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EPL This summer, the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs signed more players from the rest of the Premier League than in any of the previous 15 seasons. As Oliver Kay explained, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur bought a combined 11 players from the ‘other’ 14 clubs. As recently as the 2021-22 season, those six clubs only signed three from the other Premier League teams. Advertisement A big reason for this is the purchasing power advantage these clubs enjoy, especially since the Premier League introduced its profit and sustainability rules (PSR). The ‘Big Six’ clubs do not always occupy the top-six spots in the league — Tottenham and Manchester United actually finished in the bottom six last season — but their commercial and matchday revenues are on a different level. On top of that, the clubs who can’t compete financially have become better at identifying talent, whether through youth development, global scouting networks or reviving careers of more experienced players who have lost their way. So we set six of The Athletic’s writers a challenge: pick the strongest XI you can from outside the ‘Big Six’, with one catch: they were not allowed to choose more than one player from each club. Think you can do better? Post your line-up in the comments… First things first, one player per club is a massive headache and led to some notable omissions: Ollie Watkins, Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, Tino Livramento — crikey, that is four of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad at next summer’s World Cup. Apologies to Sandro Tonali, too — it was you or Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian got the nod and partners Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba in midfield. The first name on the team sheet was Antoine Semenyo, who provides pace and power on the left. How did he not get a big move this summer? Jarrod Bowen offers a goal threat cutting inside on the right. The No 9 jersey went to the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jorgen Strand Larsen. Deploying Nikola Milenkovic at centre-back ruled out Chris Wood and picking England and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers at No 10 made it impossible to select Watkins. Fulham’s Antonee Robinson would form a fine combination with Semenyo on the left flank but right-back…right-back was a problem. Neither West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka nor Newcastle’s Livramento could be selected, so it was Kyle Walker, 35, at Burnley. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford wears the gloves, which signalled the end of Jack Grealish’s hopes of finding a way into the team too. Advertisement There was one non-negotiable: Guimaraes. Beyond that, the abundance of strong and roughly equal candidates from certain clubs left me going around in circles. At one stage, I had a more crowd-pleasing line-up containing Wharton, Mikkel Damsgaard, Morgan Gibbs-White, Grealish, Kaoru Mitoma and Strand Larsen, but that left glaring weaknesses in certain positions. I prefer this line-up, which I reckon would be a top-six team. A ‘best of the rest’ line-up would have looked even stronger last season. The challenge for Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace and even Newcastle is to keep improving after their star players are whisked away. It’s not easy. The first question to address is one of eligibility: I asked The Athletic adjudicator whether players on loan from ‘Big Six’ clubs can be selected here, and got a thumbs up, so Grealish gets the nod at No 10. He’ll support Watkins, although cases can be made for Strand Larsen, Wood and Yoane Wissa. Jarrod Bowen is often the only positive thing about West Ham, so he’s a logical selection, and it was a surprise that nobody has really tried to take Semenyo from Bournemouth. There’s only one player from the promoted sides, because it’s a bit difficult to really get a handle on some of the new arrivals, but Jayden Bogle was one of the best defenders in the Championship at Leeds United last season. Guehi is an obvious choice, and while Murillo might not be Nottingham Forest’s best player, I’m pretty well stocked in Anderson and Gibbs-White’s positions. Apologies to Calvin Bassey for asking him to play out of position, but he’s a) excellent and b) not a total stranger to left-back. Kelleher edges out your Pickfords, your Dean Hendersons and your Matz Selss, while a midfield of Baleba and Guimaeres wouldn’t look out of place in most Champions League teams. Advertisement I went with a fantasy football approach and giddily picked my attackers first, then was made to sweat trying to find the rest of the team with the one player per club rule working against me. Anthony Gordon, Watkins and Semenyo would work so well together, right? Then a midfield trio of Lucas Paqueta, Wharton and Gibbs-White could also be a joy to watch. Robinson on the left flank and fellow Liverpudlian Gordon would be a free-flowing duo. Everton defender Branthwaite is at centre-back alongside Brighton’s player of the 2024-25 season, Jan Paul van Hecke. James Justin, the former Leicester City right-back who just joined Leeds, completes the defence. Kelleher, a reigning Premier League champion, is in between the posts. This team feels like it will either cause major upsets and push for Europe, or we will get dragged into a relegation battle nobody expected to be in at the start of the season. Bring it on. Years of consistency and a league-high 12. 3 goals ‘prevented’ (based on expected goals on target, x GOT) since the start of 2023-24 make Pickford a predictable pick in goal. Bowen, Strand Larsen and Semenyo, who combined for 55 goals and assists last season, are arguably three of the five best forwards outside of the ‘Big Six’ after this summer’s activity. Watkins and Wood are unfortunate to miss out. Baleba and Guimaraes (the captain) add athleticism, energy and defensive work rate to complement Rogers’ creative and goalscoring potential. Damsgaard and Gibbs-White were under consideration for the midfield spots, but club-mates Nathan Collins and Murillo are young, comfortable in possession and versatile enough to play in multiple formations. The relative lack of game-changing right-backs sees Palace wing-back Daniel Munoz take up that spot, while Robinson’s 10 Premier League assists and defensive work rate make him a strong left-sided presence for the final outfield spot. Livramento misses out despite impressing on both flanks. Advertisement Yeah, this wasn’t easy. Before everyone gets all shouty, there are some apologies due, particularly to Guehi, Semenyo, Anderson and every fan of Brighton, Leeds and Sunderland. However, this is a great team, centred on the future of English football: Adam Wharton. There are a couple of in-vogue picks — Adrien Truffert and Grealish — but I see no reason they won’t continue their sparkling early-season form. Bassey and Ezri Konsa are criminally underrated centre-backs who would be lauded at ‘Big Six’ clubs, while Strand Larsen is one of the most prolific strikers outside the biggest clubs, with props to Watkins and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Goalkeeper was probably the toughest position to fill… apart from Pickford, you would be hard-pressed to find a consistently excellent ‘keeper outside the ‘Big Six’, but Kelleher may prove to be that man. The toughest choice was between Bowen and Mitoma for the final attacking spot but the West Ham forward gets the nod because I saw him embark on an incredible, mazy run at Nottingham Forest two weeks ago that would have made Diego Maradona proud. (Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle