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The 2009-10 English Premier League title was won by Chelsea in a thrilling climax where Carlo Ancelotti’s side emerged triumphant over perennial rivals Manchester United on the final day of the season.
After a wobble in the closing stages, Chelsea’s firepower came to the fore, destroying a host of sides in devastating fashion to keep United at bay and end the season on 86 points, one ahead of United in second.
CHANGES
The 2009 transfer window had as much focus on departures as it did on arrivals. The year-long saga of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid finally happened, with the £80m fee a world record. United instead chose not to splurge the cash generated from the Portuguese, instead remaining largely low-key in the marketplace. Their £16m purchase of Antonio Valencia was their only real outlay, while Gabriel Obertan, Michael Owen and Mame Biram Diouf all came in too.
Liverpool also fell victim to Florentino Perez’s drastic overhaul in Madrid, losing midfield metronome Xabi Alonso and full-back Alvaro Arbeloa for a combined £33.5m. Their efforts to replace both would have mixed results. Glen Johnson settled well though cost a hefty £17m from Portsmouth, but Alberto Aquilani proved to be an ill-fitting supplant for Alonso, and his spell at Anfield will not live long in the memory.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were deep into the loan payments for the Emirates stadium and so their spending throughout this period was stymied. Manchester City took supreme advantage, capturing Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure for a combined £40m, their Abu Dahbi-funded endeavours challenging Arsenal’s place as a genuine title contender.
City would not stop there in a season of spending not seen before. Joleon Lescott was picked up from Everton, Gareth Barry came in from Aston Villa, while Roque Santa Cruz was acquired from Blackburn, their combined fees moving City beyond the £100m mark. But their biggest deal was still to come; they lured Carlos Tevez after his two-year loan deal…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/carlo-ancelottis-chelsea-end-unitedcs-monopoly-the-2009-10-premier-league/49
Author : [email protected] (Martin Macdonald)
Publish date : 2024-07-31 11:00:00
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