from heavy investment under the management of Ronald Koeman, Everton struggled to justify their big spending, eventually finishing eighth in the league under Sam Allardyce, with Sigurdsson yet to make a telling impact on his new side's development.
Now under the management of Marco Silva, Sigurdsson remains Everton's club record signing, despite the big money arrival of Richarlison this summer, and will be expected to lead his side to loftier heights this term with a season of experience already under his belt at Goodison Park.
Sigurdsson must be the central figure in delivering the greater quality which Everton's heavy investments are expected to yield.
1. Alisson
Unusually for a goalkeeper, few players in the Premier League will come more under the microscope this season than Alisson. Liverpool raised the spending barrier for goalkeepers to unprecedented heights when they splashed £67m to bring the Brazilian to Anfield from Roma during the summer, more than doubling the previous record transfer for a keeper.
Liverpool's huge investment in Alisson was seen as a necessary step by the club to raise the level of quality in goal for Jurgen Klopp's side following the high profile struggles of Loris Karius between the posts for the Reds last season.
The widespread attention returned as Alisson committed a calamitous error in handing Leicester City a route back into a recent Premier League match as Liverpool eventually beat the Foxes 2-1.
The pressure on the Brazilian to prove worthy of his club's sizeable investment for a goalkeeper is at least as great as with any other player in the Premier League this season.