Focus is beginning to switch to the new Premier League season ahead and one club will be taking in extra media focus and that is Manchester City. City by their standards had a season to forget which included a three month period where literally teams were queuing up to play them. Pep Guardiola's side still bounced back to claim a Champions League spot but finished the season empty handed. It was strange territory for a club who had just won the last 4 Premier League titles. But for City the real problem wasn't just picking up any silverware but in their overall performance. It was certainly a below par season and those effects even ran into this summer's World Club Cup. Perhaps it is fair to say that all that haunted the club last season has not gone away and so there is a feeling that City could be in for more hardship with this new season.
It would be a fool to write off any team managed by Pep Guardiola and we should note the club have had the funds to already spend £125m. The bulk of that has gone on Tijjani Reijnders who comes in from Italians AC Milan. There will also be Premier League experience in Rayan Ait-Nouri after he joined from Wolves and another Rayan in Rayan Cherki will join up as an attacking midfielder coming in from French club Lyon. These are deals that can go either way but are also players that should be able to supplement the club well. We have seen quality players depart this year in Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne. This will be seen as a good thing though as both seemed to have lost a yard and their touch, even more their hunger after so much success. City were at such an elite level and so much was expected of them to deliver something, anything last season that the fall off seemed dramatic. Erling Haaland still scored the goals but not enough of them for his standard and honestly when he wasn't injured he had a tendency to go missing in some of the bigger games. Phil Foden has experienced by far his worst season as a professional player, we all know how great he can be and so it will be interesting to see if he can get that form back. The problem with City last season felt like a lack of motivation, here was a team who would start games slowly but unlike other seasons they were not able to find that extra gear to impose themselves on the game. Of course another major problem was the long term injury to the FIFA World Player of the Year Rodri who was incredibly missed. There is a suggestion that he won't be ready for the beginning of this campaign and we all know the impact that Rodri's absence for the then champions made last season.
Have Arsenal finally found the missing piece in a puzzle? The Gunners have finally been able to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting for a reported £55m, not bad business considering that Sporting at one time had placed a £100m release clause. Gyokeres has previously played in England on loan deals with the likes of Swansea and Coventry and fared well. At Sporting he bagged 97 goals from 102 appearances. It is the last stat that has got Arsenal fans buzzing and is why the day after his transfer fans were queuing for 2 hours in the club shop to get his shirt and name. The Swedish player is 27 and in his prime and all of this is pointing in the right direction for the Gunners as Mikel Arteta aims to start winning trophies again. Arsenal could well be Liverpool's closest title challengers.
On the face of it Everton and West Ham may have little in common but delve deeper into history and here are two clubs that have shared plenty of players and of course a manager in David Moyes who has shown successes at both clubs. Moyes of course left West Ham to go back to Everton last season and the two clubs enter this season not knowing how they will fare. It hasn't been easy for Everton who have just lost 2-1 in a friendly out in the US to West Ham. The club have spent over £50m and Moyes has said that they haven't had a good summer window so far. He is correct. Spending £50m isn't good enough but at the same time it is difficult to attract players. Look at Gyokeres who joined Arsenal for that region of money. Manchester City were able to capture goal machine Erling Haaland for that also. But Everton really need a budget spend of £125m upwards. Of course FFP rules limit clubs and it seems clear as daylight that these rules are punishing clubs like Everton more than they are for the elite clubs. West Ham seem to have similar problems with Calum Wilson being pushed onto them. This is a player that has no love lost with him and Hammers fans and manager Graham Potter claimed that he did not want Wilson. This may point to a dent in the structure between manager and club. Potter did not impress in the second half of last season when he joined and one has to wonder if he will be at the club deep into next season?
Premier League Champions: Latest Odds: Liverpool 2.75, Arsenal 3.25, Manchester City 4.00, Chelsea 10.00, Manchester United 34.00
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