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Rebuilding time over, Premier League begins
Liverpool will have a defence on their mind but City and the others aren’t going to make it easy for them
Mumbai: The last time Liverpool FC defended their domestic crown was in 1984, well before England’s top-flight First Division Football League had been rebranded as the Premier League. The team from Merseyside now has the opportunity of ending that 41-year wait for back-to-back league titles, as the new season of the marquee competition begins this Saturday.
Liverpool, for whom the groundwork had been laid by former manager Jurgen Klopp, were led by Arne Slot in the 2024-25 season. The Dutchman hit the ground running as he helped the team win a joint-record 20th league title. But now the team that hopes to defend its crown for the first time in over four decades, will have to do so with a relatively new squad.
But they are not the only team to break the bank in the summer transfer window.
From the Big 6 of England to the newly promoted Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland, the 20 Premier League clubs have spent close to $2 billion - as of August 14 - to prepare their squads for the coming term.
Liverpool, though, have spent the most, around €300 million. The club set a new British transfer record by paying Bayer Leverkusen $156 million for Florian Wirtz. Slot has brought in new full-backs in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, along with French striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. They replace Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and temperamental forward Darwin Nunez, and will support the ageing, yet important, stars Mohamed Salah (now 33) and Virgil van Dijk (34).
There are also talks going on with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak to join the Reds.
In the history of the Premier League, only Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have defended their titles - the latter being four-time defending champions at the start of last season. Now Liverpool will hope to join that list.
New challenge for Pep
By Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s high standards, the 2024-25 season, despite the team finishing third, was an utter failure. It was only the second time in Spaniard’s managerial career that he finished a season without a major trophy.
Crucially, in an interview with GQ magazine published earlier this month, Guardiola admitted that he is looking forward to taking a 15-year break once his time at City ends. But in November, he signed a new deal to keep him at the club till 2027.
He hasn’t been the most proactive during the summer transfer window, despite the club letting go of long-time talisman Kevin de Bruyne and former captain Kyle Walker. They do welcome the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is back from a long-term injury.
But in the Red side of Manchester, Ruben Amorin has been busy attempting another rebuild at United.
The 20-time champions of England (record 13 in the Premier League) have not challenged for the title since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Last year, they slumped to a 15th place finish in a season where possible relegation did threaten.
Only three teams last season - including the three that were relegated - scored fewer goals than United. It prompted a big shakeup. And the spending of over €200 million to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to bolster the frontline.
London calling
Also looking to score more are Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s team have finished as runners-up three seasons in a row. Last year, with 14 draws - less than only Everton - the Gunners weren’t firing in as many goals as they needed.
So they spent big to bring in Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres to spearhead the team. The team also brought in Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard to strengthen the midfield. In all, so far, the Gunners have spent over €200 million.
As have cross-city rivals Chelsea. The London club blew away Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in July. That event saw coach Enzo Maresca experiment with strategies, but put on a solid display of attacking football.
So much so that at times, Chelsea’s formation resembles a 3-2-5 when in attack. To shore up the forwardline are newcomers Liam Dilap and Joao Pedro.
And while Chelsea did manage to win silverware in the build-up to this season, another London-club, Tottenham Hotspur lost the UEFA Cup to PSG on penalties on Thursday.
Spurs, like United, had a forgetful domestic season. The North-London club finished 17th, just above the relegation zone. But in a remarkable twist, they managed to win the Europa League and will play in the Champions League this season.
That win in Bilbao was the last competitive match in a Spurs shirt for talisman Son Heung-min
New manager Thomas Frank, in from Brentford, has been busy building up his new team, with Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United and Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich being the key signings. Joao Palhinha, a loanee from the German club can also be an important player for Spurs.
English football, today, is a tale of three cities. But there will be interest in the way Newcastle United and Aston Villa show up - both teams earning a spot in European competition this year.
And as this pre-season rebuild ends, the 34th Premier League season begins.
