Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
‘Pinnacle proprietary aerodynamic technology’ has been used to develop ‘Aerow Trac grooves and fuse-welded synthetic leather’ topped off with a ‘bold visual power graphic’ (in other words an expensive red and white football) will be kicking off the Premier League this week.
While the English season officially kicks off the night before with Kuwaiti-owned Nottingham Forest visiting Brighton on the south coast it will be left to the team that wins the coin toss between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to start the most popular league in the world. Unlike last season there has been an early flurry of transfer activity at Old Trafford as Louis van Gaal conducted much of his business prior to their pre-season tour to the United States. The Dutchman has stayed close to home by signing one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe, Memphis Depay, while bringing experience in the form of German captain Bastian Schweinsteiger. They have (at the time of writing) failed to add to their central defensive playing staff although the signing of Morgan Schneiderlin will provide some cover. The re-emergence of Luke Shaw in pre-season and the addition of Italian Matteo Darmian should reduce their reliance on David de Gea who may be sold. Jose Mourinho has been relatively reluctant to use Roman Abramovich’s cheque book during this transfer window, merely replacing fringe players that have moved to pastures new. Most intriguing of these is Radamel Falcao who failed to impress at United last season. There is no doubt that, at his best, the Colombian is amongst the best goalscorers in the world. However, it remains to be seen whether he can regain his speed and agility following a knee injury. Former manager Avram Grant, now manager of African Cup finalists Ghana, provided the recommendation that led to the signing of Baba Rahman who will hope to fill the left-back position in the league’s meanest defence. While efforts have been made to sign Everton’s promising England centre-back John Stones, they also have the impressive Kurt Zouma who made steady progress in the final months of last season. If Chelsea has a weakness it could be an increased pressure to succeed in European competition in which Diego Costa failed to score. Eden Hazard, recently touted by his manager as being ‘better than Ronaldo’, was the one creative player to consistently deliver although he, along with Fabregas and Matic, looked jaded as the season wore on. Mourinho’s strongest challenges should come from Arsenal and Manchester City. The former of these finally overcame their Chelsea ‘hoodoo’ with a 1-0 victory in the Community Shield. While the result of this match is remarkably unreliable (Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the corresponding fixture and then won only two of their seven league games in a run that Wenger claims cost them the title) the Gunners have now claimed three trophies out of three in pre-season. The arrival of Petr Cech has brought an excellent goalkeeper and the emergence last season of Bellerin and Coquelin affords greater stability while the sight of Theo Walcott in the centre-forward role suggests he will finally be in his preferred position. Wenger, about to enter his 19th year as Arsenal manager, will have to deal with a higher level of expectation although he is confident that his stable line-up can deliver. The remaining side of last year’s Champions League qualifiers is Manchester City who have had the shackles of the Financial Fair Play rules lifted, allowing them to pursue Raheem Sterling for £49 million (BD29 million), breaking the record transfer fee for an English player. Otherwise Manuel Pelligrini has been remarkably quiet although rumours still suggest that ex-Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne will make the journey from Wolsburg for an even higher fee. Fabian Delph has been signed from Aston Villa, although his signing appears to be one of finding value (he had negotiated a release clause of only £8 million). I would be staggered if he managed to dislodge Yaya Toure or Fernandinho from the midfield. Of course, they do also have Wilfried Bony who arrived in January and he will provide a greater presence up front although City will still rely heavily on Sergio Aguero. What surprises me personally is that three of these top four sides have signed so few players despite their relative failures in Europe. With the English league continually promoting itself as the greatest in the world, those that have qualified need to achieve greater success, which surely requires a revamp of their squads. Liverpool took many by surprise in 2013-14 when they went agonisingly close to securing their first Premier League title in 24 years although, having gone on a spending spree, surprised even more fans with their relative failure last year. There have been more new arrivals although there is a feeling that these have been made with greater purpose. Brendan Rodgers is a divisive figure amongst fans although he appeared to have little control over the loss last season of Suarez and Sterling this summer. The free-transfer acquisition of James Milner should see a suitable replacement for Steven Gerrard while the arrival of Christian Benteke will guarantee goals, particularly when he is able to partner the returning Daniel Sturridge. However, the most exciting signing should be Roberto Firmino who is a tactically intelligent forward with an unrelenting work ethic. Add these arrivals to the dazzling Philippe Coutinho and the running of Jordan Henderson and, with the lack of Champions League football to distract them, I suspect that they will be a force to be reckoned with. One team that I want to succeed is Southampton who not only survived the sale of the majority of their leading players but also secured a spot in the Europa League. Despite having an academy that is still churning out good players – Ward-Prowse, Reed and Targett will be regular starters – they will also rely on Ronald Koeman’s ability to unearth real value for money. Their neighbours – but not rivals – Bournemouth, enter the Premier League for the first time in their history. Backed by Russian billionaire Maxim Demin, Eddie Howe’s side won the Championship, albeit by one point on the final day of the season. I will also be intrigued to see how Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace fare having secured the fascinating signings of Yohan Cabaye and Patrick Bamford. Of course, all of these predictions could change with the transfer window not closing until 8pm (Bahrain time) on September 1. With internationals and wannabe’s seeking regular football ahead of the 2016 European Championship and relaxed FFP regulations, I expect a number of teams to be busy adding to their squads. Predictions (controversial):
