Top Buys of the EPL

With the 25^th Season of the EPL kicking off in just a few short hours, the wait of fans the world over to catch this exhilarating action of the toughest league in the world will soon be over. Let’s look at some of the buys of the season and believe me there are some huge names in this seasons list as the so called big clubs look to get back to the UEFA Champions League and are hoping Leicester City were a one season wonder.

Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City): An injury troubled CDM but someone who has always had manager Pep Guadiola’s liking will be an integral part of city’s midfield base. He will be the lead player in his preferred position upon returning from injury (mostly by the months end). Pep Guardiola has succeeded in replacing Yaya Toure  and although Gundogan isn’t a figure as imposing as the Ivorian expect him to be charged with supplying the ball to Manchester City’s stellar attack(Sergio Aguero, Nolito, Kevin De Bruyne) and controlling possession in the midfield(midfield control of games has been a feature of Guardiola clubs)

Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United): The Bundesliga players’ player of the season (a remarkable achievement considering he played in a league which had Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller) is now a red devil. He will have high expectations on his shoulders to replicate last season’s stellar performances in the league alone which saw him bag  15 assists making him the leading assister and 11 goals in just 28 starts. The pressure will be on him to deliver after two wide players purchased by the club in the past two summers have failed spectacularly. He however has one factor in his favour. He will be able to get to work without the pressure faced by his predecessors as all the attention will be on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United): The man who not only scores, but who scores spectacular goals. A the age of 34 last season he scored 50 goals in all competitions which is one more than the 49 managed by Manchester United in the entirety of the English Premier League. In need of a physical presence upfront who also has experience and is surprisingly still at the peak of his game Manchester United would appear to have struck gold. But will the soon to be 35 year old be able to cope with the rigours of the EPL and 4 years of smashing goals past hapless Ligue 1 opponents? The spotlight will surely be on him

N’golo Kante: Also could be known as the man who never stops running. He was everywhere, literally everywhere last season and was the largely unsung hero of Leicester City’s fairy tale title triumph. He was honoured with the best player award at his club over Golden boot contender Jamie Vardy and PFA Player of the year Riyadh Mahrez. A lack of goals but the man is someone who will always fight for a second ball and will always through himself into a tackle. Chelsea who were cut open last season could use Kante in partnership with Nemanja Matic and the have got a defensive midfield of steel which opens up the full backs to tear down the flanks in support of the wingers.

Granit Xhaka: With the club investing heavily in attack one would argue that they needed a defensive midfielder as cover for the forever injured Jack Wilshere and first team regular Francis Coqulein. With the departures of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, the gunners needed reinforcement and in Xhaka they have got a 23 year old player who at that young age was the captain of Borussia Monchenladbach and is a good passer (which will fit in well with Arsenals style of play) and a ball winner (something Arsenal have been in need off). Arsene Wenger with this 30 million investment has killed of two birds with one stone and may possibly

Paul Pogba: The most expensive footballer on the planet will be in the Premier League and the expectations will be high. He will be expected to deliver match winning performances week in and week out with no let ups whatsoever. A sports player needs motivation to succeed and here Pogba will be motivated by his desire to justify the huge fee splashed out for him. Also on his agenda will be the need to perform in front of current club director and ex manager Sir Alex Ferguson who just 4 years back allowed him to run his contract down and join Juventus for a compensation fee of less than a million. With this signing the writer believes that Manchester United have finally replaced Roy Keane and finally won’t miss Paul Scholes.

These are just the transfers that were made before the start of the Premier League season and we can expect many more to come across to the Premier league before the 1^st of September.

The edition of the premier league promises to be one of the most exciting. Will the old guard reign supreme or will the new forces continue to prevail? Can Leicester repeat their fairy tale once more?