The three promoted teams face a huge battle this season just to stay in the Premier League. Newcastle United has seen it all before but for Huddersfield Town and Brighton and Hove Albion, it is almost a step into the unknown.
Welcome Back
After starting the 2016-17 Championship season as favourite, Newcastle United eventually stuttered over the line to win the title. At times it was irresistible but all too often it allowed teams to bully it.
Rafa Benitez now has to step up if he is to keep The Toon in the Premier League but the natives are already getting restless. By Premier League standards the £33m spent so far in this transfer window is small, with Jacob Murphy from Norwich City the biggest signing at £10m.
Benitez is relying on the players who got the club promoted and he will be hoping that Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle will combine as well as they did last season. There is growing frustration with the lack of action from Mike Ashley’s chequebook but Benitez would do well to bide his time. The volatile Newcastle owner will surely have faith with the Spaniard, giving him a chance to finish the job for which he was recruited.
Back after 43 years
Huddersfield Town is playing in the top flight of English football for the first time since 1974. It took the hard way out of the Championship, going right down to penalties in a tense play-off final.
Since then, boss David Wagner has been busy, outspending Rafa Benitez. The largest chunk of money went on Benin international Steve Mounié, who scored 14 goals in 35 appearances for Montpellier last season.
Wagner has also invested in Aaron Mooey, paying £8.1m to Manchester City. The Australian spent last season on loan at the Kirklees Stadium and was influential throughout the campaign. Also joining The Terriers is Paul Ince, another £8m signing, this time from Derby County. Ince is a talented player who has not quite realised his potential and Wagner will be hoping he will finally make the grade.
It’s about money
Another club promoted to the top flight after a long absence is Brighton and Hove Albion, which ended a four-year taste of the big time in 1983.
After play-off heartbreak three times in four seasons the Seagulls finally got over the line in April by beating Wigan Athletic at the superb Amex Stadium. While the fans have been pinching themselves, manager Chris Hughton, left, has been busy recruiting. The club has broken its transfer record three times this summer.
The first arrival was Australian international goalkeeper Matt Ryan, who cost £5.4m from Valencia. Next came the £11m paid for Davy Pröpper, a Dutch international lured away from PSV Eindhoven and just 24 hours later the Seagulls signed Colombian international winger Jose Izquierdo from Belgium’s Club Brugge for £13.5m.
Perhaps the most influential signing for Albion will be Izzy Brown on a season-long loan from Chelsea. He was outstanding while on loan at Huddersfield Town last season and David Wagner’s loss could well be Hughton’s gain.
As always in the Premier League, the new boys will find it tough. Manchester City alone has spent three times more over summer than the promoted clubs combined. Brighton opens its campaign against Pep Guardiola’s men and even with home advantage, it is difficult to see anything other than a City victory. Newcastle is also at home and faces an equally big task against Tottenham Hotspur. Huddersfield is away at Crystal Palace, which is no pushover at Selhurst Park.
The opening round will not seal the fate of the promoted clubs but it could be a good pointer to what lies ahead. Brighton and Newcastle have managers who know the relentless grind of the Premier League and that might help to keep them in the division. Huddersfield Town will surely struggle and could be in for a brief stay in the top flight.
by Ian Hine
The post Football: Can the Premier League’s New Boys Thrive? appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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