The chance to play Premier League football was impossible to say no to according to Watford’s new midfielder Will Hughes.

The England Under-21 international, who has been with Derby since he turned 16, signed a four-year deal with the Hornets on Friday.

Hughes is currently with the Under-21 squad at the European Championships with plenty expecting big things from the 22-year-old in the coming years.

And he admitted he cannot wait to get underway in England’s top flight under Watford’s new manager Marco Silva in the coming months.

“Every English player wants to play in the Premier League,” he said.

“Having played in the Championship for so long I gave it a good go to get promoted, but the chance to join a Premier League team was too hard to turn down.

(Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“I’m massively excited, it’s a new chapter in my life and I can’t wait to get started.

“When it first came out that I was linked, I spoke to my agent and it’s been a slow process but I’m very relieved now.

“I’ve played against Watford many a time in the Championship and I’ve always enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to a new challenge now, especially in the Premier League.”

He may have only just signed for Premier League new boys Huddersfield Town but Laurent Depoitre is very well-suited to English football, according to ex-Terrier Nico Vaesen.

David Wagner has smashed Huddersfield’s transfer record to sign the forward from Porto and is expected to spearhead the Terriers survival charge.

The 28-year-old was a menace in the Belgian League but struggled last season at Porto, scoring just one league goal.

But Vaesen, who played for the Yorkshire side between 1998-2001, believes Depoitre will thrive in the Premier League.

“He’s a good player and did really well in Belgium,” the former fan favourite claimed.

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“A lot of teams looked at him and wanted his signature before he went to Porto, unfortunately that move didn’t quite work out for him.

“He’s very well suited to English football in my opinion; he’s big, strong and has a yard of pace to get away from defenders.

“He’s a good target man and can bring in players around him; I think he will help the team progress.”

And the 47-year-old Vaesen admitted he could not contain his joy when Huddersfield achieved promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

He added: “I was absolutely delighted when I watched Huddersfield Town win promotion to the Premier League.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to attend the game, but I watched it on TV and I was just jumping for joy to be honest.”

Lee Grant had to bide his time for an opportunity at the top level, but he has shown he is good enough to play there according to former Stoke midfielder Rory Delap.

Goalkeeper Grant had spent virtually his entire career playing in the Championship, with the exception of one loan spell at League One Oldham, but finally got his shot at the Premier League last season at the age of 33.

Initially on-loan from Derby, he joined Stoke as a replacement for Jack Butland, who was out long term.

He impressed so much that he was offered a permanent deal, joining for £1.3million, and his performances were rewarded with the player of the season award for the Potters.

Delap knew Grant from their time together at the Rams, and the former Republic of Ireland international was delighted to see his old friend get his opportunity at last.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“I know Granty really well from years ago and I enjoy keeping up with him and his family,” he said.

“He kicked off last season in Derby’s reserves, but got the chance to go to Stoke for his first taste of the Premier League and played so well.

“He’s deserved all the plaudits he gets. He won the player of the year trophy and it’s a massive credit to him.”

Mason Holgate admits he has been giving Everton’s new record signing Jordan Pickford the inside track on his new teammates while on international duty with the England under-21s.

Pickford, 23, is currently in Poland with defender Holgate with the Young Lions, who are gearing up for a monumental clash with historic rivals Germany in their first European Championships semi-final for nine years.

The former Sunderland shot-stopper sealed a £25million (that could rise to £30million) move to Goodison Park earlier this month – becoming the most expensive British goalkeeper ever in the process.

And Holgate, who broke into the Toffees side last season and made 19 Premier League appearances, believes Pickford will fit in very well when he returns for preseason at Everton.

“We’ve been spending time together over here,” he said. “I get on well with Jordan anyway, even before he signed for us.

“We’re both from up north and when we go to England, we usually go down in the same car because he would go from Sunderland and I’d usually get picked up from back home in Doncaster.

“He’s been asking me a few things and I’ve been telling him what it’s like to be an Everton player. He’s really looking forward to getting started with us.

“He’s great to play with. As a defender, you have a lot of faith in him making big saves and then you know he can find you – or anyone else on the pitch – at any time with his distribution.

“We’re both really looking forward to the semi-final. There is a real buzz about the game and, obviously, it is made that little bit more special with the big rivalry that exists between the two countries.

“We’re all prepared and confident that we can put in a big performance and make it to the final.”

It’s hard to improve on near-perfection, but that is just what Chelsea manager Antonio Conte must do next season if his side are to achieve back-to-back Premier League titles.

The Blues will head into next term with a massive target on their backs after a campaign that saw them dominate from November onwards and wrap up the league with several weeks to spare.

A huge part of Conte’s success last season was his switch to the now infamous 3-4-3 formation – relying on his wing-backs to both create chaos high up the pitch but also slot in to create a back five in defence when required.

The strategy was so successful that several other sides began to employ the same formation towards the end of the season to try and replicate the Blues’ success.

But while Marcos Alonso was a standout performer on the left for Chelsea, the Premier League transfer rumour mill is churning and it appears Conte is looking for an upgrade.

Here we break down the Italian’s options on the left wing for next season.

Marcos Alonso

It was hard to describe the 26-year-old as anything other than a flop from his previous spells in the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland – and there were a fair few giggles from the fans of Chelsea’s rivals when Conte brought him in last summer for £20million.

(Ian Walton/Getty Images)

But Alonso soon proved his doubters wrong and as well as being one of the Blues’ most consistent performers across the course of last season, he soon made himself one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Known primarily as a left-sided defender when he arrived at Stamford Bridge, Alonso soon showed he also had the cut and thrust to thrive going forwards in the Premier League, with his delivery from the left and dead-ball expertise causing Chelsea’s opponents plenty of problems.

He finished off with six goals and three assists from his first season in south-west London, and looked nailed on to continue in the role at the end of the campaign.

“His contribution; it’s great,” said Conte. “Marcos is one of the players who has grown this season. He took a lot of confidence.

“He’s working a lot to improve. His attitude and work-rate is great.

“Don’t forget that, when Alonso arrived at Chelsea, he wasn’t playing. Then he started to play and deserved to start every game.”

Alex Sandro

Despite Alonso’ success story last season, if the tabloids are to be believed, Conte is willing to make Juventus’ Brazilian star Sandro the world’s most expensive defender in the coming weeks.

Chelsea had a £52million bid for the 26-year-old rejected by Conte’s former side last week, but it is believed the Champions are willing to stump up £60million.

Sandro won the Serie A title at left wing-back last season, with three goals and four assists, and could double his £75,000-a-week wages with a move to Stamford Bridge.

The stats don’t make for good reading for fans’ favourite Alonso, with Sandro managing more successful dribbles (1.8 per game to Alonso’s 0.7), more key passes (1.9 per game to 0.8), a higher passing accuracy (84.6 per cent to 77.8 per cent), more tackles (2.3 per game to 1.9) and more interceptions (2.1 per game to 1.5) than the Spaniard.

Nathan Ake

After being recalled early from his season-long loan deal at Bournemouth last season, Ake made just five appearances for Chelsea in the second half of the season.

(Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

But the majority of those were in the left-wing-back position that Alonso had made his own, while he was also trusted in the heart of defence for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final victory over London rivals Spurs, with Gary Cahill injured.

The 22-year-old Dutchman is highly rated by Conte, and a peach of a left foot coupled with electric pace makes him a great contender for the roaming role on the left – even if he has risen through the Blues’ ranks as a centre-back.

Bournemouth are keen on the £20million-rated youngster during the transfer window, with Leicester City also interested, but if Conte can keep Ake onside they may have one of the brightest talents in the Premier League on their hands.

Kenedy

After breaking onto the scene at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink following a £6.3million switch from Fluminense, Brazilian starlet Kenedy had a season to forget last term.

The 21-year-old impressed under Hiddink in particular, where his trickery and skill in matches proved that he certainly has the raw talent to thrive in the Premier League.

Injuries restricted him to just one appearance on loan at Watford last term before he was sent back to Chelsea.

But Conte showed he was willing to give the youngster a shot towards the end of the season as he started against the Hornets in the Premier League.

Aleksandar Kolarov has hinted that he would relish a return to Italy, as he enters the final year of his Manchester City contract.

The Serbian defender made over 80 appearances for Lazio in a three-year spell before earning a £17million transfer to City in 2010.

Now 31-years-old, Kolarov has played more than 200 games for the Citizens but doesn’t appear close to a contract extension ahead of his deal at the Etihad Stadium expiring next summer.

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The left-back looked set to leave Manchester last year and although the arrival of Pep Guardiola as manager changed his mind, he is now dreaming of a homecoming to Rome.

“I would love to return to Lazio,” said Kolarov. “I am no longer young but I can still have my say!

“Seriously, when I finish my adventure at City it would be nice to embrace the white and blue again.

“Maybe even as a manager. I have not decided what I’ll do when I finish playing football but I will stay in football.

“The football in England is different, the stadiums are always full but I miss Italy. Rome stayed in my heart. I’ve won everything in Manchester, but Italy is something else.”

The West Ham production line keeps on churning out the talent with Nathan Trott the latest Hammer to earn an international call up.

The 18-year-old goalkeeper has been selected for England’s U19 squad for next month’s European Championships after impressing for West Ham’s U23s last season.

Trott was previously selected for England in March, to feature in the squad for the Elite Round qualifiers against Spain, Norway and Belarus – with three wins from three booking their spot at the tournament proper.

He has yet to play a match for the Three Lions, but is relishing the prospect of representing his country and will be ready whenever the manager sees fit to call upon him.

“It’s always a pleasure to represent England and it’s even more exciting to do so in a major tournament,” he said.

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“I’ve had a great year and being selected in the Euros squad has made it even better. Hopefully I can impress the manager and get my first cap out there.

“It’s great to be a part of a team where you can achieve great things and hopefully we can add to that success this summer.

“All the success gives everyone in the other age groups confidence and it’s important we do well at the Euros to keep the feel-good factor going in England.”

Leicester City were never going to be able to repeat their Premier League title success of 2015/16 but few predicted such a turbulent season for the Foxes.

As they embarked on a first-ever Champions League campaign the Foxes struggled in the league with manager Claudio Ranieri eventually being sacked.

Eventually though, with Craig Shakespeare as caretaker manager, the club finished safely in mid-table – ten points clear of the relegation zone.

The Worst Possible Start

The reigning champions got off to the worst possible start when they lost 2-1 to a managerless Hull City side with limited numbers of first team players available.

“We tried, but we were second-best, Hull deserved to win,” said captain Wes Morgan. “It was the first game so there was always going to be a bit of rust on the players.

“We need to dust that off and come back better. At the top, everyone looks for you to fall – we need to show it’s a blip, and that we can bounce back.”

Vardy reminds fans what he can do

With Champions League progress secured, an under-strength City side lost 5-0 to Porto in December but bounced back with a remarkable 4-2 win over Manchester City as Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

“It was the true Leicester, maybe because we have played so badly in our last few matches, but today we were so strong,” said Ranieri.

“We played smart, slowed down the tempo. I am very pleased for Jamie. When he finished, I said ‘welcome back’.”

Ranieri shown the door

Despite being in the Last 16 of the Champions League, title-winning Ranieri was sacked, and it got a reaction as Leicester stunned Liverpool 3-1 to move out of the Premier League’s bottom three.

Caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare said: “I could see in their eyes that they were up for the fight in the warm-up. The professionalism of the players has never been questioned by me.

“Having taken training with them, I know the criticism has hurt and perhaps there was a little more fire in the belly because of that.

“They know they are guilty of underperforming – but this is only one result and we must build on that.”

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Shakespeare becomes permanent manger

Having helped City out of the relegation and to a respectable league finish, Shakespeare was finally confirmed as the full-time replacement to Ranieri, in June.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for me to continue along this new path in my career and to continue to work with a club and a group of staff I’ve grown extremely close to,” he said.

“Our preparations for pre-season and the new Premier League campaign have been on-going for some time, but we can now move on with certainty and ensure we are well equipped to compete at the levels now expected of a club like Leicester City.”

Swansea City’s star midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is going nowhere this summer according to their chief operating officer Chris Pearlman.

The 27-year-old Icelandic international scored nine goals and made 13 assists in the Premier League last season and is thought to be wanted by both Everton and Leicester City.

There were reports over the weekend of a £27m offer from Everton for Sigurdsson although there’s been no official confirmation by either club of a bid being made.

But Pearlman is adamant that the midfielder, who could replace Ross Barkley if he leaves Goodison Park, won’t be exiting the Liberty Stadium in the near future.

“There is absolutely no desire at all to sell Gylfi Sigurdsson,” he said.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“He is great for the club, such a hard worker, we all love watching him play and we want him here next year. He is a class act.

“I know [owners] Steve [Kaplan] and Jason [Levien] are keen to keep him. My perspective is that I would love to get to a point where as a club we don’t even have to entertain having those types of conversations.

“We are not going to do a deal that is not good for the football club, so we do not want to sell him.”

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris says that his club learned valuable lessons from their Champions League failure last season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side crashed out at the group stage of Europe’s top competition – but bounced back to finish strongly in the Premier League as runners-up behind Chelsea.

Spurs played all their European games at Wembley last season and will play every match at the national stadium next season while their new ground is being built.

They lost at Wembley to Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen but beat CSKA Moscow in their final home game as they failed to make it out of the group.

Picture: Getty

However, Lloris is confident that Spurs have learned from their mistakes from last season.

He said: “The only disappointment was the Champions League.

“That was a strange campaign. It wasn’t Tottenham. It wasn’t our identity and we can have some regrets.

“I did question how we might deal with that back in the Premier League because we fought all last season to get into the Champions League and as soon as you are there, you fail – and not just the results but the way we played.

“The reaction of the team was fantastic, though, and step by step, we became stronger and stronger. That means we learned from our mistakes and that’s positive.”