Stoke City
Talk about a team in the middle of a transformation. Previously known as a team of lumbering giants that won games through brute force rather than skill, the past few seasons have seen them bring in increasingly talented players (typically former wunderkinds who never quite matured as expected) and transition to a much more skillful team.
Stars: Last season’s surprise purchase was Bojan Krkic, this season it’s Ibrahim Afellay. It’s so odd to see former Barcelona players in the gritty world of Stoke.
