World Football: 5 Clubs on the Cusp of Moving to the Next Level

There is always a pivotal moment or chain of events which define a club moving from one level to the next. From a fan’s perspective, there is an incredibly satisfying feeling the moment your club’s status is elevated.

There's a wide-ranging scope in determining what constitutes the "next level." In reality it comes down to personal choices, and some are more transparent than others.

It can be the point where fans face less ridicule from their peers; when a chairman has a new talent pool from which to delve into; or when a manager agonizes over which quality player to leave out of Saturday’s starting XI.

Take Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as an example: When the Frenchman first arrived in London, the Evening Standard famously printed "Arsene Who?" (h/t ESPN) 

Less than two years later, during his first full season in England, he held the Premier League and FA Cup aloft as Arsenal conquered domestically. At that point, it would be fair to state that Arsenal reached another level.

What about the cusp, though? How do people know when their club is about to move up a notch? It is a sizable gray area. Fans of Manchester United may or may not agree, but when they beat Barcelona in the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final in 1991, that win moved them into the limelight as serious title contenders for the following season.

They finished second, but the foundations were firmly laid in moving to a staggering new high which has seen them dominate English football ever since.

The criterion for this list are clubs who are on the cusp of newfound glory and triumphs—new chapters in their history books. Europe's top footballing leagues have been analysed to find appropriate candidates.

Whilst all selections have been rationalised through facts, they remain subjective selections.

We begin with honourable mentions for both Napoli and Tottenham Hotspur.

Honourable Mentions: Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli

Napoli

Last season’s Serie A runners-up are at a precarious crossroads in their development. After four seasons of establishing Napoli as a Serie A force, manager Walter Mazzarri left the Partenopei to join Internazionale.

The ex-Sampdoria coach has been replaced by Rafa Benitez, Chelsea’s interim manager last season. Despite suffering vitriol from his own club’s supporters, the Spaniard defiantly left the Blues in good shape—guiding them to Europa League glory in addition to securing Champions League qualification.

Back in Italy, Benitez and Serie A have unfinished business. The ex-Liverpool boss was appointed at the helm of then-treble winners Inter in 2010, but his contract was prematurely terminated after six months.

In addition to Mazzarri's departure, last season’s capocannoniere (leading scorer) Edinson Cavani (29 Serie A goals) was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for a huge €64 million.

Napoli have reinvested wisely by signing the Real Madrid trio of Argentine goal predator Gonzalo Higuain plus Raul Albion and Jose Maria Callejon for a reported €48 million, per Transfermarkt . In addition, PSV Eindhoven has been raided for its Belgian winger Dries Mertens, who scored and created 33 goals last season, and Pepe Reina links up with his old Anfield boss once more.

All in all, the expectations in Naples will be high. Mazzarri and Cavani may both be gone, but their high-calibre replacements will ensure that last season’s Serie A runners-up are unlikely to be content with anything other than a top-two finish—whether they can go one better and offer Juventus a real title challenge remains to be seen.

Tottenham Hotspur

Following ENIC’s acquisition of Spurs in 2001, the Lillywhites have gradually improved from being mid-table perennial under-achievers to gate-crashing the Premier League’s Champions League party.

This has not been a journey without set-backs. For every two steps forward, what tends to follow is one step back. Reluctant sales of Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric threatened to spoil the hard-earned progress witnessed at White Hart Lane, but to the club's credit the present-day Spurs look like the real deal.

In the past eight seasons, the North Londoners have consolidated their position as a top-five English club, finishing fifth or higher six times—twice finishing fourth.

The first occurrence resulted in a maiden Champions League voyage. They thrilled and captivated European audiences before their eventual elimination at the hands of Gareth Bale’s potential suitors, Real Madrid.

Spurs have not returned to the Champions League since, despite threatening to finish even higher than fourth during the previous two seasons. Following the 2011/12 campaign, a fourth-place finish resulted in further Europa League action as Chelsea stole the last qualification spot by winning the Champions League—hard done by indeed.

Despite finishing with a record points haul of 72, Spurs missed out on Europe's premier club competition by two points. But now they have added Brazilian central midfielder Paulinho for a club-record £17 million, plus Belgian winger Nacer Chadli to an already impressive international squad containing the likes of Frenchman Hugo Lloris, Belgians Jan Vertonghen and Moussa Dembele plus German Lewis Holtby.

With the powerful figures of Sandro and Younes Kaboul returning from lengthy spells on the sidelines plus the mooted arrival of Roberto Soldado, as per Sky Sports, it is evident Spurs have a highly competitive squad.

Also, the big “if”. If Gareth Bale stays, and if under the continued astute tutelage of Andre Villas-Boas he progresses even further, as a team Spurs would become a handful for even the best teams in the land.

Furthermore, in a summer that has witnessed high managerial turnover within the top four (both Manchester clubs and at Chelsea), Spurs will never have a better chance of rubbing shoulders with the big boys from London and Manchester.

5: Paris Saint-Germain

According to Jonathan Liew of The Telegraph, one month before Paris Saint-Germain’s majority acquisition in 2011, Arsene Wenger rubbed his crystal ball and announced a prophecy:

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PSG is the only club in the world, which is based in an area of 10 million inhabitants and doesn’t have any competition. What needs to be done is to get a group of investors around the table and to provide the club with some financial muscle.

"

The Frenchman was heard loud and clear. Since the procurement by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, PSG have progressed by leaps and bounds. Two years down the line, it could easily be argued that the club has already reached another level.

In seemingly defying Michel Platini’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, the investors have spent lavishly (over €250 million per Transfermarkt) during the previous two seasons—effectively purchasing the Ligue 1 title last season after a 19-year absence in the company of A-list names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and David Beckham.

Furthermore over €110 million of further talent has already been acquired this summer for what can only be referred to as Operation Buzz Lightyear—"To Infinity and Beyond." Edinson Cavani has joined for €64 million, and over €35 million was spent in acquiring 19-year-old defender Marquinhos from Roma.

However, the owners' drive in firmly establishing PSG as France’s No. 1 footballing brand has hit a speed bump following Carlo Ancelotti’s defection to Real Madrid. Replaced with Laurent Blanc, it remains to be seen whether the ex-World Cup winning defender has what it takes to control a dressing room full of egos.

4: Fiorentina

Fiorentina encountered hard times which ultimately ended with bankruptcy in 2002. The club was then re-established, commencing in lowly Serie C1.

La Viola found their way back to Serie A, but their admirable progress was temporarily halted due to the Italian match-fixing scandal in 2006.

However, under Cesare Prandelli, their longest-serving manager, la Gigliati finished up on a high before Prandelli left his post and took on a new challenge in managing the Azzuri. Fiorentina qualified for the Champions League and did their reputation no harm by finishing top of a group containing Liverpool and Lyon, before falling to eventual finalists Bayern Munich in the last 16.

Although they enjoyed their time in Europe, La Viola found it tough domestically, finishing in mid-table during from 2009 until 2012.

Fiorentina’s owners then decided widespread change was in order, and the revolving door at the club’s entrance spun faster than a Clark Kent "where would it not be obvious" moment.

In came highly rated coach Vincenzo Montella and alongside him numerous new faces such as Alberto Aquilani and David Pizzaro. Giuseppe Rossi was also purchased from Villareal for €10 million in January 2013, but his appearances were limited through injury. Preseason reports suggest the 26-year-old is returning to form.

Although Fiorentina lost star man Stefan Jovetic to Manchester City, the funds have been cleverly used to pull off a transfer coup in signing Bayern’s Mario Gomez. With 138 goals in 236 League games, a Gomez-Rossi partnership will be key to the Viola breaking into the Champions League places and possibly even giving Juventus a run for their money in Serie A.

With a relatively new manager and new playing squad, they could place themselves amongst Florence’s famous history, rivaling the class of the late 1990s which contained La Viola legends in Rui Costa and Gabriel Batistuta.

3: Atletico Madrid

Last season Atletico Madrid achieved its best finish in La Liga since 1996, as they accumulated 76 points. Los Rojiblancos reached the highest total of any Spanish team outside Barcelona and Real Madrid since Villareal, who managed 77 points in 2007/08.

To top off a superb season, Atletico won the Copa del Rey, beating local rivals Real Madrid 2-1 after they had also added the UEFA Super Cup to their trophy cabinet (following their second Europa League triumph in three seasons).

Coach Diego Simeone has been key to this success. The Argentine had a reputation as a fearsome player, and his sheer desire has translated through to his team on the pitch—with the club on the verge of possibly breaking into La Liga’s duopoly of Barca and Los Blancos.

Having sold Radamel Falcao to Monaco, Atletico have maybe pulled off the transfer coup of the summer by signing Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa for around €5 million. Before his injury in 2011, Villa had a prolific goal average of more than one goal every two games. The move from the Camp Nou could bode very well as Villa becomes the No. 1 forward again, as per his prolific spell with Valencia.

The UEFA Super Cup holders have also strengthened defensively by signing Malaga’s Martin Demichelis on a free transfer and adding goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez from Benfica.

2: Monaco

Probably the most clear-cut example of a team on the cusp of moving to the next level.

As reported by French website Football, Prince Albert II of Monaco granted Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian businessman, his support in investing in AS Monaco. At that time, the same club which participated in the 2004 Champions League final were hopelessly languishing in Ligue 2.

The vastly experience Claudio Ranieri was appointed last summer as head coach, and Monaco waltzed to promotion—unsurprisingly after spending €25 million in France's second tier (as per Transfermarkt).

In returning to Ligue 1, Monaco’s football club has enjoyed as much limelight this summer as the province generally does by gambling to the tune of €130 million—on just three players. Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao (€60 million) plus Porto pair Joao Moutinho (€25 million) and James Rodriguez (€45 million) have been purchased in a statement of intent.

Although the players’ footballing ambitions have come under scrutiny considering they have replaced Champions League football with solely Ligue 1 competition, they are being and will continue to be adequately compensated through their generous remuneration packages—particularly as Monaco enjoys significant tax breaks.

The spending is unlikely to end there and, as with PSG, questions will be raised regarding Financial Fair Play. That said, the evolution of both PSG and Monaco ensures that Ligue 1 will become a more competitive league as years pass by. It is time for the French revolution.

1: Juventus

The Juventus story is the stuff Hollywood producers dream of. To paraphrase Ari Gold, “This town loves a comeback.”

In 2006, Juventus fans were in hell. La Vecchia Signora was beaten to her knees following extremely harsh punishments for the club's alleged participation in the match-fixing scandal. Juve were relegated to Serie B, given a 30-point deduction and, to rub salt into the wounds, stripped of their last two Scudetto triumphs.

Predictably, a huge exodus ensued with Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro leading a fire sale. Lilian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta and Emerson joined him in Spain, moving for a modest combined total of €42 million for four world-class talents. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira joined Inter for an accumulated €35 million.

It was tough for Juve, and although they successfully appealed the initial ruling, their punishment of relegation remained. However, they did commence their first-ever season in Serie B with a healthier points deficit.

Juventus legends Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon and Pavel Nedved remained at the famous club and fought for the cause, resulting in promotion at the first time of asking. Juve were back in Serie A but a million miles off the almost hedonistic levels of the 1990s and early 2000s, which resulted in seven Scudetto’s in 11 seasons plus three consecutive Champions League final appearances (1996-1998).

Despite initially stuttering, there was no looking back once ex-playing favourite Antonio Conte took over the reins.

During his first season Juve surprised every man and his dog, not only by winning the league but remaining undefeated the entire season. Last season the Turin giants defended their Serie A title comfortably—11 points ahead of runners-up Napoli.

Yet despite the comeback, Serie A continues to struggle. No longer the front-runner in world football, even Ligue 1 threatens to attract more headlining players, as Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco splash the cash.

However, the current Juventus setup has all the ingredients in place to take Serie A back to the top, as with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund with the Bundesliga.

Juventus are now reaping the rewards from building their own stadium, originally named the Juventus stadium, on the old Delle Alpi site, beginning a revolution from Italian clubs playing in decrepit stadiums owned by the government (following the Italia ’90 World Cup).

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri's increased commercial awareness meant that the club surprisingly generated the most revenue from last season's Champions League, ahead of winners Bayern and finalists Dortmund, despite only advancing as far as the quarter-finals. Furthermore, accountants Deloitte, who annually publish the top 20 rich-list, saw Juventus rise from 13th place to 10th as the club's revenue increased by over €40 million from 2012 to 2013. 

Combining this new wealth with the acquisitions of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, plus the dynamic midfield trio of Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo, Juventus are the most equipped club to move up another gear and become Kings of Europe.

The Juventus website sums up nicely as to why the club sits at No. 1 on this list: 

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With a competitive first team squad, thriving youth academy and unquestionable stars of the future such as Paul Pogba recruited via a carefully planned transfer strategy, supporters have every reason to believe that these two consecutive title triumphs could just be the start of a golden era at the club.

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