It’s Champions

LEICESTER CITY rocked world football to its core last season.

The reverberations are still being felt at Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

To strengthen their foundations, the silverware hunters who lost out to the Foxes are taking no chances.

Three of them have installed a managerial legend for the new campaign. The other is sticking by a man who, despite a barren spell by his own standards, has already carved his niche in history.

The records at club level of Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho – until last season – speak for themselves.

Arsene Wenger has had better years than season 2015/16.

The four, you would expect, will be battling between themselves for the Premier League crown.

And in a game now driven as much by money as success, qualification for the Champions League remains a qualify-or-else scenario.

Chelsea missed the UEFA gravy train by a mile last season and it cost MourinhohisjobasearlyasDecember.

United and City scrapped for the fourth qualifying spot and City hung onto it on goal difference.

United allowed Louis van Gaal a week’s grace to win the FA Cup then dismissed him. Two years earlier, David Moyes was sacked the day after it became mathematically impossible to secure a Champions League place.

It’s now the established bottom line for United managers. If the playing field is level, Mourinho should also be dismissed at Old Trafford if he fails to make the top four.

Of course, executive vice-chairman EdWoodward won’t want to announce another embarrassing misjudgement next May, so United are making sure that Mourinho almost can’t fail.

They are giving him the mostexpensive player in the world in Paul Pogba, and one of the game’s true