Chelsea ‘flop’ and new Spurs No8 among seven stars who must shine in new season
The 2023-24 campaign promises to be a big one for the capital’s clubs with European campaigns, title challenges and maybe a relegation battle or two to come.
While Arsenal and Chelsea in particular have gone big in the transfer market there are a number of big investments from previous years who will be relied upon to shine over the coming months.
Here, Standard Sport writers pick out the stars who will be most needed to shine in 2023-24…
Big things are expected of Declan Rice
/ Getty ImagesDeclan Rice – Arsenal
There is little doubt that Rice has the character to handle his price tag, but he is under pressure to show why Arsenal paid £105million to sign him from West Ham.
Rice is comfortably the most expensive signing in Arsenal history and Mikel Arteta believes the 24-year-old could be the missing link as the Gunners bid to take the final step in the title race.
He will predominantly play at the base of midfield, but may also be used further forward as a No8, and needs to bring the physicality and drive the Gunners missed last season.
Now Rice has got his big move to a club playing in the Champions League and challenging for major trophies, it is up to the England international to take his game to a new level.
He is already a fan favourite after snubbing interest from Manchester City to move to Emirates Stadium. Shine on the pitch and he could become a legend.
Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford
Bryan Mbeumo will be key amid Brentford’s Ivan Toney absence
/ Getty ImagesWith top scorer Ivan Toney out until January due to his betting ban, most clubs would be scrambling to sign a replacement. However, Mbeumo has been a regular contributor of goals since joining Brentford in 2019 and will be trusted to be the talisman for the Bees.
Yoane Wissa is set to lead the line in the Toney role, but Mbeumo will be asked to drive the Brentford attack.
Operating largely from the right of the front three, the 24-year-old Frenchman offers speed, skill and a thunderous left foot.
Other players must step up, too. Brentford need consistent output from Wissa, Josh Dasilva and Kevin Schade, the German speedster who has this summer made his loan move from Freiburg permanent for a club-record fee of £22m. But much of their hopes could rest on the shoulders of Mbeumo as they bid to mount another European push.
Mykhailo Mudryk – Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk is yet to prove the worth of his price tag
/ Getty ImagesJust before he snubbed Arsenal to join Chelsea for £88.5m in January, Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi said Mudryk has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or.
There was a lot of hype around the Ukraine star, but he walked into a club in turmoil and endured a difficult first six months at Stamford Bridge.
The task for Mauricio Pochettino is to unleash his undoubted talent.
Mudryk is set to be thrust into a key role for Chelsea on the left wing after Christopher Nkunku suffered a knee injury that could keep him out for four months.
The 22-year-old is playing more as an out-and-out winger under Pochettino and, in his new 4-2-3-1 system with a recognised centre-forward, will have a reference point to work off. Taking the No10 shirt brings an added level of expectation. But Pochettino has a good track record with young players and Mudryk will be hoping he can thrive under his new manager.
Eberechi Eze – Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze earned England approval after his performances in 2022-23
/ PAAs a new era begins at Selhurst Park without Wilfried Zaha, there will be added pressure on Eze to step up and deliver as the main man for Palace.
Eze played within himself at times under Patrick Vieira last season, but was revitalised after Roy Hodgson took over, and this feels like a big season for the 25-year-old Londoner.
His England debut against Malta in June should have given him a confidence lift and, with Zaha gone and Michael Olise to miss the start of the season due to injury, he will need to hit the ground running when Palace kick off at Sheffield United on Saturday.
The challenge for Eze is replicating his form at the end of last season throughout an entire campaign.
Hodgson spoke this week about the huge void left by the departure of Zaha. Eze must plug that gap and take over as the Eagles’ talisman.
Raul Jimenez – Fulham
Raul Jimenez could have a bigger role than anticipated
/ Getty ImagesFulham have been quick to stress that Jimenez is not a replacement for wantaway top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, whose future remains uncertain.
But should the Serb depart, then Marco Silva will turn to £5m summer signing Jimenez to provide a goal threat. The Mexico striker has scored just six Premier League goals since fracturing his skull at Arsenal in November 2020 and all he managed for Wolves last season was three goals in the League Cup.
Fulham will hope he can rediscover his best form under Silva, much like Willian did last season.
If Mitrovic does stay, Fulham could still do with someone to ease some of the goalscoring load on him, as they bid to build on their impressive 10th-place finish last season.
Jimenez scored as Fulham beat Hoffenheim 2-1 in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday. It was his first goal for his new club and his challenge now is to become a top-class Premier League centre-forward again.
Yves Bissouma – Tottenham
Yves Bissouma has been handed Spurs’ No8 shirt
/ REUTERSPerhaps more than anyone at Tottenham, Bissouma is poised to benefit from the ‘Angeball’ revolution.
Signed for £25m last summer, Spurs fans had high hopes for Bissouma, but under Antonio Conte he looked a shadow of the midfielder who was such an imposing box-to-box presence at Brighton.
Had Spurs signed a dud or was Bissouma mismanaged by Conte, whose exacting demands on his players are notorious? The hope and belief at Spurs is that it was the latter, and the early signs under Ange Postecoglou are promising.
With Rodrigo Bentancur sidelined until at least September and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s future uncertain, Bissouma is all but certain to start the season in Postecoglou’s midfield three, either as the single pivot or a second No8 alongside James Maddison, with licence to get forward.
It is a cliche but, given how little impact he made last season, Bissouma really should be like a new signing for Spurs.
Lucas Paqueta – West Ham
Lucas Paqueta has only recently started to shine at West Ham
/ Getty ImagesProof of Paqueta’s stunning turnaround in form last season comes with today’s news that Manchester City now want to prise him from West Ham.
David Moyes, having already seen Rice depart, will be desperate not to lose another major cog from his midfield. Should Paqueta stay, and with midfield reinforcements yet to arrive, there will be huge pressure on him to hit the ground running this term.
The Brazilian arrived last summer for a club-record fee of more than £50m, but it was a source of major frustration to West Ham fans that by Christmas the only occasions on which he had shown his full quality had come at the World Cup with Brazil. Six months later, though, few were still in any doubt as to the 25-year-old’s ability.
No Hammers player finished the season in better form, and his superb pass set up Jarrod Bowen’s winner in the Conference League Final.
