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The Premier League’s giants have once more disregarded the financial results of the coronavirus pandemic forward of the beginning of the brand new season on Friday with a four-team battle anticipated for the title.
Reigning champions Manchester Metropolis have damaged the English high flight switch document by splashing £100 million ($138 million) on Jack Grealish.
Nonetheless, European champions Chelsea confirmed they had been able to beating Metropolis thrice in direction of the tip of final season and usually are not alone in harbouring ambitions of snatching the Premier League title away from Pep Guardiola’s males.
Manchester United have additionally spent over £100 million on Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, whereas Liverpool look refreshed after an injury-ravaged 2020/2021 season.
AFP Sport appears on the 4 main contenders for the title:
Manchester Metropolis
Profitable a 3rd Premier League title in 4 seasons and lifting one more League Cup was not sufficient to sate Guardiola’s urge for food for fulfillment.
Fuelled by the frustration of Metropolis’s limp Champions League ultimate defeat in opposition to Chelsea, Guardiola has no intention of resting on his laurels.
The Metropolis boss added one other weapon to his already deadly attacking arsenal with a British document £100 million ($139 million) swoop for Aston Villa playmaker Grealish.
One other British switch document might nonetheless be to come back with Tottenham striker Harry Kane in Metropolis’s sights.
Having completed 12 factors away from second-placed Manchester United final time period, Metropolis begin as favourites for the title.
However with Tottenham, Leicester, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool amongst their opening seven video games of the season, the champions’ title defence may very well be rapidly knocked off beam.
Manchester United
With out a main trophy since 2017, United have loaded up for a sustained assault to finish an eight-year wait to win the title.
There was no repeat of final summer season’s switch saga over Sancho as a £73 million charge was rapidly agreed with Borussia Dortmund earlier than Varane’s arrival solved an issue place at centre-back.
Sancho joins a swashbuckling assault additionally that includes Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba pulling the strings behind them in midfield.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s males have proved to be greater than a match for Metropolis on their day over the previous two seasons, however want to seek out the consistency of their native rivals over the lengthy haul.
Liverpool
Ravaged by long-term accidents to Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, Liverpool surrendered their first English title in 30 years with out a battle.
But, from the ashes of that turbulent marketing campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s aspect imagine they are going to be stronger this season.
Liverpool shrugged off their woes with a late surge that noticed them qualify for the Champions League with a third-place end.
Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum left for Paris Saint-Germain on the finish of the season, however Klopp has bolstered his squad with the £36 million signing of Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konte.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been refreshed by a summer season off from worldwide duties, whereas Diogo Jota’s advantageous kind in his first season on the membership has put Roberto Firmino’s place up entrance below risk.
Most significantly, the returns of Van Dijk and Henderson shall be like new signings for Klopp because the Reds boss goals to bounce again from a primary trophyless season in three years.
Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel’s outstanding affect at Chelsea culminated in Champions League ultimate glory simply 5 months after taking cost.
The German revitalised the beforehand torpid Blues together with his tactical nous, in-game technique and motivational experience.
It was becoming that Kai Havertz, certainly one of earlier coach Frank Lampard’s expensively signed underachievers, ought to underline his enchancment within the Tuchel period with the aim that clinched Chelsea’s second Champions League crown.
Tuchel should now construct on that triumph and has been backed by Roman Abramovich with Romelu Lukaku set to return to Stamford Bridge for a membership document £97 million from Inter Milan.
Whereas Chelsea had been rock strong on the again after Tuchel’s appointment, they had been much less spectacular in assault the place Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic all struggled for consistency.
Lukaku’s goalscoring prowess may very well be the ultimate piece of the puzzle in Tuchel’s transformation of the Londoners.
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