Five players who must avoid being one-season wonders
It was a record breaking season in the Premier League last season, as Manchester City romped to the title, and in doing so, became the first team to win 100 points during the Premier League season.
It was a memorable season in so many ways. It also marked the final year for Arsene Wenger in the Premier League, as his reign at Arsenal came to an end after 22 years in charge of the Gunners. Chelsea joined Arsenal as one of the ‘big six’ to miss out on the Champions League places, and the Blues also changed their manager, replacing Antonio Conte with Maurizio Sarri.
At the other end of the table, all three of the promoted clubs, Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield, survived for just the third time in Premier League history. In the end, it was West Brom, Stoke City, and Swansea City, who suffered the fate of relegation.
But it wasn’t just the teams who put in some notable performances. There were also some excellent showings from individuals, particularly those who moved to the Premier League as part of the record billion pound spend by clubs before the season began.
Their task this season will be to avoid joining the list of famous ‘one season wonders’; players who sparkled in their debut season in the Premier League, but went downhill afterwards.
The most famous of these is undoubtedly Michu, who joined Swansea for just £2 million from Rayo Vallecano in 2012. He went on to score 18 league goals in his first season, but just two in the following campaign, at the end of which he left Swansea.
Here are five men who will hope to avoid being the latest ‘one-season wonder:
#1 Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham)
Sanchez joined Tottenham last summer in a club record £42 million deal from Ajax. On paper, this was a bit of a risk. Sanchez had spent just a single season with the Dutch giants, which incidentally was also his only previous experience of European football.
However, he adapted well to English football, and formed an excellent partnership with Jan Vertonghen. He played well in the absence of Toby Alderweireld, whose number of appearances were restricted by injuries and disagreements over a new contract.
It wasn’t perfect though from Sanchez, and there are parts of his game that he needs to improve in the coming season. There were times where he looked like he struggled to read the game slightly, and made some rash challenges.
Mauricio Pochettino will continue to give him game time this season, so he will have the chance to improve. There will be more scrutiny on him however, as he is now a year older, and doesn’t lack in Premier League experience as an excuse.