Rashford and Grealish among eight Premier League stars ready for huge 24/25 after having the summer off

The power of a full pre-season can not be underestimated, folks. Here are eight players – one from each of the top eight clubs in the Premier League – who could be bloody brilliant in 2024/25 after having the summer off.

Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus

“He looks really good. He looks really sharp. The way he looks, his rhythm, his sharpness, the way he is moving. And you can see in his eyes as well that there is again some spark there because he has got now a point to prove and that is good.”

That’s Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Jesus, who was left out of Brazil’s Copa America squad after a disappointing season for Arsenal. Injuries have been a theme for Jesus at the Emirates; they slowed him down last season and allowed Kai Havertz to take his spot as Arteta’s first-choice striker. He needs a big campaign to save his Gunners career and having a full pre-season under his belt is perfect preparation.

A summer with his country would have been far from beneficial for the player and his club, who many people believe need to sign an out-and-out striker. Jesus is now in a strong position to prove he can be that guy for Arteta. Jesus will have a big role to play as Arsenal chase their first Premier League title in over two decades and his ability to effectively cover all three attacking positions makes him very valuable.

Arsenal had a lot of players on international duty but will also benefit from another injury-prone star, Thomas Partey, being available all summer. Captain Martin Odegaard is another who is well-rested and ready to shine again in 2024/25. And, of course, you have Benjamin White. But Jesus needed the rest more than anyone else at the club and is more than capable of proving that Arteta is right not to sign a new striker.

Aston Villa: Jacob Ramsey

Unless you are actively trying to wind up Aston Villa fans, do not say they have outgrown Jacob Ramsey, or that he is falling down the pecking order and a sale makes sense. They are a sensitive bunch and do not like to read that sort of muck.

In a pathetic bid to get back into their good books, we are now arguing that he has a big role to play in 24/25 after an injury-ravaged campaign. Well, big role or not, Ramsey needed a summer with full focus on getting back to 100%.

Chelsea: Reece James

At least five Chelsea players are benefiting from a full end-of-season break and summer working under new head coach Enzo Maresca. Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku will all hope to play a big part in 24/25 but it is club captain Reece James with the biggest point to prove after an extremely challenging year, both mentally and physically.

James will hope his long-term injury woes are behind him and there is huge pressure to prove as much. Kicking a ball proved too much of a strain on the Chelsea right-back’s muscles and that has not just stalled his career, but made the Blues a significantly worse team. When fully fit, there are not many better players in the world in his position; he is solid defensively and excellent going forward. James is a terrific talent, which is easy to forget when he is not actually playing football.

Fingers crossed he can stay fit and remind everyone about his ability.

Liverpool: Mohamed Salah

We are reluctant to include superstars but with the managerial change at Liverpool and Mohamed Salah not hitting the heights we know he can reach last term, it felt right to single him out. Funny that a below-average season for Salah is one with 39 goal contributions in 44 games…

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot knows he needs to get the best out of the Egyptian superstar and getting to spend an entire summer with him will do the Reds no harm whatsoever.

Slot will be happy that Ibrahima Konate barely played for France at Euro 2024. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott’s pre-season availability is a big boost as well. But Salah excites us. A lot.