The ins and outs of the big Premier League teams

With all games of the Premier League live on Showmax Pro, courtesy of SuperSport, from Friday, 11 August 2023, here's what you need to know about the biggest teams in the league.

Manchester City

After achieving the magic treble last year, Manchester City will be chasing more history this season as they look to become to first English club to win four consecutive top-flight titles.

It would be foolish not to make them favourites to do so this season and if they pull it off, it would be hard to argue against this is the most dominant era that English football has ever seen.

Transfers in: City have looked to Croatia to improve the squad with Mateo Kovacic coming in as a midfielder and Josko Gvardiol about to come in to bolster their defence. It’s not a lot of business, but did they need to do much?

Transfers out: There are two departures that are worth taking note of with Ilkay Gundogan going to Barcelona and Riyad Mahrez leaving for Saudi Arabia. Both were players that City turned to in important games and there will be a slight question mark that their replacements will be able to do the same.

Arsenal

The Gunners surprised all with how long they sustained their title charge last season with such a young squad. Confidence in Mikel Arteta’s project is high and while it will be a harder ask to juggle a Premier League season along with a UEFA Champions League campaign, optimism is high.

Transfers in: Declan Rice cost over £100 million and brings a sense of midfield stability for the attacking talent to work around. Kai Havertz has moved across London from Chelsea and will offer an interesting option upfront for Arteta. Young defender Jurien Timber has also joined.

Transfers out: In one of the worst kept secrets within the club, Granit Xhaka has left after seven years at the Emirates. He had a memorable final season, but one gets the impression that the club have more than able replacements.

Manchester United

In his first season at Old Trafford, Erik Ten Hag got a pass mark after winning the Carabao Cup and getting the club back in the UEFA Champions League. Now all eyes will be on the Dutchman as he gets a chance to build the team to be closer to his ideal image.

Transfers in: Ten Hag has gone back to a familiar ally by bringing in Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana from Ajax. Mason Mount has proved to be a popular signing while the surprise return of Jonny Evans has raised eyebrows.

Transfers out: David de Gea will go down as one of the best goalkeepers that has ever played for the Red Devils but it is time for him to move on. Anthony Elanga had promising moments, but will not be a part of the club’s future as he has left for Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle

It’s been less than two seasons under Saudi ownership and the club have already broken into the UEFA Champions League. To provide some context, it took the Abu Dhabi group three years to get Manchester City to that promised land.

As they look to take the next step towards being a true Premier League powerhouse, all eyes will be on their transfer activity which has seemed somewhat restrained.

Transfers in: Sandro Tonali has joined from AC Milan and brings some title-winning experience into the mix. Harvey Barnes was in high demand after Leicester’s relegation and the Magpies have swooped to add him to their ranks.

Transfers out: Allan Saint-Maximin is one of the many players to have left for Saudi Arabia and while he will go down as a cult hero at the club, the consensus is that they need more consistent players going forward.

Liverpool

From continually challenging Manchester City at the top of the table to dropping out of the top four completely, last season was a rude awakening for Jurgen Klopp’s team. They did end the season strongly though, so optimists at the club will believe that the campaign was a blip as opposed to a trend.

Transfers in: Bulking up the midfield was always going to be the focus for them this window and they’ve spent wisely on World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and the exciting Dominik Szoboszlai.

Transfers out: It’s been an overhaul in the middle of the park with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita all departing. Roberto Firmino is a forward that exited as the club look to give more opportunities to the attackers that they’ve signed in the last few season.

Tottenham

The downward trend at Spurs since Mauricio Pochettino’s continued last season, with the club dropping out of Europe completely by finishing eighth. They’ve hired Ange Postecoglou from Celtic as the new manager. Pessimists will say that he’s unproven. Optimists will say it can’t get worse.

Transfers in: James Maddison was always going to move after Leicester’s relegation and Spurs will be thrilled to have such an exciting addition. Manor Solomon has also joined after impressing at Fulham. They have also made their Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski deals permament.

Transfers out: So far, the only notable exits are Lucas Moura and Harry Winks. Fans will be happy with their departures list for as long as it doesn’t include Harry Kane.

Chelsea

They are craving stability at Stamford Bridge after a calamitous season that saw them finish 12th last season. Pochettino is a good managerial appointment in theory, but it will be no good if the club don’t stop their scattergun approach to transfers.

Transfers in: It’s mainly been in attack where the Blues have looked to do business with Christopher Nkunku coming in from RB Leipzig and Nicolas Jackson joining from Villarreal. A deal with Juventus for Dusan Vlahovic looks on the cards which would provide a genuine number nine option.

Transfers out: There are almost too many to mention, but the exodus includes Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Oh, and probably Romelu Lukaku soon.

Why Showmax Pro?

Showmax Pro is a streaming service available for Showmax subscribers in Africa that bundles the Showmax entertainment offering with music channels, news and live sports streaming from SuperSport.

Subscribers can live stream the latest seasons of the English Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, UEFA Europa and UEFA Conference leagues, as well as FIFA World Cup qualifiers, every game of the FIFA Women's World Cup and more. Subscribers in selected regions can stream the UEFA Champions League.

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