As the Euros draw to a close, attention turns to the Barclays Premier League as fans assess their side’s chances next season. With a summer of transfer gossip and managerial merry-go-rounds soon to be in full swing, it’s time to take a look at which player’s will be making a major impact for their club’s in the upcoming campaign.
There are so many potential stars vying for integral roles in their team’s first XIs but will it be the home grown youngsters time to impress or will it be senior players who have taken time to adjust since their big money moves?
England may have a vast array of players coming through at club level but the next generation of talent are not the only ones expected to make step up. Many foreign stars have graced the top flight but usually it takes time for them to adapt to the pace of the English game and their second season is often their time to shine. Whether it’s an over inflated price tag or unjustified potential, there will plenty of players vying to make an impression.
Below is a list of the 15 Players most likely to make an impact for their clubs next season.
Click on Luis Suarez to unveil the 15
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Emile Heskey has become a bit of a laughing stock over the last few years and always seems to be the butt of every football joke.
His goal scoring record has never been great, 7 goals in 62 England appearances and 117 goals in 546 league games for five different clubs. At the ripe age of 34 I can’t imagine that record improving either so the big question is; why would Ipswich want Heskey?
Paul Jewell has highlighted in the press on a couple of occasions that he wants a big physical striker and at 6ft 2in Heskey is certainly that type of player!
He isn’t a glamorous striker or a goal scorer but he can still add something special to any team he joins. He is great at holding up the ball, making simple passes and he works hard to get back to defend when needed. Also, after playing so many years in the Premier League it is obvious that Heskey has great vision and intelligence as a player so he would be a level above any other Ipswich player in that sense.
He may have lost some of ability he had in his prime but personally, I think it would amazing to have Heskey on the bench every game ready to replace Chopra when the time was right. The former Leicester striker has never been known for his pace and he would probably be used as a sub in most games, so his age shouldn’t effect his ability to do a good job for Ipswich.
To win The Championship not only does a side need a team of technically gifted players but they also need gritty players who will help grind out results even when the team is out of form. Many times last season Ipswich would score 1 or 2 goals early on then concede 2 or 3 in the second half and it was hard to watch the team fall apart in the later stages of so many games.
When Ipswich are only just holding onto a 1-0 lead it would be great see Heskey come off the bench, play simple passes to keep the ball and give the team an extra man defensively. He would without a doubt help Ipswich grind out the type of results that previously they have failed to.
Additionally, Jewell has just brought in a fair few young players so the team could probably do with an experienced figure coming in. The fans generally seem to like the idea of having Heskey an option. In a recent online survey 74% of Ipswich fans said they would be in favour of Heskey joining and the former England international was signed by Paul Jewell at Wigan in 2006. Obviously Jewell knows and rates Heskey as a player and it seems like the fans also rate him.
Whether he is laughed at or not I don’t think anyone at Ipswich will care as long as Heskey helps bring in positive results.He plays a role that a lot of people fail to appreciate and he sacrifices his goal scoring record for the sake of the team.
The only reason Heskey is mocked so much is because he is probably one of the most high profile players that play that under appreciated role within a team. It is not his fault that he was picked by England managers on so many occasions and it is important to remember that he can still score goals even though it isn’t the best part of his game.
I for one am hoping that Ipswich do manage to sign him as there aren’t many strikers that can help grind out results like Heskey does.
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The plight of Bill Kenwright, Robert Earl and Jon Woods is representative of many English owners. They bought in to Everton at a time when their wealth was, proportionate to the other owners, relatively impressive. Both Woods and Kenwright were born in Liverpool and grew up supporting Everton. And, like many English owners, their financial situations are now comparatively modest.
As it currently stands, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Southampton and Sunderland are completely foreign owned.
On top of that, the Russian company Thames Sport Investment owns 51% of Reading and both Swansea and West Ham are part owned by foreign investors. So, out of the 20 Premier League teams, only seven are wholly owned by UK nationals.
This poses the questions: how long will it be before there are no English owners left and what will the consequences be of a completely foreign owned Premier League?
Clearly the main factor drawing foreign investors to the Premier League is the economic potential of owning part of such a profitable league.
The latest television rights deal for the Premier League was sold for a combined total of £3b for three seasons, and that’s just for broadcasting rights in the UK. The overseas rights are expected to go for around £2b for the same period.
If you compare this to other leagues it is clear to see just how highly our league is valued. The Bundesliga rights amount to around £1b less for the same period whilst the combined total in La Liga is £510m per season. That’s roughly half of the amount received by English clubs.
In fact the average club in La Liga will receive far less than that as the vast majority of that money goes to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
That leads us on to the second point. Because the Premier League shares the financial packages amongst their teams the league is far more competitive. This means the potential to buy a struggling team and improve it is far greater than it would be in leagues like Spain’s.
Shirt sponsorship is also higher than any other league in the world with €128m received last season by Premier League clubs. The next highest was the Bundesliga with €121m.
So, it is clear to see why overseas investors are attracted to the Premier League. However, if our league is so profitable why aren’t more English investors attracted to owning English clubs? The fact is that despite it being the most profitable league in the world it is still hard to turn a profit owning a football club. So, for wealthy individuals looking to own a football club England is clearly the most attractive prospect yet that individual still has to have extortionate amounts of money in the first place to think about buying a club.
Perhaps there just aren’t enough people in the UK who are both incredibly wealthy and fans of football. Moreover, with every new billionaire who buys in to the Premier League the requisite level of wealth an owner needs to succeed increases.
In reality, outside of the US, there are probably very few countries that do have enough billionaires to own every single top-flight club. Therefore it makes sense that wealthy individuals from different countries would relocate their passion for football to one country. That just happens to be us.
What, then, does this mean for the future of English football? That these foreign owners love football should not be in doubt. No owner would pour so much money in to something they had no interest in. However, some owners are definitely more preoccupied with the financial side than others and just because an owner may love football, it doesn’t mean they have an incredibly strong bond with the club they own. Unlike the fans who owned clubs in the past, unlike owners like Bill Kenwright, these foreign owners are still primarily looking out for themselves.
There is nothing wrong with foreign ownership per se. However, if these owners are not held accountable for the way in which they run these clubs then there could be dangerous issues. They, after all, have a moral responsibility to safeguard the future of these clubs for the fans. Portsmouth has served as a warning for this, and it should be a warning that is carefully heeded.
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Another issue is that with so much foreign money coming in there could be a danger that wealthy English fans are forever priced out of owning part of the club they love. Finally, there is an issue, which not all English fans are against but is still a worrying prospect, with regards to moving games abroad. Just as some NFL games are now played in London at Wembley, American owners could look to play some Premier League games abroad.
The financial benefits of this might be a compelling argument but it is a dangerous road to travel down. Were it to become customary, how long would it be before games were exported to other nations?
These foreign owners may be called owners but they should be thought of as stewards. These clubs are ours. Morally, they belong to the fans. We should welcome their input as long as it benefits the English leagues. Many will argue that, considering these clubs are no longer under English ownership, it is too late to have a say in such issues yet in the Premier League we have a body that is able to provide a check on the owners. Let’s hope, for the sake of the future of English football, they exercise that right.
Scott Sinclair has refused a new Swansea contract, with a move to Manchester City in the pipeline, The Sun report.
The flying winger has impressed over a number of seasons with the Liberty Stadium outfit and played for Team GB at the Olympics this summer.
With less than a year left on his current deal with the Welsh side, a number of Premier League big boys are eyeing a move for Sinclair, whose future is in doubt.
Michael Laudrup’s men are eager to keep the player, but Sinclair has made his intention to leave the side clear by refusing to put pen to paper on a new contract.
The news has been confirmed by the Danish manager, who has admitted that the Premier League champions are keen on the winger.
“Scott won’t sign a new contract. But there is interest from a big club. City’s name keeps coming up,” Laudrup confessed.
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Pepe Reina’s agent has dismissed speculation linking the Spaniard with a move away from Anfield, reports Sky Sports.
Reina has long been one of Liverpool’s stand out performers since he joined the club from Villereal back in 2005.
However, Reina endured his worst spell of form at Liverpool during last season, making several mistakes in a campaign that saw the Reds record their worst ever Premier League finish.
Unfortunately, not much has changed under new manager Brendan Rodgers, as Reina has dropped three clangers already this season in the home matches against Manchester City, Hearts and Arsenal.
This has led to rumours Rodgers is looking to replace the Spaniard with Dutchman Michael Vorm, who performed exceptionally for Rodgers at Swansea last season.
However, Reina’s agent Manuel Garcia Quilon has moved quickly to dismiss the speculation, claiming the 30-year-old will soon be back to his best.
“He is not having an easy time. The team has not started the season well and liability is falling on him,” he said.
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“But this will end when he returns to form. He has four years to run on his contract and rumours of leaving Liverpool
Exploring new tactical concepts is becoming something of the norm amongst modern football managers. The days of teams being set out in the same old humdrum formations are long gone, the agenda now revolving on opponents having to second guess their own plan of action in order to gain the upper hand on field. Evolution has all but consigned the popular 4-4-2 to the history books in favour of the contemporary 4-3-3 ushered in during the early part of the millennium.
In the last two or three years the methodology surrounding tactics has altered significantly with managers now beginning to take a more in-depth, analytical approach. Manchester City, in particular, have benefitted from Roberto Mancini’s willingness to experiment with new strategies, the Italian introducing a functional model that has transformed the clubs fortunes during his two-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.
Of course many will contend the level of success during Mancini’s short reign is derived from the deep pockets of the clubs owners and, while that has indisputably played a part, overhauling a tactical framework that was in disarray during predecessor Mark Hughes’ reign proved just as crucial. The system he implemented was a relatively straight forward but vastly effective 4-2-3-1 that works on a double pivot of two disciplined holding midfielders, giving the players in advanced positions the freedom to attack in swarms and out number the opposition all the while retaining a sense of defensive stability.
So prevalent has this setup become that even England, famed for their persistence with the bog standard 4-4-2, started to adopt it prior to and during Euro 2012. The beauty of the system is that it allowed City to quickly transform into two banks of four when possession was surrendered thus preventing teams from hitting them on a counter attack. The ability to fluidly adapt their shape to changing circumstances throughout a game ultimately proved to be a fundamental component of their Premier League title success. 93 goals scored and only 29 conceded in 38 games. That tells its own story.
With that in mind Mancini’s decision to all but trash 4-4-2 as his secondary formation and utilise an unfamiliar 3-5-2, voguish in his native Italy, seems rather ill-considered. Dragging the players from the comfort zone of their current modus operandi has the potential to disrupt the flow of City’s play as has been the case on a number of occasions this season, namely the games against Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Both highlighted the flaws that come with using the 3-5-2 as City were left horribly exposed both out wide and at the back. The latter, in particular, saw Mancini’s plan to utilise the wing back system backfire spectacularly. Gael Clichy and Maicon, two players comfortable working as a defensive unit, proved incapable of managing an unfamiliar advanced role, offering up too much space to Madrid’s attacking wingers subsequently stretching the three man defence, pulling them out of position and causing a fatal imbalance in the defensive structure. Two of the goals conceded came down the right and were consequence of poor positioning.
Similarly against Liverpool the congestion in midfield stifled City’s creative players, while the central striker remained isolated in the final third allowing the opposition to easily steal possession and launch a counter attack when the ball is played forward or crossed into the penalty area. Still, despite the adverse results of his early season experiment, Mancini harbours aspirations of making the 3-5-2 work. It doesn’t bear thinking about the ramifications should he press the formation into service against Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United.
Converting mid-game has the potential to cause a high level of confusion across the field as the players attempt to make the transition between formations and put City on the back foot, especially if Mancini wants to use it to see out a game. Against an attacking 4-2-3-1, as we’ve seen against Liverpool and Madrid when they conceded in the latter stages, they will struggle to negate the threat of an advanced wide midfield if they don’t have a wingback capable of fulfilling both his defensive and attacking duties, further enhancing the chances of the opposition snatching a late goal and changing the complexion of a game in their favour.
City have already dropped four points from winning positions this season, drew three of their five games and failed to keep a clean sheet giving a clear indication that Mancini’s continuous use of the 3-5-2 to snuff out the opposition threat clearly isn’t having the desired effect. That is in large part down to his team selection and the personnel available to him, primarily in defence.
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As mentioned before Maicon does not have the stamina, mobility or positional awareness to carry out the dual role of a wing-back, while Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov aren’t fully acquainted with the fundamentals of the position. Centrally Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott is a more than capable partnership on its own accord but throwing a third body in, for instance Matija Nastasic or Pablo Zabaleta, destabilises the status quo and causes a breakdown in communication.
Furthermore, when the three central defenders are yanked out wide to cover both the holding midfielders are forced to drop back and fill in, consequently leaving bigger gaps in the middle of the park for the opposition to exploit. It also proves why Mancini tried to fervently to sign Daniele De Rossi from Roma in the summer given his expertise in the role.
All that being said, managers should be commended for endeavouring to introduce new tactics and ideas as the game continues its evolution but picking their moments when do to do is crucial. At the current time Mancini’s obsession with teams second guessing his intentions is causing him to deploy his new pet formation at the wrong times and it has cost City in the opening weeks of the campaign. Their ultimate goal for the new term is to successfully defend their Premier League crown and keep rivals United under their jurisdiction. To do that he needs to abide by the formula that brought the clubs first top-flight crown since 1968 and pick the right moments to integrate his new system. Otherwise, aspirations of a second title winning season in succession will have to be put on ice.
Fulham’s major summer signing Dimitar Berbatov has picked up an injury in training and will miss games against Manchester City and Southampton as reported on goal.com.
Fulham boss Martin Jol confirmed the injury yesterday and he will certainly miss his main striker after the Bulgarian notched two goals in his first three appearances for the Whites. Thankfully though for Fulham fans it seems Berbatov’s hip injury is not serious and Jol will soon have him back.
“Unfortunately Dimitar is injured now and can’t play on Saturday so that is the disappointing thing. He will be out for the next two weeks,” said Jol.
“In his session he was looking good, as usual, and then his final shot he felt something and he had to go in and stop training. It appears he had – not a tear – but a sort of problem with his hip and upper thigh so we couldn’t take the risk to involve him against City.”
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Everton forward Kevin Mirallas has played down hopes of the club challenging for a Champions league place this season, claiming ‘there is still a long way to go’, reports Sky Sports.
David Moyes’ side continued their fantastic start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Goodison Park, which saw them climb to second place in the Premier League table, just three points behind leaders Chelsea.
And summer signing Mirallas has started to make a significant impact on the team’s form, scoring his first goal for the club in the previous weeks 3-0 win at Swansea, before providing two assists against the Saints.
The Belgian international is loving life on Merseyside so far, but is keen to play down the expectation his new side could be in the same position come May.
“Before I signed, I was looking at the Europa League being a more realistic ambition,” he told the Liverpool Daily Post.
“But certainly now as the season has got underway, we have got a good crop of players here and are playing some really nice football.
“It’s fantastic that we are second and our ambition now has to be to stay up there and put pressure on those around us. It’s a long season though and there’s a long way to go, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Mirallas has also admitted to being surprised at how quickly he has settled at Goodison Park.
“It’s going a lot better than I could have hoped for. The settling in period has been a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be.
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“That’s because of various reasons. My team-mates are really cool with me, they have been great with me. They talk to me a lot and support me a lot. The other big factor is that I’ve spent a lot more time on the field and played in more games than I thought I might have done at first.
“I’m still not quite there physically. I still need a good run of games to be 100 per cent fit. I had a chat with the manager when I first came here and he was fully aware that I hadn’t a full pre-season because I’d had a problem with my knee. I’m trying to catch up on that by playing games,” he added.
Manchester United are set to reap the rewards of mammoth sponsorship deals when they collectively combine for the 2014/15 season. And with Tottenham also having dipped into the idea of two separate sponsorship deals, it would benefit Premier League clubs to explore this avenue of increased revenue.
We shouldn’t be too surprised that United are the first team to really use their status to exploit this market. Their partnership with DHL sees the club bring in £10million-a-year over a four-year period for their training kit alone, while their most recent big move will see them pair up with American car giant Chevrolet in 2014. But United aren’t the party that’s necessarily asking around all the major companies for partnerships: the global brands are falling over themselves to sponsor the club.
Manchester United have consistently been at the top of Forbes’ most valuable sports clubs, while their current value is in the £2billion mark. United are a footballing product that sweeps well beyond the boundaries of just English football. They’ve seen evidence of their popularity in places such as South Africa and East Asia while on summer tours, and the club are rightly taking advantage of a colossal stream of income that is readily available.
But the biggest clubs in the Premier League have a significant advantage over those from La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. While those leagues on the continent have their merits, none can claim to be the powerhouse of a sports product that the Premier League is. There’s no value in companies pairing themselves with clubs like Valencia or Sevilla when their successes seem insignificant in comparison to Barcelona or Real Madrid. But the Premier League’s biggest clubs can boast notable and high-profile success. Following Chelsea’s Champions League and FA Cup double last season, shouldn’t they look to explore opportunities for greater income?
The dual sponsorship also plays a hand in clubs who don’t have the capability to move into a new stadium in the immediate future, for whatever reason. When Financial Fair Play eventually does kick in, maximising natural streams of income should of course be one of the priorities for clubs. Arsenal and Manchester United may be safe in their modern, moneymaking stadiums, but even the North London club’s revenue streams pale in comparison to that of United.
Obviously, there are notable issues that need to be circumvented with certain clubs. For example, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was dropped from Nike for his involvement in a dog fighting circuit. He spent time in prison and was naturally a player that Nike wanted to alienate themselves from. With the non-football related stories that continue to arise in English football, many clubs are doing themselves no favours when there is an opportunity for further natural growth.
Tottenham’s idea to split sponsors from Premier League matches to cup matches is an idea that many others should bring in, especially those without the backing of big stadiums. But why are there only a small group of clubs who are taking advantage of this?
In Tottenham’s case, there’s always the fear from the sponsors point of view that the club may not advance very far in cup competitions. But Manchester United’s deal with DHL has caught plenty of attention and is looking to be a success for the club.
Liverpool’s partnership with Warrior highlights the vast amount of possibilities Premier League clubs have, even regardless of where they’re placed in the league table. It was a move that saw them join United in one of the league’s most lucrative kit sponsorship deals, yet the Manchester club are the ones who continue to impress right across the board. Due to their American owners, United are rightly looking to set up camp on the American east coast in order to further maximise their potential from a country where football’s profile continues to grow. The commercial team in place at United is noticeably taking full advantage of the club’s global appeal.
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The next move for Manchester United is their negotiations with Nike in February, as the club look to approach a deal worth £1billion from the kit manufacturer, a sizable increase from their current £303million deal.
They have the brand power to command such deals, but surely there are many more in the Premier League who can take similar advantage—albeit on a smaller scale—of their position in European football.
It was announced yesterday afternoon that Hearts have been issued with a winding-up order over an unpaid tax bill of £450,000, but in total The Jambos have generated a debt of over £2 million.
The Scottish club have a week to pay or face being closed down and will be the second team in the SPL in a matter of months to file for bankruptcy following the financial demise of Glasgow Rangers, who were officially liquidated in June.
The board have released a statement urging fans to contribute what they can in order to ensure the club’s survival. One of the initiatives suggested is for investment from supporters into a recently launched share-issue or to buy tickets in advance for future games such as the clash with champions Celtic at Tynecastle on November 27th.
The club’s official website reads: “Without your help now, we could be entering the final days of the club’s existence. There are limited options for the Board of Directors to take to avoid the catastrophic consequences that a funding shortfall would mean for the club.
“The power is still in the hands of every Hearts supporter and for that reason we want to be as honest and transparent with you in the hope that you, too, believe that this club is worth saving.
“Now please make every effort you can to take any or all of the four steps outlined above and help this great sporting institution survive.”
The club will also be hit with a 17 point deduction should they be forced to file for bankruptcy, which would further damage Hearts’ chances of survival.
A journalist for Scottish Newspaper the Daily Record, told talkSPORT this afternoon: “We are in a very, very serious situation with Hearts.
“Hearts have a week to pay the best part of £500,000.
“They don’t have the money to pay, and unless the fans come up with the money the club will close down.
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“They have no money to pay for it, it must come from supporters
“It is catastrophic for Scottish football” he added.