Written by Matt_G-Freebody for FootballFancast.com: There is a growing consensus that the current Premier League season is one of the poorest in terms of quality, with Manchester United leading the pack without convincing performances, Arsenal’s continual potential and failings, Chelsea dropping out of the title race (well, until now) whilst Liverpool exited the top four altogether. Whereas the spending of Manchester City has added to competition and Tottenham Hotspur having a resurgence under Harry Redknapp, it could have been an even worse season than we have now.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has commented on the increased competition this season saying that games are even harder to predict. But this does not necessarily mean that the league has got stronger, whilst the top teams have dropped in quality due to lack of spending, it has allowed the other teams in the league to catch up. It’s no surprise that half of the teams are still in relegation contention this season.
So with this drop of quality, could we see clubs start to splash the cash in the summer in order to improve? The likes of Manchester City will be expected to get the cheque book out with their rich owners but it could force their competitors to spend the cash or face losing out.
The cause of United’s drop in quality has been down to a surprising lack of transfer activity over the last year. While many feel it’s because of the owners not making funds available, Sir Alex Ferguson has bemoaned that players are over-valued in the current transfer market. And it’s a similar story with Arsene Wenger being the smart economist he is, he hasn’t made the signings in defensive and goalkeeping positions that fans and critics alike have said they desperately need.
And despite the fact that Tottenham are enjoying one of their most successful spells in the last two decades, there is still a big cry for the signing of a world class striker in order for them to maintain their top four place.
Let’s not forget the likes of Newcastle United, who have the potential to splash the cash they received for Andy Carroll in January, but only if owner Mike Ashley allows manager Alan Pardew to use it all to invest in his squad.
Although a busy summer transfer market could be on the cards, it’s certainly not guaranteed as more clubs are being forced to tighten the purse strings at their clubs whilst the value of players only increases. Only the likes of City and Chelsea can afford to spend big, if they choose to spend their cash within the Premier League then it would allow other clubs to spend too.
Unfortunately, I feel that more clubs will be looking abroad for cheaper alternatives. The transfer fee of Andy Carroll speaks volumes on how over-priced Premier League players are compared to those in Europe. With proven strikers by the likes of Diego Forlan, Giuseppe Rossi and Sergio Aguero, to name a few all being valued at around the same price.
Also, whereas the quality of the Premier League may have declined, it certainly hasn’t been dull to watch. The unpredictable results have made it a more interesting spectacle and it’s not just at the top of the table, teams recently promoted from The Championship have not been the “whipping boys” as many expected. Hopefully the transfer market will be just as competitive and the quality will increase next season.
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Premier league poorer? Not so sure about that. Yes, the top teams may have dropped alittle, but overall the premier league is still on the up. The smaller teams have have done leaps in tactics and organising, and physically there are fewer beerbellies each season.
There are still 3 teams in champions league, so i think it is a little premature to doom the pl.
i agree with the article..Manchester United are the leaders and still when you look at their squad,that’s surely the worst they had the last 10years..add to that players like Van der Sar,Scholes,Giggs and even Ferdinand are starting to lose their good performances they had..Arsenal need 1 goalkeeper,2 center backs(Koscielny and Squilacci are very bad)..Chelsea seem to have a great squad but i dont think they really needed Torres..they already had Drogba,Anelka,Sturridge for the striking role while Malouda is average this season and i think that’s where they should have spent money.City aint a club in my opinion(players fighting,coming and going…damn i dont give a s**t about them).Tottenham are the team i like most but i think that last year they were better and since they lost Bale,they seem to lose a lot of their team and Liverpool are in the poorest position from these 6 teams with promising signings(Carroll and Suarez) but they gotta buy wingers,left backs,bench cover if they want to be a great team again..what it’s great about prem is that even the 10th team of the league table is in danger of relegation!but i gotta agree that the top 6 (sounds better than top 4) seem to need players coming and going.i also would risk saying that it will be a huge transfer window for these 6 teams who have all shown a lot of weaknesses this season.
Sorry about this HUGE reply but i just wanted to express my ideas!!i love premierleague and i dont want to miss a single game!!Greetings from a Greek fan,watching the worst football in his country,Greece,where only violence plays a part rather than football..thank you england for showing us what real football means..
If you look at champions league, where the best teams from the best leagues in europe competes, england got more teams left in the competition than any other country… this should indicate a stronger league, and a wrong conclusion in your article :p
If you look at champions league, where the best teams from the best leagues in europe competes, england got more teams left in the competition than any other country… this should indicate a stronger league, and a wrong conclusion in your article :p
i agree with the article..Manchester United are the leaders and still when you look at their squad,that’s surely the worst they had the last 10years..add to that players like Van der Sar,Scholes,Giggs and even Ferdinand are starting to lose their good performances they had..Arsenal need 1 goalkeeper,2 center backs(Koscielny and Squilacci are very bad)..Chelsea seem to have a great squad but i dont think they really needed Torres..they already had Drogba,Anelka,Sturridge for the striking role while Malouda is average this season and i think that’s where they should have spent money.City aint a club in my opinion(players fighting,coming and going…damn i dont give a s**t about them).Tottenham are the team i like most but i think that last year they were better and since they lost Bale,they seem to lose a lot of their team and Liverpool are in the poorest position from these 6 teams with promising signings(Carroll and Suarez) but they gotta buy wingers,left backs,bench cover if they want to be a great team again..what it’s great about prem is that even the 10th team of the league table is in danger of relegation!but i gotta agree that the top 6 (sounds better than top 4) seem to need players coming and going.i also would risk saying that it will be a huge transfer window for these 6 teams who have all shown a lot of weaknesses this season.
Sorry about this HUGE reply but i just wanted to express my ideas!!i love premierleague and i dont want to miss a single game!!Greetings from a Greek fan,watching the worst football in his country,Greece,where only violence plays a part rather than football..thank you england for showing us what real football means..
If you look at champions league, where the best teams from the best leagues in europe competes, england got more teams left in the competition than any other country… this should indicate a stronger league, and a wrong conclusion in your article