From a trio of Chelsea stars to a high-priced Manchester United duo and even a pair of very talented Manchester City stars, here are ten Premier League players with a major point to prove in the upcoming 2024/25 season.
West Ham RB Aaron Wan-Bissaka
West Ham purchased Aaron Wan-Bissaka to replace Vladimir Coufal as their next right back, signing the former Crystal Palace man from Manchester United after Noussair Mazraoui rejected the Hammers in order to replace AWB at Old Trafford.
The game of right back musical chairs lands West Ham a potentially high-upside starter at right back – at least, higher upside than Coufal – because AWB was one of the top fullbacks in the Premier League during his time with Palace.
Wan-Bissaka averaged an astounding 3.7 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game with 1.7 dribbles completed per match in the 2018/19 season, which earned him a move to Manchester United.
However, Wan-Bissaka was quickly phased out as a starter at Old Trafford because he struggled so much offensively at a technical level, and a club with Champions League aspirations like Man United can’t afford to start a right back who isn’t able to get forward and create chances.
But there’s a good player in Wan-Bissaka, who could reach that Crystal Palace level at West Ham, and, in theory, he should be even better heading into his prime at 26 and with the experience of being a Manchester United player.
With a move to another quality Premier League club, albeit one with fewer expectations in West Ham, Wan-Bissaka is out to prove that he is one of the top right backs in the country.
Liverpool CM Ryan Gravenberch
There could be an argument for forwards Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez as the Liverpool players with the most to prove in the 2024/25 season, but the thing is, Diaz has already proven he is one of the best wingers in the league while criticisms of Nunez’s finishing shroud all the fine work he does to get into position to score.
Both Diaz and Nunez are assets to Liverpool, but the Reds are waiting to see former Bayern Munich and Ajax center midfielder Ryan Gravenberch contribute positively to the cause.
Gravenberch joined Liverpool last summer for 40 million euros despite barely getting on the pitch for Bayern. He did start double-digit games for Liverpool last season but was mostly a backup rotational player, impressing less than fellow new midfield signings Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Wataru Endo.
But Gravenberch is only 22. It would be foolish to give up on him, because he has the tools to be a quality midfielder for the Reds with his technical ability and athleticism.
Liverpool are Premier League title contenders, though. They have to give starts to the best possible option, and they aren’t going to wait forever for Gravenberch to prove that he is worthy of getting starts at Anfield.
Manchester United RW Antony
Manchester United spent nearly 100 million euros on Antony at the request of Erik ten Hag, and time is making this transfer look increasingly woeful for the Red Devils.
Antony has spent most of his time completing aimless tricks – including the infamous ‘Antony spin’ – and his ineffective play on the right wing has become such an albatross that even his biggest backer, ten Hag, can no longer justify his inclusion.
Given his price tag, Manchester United have no hopes of recouping a fee, and with his value at an all-time low after such a poor 2023/24 season, the Red Devils’ best bet is to hope that a fresh-look squad and more optimistic results coax better play out of the Brazilian.
Antony is further hurt by an additional item, and that is Jadon Sancho’s success on loan at Borussia Dortmund in the second half of the last season, leading the Black and Yellows to the Champions League Final.
Ten Hag’s stubbornness cost Manchester United Sancho in the name of backing Antony, and all Antony did was prove his detractors correct by recording just 1 goal and 1 assist during the entire Premier League season.
INEOS is giving everyone a clean slate in their first season at the helm, but if Antony can’t turn things around in 2024/25 and plays as poorly as he did last season, Manchester United may be forced to finding a solution that vacates minutes for a more impactful forward.
Manchester City GK Ederson
The transfer rumors surrounding Ederson may have been far off, but where there is smoke, there is fire, and it was quite amusing to entertain the notion of the long-serving Manchester City starter being jealous of backup Stefan Ortega.
When you break down the numbers, though, maybe Ederson should be worried about Ortega, who was a fine shot-stopper in the Bundesliga for Arminia Bielefeld before Pep Guardiola wisely plucked him.
Ederson didn’t have a bad season with a save percentage of 70.7, but Ortega stopped around 74 percent of the shots he faced with a clean sheet percentage hovering at 60.
Granted, the backup goalkeeper faces less pressure and easier opponents than the starter, but Ortega prevented more expected goals than Ederson despite playing the equivalent of 23 fewer matches.
If you extrapolate his goals prevented per 90, Ortega would have saved greater than 9 goals more than Ederson across a single Premier League season. That could be the difference in the margin of victory over Arsenal or Liverpool in a future Premier League title race.
Ederson is a great goalkeeper who adds additional value with sweeper actions and ball-playing ability, but he should be forced to step up more as a shot-stopper with Ortega shining.
Aston Villa CM Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans joined Aston Villa with a weight of expectations after being one of the best young midfielders in all of European football during his time with Leicester City.
The Belgian international hasn’t really hit it off for Aston Villa, and, this summer, the Lions have overhauled their midfield and may be prepared to think of Tielemans as nothing more than a “bonus” player rather than a key starter.
That’s because the 27-year-old only started 17 games compared to 15 off the bench, and while he did contribute 8 goals, Tielemans’ role was very much that of a rotational player.
No longer a young player, Tielemans is supposed to be a veteran of this team and a key starter. The 2024/25 season could be make-or-break for Tielemans’ future at Aston Villa, because now that they are in the Champions League, the standard at the club is significantly higher.
Manchester City CM Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for years at Chelsea, even winning the 2020/21 Champions League, but the world-class dribbler didn’t have the finest debut season for Manchester City.
It’s not that Kovacic was bad, but he performed at a lower level than he did at Chelsea, perhaps because he is still learning how to play the Pep Guardiola style of football in a very intellectually demanding position.
Kovacic is one of the most press-resistant No. 8’s and an ideal box-to-box midfielder with great athleticism. He gets to work with some top, top players at Man City, including Ballon d’Or candidate defensive midfielder Rodri.
Last season, Kovacic started in just 16 of his 30 appearances and didn’t do enough to create chances for the Manchester City front line, which likely hurt star striker Erling Haaland’s output. More will be expected of the 30-year-old in year two at the Etihad.
Chelsea GK Robert Sanchez
Chelsea signed Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen this summer, as they continue to hoard young goalkeeping talents to corner the market, perhaps the latest baseball-influenced “Moneyball” strategy from eccentric owner Todd Boehly.
However, Jorgensen is a different case, in the sense that he is already prepared to start for Chelsea, and outperformed Robert Sanchez in most key goalkeeping metrics.
Sanchez has been as disappointing as any Brighton – or reasonable Chelsea – fan expected when the Blues signed him for a staggering 23 million euros. It’s money they spent on a keeper who has never looked like a Premier League-caliber starter and was a clear downgrade on Kepa Arrizabalaga anyway.
From Kepa, one of the best starters in the league, to Sanchez, one of the worst, Chelsea hope Jorgensen can at least be above the average. At 26, Sanchez isn’t even a young keeper, but at least his 70.5 save percentage in 2023/24 was more respectable than the ghastly 66.2 mark he had for Brighton in 2022/23.
Sanchez has to show to Chelsea that he is a definitively better option than Jorgensen, because, in all honesty, Jorgensen had a higher save percentage and is younger, so he has the advantage over Sanchez.
Chelsea LW Mykhaylo Mudryk
Mykhaylo Mudryk cost Chelsea around five times more than Robert Sanchez did, because the Blues paid to beat rivals Arsenal on the transfer market and expected him to be their next big superstar.
Part of Chelsea’s strategy to hoard a bundle of top young talents in the hopes that one breaks out into a true Premier League superstar, the Blues have technically made a big hit in that regard in Cole Palmer but are still waiting on Mudryk to be worth even a fraction of what they spent to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mudryk scored just five goals with two assists for Chelsea last season, and he could not even establish himself as a regular starter at a club where starts on the left wing were very clearly there for the taking.
He did have a better summer at the Euros with the Ukraine despite the country’s poor performance, showing up well as a creator with five key passes, five dribbles completed, and three fouls drawn in his two starts.
Mudryk is only 23 and has such great athletic traits and dynamism, and you have to think that if Chelsea can play a more expansive counterattacking game, we we will see the explosiveness that made Mudryk such a coveted player at Shakhtar – including one who ripped apart Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Chelsea DM Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez remains a Chelsea player despite partaking in a racist chant led by Argentinian players after apologizing to the locker room, but it’s unclear what the real consequences of his actions will ultimately be after captain Reece James avoided revealing the delicate nature of the private conversations that took place within Chelsea’s walls.
So there are two things Enzo has to prove to Chelsea. The first is his character, and regardless of what any of us say or write about him, whether it is well-intentioned, ultimately, what will determine his future in that sense is how his Black teammates feel about sharing a locker room with him. They are the ones who can make that judgment and decide what’s next.
But even if that goes well for Enzo, he still has to prove to the Chelsea executives that he is worth keeping around. He’s become a liability off the pitch for being captured during those racist chants, and he hasn’t exactly been impressive on the pitch either.
Chelsea were willing to sell homegrown player Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid and even fire Mauricio Pochettino, who backed Gallagher over Fernandez, on the basis that Enzo has a higher ceiling due to his vision and technical ability.
Gallagher had a much better 2023/24 season than Enzo, but Enzo is a big investment, a former World Cup winner, harder to sell, and perceived as a better footballer vs. Gallagher who is seen as more of a workhorse.
Chelsea have stuck their neck out as a club for Fernandez, even after this incident of racism. Enzo has to prove in multiple ways that the Blues aren’t making a mistake, and he has a very short leash; he is not irreplaceable by any means.
Manchester United LW Marcus Rashford
Nobody will face more pressure next season than Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, whose starting job may be under threat with Alejandro Garnacho progressing and another marquee young forward joining Rasmus Hojlund from Serie A in former Bologna and Bayern Munich man Joshua Zirkzee.
While Garnacho and Zirkzee aren’t left wingers by trade, both men can play there and will be given opportunities to do so if Rashford plays as poorly as he did in the 2023/24 season.
Rashford can thank Antony’s horrible performances for not facing even more pressure, because he took a massive step backwards in his second season with Erik ten Hag after scoring 17 goals in the 2022/23 season, helping Manchester United return to the Champions League.
INEOS and Man United are giving Rashford one last shot, because, at 26, the England international is very much no longer a prospect. He needs to be performing consistently as the star man now, otherwise Man United may be better off looking elsewhere on the left wing – a marquee, talent-rich position in world football – and saving on Rashford’s wages.
It would be sad to see a talent with Rashford’s presence, grace, and technical quality leave Old Trafford, especially in view of his potential and what he has done when everything is working.
However, Manchester United have disappointed for far too long and will need to look for a new face if Rashford fails again. This season is a do-or-die one for Rashford.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.