Bolton Wanderers
Season round-up
Bolton had a good season under Owen Coyle despite finishing 14th. They will need to rebuild during the close season and hope to hang onto Gary Cahill and try to make Daniel Sturridge’s loan from Chelsea, permanent. This will be especially pressing following the departure of star striker Johan Elmander to Galatasary. Their impressive home form was shown at its best with a 4-2 win over Tottenham and a 5-1 mauling of Newcastle.
Key-player
Johan Elmander – Elmander notched 10 goals this campaign, after a disappointing first two seasons at the Reebok Stadium. Elmander has also aided his team mates with 7 assists. Trotters fans will be disappointed with Elmander’s decision to move to Turkey just as he has found form after his £8 million transfer from Toulouse.
Honourable Mentions
Kevin Davies, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Gary Cahill
Key signings
Martin Petrov, Free, Man City – An encouraging start by Petrov who missed last season entirely due to injury. Trotters fans will hope he can rediscover the form he played with during his first season at Man City.
Robbie Blake, Free, Burnley – With the form of Kevin Davies, Johan Elmander and Daniel Sturridge, Blake has found it difficult to maintain a decent run in the team and finished the season with just one goal.
Marco Alonso, £1.6 Million, Real Madrid – Failed to settle in England and has only played in 4 games this season.
Rodrigo Moreno, Loan, Benfica – Has featured infrequently finishing the season with 1 goal and 1 assist in the 16 appearances he has made, mainly from the bench,
David Wheater, £2.3 Million, Middlesbrough – Appears to be a strong centre back partner for Gary Cahill and Bolton will hope can keep their defence solid for next season.
Daniel Sturridge, Loan, Chelsea – Has scored some vital goals for Bolton and they will hope they can make his move from Chelsea permanent. He scored 8 goals in his 14 appearances for the Trotters this season.
Martin Petrov
Next season?
Keeping Gary Cahill will be a challenge for Bolton and a host of Premiership sides will try to lure him away from the Reebok. Man City have rumoured to have offered Nedum Onouha and Dedryck Boyata in exchange for the centre-back, but a striker will also be required if Daniel Sturridge returns to Chelsea, with Craig Bellamy linked.
Craig Bellamy
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Chelsea
Season round-up
Chelsea started the season incredibly brightly with two 6-0 victories over West Brom and Wigan and ran undefeated until the 0-1 loss to Man City at the end of September. However, after the sacking of assistant manager Ray Wilkins, Chelsea’s form suffered terribly. Despite the signings of Fernando Torres and David Luiz, at one point, Chelsea found themselves 12 points behind league leaders Man Utd. Chelsea’s form picked up but their season was effectively ended with the 1-2 defeat to Man Utd and manager, Carlo Ancelotti was sacked following Chelsea’s final day 0-1 defeat to Everton.
Key-player
Florent Malouda – Played some part in every single game this season, finishing with 13 goals and 5 assists, including their first goal of the season in the 6-0 win over West Brom. He has played with prolific form all season.
Honourable Mentions
Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole
Key signings
Yossi Benayoun, £6 Million, Liverpool – Was unfortunate with injury and only played made 7 appearances all season, yielding 1 goal.
Ramires, £18 Million, Benfica – Featured heavily in Chelsea’s drive for success but has struggled to adapt to the pace of English football. However, at a young age, there is plenty of time for him to adjust his game and I’m sure the Brazilian international will be a fantastic player.
Fernando Torres, £50 Million, Liverpool – Has struggled for form for the last 2 seasons and his move has done more to unbalance the Chelsea team than galvanize it. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich probably had more to do with the move than Ancelotti and it was clear he was often pressured to include him in the team, at the expense of Didier Drogba.
David Luiz, £25 Million, Benfica – Has settled into the team fairly well but Luiz sometimes looks a little off the pace in the Premier League. This culminates in sometimes rash challenges and sometimes being caught out by pacey strikers. With a preseason behind him I feel he will be a solid defender.
Fernando Torres
Next Season?
After releasing so many of their experienced players last season (Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Ricardo Carvalho), Chelsea seemed to lack some areas of the season and fans will hope they won’t make the same mistakes twice. Their quest for a new manager has already begun with Guus Hiddink looking the most likely successor to Carlo Ancelotti. They have been linked heavily with Belgian sensation Romelu Lakuku and a number of other players, including former Tottenham midfielder Adel Taarabt. I expect them to invest heavily over the summer.
Romelu Lukaku
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Everton
Season round-up
While Everton’s season started poorly, their mid-season form propelled them up the table and the prospect of the Europa League was, at one point, a possibility. Despite their successful run, the lack of investment in the club counts against them, yet again. Without money David Moyes faces an uphill struggle next season, especially is Man City’s interest in Leighton Baines tempts them into making a serious offer, the decision may be out of Moyes’ hands. The highlight of the season for Goodison fans would be the 2-0 victory at home to Liverpool.
Key-player
Leighton Baines – Baines has played in every minute of every game for Everton this season, contributing with 11 assists and 5 goals. He has been instrumental on Everton’s left side and his form is second to none. Baines has been looking to establish himself as England’s regular left-back and may look to move to Man City for a chance to play in Europe.
Honourable Mentions
Tim Howard, Sylvain Distin, Tim Cahill
Key signings
Jan Mucha, Free, Legia Warsaw – Has not featured due to the form of Tim Howard.
Jermaine Beckford, Free, Leeds – Many people questioned whether Beckford would adjust to the step up to Premier League but he finished the season as the most clinical of Everton’s forwards, finishing ahead of Saha and Anichebe, with 8 goals.
Magaye Gueye, Undisc. Strasbourg – Gueye appeared fleetingly this season and only featured in 5 games. He is apparently frustrated at his lack of first team opportunities and may look to move in the summer.
Apostolos Vellios, Undisc. Iraklis – The young Greek striker has made 3 appearances as substitute this season.
Jermaine Beckford
Next Season?
Moyes will hope for some investment in the club after having little to spend in the last season. If Leighton Baines is sold, Moyes will hope to use the cash for new players to strengthen his well balanced team. A quality striker would be ideal, Espanyol’s highly-rated, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo has been linked but his price-tag may be a stumbling block. Michael Owen has also been linked with Everton.
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo
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Fulham
Fulham will be impressed with their top half finish despite being without key players for the majority of the season. Mark Hughes’ first season back in management after being sacked by Man City will be considered a success and will look to build for next season. They have also qualified for the Europa League via the Fair Play League and will look to repeat their performances in last seasons competition.
Key-player
Clint Dempsey – Due to injuries to Fulham’s strikers, the American finished as Fulham’s top scorers this season with 12 goals as well as 3 assists. Dempsey has featured in all but one game for Fulham this season.
Honourable Mentions
Brede Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, Mark Schwarzer
Key signings
Rafik Halliche, £1.3 Million, Benfica – Only played 16 minutes for Fulham this season.
Moussa Dembele, £5 Million, AZ Alkmaar – Only managed 3 goals this season due to injuries but looks a good striker and partner for Bobby Zamora.
Philippe Senderos, Free, Arsenal – Only featured in the final games of the season due to a ruptured achilles tendon.
Jonathan Greening, Undisc. West Brom> – Only managed a few appearances at the beginning and end of the season.
Carlos Salcido, Undisc. PSV – Has adjusted to life in the Premier League well and has only missed games due to injury. Salcido looks an exciting prospect for the future.
Gael Kakuta, Loan, Chelsea – Made his first start for Fulham against Man Utd and made 7 appearances all season for Fulham. With questions over his future at Chelsea, there is a good chance we might see him at Craven Cottage next season.
Steve Sidwell, Undisc. Aston Villa – Has established himself quickly in Cottagers midfield and scored 2 goals since his move in January.
Eidur Gudjohnsen, Loan, Stoke – Failed to score in the 10 appearances he made in a Fulham shirt. His future in England is uncertain.
Gael Kakuta
Next Season?
Will hope to maintain their good form and with Mark Hughes at the helm, Cottagers fans will look forward to next season in the Premier and Europa Leagues. Along with Everton, they have also been linked with Pablo Daniel Osvaldo as well as former full back Paul Konchesky. Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner is an outside chance to end up at Craven Cottage next season.
Nicklas Bendtner
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Liverpool
Season round-up
Roy Hodgson’s arrival at Anfield was always seen as dubious decision and ultimately, it was a one that didn’t pay off. It seems the players were never behind him and nor were the fans. After a dismal run of results and expensive flop signings, Hodgson was replaced with Kenny Daglish. Liverpool have been revitalised since his arrival and Luis Suarez has been a revelation. Despite losing Torres to Chelsea, Liverpool look better than ever with a mixture of young academy players and expensive superstars. If they start next season how they ended this one, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.
Key-player
Dirk Kuyt – Kuyt has had an impressive season, notching up 13 goals, including a hat-trick against arch rivals Man Utd. With injuries to Steven Gerrard and the departure of Fernando Torres, Kuyt has been Liverpool’s most important outlet, scoring 13 and creating 8.
Honourable Mentions
Jose Reina, Raul Meireles, Martin Skrtel
Key signings
Joe Cole, Free, Chelsea – Cole will consider this season a failure but suspensions and injuries just when he was starting to hit form have disrupted any momentum he gained. Towards the end of the season he has only really featured as a substitute but has chipped in with 2 goals.
Jonjo Shelvey, £1.7 Million, Charlton – Shelvey was bought for the future but has managed a few first team appearances this season and has looked impressive his 15 appearances this season.
Milan Jovanovic, Free, Standard Liege – Hasn't looked particular comfortable in English football so far and has suffered injuries, limiting him to just 10 appearances.
Danny Wilson, £5 Million, Rangers – Another player bought for the future has only managed 2 appearances this season and was on the losing side both times.
Christian Poulsen, £4.5 Million, Juventus – Considered a flop by Liverpool fans and has mainly featured for the reserves. Has looked off the pace with the English game and the last of the 12 games he managed this season was in February.
Brad Jones, £2.3 Million, Middlesbrough – Was bought as back up for Jose Reina and has since moved on loan to Derby.
Raul Meireles, £11.5 Million, Porto – Probably the only Roy Hodgson signing who will not be considered a disappointment, Meireles has really impressed the Anfield faithful playing in all but 2 games this season. Having scored 5 goals, including one candidate for Goal of the Season, the Portuguese will look to establish himself further next season.
Paul Konchesky, Undisc. Fulham – Another one of Hodgson’s flops who was not cut out for top level football despite a successful season at Fulham last year. He has since moved on loan to Nottingham Forest and is future is uncertain.
Luis Suarez, £22.8 Million, Ajax – Has been sensational since his arrival from Holland. While it is Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez who have been among the goals, Suarez has been the creative force behind it all, scoring 4 and creating 5. He will be looking forward to next season so he can continue his good form.
Andy Carroll, £35 Million, Newcastle – After a good start to the season with Newcastle where he scored 11 goals, Carroll moved to Liverpool for a Premiership record fee. He has struggled with fitness but his 2 goals against Man City have already endeared him with the Kop and with a preseason behind him he looks very impressive.
Next Season?
With the backing of Fenway Sports Group and under the leadership of ‘King’ Kenny Daglish, Liverpool will look forward to next season. They have established a very balanced squad throughout the second half of the season and there is money for Daglish if he needs it. Gary Cahill and Newcastle fullback Jose Enrique have been heavily linked, as have West Ham talisman Scott Parker. Aston Villa’s Ashley Young and QPR’s Adel Taarabt have been earmarked for the attacking midfield role in Liverpool’s team. Reds fans will be looking forward to an exciting summer.
Adel Taarabt
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