Arsenal
Season round-up
At one point Arsenal were challenging on all fronts but crashed out in spectacular fashion following their Carling Cup defeat to Birmingham. With the title seemingly out of their grasp, Arsenal seemed to take their foot off the boil even further, losing to Aston Villa and drawing with Fulham, culminating in a 4th place finish, handing them a potentially tricky qualifying tie in the Champions League next season. With Stan Kroenke’s seemingly imminent takeover, eyebrows must surely be raised with regards to Arsene Wenger’s future following another trophyless campaign. They face an uphill task keeping hold of Francesc Fabregas and with rumours of Gael Clichy, Andrey Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner and Samir Nasri all departing, there are worrying signs for Gunner’s fans. Thomas Vermaelen was injured for almost the entire campaign and was sorely missed. Arsenal were involved in some sensational games this season including a 4-4 draw with Newcastle that saw Arsenal go into half-time, 4-0 up.
Key-player
Robin Van Persie – Despite missing a large chunk of the season through injuries sustained on international duty, the Dutchman has performed well for Arsenal this season, scoring 18 goals. He finished as the third top scorer in the Premier League, including his first career hat-trick in the 3-0 drubbing of Wigan.
Honourable Mentions
Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott
Key signings
Sebastian Squillaci, £6.5 Million, Sevilla – Despite starting 14 of the first 15 games of the season, Squillaci has probably not done enough in the eyes of Arsenal fans. With the return to fitness of Thomas Vermaelen and Arsenal’s need for a dominating centre back there may be question marks over his future.
Laurent Koscielny, £10 Million, Lorient – Will also consider this season a disappointment but has played better than Squillaci. He may also be used less next season Arsenal's sought after centre back is brought in.
Marouane Chamakh, Free, Bordeaux – Despite starting brightly, scoring 7 goals in his first 15 appearances, Chamakh has failed to find the net since November and there are already questions about his future. However, he is still young and has time to impress.
Jens Lehmann, Free, Unattached – Arsene Wenger convinced Lehmann to come out of retirement after injuries to Lukas Fabianksi and Wojech Szczesny. He only started 1 game, a 3-1 victory over Blackburn.
Marouane Chamakh
Next Season?
I feel Arsene Wenger must capture some silverware in the next few seasons or the owners may decide to call time on his reign at Arsenal. Keeping Fabregas from Barcelona’s clutches is a must, but will be a difficult challenge. If Nasri and Arshavin also leave then Wenger’s midfield will need to be heavily reinforced. A centreback partner for Thomas Vermaelen and top striker to work with Van Persie will also be on Wenger’s mind, with Karim Benzema and Chris Samba being heavily linked.
Karim Benzema
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Aston Villa
Season round-up
Villa fans have endured a rollercoaster this season. Despite finishing 6th in the previous three seasons and normally considered as top four challengers, Villa have been involved in a relegation scrap for most of the season. Martin O’Neill’s untimely departure after the refusal to be allocated the funds from the James Milner deal and his subsequent replacement with Gerard Houllier, was not entirely welcomed by fans. With rumours of Ashely Young and Stewart Downing leaving in the summer, as well as Houllier’s health issues, Aston Villa may well face another difficult season.
Key-player
Stewart Downing – Just edging out Ashley Young, Downing has performed well in a turbulent season at Villa Park. With 9 assists and 7 goals to his name, reported interest for Liverpool will mean the Villains face a tough task to keep him on their books next season.
Honourable Mentions
Ashley Young, Brad Friedel, James Collins
Key Signings
Stephen Ireland, Swap, Man City – Was signed as part of the James Milner deal but after the resignation of O’Neill. Was then completely disregarded by Houllier and has since joined Newcastle on loan.
Robert Pires, Free, Villarreal – Pires arrived on a free transfer and while he was used sparingly, his experience has been a great asset for the young Villa squad. It has been rumoured he will be offered a one-year extension for the 2011/12 season.
Jean Il Makoun, £6 Million, Lyon – Has featured sparingly due to injury but the combative midfielder looks impressive.
Kyle Walker, Loan, Tottenham – Looks a very exciting prospect and will look to establish himself further at Tottenham next season. Successfully dislodged Luke Young and Carlos Cuellar at the right back position despite his tender age.
Michael Bradley, Loan, Boroussia Monchengladbach – Only managed three appearances, all from the bench.
Darren Bent, £24 Million, Sunderland – After an impressive start to the season with Sunderland, Bent went from strength to strength, scoring 9 goals for Villa, bringing up his tally to 17 overall for the season. Bent will look to establish himself as a regular England international next season.
Darren Bent
Next Season?
Aston Villa need to consolidate this summer. Only time will tell whether Gerard Houllier will return next season as manager but they should be in safe hands in the time being with Gary McAllister. With reports Ashley Young and Stewart Downing are looking to move on, Villa either need to replace them or match their ambitions with top quality signings. A striker, a creative midfielder and possibly tying down Kyle Walker to a permanent contract after his impressive loan, are the areas Villa need to focus on. A new goalkeeper may also be needed, depending on whether Brad Friedel is willing to play on for another season, Robert Green, Chris Kirkland and Lee Camp all rumoured. The youngsters coming through the Villa setup at the moment look impressive, Marc Albrighton, Fabian Delph and Ciaran Clark have all played well and will look to continue their form next term.
Robert Green
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Birmingham City
Season round-up
Birmingham’s end of season form was woeful. Ever since their Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal in February, they seemed to take their foot off the boil which has ultimately led to their relegation. With no funds in place to deal with life in the Championship and several stars already announcing their desire to leave, they face a difficult task of bouncing back to the Premier League next season. The injury to Scott Dann may have had an impact on an unsettled defence. Carson Yeung has spared Alex McLeish but has sacked Chief Scout, Paul Montgomery after he considered expensive signings he had recommended made little impact.
Key-player
Ben Foster – Made the most saves in the league this season and Birmingham’s fate may have been decided earlier if not for him. He was the third best keeper in the league according to premierleague.com behind Joe Hart and Petr Cech and he has already expressed a desire to stay in the Premier League next season. Tottenham seem the most likely destination.
Honourable mentions
Roger Johnson, Sebastian Larsson, Liam Ridgewell
Key signings
Enric Valles, Free, NAC Breda – Has not featured in the Premier League.
Ben Foster, £6 Million, Man Utd – See above.
Nikola Zigic, £6 Million, Valencia – Was probably put under too much pressure by Blues fans. He has been consistently linked with a move to the Premier League for several years and his displays for Birmingham may suggest why nothing has materialised for him before. He finished the campaign with 5 goals, nothing like what was expected of him. Whether the Serb stays to play Championship football remains to be seen.
Matt Derbyshire, Loan, Olympiakos – Has mainly featured as a substitute this season, his only starts came in the 0-5 mauling by Man Utd and a 0-2 defeat to Fulham. Derbyshire failed to score a single goal and will return to Greece at the end of the season.
Alexander Hleb, Loan, Barcelona – After seeing Hleb’s performances for Arsenal and Barcelona I’m at a loss to understand how poorly he has played this season. The Belarusian finished the season with 1 goal and 2 assists. It appeared his simply did not want to play for the Blues and has little chance of making the Barcelona team next season, especially after such an unimpressive loan spell.
Martin Jiranek, Undisc. Spartak Moscow – After the injury to Scott Dann, Jiranek came into the team and impressed Alex McLeish. His contract runs out at the end of the season and it is still unsure whether he will sign an extension.
Jean Beausejour, £4 Million, Club America – Has struggled with injuries this season and failed to make much of an impact. He scored 2 goals in 17 Premier League appearances but may look to leave following the Blues relegation.
David Bentley, Loan, Tottenham – Despite the skills he possess he has shown little of it for Birmingham.
Curtis Davies, £1.75 Million, Aston Villa – Hasn’t looked sharp, possibly due to the lack of game time he received at Villa and ultimately only made 6 appearances for the Blues.
Obafemi Martins, Loan, Rubin Kazan – While he will be remembered for his Carling Cup winning goal, he failed to find form or fitness in his 2 appearances in the Premier League and his season was curtailed by injury.
Nikola Zigic
Next Season?
Obviously a return to the Premiership is a number one priority. Ben Foster, Seb Larsson, Roger Johnson and Craig Gardner have all expressed a desire to stay in top flight football so Birmingham will face difficulties retaining the services of these players. Marlon Harewood has been sounded out since his release from Blackpool.
Marlon Harewood
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Blackburn Rovers
Season Round-up
Managed a lucky escape despite played ‘unattractive football’ according to some, they ground out results that kept them in the Premiership. Sam Allardyce’s sacking failed to stabilise Rovers’ season and while Steve Kean appears to have the backing of the new owners, the Venky Group, time will tell whether they stick by him. The money promised in January didn’t appear as Blackburn chased unrealistic targets such as David Beckham and Ronaldinho while failing to focus on more affordable targets.
Key-player
Paul Robinson – Like Ben Foster, it’s a credit to Robinson that Blackburn survived. After calling time on his England career, Robinson has looked good for Blackburn this season. Rovers’ fans will hope they can retain the services of Chris Samba and Phil Jones for the coming season to compliment Robinson in the backline.
Honourable Mentions
Morten Gamst Pedersen, Chris Samba, Brett Emerton
Key signings
Mame Biram Diouf, Loan, Man Utd – Despite scoring hat-trick against Norwich in the Carling Cup, Diouf has only notched another 3 goals in the Premier League. His future is uncertain at both Man Utd and Blackburn and it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
Benjani, Free, Man City – Benjani has featured infrequently this season, scoring 3 goal league goals. The Rovers strikers inability to score may go some way to explaining their league position and it remains to be seen if Benjani will be at Blackburn next season.
Roque Santa Cruz, Loan, Man City – Has failed to find the net since his return to Ewood Park but rumours suggest Blackburn want to make his move permanent.
Jermaine Jones, Loan, Schalke – Has played in every game since his arrival from Gelsenkirchen and Rovers will make an offer to bring him back to Ewood Park next season.
Ruben Rochina, Undisc. Barcelona – Has only featured in 4 appearances this season but looks a promising acquisition.
Mauro Formica, Undisc. Newell’s Old Boys – Hasn’t yet featured.
Roque Santa Cruz
Nest Season?
With investment from the Venky Group, Blackburn may be able to dip into the transfer market and strengthen their squad. The wheels are already in motion to secure Roque Santa Cruz and Jermaine Jones to permanent contracts but a clinical striker is a must with Blackburn five forwards only netting 15 goals all season. An audacious attempt for former Man Utd striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has been suggested with the Dutchman unsettled at Hamburg.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
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Blackpool
Season round-up
It has been a rollercoaster ride for the Tangerines this season. However, since Christmas their inability to win away from home severely damaged any chances for Premier League survival. While they played exquisite, free-flowing attacking football, their shaky defence conceded 78 goals. While they were the bookies favourites to go down, there weren’t many neutrals who wanted to see Blackpool relegated and I for one hope to see them again.
Key-player
Charlie Adam – Who else? Adam’s valiant performances speak for themselves and it will be almost impossible for Blackpool to keep hold of Adam after his performances this season with Liverpool and Tottenham are both interested. After turning down bids of around £4 million in January, Adam’s price tag will have suffered due to Blackpool’s relegation.
Honourable Mentions
DJ Campbell, David Vaughan, Gary Taylor-Fletcher
Key signings
Luke Varney, Loan, Derby – Started brightly, scoring 5 goals but fell away after Christmas. Varney will probably not be staying at Blackpool next season.
Craig Cathcart, Free, Man Utd – Was an ever-present feature in Blackpool’s team this season despite them conceding so many goals. Cathcart scored his first senior goal against his old club in their 2-3 defeat to Man Utd.
Marlon Harewood, Free, Aston Villa – Scored 5 goals early in the season but again failed to find the net after November 20th. He has only played in 5 games in 2011 and has since been released following Blackpool’s relegation.
Elliot Grandin, Undisc. CSKA Sofia – Played well and contributed with 4 assists and 1 goal.
Matt Phillips, £325k, Wycombe Wanderers – Mainly featured as a substitute but performed well and added to the cause with 3 assists and a goal.
DJ Campbell, Undisc. Leicester – An absolute revelation, scoring 13 goals and has starred in the Tangerines Premier League adventure. Blackpool will do well to keep hold of him next season.
David Carney, Loan, FC Twente – Has featured infrequently for Blackpool this season.
Richard Kingson, Free, Wigan - Featured in the middle of the season, rotating with Matt Gilks in goal. He conceded 38 of Blackpool’s 78 but this doesn’t appear to have done himself justice as he has since been released.
Andy Reid, £500k, Sunderland – Reid is undoubtedly a very skilful player but he has struggled with fitness throughout his career. He only made limited appearances, mainly from the bench and has also been released by Blackpool.
James Beattie, Loan, Rangers – Failed to find the net in the 8 appearances he has made this season and will return to Rangers next season.
Jason Puncheon, Loan, Southampton – Puncheon has acclimatised quickly to Premier League life and Blackpool would do well to secure his signature on a permanent basis next season.
Next Season?
Blackpool will almost certainly lose Charlie Adam over the summer and Karl Oyston must reinvest in the squad if he expects them to challenge for promotion next season. The spine of their team should hopefully remain intact and fans of the Tangerines will hope DJ Campbell will also stay after an impressive season. However, they have already released 11 players and will find it difficult to keep players if they receive any offers for their key players. If they can tie the impressive Jason Puncheon down to a permanent contract it would also be a plus.
Jason Puncheon
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