The English Premier League is a giant monster. According to Deloitte, the premier league clubs' revenues will grow to 4.3 billion pounds in 2016/17 and are likely to spend over a billion pounds in the current ongoing transfer window which ends on September 1. Out of the richest 30 clubs in Europe, a staggering 12 clubs belong to the premier league. Astonishingly, wages to players and managers increased to over 2 billion pounds. Along with the cash plus the chance to rub shoulders with the very elite of the business and glam world, it is no surprise that the best managers in football gravitate towards the riches and pull of this Mega-Monster.
The 'Big Five' of the premier league, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City hold sway over their rival counterparts in terms of both revenues and sponsors, with the others still having much catching up to do. Who can forget the historic last season when an unlikely Leicester City shocked the big guns to maybe script the greatest football story ever told? For the finance world the premier league is a never ending cash loop. New fans are added each year from every corner of the globe, TV revenues continue to skyrocket and it'll only be a matter of years before we say the 'Big Six' or the 'Big Seven'.
So who exactly are vying to be top dog in this mad, fanatic, crazy, roller-coaster nine month whirlwind ride? On the pitch a club's manager, its players and fans matter the most nobody else. Not the owners and definitely not the shareholders. A football club essentially belongs to its fans who are represented by their players and manager.
Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte and Arsene Wenger form the star-studded assembled cast of the premier league's most high-profile managers. First sight to Manchester with Mourinho and Guardiola ready to commence the second act of their bitter rivalry. 'The grudge match arrives in Manchester' screamed the headlines in Madrid-based newspaper Marca when Mourinho's appointment to Manchester United was confirmed and made public. If the frosty El-Clasicos of yesteryear's are any indication, it is safe to say it'll be all out war. 'In the English league, if I focus on him (Guardiola) and City and if he focuses on United, someone else will be champion' said the Portuguese in May. Wise words there Jose.
There is another whose character Mourinho derided eight years ago, Leicester City's Claudio Rainieri. It must have been galling for Mourinho to watch from the sidelines being sacked by Chelsea as Rainieri guided Leicester to the unlikeliest of titles last term. After Italy's exit to Germany last Saturday, another Italian Antonio Conte will formally take the reins of Chelsea as their tenth manager in sixteen years. In his final press conference there was only the slightest hint of the combustible personality the premier league is told to expect. 'I've never felt supported by anyone' he told the Italian media. It'll be an interesting perhaps bumpy ride ahead.
Jurgen Klopp lost two finals as Liverpool manager. The positive part is he accomplished this in a mere six months after taking charge from Brendan Rogers who left the club dangerously close to relegation places. A manager who terms his style 'Heavy Metal' football, he's a hugely popular figure at Anfield. Klopp has quickly endeared himself to the premier league with his eccentric pitch side antics and press conference mannerisms. A bit of an underachiever, it'll be a huge year for Liverpool.
Speaking of underachieving, reminds us of Arsene Wenger, the grand old man of British top-flight football after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. The man has Arsenal in his name and has been their manager for twenty whole years winning everything except the elusive champions league. A title drought reaching back twelve years threatens to undermine his legacy.
So, to ask again, Who will be the King of the Premier League?
