Four England snubs included: Premier League stars ready for huge 24/25 after full pre-season
The power of a full pre-season can not be underestimated, folks. Here are eight players – one from each of the top eight clubs in the Premier League – who could be bloody brilliant in 2024/25 after having the summer off.
Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus
“He looks really good. He looks really sharp. The way he looks, his rhythm, his sharpness, the way he is moving. And you can see in his eyes as well that there is again some spark there because he has got now a point to prove and that is good.”
That’s Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Jesus, who was left out of Brazil’s Copa America squad after a disappointing season for Arsenal. Injuries have been a theme for Jesus at the Emirates; they slowed him down last season and allowed Kai Havertz to take his spot as Arteta’s first-choice striker. He needs a big campaign to save his Gunners career and having a full pre-season under his belt is perfect preparation.
A summer with his country would have been far from beneficial for the player and his club, who many people believe need to sign an out-and-out striker. Jesus is now in a strong position to prove he can be that guy for Arteta. Jesus will have a big role to play as Arsenal chase their first Premier League title in over two decades and his ability to effectively cover all three attacking positions makes him very valuable.
Arsenal had a lot of players on international duty but will also benefit from another injury-prone star, Thomas Partey, being available all summer. Captain Martin Odegaard is another who is well-rested and ready to shine again in 2024/25. And, of course, you have Benjamin White. But Jesus needed the rest more than anyone else at the club and is more than capable of proving that Arteta is right not to sign a new striker.
Aston Villa: Jacob Ramsey
Unless you are actively trying to wind up Aston Villa fans, do not say they have outgrown Jacob Ramsey, or that he is falling down the pecking order and a sale makes sense. They are a sensitive bunch and do not like to read that sort of muck.
In a pathetic bid to get back into their good books, we are now arguing that he has a big role to play in 24/25 after an injury-ravaged campaign. Well, big role or not, Ramsey needed a summer with full focus on getting back to 100%.
Chelsea: Reece James
At least five Chelsea players are benefiting from a full end-of-season break and summer working under new head coach Enzo Maresca. Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku will all hope to play a big part in 24/25 but it is club captain Reece James with the biggest point to prove after an extremely challenging year, both mentally and physically.
James will hope his long-term injury woes are behind him and there is huge pressure to prove as much. Kicking a ball proved too much of a strain on the Chelsea right-back’s muscles and that has not just stalled his career, but made the Blues a significantly worse team. When fully fit, there are not many better players in the world in his position; he is solid defensively and excellent going forward. James is a terrific talent, which is easy to forget when he is not actually playing football.
Fingers crossed he can stay fit and remind everyone about his ability.
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah
We are reluctant to include superstars but with the managerial change at Liverpool and Mohamed Salah not hitting the heights we know he can reach last term, it felt right to single him out. Funny that a below-average season for Salah is one with 39 goal contributions in 44 games…
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot knows he needs to get the best out of the Egyptian superstar and getting to spend an entire summer with him will do the Reds no harm whatsoever.
Slot will be happy that Ibrahima Konate barely played for France at Euro 2024. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott’s pre-season availability is a big boost as well. But Salah excites us. A lot.
Manchester City: Jack Grealish
Erling Haaland, as with Norway team-mate Odegaard, would be an easy choice but it feels like we should be picking players with something of a point to prove and Jack Grealish definitely does, especially with the signing of Savinho making competition for a starting spot even more fierce.
Admittedly, Savinho does prefer playing on the right but that does not completely limit him to playing on that side under Pep Guardiola. The Brazilian is coming off a superb year at Girona and is similar to Jeremy Doku in that he is direct, rapid, and more than willing to take defenders on. Grealish was all of that – minus the electric pace – at Aston Villa, which is why Man City paid £100m to sign him.
Instead of playing like the confident maverick we all loved at his former club, Grealish has become another cog in the Guardiola system. His contribution to City’s historic Treble in 2022/23 does not go unnoticed, but in the previous and following season, his contribution has been lacking…massively.
Last term was a difficult one for Grealish due to injuries and Doku shining in fits and starts. He only started 10 times in the Premier League and barely featured in the second half of 23/24, resulting in a brutal Euro 2024 snub from England manager Gareth Southgate, which reportedly ‘deeply upset’ the 28-year-old.
Not making the cut for Germany will have hit Grealish hard but has at least afforded him plenty of recovery time after an injury-ravaged campaign. A full pre-season could be what the doctor ordered at a crucial time in his career.
Manchester United: Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford’s performances in 22/23 set a standard we did not know he had in him and made his dismal 23/24 campaign all the more disappointing.
He is undoubtedly an outstanding attacking threat but his work rate and consistency are pretty alarming. Being left out of the England squad for this summer’s European Championship has not only given Rashford a full pre-season but might just be the kick up the backside he desperately needed.
INEOS are willing to be ruthless and Rashford is not one of the players deemed untouchable under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, so not only is he fighting for his England future, but for his future at the club he loves. Man Utd’s best form under Erik ten Hag coincides with the best form of Rashford’s career; he is clearly a vitally important player at Old Trafford and a full pre-season could be huge for the Red Devils.
Newcastle United: Alexander Isak
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was probably relieved to see no Nick Pope in England’s Euro 2024 squad. The 32-year-old goalkeeper played one game in the second half of 23/24 thanks to a horrible shoulder injury and will be ready to start next season after a nice summer without a heartbreaking tournament run with his country.
With star players Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes at the Euros and Copa America respectively, Newcastle’s other main man Alexander Isak was free to go straight on holiday before showing up for pre-season duty due to Sweden being a bit pants.
Keeping Isak free from injury risk was crucial but not as crucial as making sure he stayed at the club. With rumours of an exit behind him and Newcastle, and on the back of a full pre-season, we can expect to see the 24-year-old continue where he left off last term.
Tottenham: James Maddison
England snubs are a bit of a theme here and James Maddison is the natural choice for Tottenham. Another theme is someone with injury troubles last term and Maddison is a player who did not look like themselves after making his comeback. In fact, his dip in form was so dramatic that Southgate left him out of his Euro 2024 squad, just as he did with Grealish, Rashford and James.
Maddison’s inability to do it over the course of an entire season is a growing narrative and was a summary of his debut season for Spurs. He was outstanding in the first half of 23/24 but failed to shine post-December. That is a worry that only a full pre-season can alleviate.
Salah better than these , always