Alfie Mawson is in no doubt that the long-term ambitions of his game lie with Swansea and is confident that he can become a leader at the club in years to come.

The 23-year-old was in just his first year in the Premier League last season having signed from Barnsley, but wasted little time adjusting to top-flight life since making his debut against Watford in October.

That culminated in 27 league appearances for the defender, also scoring four goals to end the season in style as the Swans escaped relegation, taking 13 points from the last 15 on offer.

And with Mawson playing a key part in the revival, boss Paul Clement is now keen to push the youngster forward – a challenge the £5m signing is desperate to take on.

(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

“It’s a great club. When I signed I knew Swansea’s philosophy and I think from the back end of the season we got back to that style,” he said.

“But what I didn’t know when I joined was what the area would be like. But I love it there. I really do. And I don’t see myself being anywhere else for a long time.

“I want to be seen as a young leader. I want to be that player that in five or six years’ time young players come to me and ask for advice.”

Two-time Premier League champions Manchester City are one of the top flight’s biggest clubs.

Here’s our look back at their five greatest Premier League moments.

The day everything changed

On September 1, 2008, City were thrust on their way to becoming one of the game’s giants as Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club.

The controversial reign of Thakshin Shinawatra, whose £800million fortune had been frozen in Thailand in the midst of corruption charges, was brought to a swift end.

(Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

City’s new owners from the United Arab Emirates even provided an immediate demonstration of their wealth by smashing the British transfer record to sign Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5million.

From that dramatic September day onwards, life has never been the same for the blue half of Manchester as their club’s infrastructure was revolutionised and City grew exponentially into an institution dining at football’s very top table.

The joy of six

Every set of fans thrives on schadenfreude and what better way to get one over your rivals than by embarrassing them on their own turf?

In October 2011, City travelled to Old Trafford and inflicted United’s heaviest defeat in the Premier League, their biggest home reverse since 1955 and secured the largest winning margin in Manchester derby history.

The visitors ran out resounding 6-1 victors thanks to a brace from Mario Balotelli, who revealed his infamous ‘why always me?’ undershirt, further goals from Sergio Aguero and David Silva and a late Edin Dzeko double.

The successful survival mission

Things weren’t always so rosy for the Citizens, who have twice suffered relegation from the Premier League.

After joining the newly-formed division as a founder member in 1992, their stay in the top-flight looked like it may be brought to an end after six years during the 1994-95 campaign as a City side then managed by Brian Horton diced with danger all season long.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT)

Victories over Liverpool and eventual champions Blackburn Rovers in April turned the tide but City would only pick up two points from their final four games, going down 3-2 to Queens Park Rangers at Maine Road on the last game of the season.

No matter, though, as results elsewhere, including Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with Norwich City, meant that they finished four points clear of the relegation zone, which in those days, was the bottom four.

The unparalleled finish

Surely there’s barely a football fan around that doesn’t know the story of the final day of the 2011-12 Premier League season?

City fans went from the depths of despair to unbridled ecstasy on May 13 2012.

Somehow, as they chased a first title in 44 years, they conspired to trail a struggling Queens Park Rangers outfit 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, even after Joey Barton had been sent off for striking out at both Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero.

Elsewhere, rivals United were cruising to a 1-0 win at Sunderland and it looked as though Roberto Mancini’s troops were on their way to spectacularly imploding at the final hurdle – but then came the drama.

Edin Dzeko headed in two minutes into added time and then, with 94 minutes on the clock, Mario Balotelli teed up Aguero to fire his way into Premier League folklore.

Challenge accepted and seen off

Inspired by the goals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool looked the team on course to win the Premier League in 2013-14, particularly after dispatching City 3-2 at Anfield in April 2014, going seven points clear in the process.

City, then led by Manuel Pellegrini, were written off but, despite drawing with Sunderland in their next game, they were a picture of consistency from there on out, winning their next five matches.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Liverpool meanwhile, failed to heed captain Steven Gerrard’s boisterous on-pitch warning and let things slip by losing at home to Chelsea and drawing 3-3 at Crystal Palace.

City meanwhile, held their nerve to claim their second Premier League title in the space of three years.

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is hoping to use his breakthrough at the end of the Premier League season to become a regular part of Jose Mourinho’s plans.

The 20-year-old left many fans scratching their head and Googling his name in the penultimate game of the last campaign, named on the bench against Arsenal having never previously played a game for the Red Devils.

Indeed that was to be the first senior game of the youngster’s career, going one better when making his full debut in the season finale against Crystal Palace.

But that hasn’t stopped his stock from immediately rising – picking up more than 16,000 Twitter followers in next to no time – with McTominay now keen to push on, with a strong pre-season high on his agenda.

(Photo by Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images)

“In the changing room, I was a little bit nervous but you’re only human aren’t you,” he said of his debut.

“You’re going to be nervous making your full debut at Old Trafford but, once you get out there, it’s just another game at the end of the day.

“Next season, I want to be in and around the first team and pushing as hard as I possibly can to get into that group and show the manager I can be trusted to play in those games.

“I am more hungry than ever at this moment in time. I’ve had a little taste and just want more and more. I will keep pushing for it every single day and hopefully can become a regular in the future.

“I definitely still need to be playing games with the reserves, that’s one thing I’ve spoken about before as game time is vitally important.”

Liverpool have to show that finishing fourth in the Premier League is not where things end for them, and develop into a true Champions League side according to Jordan Henderson.

Jurgen Klopp’s men earned a spot in the Champions League play-off on the final day of the Premier League season, with a comfortable win over Middlesbrough.

They beat both Arsenal and Manchester United to that vital fourth spot but Henderson does not want that to be in vain as they face the crucial play-off in August.

Liverpool exited the FA Cup early to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and fell at the semi-final stage in the League Cup, leaving Henderson keen to show their progression under Klopp with some silverware.

Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“To do that [reach the top four] is a big achievement,” he said.

“Everybody was over the moon that we got in the top four. Now we’ve got to go and win the play-off to actually get into the group stages of the Champions League.

“Of course we’d have liked to win something as well but you’ve got to take one step at a time and that is a big achievement.

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve only been in the Champions League once. It’s a good step in the right direction for us and it’ll help us develop as a squad.”

Arsenal’s tumultuous season saw them miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 20 years.

Arsene Wenger faced unprecedented levels of criticism for his failure to secure a top-four finish but opted to sign a new two-year contract after clinching the FA Cup against Chelsea.

As we look back at the last 12 months for Arsenal, we’ve picked out some of our favourite quotes from the key moments throughout the campaign.

Arsenal’s campaign got off to yet another terrible start as a depleted Gunners back line was savaged by a ruthless Liverpool side, who scored three goals in 15 minutes to take all three points at the Emirates.

Wenger said: “We lacked experience at the back and we were physically short. Liverpool did well and we were, for 15 minutes, completely shocked. It is an impossible situation to get players back from the Euros and prepare.

The North Londoners recovered and put in their best performance of season, blowing away Chelsea with a first-half blitz against Conte’s blues, which thrilled Wenger.

“It was an outstanding team performance. We played with spirit and collective pace and movement, always in a positive and committed team way,” said the Gunners boss.

“Ideally, you want the perfect game and you never get it. We got nearly the perfect first half and that is not bad.”

Photo credit: Getty Images

At the turn of the year, Arsenal were slightly off the title pace but French forward Olivier Giroud scored a remarkable scorpion kick to help beat Crystal Palace 2-0.

Wenger said: “It was a great counter-attack at great speed. His reflex surprised everybody who knows football and that’s what makes the goal great.

“I have been a bit spoiled over the years by the exceptional quality of the players I’ve had, but it will be remembered as an exceptional goal.

“Olly is very good in front of goal, but I’ve never seen this kind of goal from him.”

But things turned sour in February with a series of humbling defeats, including a 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

And after a 3-1 defeat at West Brom in late March, protests surrounding Wenger’s future reached boiling point as fans chanted for the Frenchman to leave in the summer.

“Don’t worry, I know what I will do in my future. You will soon know,” Wenger said after defeat at the Hawthorns.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Despite Arsenal winning seven of their last eight matches, it was not enough to make the top four as they lost out to Liverpool by a single point. After the final game of the season, Wenger revealed his sadness at missing out of the Champions League.

Wenger said: “It’s very sad. For 20 years, we were in it and it’s the first year that we will not be in it. It’s very strange because for 75 points, we are only one point short

“Of course you can look everywhere for where we dropped these points, but since January, it’s been a very difficult environment for different reasons.”

But Wenger ensured his side’s season would end on a high as they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, giving the Frenchman a record seven FA Cup titles.

The triumphant Gunners chief said: “I am very proud because nobody has done it. It’s not easy. I’m especially proud of the way we won this time because we had to play against Manchester City in the semi-final here and then Chelsea here – you cannot get tougher.

“We had two outstanding performances, so this cup was won with special spirit and special attitude.”

Photo credit: Getty Images

And just days later, Wenger confirmed he would be staying at the Emirates for another two years and remained defiant about his side’s Premier League ambitions next season.

“I love this club and I am looking forward to the future with optimism and excitement,” proclaimed the 67-year-old.

“We’re committed to mounting a sustained league challenge and that will be our focus this summer and next season.”

Leicester City are in their fourth spell in the Premier League and were miraculously winners of England’s top tier in 2015/16 under Claudio Ranieri.

After a single season in the Premier League in 1994/95, Martin O’Neill led the Foxes back to thepromised land through the Division One play-offs in 1995/96 thanks to a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

He then saw his side lift the League Cup twice in 1997 and 2000 with wins over Middlesbrough and Tranmere Rovers respectively.

After relegation in 2002 they returned immediately for the 2003/04 campaign before dropping down as low as League One during a difficult period for the club.

But after Nigel Pearson led the Foxes back into the top flight, they completed an incredible ‘Great Escape’ in 2014/15 before following that with the famous title-winning campaign.

Five of the key men from that champion squad have made it into our Greatest Leicester City Premier League XI (3-4-3), with additions from Martin O’Neill’s squad of the late 90s.

Kasper Schmeichel

The Danish shot-stopper was a hero during Leicester’s title-winning campaign and put in a series of world-class performances again during the season just gone.

He recently picked up the club’s Player of the Season award for the second time after coming to the Foxes’ rescue on multiple occasions as the last line of defence and his heroics earned him the No.1 jersey ahead of Kasey Keller

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Steve Walsh

Walsh made over 300 appearances for the Foxes and skippered them to League Cup glory at Hillsborough in 1997, earning man-of-the-match honours and setting up Steve Claridge for the eventual winner.

Walsh led City to the League Cup final again in 1999 but missed out on the 2000 showpiece at Wembley as Matt Elliott scored twice against Tranmere.

Matt Elliott

Elliott was an uncompromising rock at the heart of City’s defence throughout much of their success in the Premier League under O’Neill.

A strong leader, he became synonymous with the Foxes’ bruising style of play and confirmed cult hero status by scoring both goals in the 2000 League Cup final victory over Tranmere at Wembley.

Wes Morgan

Morgan is surely guaranteed his place in any all-time Leicester XI after leading them in their greatest-ever season.

A captain willing to throw himself in front of any shot, the Jamaican international was instrumental to their Premier League title win.

Riyad Mahrez

Bought from French side Le Havre, Riyad Mahrez was the club’s and the PFA Player of the Year during their title-winning campaign as he scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in an historic season.

Mahrez offered flair and creativity in spades, the like of which had rarely lit up either the King Power Stadium or Filbert Street before.

N’Golo Kante

If Mahrez was the ingenious magician, then the Algerian’s fellow title-winning midfielder N’Golo Kante was the complete opposite – industrious and combative.

There was no pass that Kante could not intercept for Claudio Ranieri’s men, he was everywhere and offered vital protection to the back four.

He was also lightning quick at turning defence into attack, an outlet the Foxes used regularly to counter-attack teams who would often dominate possession.

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Muzzy Izzet

Signed from Chelsea after impressing on loan with the Foxes, Izzet went on to make over 250 appearances for the club between 1996 and 2004, regularly contributing important goals.

The Turkish talisman’s volley against Tottenham in the 1998/99 season lives long in the memory for those at Filbert Street on that day and he helped Leicester to four straight top-ten finishes in the Premier League.

Neil Lennon

Neil Lennon was a key part of O’Neill’s Leicester midfield alongside Izzet, Robbie Savage and Steve Guppy –  and the latter two could easily have made this team.

An industrious engine-roomer, Lennon made over 150 appearances for the Foxes before following O’Neill to Celtic in 2000.

Stu Forster/Allsport

Steve Claridge

Claridge sealed Leicester City’s place in the Premier League with his 1996 play-off final strike against Palace and went onto to be a key cog in keeping them there.

Despite being considered the archetypal journeyman, he followed that memorable, potentially shinned, goal with the winner in the 1997 League Cup Final replay against Middlesbrough to further etch his name into Foxes folklore.

Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy’s rise from non-league football to Premier League winner is well-documented but that doesn’t make it any less astounding.

With his deceptive pace and diesel engine, the England striker scored an incredible 24 goals – and made six assists – in City’s title-winning season.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Emile Heskey

Finally, there’s a place for another England striker, Emile Heskey, who came through the ranks at Leicester – scoring 40 goals for the club in 154 league appearances – before moving to Liverpool.

The powerful, and oft-maligned, forward scored ten goals in back-to-back Premier League campaigns – 1996-97 and 1997-98 – before he eventually left to join Liverpool for a then-club record £11m.

Honourable mentions: Kasey Keller, Esteban Cambiasso, Danny Drinkwater, Robbie Savage, Steve Guppy, Marc Albrighton, Christian Fuchs

He was the leading goalscorer in Chelsea’s romp to the Premier League title last term, but it appears controversial striker Diego Costa is resigned to exiting the club this summer.

Rumours were rife throughout the second half of the season that the 28-year-old Spain international could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge, and Costa claimed last week manager Antonio Conte had informed him via text message that he was surplus to requirements.

Rather than looking to the Far East and a big-money move to China, Costa – who scored 26 goals in 46 games for the Premier League champions last season – does not want to jeopardise his World Cup chances in 2018.

But the striker believes there is no point staying at Chelsea if he is not wanted, even if a move back to Atletico Madrid would mean going out on loan until January due to their transfer embargo.

“Things don’t work like that. The fight for a place has to be fair,” said Costa, after scoring in Spain’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Macedonia on Sunday.

“When there is a fair fight, you stay and fight but if there isn’t, then you have to go.

“You need to ask Conte what has happened – he’s the coach and if he has the option of signing someone else and doesn’t want to have problems with a senior player, then that’s normal.

“But there are ways of saying things, ways of doing things.

“Thanks to God I’m not lacking teams [to join]. If Chelsea don’t want me, I will choose the best option for me.

“Everyone knows that Atletico is a club that I have a lot of love for. Regardless of if I return or not, I’m always going to continue loving them.

“Signing for Atletico wouldn’t mean not playing. I could go (on loan) to some team in Spain, in Italy, in Brazil – wherever I can continue playing.

“I rule out China. I have to think about my future, I have to think about the World Cup. If I fight and I do things well, I’ll have every chance of going to the World Cup. I cannot go to China.”

Dimitri Payet may have burned his bridges with West Ham United, but Hammers full-back Aaron Cresswell still rates him as one of the best players he has ever played with.

Payet became an instant hero at Upton Park when he arrived in 2015, with a series of spectacular free-kicks that set the Premier League alight.

However, it all turned sour towards the end of 2016 as the Frenchman became unhappy in east London and subsequently pushed through a move back to Marseille.

Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Now Cresswell is preparing to share the pitch with him again but this time they will be opponents as England travel to France for an international friendly.

And the 27-year-old knows he has his work cut out against his former team-mate.

“He was sort of unheard of before he joined the Premier League and West Ham,” said Cresswell.

“For me personally, I didn’t know much about him. But you knew he had the quality after a week or two training with us.

“He is arguably the best player I have played with and he certainly showed that day in, day out in training and of course in the games.

“Of course. It would have been nice to see him stay. Nobody knows his reason why he wanted to leave but it is what it is. We move on. People move on and the club moves on.

“It won’t be strange [to play against him] because I used to face him sometimes in training. You think you know him inside out but we’ll see what happens on the day. I concentrate on my own game and I want to do well.”

Dele Alli lit up the Premier League for Tottenham last season but Alan Shearer claims the midfielder is simply not the same player for England.

Alli notched 18 league goals and seven assists as Spurs finished second in the table after another impressive campaign.

Yet the 21-year-old produced a sub-par display as England could only draw 2-2 with Scotland in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

And all-time leading Premier League scorer Shearer was frustrated by the Three Lions who failed to transfer their club form on to the international stage.

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

“There are, of course, exceptions and it is great to see the way the English players have thrived at Tottenham,” explained the ex-Newcastle United man

“But take them out of that club bubble and drop them into a team with other English players and it does not look so good.

“Where is the Dele Alli that lights up the Premier League prompting comparison with Paul Gascoigne?

“Where is the assured Gary Cahill who was at fault in giving away the free-kick for Scotland’s equaliser? Not quite as assured alongside Chris Smalling as he is with David Luiz and the excellent Cesar Azpilicueta.

“You had to check Marcus Rashford was still on the pitch as he disappeared in his wide position.

“Our best players thrive with top-class foreign imports around them. Put us all together, and add the unreal expectation around the national side that can stifle a player and we look very ordinary.

“We look like a team who this time next year will make it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup at best.”

One positive from the draw was that Spurs striker Harry Kane, captaining England for the first time, notched an injury-time equaliser.

Photo credit: Getty Images

And Shearer believes the talismanic frontman rising to the occasion as he does so often for the North Londoners bodes very well.

“While England laboured at Hampden Park it was great to see Harry Kane delivering at the end,” he added. “He took on the role as captain well and delivered when he needed to.

“Having the ability to keep his composure to deliver the finish that can change a game.

“We can only hope that this is the start of something special for him in an England shirt.

“We need him at his best to stand any chance of making an impact at the World Cup next summer.”

Everton defender Tyias Browning insists there will be no time for relaxation this summer as he looks to return to peak fitness in time for the start of the new season.

Browning endured a difficult 12 months after suffering a knee injury in December 2015 before joining Preston North End on loan to see out the rest of the 2016-17 campaign.

The 23-year-old has made nine first-team appearances for the Toffees to date, and is yet to play under Everton boss Ronald Koeman.

But he’s determined to impress when the side reconvene for pre-season training on July 3, as he looks to cement his place in the first team.

(Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

“I’ve had enough time off with my injury, so I don’t need the summer off,” he said.

“I’ll be working away, trying to get back to peak fitness in time for the start of pre-season.

“I’ll have a short holiday, but the work doesn’t stop for me this summer. I’ll be in and out of the training ground and doing my own bits.

“I missed the last pre-season with my injury so it’s important I get a full one under my belt this time around. It’s an opportunity for me to impress the manager and his staff. I’ve got a lot to prove and I want to work my way in. I’m looking forward to it.

“Because of the time I’ve been out injured and the loan spell, I haven’t had a chance to work with the manager too much yet, so I’m looking forward to it.”