The Premier League, the biggest show in town, is back and there’s much excitement and hullabaloo in the air which will only increase.
The questions haven’t changed though.
Such as, can anyone challenge the dominant forces of recent seasons, Manchester City and Liverpool?
By the time this season gets going, they may have signed Harry Kane as well as Jack Grealish. How on earth, then, do you stop a club bankrolled like no other?
Yet this time a year ago, the Merseysiders were favourites ahead of City, so should they be once more now they are back to full strength in central defence?
Either way, it is hard to look past the blue half of Manchester or the red half of Merseyside in the 2021/22 title race.
City’s ascendancy is built on an embarrassment of talent depth.
That they won the title last term without an out-and-out centre-forward for the majority of nine months highlighted that but, realistically, is something unlikely to happen again.
Indeed, it is this SBOTOP observer’s belief that they must replace Sergio Agüero who, despite featuring fleetingly last term, had consistently been the Premier League’s top performer over the past decade and the inspiration (alongside Vincent Kompany and David Silva) for so much of their success.
Their fans would truly be salivating at the thought of Kane sliding into the slot left by the club’s record scorer (260 goals, 184 in the league) alongside the less-heralded Grealish, a natural footballer who can be deployed left, right and centrally – all arriving into a strong dressing room run by Fernandinho, who has extended his City career into a ninth season.
If that does happen, I suspect everyone else will be playing for second place.
If the Premier League 2021 betting odds have City out in front, then I am surprised Liverpool are placed fourth behind Manchester United and Chelsea.
Certainly, United seem to have recruited well this summer but still appear one or two key components clear from being able to mount a title challenge.
That, coupled with question marks about the wherewithal of their manager, and the Red Devils seem behind the curve – although if their record signing can finally add consistency to justify his world class reputation then perhaps they can emerge as genuine contenders.
As with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United, Arsenal have a young coach with potential in Mikel Arteta but are they quite ready to make the next step?
Across North London, the folly of Daniel Levy has certainly caught up with Spurs, who appear weaker than in any time over the last five years (although they are trying to save some face in the transfer market), while Everton have potential but have taken a definite step back in their rebuilding since losing the veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.
All in all, then, if there is to be another title challenger to City and Liverpool, then it is another club owned by a billionaire which is best placed.
European champions Chelsea have a strong squad and, in Romelu Lukaku, look set to be re-signing a player whose goalscoring record is first-class and will guarantee goals at all levels.
He will be responsible for Premier League 2021 highlights galore next term and I expect him to have a field day in the race for leading marksman.
Elsewhere, there have been some noticeably smart moves and reason for optimism at other big clubs – albeit not title contenders.
Despite receiving unfair fans’ criticism, Steve Bruce has done a sterling job at Newcastle who have agreed a fee with Arsenal in excess of £20 million to sign midfielder Joe Willock.
It follows a successful loan spell last season during which Willock scored in seven consecutive Premier League games to help steer the club away from relegation.
Aston Villa are another club which appears to have recruited smartly with Danny Ings netting on his debut in a friendly against Serie A newcomers Salernitana at the weekend, while another of their scorers was Ashley Young, who has rejoined the club and will provide acumen and experience.
It is a simple philosophy in many ways, but the Premier League is effectively a three-tier division and the big spenders will, theoretically, finish in the top positions.
Yet some clubs achieve something just as special, if not more, by securing survival, qualifying for Europe or winning a trophy and this is where I leave the final word for a team which is punching brilliantly above its weight.
The fact that Leicester City are able to be talked about amongst the top echelons, despite possessing a fraction of the resources and budget of the established big-hitters, speaks volumes and again, I doubt they will make the top four but can cause anyone a bloody nose on their day.
So far, they have managed to retain their key players, despite covetous looks at Wilfred Ndidi, FA Cup matchwinner Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and others.
At a time when the gap between the haves and the have-nots is larger than ever, Leicester City are the greatest example of what a Premier League club can truly achieve.
With combat and the big-spending razzamatazz about to resume in full, we should all do well to remember that many times over the next nine months.
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