The summer is ending, the new season is here, and three fresh clubs are joining the Premier League, charged with the innocent hope that they can be the latest to establish themselves in the glitziest division of them all. In August, it is easy to feel that way without any logic, the cynicism from last season washed away.
But this time, might the good vibes from Wolves, Fulham and Cardiff be genuinely justified? Is this the best-prepared trio to ever join the Premier League? Usually the sole aim of new clubs arriving in the top flight is survival, but you could make a pretty convincing case that at least two of the new class could not only stay up, but finish in the top 10. Wolves have augmented a squad that was probably already Premier League standard, Fulham have had arguably the most eye-catching transfer window in the whole division, and Cardiff are managed by Neil Warnock, so anything could happen.
Sights are certainly set high. “We’re looking at doing more than surviving,” Wolves’ managing director, Laurie Dalrymple, said this summer. “I think the strategy we’ve had has been about building a squad and a structure we think is going to be viable to take us further, beyond promotion.” No “we’ll take each game as it comes, we’re just aiming for 40 points” here.
The money helps. It is not a startling revelation that there is more cash in the Premier League than the rest of European football. But occasionally a reminder of just how much is handy: when the English transfer window closed on Thursday, the 10 clubs promoted to the top divisions of Germany, France, Italy and Spain had spent around £40mput together this summer. Cardiff, Fulham and Wolves spent close to £200m.
That money has allowed Fulham to sign Jean Michaël Seri, who last summer nearly joined Barcelona. Wolves have made a few of their high-value loan signings from last term their own as well as attracting Rui Patrício and João Moutinho and breaking their transfer record (again) for Adama Traoré. Even the relatively parsimonious Cardiff have made their second and third most expensive signings (Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid), but they have some longer-term plans for the Premier League windfall.
“The club don’t want to do the same as they did last time [they were in the Premier League], when they threw so much money at it and had a lot of debt,” Warnock says of Cardiff’s 2013-14 season in the top flight, when they spent lavishly on players such as Gary Medel and Andreas Cornelius. “We’re looking to build the club far more than last time. There are plans for a new training ground, for example.
“When Burnley went up a few years ago they went down again straight away. But they built a new training complex and it gave them the building blocks to come back up again, and they’ve never looked back. Although we don’t want to go down, we’ve got to make sure the club is in a better place.”
Burnley are the model for a team like Cardiff but they are also an example of why all three clubs should be optimistic. Without wishing to diminish the fine work of Sean Dyche, that Burnley came seventh while going two months in the middle of the season without winning a game perhaps says more about the mediocrity in the rest of the division than about how brilliant they were. Burnley finished 21 points behind Liverpool in fourth place. They also finished 21 points ahead of Swansea, who were relegated.
The morass of teams between the top six and the drop zone was, last season, a largely indistinguishable mush. Was there a huge difference between the teams that went down and those that finished in “comfortable” mid-table? A bit, but not much. Were West Ham appreciably better than Swansea? Were Southampton, who survived by three points, significantly worse than mid-table Bournemouth? Not really.
On paper some of those teams have improved: West Ham have reacted to the dithering of last summer and spent decisively, Brighton have made some exciting moves and Southampton will be better for having Mark Hughes from pre-season. But the point is that none of the promoted three, particularly Wolves and Fulham, should be scared by any of their competitors.
Those two already have terrific sets of players: for Wolves, the brilliant Rúben Neves sometimes looked like he was playing a different sport to most of his Championship peers, while the forward Diogo Jota and the frequently overlooked defender Conor Coady complete their strong spine.
Fulham have Tom Cairney and the player everyone should be extremely excited about seeing this season, Ryan Sessegnon. They also have a manager unwilling to compromise on his approach. “We are not going to change the style,” Slavisa Jokanovic told Marca. “We are not going to hit balls or park the bus. It would not be a good plan. The Premier League is very demanding, we need to change things. But we’re not going to give up our style.”
Those strong bases have been added to nicely. In addition to Seri, Fulham have brought back the bulldozing Aleksandar Mitrovic, taken Calum Chambers and André Schürrle on loan from Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund respectively and picked up Alfie Mawson from Swansea. Patrício and Moutinho are high-class additions to an already high-class Wolves side, the former arriving as one of nine Sporting players who rescinded their contracts following a turbulent season that culminated in around 50 masked intruders breaking into the club’s training ground and assaulting players and staff. Portugal’s goalkeeper at the World Cup was thus signed for nothing, although Sporting still say they are seeking compensation. Wolves have also signed the midfielder Leander Dendoncker on loan from Anderlecht.
As for Cardiff, Reid is a good purchase from Bristol City, and at £3.5m goalkeeper Alex Smithies could be a bargain. But despite the riches of the Premier League, they know how quickly a club in their position can get blown away by more established buyers.
“At the end of last season, we had a look at [Colombia midfielder] Jefferson Lerma, and we were told he would cost about £8m,” says Warnock. “Now Bournemouth are paying £25m for him.”
But Warnock recognizes that whoever they buy, the season is likely to be a struggle. “We realize it’s going to be a hell of a difficult job,” he says. “When every bookie in the country has you down to finish bottom …” – he breaks off to laugh heartily – “… not many give us hope! We will enjoy it, because we shouldn’t really be here. Instead of fearing it, we’ve got to enjoy every minute.”
These are three very different clubs approaching life back in the top flight in very different ways. But it is interesting that they all seem to be looking beyond mere survival. Wolves want a status befitting their ambition. Fulham want substance without compromising on style. Cardiff are trying to build something for the long term.
Last season all three promoted sides avoided relegation, only the second time that has happened in the last 15 years. Don’t bet against this trio repeating the feat, and perhaps achieving even more besides.
(The Guardian)
