The concept of a Premier League All-Star weekend has grown quite a bit over the past few years, and new Chelsea owners Todd Boehly has recently added more fuel to the fire.
Speaking at a recent conference, the American businessman suggested the idea of a Premier League All-Star fixture, with Boehly throwing out the idea that a North vs. South match could raise hundreds of millions to support football across England as well the top-flight itself.
The idea has been suggested by Premier League players such as Romelu Lukaku, and with the Americanisation of football in Europe slowly happening before our eyes, an All-Star game could be an actual possibility in the coming years, but what would the XI actually look like?
Taking inspiration from other All-Star fixtures in the US, our two North and South XI’s will feature at least one player from each of 20 Premier League clubs for the sake of fairness, with this simple rule alone meaning both teams have representation from across the English top-flight as well as not just be a straight shoot-out between Liverpool and Manchester City vs. London’s best XI.
With that in mind, here is HITC Sport’s All-Star Premier League XI for the South:
Chelsea duo Silva & James star in defence with Leno, Andersen and Bournemouth captain Kelly
Given the rules we have implemented, one club will be lucky enough to have an extra player in a Premier League All-Star XI, and for the South, that team is Chelsea, who have both Thiago Silva and Reece James starting in the defence in what is quite a solid backline.
The pair are arguably Chelsea’s two most important players, with James one of the best fullbacks in the world and Silva still at the peak of his powers despite his age, and alongside Crystal Palace titan Joachim Andersen with Fulham star Bernd Leno in goal, the spine of the defence is quite strong.
With the best left-backs in the country all seemingly hailing from the North, AFC Bournemouth captain Lloyd Kelly is out pick for the position, with the defender one of the few Cherries’ players to not totally embarrass themselves this campaign.
Rice marshalls the midfield with Southampton superstar Ward-Prowse and Brighton maestro Gross
Central midfield might be viewed by some as a position that could be hard to pick given the rules of Premier League All-Star XI, however, teams in the South have a plethora of options to choose from, with West Ham captain Declan Rice an immediate standout to make it into this team, as well as Southampton star James Ward-Prowse.
The duo will likely feature for England in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and with the pair both coming off their best seasons ever in the Premier League, Rice and Ward-Prowse are both solid additions to the All-Star South XI, with Pascal Gross also making it based on his form this campaign.
The Brighton & Hove Albion star has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, and already hailed as the King of Fantasy Football this year due to his impressive performances for the Seagulls, the former Bundesliga star is included in our All-Star Xi as a wildcard option.
Kane leads the line with Saka and Toney featuring in the attacking-three
Like most teams, the attack is where the XI gets very interesting, and for our All-Star South XI, we’ve gone for an English trio who could work incredibly as a unit in Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Bukayo Saka, with the threesome all having strong starts to the new season in the Premier League.
Kane remains one of the best strikers in world football and will be in a shoo-in to make the South All-Star XI should an actual fixture ever take place, with the Tottenham talisman likely a fan of the concept as well given his love for NFL and regular admiration for boosting the American sport’s profile in England.
With Toney one of the best attacker’s in the league this season and capable of playing out on the wing with Saka out on the right, the pair are good additions to partner Kane in the attack, with the three players capping off quite a strong All-Star XI featuring every club from the South of England.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
