A look at five French imports, including Crystal Palace's hotshot midfielder Yohan Cabaye
Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace)
A fans' favourite during his time with Newcastle United, Yohan Cabaye moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Crystal Palace to be reunited with Alan Pardew. He scored the final goal in Palace's 3-1 opening-day win at Norwich City and Eagles fans will be keen to see a demonstration of his long-range shooting prowess when Arsenal visit Selhurst Park this weekend. Of his 18 Barclays Premier League goals for Newcastle, 10 (56%) came from outside the box. A slick, ball-playing midfielder, Cabaye registered a 90% pass-completion rate for PSG last season, comfortably outstripping the Ligue 1 average of 77%.
Jordan Amavi (Aston Villa)
The France Under-21 left-back made the switch to Villa Park from Nice in July and impressed as his new side won 1-0 at AFC Bournemouth on the opening day. Amavi completed four dribbles and won four tackles, a performance in keeping with the 21-year-old's all-action style. In 2014/15, Amavi made more interceptions (165) than any player in Europe's five leading divisions and his 140 tackles were the fourth-highest across the Barclays Premier League, Ligue 1, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga. Amani's 137 attempted dribbles also represented a European best for a defender.
Jordan Veretout completed 86% of his 49 passes in his first BPL match for Aston Villa
Jordan Veretout (Aston Villa)
Alongside Amavi, Jordan Veretout was one of six Villa debutants at the Vitality Stadium. The midfielder completed 86% of his 49 passes, won three tackles and recovered possession on seven occasions. Veretout made one key pass and Tim Sherwood, the Villa manager, will be looking for him to provide ammunition to the forwards after six assists in Ligue 1 last season, three more than any of his team-mates at Nantes. The 22-year-old made 36 league appearances last season, a figure only one other Nantes player could better.
Max Gradel (AFC Bournemouth)
Gradel was unable to prevent AFC Bournemouth from defeat as he came off the bench to begin a second spell in English football. The Ivory Coast forward scored 25 times in 82 appearances for Leeds United before moving to Saint-Etienne in 2011. Of his 31 goals for the Ligue 1 club, Gradel netted 13 in as many matches during this calendar year, establishing himself as the division's top scorer in 2015. His overall tally of 17 goals made him Saint-Etienne's top scorer last term, while he also created the most chances (46) and completed the highest number of dribbles (45) for the club.
N'Golo Kante (Leicester City)
Leicester City turned in one of the best performances of Matchweek 1, beating Sunderland 4-2 at the King Power Stadium. Kante appeared as a substitute during the closing stages and, if Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri requires a midfield enforcer for the upcoming trip to West Ham United, he could call upon the 24-year-old. For Caen last season, Kante made 177 tackles, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2014/15
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