The Barclays Premier League was turned on its head this year with the greatest underdog story in the history of sport (YES, THE HISTORY OF SPORT), with the meteoric rise of Leicester City. But the Foxes glorious run was more than likely a once in a lifetime run, or at best a reincarnation of the late-70’s Nottingham Forest side. But as within anything good, people are always looking for the “next” one. Who will be the next Leicester City in England? If there is an answer to that question, it is more than likely one of these clubs.
BURNLEY
Burnley was the first team to secure promotion from the Championship to the Premier League for the 2016-17 season. The Clarets spent just one season in the English second tier after being relegated at the end of 2015. They came up at the same time as Leicester City two years ago, and are constructing a roster very similarly to the Foxes as they prepare to make their return to the Premiership. The influx of cash coming into the league will only help that process for manager Sean Dyche, who stuck with the club as they went down even with several more lucrative offers on the table. Dyche’s loyalty has been rewarded. Burnley come back to the top flight with two much needed commodities, a top goalkeeper and a bonafide striker. Tom Heaton is battle tested in the Premier League, and kept the second most clean sheets this season in the Championship. Andre Gray’s 2015-16 season very much mirrored that of Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy. The team’s club record signing came over from fellow Championship side Brentford in August and put home a league leading 25 goals between the two clubs over the year to lead the circuit. Add in the likes of seasoned veterans Joey Barton and George Boyd, plus the considerable purchases they will make in the summer, and Burnley could be the next to shock the world.
SUNDERLAND
Similarly to Leicester City a year ago, the Black Cats of Sunderland have escaped relegation this season by the skin of their teeth. Big Sam Allardyce has worked his magic again on Tyneside, keeping up a club that seemed dead set on the drop no more than a month or so ago. This side is a bit different though from the enigmatic Allardyce’s previous survival efforts. Sunderland actually have the makings of a team that with a couple additions could sneak into the upper half of the Premier League table, and maybe just be the next club to shake up the status quo in England. They have a tried and true goal getter in Jermain Defoe. His full season return to the Premier League saw the 33 year old score 15 times. He has easily been Sunderland’s player of the year proving that there is still that last bit more left in his goal scoring tank. January transfer Wahbi Khazri brings a dynamism to the midfield that the team lacked prior, and his movement across the middle of the pitch makes the lives of Sebastian Larsson and Lee Cattermole that much easier. But where Sunderland struggles most is at the back, conceding 60 times already in 2015-16. But if you remember, Leicester City were a bit dodgy in defense early on in this season before sorting things out in front of Kasper Schmeichel. Sunderland have a unique blend of experience (John O’Shea, Younes Kaboul, and Wes Brown) and up and comers (DeAndre Yedlin and Jan Kirchhoff) who have substantially improved as a unit after the new year with Allardyce using the same lineup the past seven games. That continuity with some creative signings in the summer could allow Sunderland to rub further salt in the wounds of their relegated rivals Newcastle with a title win, which would be their first since before World War II.
BOURNEMOUTH
Coming into the 2015-16 season, it was Bournemouth who were the plucky little club that could that every neutral fan loved. The Cherries climbed from the depths of the English football pyramid to the first division for the first time in their 126 year existence. Leicester City’s dream season all but put Eddie Howe’s side on the back burner of the collective football consciousness, but you can’t take away what the Premier League’s smallest club have done this year given their circumstances. Leading scorer and then-player of the year candidate Callum Wilson, top playmaker Max Gradel, and record signing defender Tyrone Mings were all lost to cruciate ligament knee injuries early on. Still, they persevered and picked up valuable points off top four teams with regularity. Howe showed great poise in the face of such brutal injuries, but also great man management with his squad rotations and substitutions. If these three come back in 2016-17 at 100% and stay healthy, there is a good chance they’ll perform at a better than 16th position rate from this year. Wilson could be the next Vardy and Gradel the next Mahrez and some defensive additions in front of Artur Boruc could make Bournemouth a formidable foe in the coming year, and maybe even a bigger upset special than the 2015-16 Leicester City squad.
Who do you think has the potential to be the next Leicester City in the Premier League? Do you think that Claudio Ranieri’s accomplishments with the club are irreplicable? Leave a comment with your thoughts or let me know on Twitter @TREVORutley.