Premier League players make same Puma complaint after just one game of the season
Premier League players have all been making the very same complaint about the all-new Puma match ball, a report claims.
Following Mitre's spell between 1992 and 2000, Nike had a 25-year run as the official ball manufacturer of the Premier League before the contract came to an end last season.
Puma swooped in and penned a lucrative deal to become the new supplier, debuting the new 'Orbita Ultimate PL' after announcing it in June.
Select clubs were able to get to grips with it in the Premier League Summer Series, a United States pre-season tournament which featured Manchester United, Everton, West Ham and Bournemouth.
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Puma's partnership completed the set in English football, as they also supply the balls for the three divisions below the Premier League as well as the Carabao Cup.
However, the early feedback from goalkeepers is worrying, with The Sun speaking to two unnamed top-flight shotstoppers who have expressed their concerns with the movement.
One described it as "like a volleyball", with the other calling it "horrible" to use.
"It is more like a volleyball and it moves in the air so much," one Premier League goalkeeper said.
"The Nike one was not like that. I don’t ever remember a ball like this and I have got one at home to keep getting used to the feel of it.
“It is extremely slippery which makes it difficult to handle. There will be a lot of mistakes this season.
“The ball has apparently been made for strikers but they also struggle with it because of the movement.”
A second followed up stating: "The ball is certainly not made for goalkeepers. I think it is horrible.
"You cannot get a proper grip unless it is an older matchball but there are always new ones for us on matchday.
"You will not be seeing many catches this season, I guarantee that.”
The opening weekend saw mistakes from Manchester United's Altay Bayandir and Chelsea's Robert Sanchez, who couldn't keep out a swerving Eberechi Eze free-kick but was let off the hook by VAR.
Mikel Arteta made Puma complaint in January
Back in January, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta complained about Puma's balls and how different they were to Nike's after his side were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Arteta said "these balls fly a lot" and stressed it was "very different" to the Premier League ball in terms of "the grip", with his comments seeing him widely ridiculed online.
In response, the EFL said the ball is "tested in accordance with the Fifa Quality Programme for Footballs, and meets the Fifa Quality Pro standard".
Meanwhile, following a 4-0 win at Wolves, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his players "didn't complain" about the new ball.
The Catalan, who has a deal with the German sportswear giant, added that "Puma always make really, really good things".
Topics: Premier League
Josh Lawless