The league has come to a close and the transfer window has opened. What are the narratives heading into the summer for Chelsea and company?
The long slog of the season is over and the World Cup approaches. Concurrently, the transfer window is open and plenty of clubs and players are looking to hit the reset button. But what does that really mean for every club going into the summer?
1st Manchester City 100 Points, +79 GD
Pep Guardiola’s men broke record after record as they owned the league. Cups and the Champions League did not go as well but they have the means and desire to strengthen next season. They will be the team to beat next season regardless of what happens over the summer. It will be up to the rest of the league to come up with a plan to stifle Guardiola and City.
2nd Manchester United 81 Points, +40 GD
Jose Mourinho ended the season trophyless while blaming half the squad for it. He will want to strengthen again this summer and remove any of his doubters. This will likely result in a stale squad that will see one of two futures. The first is the one where United run the league all year and Mourinho is fulfilled. The other is when United are chasing or out of contention and Mourinho burns everything down. Then he will be free next summer with few places to turn to.
3rd Tottenham Hotspur 77 Points, +38 GD
Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs are stuck with each other for the next few years it seems. On paper, that is good. He knows the squad inside and out, top to bottom. No one else has more of a finger on the pulse of what Spurs need. But there is a growing sense that he has taken Spurs as far as they can go and vice versa. Next season will have promise, but there is no sign it will amount to anything.
4th Liverpool 75 Points, +46 GD
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool are in a similar place as Pochettino and Spurs. They have both grown greatly in the past few years but have nothing to show for it. Yes, Liverpool made the Champions League final. But they threw it away and offered little resistance. The difference between Liverpool’s ownership and Spurs’ ownership is that Liverpool’s will not tolerate growth without product forever. Klopp has a lot of work to do to bring the side over the line.