Issue 20 - The Crisis Baton

Twenty issues in. The Premier League season starts next week. Who goes where? Who goes there? Who is saying goodbye? All this and a little bit more as we also unveil another football concept. Issue 20, locked and loaded. Let’s go.

Starting The Relay

Although there has been plenty of news over the course of the weekend, we are in that stage off the summer where the rumour mill spits out quality rather quantity and with this newsletter aiming to filter noise, the last thing I want to do is add even more.

Admittedly, there will be some of the usual football chat but before we get started, I want to introduce a new concept that will run throughout the season as an underlying plot point to the newsletter.

The Under Pressure Rankings have already been introduced, it is time to say hello to:

THE CRISIS BATON

What is the crisis baton?

With 20 Premier League clubs all fighting their battles throughout the season, success can be measured in many different ways. Title victory, qualification for Europe or as simple as avoiding relegation.

However, the flipside if those objectives are not met generate an element of crisis. Crisis coming in failure but at the same time, crisis can also be measured within the frame of off pitch issues.

Ultimately, there will always be one Premier League club in crisis at anyone time. Other outfits may be going through a rough patch but fundamentally, there is always one outfit that finds itself in crisis mode.

Which is where the Crisis Baton comes in.

The baton will be passed from club to club at intervals across the season. Nobody knows how long ownership of the item will be. It all depends on the fortunes of the team in possession, it also depends on the fortunes of those teams without it.

Like with any concept though, we have to start at the beginning and decide who is the first Premier League club to hold the 2025/26 Crisis Baton and after an afternoon’s worth of deliberation, I have decided that possession goes to…..

NEWCASTLE

Now before Newcastle supporters light up my inbox (you are more than welcome to), I am going to give my reasoning why.

The transfer window has been a disaster when you consider Champions League football should be opening up so many more doors by now.

The Alexander Isak saga is dragging out to the point where it only really gets resolved when the Swedish international does eventually leave.

It seems as if Benjamin Sesko is going to pick the other United.

PSR is still seemingly a millstone around their neck.

Looking To Pass

At the same time, it is not all doom and gloom at St James’ Park and if they can get off to a strong start to this season, the baton will quickly be switched to another Premier League outfit.

However, if you were to get a temperature of mood around each of those top tier clubs, there are not many that would be cooler in terms of overall fan sentiment within the NE postcodes.

It must be noted that West Ham are worth an honourable mention and could be the next recipient if they get off to a poor start. It may also be worth keeping an eye on Crystal Palace if they do sell Eberechi Eze within the next month.

You could argue that the Crisis Baton is linked to the Manager Pressure Rankings and do not be surprised if Graham Potter is the most under pressure while West Ham are the unwanted holders of this digital piece of metal.

Last season the baton would have bounced between Tottenham and Manchester United on a near weekly basis. Do not be surprised if they also find themselves in the mix of its custody.

In summary: Nobody wants to be the club in ‘crisis’, but there will always be one at any one time. This season, we are going to track just who those outfits are.

Goodbye My Son

In one of football’s biggest open secrets for quite some time, Heung-min Son has announced his departure from Tottenham. A declaration that was always going to happen this summer but not before Spurs’ tour to South Korea.

Considering the business sense of Daniel Levy and the army of Son fans within his home nation to not have the recent Europa League winner appear during the Asian jaunt would have been financial suicide.

Son subbed off in the recent friendly with Newcastle. A standing ovation from those in attendance, plenty of tears from the 33-year-old and his teammates in Tottenham’s away colours.

A move to LAFC in the MLS seems most likely with a reported £15m fee agreed. Is it the right time for Son to move on? You would have to say yes and even more so now that the trophy drought at N17 has been ended.

I think a summer move was always going to be the right time regardless of silverware being won or not. By announcing his departure, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward does not stay long enough to be the villian.

Villian may be slightly harsh a term but in the sense where fans do not forget what he has done over the course of a decade and only remember who has lost a yard of pace and the ability to beat a man too often.

Instead Son gets to go out with golden moments still shinning bright and with him always being a member of the class of Bilbao 2025 his status as club legend is only further secured - then again was it really up for debate?

The Other Debate

With that being said, there is always a debate that circulates the former Asian Cup winner and that is whether Tottenham’s outgoing number 7 is truly world class. Are Asian players unfairly overlooked when it comes to the elite?

To a certain degree you would have to say that they are and if Asian players are overlooked, you could also say the same about their African counterparts - take Mohamed Salah as a perfect example.

The Tottenham and Liverpool forwards certainly do not lack talent but is it there nationality and that standing within the global elite that stops us from putting them right with the very best.

There is no doubt that the pair have lit up the Premier League for the best of a decade each and will be in the conversation when it comes to some of the very best within the top division.

A Different Nationality

At the same time, that conversation never really extends to the big awards or the global stage. If Son was Spanish instead of South Korean would he considered even better than he is? What if Salah played for England instead of Egypt?

Admittedly those scenarios were nothing more than convenient aliteration but the point is a fair one to make in my opinion. It may even be an unconscious basis but because you do not see South Korea and Egypt at the pinnacle of World Cups they are overlooked.

In addition to that, there is a sense that Son and Salah have had to carry their nations on their back for quite some time. If they had teammates to help carry the load on the international stage, that would no doubt help their cause.

Anyway, I digress from the original point in that Son has been an incredible servant for Tottenham. Almost under the radar to the point where he became to good to ignore, Son stayed when Kane departed.

The England captain may have finally got his Bundesliga but the South Korean star got his trophy with Spurs and when it comes to fitting ends to a career, they do not really get any better than that.

The Filter Five

A solid back five to read before bedtime.

Running Out Of Time

As nodded to in the previous issue the desperate situation at Morecambe is only getting worse. The club as of Monday 4th August has officially run out of money, the next two weeks are the football equivalent of life support.

Owner Jason Whittingham in hiding in his Essex home, largely safe due to distance from Morecambe than anything else now has until August 20th to finally sell the club or a lack of sale will be his and the club’s final act.

Staff now working for free in a bid to keep the lights on further. A sorry sight and not one that is helped by social media accounts being too quick to post ‘RIP Morecambe’ before news is official.

Wednesday Playing Sunday

The other EFL club that currently finds itself in plenty of woe is Sheffield Wednesday and although their long-term future is far from safe, their short-term future has been assured in the past few hours.

Club captain Barry Bannan - who recently committed his future to the Hillsborough outfit, confirmed that there were no plans for he and what is left of the first team squad to go on strike. They may have a different point of view if they fail to get the better of Leicester.

Everton Sign Town Hall

Everton have strengthen their midfield after signing Chelsea’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for £28m. The former Leicester player jumped at the chance of linking up with Enzo Maresca 12 months ago, he may wish he did not bother.

In fairness, that is probably a bit harsh when you consider he has lifted the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup in the past three months but he got nowhere near the Premier League minutes……that and he now has to play for Everton (sorry!)

Welcome To Wrexham

Wrexham’s business model of signing players that are arguably too good for the division they are in has served them well in earning a trio of successive promotions, that same model seems to be in place this summer.

Whether the model is enough to just guarantee solidity in the Championship before having a proper crack at promotion in a couple of years remains to be seen. With that said, the signatures of Kiefer Moore and Conor Coady have to be considered astute.

Scottish Premiership Begins

The new Scottish league campaign began at the weekend and with Tony Bloom investing into Hearts, he will look to turn the perennial two-horse race into that of one with three thoroughbreds.

Hearts winning 2-0 at home to Aberdeen on Monday. Celtic leaving it very late to get the better of St Mirren the day before. Rewind to Saturday and Rangers manager Russell Martin was not shy in his criticism of his players - a risky strategy in the opening week.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 20 as we edge closer to a new Premier League season

If you liked issue 20, tell a friend. If you didn’t like issue 20, don’t.

Also, continual feedback is certainly going to help drive this forward.

Feel free to email me to tell me what you like and what you did not.

[email protected]

Issue 21 will be out on Friday August 8th

Thanks for reading

Dan