City will take some beating - with or without Kane
With the new Premier League season almost upon us, transfer questions hang over most of the major title contenders. Will Manchester City succeed in their pursuits of Harry Kane and Jack Grealish? Can Chelsea persuade Borussia Dortmund to sell Erling Haaland, and if so who will leave to fund it? Manchester United are hoping to add defenders Raphael Varane and Kieran Trippier to their squad, in addition to Jadon Sancho – but will those deals make them contenders again? And what about Liverpool, where the uncertainty over Jordan Henderson’s future threatens to disrupt the spirit at Anfield?
In truth, regardless of how all of those questions are answered over the coming weeks, Manchester City remain strong favourites to retain their title. All the ingredients that made them such worthy champions last season remain in place: the outstanding defensive partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias; the midfield excellence of Ilkay Gundogan and, of course, the tactical genius of Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach’s use of a striker-less formation means that the departure of Sergio Aguero is not a huge loss, even if a deal for Kane can not be reached.
In addition, more is expected from several of City’s big-hitters, too. Kevin De Bruyne only started 23 league games last season due to injury, but when fit remains the best player in the
Manchester City remain strong favourites to retain their title. All the ingredients that made them such worthy champions last season remain in place
league. Raheem Sterling rediscovered his best form at Euro 2020 after a stuttering campaign, while another exciting season surely beckons for their two 21-year-olds, Phil Foden and Ferran Torres. New signings and transfer gossip may get fans excited, but the current cast of City stars are already irresistible.
Yet it would be naive in the extreme to ignore the evidence of City’s last competitive fixture, when Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea beat them 1-0 in the Champions League final. The Blues’ impressive end to the season, and status as European champions, makes them the most likely usurpers of the crown.
Unlike last summer, when they spent in excess of £200 million, this transfer window has been far quieter for Chelsea. But like City, they already boast a wealth of exciting options, many of whom will improve again. Chief among them is Kai Havertz, the match-winner in Porto and a player
who is ready to become Chelsea’s main man after finding his feet in England. A new striker would be helpful (the Blues were only the eighth-highest scorers in the league last season), though it is not unthinkable that Timo Werner finds a more clinical edge in his second season.
Liverpool did remarkably well to scrape into the top four after a disastrous middle of the season. They suffered badly in Virgil van Dijk’s absence – a problem compounded by injuries to their other senior centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip – and will hope that the Dutchman’s return to fitness and the £36m signing of Ibrahima Konate will put them back on the right track.
The return of the Anfield crowd will put a spring in their step too, but Jurgen Klopp can’t simply expect their title-wining form to automatically return. Georginio Wijnaldum, a key cog in their midfield, has left, while captain Henderson’s contract situation is even more alarming. With the fabled front three all approaching their 30th birthdays as well, the top end of the
[Leicester City’s] is a squad built for title challenging, competing in the Europa League, and attempting to retain the FA Cup
Reds’ team will need to be recalibrated in order to challenge again. How Klopp manages that transition will be among his greatest tests as a manager.
Meanwhile, their old rivals Manchester United will expect to challenge for the title as well, especially if they are successful in adding further talent. Yet with big spending comes big pressure, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be wary of the experience of Frank Lampard, who was replaced at Chelsea after failing to get the best out of last summer’s expensive new recruits. Defeat in the Europa League final extended Solskjaer’s wait for a major trophy at Old Trafford, and prompted the same old doubts and question marks about his inability to break down stubborn defences. Failing to do so with Sancho in the line-up will not be forgiven.
One team whose fate won’t be determined by late transfer dealings will be Leicester City, who acted quicker than anyone to seal their primary targets. Patson Daka, Boubakary Soumare and Ryan Bertrand have all arrived at the KP Stadium, where Brendan Rodgers is becoming spoilt for choice with the number of options at his disposal.
For the second year in a row, Champions League football eluded the Foxes after they had been in the top four for the majority of the season, but clearly they are determined to make up for those disappointments: this is a squad built for title challenging, competing in the Europa League, and attempting to retain the FA Cup.
The potential exit of James Maddison would concern Leicester supporters, with the playmaker linked with a big move to Arsenal. The Gunners’ transfer business has already been encouraging, recruiting talented youngsters Ben White (Brighton) and Albert Sambi Lokonga (Anderlecht), while Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and
Bukayo Saka will all improve again. The Gunners’ fortunes will surely change one day soon, but will it be this season?
Elsewhere, a number of managerial changes will all provoke their own intriguing sub-plots. Will Rafael Benitez win over his doubters at Everton? Is Nuno Espirito Santo the right choice for Tottenham Hotspur? And what of his successor at Wolves, Bruno Lage? Patrick Vieira’s return to the Premier League as Roy Hodgson’s replacement at Crystal Palace will be fascinating too, especially after adding a handful of promising young signings to his squad – namely Michael Olise and Marc Guehi.
With David Moyes, Marcelo Bielsa and Dean Smith also looking to build on impressive over-achievements last term with West Ham United, Leeds United and Aston Villa, respectively, there is plenty to be excited about in this new season.
The 50th team to play in the Premier League are, in many ways, a little bit different. Increasingly often, newly promoted sides are yo-yo clubs: teams that have accumulated funds from the Premier League’s TV riches and parachute payments, then used that financial advantage in the Championship to secure a swift return.
Last season, the two automatic promotion spots were claimed by two relegated teams, while the other, Bournemouth, almost joined them via the play-offs. This season, Fulham, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are among the favourites to bounce back up. To break the mould, clubs have to do things differently, and that is exactly what Brentford have done.
For the majority of their 131-year history, the Bees drifted between the third and fourth tiers, last reaching the top flight in the mid-1940s. With Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers all within a five-mile radius, they were often the forgotten team of West London.
Not anymore. Under their ambitious owner, Matthew Benham, and co-directors of football, Rasmus Ankersen and Phil Giles, the club is unrecognisable, and not just since their move to the Brentford Community Stadium in 2020. A life-long fan, Benham made his millions in the gambling industry, and in his nine years in charge has slowly tipped the odds in Brentford’s favour.
In 2016, Brentford’s academy was closed. The system, Benham felt, offered little reward to clubs like his: even if they did manage to attract and hold onto a talented young player, there was nothing to prevent them leaving for “peanuts” further down the line. The case of Ian Poveda – poached by Manchester City for just £30,000 – was the final straw, and Brentford’s B team has been in operation ever since.
Unlike other club’s reserve or development squads, the B team do not take part in a league structure, instead choosing their own fixture list. Unrestricted in their opponents, they’re free to take on a whole variety of challenges, from Barnet in the Middlesex Senior Cup to Borussia Dortmund’s Under-23s. They have created an environment to nurture and challenges their young players in a way that the U23s leagues fail to do.
Recruitment has been the other key ingredient to Brentford’s rise. A sophisticated use of data and scouting has allowed them to sign the likes of Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma, Neal
Maupay, Chris Mepham, Ezri Konsa, Andre Gray, Scott Hogan and James Tarkowski, then sell them on for fees in excess of £100 million; and that list is by no means exhaustive.
Perhaps even more impressive is the way that each of those outgoings have been replaced. After arriving last summer, Ivan Toney provided the firepower they needed to get promoted, comfortably replacing the goals of Watkins and Benrahma, with the best part of £40m to spare.
Promotion was, if anything, overdue, and achieved just in time. There is probably no team in the country that would have been as harmed by new restrictions imposed by Brexit, which make it harder for uncapped EU players to get a work permit. Without “Freedom of Movement”, players like Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen (who both played for Denmark at Euro 2020), may not have qualified when they arrived, uncapped, at Griffin Park in 2019. The same goes for Frenchman Bryan Mbeumo, who contributed 41 Championship goals (24 goals, 17 assists) in the last two seasons. Promotion will allow them to sign established internationals, and also cast their net wider in search of talent.
Nevertheless, sweeping changes are not expected, nor particularly necessary. This summer has been the first in some years that Brentford have not had to replace one of their best players, and manager Thomas Frank’s brand of football is more suited to the Premier League than the Championship.
The club have made significant strides in getting this far, but they are not done yet.
For the majority of their 131-year history, the Bees drifted between the third and fourth tiers…they were often the forgotten team of West London