WINNING the Premier League is a tall order — so that’s why the big men up top are back.
A record £3BILLION was spent over the summer with £130m Alexander Isak topping the lot to become Britain’s most-expensive footballer.
But Liverpool’s mega move for the 6ft 4in Swede was not the only giant acquisition at Anfield.
Hugo Ekitike, the 6ft 3in French striker, was already bought from Eintracht Frankfurt.
And yet those two are still left looking up at Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko at 6ft 5in and the biggest of all the new signings, Newcastle’s 6ft 6in Nick Woltemade, who will attempt to fill Isak’s sizeable boots at St James’ Park.
After a decade of watching sides attempt to copy Pep Guardiola’s possession-based football, can we finally look forward to English teams getting it in the mixer again?
Well, maybe not quite — but hopefully this summer’s acquisitions mark the beginning of the end of the ‘false-nine’ trend.
The new arrivals feel like a throwback to the days of Premier League goliaths like Duncan Ferguson, Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch.
Yet the Prem has probably never boasted a taller array of attacking talents. And it is not all about the upstairs with these big lads, they have got a bit in their feet too.
It has always been about the strikers. The ones who stick it in the net.
They earn and cost the most and that won’t change. The only problem has been developing enough of them.
Pep’s passing revolution resulted in a host of changes in academies and at senior level as more importance was placed on strikers that ran and moved, rather than just those who were best at finishing.
And with nearly everybody adopting Guardiola-inspired 4-3-3, strikers not only became a rare commodity, they were forced to get be more physically imposing and hold up the ball.
And as defenders became more athletically dominant and stronger, Guardiola was one of the first bosses to act.
Having had 5ft 8in Sergio Aguero leading the line previously, after a year-long wait he eventually brought in 6ft 5in Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland.
They went on to lift the Champions League for the first time and romped their way to a remarkable Treble.
But, once again, Guardiola’s tactics have had a knock-on effect with almost everybody now boasting a giant in attack following the latest transfer window.
Even stubborn Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta finally had to bite the bullet and sign a proper striker after persevering with Kai Havertz last term.
And even though he is not quite as tall as the names above, Viktor Gyokeres still stands at an impressive 6ft 2in. United completely revamped their attack — with sturdy Slovenian Sesko still waiting to be unleashed properly.
He will certainly be a handful, even if the goals might not come so easily as they do to his rivals.
And it is not just the elite who are looking to the skies for inspiration.
Wolves, who managed to fend off Newcastle from prising away their 6ft 4in hitman Jorgen Strand Larsen, forked out £24m to Genk to snap up 6ft 6in Nigerian Tolu Arokodare to bolster their forward line.
Fulham yesterday unveiled Jonah Kusi-Asare on a season-long loan deal from Bayern Munich. He is 6ft 5in but, at just 18, who knows when he will stop growing?
There must be something in the water in Sweden given he is a compatriot of Isak and Gyokeres.
And they follow in the footsteps of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose 6ft 5in height had to accommodate his massive ego. Ibra was a hit at United when Jose Mourinho signed him in 2016 and fans would love it if Sesko can match his goalscoring prowess.
One thing is for sure, this summer’s business proved bigger is better.
Now sit back in awe and watch who comes out on top in the Land of the Giants.
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