There are, though, still questions to be answered. The creative spark provided by former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pogba will arguably be of greater long-term significance than Ibrahimovic's short-term sparkle. The shining symbol of United's new future is the return of Paul Pogba from Juventus for a world-record £89m - although this was the same player allowed to escape for about £1.5m four years ago. The Portuguese will provide it as manager and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will do the job on the pitch - although there is an element of 'Hollywood' about signing a 34-year-old at the end of his career who has never played in the Premier League.

Manchester United are a club with something to prove - and they have appointed a brilliant, albeit highly-divisive manager who also has something to prove in Jose Mourinho after his sacking at Chelsea just seven months after his team won the title.ĭutchman Louis van Gaal may have won the FA Cup but his was a joyless reign and this superpower needed an X Factor on and off the pitch to renew their damaged status. Manchester United This season: 2nd Last season: 5th Players out: Martin Demichelis (released), Seko Fofana (Udinese), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town on loan), Marlos Moreno (Deportivo La Coruna on loan). Players in: Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Oleksandr Zinchenko (FC Ufa), Leroy Sane (Schalke 04), Aaron Mooy (Melbourne City), Gabriel Jesus* (Palmeiras) *will join in January 2017, Marlos Moreno (Atletico Nacional), John Stones (Everton). I'm backing a Guardiola-inspired City to reclaim the Premier League title. Now that City have signed defender John Stones from Everton, responsibility will lie with him for curing the defensive ills caused by the poor form of Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi, as well as captain Vincent Kompany's injuries. Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will add guile when he is fit while winger Nolito is a shrewd capture from Celta Vigo. He is a fiercely driven perfectionist who will not let standards slip. Guardiola is the perfect choice to get more out of a quality squad that has too often seemed short of inspiration and motivation. They were left hanging on until the last game of the campaign to secure a Champions League place. The Etihad house has been built waiting for him to move in.Ĭity's run to the Champions League semi-final and a Capital One Cup final win barely covered up a campaign of Premier League under-achievement with Manuel Pellegrini in charge last season. The arrival of the world's most celebrated coach, Pep Guardiola, is the fulfilment of a long-held dream for Manchester City's owners - he is the man they have always wanted at the head of their football organisation. Manchester City This season: Champions Last season: 4th Phil McNulty's predicted 2016-17 Premier League positions at a glance

Who will be champions? - 33 BBC pundits pick their Premier League top fourīut with the new season starting on Saturday, here is how I think the season will look at the very end - with the caveat that what happens in the remainder of the transfer window could yet have a significant impact.

The Seminoles’ defense could be the best in the ACC even with Ramsey’s departure, as Derwin James, DeMarcus Walker and Josh Sweat all appear poised to become stars.After a summer of change in the top flight - with a whole host of new managers and top-quality players - it is a task that remains as painful as ever.

Quarterback Sean Maguire showed notable improvement over the season but could also lose the job to Deondre Francois if the freshman developed in his redshirt year. Dalvin Cook will be a Heisman frontrunner, and he gets an experienced line blocking for him, anchored by left tackle Roderick Johnson.

Still, those losses are less damaging than coach Jimbo Fisher has had to manage over the past few seasons, and he has the talent in place to make a run at an ACC title in ’16. Several key Florida State players will depart to the NFL this spring both via graduation (Nile Lawrence-Stample, Reggie Northrup, Terrance Smith, Lamarcus Brutus) and early-entry (Jalen Ramsey, Roberto Aguayo). With a record 29 players selected over the past three drafts, the Seminoles finally had to take a year off from national championship contention in 2015, even if that ‘year off’ included a 10-win season and a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Head soccer 2016 2017