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The Premier League is drawing more and more world-class players towards it. In addition to the monetary benefits, the competitive nature of the game in England also attracts players from around the globe.
Three top clubs have already made three blockbuster signings this summer. Manchester City have signed Jack Grealish for £100m, while Chelsea have roped in Romelu Lukaku for a fee in the region of £97m.
Even Manchester United have made headlines with the signing of Jadon Sancho for £73m from Borussia Dortmund.
When a manager invests huge amounts of money on a particular player, he does so with the aim of using him. But that doesn't necessarily spell doom for others he already has at his disposal.
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Managers often tweak the formations of their teams in order to accommodate all of them together and simultaneously give their teams that much-needed structural boost.
Premier League managers often prefer a three-man attack
A three-man forward line is often used as a preferred option, not just to increase the attacking threat but also to give an edge to the team's counter-attacking style.
This trend brings back memories of some of the best attacking teams of all time, which were spearheaded by formidable attacking trios. During the 1960s and 70s the Manchester United attack consisted of the "Holy Trinity" of George Best, Dennis Law and Bobby Charlton.
Notably, at a time when Brazil dominated world football, the team had Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho at the top. And who could forget the Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez combination at Barcelona?
The Premier League will play host to some of the world's best attacking trios this season following huge investments over the summer.
Here we will discuss five of the most valuable attacking trios in the Premier League this season.
Note: All values are estimated according to Transfermarkt.
#5 Manchester City: Mahrez | Sterling | Grealish (£176m)
Manchester City's new boy, Grealish, is currently valued at £58m. Along with Sterling (£81m) and Riyad Mahrez (£37), the trio make it to fifth spot on the list.
In the season's first match, manager Pep Guardiola paired Grealish with Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan in a three-man midfield. Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez played ahead of them.
The formation didn't bear fruit and although Grealish looked lively, the end product was missing in Manchester City's first Premier League match against Tottenham, a match that they lost 1-0.
Guardiola is expected to make certain changes to his line-up for the upcoming Premier League games and that could see Grealish being paired with Sterling and Mahrez as part of a front-three.
Grealish being a right-footed player can offer pace and dribbling skills wide up the pitch on the left side while Mahrez can do the same with his left foot on the right.
Sterling can be an option either as a false nine or as an actual nine. Additionally, Grealish also has the quality and attributes to play down the middle if required.
The trio scored a total of 35 goals between them last season and although Grealish is at a different club, it is still the Premier League. Other clubs trying to fend off the Premier League champions this season should still be wary of the attacking threat Manchester City possess despite the departure of Sergio Aguero.
#4 Tottenham: Kane | Son | Bergwijn (£203m)
The fourth place on the list of the Premier League's most valuable trio goes to Harry Kane (£108m), Heung-min Son (£76m) and Steven Bergwijn (£19m). The combined market value of the Tottenham Hotspur trio stands at an astonishing £203m.
Kane has been linked with a record-breaking move to Premier League title rivals Manchester City. However, chairman Daniel Levy looks hell bent on keeping the academy graduate beyond this summer.
And why not? Since being promoted to the senior level back in 2009 Kane has scored a total of 221 goals for the club. He averages an impressive 0.68 goals per game.
Alongside him is South Korean star Son, who is equally capable of scoring goals and has already crossed the century mark.
The duo compliment each other very well. They wrote their names in the Premier League record books by assisting one another for their 14th goal of the season back in March last season.
Together with them is former manager Jose Mourinho's Dutch signing Steven Bergwijn. The contributions of the 23-year-old often go unnoticed amidst the heroics of Kane and Son, but Bergwijn's efforts are equally important.
Mourinho had praised the Dutch international's discipline on the pitch while he was still the manager of the London-based club. Bergwijn started the season well with an assist for Son in the 1-0 win over Manchester City during their opening game of the Premier League season.
The trio can weave magic under Nuno Espirito Santo this season and bring success to the club in the Premier League.
#3 Manchester United: Sacho | Greenwood | Rashford (£211m)
Premier League giants Manchester United's newly-formed attacking trio are third on our list. The £73m the Red Devils paid for Sancho made him one of the most expensive transfers of the summer. His current value in the transfer market stands at £90m, making him one of the most valuable English players.
Although Rashford (£76m) is out with an injury at present, he could combine well with Sancho when he returns. Together, they could serve young striker Mason Greenwood (£45) well.
Young academy graduate Greenwood is equally adept with both of his feet and can be used either as a central striker or as a wide man. That gives Manchester United's attack versatility, which could be pivotal to the club's finding success in the Premier League.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about his desire to switch to a three-man attack this season. The trio could serve the manager's goal well in the Premier League.
Together, the trio scored a total of 49 goals between them last season and though Sancho was in a different league, his upbringing has been in England. Manchester United can therefore easily rest their hopes on the young trio this season.
#2 Liverpool: Mane | Salah | Firmino (£211m)
With the combined value of £211m the Liverpool trio of Sadio Mane (£76m), Mohamed Salah (£90m) and Roberto Firmino (£45m) make it to the second spot.
This combination has brought fruitful results for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool over the years in the Premier League. As a result, despite their advancing years, the German manager has hardly thought of replacing them.
The Brazilian Firmino is often considered to be the link between Mane and Salah and is therefore the most creative of Liverpool's famous attacking trio.
During the nascent stages, Firmino took up the most advanced position to win the ball back closer to the opposition's goal. Back then he was the second most prolific tackler in Klopp's side from his role as a central striker.
Salah, on the other hand, is now allowed to play more centrally given the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The defender operates as an attacking full-back, allowing Salah to operate more freely in attack.
When Alexander-Arnold receives the ball, Salah sprints forward to stretch the opposition defense and to be at the end of the cross from out wide.
Mane operates as yet another inside forward on the left-side of the pitch. Both Mane and Andrew Robertson work tirelessly on the left side, providing constant attacking threats as well as recovery runs for the Premier League club.
Undoubtedly, the Liverpool trio have been the most prolific in the Premier League in recent years.
#1 Chelsea: Mount | Lukaku | Havertz (£220m)
With a combined transfer value of £220m, Chelsea's attacking trio make it to the top of the Premier League's most valuable three-man attack list.
Chelsea made headlines when they brought their former striker Romelu Lukaku back to the Premier League from Inter Milan for a fee in the region of £97m.
Lukaku (£90m) had been in good goal scoring form before returning to the Premier League. He can flourish even further when he combines with the likes of Mason Mount (£67m) and Kai Havertz (£63m).
Both Havertz and Mount are central attacking midfielders by nature. But under Tuchel they tend to play just off the striker on either side as part of a front-three.
Havertz's left foot can provide Lukaku from the right and Mount's right foot can be used from the left in not just the Premier league but also in European games.
Making the combination even more deadly will be each of the attacking trio's ability to find the back of the net. Other Premier League clubs will therefore have to be cautious in their approach when they face Chelsea next time around.
They will have to guard their defense well before going out to attack because that could expose them to a quick Chelsea counter-attack. If the trio can hit the ground running straightaway, Chelsea will benefit massively in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
