AFTER an almost three-month absence, Premier League football is BACK this weekend.
Another hectic transfer window has given way to the seasonal summer buzz for the return of top flight English football.
4
4
4
4
And supporters cannot wait to see their new signings in action.
Well, apart from Liverpool fans that is – with Arne Slot’s Reds not buying ANYONE yet.
The biggest deals so far this summer have come between Prem rivals, with Dominic Solanke‘s £55million transfer from Bournemouth to Tottenham so far the largest fee paid.
The Premier League will also be graced by a number of new faces in the league.
Below we’ve picked our starting XI of the most exciting names on that list…
Kicking us off in goal we have Chelsea‘s latest attempt to find a keeper between the sticks, Denmark‘s under-21 star Filip Jorgensen.
The 22-year-old, backed to be Kasper Schmeichel‘s successor at international level, is set to be the man trusted in goal by Enzo Maresca this season following his £21m move from Villarreal.
In our three-man defence, we have gone for Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori and Manchester United duo Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Calafiori and Yoro enjoyed strong campaigns on the continent last season.
Meanwhile, De Ligt was a regular starter in a Bayern Munich side which failed to live up to its usual billing, though his experience and quality still stood out despite the team’s overall under-performance.
Calafiori achieved a top four-finish with Bologna in Serie A while Yoro also earned top four in his breakout season with Lille in Ligue 1.
However, high minutes for Calafiori, who cost £42m, may not be an early guarantee as he is likely to be given some time to bed in behind an already settled Arsenal defence.
At Manchester United, with £52m Yoro out injured until October after undergoing foot surgery, De Ligt is expected to come straight into the starting XI alongside Lisandro Martinez.
When Yoro does return, the pair are likely to swap in and out of the position, which should manage the workload and – in theory at least – help to stave off additional injuries.
Midfield maestros
We have gone for of Brighton’s Mats Wieffer and Tottenham’s Archie Gray as our midfield anchors.
Wieffer, 24, had attracted interest from Liverpool before his £25m move to the Seagulls, while 18-year-old Gray caught the eye with Leeds in the Championship before his own move of around £30m.
In front of this pair we have selected Crystal Palace star Daichi Kamada, who Oliver Glasner will be hoping can provide the creative spark for the Eagles following Michael Olise‘s sale.
The 28-year-old Japan international scored 25 goals in added 12 assists in 93 games under Glasner.
Changes to the Premier League for 2024/25
NOTHING stays the same forever.
And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.
Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.
Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.
There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides – but not straight away.
Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.
The wide options for our team are Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Manchester City‘s Savinho.
The pair of 20-year-old’s impressed last season abroad with Feyenoord and Girona respectively.
Minteh has been described as a “role model” by new Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler following his £33m transfer from Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Savinho – who signed for £31m from Troyes – looked sharp off the bench against Manchester United in the Community Shield before also netting in their shootout victory at Wembley.
Finally, our strikeforce consists of West Ham ace Niclas Fullkrug – one of Germany‘s Euro 2024 stars – and Joshua Zirkzee – Serie A’s young player of the year last season.
Fullkrug, 31, is a seasoned veteran who netted 16 goals in all comps last season for both Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund, and it’s hoped he can be the man to break the east Londoners’ forward curse.
At the age of 23, Zirkzee is on the other end of his career in terms of longevity, but caught the eye by helping Bologna into the top four of the Serie A last season with 11 league goals and five assists.
Some honourable mentions for the team: Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luis Guilherme and Jean-Clair Todibo (West Ham), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Jesper Lindstrøm and Iliman Ndiaye (Everton), Samuel Iling-Junior (Aston Villa), Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham), Marc Guiu (Chelsea), Jacob Greaves (Ipswich), Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest).
SUNSPORT’S TRANSFER NEWS LIVE
STAY in the know this summer with The Sun’s transfer experts.
Chelsea are on the verge of landing £85million Napoli star Victor Osimhen — in an extraordinary player-swap deal.
Meanwhile, Conor Gallagher is in transfer limbo, with the Chelsea midfielder’s proposed £33.7million move to Atletico Madrid in huge doubt.
Elsewhere, Newcastle have made a FOURTH bid worth £65million for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, according to reports.
In other news, Chelsea are preparing to offer Manchester United two players and a transfer fee to sign Jadon Sancho, according to sensational reports in Germany.
Follow our LIVE TRANSFER BLOG for all the latest deals, gossip and exclusives.