By the time August gets flipped on wall calendars across the globe, the 2016/17 Premier League season will be once again uppermost in our thoughts.
An awesome summer of sport sees the Copa America and Euro 2016 grace us with their presence, but there is still plenty of excitement brewing about the restart of one of Europe’s best leagues.
A raft of changes and intriguing developments have already taken place in the build-up to a brand new campaign with new managers arriving at some of the bigger clubs as well as lots of rumours linking some famous stars to the more successful outfits.
However, it’s arguably at the lower side of the league table where we could see some of the most exciting football.
With three new teams getting promoted, the trio of Burnley, Hull City and Middlesbrough will all vie to not get sent straight back down. But who will they rely on to help them? Which of their players has the potential to light up the EPL?
1) Andre Gray (Burnley)
Winning matches as a newly-promoted outfit is never an easy feat to accomplish. The opening few fixtures come thick and fast and always provide a real test for the minnows of the Premier League.
It doesn't always help in the long term but getting off to a winning start is the best possible outcome from the opening weekend of action – the hard part is trying to maintain those winning performances over the course of a long season.
It makes it a little easier when one has a natural goal-scorer in their ranks, and that’s precisely what Burnley have in Andre Gray.
If scoring goals is a habit, it’s a good one which Burnley fans will hope Gray doesn’t kick anytime soon because they will need everyone he can muster to make life easier for them in the big leagues. Last term in the SkyBet Championship the 24-year-old netted 25 times (two of those coming when he was still at Brentford) as he finished as the league’s top scorer.
Clearly, then, he will be key to their survival. It’s never as easy to his double figures in the EPL but he scored 17 times the season before last as Brentford missed out on promotion so he is only getting better with age. Provided he can get amongst the goals early, the sight of him celebrating should become a regular one for the Clarets fans.
2) Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull City)
It looks like Ahmed Elmohamady will stay with Hull City for the forthcoming Premier League season as he has been offered a new deal by the club.
Operating as a right back, Elmohamady was a regular fixture in the Tigers’ starting XI as they secured promotion and he will need to produce the same – if not even higher – levels of performance if they want to stay in the top division. He was selected in a few Best XIs of the season and deservedly so.
His dashing runs, energetic darts and positive play made him a real threat in 2015/16 as he took part in 51 matches in all competitions and his wing-back performances will be ones to watch. Getting him the ball will be key because his delivery is wickedly good on his day and he has it in his locker to navigate around experienced defenders with aggression and chicanery.
He will want to improve on his three goals and six assists at Championship level but considering he is a flair player who thrives on the big occasion, it is easy to see why he will make a name for himself.
He is the sort of guy who will see their participation as an opportunity, not a challenge of adversity, so we can expect to see him live for the moments to come, as well as providing plenty to remember. Watch out.
3) George Friend (Middlesbrough)
George Friend is a man on a mission in a team hungry to make their long-awaited return to the top flight count.
Having spent seven years in the doldrums away from the Premier League, Middlesbrough are back where their fans feel they truly belong and they are sure to do everything they can to stay there for the foreseeable future. It won’t be an easy task but with George Friend on board Boro will feel confident they can steer clear of any choppy waters.
Friend himself already boasts some minimal EPL experience as he has one match to his name from his days at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and although that won’t strike fear into the hearts of his opponents, his proficient displays as a left-back in one of the most notoriously difficult leagues around should.
A good defender who holds his own well in the tackle as well as being able to get up and down the flanks in a nimble manner, he doesn’t catch the eye with pirouettes and flourishes but he is the sort of solid, intelligent all-rounder a club like Middlesbrough need and he should provide them with the necessary level-headed assurance they will crave when the season gets a little hectic.
4) Abel Hernandez (Hull City)
When clubs like Serie A giants and top-flight runners-up come snooping around enquiring after your services, you’ve got to be doing something right.
Abel Hernandez finished the season as Hull City’s top scorer with 21 goals to his personal account, just four strikes behind Andre Gray in the overall stakes, so it’s fair to say he enjoyed a pretty marvelous campaign.
As reported by Hull Daily Mail, the Uruguayan international is being targeted by Fiorentina and has already been linked with Arsenal in the past. It's going to be interesting to see whether or not he stays but it’s blatantly obvious that Hull need him to remain if they want to enjoy a fruitful period competing against the big boys.
Possessing a wide array of shooting techniques, he has the full package. He can score from long range, dribble past opponents at speed and has plenty of tricks up his sleeves, too. However, it’s arguably his goal-poaching ability which is his best asset. His awareness, positional play and instinctive nature get him into fantastic goal-scoring positions, and he has the know-how to convert those moments into goals whether he’s tapping home a rebound or spinning on the spot in a crowded box.
Getting the right sort of service from wide areas would mean even more goals and a tasty prospect for Hull fans to come.
5) Jordan Rhodes (Middlesbrough)
Jordan Rhodes will fulfill a lifelong personal dream when he comes out to play his first-ever EPL match in August.
Six goals since his January switch from Blackburn Rovers to Middlesbrough is not the sort of return the 26-year-old is used to; normally he could beat a ‘keeper while blindfolded, but a closer look at his conversion record at Teeside shows us that everything wasn’t quite as it seemed.
In fact, he pocketed five of those in his final seven appearances so he was only coming into his own when the curtain came down.
Questions have been asked of his ability to make it in a league he has never played in before but his record of 85 goals for Rovers and 87 for Huddersfield Town should inform any doubters that he has always known where the goal is and as he’s relishing the moments to come so much, he should hit the ground running.
Rhodes isn’t about to let this opportunity pass him by – he's sure to shoot for the stars.
