Around this time last year, the soccer world was focused on one man and one man only: Gareth Bale. The Welsh winger broke the transfer record after Real Madrid purchased him from Tottenham, and he proved to be worth the cost as he gave Real the crucial goal to win the UEFA Champions League.
However, this summer has featured plenty of big names being swapped from league to league. And while the juggernauts of Spain have still spent big this transfer season (Luis Suarez and James Rodriguez to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively), most of this year’s attention has been spent in the English Premier League as nearly every contending team has spent a good amount of money to win the title this year.
The EPL is littered with quality teams that could win the league and each has made considerable signings to put them ahead of the competition. Among them is Everton, who officially signed former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku for 35 million euros and free addition Samuel Eto’o to bolster their attack. On the quieter end of the spectrum is perennial favorites Arsenal, who signed Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona and Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle to help strengthen their defense.
League contenders Chelsea have been incredibly busy this year, improving their attack by purchasing Diego Costa from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid for a fee around 40 million euros and fellow Spaniard attacking midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. But the most intriguing move that the Blues made this summer is the resigning of Didier Drogba, who will be returning to the club for the first time since leaving after 2012.
The most active club this summer has undoubtedly been Liverpool, as they have spent over 130 million euros in total signings. And most of Liverpool’s signings have been to address the hole left after Suarez departed. Among them are English attacking pieces Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, but the whole soccer world held its breath when Italian superstar Mario Balotelli announced he would be leaving AC Milan for Liverpool.
Balotelli is the biggest personality in the sport and is finally returning to the Premier League after leaving Man City for Italy two years ago. The Italian striker has the potential to be one of the greatest players to ever grace the sport, but also comes with an attitude that is every fan’s dream and every manager’s worst nightmare. He has been known to quit in matches and is a liability in some cases as he collects yellow cards often. But his passive aggressive celebrations and careless demeanor makes him a favorite among fans of the sport. His inclusion on Liverpool takes the squad from a contender to a league favorite and even a dark horse in this year’s Champions League. He is the definition of a gamebreaker and his sheer ability can put the fate of the match on his feet.
Balotelli will also likely be working as a second striker with English phenom Daniel Sturridge. On a note beyond just the sport, both have faced racist chants and comments from fans, and the two together will be one of the first black tandems in England, which could be a turning point as racism runs rampant among European soccer. If they can work alongside each, the two could easily become the most feared duo in all of England and even one of the most important in history.
And then there’s Manchester United. They are looking to rebound after a disappointing season last year under David Moyes, but this year Dutch mastermind Louis Van Gaal agreed to take over the squad. Van Gaal has reworked the entire squad and shifted to a formation of only three centerbacks, a rarity in the Premier League. Things were rough for the Red Devils as they failed to sign any of the big name players that they were seeking in July and August, including the likes of Mats Hummels, Arturo Vidal, and Marco Reus. But relief came when talks of adding Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid became official.
Di Maria had one of the best World Cups of any player in the tournament in the games in which he played, including scoring the game winner against Switzerland in extra time. The Argentinian can also be attributed to the success of Real Madrid last season, and Man United fans are likely chomping at the bit to see the triad of Rooney-Van Persie-Di Maria along with the likes of Juan Mata and Luke Shaw. With an attacking force as strong as that, there is no reason that United should end up goalless in any match and averaging two goals a match would not be totally out of the question.
As the season gets rolling, there are plenty of new faces in the Premier League this year and a few that are nice to see back. Talent is overflowing in the Premier League and there are hardly any matches that won’t be intriguing to watch this year.
Marcus Mitchell can be reached at marcus.mitchell@spartans.ut.edu