Man United have claimed the Premier League title for their
third consecutive year now and until last week, there was no reason to believe
why not a fourth. But as we see more and more every day, money really can buy
you everything. Real Madrid
forked up an unreal bid of £80mill for Ronaldo, which Manchester United (like
any club) could not turn down. The adding of Ronaldo to Madrid
comes days after agreeing to a previous world record fee of £59mill for Kaka.
In other unfortunate news (unless your not a fan of Man United), Carlos Tevez
looks to be heading out of Old Trafford this summer. However, he might just be
moving across town. ManchesterCity
looks like the leaders to sign the former Red Devil striker, who has been
unhappy with his amount of playing time over the course of the pervious
campaign. Without Tevez or Ronaldo, Man United now look like just another
contender for the title race. I am going to break down the top 6 teams that I
believe are looking for the Premier League Title next year (and have an actual
chance at getting it):
Arsenal- Pending the signing of Thomas Vermaelen (who is on holiday), and
with links to signing Yaya Toure and/or Xabi Alonso, Arsenal are looking like
serious title contenders. Last year it was obvious that they had potential, but
were lacking something in the middle of the pitch. The signing of Vermaelen has
made our defense rock solid, and signing a defensive midfielder would put us
right at the top. Rumors of Adebayor exits from the Emirates have died down
over the past month and Robin van Persie is planning some contract talks in the
coming weeks. Pending no key players leave Arsenal (Senderos and Eboue are not
key just for the record); Arsenal should finally get their hands on some
silverware.
Chance at winning: 8
Chelsea- With new coach,
Carlo Ancelotti, at the reigns of Chelsea,
big things are expected. Although it seems Deco and Jose Bosingwa are on their
way out of Chelsea, David Villa and
Glen Johnson are both realistic signings for the club this summer. However,
regardless of who leaves and who comes in, Chelsea
are always expecting a title at the end of the year. However, it seems that Chelsea,
although playing sound football over the past years, they have never been able
to really contend to win it all (of course no one has with Man United the past
years...). However, lets say they do sign David Villa and Glen Johnson...I
believe they would expect nothing less than a top two finish.
Chance at winning: 7
Liverpool- Rafael Benitez will have to deal with a shortage of money
this summer transfer market. However with Barcelona
calling for Yossi Benayoun, Xabi Alonso, and Javier Mascherano this summer, it's
going to be an even rougher ride. Keeping all three at Anfield will be a
challenge, especially if he plans to upgrade his squad. Liverpool
looked like the best team in the world during parts of the season (against Real
Madrid, Man United, etc), but when Torres and Gerrard were out with injuries,
things feel apart for them. They need to add some depth this year, or otherwise
hope no injuries come about. Pending one of those aforementioned players
leaves, there is left a vacant hole with little money to spend to fill it. If
they stay, there is still a lack of depth on the team. Rafael really needs to
dig deep into the investors’ pockets and find some cash to spend; otherwise
another top 4 finish will be in order.
Chance at winning: 7
Manchester United-
Much of there losses were already discussed above. But let's be honest, no
matter who Man United signs with the money off of the Ronaldo deal (or how many
they sign), there is no one on this planet (that is available to buy) that can
replace his shoes. Now there are adequate replacements and many of which are
still brilliant players- David Villa, David Silva, Frank Ribery, Karim Benzima,
etc. Added upon the probable loss of Tevez, Man United has two significant
losses. They will need to hope Fergie can work his magic in the transfer market
yet again and find another "gem" among all the talent. All in all
though, if there is one team that can lose two players like Ronaldo and Tevez
and still have the talent to dominate the Premier League, it's Man United.
Chance at winning: 8
Manchester City- Mark
Hughes must be a kid in a candy shop this summer. The amount of money he has to
spend could range in the 9 digit mark. However, the real challenge won't be
finding the money or the players this summer- it will be convincing them to
come to a middle of the table club, from most likely some of the top sides
around the world. Having already convinced Barry to leave Aston Villa this
summer, he could be followed by (just to name a few) Tevez, Samuel Eto'o, and
Roque Santa Cruz. I believe they will sign multiple good players this summer
and put out one of the better squads in the EPL. However, there is one thing
money most certainly cannot buy, and that is team chemistry. ManCity will most likely start 9 or 10
players they have been bought within the last 15-20 months and will lack fluidity
for the start of the season. A top four finish seems more reasonable than a
title.
Chance at winning: 5
Everton- After David
Moyes won coach of the year, bringing Everton to a surprising fifth place
finish in the Premier League, they now look to break into the top four, and
head to the Champion’s League. Everton trio Phil Jagielka, Joseph Yobo and Tim
Howard have all signed new lengthy contract extensions with the club this
summer. They now must look to bolster there squad with some signings. On loan
striker Jo (from ManCity),
will not be signed permanently because of his price tag, but they are surely
looking for a replacement up top. Kyle Naughton and Fabian Delph look like to
two impending signings. However, Everton lack the real cash to upgrade there
squad better than any of the current top four, and they may be looking at
another 5th or 6th place finish again this year.
It's clearly going to be another summer of speculation for Emmanuel Adebayor. Wenger has expressed his desire to keep the 6 foot 3 striker, but things haven't gone according to plan. Many fans have booed Ade off the pitch during some of his performances (or lack there of) during the season. Though, a year ago, this same striker netted 30 goals in a season, and was deemed one of the best strikers on the planet at the time. Now, after only netting nearly half that amount this season, the Togole... Continue reading...
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