SPORTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2014 Factfiles of the Premier League title contenders LONDON: With the new Premier League season kicking off on defining season in the team’s development under Brendan fourth round; Champions League: last 16 Transfers in: Alexis today, here are factfiles on the five leading contenders to win Rodgers. Sanchez (Barcelona, £30m), Calum Chambers (Southampton, the English title: How Liverpool respond to the sale of star striker Luis £16m); Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle, £12m); David Ospina Suarez to Barcelona will determine whether last term’s impres- (Nice, £3m), Elias Chatzitheodoridis (Mas Kallitheakos, MANCHESTER CITY sive progress comes to a grinding halt and Rodgers has Undisclosed), Hugo Keto (HJK Helsinki, Undisclosed), Ben Manager: Manuel Pellegrini (CHI) splashed out close to £100 million to replace the Uruguayan Sheaf (West Ham, Undisclosed) Transfers out: Thomas 2013-14 position: 1st; FA Cup: quarter-finals; League Cup: and add depth to a squad that must cope with the twin Vermaelen (Barcelona, £15m), Johan Djourou (Hamburg, winners; Champions League; last 16 Transfers in: Eliaquim demands of domestic and European campaigns. £2.5m), Thomas Eisfeld (Fulham, Unidsclosed), Zak Ansah Mangala (Porto, £32 million), Fernando (Porto, £12m), Willy (Charlton, Free), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea, Free), Bacary Caballero (Malaga, £6m), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Frank CHELSEA Sagna (Manchester City, Free), Chuks Aneke (Zulte Waregem, Lampard (New York City, Loan) Manager: Jose Mourinho (POR) Free), Wellington Silva (UD Almeria, Loan), Carl Jenkinson Transfers out: Javi Garcia (Zenit St Petersburg, £12m) Jack 2013-14 position: 3rd; FA Cup: last 16; League Cup: quarter- (West Ham, Loan), Benik Afobe (Milton Keynes Dons, Loan) Rodwell (Sunderland, £10m), Gareth Barry (Everton, £1m), finals; Revitalised by their FA Cup final triumph last season, a cathar- Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland, Free), Joleon Lescott (West tic victory over Hull that ended the club’s nine-year trophy Brom, Free), Alex Henshall (Ipswich, Free), Ellis Plummer (St Champions League: semi-finals Transfers in: Diego Costa drought, Arsene Wenger’s side head into the new campaign Mirren, Free), Reece Wabara (Doncaster, Free), Marcos Lopes (Atletico Madrid, £32m), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £27m), brim full of belief that they can win the Premier League for the (Lille, Loan), Emyr Huws (Wigan Loan), Greg Leigh (Crewe, Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid, £15.8m), Mario Pasalic (Hajduk first time since 2004. Loan), Jason Denayer (Celtic, Loan) With City’s domestic Split, £2.4m), Didier Drogba (Galatasaray, Free). For the Gunners to achieve that lofty ambition, Wenger supremacy reasserted with a second league title in three years, will need midfield dynamo Aaron Ramsey to stay fit for the the focus of Manuel Pellegrini and his players turns to con- Transfers out: entire season, while also drawing consistently strong per- quering Europe for the first time. David Luiz (Paris Saint-Germain, £50m), Romelu Lukaku formances from his two key signings-Chile winger Alexis After another premature exit from the Champions League (Everton, £28m), Demba Ba (Besiktas, £4.7m), Patrick van Sanchez and France right-back Mathieu Debuchy. last season-in the last 16 against Barcelona-City would dearly Aanholt (Sunderland, undisclosed), Ashley Cole (Roma, Free), love a sustained challenge for the continent’s top trophy and, Sam Hutchinson (Sheffield Wednesday, Free), Frank Lampard MANCHESTER UNITED with that desire for immediate success in mind, Pellegrini opt- (New York City, Free), Tomas Kalas (Cologne, Loan), Wallace Manager: Louis van Gaal (NED) ed for experience when he signed old hands Fernando, Bacary (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia 2013-14 position: 7th; FA Cup: third round; League Cup: Sagna, Frank Lampard and Willy Caballero to augment an Moenchengladbach, Loan), Bertrand Traore (Vitesse, Loan), semi-finals; Champions League: quarter-finals Transfers in: already powerful squad. Mario Pasalic (Elche, Loan), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton, Luke Shaw (Southampton, £30m rising to £31m), Ander Loan), Gael Kakuta (Rayo Vallecano, Loan), Kenneth Omeruo Herrera (Athletic Bilbao, £28.8m), Vanja Milinkovic (FK LIVERPOOL (Middlesbrough, Loan), Christian Atsu (Everton, Loan), Marko Vojvodina, Undisclosed) Transfers out: Alexander Buttner Manager: Brendan Rodgers (NIR) Marin (Fiorentina, Loan) After finishing last season without a (Dynamo Moscow, £5.6m), Patrice Evra (Juventus, £1.5m), 2013-14 position: 2nd; FA Cup: fifth round; League Cup: major trophy, Jose Mourinho has invested heavily in a Bebe (Benfica, £2.25m), Jack Barmby (Leicester, Free), third round Transfers in: Adam Lallana (Southampton, £25m), revamped squad that will be expected to bring home signifi- Federico Macheda (Cardiff, Free), Nemanja Vidic (Inter Milan, Dejan Lovren (Southampton, £20m), Lazar Markovic (Benfica, cant silverware in the second season of his second coming at Free), Louis Rowley (Leicester, Free), Rio Ferdinand (QPR, £20m), Divock Origi (Lille, £10m), Emre Can (Bayer Leverkusen, Stamford Bridge. Free), Vanja Milinkovic (FK Vojvodina, Loan), Angelo £9.75m), Rickie Lambert (Southampton, £4m), Lawrence Mourinho has a knack for winning big prizes in his second Henriquez (Dynamo Zagreb, Loan) Vigouroux, Kevin Stewart (Both Tottenham, Free), Javier full season at each of his clubs, landing the Champions League The painful memories of David Moyes’ ill-fated season in Manquillo (Atletico Madrid, Loan) Transfers out: Luis Suarez at both Porto and Inter Milan in year two and the Spanish title charge have been swept away as the fallen giants begin the (Barcelona, £75m) Conor Coady (Huddersfield, £375,000), Pepe at Real Madrid. To do the same in west London, he has opted road back to relevancy under Dutch coach Louis van Gaal. Reina (Bayern Munich, Undisclosed), Villyan Bijev (Slavia Sofia, for a Spanish flavour, with Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas the A campaign branded ‘ReUnited14’ by the club’s market- Free), Jakub Sokolik (Yeovil, Free), Luis Alberto (Malaga, Loan), headline signings. ing gurus should benefit from United’s relatively undemand- Iago Aspas (Sevilla, Loan), Andre Wisdom (West Brom, Loan), ing fixture list in the opening weeks, when a long winning Brad Smith (Swindon, Loan) Just three months after their ARSENAL run would buy time for van Gaal to institute the changes hopes of winning the English title for the first time in 24 years Manager: Arsene Wenger (FRA) needed to ensure at least a top-four finish and ideally a title slipped away in heartbreaking fashion, the Reds return for a 2013-14 position: 4th; FA Cup: winners; League Cup: challenge. —AFP Mourinho headache over Chelsea number one ‘keeper’ LONDON: Jose Mourinho knows he faces a group today, everyone of my players in the choice I have to support and stimulate the oth- tough job keeping both Petr Cech and Thibaut squad I’m happy to have them. “I’m not wait- er one. “I can’t have one of these incredible Courtois at Chelsea when he finally decides ing for anything. It’s not good to analyse some- goalkeepers on the bench three or four which will be the club’s number one goalkeep- thing that isn’t on the table. Every manager in months waiting for a Capital One Cup game. er. Yesterday, Mourinho described the pair as the world would like to have Courtois and “I have to stimulate the competition and I two of the best three goalkeepers in the world Cech.” And referring to the possibility there have to praise some top goalkeeper which is and revealed he has yet to announce his line- could be more comings and going during the not my first choice. “I can understand for top up for the opening Premier League game at final weeks of the transfer market, Mourinho goalkeepers that could play in every club in the newly-promoted Burnley. Cech, 32, has been said: “The market is open and experience says world, in here, one of them is going to be on the established first choice for the last 10 years we never can say what will happen. the bench. It’s a difficult situation. “The best but finds himself under pressure from Courtois, way for me to work is to think pragmatically, in 22, who is back at Stamford Bridge after spend- Support and stimulate a cold way, forget a little bit, try to hide the ing the last three years on loan at Atletico “You never know if a player has a different emotions around these situations and decide Madrid. Mourinho accepts it will be hard to reaction or opinion in this last part of the what I think is the best for the team.” Mourinho keep both players happy throughout the cam- month or if any club tries to do something with played down his side’s chances of being ELCHE: In this file picture, Elche’s Colombian mid- paign - and both have been linked with moves our players.” The manager is pleased, though, crowned champions throughout last season fielder Carlos Sanchez (left) vies with Barcelona’s away if they miss out on the top job. to be confronted with the problem of choosing following his return to the club. Argentinian forward Lionel Messi during the The Chelsea manager insists the club has between two top ‘keepers’. This time around he is more confident, hav- yet to receive an approach for Cech or Courtois He added: “The only thing I can say is in this ing recruited Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Spanish league football match between Elche CF but accepts that situation could change. But he moment they are working well and hard and Didier Drogba and Filipe Luis. But the manager and Barcelona at the Martinez Valero stadium in said: “In this moment I don’t want to think we are so happy to have them both. refused to install Chelsea as favourites, insisting Elche. Aston Villa signed Colombia midfielder Carlos about it. There is not an offer, so not a possibili- “I prefer to analyse this in that perspective. the club’s main challengers have also strength- Sanchez from Spanish side Elche for an undisclosed ty.