Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Joe Cole has nothing to prove at Chelsea. The arrival of Florent Malouda, even if Arjen Robben doesn't head off to Spain, will not marginalise a player whose game improved immeasurably when Jose Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge. But Cole must perform to the very highest level this year if he wants to secure his place in the England team.
Let's be honest here. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will, if fit, be in that team. So will Owen Hargreaves - Steve McClaren has spoken publicly about the importance of the Manchester United newbie. That means there's one place left in midfield; either on the right wing, with Frank Lampard shunted left, or on the left, with Gerrard shunted right (and yes, even as I type this, it hits me again what a bad idea it is. But it will happen. Just you wait and see). That means Cole is effectively competing against every English winger - your Bentleys, your Beckhams, your Lennons, your Downings and more - for his place in the national team. And that's a hell of a challenge.
Robert Earnshaw (Derby County)
There can't be many neutrals who expect Derby to stay up this season. Having faltered in the Championship and allowed themselves to be overtaken by both Sunderland and Birmingham, it was clear they needed to strengthen significantly just to make a fight of it. As things stand, they have signed three players; 80 per cent of their summer expenditure has been on a lad who couldn't get in the West Brom side in their relegation season, and was packed off to Norwich.
It's that last point that makes Earnshaw's performances this season worth particular scrutiny. First, he needs to hit the net regularly to give his side any chance of survival. Second, in doing so, he will hope to prove he actually has what it takes to be a top-flight striker. Next May we could be laughing at Bryan Robson for booting him out - or admitting that the former England captain got a management decision right for once.
James Beattie (Everton)
Whether he'll actually be at Everton to prove anything remains to be seen, of course, but the injury to James Vaughan may give James Beattie one more chance to prove himself to be something other than a total flop. Because that's what he has been so far in an Everton shirt. The reported interest of Sheffield United should serve as a warning to Beattie. He turns 30 this January. His next move could quite possibly be his last one. He has too much natural talent for that to be a step down to the lower leagues.
No, really, he does. Look past the overweight, underperforming player in royal blue, and remember the man who scored 23 Premier League goals in a season, helped spearhead Southampton's run to an FA Cup final and has earned himself not one, not two, but five England caps. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that Beattie is anything approaching a top-class striker, and a £6m fee looks, in retrospect, like silly money. But when he's fit and firing, he scores goals - and good goals, too. This season will be his last chance to prove he can score them for a top-flight team. Bottle it this time, and he won't get another go.
David Healy (Fulham)
I'll get it out of the way, just because it never fails to astonish me: David Healy, a man who only found the net four times for Leeds after Christmas last season, has scored more goals than any other player for any other country in Europe in the Euro2008 qualifiers. Healy can clearly perform against top-class opposition - a hat-trick against Spain proves that. So the question must be why he simply is not the same player at club level.
Is he some sort of reverse John Barnes, whose domestic performances can never live up to the promise of what he does for his country? Or was he just unlucky with his managers and teammates at Leeds? He certainly won't have that excuse at Fulham; half the Northern Ireland team will be lining up alongside him, and the manager is more than a little familiar. Could this be the season when Healy finally proves he's as good as he looks in green?
Harry Kewell (Liverpool)
Not so long ago, when Harry Kewell was tearing up defences as part of a genuinely exhilarating Leeds team, fans of any club in the country would have been glad to see him in their colours. Hang on a second, what am I talking about? Not so long ago? That was ages ago. Kewell's been at Liverpool for more than four years. And in that time, despite having got his hands on a couple of rather prestigious cup medals, he's contributed almost nothing to his club's cause.
Kewell scored more goals in his last season with Leeds than he has managed in his entire Liverpool career. The additions of Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun would, on paper, seem to marginalise him even more. But as Liverpool look to add much-needed width and creativity to last season's solid but dull approach, a player like Kewell could be a vital part of the team. Especially if he can finally, finally recapture his form from his days in Yorkshire.
From football365.com
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