The 2020/21 Premier League season, for all the uncertainty that preceded and dogged it, ended on the most familiar of outcomes.
No one could have envisaged, seeing how they started the campaign, that Manchester City would not only lift the title, but do so with several weeks to spare. It all made for a bit of an anti-climax; a proper title race is surely top of the wishlist for viewers and supporters ahead of the commencement of the new season.
From an African perspective, there were a handful of interesting subplots.
On Merseyside, the Liverpool juggernaut came to a juddering halt and began to sputter, with their blockbuster front three, featuring Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, badly out of sorts.
The Reds saw all of their momentum in the title race drain away in a run of only four wins in 15 matches between Boxing Day and the March international window.
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Leicester City’s title challenge gave way to a top four ambition which then gave way to ultimate disappointment at the death.
However, there was a silver lining in the form and efficiency of Kelechi Iheanacho in attack; the Nigeria international was relentless, and carried the Foxes’ hopes for much of the latter half of the season, especially as the rest of the team’s attacking talent struggled for fitness.
In London, Fulham’s band of African talent fought manfully – but futilely – to save them from the drop, and the towering Edouard Mendy stepped in to spectacular effect at Chelsea, in the process becoming the first African goalkeeper in the top-flight since Richard Kingson a decade prior.
With football finally beginning to open itself back up again, and most clubs afforded a full preseason to bed in new signings, there are even more storylines to get invested in this time around.
Leicester.
Patson Daka headlines a list of new additions set to take the Premier League by storm.
Signed from RB Salzburg, the Zambia international is the centre-piece of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy succession plan, and has struck up something of a friendship with prospective striker partner Iheanacho.
While the Englishman remains the undeniable standard-bearer, and the introduction of Daka is intended as a slow burn, the 22-year-old has already provided glimpses of his menace, and is probably ahead of schedule already.
Long-time friend Enock Mwepu and Nigeria international Frank Onyeka have rocked up at Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford respectively – their all-action stylings and excellent technical ability make them intriguing fits for Graham Potter and Thomas Frank, both of whom favour an expansive brand of football, as well as for the Premier League.
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Said Benrahma and Nicolas Pepe are by no means new, but it does seem like they are both finally ready to fire after periods of adaptation.
Both were signed at considerable expense for their respective sides, but struggled for consistency and minutes at various points last term. This time around, with the Ivorian ending 2020/21 on a high and the former Brentford man ripping it up in preseason, they will be expected to justify their sizeable transfer valuations.
Many, however, come into the season still with a lot to prove.
Mendy, despite having banished the world’s most expensive goalkeeper to the bench and achieved so much already at Chelsea, probably needs to put together a full season of consistent excellence to confirm his world-class status. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the first truly high-profile mistake in English football.
Naby Keita’s time at Liverpool has been an unequivocal disappointment, beset with injuries and characterized by poor form even when fit. He has managed to come through the season unscathed, and there is a spot for him in the Reds’ midfield where Georginio Wijnaldum used to be, but the feeling is that this is very much the last chance saloon for the former RB Leipzig dynamo.
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Alex Iwobi has similarly failed to justify a huge outlay on Merseyside, and will hope that the appointment of Rafa Benitez affords him some consistency, both in terms of position and playing time, to begin to repay the faith of the Everton decision-makers.
For Thomas Partey, the hang-up has been purely fitness-based.
The Arsenal man has, when fit, showed the range and wherewithal to dominate the middle of the park against any opponent, but has spent more time on the fitness table than on the pitch to this point. The fact that he goes into the new season injured is hardly a good portent in that regard, but the Gunners will hope his luck turns – their ambitions, such as they are, could well hinge on that alone.
The theme of injuries on the eve of the season is furthered by Hakim Ziyech.
The Moroccan struggled for impact in his debut season in England, but took advantage of reduced numbers in preseason (due to the Euros) and was looking his sharpest until he injured his arm in the Super Cup against Villarreal on Wednesday. With Chelsea’s embarrassment of attacking riches, the timing was inopportune, and this latest setback may well hinder the former Ajax man from showing the breadth of his creative genius in the Premier League.
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Watford’s West African quartet of Oghenekaro Etebo, William Troost-Ekong, Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr all have to prove they belong at this level, having excelled previously on smaller stages to varying degrees.
Some, though, are already part of the furniture.
Willy Boly and Roman Saiss are under new management at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but will offer calm heads at the back amidst all the change. The same applies over at Selhurst Park, where Cheikhou Kouyate will provide much needed mentorship for new boy Marc Guehi, Jeffrey Schlupp will once more chug energetically down the left and Jordan Ayew will compete to lead the line for Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace project.
Arthur Masuaku has European football to look forward to with West Ham United; increased demands will test the Congolese wing-back’s infamously brittle knees. Mohamed Elneny may not get the plaudits he deserves, but he provides quiet assurance and steady 7/10 performances at the back of midfield for Arsenal.
For those at the very top of their games however, the kudos keep on coming. It remains something of a mystery that Wilfred Ndidi has not moved to a bigger club, but that perhaps is a marker of Leicester’s growth. Another season of league-busting tackling and duel numbers beckons, no doubt. He will very likely be followed in this regard by Yves Bissouma, the rangy Brighton anchor who also has been linked to a host of clubs this summer, but who looks set to stay with the Seagulls.
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Wilfred Zaha has, for the longest time, carried Crystal Palace’s attacking ambitions almost singlehandedly.
This time, he will have help: Ebere Eze and Michael Olise will share the creative burden over the course of the season at least, freeing up more space for Zaha to work his magic in the final third.
The prospect of those three playing off each other (when all are fit) is an exciting one, and may be enough by itself to keep Vieira in work come the end of the season.
Having finally earned Pep Guardiola’s trust last season, Riyad Mahrez looks set to push on this term. The Algerian was a virtual ever-present in the Citizens’ Champions League run, and started more than half of their league matches. The arrival of Jack Grealish no doubt adds a layer of complication, but with Phil Foden out injured and Bernardo Silva out of favour, that right-wing spot is Mahrez’s to lose.
Even in an uncharacteristically underwhelming season for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah still finished just one goal shy of the Golden Boot. There has been no end of speculation linking to him to a move away, but with Spain’s big two largely insolvent, the 29-year-old can focus on what he does best: befuddling opposing goalkeepers. If Jurgen Klopp’s side are to once more approach the summit, it will be on the back of yet another huge season from their Egyptian talisman.
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Having seized his opportunity to impress last season, the aim for Iheanacho in 2021/22 is consolidation.
While it is likely that, with Harvey Barnes and James Maddison back fit, Brendan Rodgers will revert to using a back four and a lone centre-forward, the Nigerian is in such a state of grace that he almost guarantees impact at this point. With Vardy in his dotage and Daka still acclimating, there will be plenty of opportunities for “Seniorman” to make his mark still.
In Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, there are two stars on the road to recovery.
Both had campaigns way off their own lofty standards last time out, hitting their lowest Premier League goals totals for three seasons. While it is difficult to envisage similar underperformance this year with the quality they possess, they are both entering critical points in their careers age-wise, and face the prospect of being dropped in favour of younger, fresher options – Diogo Jota in the case of Mane, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in Aubameyang’s.
Can they stave off the competition and return to their previous heights? Who will be Africa’s brightest star in the Premier League this term? Will the theme be redemption, consolidation or surprise? With the new season a blank canvas, anything and everything is possible for the continent’s representatives.
