Premier League Preview – how will Euro 2020 impact the start of the season?

After what seems like a never-ending season of football, it’s finally time for many of the Premier League’s stars to take a well-earned break from the game.

Following on from the condensed season in 2020/21, followed by the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament, many of the top players in the Premier League, as well as other top leagues around Europe, have not really had a break from the game for the past 10 months.

With around a month to go until the opening week of the Premier League season, some of them are still not going to get a real break before they are back in pre-season action for their clubs, so just how will Euro 2020 impact on the upcoming season?

Will fatigue be an issue?

With England making it all the way to the final of Euro 2020, the majority of the players in the squad feature for leading clubs in the Premier League so there is definitely a risk of early burnout if they are not given the right amount of rest before they are expected back for pre-season.

Manchester United have already lost Marcus Rashford for the opening two to three months of the season, having decided to have a much-needed operation on his shoulder following a gruelling couple of years in the Premier League followed by Euro 2020 duty.

Players from Manchester City and Chelsea will also need some serious rest. Both clubs made it to the season-ending Champions League Final, leaving them even less time between the end of the season and the start of Euro 2020 so expect the likes of Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Mason Mount to get an extended break before the start of the season. It is unlikely that they will feature much in the pre-seasons of either club and could leave them short of both match fitness as well as the need to get to know any potential new signings between now and then.

For clubs who have had few players involved in Euro 2020, they could steal a potential march on Premier League rivals and look to make strong starts to the season. Clubs like West Ham and Everton will both be hoping to build on strong performances last season and whilst both clubs had players represented at Euro 2020, the majority of their squads will have had a good break and be raring to go when the season kicks of on Friday 13 August.

Prospective new signings – 5 names to look out for

Typically the transfer window following a major championship is a busy one and we can expect the same this time around. Players playing at Euro 2020 had a major shop window to showcase their abilities and secure a lucrative move to the Premier League.

Manchester United have already confirmed an agreement is in place to sign long-term target Jadon Sancho who played a bit-part role for England at Euro 2020 but was widely considered one of the best young talents in Europe last season.

There were some other standout performances at Euro 2020 that alerted Premier League scouts and the rumour mills have been busy with talk of incoming signings for most of the top teams in the Premier League.

Some of the players linked with moves include:

• Alexander Isak – despite not finding the net at Euro 2020, Isak looks to have a big future ahead of him after scoring 17 times for Real Sociedad last season. A big-money move to Chelsea or Arsenal has been mooted.
• Renato Sanches – once considered one of the best young talents in Europe, Sanches’ career stalled somewhat, culminating in a season on-loan at Swansea. At 23, however, Sanches is still an exciting prospect and his performances at Euro 2020 have once again alerted Liverpool who are in the market for a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.
• Mikkel Damsgaard – England fans will be familiar with Damsgaard following his impressive freekick in their semi-final encounter and his performances across a hugely successful tournament for Denmark also caught the eye of Liverpool although Real Madrid are also thought to be interested in the 21-year-old.
• Patrick Schick – when you share the tournament golden boot with Ronaldo, you must be doing something right. Schick shot to prominence in the Czech Republic’s group game with Scotland when he scored a stunning long-range goal, one of five he managed across the tournament. He has been linked with a move to West Ham where he would team up with compatriot Tomas Soucek. Schick was named in the Team of the Tournament which will not only add to his growing reputation but also his likely price tag.
• Denzel Dumfries – Dumfries was one of the best defenders at Euro 2020 and managed to score two goals as the Netherlands made it to the last 16. His performances have caught the eye of new Everton boss Rafael Benitez who is keen to put a stamp on his new team and is looking for cover for ageing Seamus Coleman at fullback. 

Favourites for the Premier League 2021-22

Despite losing talisman Sergio Aguero on a free transfer to Barcelona along with promising defender Eric Garcia, Manchester City are still going to be the team to beat in the Premier League next season. 

Betway Sports currently have City at 1.72 to defend the title in 2021-22 – someway ahead of closest rivals Liverpool who are placed at 6.00. Chelsea are third favourites with Betway at 7.00 and Manchester United are fourth favourites at 9.00.

Beyond those four, the odds quickly go out, with Tottenham ranked fifth favourites at 41.00 and Arsenal at 51.00. Leicester, who have been very consistent over the past two seasons, find themselves at 67.00 and could be a good outside bet for the title, having had very few players represented at Euro 2020. A strong start to their season could see their odds quickly slashed.

There is no doubt that Euro 2020 will impact the start of the season, whether that’s injuries, fatigue or the introduction of new signings. We are already excited to see what the season will bring.