Last year’s Premier League season was a disappointing one for Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as they were far away from the top two in the league, Manchester City and Liverpool while Tottenham Hotspur fared reasonably well despite zero investment in the last two transfer windows. The four teams will have to strengthen over the summer if they want to challenge the top two in the league, who were dominant in the 2018-19 season.
City and Liverpool were 26 and 25 points ahead of third-placed team Chelsea, while the champions were 32 points ahead of city rivals Manchester United, who finished 6th in the league.
For these teams to catch up with the top two in the league, they will not only have to sign a few world-class players but hope that their current players who under-performed in the 2018-19 season step up and help them climb the Premier League table next year.
Let us take a look at 3 players who have to buckle up big time for the challenge next season starting August.
Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil became Arsenal’s highest-paid player in the club’s history after signing a mammoth new contract with the Gunners in 2018, which took his wages to £350,000 per week, which is significantly more than any other player in the English club’s squad at the moment. But Ozil hasn’t done justice to the huge salary that he draws at Arsenal as he was poor in the 2018-19 season, mostly due to new manager Unai Emery not favouring him in his system. The German attacking midfielder made an appearance in 34 games for the Gunners but scored just 6 times and provided 3 assists in the entire season.
Emery’s system does not allow a player like Ozil, whose work-rate has been questionable in recent times, to flourish but it is up to the German to change his game and show hunger and determination to succeed at Arsenal. The Gunners will have a small transfer budget and will have to make do with the majority of the players that they currently have in their squad.
Jorginho
One of the big-money signings that flattered to deceive was Chelsea’s Jorginho, who moved from Napoli to Chelsea with manager Maurizio Sarri. Sarriball didn’t work wonders in the league, while Jorginho was roundly criticised for not having any sort of impact in attack or defence.
Chelsea fans and pundits were critical of the Italian international’s performance, while many were flummoxed by Sarri’s decision to play Jorginho in the N’Golo Kante role. The Italian came to Chelsea in a £50 million move from Napoli and he will have to step up his game and show Chelsea that he was worth every pound spent on him in the next season.
Anthony Martial
On his day, French attacker Anthony Martial can be a terror for opposition defenders, thanks to his phenomenal close control, pace, and exceptional finishing. But, like a lot of players in the Manchester United squad, Martial, too, was criticised for showing a lack of effort in the 2018-19 season. The Frenchman has the talent and ability to be one of the best in the world but has often not shown the desire on the pitch which has infuriated fans.
If Romelu Lukaku does leave Manchester United, that will leave Marcus Rashford as the lone striker up top, while Martial could play on the left, which has the makings to be a deadly attacking combination if both players show consistency on the pitch.