Teams to look out for this year in the Premier League
Today, we discuss the sides that could surprise you ahead of this Premier League season.
Welcome back to Football Latest, and as the Premier League returns, so does this newsletter. It doesn’t really feel like there has been much of a break from football over this summer, and although we can’t really complain about that, the players certainly have a right to. They are being asked to play more and more football, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. First it was the introduction of much more stoppage time at the end of games last season, as well as an increase in international friendlies ahead of the Euros. This, along with a shortened summer break last year caused skyrocketing levels of injuries in the Premier League last season, and it certainly has not helped that this summer, the Euros shortly followed the end of the season, and after that, the Olympics started, and so did club friendlies. As these games came to a conclusion, the Community Shield started and shortly after that, the first Premier League fixture between Fulham and Manchester United. These injury issues are only going to get worse as the expansions of the Champions League and Club World Cup continue, and I just thought that it should be something to mention ahead of the Premier League season. Now, let’s discuss some of the teams that may surprise you ahead of this new season, finishing with the team that I think will exceed expectations the most.
Ipswich Town
The first team that I am going to talk about is Ipswich Town, a team that I think could grow into the season massively. They will undoubtedly have a difficult start to the season, with their first two fixtures being Manchester City and Liverpool, but they have made some brilliant signings over the summer that could prove to be vital if they are to survive. The most expensive of these signings was the acquisition of Chelsea’s young prospect Omari Hutchinson, who had starred in parts of last season on loan at Ipswich despite some inconsistency there. In the month of February for Ipswich, he scored 3 injury time goals and got 2 assists, and this showcases that talent is certainly there in Hutchinson, he just needs to remain fit and consistent. Significant money was also spent on centre-back Jacob Greaves from Hull City and Manchester City youth striker Liam Delap, who could also prove important as Ipswich look to concede less and score much more against the challenging opponents that they will have to face this season. Acquiring a promising centre back like Jacob Greaves is surely a step in the right direction for Ipswich, who will be trying to avoid the same fate as Sheffield United last season, who conceded an unprecedented amount of goals, leading to their relegation.
Tottenham
Tottenham have spent over £60 million to sign a player who I massively admire, and that player is Dominic Solanke. The former Liverpool player matched Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden for goals last season with 19, by far the most goals of any player who’s team finished in the bottom half of the table lasts season. He massively deserved this move and he is as close as Tottenham will get to signing a Harry Kane replacement. We saw in so many moments last season that he is a unique, problematic striker for defenders to deal with, and he is exceptionally skilled at turning quickly when he receives the ball and creating goal-scoring opportunities from his movement. Although he is a different kind of striker to Harry Kane, brilliant link-ups with James Maddison and Heung-Min Son are likely to become more common with Dominic Solanke in this Tottenham team. With Son still performing, Maddison and Van de Ven signed last season and Solanke signed this season, Tottenham have maintained and improved in almost every key area of the pitch under Ange Postecoglou, and will hope that injuries do not hinder their campaign this season.
West Ham
Finally, we get to a team who I think will be the surprise of the season, even to the extent of pushing ahead of teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle, and even teams predicted to finish further up the table like Aston Villa. They have been extremely active in this summer’s transfer window, making surprising and progressive signings. The first of these transfers is Max Kilman, who was essential for Wolves last season as a leader from the back for them. They have also signed promising Championship youth talent Crysencio Summerville, who is likely to strengthen the Hammer’s wing play going into this season. Another recent signing that they have made is Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United, who has fallen behind players like Diogo Dalot in the pecking order at fullback. This could be an important transfer for his career if it works out, and also a chance for him to return to his incredible form from his years at Crystal Palace. The final (and potentially best) signing that West Ham have made this summer has been Niclas Füllkrug, the exceptional German striker who has had a late career revival in the last few years. He has performed incredibly for the German national team in recent years, as well as for his former club side Dortmund, scoring iconic late winners for Germany in important moments. This has earned him a Premier League move to West Ham, who are certainly looking to be the next side to push the traditional top 6 of the Premier League. I think that they can certainly achieve this if all of their key players remain fit for most of the season and all new signing settle in quickly.
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