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Don’t expect Leicester to retain EPL crown: Pennant

The 2016/2017 English Premier League (EPL) season kicks off tonight and TODAY’s Amanpreet Singh (amanpreeet [at] mediacorp.com.sg) speaks to former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant (picture, above), who now plays for S.League side Tampines Rovers, to get his views on the campaign ahead.

The 2016/2017 English Premier League (EPL) season kicks off tonight and TODAY’s Amanpreet Singh (amanpreeet [at] mediacorp.com.sg) speaks to former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant (picture, above), who now plays for S.League side Tampines Rovers, to get his views on the campaign ahead.

Do you feel the upcoming EPL season is set to be the most competitive one yet?

Of course it will be competitive but I feel it’s mainly going to be down to five teams — Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal — for the title. They are the best sides in the league who have been regularly fighting for the title/top four in recent years.

How about Leicester? Do you expect them to repeat their fairy-tale title win?

Nope. I feel it’s more realistic for Leicester to aim to finish in the top 10, especially as they have Champions League football to deal with this season. At best, perhaps, they will finish sixth.

Who is your pick for the league title?

I would say Manchester City. They have made some very good signings with the likes of John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane all joining. Plus, with Pep Guardiola now in charge, City have a world class manager with a good track record whose achievements speak volumes.

Who is one player you would say fans should look out for and why?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Manchester United. He is a star in so many ways and adds a lot more to any team than just goals.

How about a team to watch out for, apart from the top sides?

I would say Everton and West Ham are two sides to look out for. West Ham, especially, have recruited strongly in the transfer window and moved into the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium, with big things expected from them. Meanwhile, Everton, under a new manager in Ronald Koeman, will want to do much better after a disappointing 11th-place finish last season.

What are three things you are looking forward to seeing in this coming season?

A closely-contested title race (title races in recent seasons have not been very tightly contested), a lot more goals and individual players stepping up to showcase their true quality.

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