The EPL season is drawing to a close, and whilst Liverpool have officially secured their first title in 30 years, there’s still a lot to play for in the remainder of the table! The race for top four is far from over, with four teams in competition for third and fourth, respectively.
The battle to avoid relegation is also heating up! Norwich look destined for the drop – with the latest Premier League relegation odds appearing to agree – whilst Aston Villa, Bournemouth, West Ham and Watford are all scrapping amongst each other to stay in England’s top-flight.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, this year’s season is ending much later than usual! This has caused issues with contracts, and some teams have even lost key players, with around still six games to play, whilst others have agreed short-term deals, keeping them at their respective clubs until the rest of the season is played out.
With that mind, we’ve put together a five-a-side team made up of some of the best players who will be out-of-contract this summer!
Goalkeeper – Joe Hart
English shot stopper Joe Hart’s contract at Burnley ran out at the end of last month, and the Turf Moore side decided not to renew the 33 year old’s position on the team. The Clarets bought Hart from Manchester City back in 2018 for just £3.5m.
However the Three Lions keeper, who has 75 England caps, has made just 18 league appearances in his two-year term. The four-time Premier League Golden Glove winner won the league twice with Man City, and isn’t short on experience with an impressive 340 English top-flight appearances.
Defence – Jan Vertonghen
Unlike Hart, the 33-year-old Tottenham Hotspur centre back Jan Vertonghen has signed a short-term contract to remain at the club for the remainder of the Premier League. However, the Belgian international is then expected to be released after eight years at the North London club.
Vertonghen, who has 118 caps for Belgium, also isn’t short on experience, with 228 Premier League appearances under his belt, will leave Spurs without a medal in his cabinet, despite reaching the League Cup and Champion League finals, respectively.
Defence – Nathaniel Clyne
Liverpool full back Nathaniel Clyne moved to Anfield from Southampton five years ago for almost £16m, and instantly became a first team regular. Klopp once branded the 29-year-old a ‘machine’, and in his first two years in Merseyside, he played a whopping 93 times in all competitions for the Reds.
However, since Trent Alexender-Arnold came on the scene, Clyne has played just a mere 10 times for Liverpool – seven of those appearances being in the Premier League – and was also been shipped out to Bournemouth on a season-long loan. With 185 Premier League appearances, and 14 England caps, Clyne won’t be short of top-flight offers this summer!
Attack – David Silva
Spanish playmaker David Silva has played his last game for Man City, which ended in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, after a trophy-laden 10 years at the Etihad.
The World Cup, and two-time European Championship, winning midfielder has also won an impressive five Premier League titles during his decade in Manchester, whilst he’s also picked up two FA Cups and five League Cups – three of which were won successively. Silva, who has made over 300 Premier League appearances, has been linked to move to Japanese side Vissel Kobe, whilst AC Milan, and David Beckham’s Inter Miami, are also believed to be in the running.
Attack – Willian
Willian has also endured a rather successful period in England. The Brazilian, who made a shock U-turn when signing for Chelsea instead of Spurs in 2013, has won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Europa League, since moving to Stamford Bridge.
The 31-year-old has made a whopping 227 league appearances for the Blues since signing for just £30m seven years ago, but looks unlikely to agree a new contract with the west London side. However, Willian has made it clear he wants to remain in the capital, and has been linked with Chelsea’s fierce-rivals Arsenal and Spurs.