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A-Z of the 2016/17 Premier League season

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Ranieri Leicester

Following another influx of top managers and players, the 2016/17 Premier League season promises to be a memorable one with it all to play for. Competition is fierce this year with up to seven clubs harbouring ambitions of winning the title, while many more will be looking to avoid the drop down to the Championship. With the first weekend of football upon us, here are managers, players, clubs and more to look out for this year: GWG predictor A - Allardyce. The new England boss will be tasked with ushering in a successful era for England in the coming years after being appointed as Roy Hodgson's successor. He'll be keeping a close eye on proceedings in the Premier League. B - Batshuayi. Antonio Conte brought in the Belgian forward as his first signing at Chelsea, and he'll hope that the former Marseille striker can deliver goals this season. C - Conte. The former Italy coach has a difficult job on his hands at Stamford Bridge, and while he may need more reinforcements, he's certainly got the approach and tactical brain to ensure that Chelsea are competitive this season. D - Drinkwater. Snubbed by Hodgson for Euro 2016, the England international will be handed even more responsibility this season after the sale of N'Golo Kante. Claudio Ranieri will require a big effort from him this season to keep Leicester City in contention. Everton's English midfielder Ross Barkley (C) has a shot on goal during the English Premier League football match between Everton and Manchester City at Goodison Park in Liverpool on August 23, 2015. AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. E - Everton. Armed with the finances of Farhad Moshiri, the Toffees have brought in Ronald Koeman as manager and have an ambitious new plan to reach the upper echelons of the Premier League table. F - Fonte. Albeit lacking 'star' quality, the 32-year-old defensive stalwart guided Portugal to a triumph at Euro 2016 this summer and will now return to Southampton hoping to continue to be a protagonist at club level. G - Guardiola. The Spaniard has arrived at Manchester City and has wasted little time in stamping his identity on the squad. Whether it's enough to result in immediate results remains to be seen, but he'll add another fascinating dynamic to the title race. H - Hazard. The Belgian international fell desperately short of his high standards last season, but he showed signs at Euro 2016 that he was getting back to his best and has had a solid pre-season. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 03:  Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Manchester United looks on during the Wayne Rooney Testimonial match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on August 3, 2016 in Manchester, England.  (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) I - Ibrahimovic. Having already made his mark in the Community Shield, the 34-year-old will now have his eyes on the Premier League crown as he spearheads Mourinho's new-look United team. J - Jokers. Whether it's Ranieri's 'dilly ding dilly dong' or Klopp's memorable interviews, the Premier League isn't short of characters who keep us entertained off the pitch too. K - Klopp. Having had the entire summer to now continue the transformation of the team and make it his squad, the Liverpool boss will be looking to take a huge step forward with his project at Anfield this season. L - Leicester City. The defending champions have a huge fight on their hands to replicate last season's success, and it's highly unlikely that they'll defend their title. However, a top-six finish would arguably be another miracle given how their rivals have strengthened.
M - Mourinho. The 'Special One' is back in England after being sacked by Chelsea last season, and he'll now hope to create a new legacy at Old Trafford and follow in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson. N - Nolito. Brought in as part of the Guardiola revolution, the former Celta Vigo winger will hope to have an instant impact at City and play a crucial role in their early success. O - Ogbonna. The West Ham United defender is one of a handful of Italian players plying their trade in the Premier League, and he'll hope to help the Hammers build on their success under Slaven Bilic last season. P - Pogba. After four years in Turin, the 23-year-old has returned to Manchester in a deal worth €110m. Time will tell as to whether or not he can repay the faith the club have shown in him as much will be expected of him. Pogba Q - Quotes. The Premier League has long been a gold mine for newspapers and the media in general with managers, players and other officials never shy of sharing their opinions and emotions in press conferences and interviews alike. R - Ranieri. Having now extended his contract with Leicester City until 2020, 'King Claudio' will hope to bring stability to the club as they embark on an adventure in the Champions League while also avoiding too much of a dramatic drop at home. S - Stones. After his €55.5m move from Everton, the Manchester City defender will now need to be an integral part of Guardiola's quest for trophies. Defensively solid and armed with an ability to play out from the back, he could be the perfect man for the job. T - Toure. The 33-year-old didn't have the greatest of years last season, and given his history with Guardiola, the future didn't look promising either. However, it appears as though he'll have another year in the Premier League at least to prove his worth. Leicester City's Argentinian striker Leonardo Ulloa celebrates scoring their second goal from the penalty spot to equalise 2-2 as West Ham United's Spanish goalkeeper Adrian (R) reacts during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and West Ham United at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on April 17, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.  / U - Ulloa. The Argentine striker will likely move back to the bench again this season but that won't take away from his standing with the Leicester fans after playing an important role for the team in recent times. V - Vardy. After snubbing a move to Arsenal, the Foxes hero will now be tasked with repeating his goalscoring heroics from last season and firing the club back towards more trophies this year. W - Wenger. The Arsenal boss continues to come under significant pressure as Arsenal's wait for a league title goes on. With question marks over his future, this is a big year for him. Granit Xhaka Switzerland X - Xhaka. Arsenal's only marquee signing of the summer so far, he'll be expected to play the role of midfield general for the team. Y - Yo-yo team. Burnley have suffered the heartbreak of relegation in their first season back in the top flight the last two times they've appeared in the Premier League. Sean Dyche's men will be desperate to avoid a third successive immediate drop. Z - Zuniga. With Napoli now behind him, the Colombian full-back starts a fresh challenge with Walter Mazzarri at Watford.

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