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The 2010/2011 English Premier League season promises to live up to its billing

•Chelsea players exult after winning the EPL last season.

The English Premier League, EPL, is dubbed the longest and most interesting soap opera in the football world. Intriguing, captivating, pulsating and entertaining, the EPL lasts for a total of 38 weeks and is watched by more than three billion fans and broadcast to more than 500 million homes across the world. It, therefore, leads in sales of merchandise, franchise and other paraphernalia.The EPL gets a lot of attention from the media every season because of the  summer transfer window that generates a lot of gossip and rumours of possible transfer of players from one club to another, young prospects, coaches being fired or hired and the jostling of investors—money bag from within or outside the country to buy or own one club or another. The bidding war for notable players by big clubs also fascinates fans who long to see new faces join their clubs.

The 2010/2011 season promises to be even more challenging. The Premier League Board has made some changes to the rules governing teams in the top flight. The new rules seek to bring some sanity to the transfer market as well as increase the number of local players in the league. These new rules were supposedly introduced because of England’s poor outing at the just concluded World Cup in South Africa.

According to the Premier League board, each team in the top flight division would have to limit its squad to 25 players, with at least eight “home grown” players registered. A home grown player is defined as someone who is between the ages of 16 to 21 years and must have spent three years as a registered player at a club in England and Wales. Changes cannot be made after the transfer window has closed except in exceptional circumstances like goalkeeping crisis occasioned by injuries. In such situations, clubs are allowed to buy or loan goalkeepers.

One of the major setbacks about the new rules is that injury-prone players like Owen Hargreaves and Jonathan Woodgate may be dropped this season. Another setback is that the new rules will be a headache for big spending Manchester City. The Blue half of Manchester has been the most active team in the transfer window with the Abu Dhabi billionaires spending close to £100 million to bring in Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov. The addition of the quartet has increased the Roberto Mancini-led squad to 38. A cut in size is expected at the club with the likes of Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy, Robinho, Stephen Ireland, Roque Santa Cruz and Joeleon Lescott expected to leave.

City rivals, Manchester United, the most expensive football franchise in the world, lost the chance to win the Premiership for the fourth time on the trot last season. Only one point separated it from eventual champions, Chelsea. The team has been quiet in the transfer window, adding only Mexican winger Javier Hernandez. Coach Alex Ferguson has been linked with German playmaker Mesut Ozil since the conclusion of the World Cup, but, then, the team is always linked with big football stars every season. Ozil or not, the Red Devils, as Manchester United is sometimes called, are always favourites to win the league, but not without competition from their rivals, Chelsea.

The Blues as Chelsea is popularly known have been rejuvenated since Italian Carlo Ancelotti took over as coach. She did the double (The League and FA Cup) for the first time in the club’s history last season, scoring a record 103 goals, 17 more than their closest rivals. But the departure of midfielders Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and defender Julian Belleti might hamper the chemistry of the defending champions this season. Though midfielder Yossi Benayoun has joined the Blues from Liverpool in a £5 million deal and Ramires is close to finalising an £18 million deal from Benfica, it might take some time for the team to find its rhythm.

Arsenal has always proved bookmakers wrong and this season things may not change. The club always stays amongst the “Big Four”. This season transfer speculations have surrounded her prized-asset, Captain Cesc Fabregas. The World Cup-winning player has been linked to Barcelona since last season but talks have reached a deadlock. The club has since released defenders Phillipe Senderos, William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell. Fran Merida and Eduardo have also left. In came Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh and defender Laurent Koscienly.

Liverpool, has had more drama than any of the supposed “Big Four”. The Kop finished last season in a disappointing seventh place and could only manage a play-off spot in the Europa Cup. Manager Rafael Benitez was sacked and replaced with veteran Roy Hodgson. Hodgson announced his arrival by signing freebie, Joe Cole, from Chelsea. The arrival of Cole to some extent settled the nerves of disgruntled captain, Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres, who want more quality additions to the team. The team hopes to better its fortunes this season with the club likely to have a new owner as Chinese businessman, Kenny Huang, has proposed to take it over.

Last season Harry Redknapp got Tottenham Hotspur to finish in the most interesting fashion, fourth position, thus earning a Champions League spot for the first time in the history of the club. Though the club is yet to bring in big players, it can boast of players that can compete at the highest level. Newcastle, West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League last season. Newcastle and West Brom are not new to the Premier League. While Newcastle has been fairly regular at the top flight, West Brom has never found life easy as the club had always struggled to avoid the drop. Ian Holloway’s managerial acumen will be tested and only time will tell if Blackpool can contest favourably well in the elite class.

—Seun Bisuga

Tags:  English Premier League