With the new EPL season almost upon us, soccer fans will finally get the chance to watch their heroes perform in one of the biggest leagues in the world again. All the best online sportsbooks have their betting markets ready and the big kick off is just days away.
Manchester City will be the team to beat once again this season. But there have been some very interesting developments over the summer offseason. Not all of the following players have moved clubs (although the majority have), but all five could play a major role in how the EPL 2022/23 season pans out.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
It is incredible to think that Erling Haaland is still only 22. After bursting onto the scene at RB Salzburg, he has been bullying Bundesliga defenses for the last few years as he valiantly tried to snatch the German league title away from Bayern Munich. He was ultimately unsuccessful but now has the chance of picking up silverware in England.
It might seem unfair to the rest of the EPL for the current champions to recruit such a force of nature. But now Manchester City will play with a recognized striker all the time. It did have them before but now Haaland will demand the ball and look to become the league’s top goal scorer. It would take a brave person to bet against that.
Brennan Johnson, Nottingham Forest
Somewhat at the other end of the EPL spectrum, Brennan Johnson is the only player in this list that will be turning out for the same team as last season. But he will be playing in the EPL for the first time ever. Two years ago he was on loan at League Two Lincoln City – and now he will be facing some of the best defenders in the world.
But there is a lot of excitement surrounding this Wales international player. His pace is frightening and he was a major reason why Nottingham Forest won promotion last year. He will undoubtedly find things harder in the English top flight. But if he does well, Forest might be able to stay up.
Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal
This is a player with something to prove. After playing perfectly well for Manchester City for the past few seasons, Pep Guardiola allowed the Brazil international to leave in the offseason, as he attempts to become a more regular presence in a starting eleven.
There is no doubt that Jesus is an impressive player. His goal scoring record shows that, even with limited game time. But he now has a lot of pressure on his shoulders, as Arsenal look to him to score the goals to take the club back into the top four. He has looked good in pre-season, so the Gunners might have completed a good piece of business here.
Darwin Nunez, Liverpool
Speaking of doing business, Darwin Nunez arrives at Liverpool at the cost of around £85 million and a fair bit of pressure of his own. After excelling in the Portuguese top flight for Benfica, Nunez will now become the main focus of a Liverpool attack that has lost Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.
There is still Mo Salah and a host of others to lead the Liverpool charge for the league title. But there is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp has brought in Nunez to provide the goals. As good as the Uruguay striker is, there is a big jump from the Primeira Liga to the EPL.
Gianluca Scamacca, West Ham United
At times over the last few seasons it has seemed as though West Ham has entirely relied on Michail Antonio for its goals. With the signing of Italy international Gianluca Scamacca, head coach David Moyes believes he has a real gem of player that can be a huge success in England.
Scamacca was signed from Serie A side Sassuolo, but has played much of his career on loan at other clubs. He did turn out for his parent club last season though and started a bidding war for his services after scoring 16 goals. Now West Ham will see if he can adapt to the English game.
