The new season of the Premier League brings with it tonnes of hope and happiness across the globe. Millions of fans will be hoping that their team can turn up with their best performances week after week and grab the all-important title while the 10-month long extravaganza goes about its business of throwing up pleasant as well as upsetting surprises in equal measures.
With less than 15 days to go for the end of the transfer window, we have reached a stage where we might be excited by mindless transfers our respective teams. While we speculate the chances of a signing working or not, there is a certain segment of footballers who are looking forward to the season ahead in order to ascertain their position as a key member of their teams.
In this segment, we bring to you 5 players who are like new signings for their clubs.
#1 Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
The former Southampton man is back in business after suffering a horrific double ankle injury while playing against PSV in the Champions League which ruled him out for the season. While it has been 2 years since his big-money move from Southampton, the player has failed to cement his place at Manchester United, largely owing to numerous injuries.
Having begun life in a new city on a bright note in the August of 2014, Shaw soon made the headlines for the wrong reasons as he was termed overweight by the then manager Louis Van Gaal. He failed to impress in his 16 outings and was largely confined to the bench. While he did begin the 2015-16 season on a bright note, the long-term injury curtailed his chances of improving his performances and confidence.
Having played just 28 games in the previous 2 seasons, Shaw would be keen to impress the new manager Jose Mourinho, a man who has in the past expressed his desire to work with the English left back.
The left-back has great acceleration, is tidy in possession and would complement the skills of other creative players present in the Manchester United dressing room. He impressed a lot of pundits with his performance in his side’s opening game against Bournemouth and should he remain injury free, he could become a key member of the new look Manchester United.
#2 Joe Gomez (Liverpool)
When Liverpool signed Joe Gomez, he was largely believed to be a recruit who would feature for the side’s youth teams for a number of seasons before he could actually break into the first squad. However, the then club manager Brendan Rodgers had different plans and started the then 18-year-old in the side’s first league game against Stoke City.
Thankfully for the Northern Irishman, the English defender had an outstanding evening as he capped off a fine defensive performance with an all-important assist to the solitary goalscorer in the match Philipe Coutinho.
With that kind of a start to life at a new club, the youngster was expected to become one of the mainstays of the side’s defence. However, 12 months on, Joe Gomez is back to square one as he tries to impress a new manager in Jurgen Klopp.
The former Charlton defender suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury and is on the path to recovery and is fully expected to return to the side in mid of September. He showcased amazing calmness with the ball at his feet, great industry and tackling ability and would be a fine reinforcement to the side’s first choice centre-backs in Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren.
His versatility, as he can play across the 4 positions in defence, too might come in handy for Jurgen Klopp as he deals with the many troubles associated with playing Alberto Moreno and flirts with the danger of having no back up to Nathaniel Clyne, should he get injured or have a dip in form.
#3 Jay Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez was one of the key players for Southampton in the 2013-14 season as he helped his side gain footballing prominence with their impressive performances in the league. The side has improved over their 14th place finish in the 2012-13 season and had broken into the top half of the league thanks to the exploits of Rodriguez alongside Adam Lallana and Ricky Lambert.
However, he suffered a career-threatening injury towards April 2014 season against the eventual winners Manchester City and had to remain out of action for the whole of the 2014-15 season and made sporadic appearances during the 2015-16 season.
The player has been likened to Danny Welbeck and is often seen haggling the defenders with his industry and drawing them into making mistakes in critical areas. He remains a constant threat to the opposition with his movement in and around the box, a skill set that has helped his goal scoring record over the years.
With new manager Claude Puel at the helm of affairs at the St. Mary’s Stadium, Rodriguez has been touted for a greater amount of playing time in the upcoming season. The side currently looks extremely thin on attacking options with Shane Long being the only recognised striker at the club.
The former Burnley could fill the void should he remain uninjured. The Southampton medical team will be working overtime to ensure he plays as many matches as he can for the side to have a realistic chance at replicating their performances of the last season.
#4 Callum Wilson
Bournemouth began the new season on a worrying note. While they were never believed to be a side that would beat a Jose Mourinho-led Manchester United, the manner in which they were outclassed might have presented the club’s manager Eddie Howe with a reality check. For the side to avoid numerous dates with relegation battles, they will have to find their goal scoring boots and one man, in particular, will need to fire on all cylinders. That is Callum Wilson.
The English striker, who has won many a hearts with his industrious displays for his side is not short on attacking firepower and has the ability to create space and time for himself in the box. His ability to bring in other attackers into play with some intricate passing and off the ball running would add a lot to the side’s attack, which has looked out of sorts in his absence.
Wilson came into the last season, having scored more than 20 league goals in his previous 2 seasons with Coventry City and Bournemouth in the lower leagues of English football. While his season began on a perfect note, as he found the back of the net on 5 occasions during his 7 outings, all did not go as per the plan as he picked up the dreaded Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury against Stoke City, thus ending his season prematurely.
With the new season underway, the 24-year-old Wilson, who has now played across the various levels of English football, will be keen to leave a mark as one of the best strikers in the league. Should he manage to achieve that, Bournemouth could have a realistic chance of finishing within the top half of the league.
#5 Gokhan Inler
A highly reputed player, the former Napoli player arrived at Leicester City in hope of playing time. However, he featured in just 10 games for his side and has failed to impress with his performances whenever handed a chance.
The world-class performances of N’golo Kante ensured that the Swiss superstar had a restricted time on the pitch and with Kante moving to Chelsea, Inler could prove to be a vital player in the season to come. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having featured in the top flight of Italian football prior to his move to England on 328 occasions and is a fine player to build tactics around as demonstrated by his performances at Napoli.
Gokhan Inler is a tenacious midfielder, who is not afraid to put his body on the line for has shown a fine ability in stitching the attack and the defence of his side. He possesses a great set of feet and could add value to the side’s attack with his set incisive set pieces.
Inler also brings with him flexibility as he can feature as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder as well as a deep lying play maker and has shown a penchant for leaving his stamp on the game with his passing, off the ball runs and defensive attributes. With a Premier League medal already in his pocket, Inler, the fighter that he is, will be looking for a major role in the season to come, especially with the number of competitions the side is involved in.
