Premier League ponderings: A look into the new season

And we’re back! A new Premier League Season is upon us and damn, does it have a lot to do if it’s going to live up to the spectacle that we witnessed last year.

As always there have been massive changes all throughout the league since last year, Cardiff City, Norwich City and Fulham were relegated to the Championship to be replaced by Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Leicester City at the table of the 20 elite clubs in England.

MANAGERS

Surprisingly enough, considering the record setting amount of managerial sackings in the course of last season, only three clubs made major coaching changes over the course of the off-season. Pepe Mel and Tim Sherwood were relieved of their duties from West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively, and the latter position was filled by Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino, whose vacant position was filled by former Feyenoord coach Ronald Koeman.

There is one other new manager of note, as Louis van Gaal has taken up the reins at Manchester United, a move that has been expected ever since the fallen giants parted ways with David Moyes in the midst of their worst season in decades. Aged, experienced and borderline totalitarian, van Gaal will be coming in off the back of the World Cup with the expectation of bringing the Red Devils back into title contention and put the memory of last season’s collapse behind them.

PLAYERS

The biggest transfer news of the summer by some margin was the exit from the Premier League of last season’s top scorer Luis Suarez, as the Liverpool forward completed a £75 million ($136.5 million CAD) switch to Barcelona, a huge blow for his club. But perhaps more significantly, it is yet another recent example of the league’s best player leaving the country to ply their trade for one of Spain’s big two teams.

Despite the league losing its most electrifying talent once again, Suarez was the only true high profile departure to abandon the league for foreign shores, as the majority of the off-season’s business was done within the league itself. But as with every year there have been a wide selection of new arrivals, some world-class and some barely known, but all have been brought to compete in the world’s toughest football league for a reason.

Here are my predictions for the five most potentially impactful signings of the transfer window so far. Writer’s note: Last year I included Ricky van Wolfswinkel on this list, after scoring on his league debut he never scored again. I was so wrong and I’m sorry.

Emre Can

Age: 20

Nationality: German

Signed for: Liverpool

Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

Transfer fee: £9.75 million ($17.5 million CAD)

One of the most promising youth prospects in the German football system, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is looking to 20 year old Emre Can to bring a brand of steel to the midfield that has been missing since the days of Javier Mascherano. Able to occupy any position within the centre of midfield, Can is the perfect fit for the dynamic, rotating midfield diamond that saw Liverpool go on a 12-game winning streak at the tail end of last season. The steely, hard tackling midfielder is an ideal complement to the tireless running of Jordan Henderson and the composed control of Joe Allen, and at such a young age, could potentially grow to be a standard in The Reds’ midfield for many seasons to come.

Diego Costa

Age: 25

Nationality: Spanish

Signed for: Chelsea

Signed from: Atletico Madrid (Spain)

Transfer fee: £32 million ($58.2 million CAD)

You’ve really got to feel for Atletico Madrid, every few years they tend to have a top level striker leading their line, only for him to be snatched away by a richer club with a gap up top to fill. Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa is the latest man to join the ranks of Torres and Falcao in shipping out of country in search of a bigger paycheck. The Costa to Chelsea rumours had been flying around for some time, so it was to no one’s surprise when the London club finally swooped for their man this past July. A fiery striker who is just coming off a surprise title win in Spain, Costa bring not only pace and power, but also a history of on field spats and poor attitude, Chelsea new number 19 may prove to be the league’s newest villain.

Alexis Sanchez

Age: 25

Nationality: Chilean

Signed for: Arsenal

Signed from: Barcelona (Spain)

Transfer fee: estimated £30 million ($54.6 million CAD)

One of the most sought after signatures in football this season by far, Chilean star Alexis Sanchez has arrived in the Premier League after multiple seasons’ worth of speculation. Seemingly a casualty of Barcelona’s purchase of Luis Suarez, Sanchez was considered to be the prime target for Liverpool to replace their outgoing Uruguayan, but apparently decided on London and Arsenal as the place to continue his career. An exceptional set of performances at the World Cup displayed his mix of speed trickery and shooting that will make him an invaluable addition to Arsenal’s slim forward line.

Romelu Lukaku

Age: 21

Nationality: Belgian

Signed for: Everton

Signed from: Chelsea (England)

Transfer fee: £28 million ($51 million CAD)

The only player on this list with previous experience playing in England, the club-record signing of Romelu Lukaku to Everton is a huge statement of intent from a club that, in recent seasons, has been steadily improving and threatening to break the domination of the big five, but coming up just short every time. The addition of Lukaku on a temporary basis last season helped Everton reach a two month undefeated streak and they unsurprisingly wanted the big Belgian back on a permanent basis. Having spent the majority of his Chelsea career on the bench or on loan to another side, the 22-year-old cited his need to regular first team football and his relationship with manager Roberto Martinez as factors in him making the switch.

Bojan Krkić

Age: 23

Nationality: Spanish

Signed for: Stoke City

Signed from: Barcelona (Spain)

Transfer fee: £4 million ($7.3 million CAD)

Smashing his way into public consciousness with Barcelona so many years ago, many would be forgiven for believing that Bojan is pushing 30 and about to retire, having never lived up to his status as “the next big thing in football.” However, only one of those assumptions would be anywhere near correct, it’s undeniable that all the hype laid on his 17-year-old shoulders weighed him down, and despite not quite making it in Italy, is still just 23 years old and looking to kick-start his career. Stoke City is certainly not the most glamourous destination in the league, but under Mark Hughes, have been making steps toward shedding their “thug football” reputation and signing a striker with over 100 appearances for one of the world’s top clubs is a good way to keep that momentum going.