Will this be Leicester’s strongest season in the Premier League since their 2016 Championship?

Leicester reacts to Leicester City's Premier League Title Success on May 03, 2016 in Leicester, England.

(May 2, 2016 - Source: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe)

Be afraid, be very afraid!

With Arsenal on the ropes and down on the floor, a familiar foe was standing right over their carcasses; Jamie Vardy. Two goals for the English international in a 3-0 victory for the Foxes meant that the Gunners had officially become his favorite customer. With a tally of 8 goals against them in the Premier League, against no else has he scored more. Rodgers' boys had not only inflicted a third loss in three matches for Emery's charges; but pulled off a Thanos and the magical stones on them. With 3 snaps of the fingers, more of rippling of the net in this context, Arsenal's hopes of finishing in the top four had vanished into thin air, almost at the speed of Leicester light or sound of their red agonies. The Foxes themselves had almost nothing to lose but plenty of pride to gain. A top 7 finish was almost out of reach given how well Wolves and Everton had performed in the preceding month leading to the fixture. Rather, on that 28th of April 2019, a bloody message had been imprinted on plain tables with the claws of a Fox, "they were coming for all of them when the season restarts." This time not as Foxes wearing sheep clothing, as they did in the 2015/16 when they won the Premier League title with odds of 5,000-1. But as the real deal, untamed and unleashed!

Statistically 3rd best in the Premier League?

Back to the main question, could 2019/20 really be Leicester's strongest season since winning the title in 2016? Well, the short answer is an emphatic yes! Just for kicks, since the appointment of former Liverpool manager in February of 2019, only champions Manchester City and European champions Liverpool have won more Premier League points than the King Power residents. Not a bad company to keep. If we are to extrapolate this historical data, we learn that it's pretty realistic for them to finish 3rd behind the aforementioned two. Not to worry, we are not putting all our eggs in that one basket, there is more wind in their sails, but first; let's look at how they've started.

“Upfront, we all know what they’ve got; some good old English speed and killer instincts in Jamie Vardy. The befitting introduction to this piece. The 32-year-old scored 14 goals in 17 Premier League appearances since the arrival of Rodgers on March 3. Only Aubameyang and Mane came close to that record with 12 goals each. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Jamie Vardy and James Maddison of Leicester City applauds fans after the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City at Anfield on October 05, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 4, 2019 - Source: FELIPE TRUEBA/Getty Images Europe)

Foxes don't false start

At the time of writing this piece, Leicester were in 4th place, just two points off second-placed Manchester City. It had only been 8/38 games into the season but the table quite accurately told how the 20 teams had fared. The Foxes in particular could have been higher up the pecking order given their performances had been miles, better than the results. That rampant display against Arsenal at the close of the 2018/19 season was indeed no clouds without rain. In their first 8 matches of the new campaign, they lost only two.

A narrow 0-1 lost at Manchester United and 1-2 away at Liverpool. In the latter, the Reds actually needed a 90+5 Milner penalty to get all 3 points and register a successive 17th Premier League win. They were unlucky not to get a win at Chelsea after coming from behind to take the game to the Blues and eventually secured a point. At home against Tottenham, the Foxes soundly beat the 2019 Champions League finalists by a 2-1 scoreline. Also included in the 8 games is an emphatic 5-0 win over Newcastle. Clearly, they look more than ready for the challenge. Super competitive against the big guns and ruthless when matched up with the so called lesser opposition.

Wilfried Ndidi of Leicester in action during the pre-season friendly match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City at Molineux on July 29, 2017 in Wolverhampton, England.

(July 28, 2017 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

A well balanced and vicious squad

The mix is just right. It's no fluke that they've performed the way they did. After Manchester City and Liverpool, Leicester arguably boast of the most balanced squad. Forget the price tags, star names and focus on the word "balanced." Let's actually look at how they line-up. Even after losing Harry Maguire to Manchester United in a world record deal for a defender, Johhny Evans and Caglar Soyuncü look like a good combination of experience and youth. No wonder they've conceded only 7 goals, a 2nd best record in the division after Liverpool and tied with Sheffield United.

The modern game is all about full-backs flying up and down the flanks, and the Foxes have two of the best in the division. Ben Chilwell who is mostly preferred by Gareth Southgate in the current England setup and the dynamic Ricardo Perreira who recorded the 4th highest tackles in the league last season. Wait, did we forget Schmeichel? The skipper goalkeeper needs no introduction and his sure displays in goal has him continue staking a claim among the best there is. From the middle of the park and going forward, they're even better. All of the 22-year-old Nigerian international, Wilfried Ndidi who has consistently and statistically been among the top two tacklers in the league since the 2017/18 season, the £40 million signing in Youri Tielemans and Newcastle top goal scorer from last season in Ayoze Perez; provide depth and options. Time will not allow us to exhaust the insurmountable talents of Harvey Barnes, Hamza Choudhury, Demarai Gray, Marc Albrighton or the man from Sampdoria, Dennis Praet and maybe everyone's favorite, the puppet master who pulls all the strings, James Maddison. But the point is more than clear, their midfield is loaded!

Upfront, we all know what they've got; some good old English speed and killer instincts in Jamie Vardy. The befitting introduction to this piece. The 32-year-old scored 14 goals in 17 Premier League appearances since the arrival of Rodgers on March 3. Only Aubameyang and Mane came close to that record with 12 goals each. Even as a backup, the former Manchester City and Nigerian forward in Kelechi Iheanacho could be lethal enough if afforded the opportunity. It get's even more interesting when we learn about the ingenuity of the man who organizes them.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City celebrates victory with Wes Morgan of Leicester City after the Premier League match between Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth at The King Power Stadium on March 30, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom.

(March 29, 2019 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

They've got Rodgers, Brendan Rodgers!

Let's get one thing clear, joining Leicester is not a step up for the Irishman but a step up for the club. Brendan Rodgers' CV is up there for everyone to see and his talents are no strange to the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp is not the first man to bring Liverpool within touching distance of the league title since 1989-90, Rodgers did it in the 2013/14 campaign. Only needing two wins to clinch the coveted prize, the Reds blew up a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at Crystal Palace that effectively handed the Premier League title to Manchester City. How good a job the now 46 year-old had done in that race cannot be overemphasized. He bloodied the likes of Raheem Sterling and set-up Luis Suarez for worldwide success.

Rodgers' next job at Celtic was more silverish and fruitful, winning the Scottish treble twice between 2016-18 In all, he left Scotland with 7 titles in 3 years to his name. In feeding their ambition, calling upon the tactician is almost as good an appointment as it gets. Even more, Rodgers himself returns with a slight knack to prove a point in the Premier League after Liverpool gave him the sack. It's the intersection of ambition. Little wonder they've already upped their game; the manager knows the league, knows how to win and has great experience working with young English players which Leicester have in abundance.

If you want be a little bit cynical, you could argue that amongst the so called big 6 teams, perhaps only four have better managers as per their CVs. United's Solskjaer and Chelsea's Lampard have been barely tested but we won't hinge on that, knowing it doesn't always work like that.

Right place at the right time, as traditionally top sides falter

Leicester as a club tested the highest glory, liked the smell and have always been back for more ever since. They've sacked managers such as the Premier League winning manager himself, Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare and Claude Puel for doing only enough to stay in the top flight. Their boldness has perhaps seen fortune knocking on their door. For the first time in quite a number of years, the traditional big 6 sides look shaken.

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City (l) celebrates after scoring the first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on September 29, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 28, 2018 - Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe)

Obviously not Liverpool and highly doubtful of City even after starting the campaign very strangely losing to Wolves and Norwich. Manchester United are languishing in the bottom half of the table and their young and unbalanced squad look like they would have punched way above their weight if they finish within the top 6. It looks like 3rd place will be Arsenal's to lose as we may need rocket science to understand what's really going on at Tottenham, and the young Chelsea side look no better than the Foxes. Wolves who finished above Leicester last campaign look burdened by Europa League commitments and West Ham seem decent with record signing Sebastian Haller up top and the talents of Yarmolenko, Lanzini somewhere in the mix; but even Premier League winner in Manuel Pellegrini is still pondering on how to fix his defence. What about other last season's big performers in Everton and Watford? At this point, they both look like they are fighting just for their lives. The former were in 18th place after 8 games and the latter rock-bottom in 20th, courtesy of non-existent strike force and managerial crisis respectively, howbeit amongst many other things.

Foxing their way through

With all of an extremely talented and balanced squad, tactically astute manager, an ambitious board and the vulnerable state of state of the top 6, the stage looks set for the 2015/16 Premier League champions to fox their way through. Well, except if other sides exponentially improve their performances. At this rate, the Foxes are unlikely going to wait for that to happen but rather continually go for the jagular!

Is Manchester City’s success just a reflection of their bank account?

Manchester City has been reported to be the most valuable club in the English Premier League. Pep

Guardiola’s current squad cost £702 million to assemble; the highest of any other club in Europe. City are current EPL Champions and favorites to compete for the title this season, currently sitting in second place behind Liverpool. In the five years between 2015- 2019, the only clubs that spent more than City are Juventus and Barcelona. Guardiola’s men won the domestic treble last season further cementing their position among Europe’s elite but their financial endowment has worked hand in glove with Guardiola’s visionary leadership.

Pep Guardiola looks on during the Pro Am for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 23, 2018 in Virginia Water, England.

(May 22, 2018 - Source: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Europe)

 Josep Guardiola, the manager who lacks nothing

Guardiola’s prolific career spans over three of Europe's best leagues and major successes in each one of those leagues earned him recognition among the most accomplished managers in history. He won the La Liga four times with Barcelona and the treble. In Germany, he had similar success winning Bundesliga for three consecutive years. Barcelona, Bayern, and Man City are all large clubs with big budgets to sign players. Throughout this managerial career, Guardiola has had a huge financial backing to construct the best teams that the leagues have seen. Pep Guardiola’s impact at Manchester City has surpassed previous managers in both achievements and expenditure.

Manchester does not spare the cost to buy players and this led to their Premier League rival, Jurgen Klopp claiming that Manchester City lived in a “fantasy land”. Klopp himself has spent much less than Guardiola since taking over as a manager at Anfield. Arguably, when a manager has access to all the financial resources they need, there is more room for success without having to make it work with less talented players. Guardiola has spent more at Manchester City than at Barcelona and Bayern Munich combined. The reason behind this being the need to rejuvenate the squad after coming to a team of 11 players over the age of 30 according to the Spaniard. Most of their players have each costed the team between €50 and 100 million showing that they do not have to be conservative when they want a player. The Cityzens have not made nearly as much selling players as they spent buying. They spent around £500 million net in the last five years whereas Liverpool made profits of selling the likes of Phillippe Coutinho. Money is just not an issue for Manchester City which justifies their freedom to recruit talented players at a premium. Many of the Man City signings have succeeded at the Etihad and have been part and parcel of the outstanding overall success of the club in the past few years.

“Sheikh Mansour’s investments into the club have exceeded £1.4 billion which has essentially contributed to turn Manchester City into a European powerhouse that spares no cost in buying the top-rated players.”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch Africa

Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the Group F match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City at Metalist Stadium on October 23, 2018 in Kharkov, Ukraine.

(Oct. 22, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

 Most Expensive Manchester City signings

 Let’s just quickly look at some of their high profile signings.

 #10 - Eliaquim Mangala, £42 million

The French center-back joined City in 2014 but failed to have an impact in defence. He has spent most of his time at City on loan to Everton and Valencia. The 28-year old was signed by Manuel Pellegrini and did not make it to Pep Guardiola’s first team.

 #9 - Bernardo Silva, £43 million

City signed Bernardo Silva in July 2017 from Ligue 1 powerhouse Monaco, after he had helped the French team secure a league title and a semi-finals spot in the Champions League. The Portuguese playmaker won Man City’s player of the season in his second season at the Etihad.

 #8 - Raheem Sterling, £44 million

Then 20-year old Sterling made his high profile move from Liverpool in 2015. Since his arrival at Etihad, he’s been progressively becoming better each season for City with his best campaign in 2017/2018 season where he netted 23 goals and created 17 assists in 46 games.

 #7 - Kyle Walker, £45 million

Kyle Walker made his move to Manchester City from Spurs in 2017 on a five-year contract. The former Tottenham player has been touted to be on the way out after Pep Guardiola signed João Cancelo from Juventus this year.

 #6 - John Stones, £47.5 million

Stones joined City from Everton to Manchester City in 2016. The English defender was signed for a wholesome £47.5 million price tag. The 25-year old is the first choice center-back for the English national team and has turned out to be a good investment for Manchester City.

Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates with the Community Shield trophy following his side's victory during the FA Community Shield between Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 5, 2018 in London, England.

(Aug. 4, 2018 - Source: Clive Mason/Getty Images Europe)

#5 - Benjamin Mendy, £52 million

Mendy was signed from Monaco on a five-year contract in 2017, breaking the record at the time for the most expensive full-back. One of the most expensive defenders in the League, Mendy has had a series of injuries that have kept him from playing much at Manchester City.

 #4 - Kevin De Bruyne £54 million

The Belgian has been at the club since 2015. Since signing a 6-year contract to switch from Wolfsburg to Manchester City, De Bruyne is now a key figure on the pitch as City’s playmaker. The 28-year-old midfielder currently stands at 50 assists for the Blues.

 #3 - Aymeric Laporte £57 million

The French defender has been crucial to the Manchester City defence since his arrival in 2018 from Atletico Bilbao. Laporte’s exploits in the EPL has resulted in him being regarded as the second-best center-back in the league behind, 2019 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year in Virgil Van Dijk.

 #2 - Riyad Mahrez £60 million

Leicester City’s former talisman became a City player for £60 million, a price tag that made him the first player to break the £60 million mark for the club in 2018. He has been one of the best players for Manchester City this season, taking advantage of Leroy Sane’s injury to prove his worth.

 #1 - Rodri £62 million

Coming from Atletico Madrid, the midfielder is expected to take the place of 34-year old Fernaninho as a key figure in City’s midfield. The rated player came at a premium because of his reputation and instinct with the ball. Rodri’s contribution to the team is most critical when Fernandinho retires.

 Manchester City’s humble beginnings

City have not always had the enormous financial resources they have today and was an outsider to the elite clubs of Europe. The club’s fortunes turned when the current Manchester City owner, billionaire businessman and member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bought the club in 2008. City won three league titles and made record profits since its change of ownership into the Abu Dhabi billionaires’ hands.

Before coming into the picture, Manchester City was far from being a championship team constantly finishing mid-table. His investment has largely been responsible for taking City from mid-table regulars to league title winners. The investment has gone into extensions to the Etihad Stadium state of the art facilities. Sheikh Mansour’s investments into the club have exceeded £1.4 billion which has essentially contributed to turn Manchester City into a European powerhouse that spares no cost in buying the top-rated players. In the 11 years since buying the club, City has won 9 trophies and 3 league titles. City’s success gained the English team, fans across the globe and catapulted them to the position of the most valuable club in the Premier League. The money has also been coming in for City with an annual turnover of £581 million earning, £9 million behind top earners and rivals Manchester United who bagged £590 million in the most recent year.

Bernardo Silva of Manchester City controls the ball under pressure from Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 7, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 6, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

 Manchester City and Liverpool Rivalry

Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola have to battle it out this season for the league title. Liverpool has been on a near-perfect run which has cemented their chances of taking the title from rivals City. Manchester’s luck has fallen through, falling behind Liverpool by 8 points. The biggest challenge that the club is facing happens to be a shaky defence that has made critical mistakes, costing the champions six points against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Norwich. Aymeric Laporte’s injury has been a major setback as the first choice center-back who will need more time on the sidelines, recovering from a meniscus injury picked up early on in the season.

 Guardiola has had to find a temporary suitable combination, which has meant that his defence needed to adjust, pairing up with players they had not been used to playing with. John Stones and Kyle Walker have taken the baton alongside the ageing duo of Nicholas Otamendi. Joao Cancelo, City’s record signing full-back has not played a major role this season as Guardiola’s first-choice. The current defence lacks depth which could cost City the title, as Liverpool charge on, eight points ahead of the champions. Fernandinho moved into the defensive position this season, making a way in the midfield for new signing Rodri. The switch has been far from stable at times, the Brazilian proving that his natural position is in midfield.

Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Otamendi with the Premier league trophy after the Premier League match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad Stadium on May 6, 2018 in Manchester, England.

(May 5, 2018 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

 Conclusion

The biggest clubs in the world are usually well endowed with the financial capacity to buy players without sparing the cost. The elite clubs have the cash to continue buying the players that the manager needs and at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been no different. It’s true that the Spaniard, has been fortunate to have financial access for most of his managerial career and has used this privilege to create some of the best teams, the football world has ever seen including the current Manchester City squad.

 To respond to the question, “Is Manchester City’s success just a reflection of their bank account?’’ The short answer is yes. They have been transformed by their access to financial resources via the Arab world. A big part of why the Cityzens have been able to succeed is a reflection of their bank account but Guardiola’s touch has also contributed immensely. Let’s face it, you also need to know which players to buy and how to organize them.

English Premier League: Who will challenge for European football?

Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's third goal during the Group F match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City at Metalist Stadium on October 23, 2018 in Kharkov, Ukraine.

(Oct. 22, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

This week saw the 2019/20 EPL season kick off and needless to say the race for the title has begun. The league table has already started tallying points and we can finally start talking league standings, silverware and of course, European football. Last season England set its mark on Europe last with exceptional class acts that gave us two all English European finals and the Super Cup match up. The top teams will once again take their ambitions to Europe where English teams have once again become a force to be reckoned with. Promising summer windows for some of the clubs including Arsenal, Everton and a nonexistent one for Chelsea after a ban from the transfer window and also looking at the pre-season form of the teams, we’ve had a peak at their fortunes this upcoming season and picked teams that have a chance of winning some European football next season. 

POSSIBLE 2019/2020 TOP FOUR

Tottenham Hotspur

Last season finish: 4th

The combination of having more elite players and managers has propelled the once more average teams into big powerhouses. Tottenham represents this metamorphosis better than any other; the emergence of the club as a top flight club in Europe has been due to over the years have put in some quality efforts and consistency from the North Londoners. Mauricio Pochettino’s men look set to bag another top four finish, a fact that seemed inconceivable only a few seasons ago. In fact, Arsenal fans made St. Tottenham’s Day, in celebration of something that seemed so routine for years; finishing above Spurs in the league. Undoubtedly, Spurs have handed Arsenal fans a bitter pill to swallow while simultaneously gaining prominence in Europe not only for their exploits in England but for a brilliant UEFA Champions League campaign and a first final in that competition. The season brings new challenges of whether they can hold on to talents like Christian Eriksen who is on the radar of big European clubs like Real Madrid. Champions League also on the agenda this season, Spurs will come out blazing in hopes to finally secure the league title. 

“Last season, the newcomers did more than just turn a few heads, knocking a few egos along the way as well and managing an absolutely hard-earned seventh-place finish. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will once more hope to ruffle the feathers at the top this season and qualify for Europe ”

— Margaret Mandeya, FirstTouch

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates with his tem mate Mesut Ozil after scoring his team's first goalduring the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Aug. 3, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Liverpool

Last season finish: 2nd

Last year’s UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool are the most successful English team in the European competitions. Yet at the moment, it almost seems as if Liverpool can have the most outstanding seasons with unbeaten runs and the most excellent formations and squads and still lose out in the dying moments. The second place curse, as it’s dubbed, is the cause of many frustrations for the YNWA faithful. However, Jurgen Klopp has in times past proven his managerial competence and last year’s UEFA Champions League win is enough evidence that Liverpool have what it takes to take the title this year. Breaking from this pattern of disappointing finishes in the league will be the main goal for Klopp. Liverpool are formidable against any side in the Premier League and with the club’s biggest assets still on the roster, they are undoubtedly close favorites to the title together with City.

 Manchester City

Last season finish: 1st

Manchester City go into the season with the possibility of winning a third EPL title in three years straight. City are the most compact, have the strongest and solid attack; that is hardly frazzled champions of the English Premier League. City have been a winning formula and that still largely remains undisrupted. Jose Mourinho commented that he believed Manchester City’s B-team could quite easily challenge for the title. For starters, English international who can as well start on the bench, Raheem Sterling started the season with a hat trick against West Ham and more performances of that level from the forward can as well hand the Citizens yet another title.

Chelsea

Last season finish: 3rd

Richarlison of Everton celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton FC at Molineux on August 11, 2018 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

(Aug. 10, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have received a blow to the start of their Premier League campaign. The 4-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford is as an undesirable outcome. Frank Lampard his youthful side do not have the experience warranted to deliver Chelsea their title hopes. Despite this, Chelsea is definitely one of the teams that have the biggest potential, ironically because of the fresh talent in the squad. Lampard has a big task with Chelsea and together with his youthful side, all have something to prove. The rebuild for Lampard will take some time and as such we should not expect much from them. Chelsea will need to work on giving the young players the confidence they need to play at the level of the EPL. They might end in the top four if there the experience of other long standing players on the squad comes to the party.

 Arsenal and Manchester United

Last season finish: 5th and 6th  

Arsenal and Manchester United’s Red Devils are likely to be beating down at each other’s doors again this season gunning for a top four finish against their much solid counterparts. Unai Emery and Arsenal lost to Chelsea in the final of the 2018/19 Europa league, showing that they do have the world class players they need to inject the much needed attacking potent but a shambolic defence.  Arsenal may now have a real chance with Nicolas Pepe, the club’s record signing coupled with Aubameyang’s goal scoring prowess and David Luiz’s defensive experience. After going on a signature spending spree that saw United signing Harry Maguire, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for £146million, the main goal would be to finish in the top four. After managing to revive United’s fortunes last season, all eyes will be on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to see if he can take United into a future where they once again dominate the EPL.

PONTENTIAL FROM OUTSIDE THE TOP SIX

Diogo Jota of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea FC at Molineux on December 5, 2018 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

(Dec. 4, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

Everton

Last season finish: 8th   

Football in Europe is the crowning of any English club into the club of champions which has been exclusive to the top six. A team that unsurprisingly could shake up the top four this season are Everton. Shaking things up is Everton, who have set themselves up for a strong chase with their summer signings. Marco Silva’s new personnel are likely going to play significant role in the club’s European football ambitions. One of them is Moise Kean, the nineteen-year-old striker from Juventus, who is one of the most promising young talents in Europe at the moment. Kean’s signing from Juventus has been seen as the remedy for Everton’s attack which has not been the same post Lukaku’s exit to Old Trafford in 2017. Nigerian midfielder, Alex Iwobi joins former Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott at Everton. Iwobi’s £28 million move to the Blues has come at a time for him to prove his impact in the big game and will be eager to prove his worth. Andres Gomes from Barcelona also joins the Blues to round off a brilliant transfer window for Everton. The Blues are likely to shake be knocking on the top six’s door if they perform to the standard.

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City (l) celebrates after scoring the first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on September 29, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 28, 2018 - Source: Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Last season finish: 7th  

Merciless and on the chase for a spot in European football next year. Wolves will be looking to bash it out with the top six. Last season, the newcomers did more than just turn a few heads, knocking a few egos along the way as well and managing an absolutely hard earned seventh place finish. Nuno Esperinto Santo’s men will once more hope to ruffle the feathers at the top this season and qualify for Europe once more after nudging their way into the Europa League this season courtesy of Manchester City’s double qualification as league winners and FA Cup victors. Wolves have had a busy summer, releasing and signing new players including club record signing Raul Jimenez from Benfica who will stay on permanently after a succesful loan spell last season and Patrick Cutrone from AC Millan.

Leicester City

Last season finish: 9th  

Leicester City manager, Brendan Rodgers maybe the right man to take the Foxes into a top six finish. The manager has been focused on creating a top flight team for Leicester City once again. The transfer window was a chance for the former Celtic manager to rebuild the squad after departures by key players such as Riyad Mahrez. This summer, Harry Maguire’s move to Manchester United for £80 million exposed Foxes to another loss of a key player. However, signings of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans who spent last season a loan from AC Monaco and striker Ayoze Perez from Newcastle could cover some of the gaps. Leicester City talisman and top goal scorer Jamie Vardy will provide the experience while the addition of young energy into the squad will allow for a dynamic squad that could potentially qualify for the Europa League next season.

West Ham

Last season finish: 10th  

Declan Rice of West Ham United celebrates scoring the winning goal with team mates during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal FC at London Stadium on January 12, 2019 in London, United Kingdom.

(Jan. 11, 2019 - Source: Marc Atkins/Getty Images Europe)

West Ham who also managed to finish in the top half of the table last year. The question is how will they fair against the big teams this season. After a disappointing start to the season, losing to Manchester City 5-0, the Hammers will look to rebuild their confidence with wins against smaller teams lined up. West Ham had moments where they looked like a top 10 team last season, beating out Manchester United and Arsenal. The Londoners have however suffered a blow to their attack after losing Arnautovic to the pull of the Chinese Super League. Manuel Pellegrini’s task this season is undoubtedly to fish out the quality performances from the team in the face of the bigger teams in the league. The former Manchester City manager has to make crucial improvements in the back which will serve Hammers well in their campaign. West Ham could edge up wards in the league, only if luck would have it.

The Premier League is set to be a magnificent one. With 380 matches this season, with the bulk of them still to be played, there’s a long way to go before we crown the league champions. If past Premier League seasons are anything to go by, it’s a road packed with dramatic goals, unexpected injuries that get in the way.

Comment with the team you think will take the title this year?

How will the English Premier League's "Big 6" rank this season?

Manchester City Manager Josep Guardiola on stage during the Manchester City Trophy Parade in Manchester city centre on May 14, 2018 in Manchester, England.

(May 13, 2018 - Source: Lynne Cameron/Getty Images Europe)

Preamble

The return of the English Premier League has been longed for by most football fanatics and it's just a matter of days before we witness the resumption of the biggest and most exciting league in world football. Reminiscing on how good the previous season was, one can’t help but imagine how better the upcoming season will be. As expected; various teams will be having various objectives coming into the new season and unsurprisingly, the main focus will be on what has been known as “The big six” in Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester United and the Arsenal. The current champions Manchester City will be hoping to add to their seemingly increasing trophy cabinet, but will face intense competition from rivals Liverpool who will be looking to avenge the misfortunes of the previous season where they did all they could to win the league but it was simply not enough. Meanwhile, the rest of the top six clubs will be looking to stamp their authority and force their way into the top two and ultimately challenge for the title. Below we preview the return of the league and the possible outcome of the top six teams, nine months from now.

 Manchester City

It is without a shadow of doubt that last season’s top two teams will be the two teams gunning for the league title this season. Being miles ahead of the rest of the top six teams, Manchester City and Liverpool will only be hoping to replicate last season’s form and will only get better. To show their intentions on remaining dominant, Pep Guardiola has already made a statement of not backing down by strengthening the side in a critical position that is central to the way City plays. That is the acquisition of record signing Rodri to potentially replace the ever dependable Fernandinho in the holding midfield role. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen what effect Vincent Kompany's departure will have on City next season considering that the club have not signed a replacement for their talismanic former captain. As it stands, provided City don't sign a new centre-back, they will go into the new campaign with just three recognised senior central defenders in Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi. Nevertheless, the commanding presence of Aymeric Laporte at the back, coupled with the massive work rate from Kyle Walker, and the potential return of injury-prone left back Benjamin Mendy, should be enough to ensure that City's defense remains solid, though the addition of a new centre back stays crucially important. Alternatively, there have been rumours that Pep Guardiola might shift Fernandinho to the centre back position at some point. As such, one cannot rule out that possibility, especially considering the fact that Pep has been one tactically innovative coach who has had several successful experiments undertaken throughout the course of his managerial career. All in all, City all but look like they might go all the way once again and win it.

Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp during a Liverpool press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group C match against SSC Napoli at Melwood Training Ground on December 10, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Dec. 9, 2018 - Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe)

 Liverpool

When you’re playing in the English Premier League and managed to amass a total of 97 points during the season surely you likely to win the league, right? Not necessarily, as Liverpool would attest. The Reds undoubtedly had one of the greatest campaigns in the club's illustrious history last season, winning the Champions League and coming within touching distance of a first-ever Premier League title since 1990. While they fell short last season, the Reds should be brimming with confidence going into the new season as they now surely know that the surest way of stealing the title from City is just to keep winning.

 Liverpool have done pretty much the same as City in terms of strategy, save for the fact that they haven’t brought in any significant signings to strengthen the team further. However, Klopp will now be able to call upon the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez, Rhian Brewster and Adam Lallana, who all missed large chunks of last season through injury. So much so that, the quartet will act as new signings as alluded by the German. The team’s ability to keep their crucial three frontmen is commendable and shows a key element of continuity and belief in what the club can achieve. Furthermore, the return of players such as Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from long injury layoffs will enhance the team’s depth especially considering the team’s rather lack of activity in the current transfer window. Nevertheless, Liverpool’s depth remains no match to City’s and considering that the team’s front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino played more than 90% of the team’s games, a cause for concern may arise in the event that one of these players gets injured as it might take some time for a suitable replacement to gel with the rest of the players. Still, the Reds remain huge title favourites especially if they are able to remain injury-free throughout the season.

Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea arrives at the stadium prior to the Pre-Season Friendly match between Bohemians FC and Chelsea FC at Dalymount Park on July 10, 2019 in Dublin, Ireland.

(July 9, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Chelsea

Meanwhile, Chelsea, going through a host of changes during the current pre-season, will be hoping to remain in the top four whilst smoothly adjusting to the new philosophy coming in with club legend and new coach Frank Lampard. Being his first season as coach in the top flight league, much will be expected from the much loved Lampard and all eyes will be on him to ensure he is able to deliver with the players he has, especially considering Chelsea’s inability to sign new players until next summer. As such, Lampard will be hoping that a large number of his young players, most of whom have returned on loan from various clubs, will rise to the occasion and impress for the team. The likes of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham are expected to be heavily incorporated as key squad players that will be often called upon by Lampard to help the team. Furthermore, Lampard will be counting on the experience of players such as Kante and Azplicueta to settle the nerves of the many youngsters at the team’s disposal. However, the loss of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid has surely left a big hole in Chelsea’s attacking potent, and will require the club’s available attackers to rebrand their attacking style which has for a long time revolved around Hazard. What is worrying is that Chelsea have failed to find a reliable striker to bang in the goals since the departure of Diego Costa. Thus, Lampard might be forced to continue experimenting as he has done during pre-season, with the likes of Giroud, Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham all gunning to become the team’s frontman. While some are skeptical that Lampard’s lack of top flight experience might be exposed, others believe his appointment couldn’t have come at a better time where the team is looking to rebuild and transform itself once again, moving on from the much criticised ‘’Sarriball” which ironically got the team into the champions league one again, and further earned the team the Europa league trophy. Nevertheless, saying Chelsea are in for the title race might be too much of an ask especially considering the wholesale changes the club is going through. However, one cannot rule them out from producing a moment of magic and breaking into the top three. Nonetheless, being a transitional period for the club, Lampard will need time to make this Chelsea side gel and be able to compete. Therefore, anything more than a top-four finish and a decent Champions League run will most probably count as a bonus for the blues.

“Nevertheless, Liverpool’s depth remains no match to City’s and considering that the team’s front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino played more than 90% of the team’s games, a cause for concern may arise in the event that one of these players gets injured as it might take some time for a suitable replacement to gel with the rest of the players.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United is seen with a match ball prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on April 02, 2019 in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

(April 1, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

 Manchester United

United have failed to impose themselves on the summer transfer window with only Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving to the team at the time of writing this article. What is worrying about this United side is that the team’s signings from last season failed to exert themselves. For instance, Fred looked out of place in the team and seemed to be struggling with confidence at times, while Diogo Dalot only showed glimpses of his potential as he was kept out of the side by a questionable Ashley Young. Fast forward to the new season, one would have hoped for a busy transfer market for United but it looks like it’s pretty much the same old story just a different season. While the team has done well to sign a long term replacement for Antonio Valencia at right back in Aaron Wan Bissaka, the Red Devils have struggled to make progress in resolving other issues in key positions such as the centre back position and central midfield. Having considered the most number of goals in a season in the club’s history last season, one would have thought United would make it their primary objective to resolve the team’s defence but until now it has been more talk and less action. The rumours of Harry Maguire and Kalidou Koulibaly coming into the team have remained just that; rumours and most United supporters will be worried going into the new season knowing that they might have to continue with the tried and tested options of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones both criticized for being suspects at the back. Worse, the departure of the hardworking Ander Herrera at the middle of the park has opened a huge hole in United’s midfield that will prove costly if the team fails to sign a new midfielder before the close of the transfer window. Perhaps the possible arrival of Paul Dybala as part of an exchange for Romelu Lukaku might ease supporters' hearts and provide a glimmer of hope for United. Until then, it is highly unlikely that United have enough depth to challenge the likes of City and Liverpool for the title and bring it back to the theatre of dreams.

Manager Unai Emery of Arsenal directs his players during the Joan Gamper trophy friendly match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal at Nou Camp on August 04, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Aug. 3, 2019 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

 Arsenal

The challenges faced by United are not far-fetched from those faced by Arsenal. While most Gunners fans will be excited about the deadly attacking trio of new acquisition Nicolas Pepe, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, there are still worries defensively for the Gunners. What is alarming is that the club’s authorities seem to be priotritising the attack over defence where it is an open secret that Arsenal has dearly struggled. Signing a highly-rated young winger for £72 million is commendable, and so is beefing up of the midfield through signing Dani Ceballos, however, history has shown us that the way a defence is setup is key for teams that go on to win the league. It is no secret that perhaps the signing of Pepe is what the Gunners needed, as an upgrade to both Iwobi and Mkhitaryan. But one would have thought that the positions of greater concern right now would be the team’s defensive areas. Interesting enough, Arsenal looked like they were addressing the team’s defensive issues when they signed defender William Saliba for £27 million, only to loan him back to his former club St Etienne. Quite ironic if you ask me, especially considering that the futures of captain Laurent Koscielny and German defender Shkodran Mustafi, hang in the balance. Unless the club signs quality defenders, this season might prove to be no different for Arsenal. Worse, the team is also facing a leadership crisis considering the departure of Aaron Ramsey, the unending problems between Unai Emery and Mesut Ozil and most recently, Laurent Koscielny’s want away antics. All these issues might hamper the team’s progress, ambition and may merely force the team to resort to only focusing on a top six target.  

Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on prior to the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between PSV and Tottenham Hotspur at Philips Stadion on October 24, 2018 in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

(Oct. 23, 2018 - Source: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Europe)

Tottenham

After enduring a crushing defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League final, Tottenham Hotspur have a right to feel down, but as the summer has progressed, the club hierarchy have acted well, and acted fast in the market to bolster the squad which though strong, has lacked depth in the past. In particular, the signing of Tanguy Ndombele, a wanted man across the whole of Europe, was impressive. Furthermore, the team’s ability to keep most of their key players especially Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, both of whom were linked with moves to Real Madrid, will be important for Spurs going into the new season. Though they might miss the versatility of Kieran John Trippier at the right back position, they do have capable players such as Serge Aurier who can step up and put in a strong performance. Overall, having adjusted to their new stadium, coupled with the stability within the team, one cannot be faulted for vouching for this Spurs side going into the new season. They might lack the experience of winning the league, but they certainly have the pedigree to go all the way, as they showed us in the Champions League. Rule them out at your own peril.

 So, who will be where when the season ends?

Overall, my belief is that City will retain the title, Liverpool will be again looking to take the title race to the wire and wrestle the title away from City, but will eventually succumb to the quality of this City side. Tottenham will remain the team that looks like the real deal but just don’t have it in them to win the title. The fight for the last top four spot will remain a scramble between Chelsea, United and Arsenal, I predict United to steal it, provided they’re able to sign Dybala and Maguire. Chelsea will come in at fifth position and Arsenal will close off the top six bracket. What are your top six predictions?

How did Salah take the "next step"?

“ In one infamous incident that occurred in Egypt, Salah reportedly helped a thief who had robbed his family’s home. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Ruthless, ferocious, vicious, prolific amongst many other vetted and approved superlatives, go a long way in describing the “Egyptian king’s” attitude in front of goal. As novel as it may sound, you just have to come to grips with the reality of it therefore. Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly is the most prolific player ever in a single season, as far as the history of the English Premier League is concerned. The diminutive Egyptian’s record breaking 2017/18 season that saw him run down the wing, winging it and bagging 32 goals in 38 EPL fixtures ensured he surpassed the previous record of most goals scored in a single English top flight campaign by a single player. The record in question was once held by Alan Shearer, arguably the most famous Portuguese and Uruguayan on the planet, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez. Not a bad company to keep, or even more accurately, to leapfrog. But the soon to be 27-year-old wasn’t always a subject of discussion when it came to goal scoring, let alone be one of the most incredible human beings alive as recognised by the infamous Time Magazine. He is an Egyptian “miracle” whose story will echo in the corridors of history for an eternity, even as we relish it now.

Mohamed Salah of Chelsea reacts after a missed chance on goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty Stadium on April 13, 2014 in Swansea, Wales.

(April 12, 2014 - Source: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images Europe)

Amongst the greatest comebacks in sports entertainment

In early April, 2019, Tiger Woods’ remarkable career sent chills down most people’s spine as he went on to win the 15th Masters title in the sport affectionately known as golf. This was after he had last won his major title in 2005. In that time period, Woods had gone through several highs and lows, on and off the pitch which included a divorce with his wife, admitted infidelity and even getting locked up for suspicion of driving under the influence in 2017. In light of all this and witnessing the 43 year-old rise like a phoenix from the ashes, the world could not help but come to a standstill; politicians, entertainers and sportspeople alike.

One notable reflection was by 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion, Serena Williams, who can relate in more ways than one. She tweeted:

“I am literally in tears watching Tiger Woods, this is Greatness like no other. Knowing all you have been through physically to come back and do what you just did? Wow. Congrats a million times! I am so inspired.”

Even the 45th President of the US, Barack Obama had words for Tiger. But of course, as enticing as it may be to explore Tiger Woods’ career, this piece is not about him. Looking at Mo Salah’s career under a more microscopic lense, we would learn that the North-African defied odds to reach the levels he now soars in. With a senior career that began in the Egyptian Premier League in the books of El Mokwaloon, transiting to EPL’s Chelsea via Swiss club Basel, a few loan spells in the Italian Serie A before returning to the Premier League in the colors of Liverpool, he has had to do it the hard way.

Chasing and beating the clock

When a footballer is bound to become one of the world’s best, it is usually easy to tell by the time they reach the age of 18. Most of them would have already made inroads into the dressing rooms of some of the biggest clubs in the world. The references are not too far off, the great Brazilian Pele won a FIFA World Cup title as a teenager and so did the highly rated Frenchman, Kylian Mbappe who just turned 20 but has been on everyone’s lips for as long as we can remember. The same applies for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo who started terrorising defences at the tender age of 18 in Manchester United colors and so did his foe, Lionel Messi. The Argentine magician was scouted by Barcelona when he was just 13 and made his debut for Barcelona at age 16. Salah does not fall into that category; he was definitely a late bloomer who had to chase the clock in the primitive years of his career. The potential was palpable, but the Liverpool forward was still playing in the Egyptian Premier League as late as the age of 20, quite a bit obscured from the rest of the world. At that time, his partners and age-mates in the infamous Liverpool trident forward, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were already at French Ligue 1’s Metz and Bundesliga’s Hoffenheim respectively. He first made contact with European football in 2012 after Swiss club, Basel FC, organised a friendly match with the Egyptian U-23 team for the purposes of getting a closer look at the young Mohamed. This was of course during the time when the Egyptian Premier League was suspended following the Port Said Stadium riot. In his two years with Basel, Mo Salah scored 9 goals in 47 appearances being deployed mainly as a winger and henceforth attracted interest from the London club, Chelsea, who won his signature for £11 million in January 2014. He was now 22, becoming the first Egyptian to represent the London Blues. It looked like he had finally made it, playing for a side that was strong enough to compete for the coveted English Premier League title.

However, the Chelsea episode became one that Mohamed Salah had to learn to forget quickly. He only managed a total of 13 appearances between 2014-16, being way down the Chelsea pecking order that was then headed by the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar. In fact, the diminutive Egyptian looked like a kid when compared to age-mates like Hazard. The then Chelsea boss who snubbed him, even remarked that he wasn’t ready to play at the highest level:

“It was with me in charge that Salah came to Chelsea. But he came as a young kid, physically he was not ready, mentally he was not ready, socially and culturally he was lost and everything was tough for him.”

— Jose Mourinho, former Chelsea & Man United Manager

After it looked like stardom belonged to one of Egypt’s Pharaohs, at the prime football age of 24, the forward was let out of the Chelsea door and left licking his wounds. For the second time in his career, he had to chase the clock. Italy became his home and what happened next couldn’t have been in any script.

Mohamed Salah of AS Roma kicks the ball during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico on April 15, 2017 in Rome, Italy.

(April 14, 2017 - Source: Paolo Bruno/Getty Images Europe)

“Need for Speed Most Wanted”

If he was ever going to escape the less successful route of fellow Africans such as compatriot, Essam El Hadary, who had a brief stint in Europe before returning home to Africa, Salah needed speed, on and off the pitch. And speed is he what he got. He quickly became the most popular African in the whole of Italy as the European nation bowed down to the Egyptian King. He initially left Chelsea on loan to Fiorentina in the winter transfer window of 2015 where he went on to score 6 goals in 16 matches. The Italian Serie A club became keen on making the 18-month loan move permanent but the King had other plans, he was looking at a certain crown only he could see, and consequently marched on to Rome. It was at AS Roma where Salah established himself as a hot footballing prospect in the whole of Europe and eventually becoming a subject of transfer speculation. In his two seasons with the Italian giant, the winger bagged 14 goals in 34 matches before reaching a 15 goal feat in other 31 matches, in the 2016/17 season when he had made his Roma loan permanent. An AS Roma Player of the Season award in the 2015/16 campaign had warranted a permanent grab by the Italian club. It quickly became apparent that the Egyptian’s time in Europe was far from over. He won the 2016 Globe Soccer Best Arab Player of the Year to add to his boyhood accolades that included the 2012 CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year, 2012 UAFA Golden Boy and the 2013 SAFP Golden Player. It was at Roma where Salah kind of figured and started flourishing in what has become his best position. Under Luciano Spalleti, he established himself more as left-footed right winger, with a crispy first touch, slick dribbles and able to cut inside either to score or play-in his teammates. That period will forever go down in a history as a proper audition for the King’s global dominance and acquired ruthlessness in front of goal. Acquired because it was more than apparent that Salah didn’t have such a huge talent as Neymar Jnr or Messi. His first class work ethic and relentlessness were the ingredients that eventually took him to the very top.

 Records come tumbling down in record times

Fatefully, Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool acquired the African in a then record fee for the club, £36.9 million and needed only one year to turn Chelsea’s prodigal son into football’s most priceless treasure. The simple instruction by the German gaffer, Jürgen Klopp, for Mo to occupy a more advanced central opposition from the right wing, ahead of Roberto Firmino and Senegalese Sadio Mane, opened a whole new world. In 365 days, Mo Salah silenced critics, gained new ones and won the favor of the entire world by running down a wing. Records set in summer, winter and all other seasons and times that have names, had no choice but to bow in the presence of the Egyptian King. His 32 goals ensured he eclipsed the record for most goals scored in single Premier League season, winning the 2017/18 Golden Boot in the process. He also became the fourth fastest player to reach 50 goals milestone in Premier League history, in only 72 games behind Andy Cole, Alan Shearer and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

In fact, let’s just list down all his most important records lest they become obscured in these paragraphs:

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Cardiff City at Anfield on October 27, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 26, 2018 - Source: Jan Kruger/Getty Images Europe)

England

• Most goals in a 38-game Premier League season: 32 goals in 2017–18

• Most goals by an African player in a Premier League season: 32 goals in 2017–18

• Most Premier League Player of the Month awards in a single season: 3 (November 2017, February 2018 and March 2018)

• First player to outscore three Premier League teams in a single Premier League season: West Brom (31), Swansea City (28) and Huddersfield Town (28) in 2017–18

• Highest-scoring Egyptian in Premier League history: 50 goals in 72 games

Europe

• Most goals by an African player in a UEFA Champions League season: 11 goals in 2017–18

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool wins the trophy for the FIFA Puskas Award 2018 during the The Best FIFA Football Awards Show at Royal Festival Hall on September 24, 2018 in London, England.

(Sept. 23, 2018 - Source: Dan Istitene/Getty Images Europe)

Liverpool

• Most goals in a debut season: 44 goals in 2017–18

• Most goals in a season by a Liverpool player in the Premier League era: 44 goals in 2017–18

• Most top-flight goals in a season by a Liverpool player: 32 goals in Premier League 2017–18 (shared with Ian Rush)

• Most Liverpool Player of the Month awards in a season: 7 months in 2017–18

• Fastest player to Score 50 Goals for Liverpool: 65 games in 2018–19

• Fastest Liverpool player to Score 50 Premier League Goals: 69 games in 2018–19

Egypt

• Egypt's all-time highest scorer in FIFA World Cup history: 2 Goals in FIFA World Cup 2018 (shared with Abdulrahman Fawzi, 2 Goals in FIFA World Cup 1934)

• Egypt's all-time highest scorer in CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualification: 14 goals

• Egypt's third all-time top scorers: 39 goals (behind Hossam Hassan 69 goals, and Hassan El-Shazly 42 goals)

Italy

• Highest-scoring Egyptian in Serie A history: 35 goals in 81 games

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on November 25, 2017 in Liverpool, England.

(Nov. 24, 2017 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

 Made in Egypt, flourished in Merseyside

 A befitting summary to coin Mo Salah’s career is one of an individual made in Egypt where he first tasted professional football but eventually flourished in the Liverpool part of Merseyside. One year, one club, one manager and one Red Liverpool inarguably handed him the biggest boost of his career so far. He entered the elite class of footballers on the backdrop of being sold by Chelsea. By the end of the 2017/18 season, he had earned a spot amongst the world’s best three best footballers as selected by FIFA, at the expense of five time Balon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi. The first time an African had been included in such a list since the days of Liberian President, George Weah. Mo Salah eventually finished 3rd behind Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo. He became a world favorite. The online community was outraged at Salah missing out on the FIFA Best Player of the Year Award as well as the FIFPro World XI to the extent that he was compensated with a FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal, which looked like he hardly deserved given the goals he contented with. The King earned new territories as England, especially Merseyside pledged allegiance. Songs such as “Mo Salah running down the winger” were composed in his adoration and he has never walked alone, since he wore the Liverpool Red.

“A better human being than he is a footballer”

Not least to his outstanding on-the-pitch achievements, Salah has been just as greater if not better off the field of play. The recent recognition by the Times Magazine as one of the 100 most influential human beings alive, even earning a place amongst the six cover stars of the magazine, crowns his exploits. He has been applauded for calling out the importance of raising the bar on women equality in his culture.

Mohamed Salah of Egypt during the International Friendly match between Jamacia and Egypt at The Matchroom Stadium on June 04, 2014 in London, England.

(June 3, 2014 - Source: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)

British Comedian and Liverpool fan, John Oliver who “absolutely” loves the footballer labelled him “a better human being than he is a footballer.” Even adding that “he’s one of the best football players in the world.”

The Times Magazine recognition comes after Mo Salah has grabbed many other headlines for humanitarian or advocacy work. In one infamous incident that occurred in Egypt, Salah reportedly helped a thief who had robbed his family’s home. He convinced his father to drop the charges, financially assisted the said thief and tried getting him a job. He has donated money to build a school and hospital as part of the regeneration projects in Nagrig, his hometown where 65% of the people live in poverty. It is reported that he has assisted more than 450 families to date by giving them monthly allowances and also chipped in to help the Egyptian government foot some bills in desperate times.

Still fresh to most memories, Salah went to “war” with the Egyptian FA for using his image as political capital and advocating for the dissolution of irregularities, some of which are believed to have indirectly contributed to their early 2018 FIFA World cup exit.

One of the most amusing incidents of all was when the close to 100 million North African nation went to the polls in 2018. A sizeable spoilt ballot papers which read “Mo Salah for President” were quite a joy to behold for all humorous souls. Even Vodafone Egypt once ran a promotion to add more caller minutes to their subscribers whenever the king scored.

Time won’t permit us to rediscover and celebrate graffiti of the Liverpool forward in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. All his remarkable achievements and influence becomes even more amplified in the knowledge that he is devout Muslim, almost to a level unprecedented in sports entertainment. He has slowly become a figure of inclusivity.

The King to welcome the rest of Africa

After being the main man in Egypt’s historic 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, the first ever since 1990, by being the Pharaohs’ top scorer in the qualifiers, Salah returns for international duty in June 2019. He is expected to inspire the host nation to a record eighth Africa Cup of Nations title. After missing out on the 2015 and 2017 AFCON glory, the continent’s best player for the years 2017 & 2018 will be all out to capture a title that has deluded his illustrious career. There is no better motivation than to do it in his own backyard. With Liverpool in touching distance of the 2018/19 English Premier League and UEFA Champions League title, it could be yet another magnificent for the king. But rest assured, the African oppositions has never been intimidated by greatness, with them exuding such as well. The likes of teammate Sadio Mane, Wilfried Zaha, Ahmed Musa and Percy Tau will be worthy opponents on the road to glory.

In the opening 2019 AFCON finals match, Egypt will face the challenge of a tricky Zimbabwean Warriors before squaring off with DR Congo and Uganda.

“We need to change the way we treat women in our culture. I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now, at the moment. That has to be, it’s not optional. ”

— Mohamed Salah, Liverpool & Egyptian forward

Liverpool’s African “imports” are out there making dreams come true

“The 2017/18 PFA Player of the season sprang up from nowhere, wriggled and danced past Emerson before driving his effort into the top corner to score an EPL goal of the season contender. Nostalgic was the word.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

The Merseyside club’s silverware drought may soon come to an end as the Premier League and even the continental race to capture the UEFA Champions League trophy goes down the wire.

They have had to wait for 29 solid years to dream again, of the reality to be declared English champions. The last time they won it, their current captain, Jordan Henderson had just been born. As of now, only a finger nail distance separates them and Pep’s Manchester City, every second, stride and sweat drop counts. This past weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s men swept past a stern Chelsea side who are in hunt for a champions league qualifying spot by netting two with no response.

Like most times if not always, familiar names grabbed the headlines. The Senegalese marksman, Sadio Mane who is enjoying his best Liverpool season statistically, opened the scoring early in the second half. Mane was a privileged recipient of Jordan Henderson’s carefully worked cross and was available to head the ball past Arizzabalaga from close range, for his 18th EPL goal of the season. Just one behind leading scorer, Sergio Aguero and teammate Salah in the race for the Golden Boot. Mane has now scored 21 goals in 41 matches for Liverpool this season, including a super important UCL brace in Munich that ensured the Merseyside’s progression into the quarter-finals.

Xherdan Shaqiri of Liverpool celebrates with teammte Sadio Mane after he provides the assist for Liverpool's first goal, an own goal by Wesley Hoedt of Southampton during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Southampton FC at Anfield on September 22, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 21, 2018 - Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe)

The points were wrapped up, only a moment after Mane’s goal. The Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah, who had earned a less desired nickname as a “one-season wonder” after going through eight Premier League matches without scoring, delivered a beauty. The 2017/18 PFA Player of the season sprang up from nowhere, wriggled and danced past Emerson before driving his effort into the top corner to score an EPL goal of the season contender. Nostalgic was the word. We were all taken back to the former season where he bagged 32 goals to break Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez record of most goals scored in a single Premier League season. It’s now two in the last two for the Egyptian. He is not doing bad either in the current, as he is joint top scorer with Aguero.

For the most part, it has only been these two Africans delivering the goods for Liverpool. However, the summer signing, Guinean Naby Keita is slowly coming to the party. After failing to net in his first 27 fixtures for the club, the dynamic midfielder now has two goals in his last three matches for Liverpool. So is the Cameroonian centre back, Joel Matip, who is looking an able long term partner for the heralded Virgil Van Dijk in the heart of the Reds’ defence.

All the hard work and money spent comes down to this moment. Liverpool are two points clear off City who have played one game less and with a total of four top flight league matches to play. Their 2-0 advantage over Porto heading into the second leg clash of the champions league quarter-finals means they are very much in the running to possibly capture both the league and UCL titles. They have toiled and came close on numerous occasions but perhaps 2019 is their year.

One thing is for sure, their African talent remains a critical component of that charge and ambition.

As anticipated, the Liverpool and Chelsea EPL fixture grabbed the weekend headlines. So did Senegal, Egypt, Guinea and Cameroon who were well represented as the Reds marched on towards a possible Premier League title.

Why a Hazard move to Real Madrid makes sense this summer

“For starters Hazard has won everything that is there for the taking in the English Premier League. He has won two premier league titles, one FA Cup and two league cups with the Blues.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Eden Hazard is a wanted man, for his impeccable football talent that is. For a long time now, news of Hazard being linked with a transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid have been making the rounds. Considered by most to be the best player in the premier league. Eden Hazard has proven his worth in the most competitive league in worldwide football and now might be the right time for him to take his career to the next stage.

For starters Hazard has won everything that is there for the taking in the English premier League. He has won two premier league titles, one FA Cup and two league cups with the Blues. Not only that, Hazard has also won the PFA Player of the year award during the 2014-2015 season. Nonetheless, Hazard is still missing a UEFA Champions league medal in his list of accolades, and with Real Madrid having dominated Europe the way they have over the last three seasons, it would make sense why the 28-year old could go to Madrid as chances of him getting his hands onto the Champions league trophy might be more realistic in Los Blancos’ white.

Eden Hazard of Chelsea applauds fans after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Chelsea FC at St Mary's Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 6, 2018 - Source: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)

Chelsea are sitting in sixth position in the Premier League and face an uphill battle in earning a place in the very competitive top four race. This means that they are most likely to miss out on a UEFA champions league spot, unless they win the Europa League. What’s more, Hazard will be entering the final year of his contract with the blues next season, and with the club not showing strong intentions of keeping him, perhaps selling him at the end of this season might make financial sense compared to losing him on a free next summer.

Real Madrid on the other hand, are facing a major overhaul in the summer, with Zinedine Zidane reported to have been handed a handsome £300m transfer kitty to spend on revamping the ageing squad.  At present, the team comprises of many players who are on the wrong side of 30 and in the twilight of their careers. Players such as Luka Modric, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema only but to name a few. Furthermore, from an offensive standpoint, Madrid have run dry of goals due to Ronaldo’s departure, and with Bale not likely to be the main figure, it becomes apparent that the team needs a star player that can get them the goals as well as create chances for the side. Hazard ticks both boxes. Thus, in order to bounce back from a disastrous season, Madrid are most certainly going to be very active in the transfer market and Hazard may be the main target for the club.

Considering the above, making a move to La Liga would be the noble thing to do for Hazard. For starters, he would be fulfilling his dream of always wanting to play for Real Madrid. Moreover, this move would help him have a shot at challenging for the coveted Balon d’Or award which has become rather elusive for most players. Most football fans are aware of the immense talent that Hazard has, some even arguing that it is worthy to rival the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both who for the past eleven years, have shared the Ballon d’Or equally amongst themselves. Now, with Hazard hitting his prime age, being at the Santiago Bernabeu would most certainly boost his chances of competing for the prize provided he adapts well and faster to Spanish football.

Senegal's Mane delivering the goods just when Liverpool needs him to

With the season hitting its penultimate moments, encompassed by an avalanche of fixtures and weariness of players, for teams that are competing for honors, it is crucial that there are players hitting top form to help their teams challenge for silverware in various tournaments. It is no different for English side Liverpool, who have for lengthy periods of this season, shown immense potential of being the favorites to wrestle for the English Premier League title with Manchester City. For Liverpool, their forward trident of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have often times than not, been the ones producing the goods all season. The latter however has been the one hogging headlines in recent times. The in-form front man has been Klopp’s go-to guy since the turn of the year, and going into the climax of the season, Mane surely seems to be hitting form when it matters the most.

“Liverpool will be banking on Mane to keep delivering the goods and ultimately end the Red’s title drought. If he manages to maintain the momentum he’s in right now, the walking nightmare could turn back into a dreamland paradise at Merseyside (unless, of course, you’re an Everton fan.)”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Roberto Firmino of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team's second goal with Sadio Mane during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Liverpool FC at The King Power Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom.

(Aug. 31, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

Mane’s latest escapades came in the recent UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg  fixture. The 26-year old stepped up to be counted and netted a brace in the 3-1 win over Bayern Munich to help send the Reds into the quarter-finals of the UCL. Mane confounded the Bayern defense and left football lovers reconsidering their assertion of rating Manuel Neuer as the world’s best goalkeeper.

Mané has been a machine since late January. Since Liverpool’s match against Crystal Palace on the 19th day of the year to now, he’s scored 11 goals in 11 matches across all competitions, most of those coming from high-pressure situations. His goals against Leicester City and West Ham salvaged crucial points for Jurgen Klopp’s men, while his last four games have featured three, two-goal games. In the process, he’s not only managed to keep the Merseysiders daring to dream of a possible league and Champions league double, he’s also forced his way up the Premier League goal scoring charts. He is tied in second position with 17 goals together with Salah, Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Aubameyang, just one behind leader Sergio Agüero’s 18.

While Liverpool’s other scoring options have been faltering in the team’s current stretch of grinded results, Mané has turned a corner at the perfect time and certainly appears to be enjoying his shine. Going into the last 8 matches of the Premier League, as well as the Champions League quarter finals match-up against FC Porto, Liverpool will be banking on Mane to keep delivering the goods and ultimately end the Red’s title drought. If he manages to maintain the momentum he’s in right now, the walking nightmare could turn back into a dreamland paradise at Merseyside (unless, of course, you’re an Everton fan.)

Emmanuel Frimpong: The end of a chapter

He’s a name not on everyone’s lips. In fact, he might not be on everyone’s mind when you think about the talents that Africa has produced in the past decade. Emmanuel Frimpong is a Ghanaian international who low-key graced the European scene and played in the English Premier League, Russian Premier League, Cypriot First Division and even appeared in the Swedish League. The African player has been unfortunate to join the list of football players that are forced into retirement due to injury. Here’s a snippet of the player’s journey thus far.

Early career: Arsenal

Emmanuel Frimpong of FC Ufa in action during the Russian Premier League match between PFC CSKA Moscow and FC Ufa at the Arena Khimki Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Khimki, Russia.

(Nov. 28, 2014 - Source: Epsilon/Getty Images Europe)

Emmanuel Frimpong is a product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jack Wilshere in the junior leagues before his colleague made a quick transition to first team football as soon as he turned 16. Frimpong was made to wait for his opportunity under Arsene Wenger with the midfield packed with internationals offering a wide range of skills and talent. The defensive midfielder could only manage a total of 16 first team appearances including a notable night in Reading where the gunners made a miraculous come-back to win 7-5 after having been four goals down in a Carling Cup fixture. Seeing his colleagues progressing in their careers whilst he was on the sidelines could not cut it for the ambitious youngster, so he decided to leave Arsenal at the age of 24.

Injury plagued career

It is no surprise that he struggled to succeed at Arsenal considering the fact that he suffered two major injuries which disrupted his progress. Frimpong suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) damage in one of his knees which haunted him throughout his career. This could only mean that the player was not able to give his best thus being shipped off to other leagues and clubs. In the end, the player has represented Charlton, Barnsley, Fulham, Ufa, AFC Eskilstuna and Ermis in his short time in football. However, it might have been a different tale had he sworn allegiance to England.

Switching allegiance to Ghana

Although the player was born in Kumasi, Ghana, he had the opportunity to choose England as his national team. It could only make sense considering that he had represented them at various youth levels while he was part of the Arsenal team that won the FA Youth Cup and two Premier Academy League titles. Just like any other English player, Frimpong was hyped up and being mooted to be the next Paul Scholes. Instead, Frimpong aspired to play for his native home, Ghana and he was quoted to having said, “I have always told my family that if Ghana calls me, I will personally ride my own bicycle from England to Ghana [to play for the Black Stars]”. He did not care about the fact that he was still being called up for the England U-21 team because his dream was to represent the African team. In 2011, the player’s dream became a reality as he was cleared to play for Ghana but it came at a cost. All the hype and attention was quickly flushed down the drain.

Popularly known for?

Emmanuel Frimpong of Arsenal is watched by Samir Nasri of Manchester City during the Carling Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on November 29, 2011 in London, England.

(Nov. 28, 2011 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

Frimpong was well-known for his off-the-pitch antics than his performances on the pitch. The African was used to dropping controversial statements on his social media accounts which often got him in trouble. One time, he threw jabs at his new employers on Instagram after news broke that he was leaving Arsenal for Barnsley. He said, “How am I gonna draw girls now?” when lamenting about his move to the lower league club.

Also, he had his fair share of punishment from the English Football Association for posting offensive tweets directed at a fan. Frimpong was just too much.

Retirement announcement

Emmanuel Frimpong announced his retirement on the 8th of March 2019 after a long consideration of his future and well-being. The player had struggled with a knee injury for the past 5 years which saw him play through pain. The defensive midfielder said, “since November 2017 I haven't been in action as I had a tear in my knee ligament. I decided with my own will that I will not opt for the operation since I was not enjoying football playing through pain.” Spending some time out of the game with his family made him realize that he is blessed and he plans on being available for his daughter more now that he has hung up his boots.

Farewell Emmanuel! All the best in your future endeavors.

“Just like any other English player, Frimpong was hyped up and being mooted to be the next Paul Scholes. Instead, Frimpong aspired to play for his native home, Ghana and he was quoted to having said, “I have always told my family that if Ghana calls me, I will personally ride my own bicycle from England to Ghana [to play for the Black Stars]”.”

— Tinotenda Magiya, FirstTouch Africa

Callum Hudson-Odoi: Demanding a seat at the table

Often times than not, it is said that one man’s loss is another man’s treasure. Perhaps this idiom might be true for Callum Hudson-Odoi. The young Chelsea winger has been making headlines of late.

Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea controls the ball against Dino Djulbic and Scott Neville of the Glory during the international friendly between Chelsea FC and Perth Glory at Optus Stadium on July 23, 2018 in Perth, Australia.

(July 22, 2018 - Source: Paul Kane/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Odoi is one player whose talent cannot be questioned. In the few games he’s played thus far, he’s certainly proven that he’s one for the future. Possessing immense skill that can rival the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford, capped with eccentric pace that can make Kyle Walker think twice about overlapping, this young lad with African roots is surely kicking it.

Family background

Odoi comes from a footballing family. His father, Bismark Odoi who was born in Ghana, played for top Ghanaian side Hearts of Oak before becoming his son's agent. Furthermore, Odoi’s elder brother Bradley, was once part of Fulham's academy and at present, he plays for non-league side Wealdstone.

What the future looks like for Odoi

Recently, news broke that FIFA have imposed a transfer ban on Chelsea for a breach related to the signing of under-aged players. This means the team will be prohibited from buying any players until the summer of 2020. As such, whilst this might be somewhat seen as a setback for the London side’s quest to beef up its squad, it might just be the right tonic for Odoi on the other hand. The 18-year old has been restricted to limited game time this season, with four substitute league appearances thus far. On the flip side, Odoi has been hitting the ground running in cup competitions, where most of his game time has been coming from. Widely considered as the jewel in Chelsea’s academy crown, the English youngster has shown glimpses of the hype that has surrounded the player in recent times.

“Odoi is one player whose talent cannot be questioned. In the few games he’s played thus far, he’s certainly proven that he’s one for the future. Possessing immense skill that can rival the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Marcus Rashford, capped with eccentric pace that can make Kyle Walker think twice about overlapping...”

— SIphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

Also worth mentioning is how Odoi’s talent has even caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga giants made four separate offers for the player during the January transfer window, showing how highly-regarded the England youth international is. Nonetheless, with the likes of Pedro and Willian being above 30 years of age, coupled with Chelsea’s transfer ban, perhaps this might be the right combination of events that might enable Callum Hudson-Odoi to be on the brink of earning a placing in the Blues’ starting eleven more regularly.

Perhaps a bitter pill to swallow for African fans is the fact that Odoi might be another of the many talents with African descent that have chosen to represent European national teams. Nonetheless, many are excited about the potential that Odoi possesses and one can’t help but wonder how far he can go in his football career.

Time for Gueye to depart consistently average Everton?

Oumar Niasse of Everton celebrates scoring his side's second goal with Idrissa Gueye and Gylfi Sigurdsson during the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on February 10, 2018 in Liverpool, England.

(Feb. 9, 2018 - Source: Mark Robinson/Getty Images Europe)

Everton football club has recently been such a club seeking to go up the ranks in the ever competitive English Premier League. It’s been a journey that seems to be going in circular motion. What is it that they haven’t tried? Splashing big money on players, hiring and firing managers, but their last top 4 finish dates back to the 2004-05 season. As to what direction the club who currently sits in 11th position takes next, only time will time. One thing is for sure though, one of their most prized assets, Idrissa Gueye, has seemingly given a lot for the club and gotten not so much in return.

It’s worth noting that the 29-year-old Senegalese tough tackling midfielder has consistently been the best defensive midfielder in the EPL ever since signing for the Merseyside club in 2016. Gueye has registered the highest number of tackles by a single player, twice in the four seasons and finished second in the other two. He has matched and beaten the likes of N’golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, stat to stat and yet remains without any silverware, very much on top of the list of many other unsung heroes in global football. In fact, on all occasions that Matic and Kante have been on the list, they won the league title with their teams, Matic in 2014/15 season with Chelsea and Kante with Leicester and Chelsea in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season respectively. The midfield tackling role is central to a team’s success and has proven to be the backbone of any side but Gueye hasn’t had his efforts complimented with similar input by his Everton teammates. His record doesn’t only make him England’s finest but puts him in the bracket of the best defensive midfielders in the world if not the best because if he fits in the Kante category, who else comes before them? After all, Gueye may perhaps get a bigger stage for more wins and trophies in his so far impressive career.

“Gueye has registered the highest number of tackles by a single player, twice in the four seasons and finished second in the other two. He has matched and beaten the likes of N’golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, stat to stat and yet remains without any silverware, very much on top of the list of many other unsung heroes in global football. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

French Ligue 1 side, PSG reportedly came close to acquiring the Senegalese in a £30 million deal in the 2019 January transfer window. The table topping Parisians who are on a quest to win their first ever UEFA Champions League trophy will unlikely rest until they get their man and the deal could be on this summer. PSG have few super talented and expensive players in their squad that includes Mbappe, Neymar and quite a handful of youngsters to complement them. Gueye could be one of the experienced talents to come in and work with the likes of Marco Verrati in the midfield as the French club continues to builds itself up to be one of Europe’s most dominant forces.

African Stars: Pick of the weekend's action

Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona duels for the ball with Youssef En-Nesyri of Malaga during the La Liga match between Malaga and Barcelona at Estadio La Rosaleda on March 10, 2018 in Malaga, spain.

(March 9, 2018 - Source: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images Europe)

The weekend came and didn’t disappoint. From the mauling of Chelsea by Pep’s 6-star Manchester City, a dramatic Soweto derby stalemate and Benfica’s historic 10-0 dismantling of Nacional - it’s fair to say we were thoroughly entertained. Even more interesting is the growing number of African footballers grabbing headlines and superheroing the show for their sides. Here are the selected highlights involving such players.

En-Nesyri scores the first La Liga hatrick for Leganes

The 21-year-old Moroccan was perhaps the biggest winner of the weekend as he led Leganes to a 3-0 victory over sixth placed Real Betis. Youssef En-Nesyri made it 2-0 at the halfway mark of the match before adding a third after the restart, becoming the first ever player to score a Spanish La Liga hatrick in the club’s history. The youngster has since scored 7 times in his last 5 league matches for the side and is fast becoming a priceless gift for both club and country. It’s becoming clear that his 2018 FIFA world cup substitute strike in Lions of the Atlas’ 2-2 draw against Spain was not a fluke, he may be that goal getter that the North African country has been in need of. It’s actually turning out to be an interesting build up to the June 2019 AFCON finals.

Liverpool’s realise their African dream

Fans during the Carling Black Label Champion Cup match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium on July 29, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. At least two people have been reported to have been killed and several injured in a crush during the game at South Africa's biggest stadium.

(July 28, 2017 - Source: Gallo Images/Getty Images Europe)

Jurgen Klopp’s title chasing Liverpool regained top spot in the premier league for at least a few hours before Manchester City’s “rude” bashing of Chelsea and all of Matip, Keita, Mane and Salah made a telling contribution to the result. Cameroonian defender, Joel Matip partnered with the Reds’ chief of defence, Virgil Van Dijk to deliver yet another clean sheet, a league high of 14 for the Merseysiders. Naby Keita was central to a renewed Liverpool midfield which had been almost non-existent in recent weeks, holding onto the ball, sliding passes and going out at opponents in super sonic speed. The Guinea national team captain enjoyed his best game yet for Liverpool and is starting to justify the price attached to his services. As for the forwards, Mane headed Liverpool ahead in the 24th minute for his 12th premier league goal of the season, making it 4 consecutive league goals for the first time in the Senegalese’s career. The Egyptian king wrapped up the scoring in the 48th minute, adding to Gini Wijnaldum’s cool finish and making it 3 goals and 3 points for Liverpool on the day.

Soweto still belongs to The Ghost

Sol Bamba of Cardiff City wins a header over Denis Odoi of Fulham during the Premier League match between Cardiff City and Fulham FC at Cardiff City Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 19, 2018 - Source: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe)

One of the most anticipated club football matches on the continent ended in a 1-1 stalemate as Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs gave in everything to claim bragging rights over Johannesburg’s Soweto township. For Chiefs in particular, it sure tasted like a defeat as they are yet to beat the Buccaneers in the last 12 meetings between the two sides. Quite fairly, Amakhosi sure looked like the side with a score to settle as their troubled Amabhakabhaka in the opening stages, with Khama Billiat and Bernard Parker spearheading that attack.Their efforts were eventually rewarded in the 53rd minute as Billiat won a penalty which Daniel Cardoso calmly converted. They could have gotten a second moments later as Billiat latched onto a quick overhead pass, only for his effort to skew inches wide of the goal. As the long awaited victory seemed assured for the Lords, heartbreak came in the 80th minute as Thembinkosi Lorch was sent through on goal, expertly rounding off the goalkeeper to extend Pirates’ unbeaten run against their bitter rivals to a record 12.

Other matches

Nigerian international, Alex Iwobi was on the score sheet as Arsenal saw off relegation threatened, Huddersfield Town to keep their top four hopes alive. Senegal’s M’baye Niang also grabbed a goal for Rennes who beat St Etienne 3-0 to move within a point of the league’s top 4 teams. It was a night to forget for Achraf Hakimi and Dortmund who blew away a 3 nil lead with only 25 minutes to go as they finished 3-3 against Hoffenheim whose Algerian striker, Ishak Belfodil struck twice to secure a point for the visitors. Wilfried Zaha returned to the score sheet as he grabbed an equalizer for Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw against West Ham and so did Ivory Coast’s Sol Bamba who added a goal for Cardiff as they sealed an emotional win since learning of the demise of Emiliano Sala.

Giant slayer & African studded Leicester take aim at Liverpool

The English Premier League enters matchday 24 from Tuesday all through Thursday, the 30th of January 2019. As usual, they are a couple of scintillating fixtures available to the lovers of the game but one stand out matchup should be that which has the Foxes of Leicester City visiting those “who will never walk alone,” the Reds of Anfield.

The narrative

Eden Hazard of Chelsea speaks to Mohamed Salah of Liverpool ahead of the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on September 26, 2018 in Liverpool, England.

(Sept. 25, 2018 - Source: Getty Images Europe)

Liverpool enter this fixture sitting pretty at the top of the league, four points ahead of champions, Manchester City and have an opportunity to extend their lead to seven clear points. After a thoroughly entertaining and dominant first half of the season that saw the Reds complete 20 matches unbeaten, conceding only 8 goals and scoring the league’s second highest tally of 48 goals, they have had to recently learn how to grind results. Liverpool’s most recent 3 premier league matches have been far from convincing but have the word champions written all over them. After losing to Manchester City 2-1, Jurgen Klopp’s men had to dig deep at Brighton as they secured a precious 1-0 victory courtesy of the Egyptian, Mohamed Salah’s goal. They once again showed character and grit to narrowly see off Crystal Palace 4-3 at home, with Salah getting a brace to go top of the scoring charts ahead of African counterpart, Aubameyang. It won’t be any easier for the Reds who welcome struggling Leicester who have an impressive record of humbling the top sides of English football.

The Foxes have lost 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions and pressure may be once again mounting for their gaffer, Claude Puel. The last time Puel got under pressure of being sacked is when he pulled off the miracle of beating Chelsea 1-0 away from home and Manchester City, 2-1 in the following fixture. Now, they also have Manchester United and Tottenham waiting in line after the Liverpool game and won’t be letting all of the 3 pass by without securing at least a point.

“ The 22-year-old Nigerian is as consistent as they come and remains one of the EPL’s top tackling midfielders with a total of 72 tackles so far in this campaign. Only Senegal’s Idrissa Gueye has had more in the midfield position at 83 tackles and defenders, Ricardo Pereira and Wan Bissaka completing the top four tacklers list with 82 and 80 respectively. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Their arsenal

Wilfried Ndidi of Leicester in action during the pre-season friendly match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City at Molineux on July 29, 2017 in Wolverhampton, England.

(July 28, 2017 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

In recent weeks, tenth placed Leicester have had to rely heavily on the Nigerian international, Wilfried Ndidi in central midfield, who has been guiding relatively newcomers, Nampalys Mendy and Hamza Choudhury in that position. The 22-year-old Nigerian is as consistent as they come and remains one of the EPL’s top tackling midfielders with a total of 72 tackles so far in this campaign. Only Senegal’s Idrissa Gueye has had more in the midfield position at 83 tackles and defenders, Ricardo Pereira and Wan Bissaka completing the top four tacklers list with 82 and 80 respectively. Going up front, Leicester’s conservative approach that saw them register wins against Chelsea and City relied on the counter attacking pace of Jamie Vardy who has scored in all of his last 5 premier league appearances against Liverpool. Algerian, Rachid Ghezzal also provides width and commendable technical ability to the front line that is also supported by English international, James Maddison. Nigerian forward, Kelechi Iheanacho has always been a great backup plan to Vardy or an excellent supporting forward when asked to play with the former having already contributed 1 goal and 3 assists in 9 starts this campaign

Liverpool’s star studded squad needs no extra commendation, what they have achieved so far is reason enough not to doubt their devastating abilities. The Reds faithfuls will be happy to hear that Virgil Van Dijk and Wijnaldum could be available for selection after they had missed out training because of sickness and a knee problem. Mohamed Salah will be seeking more as he is now just 2 goals shy of becoming the fastest Liverpool player to reach 50 premier league goals, surpassing Fernando Torres who did it in 72 appearances. Salah has only played 49 matches, so far.

Why you should watch this one?

With all of Guinean Naby Keita, Senegalese Sadio Mane, Egyptian Mohamed Salah, Nigerian Wilfried Ndidi, Algerian Rachid Ghezzal and Super Eagles’ Kelechi Iheanacho available for selection, there is a huge prospect of witnessing an “AFCON 2019” warm up match away from the continent.

FT's 10 Best Moments of 2018: #1 The global reign of the Egyptian King

“He truly became the Egyptian King; graffiti of his face all across the North African country, a ‘brawl’ over image rights for his face, his shooting boots immortalized at a museum in Britain, spoiled ballot papers in Egypt’s presidential election with many voting “Mo Salah” and many other intriguing events which could take forever to lay down. ”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

At FirstTouch, we have a saying that goes like, “a year is never over until we close it.” In the spirit of that ideal, we took our time to look back at the ten most defining moments of 2018, as far as African football is concerned. Could you guess what they are? Here is number 1.

The world runs at a pace so fast that some truly extraordinary occurrences seem like a lifetime and then a moment at the same time. It’s only been a year since the name Mohamed Salah got global acclamation but seems like forever. The 26 year-old Egyptian couldn’t stop making the headlines. After returning to the Premier League in the summer of 2017, Mo Salah used the early half of 2018 to silence all doubters and remarkably regained Africa’s place among the world’s best footballers. With odds almost 1000/1 to achieve everything he did, he did it anyway.

Egypt fans hold a poster of Mohamed Salah prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Egypt and Uruguay at Ekaterinburg Arena on June 15, 2018 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

(June 14, 2018 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

Salah sent tongues wagging as he ran down the Liverpool wing all the way to a Players’ Player of the Season, the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Season, and a Premier League’s Golden Boot award with a record 32 goals in 36 league starts. As if that was not enough, he added a couple more goals in the UEFA Champions League eventually leading the Merseyside club to a UCL final in as many years. Even the BBC African Player Of The Year and the CAF African Player of The Year awards had the Egyptian’s name inscribed on them. Did I mention, the FIFA Puskas Award of the Best goal scored in 2018 or being the first runners up to the FIFA Best World’s Player Of The Year eventually won by Croatia’s Luka Modric ahead of the likes of Messi or Ronaldo. It was quite delightful to see an African’s name on the FIFA Best Awards, which had been robbed of a mention since the days of Liberian President, George Weah. Perhaps the most priceless of Mo Salah’s achievements to the Egyptians, was a historic 2018 FIFA World Cup appearance in as many years.

He truly reached Egyptian King status; graffiti of his face all across the North African country, a ‘brawl’ over image rights for his face, his shooting boots immortalized at a museum in Britain, spoiled ballot papers in Egypt’s presidential election with many voting “Mo Salah” amongst other intriguing events in 2018.

Lest we forget, 2018 was truly a year to honor and celebrate one Mohamed who goes by the last name, Salah.

FT's 10 Best Moments of 2018: #5 No mercy, Percy

Percy Tau of Mamelodi Sundowns celebrates wuth his team mate after a goal during the FIFA World Cup match for 5th place between Mamelodi Sundowns and Jeonbuk Hyundai at Suita City Football Stadium on December 14, 2016 in Suita, Japan.

(Dec. 13, 2016 - Source: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images AsiaPac)

At FirstTouch, we have a saying that goes like, “a year is never over until we close it.” In the spirit of that ideal, we took our time to look back at the ten most defining moments of 2018, as far as African football is concerned. Could you guess what they are? Number 5 is up next.

One of the most celebrated African footballers of the year became the 24-year-old Percy Tau, another South African who was highly rated in his home country and electric enough for the world to take notice.

Percy Tau was in sizzling form for Mamelodi Sundowns in their title winning 2017/18 ABSA Premiership campaign. Tau partnered with Zimbabwe’s Khama Billiat upfront in Bafana BaStyle’s setup, also winged by the likes of Themba Zwane and Vilakazi to perfect their infamous shoe-shine piano football (one touch passing). Percy increasingly became ruthless in front of goal, winning the top goal scorer award for the South African League and two other more coveted individual football awards in the country, including the Player Of The Season Award. It was clear to many that the young lad had his whole future ahead of him, with the likes of Senegalese legend in El Hadji Diouf citing that Percy was just as good as Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane, if not even better. Of course, there were no satisfactory grounds to consider Diouf’s claims given Percy was just a mere star shining in a less known leagues in the Southern-most part of the world. However, the inevitable did happen.

“The match dubbed a Nelson Mandela challenge matchup ended in favour of the La Liga giants. In as much Messi and his colleagues were guilty of a frenzy in Johannesburg, with the Barcelona faithfuls eager to take selfies or see them play live, the night belonged to Percy. The former Mamelodi Sundowns man was unmoved as he rubbed shoulders with Europe’s elite. A wonderfully crafted assist crowned his night which was full of sidesteps and dribbles.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

One of the most anticipated friendly matches that took place at the end of the football league season in May 2018 was contested by Mamelodi Sundowns and the mighty Catalonian giants, Barcelona. The match dubbed a Nelson Mandela challenge matchup ended in favour of the La Liga giants. In as much Messi and his colleagues were guilty of a frenzy in Johannesburg, with the Barcelona faithfuls eager to take selfies or see them play live, the night belonged to Percy. The former Mamelodi Sundowns man was unmoved as he rubbed shoulders with Europe’s elite. A wonderfully crafted assist crowned his night which was full of sidesteps and dribbles. That’s how he announced himself to the rest of the world, eventually landing a South African record transfer deal to Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion. A rare chance for a South African footballer was grabbed by a rare footballer.

Since then, Tau’s summer move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion was immediately followed by a loan to Belgian side Union SG. Though it initially took a few games, his work ethic has started to create opportunities for more minutes and impact on the pitch, resulting in 7 goals and 6 assists through 19 matches.

Maybe Percy’s true value has shown in 2018 with his performances for South Africa in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, drawing praise from his opponents, specifically Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr. Ultimately, Tau helped Bafana Bafana qualify behind the Super Eagles for the 2019 competition with some exhilarating performances, whether he was scoring himself, setting up his teammates, or tiring out his opponents with his relentless work rate.

““Congratulations to this player Percy Tau. I hope to see him in a big team in Europe, in England or the championship. He is a really good player.””

— Nigeria Coach Gernot Rohr

As they say in Percy’s former camp in Mamelodi Sundowns, the sky is truly the limit for the 24-year-old.

Is there a big club who does not want Napoli & Senegalese's Koulibaly?

“Chelsea tried their luck with €100 million but it was not enough to tempt the Italian club. The response was a straight up “Koulibaly is not for sale.””

— Simiso Shabangu, FirstTouch Africa

Kalidou Koulibaly of SSC Napoli in action during the serie A match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at Stadio San Paolo on August 25, 2018 in Naples, Italy.

(Aug. 25, 2018 - Source: Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images Europe)

When I was growing up, all I knew was that nothing sells better than hot cookies on a cold day. But, now that I am this old I have realized that talent sells more than anything in soccer. Kalidou Koulibaly has seen this “my phenomenon” come true in his life, as every day, he and Napoli have to continuously reject big European clubs that want to add him to their squads. What is it that these clubs are really looking to get from the Senegalese defender?

A precious gift for Mourinho after failing to land Alderweireld
Jose Mourinho and the Red Devils, did not even go behind the walls to admit this but backed his wish to have the 27-year-old Senegalese defender in his team by tabling an £80 million offer.  Even though this is an incredible price for a defender (which would surpasses the world record defender fee of £75m), reports insist that Napoli player demanded £90 million for what they have groomed with intricate care. It is not, however, clear if the Red Devils will succumb to this demand but all we know is that, right now, Koulibaly is still doing bits at Napoli.

Chelsea have their eyes on him
During the World Cup, Chelsea also had their eyes set on the Senegalese “wall,” impressed by Koulibaly’s physique that enables him to make short passes while keeping an eagle’s eye on the opponent. He was voted amongst the Top 11’ at the annual Oscar del Calcio gala last November. Chelsea tried their luck with €100 million but it was not enough to tempt the Italian club. The response was a straight up “Koulibaly is not for sale.”

Even Liverpool wanted a piece of Koulibaly
At some point before acquiring the Virgil Van Dyk in a current record deal for a defender Liverpool also tried their luck with a £36.7million bid and they too got the same rejection. Even though Koulibaly did express that he would be interested in playing for a Premier League club (not specifically Liverpool), right now he has to stay with Napoli. But will he really?

Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain is challenged by Mario Rui and Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between Paris Saint-Germain and SSC Napoli at Parc des Princes on October 24, 2018 in Paris, France.

(Oct. 23, 2018 - Source: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Europe)

The catch
If the player is in such high demand, why can’t his club really let him go? The player has a contract that obligates him to be with Napoli until the June of 2023 so that is why his club has such a strong grip on his negotiations. At least, all these clubs have about 5 years to sweeten their deals, polish their approaches and spice up their baits until they get hold of this player. The player is also personally committed to the team and his coach. He was reported saying, my coach “rediscovered me, he gave me confidence. He really is a genius, he sees things others don’t see. He makes you understand how football is and isn’t predictable.”

After all is said and done, take my word for it, it looks like it’s going to become increasingly harder to keep the one of the world’s finest of not “the finest”. A potential move is imminent. The real question is when?

10 Africans unsettled in the English Premier League: #5 Victor Wanyama

Victor Wanyama of Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur warm up prior to the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between Tottenham Hotspur and FC Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on October 3, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 2, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

Of course, it is nice to see the likes of Mo Salah, Percy Tau and Hakim Ziyech shine for their nations over the most recent international break but it also raises questions about some popular names who are finding themselves in sticky situations. There are a number of African players dubbed to be the next Sergio Ramos and Xavis of this world but are currently unsettled at club level. Their potential is endangered by their lack of game time. Here’s a list of the XI players whose progress has stalled. What better time to look at these than now when the January transfer window is fast encroaching?

DM – Victor Mugubi Wanyama

Enough has been said already about the Kenyan defensive midfielder who is finding minutes very hard to come by at Wembley Stadium (Tottenham Hotspur’s temporary home stadium). Mauricio Pochettino was right to identify the player as the solution to the hole in the middle that had been left by Sandro at Tottenham. In all fairness, the player was thrown straight into the team and shined in his first season at the club in the 2016/17 English Premier League season. He however, has been ousted by the likes of Harry Winks, Eric Dier and even Moussa Sissoko. Wanyama is currently being played in the cup games against lesser teams whilst Pochettino’s first preferences are given a necessary break. This is an unusual situation for a player who was one of the first names on the team sheet at both Celtic and Southampton before his big move to the North London club. At 27, the player is reaching his prime years and cannot be wasted warming the bench at Tottenham when he is more than capable of competing for a first team position within the defensive midfield role at any top club in Europe.

Verdict: He should drop his CV by Manchester City and Arsenal’s doors as he walks out of White Hart Lane.

FT Sideline: Why has Aubameyang been so prolific?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal looks on during the UEFA Europa League Group E match between Sporting CP and Arsenal at Estadio Jose Alvalade on October 25, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.

(Oct. 24, 2018 - Source: David Ramos/Getty Images Europe)

There is no use trying to make a case why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the best strikers in the world, simply because everyone knows and vehemently agree. It’s a better use of time exploring what makes him tick, with the hope that such attributes can be learned and passed down to future generations of African and global strikers at large.

It is know that modern strikers usually go through what is famously knowns as a “goal drought,” September used to be a boogey month for Harry Kane, Suarez is relatively going through a drought right now at Barcelona despite the impressive overall performances, Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku and the list goes on and on. The point is that the barren periods are almost part and parcel of a striker’s package. But, that’s not Aubameyang. The Gabonese captain has been scoring at least 30 goals a season since 2015 at Borussia Dortmund and before that, as a developing footballer in France and other places, he would hit at least half of the thirty goals. He was never an out and out striker to begin with, he just recently developed this goal scoring wit and has never looked back. But why is he immune to the droughts? Why is he so prolific?

Here are two simple reasons why:

1. Simplicity, the ultimate sophistication

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal scores his team's first goal during the UEFA Europa League Group E match between Arsenal and Vorskla Poltava at Emirates Stadium on September 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

(Sept. 19, 2018 - Source: Henry Browne/Getty Images Europe)

It’s modern “wisdom” that a good striker should contribute to overall play of the team, tracking back to help with defensive duties on set pieces, holding up play, taking on defenders, laying up assists for teammates and many other things. Harry Kane is increasingly becoming a member of this bracket after criticism of “selfishness,” Alexandre Lacazette is Arsenal’s version of that “modern striker” and Suarez is not a stranger to such duties at Barcelona. Now, Auba is different. The 29 year-old knows how to score goals and fundamentally sticks to that. His dribbling game is not the best nor is his hold-up play. He usually goes “missing” when his team is on the ropes but at any moment, with the slightest of chances - he can ripple the net. The African striker’s winner over the weekend which bagged all three points for Arsenal resembles this attribute of coming out of nowhere to turn the tide in the favor of his colors. Joking with his teammate, Sead Kolasinac who was the assist provider on the day, Auba even posted on instagram about how he loves tap in goals. He is the kind of guy who does not clutter his game with a lot of “best practices” or “modern tactics” but does one thing well enough to dominate the rest. No wonder he is currently joint-top scorer with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero in the Premier League tied at 8 goals for the campaign. It’s this “one dimensional” play that has enabled him to reach 20 goals in 31 matches for the Gunners, quicker than the time Thierry Henry or legend Ian Wright took.

2. Lightning pace

Lightning and Auba usually go in the same sentence because he is that quick. EA Sports didn’t rate him the fastest play on FIFA 18 for no reason. It is this pace that aids him to latch on crosses the quickest and make a meal of no ingredients at all. Those tap in goes and numerous strikes inside the box, it’s never because defenders do not know what he will probably do, they just can’t catch him.

“Auba even posted on instagram about how he loves tap in goals. He is the kind of guy who does not clutter his game with a lot of “best practices” or “modern tactics” but does one thing well enough to dominate the rest. No wonder he is currently joint-top scorer with Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Conclusively, Arsenal look like they are more than sorted in their attack with Lacazette complimenting the Gabonese in numerous ways. They will however need to continuously learn to play to his strengths if they are going to get the most out of the Gabonese international.