With the 2017/18 season now just weeks away and the transfer window firmly open, all the talk is about the usual suspects when it comes to Europe’s most powerful clubs – who’s signing who, who’s selling who, who wants to go where, why each team will do well in the Champions League, and so on.
Also read: Five young managers to watch out for in 2017/2018
Every season throws up some unexpected contenders – see Leicester City in 2015/16 or Monaco in 2016/17 but realistically almost all of the glory belongs to Europe’s superclubs, who usually remain relevant in the news throughout the season. Here are five so-called superclubs who I expect to be in the news until the dawn of the World Cup in 2018, and why.
#1 Real Madrid
Europe’s reigning champions and the most successful club overall, Real Madrid have been relatively quiet during the summer thus far by their usually loud standards. They haven’t been out to sign a Galactico just yet and while they have been linked with David de Gea of Manchester United and Kylian Mbappe of Monaco, neither deal has come to the fore yet and the players remain at their existing clubs.
The only rumble of news from Real Madrid that hasn’t been purely rumour is the issue of Cristiano Ronaldo and his possible exit largely due to tax fraud accusations. But even that one seems to have gone quiet in the past 10 days or so and president Florentino Perez is now even denying that James Rodriguez will be leaving – surprising given the Colombian has been a bit-part player for a while now at the Bernabeu.
Yes, they appear to be selling Alvaro Morata to Man United, but the reason they’ll stay relevant all season is pretty simple – based on last season’s form, and the emergence of new talent like Marco Asensio, who has starred in Spain’s Under-21 European Championship campaign, it seems that they’ll be the hot favourites to retain both the La Liga and the Champions League.
Right now, the Los Blancos are on top of the world and it’s up to the rest of Europe to attempt to catch up to them.
#2 Manchester United
Is a lot of it “paper talk”? Sure. But regardless of the truth of some rumours, Manchester United are the club on everyone’s lips going into 2017/18. Despite winning both the League Cup and the Europa League last season, 2016/17 was largely a disappointment for Jose Mourinho’s side, as they finished 6th in the league despite spending major money on the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The Europa League win gives them passage into the Champions League again though, and it’s this that should keep them relevant throughout 2017/18. Arguably the world’s most powerful club in terms of finance, their emergence into the Champions League again should give them access to essentially any player they desire.
Right now they seem focused on Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid and Fabinho of Monaco, but they’ve also been tentatively linked with the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier and even Cristiano Ronaldo. Whether they make those signings, who knows?
Throw in the fact that any team managed by Mourinho is never far from the back – and front – pages of the newspapers, and that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Marouane Fellaini and Chris Smalling may be on their way out of Old Trafford and one thing’s for certain – success isn’t guaranteed, but United are certainly guaranteed to be in the news all season long.
#3 Manchester City
The Premier League champions in 2013/14 don’t seem to be wasting any time at all this summer, as Pep Guardiola’s side have already secured the signatures of Portuguese attacker Bernardo Silva and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson – for a total of around £76m. And it doesn’t look like the spending spree will stop there, as Guardiola has been linked with Alexis Sanchez, Dani Alves and Isco as he looks to rebuild a huge squad in his own image.
Who’s likely to be leaving? Rumours hang over Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, Joe Hart and Wilfried Bony to name four, but when it comes to a bloated squad like City’s it’s anyone’s guess as to who stays and who goes. A team as rich as City will always be relevant purely because of their financial clout, but this season should be even more interesting due to the issues hanging over Guardiola.
Barcelona’s former manager was supposed to lead the revolution at City that would finally see them become the Premier League’s dominant force – as well as contenders for the Champions League – but last season that just didn’t happen. Whether it was down to Guardiola needing time to settle into his new surroundings, or – whisper it – he’s not as good as he’s made out to be, only time will tell. But 2017/18 should give a good indicator at least.
A known short-term manager, if Guardiola can’t succeed at Eastlands this season – I’m talking a Premier League title and perhaps another trophy as well as a Champions League push – his reputation will be on the line. And that should keep Man City relevant throughout 2017/18.
#4 Barcelona
It’s been all change at the Nou Camp this summer, as manager Luis Enrique is now gone and has been replaced by Ernesto Valverde, formerly of Athletic Bilbao. That move was confirmed on May 29th but since then it’s largely gone quiet at Barcelona. They’ve been heavily linked with a move for Paris St. Germain’s Italian star Marco Verratti, but the signing hasn’t been completed yet and outside of that, there have been no real links.
So why will Barca remain relevant throughout 2017/18? It’s pretty simple. After a relatively disappointing season for them in 2016/17 saw them finish second to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga and crash out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals against Juventus, they’ll be gunning to get back onto the perch that they occupied a handful of years ago, when they were indisputably the most dominant club in the world.
Can they do it? Valverde certainly has one of the best squads available to do so – they still have the most terrifying front line in football in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, and that isn’t mentioning the likes of Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta.
Granted, the spectre of Messi refusing to sign a new contract – as of writing, the whole issue is still up in the air although he’s expected to sign – still hangs over the Nou Camp, but that in itself will keep them in the news throughout the summer.
All in all, it should be an interesting – and newsworthy – season at Barcelona.
#5 Chelsea
The Premier League’s reigning champions have already had a newsworthy summer; Antonio Conte is currently working on the signings of Monaco’s French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and Juventus’s Brazilian left-back Alex Sandro, and rumours still persist over the possible signing of former striker Romelu Lukaku of Everton – a move that would probably command a world-record transfer fee.
Do Chelsea really need all those players after comfortably winning the league in 2016/17? Perhaps not, but all of the spending is partially why the London club are always in the news.
With players coming in, it’s likely that some will leave, and although the trail appears to have gone cold for the time being, Chelsea also made the news a few weeks ago for appearing to push striker Diego Costa towards the exit at Stamford Bridge. Where he’ll end up is anyone’s guess but the likelihood is that he won’t be at Chelsea come the start of the season. Defender Kurt Zouma could also be facing the end of his Chelsea career.
Another likely newsworthy part of Chelsea’s season? Their army of players out on loan. After a semi-successful Under-21 European Championship campaign with England, the likes of Lewis Baker, Nathaniel Chalobah and Tammy Abraham – as well as the injured Izzy Brown and Ruben Loftus-Cheek – will likely be farmed out again and all eyes in England at least will be on them as they look to force their way into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup plans, even if they can’t break into Conte’s ones at Chelsea.
With controversy surrounding their use of the loan system and their academy players, as well as the potential to spend a ton of money in their attempt to defend their Premier League crown, you can bet your life that everyone will be talking about Chelsea throughout 2017/18.
