Page 19 - Soccer360 Issue 107

Arsenal, TOP:
Mikel Arteta is desperate to end Arsenal’s wait for the Premier League title
Aston Villa, Top:
Midfielder Amadou
Onana is Aston Villa’s headline summer signing
Brentford, Top:
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoann Wissa have formed
an impressive partnership for Brentford
ASTON VILLA
LAST SEASON
FINISH: 4th place RECORD: 20-8-10
MOST GOALS: Watkins (19)
A historic campaign lies in wait for Aston Villa as they compete in the Champions League for the first time in four decades. They’ll savour every moment, but the task now for this huge club and its ambitious owners is to finish in the top four again and feature regularly in Europe’s premier competition in the years to come.
Unai Emery has overseen remarkable progress in less than two years in charge and Villa will almost certainly be contenders again in 2024-25, spearheaded by star man Ollie Watkins and bolstered by several big- money signings including Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, and Samuel Iling-Junior.
The only question marks arise from key midfielder Douglas Luiz’s move to Juventus and the surprise sale of Moussa Diaby to Saudi club Al-Ittihad, but this is a strong squad that expects to hit new heights.
KEY PLAYER
Ollie Watkins
BOURNEMOUTH
LAST SEASON
FINISH: 12th place RECORD: 13-9-16
MOST GOALS: Solanke (19)
After a slow start, Bournemouth made fantastic progress in 2023-24 under the tutelage of Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, achieving their highest Premier League points total. The Cherries are a confident young side who have proven they shouldn’t be underestimated, but the sale of 19-goal top scorer Dominic Solanke to Tottenham is massive setback to their hopes of making further progress.
Teenage centre-back Dean Huijsen arrives from Juventus to join a defence already containing the precocious talents of Ilia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez, while at the other end there is more to come from
the likes of Justin Kluivert and Alex Scott. However, Bournemouth’s chances of avoiding a potential slide into relegation danger could rest on whether they can replace Solanke’s goals.
KEY PLAYER
Alex Scott
BRENTFORD
LAST SEASON
FINISH: 16th place RECORD: 10-9-19
MOST GOALS: Wissa (12)
A spate of injuries hindered Brentford’s progress last term as they fell to a frustrating 16th place, and their luck has hardly got any better over the summer as after seeing their move for Leeds United starlet Archie Gray hijacked at the last second by Tottenham, new record signing Igor Thiago sustained an injury in pre- season that will keep him out for the rest of 2024.
There were high hopes for Brazilian striker Thiago, but the Bees unexpectedly still have main man Ivan Toney to call upon along with the impressive attacking duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoann Wissa. The £28m capture of Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool provides another exciting option for a side looking to rediscover its home form and climb back towards mid-table.
KEY PLAYER
Yoane Wissa
DID YOU KNOW?
Mikel Arteta has been managing Arsenal since 2022 and has coached 233 games, won 138, has 38 draws, and 57 loses.
SOCCER360 17