Small-Market Clubs That Will Surprise Next Year

Everybody loves an underdog story. The idea of a lesser entity defying the odds in David-versus-Goliath fashion is just an amicable part of sport appealing to even the coldest of hearts.

Last season brought us the usual batch of clubs across Europe pulling off feats far beyond their usual reckoning, and the 2013-14 season should reveal similar stories.

Whether as a result of their smaller aspirations when it comes to transfer-market spending or just the expectations of the club due to their previous finishes, the following clubs all have the potential to overachieve in the coming campaign.

Taking into account some of Europe’s biggest leagues as well as a few smaller divisions, these small-market minnows will be worth keeping an eye on in the next year or so.

Villarreal

Making their return to Spain’s top flight after just one season in the Segunda Division, Villarreal are no strangers to La Liga football or the demands that come with it.

Led to a second-place finish last term by Marcelino Garcia Toral, The Yellow Submarine will now seek to secure their status as a first-division side.

Although the summer has seen the club lose several key members of their squad, Toral has also brought in a few valuable faces, stars who are sure to help them in their cause among the Spanish elite.

The arrival of players such as Giovani dos Santos, Sergio Asenjo, Aleksandar Pantic, Bojan Jokic and Tomas Pina all add a bit of class and youth to what was looking like an aging roster, which housed Olof Mellberg and Marcos Senna until earlier this summer.

Now, the squad is looking rejuvenated and has managed to hold onto some of its more impressive players such as Jonathan Pereira, Javier Aquino and Jeremy Perbet.

Using the experience of their downfall two seasons ago, the club will have a better idea of where things may have gone wrong and will be all the more equipped for it.

Sampdoria

Managing to keep their Serie A status alive for the second consecutive season, Sampdoria now head into the 2013-14 season with elevated expectations.

Last term saw the Blucerchiati finish as the best defensive side to finish in the bottom half of Serie A, conceding just 51 goals, a record even more impressive than some clubs who finished in the top half.

Now, Delio Rossi’s job will be to ensure his side can bear more fruit at the other end of the pitch while maintaining their staunch results at the back.

This season will see Manolo Gabbiadini spend the season with Sampdoria, after Sky Sports listed the player as theirs for the term following the acquisition of 50 percent of Gabbiadini’s playing rights.

Although the 21-year-old will seek to clear up Sampdoria’s scoring issues, the youngster will be expecting help from the likes of Angelo Palombo, Gianluca Sansone and other more established players to help him in that cause.

Now a lot more comfortable with their top-flight credentials, Sampdoria may need to add a little more talent across the pitch in the coming months but have all the weapons necessary to cause an upset at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

VfB Stuttgart

One of the busier Bundesliga clubs this summer, Stuttgart have done well to make some astute, economically friendly signings in the areas where they need them most.

Though an easy task that may seem, clubs often lose sight of this goal and fail in its pursuit every single year.

Last term it was arguably a lack of scoring intent which saw Stuttgart finish the season as one of the most goal-shy in the German first division, scoring the third-lowest amount of goals in the table.

Bruno Labbadia has sought to cure that particular ailment with the signature of Hannover’s Mohammed Abdellaoue, a very capable option on his day and one that promises to bring a decent goal haul to the Mercedes Benz Arena.

Add into the equation their summer signings of defender Daniel Schwaab from Bayer Leverkusen, midfielders Marco Rojas and Sercan Sararer and Moritz Leitner on loan from Borussia Dortmund, and the squad looks like a far more talented one.

Although last season’s 12th-place finish was far from terrible, expect Stuttgart to make more of a challenge for European football in the coming campaign.

Stoke City

With Mark Hughes now at the helm, an air of uncertainty surrounds the Britannia Stadium, equipped with a manager who hasn’t been too successful in his recent positions with Manchester City, Fulham and QPR.

However, the foundations laid by Tony Pulis make Stoke City a bit of a sleeping giant in the Premier League, a side capable of causing an upset or two with the right impetus.

Things had stagnated slightly under Pulis, and Hughes promises to bring something new to what is in actuality a very talented Potters squad with quality in some key areas.

The new Stoke manager has already moved to plug a void at left-back with former PSV Eindhoven defender Erik Pieters, a very smart move by all accounts.

The addition of La Masia product and former Barcelona centre-back Marc Muniesa shows the club are aiming for a more youthful approach, and Hughes’ directing so far has been very useful.

As long as the club’s great defensive record isn’t lost entirely whilst a new priority is put on playing more attractive football, Stoke can hold hope for a top-half finish in 2013-14.

Bursaspor

In their native Turkey, Bursaspor would by no means be considered a “small” club, but their reputation on a continental scale would be more accurately described in that manner.

As a result of the match-fixing scandal around Fenerbahce and Besiktas, the Green Crocodiles stand to gain from their neighbours’ downfall, possibly taking their spot in European competition.

Having last featured in Europe during the 2010-11 season, Bursaspor will jump at the chance of their participation, despite finishing fourth in the Super Lig last term.

Sebastian Pinto, Tuncay Sanli and Pablo Batalla have been joined by the figures of Taye Taiwo, Sebastien Frey and a few other stars this summer, adding just that bit more quality to the Bursaspor roster.

Hikmet Karaman has a talented squad at his disposal, and Bursaspor may surprise a few people if their European involvement is confirmed later this summer.