English Premier League Preview Part I A-C

English Premier League Preview Part I A-C

Arsenal : Last season finish 3^rd with 75 points.  2014 income £299m – Payout - Wages £166m Debt £240m. Major deals in: Petr Cech – Major deals out: Diaby, Podolski, Stronger than last year with the signing of Cech, who is probably the 2^nd best keeper in the Prem behind Courtois.  Wenger has them playing the pass, pass, pass style and we all know Arsenal can be a threat. I think Arsenal need to sort their training out, as they were decimated last year with injuries to almost all players. Serious problems behind the scenes with maybe overtraining? Key man this year for me could be Theo Walcott. If they can keep him fit he can score 20 goals+ 

Prediction: 2^nd in Premiership.

Aston Villa: Last season finish 17^th with 38 points. 2014 income £117m – Payout – Wages £69m Debt £104m. Major deals in: Idrissa Gueye, Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair – Major deals out: Fabian Delph, Darren Bent, Christian Benteke (almost done) Villa lose the engine room in Delph and the goals of Benteke. They have cash to burn though with £40m for coach Sherwood to deal. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Adebayor coming in as hes a Sherwood favourite. Tim Sherwood has no set playing style. He likes to mix the play up with counter attacking but can also go direct with long balls to run through and a lot of deep wide balls into the central striker. He is a proven man manager and can get the best out of players.  They have done good business already with England capped Richards, Sinclair (played for Chelsea & Man City)  and Gueye who is a strong holding midfielder.

Prediction: 15^th in Premiership.

Bournemouth: Last season finish 1^st in Championship.  2014 Income £10m – Payout – Wages £7.8m Debt £25m. Major deals in: Mings, King, Distin, Boruc, Atsu. – Major deals out: Harte, Pittman. Bournemouth proved last year they have the ability, they have added some decent players over the summer with Distin and Boruc stalwarts of the Prem.  Mings has great potential but could be anything and £8m looks a bit steep.  The club has belief though and a 1^st ever Premiership season will see Eddie Howe showcase his managerial ability. His side will try and play football and they should generate some serious cash which could set the club up for the next decade or so.

Prediction:  19^th in Premiership.

Chelsea:  Last season finish 1^st with 87 points. 2014 income £319m – Payout – Wages £193m Debt £958m. Chelsea’s debt is near 1 Billion£ but is unique as Abramovic is not likely to ask for it back. Major deals in: Falcao, Begovic and Nathan – Major deals out: Drogba and Cech. Chelsea was clear best last year and with serious squad depth are capable of fighting on two fronts again. I expect some more signings with Everton CD John Stones already attracting a £20m bid that was rejected.  Everyone knows Chelsea style but not many can combat it. Solid at the back, but dangerous with the backline very capable in front of goal. Solid base in the centre with Hazard a bag of tricks. Diego Costa enjoys battering back lines and scores for fun. The Falcao signing was a bit strange but Mourinho has a habit of recovering lost causes.

Prediction: 1^st in Premiership.

Crystal Palace: Last season finish 10^th with 48 points. 2014 income £96m – Payout – Wages £40m Debt £7m. Major deal in: Cabaye – Major deals out: Squad members (no major loss) – Stability is the key for Palace and they should have no problem retaining a Premiership squad but I don’t think they can improve on last year’s 10^th. Cabaye is an excellent signing and has a great relationship with Pardew. Newcastle fans will be kicking themselves for the idiotic “Pardew Out” nonsense, but then they do punch police horses.  Pardew evolved Palace from a strong defensive unit to a more attacking side. More emphasis on wide play with player beating wingers and a lot of crosses and deep balls.

Prediction: 10^th in Premiership.

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