Barclays Premiership’s Emergence Of The New Order

Mention the English Premier League and one immediately thinks of the Big Four – Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Ever since the best 20 teams broke away from the English FA to form what is now known as the Barclays English Premier League, the four clubs are often used to represent English football’s top sides. The four of them have earned the right to be known as the biggest clubs in the country after consistently winning the top trophies in English football every season. However, that may be about to change in the near future.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have emerged from their shadows to question their authority in English football. They have often flattered to deceive in the past due in no small part to having rich traditions but that may be about to change in the right direction. With stable streams of financial investment flowing into the clubs, they are now rising from their slumber. City and Spurs are making use of their financial aid to sign some of the world’s best players so that they can get equally good, if not better, results. It may not be surprising if both clubs go on to achieve much more than what United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have managed in the past. No longer are they trapped in a position in which they have had to sell their best players to survive. The roles have reversed and signing other teams’ best players are on their agendas instead during each transfer window so that they can continue to rise to the top.

The blue half of Eastlands are the best representatives of this power shift in English football. Since the moment Sheikh Mansour took over the club, City have been in virtually every major transfer rumour making the rounds in European football. The club is determined to not just be a force in English football, but also on the greater stage of Europe. There was a flurry of major transfer activity in the club’s first season under Mansour as City went on to snap up no less than five star players in preseason. The major footballing stars that were willing to join the City revolution included Carlos Tevez, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure. They are clearly not drawn by the lure of untold riches upon signing the contracts, but to be the pioneers of a project that aims to turn City into the best team in both the English Premier League and Europe.

The decidedly less well-off, but not entirely modest, club in North London are not adverse to splashing their cash at quality signings either. Choosing to snap up some of the world’s best young talents is something that Tottenham have built a convincing resume of despite not having tons of cash to spend. Many of these players have also benefited from getting to work with Harry Redknapp – the Spurs manager who has made a career out of turning such individuals into proven stars. Without too many stars cluttering their squad, Redknapp has the opportunity to foster greater team spirit free of egos. That continues to be their driving force as they emerge as City’s main challengers to a place amongst the Premiership elite.

Fans who watch English Premier League live streaming online would have noted that the Big Four’s hold on the Premier League could cease sooner rather than later from the two clubs’ challenge. Both clubs have already started in earnest by pushing Liverpool out of the race for a place in the Champions League awarded to the Premier League every season. Their rise in English football will continue to gain traction as they dedicate themselves to improving their squads in the summer. The rest may not even be able to catch up at one point in the future. With debt continuing to plague members of the Big Four, it is in contrast to the decidedly better futures that await both Spurs and City.