The painstakingly long period of anticipation is finally about to end as the Premier League is back to thrill after the enthralling, high-octane and fiercely contested 2018-19 season which gave us one heck of a race for the league title, eventually clinched by Manchester City on the final day of the season; pulling the curtains down on what can easily be regarded as one of the most intriguing seasons till date.
With the new season fast approaching, the pre-season friendly fixtures are flowing thick and fast as teams are looking to wrap up the pre-season training camps in preparation for the upcoming campaign. Amidst all of this action, get a sneak peek at the top 5 players who might be the crème de la crème of the league in the upcoming season and are most likely to set the stage on fire.
While for the initiated, most of the players on this list require no introduction; there might be a surprise or two. The rankings are partly based on the players’ merit, their skill sets and quite obviously, their performances from the 2018-19 campaign. Here goes:
5. Teemu Pukki (Norwich City)
The Golden Boot winner in the Championship last season, Teemu Pukki, is very important for Norwich City and their progression in the Premier League next term. The Finland international scored a whopping 29 league goals last time out and was the most vital; if not the sole reason the Canaries won the Championship title last season.
The former Celtic front man is unforgiving in front of goal. It’ll be very exciting to see whether or not he can perform as well against the big boys.
4. Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
One of the most exciting talents in this year’s Premier League could be Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans. The £40m man has recently signed a four-year deal with Leicester City. On loan from French giants Monaco, Youri fit brilliantly into the squad last season, managing to rack up three goals and five assists in just thirteen games last time out, showing that he’s capable of making an impact and then some in the Premier League.
Essentially, the Belgian is expected to act as a provider to the Leicester attackers, allowing them to optimise their own abilities but gifted with a knack for the speculative, expect a few moments of brilliance from the Belgian international over the next few months.
Another trademark of Tielemans’ last stint at the King Power Stadium was his showcase of cross-field passing. Switching the flanks comes naturally to him, making him an auto-fit in Rodgers’ system, where exploiting the wide areas is critical to the team’s potency in attack.
3. Daniel James (Manchester United)
Manchester United are finally willing to do something different following a disappointing season which ended with the club finishing 6th in the league and consequently, missing out on Champions League football last term. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fed up of the club shelling out ridiculous amounts of transfer fees on big names that simply put, are not hungry enough to bring any change of fortune to the club.
New recruit, speedster Daniel James, signed from Swansea City in June, signifies the kind of change Ole is looking to bring in the way United go about their business henceforth. Fans have already begun pinning their hopes on the young Daniel as he was named Man of the Match when United opened their pre-season tour in Australia with a 2-0 friendly win over Perth Glory at Optus Stadium.
He looks sharp and is always on his toes, ready to take on defenders and get behind them almost at will. He seems set to grab a few eyeballs this season.
2. Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal)
The 24-year-old took burst on to the scene last season, by netting 22 times and providing 11 assists for Lille in Ligue 1 to attract the attention of several top clubs in Europe – but it was the Gunners who finally managed to bag his much-prized signature.
Pepe joined Lille in the summer of 2017 and since then, he has quickly managed to establish himself as one of the most exciting players in France. Pepe stole the limelight from the likes of Neymar and Mbappé as Lille thrashed Paris Saint-Germain 5-1 last season in the French league. Nicolas was the orchestrator of PSG’s drubbing as he notched up a goal and two assists against the French champions.
1. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Bernardo Silva is currently the stand-out player in a squad full of extraordinarily talented footballers at Manchester City. He has been an absolute delight to witness last season; a wonderful combination of technique, persistence and zeal, both creatively as well as defensively.
The Portuguese brings his own x-factor to the Manchester City unit, along with the ability to play wide or centrally. He also happens to possess a schemer’s vision, mesmeric dribbling, and shoots as soon as the goal is in his sights. Silva made 46 appearances for Manchester City during the 2018–19 season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions.
On 24 April 2019 he scored the opening goal for City against what is now the ‘other’ Manchester club in the 54th minute of the match, his first-ever Manchester Derby goal.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored