It feels highly appropriate to quote the great Mick Jagger after the music icon turned 80 and say 'please allow me to introduce myself' on behalf of the Premier League's three newest teams. To some the EFL is the main event, but to many others the arrival of Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town will mean seeing plenty of unfamiliar faces. Here's a quick heads up!
BURNLEY
The Boss - Vincent Kompany.
We're on very safe ground here with Kompany being a complete Premier League legend, as a manager he's not quite yet the giant he was as a player but the trend is definitely upwards. Last season Kompany brilliantly oversaw a reset at Turf Moor, with the Sean Dyche era quickly cast aside and a new squad and playing style arrived. It took us all until about minute 20 of game one of Burnley's season to sit up and take notice, 101 points later I think everyone had got the message.
Kompany will represent yet another branch of Pep Guardiola's ever growing coaching tree and much will be expected of his work this season.
The Star Man - Manuel Benson
There will be a fair amount of churn in the Burnley first XI between their Championship and Premier League seasons, mainly due to their strong use of the loan market last year. They have recruited Jordan Beyer permanently but other big loanee performers like Ian Maatsen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis won't be around, nor will top scorer Nathan Tella.
Beyer is one of eight close season signings already, but to pick out some from last season leads me to focus on Manuel Benson. Benson scored 13 times for the Clarets last season and reminiscent of the brilliant Dutch winger Arjen Robben he took great delight in scoring the same goal over and again, cutting in from the right and bending home left footed. Will the trick work in the Premier League, keep watching to find out.
SHEFFIELD UNITED
The Boss - Paul Heckingbottom
In terms of a 'steady the ship' mission, Paul Heckingbottom has done an excellent job at Sheffield United. When the Blades came down from the Premier League they looked to proven promotion winning boss Slavisa Jokanovic to get them back, but that proved a short and not very sweet partnership. Heckingbotton replaced Jokanovic to very little fanfare and immediately got Sheffield United on the trajectory you would expect of a year one parachute team. It was play-off heartbreak in the first season, losing on penalties at Nottingham Forest and automatic promotion in Heckingbottom's first full season in charge of United.
It's been steady if not spectacular and it's needed to be with plenty of off the pitch business that would've certainly hindered a less stoic incumbent in the Bramall Lane dugout. It's going to be tough, but Heckingbottom definitely deserves a proper go at Premier League management.
The Star Man - Iliman Ndaiye
Sheffield United fans have spent most of the summer hearing transfer rumours surrounding my pick for their star man Iliman Ndiaye. There's been links to a move abroad for Ndiaye, not to mention plenty of reported interest from Premier League clubs. Let's call it as it is, it would be a real blow for Sheffield United if they did lose Ndaiye who has been nurtured through by the club very nicely and hit the fabled double double last season with 14 goals and 10 assists in the Championship.
It's easy to get into a weird financial rabbit hole with players like Ndiaye as it's very easy to argue that his value to Sheffield United is way above what anyone would pay for him, given he could be the catalyst for keeping them in the Premier League. Although it's an interesting debating strategy it's hardly a fair way to value a player, but I'd argue that if Ndiaye is still at Sheffield United when the transfer window closes their survival chances are greater and all eyes will be on him.
LUTON TOWN
The Boss - Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards journey to becoming a Premier League manager is scarcely believable. This time last year he'd just finished his first season in the EFL and stormed to the League 2 title with Forest Green. With many onlookers saying 'don't do it!', Edwards jumped up two divisions and landed one of those plush jobs with a parachute team in the Championship. I say plush, there's plenty of pressure when the resource advantage is so great, especially when the job involves prolific hiring and firing owners the Pozzo's at Watford.
It's probably not a big surprise that Watford ditched Edwards early in the season, but the delicious irony that he ended up at the Hornet's arch rivals Luton Town cannot be lost on anybody. Luton have been brilliantly run for many a year now and Edwards slipped straight in, took them to a second straight play-off finish and promotion in a gripping penalty shootout at Wembley. I reckon it's a good thing that Edwards' rise up to the Premier League has been almost as steep as Luton's, they're kindred spirits and they'll need to be as they take on the world's richest league as huge underdogs.
The Star Man - Carlton Morris
In their play-off semi final with Sunderland, Luton identified the Black Cats were struggling with injuries at centre back. With their opponents lacking in size and physical presence Luton had the perfect front two to unleash in Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris. The Hatters have spent wisely and frugally on their way to the Premier League, but Morris was their high ticket signing and a club record signing at the start of last season.
Some Premier League fans would laugh that the record fee paid for Morris is reported to be around the £2m region, if they do then I'd hope to see them laughing on the other side of their face having visited Kenilworth Road this season. Morris is big, powerful and direct, but by no means your archetypal 'lower league' striker, he can play as well and if he hits half his 20 goal total in the Championship last season up in the big league then absolutely nobody will be calling him a 'lower league striker'.
