It is that time of the year, the new jerseys are rolling out and boy we have some contenders for the prettiest and ugliest kits the English Premier League has ever seen.
With new shirt sponsors chosen and kit suppliers busy throughout the summer, EPL sides have been releasing new merchandise in their droves.
Some of the designs have caused considerable debate, particularly Liverpool’s away jersey and Southampton’s severe lack of red and white stripes.
However, we know that fans across the globe will be flocking to their nearest store or shopping online to pick up the latest edition of their favorite team’s jersey.
Not every EPL teams has a new kit. But the overwhelming majority do. Here’s a roundup of the new shirts and a few photos to go along with it.
I just want to point out, I am no fashion expert. Oh no. But I do know what I like in soccer jersey’s and a few of these are questionable, at best.
Let us know which shirts you like or despise, in the comments below.
Aston Villa
Villa’s home shirt is great, no qualms about that. But the away kit... someone get me a bucket, quick. It is horrendous. Huge squares of some claret color stuck onto a white jersey, then the sponsor is just huge and well, as you can tell I’m not impressed.
Cardiff City
Cardiff’s Malaysian owners caused a huge fuss last season when they switched the team’s home colors to red and re-designed the clubs logo. The Bluebirds latest kit for their first-ever season in the EPL isn’t the greatest. A weird round-neck collar and dodgy shorts say it all. But hopefully on the field they will exceed expectations, just like last season.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s ad campaign for these new ‘true blue’ adidas shirts was quite bizarre, blue paint and half naked soccer players were everywhere. But this shirt is sleek and tidy, with the away shirt looking fresh in white.
Crystal Palace
Palace’s new shirts have been out for quite some time. On May 7 before promotion they released these kits and it sticks true to the roots. A new badge is also really smart, with the eagle coming to life on the logo. Make sure to check that out.
Everton
Lovely shirt. Honestly, it is a real stunner. Great collar, the white stripes on the arms look fantastic and just a classic Everton jersey. However the re-designed badge is causing a lot of fuss up on Merseyside. A new “modern” look to Everton’s famous logo has not gone down well. At all.
Hull City
Simple away shirt design for Hull, as they’ve released their new adidas shirt with a bright blue and red panel. Simple.
Liverpool
Well, well, well. What do we have here. Honestly, it looks like a game of Tetris is going on across the bottom half of Liverpool’s new away shirts. American company Warrior have certainly pushed the boundary here. Bold. But not quite sure if it’s beautiful.
Manchester City
Light blue and simple, City switched suppliers to Nike in a huge deal. Really like the simplicity of this shirt and a lovely shade of dark blue/black is appaently featured on the away kit too.
Manchester United
Most United fans will be pleased to see a collar return to the Red Devils home shirt. Not since the days of Eric Cantona have we seen a player properly flick up the collar and nutmeg someone with outrageous panache. Maybe Robin van Persie can pop the collar next season?
Newcastle United
Newcastle United’s shirt sponsors have been the main talking point this summer. Papis Demba Cisse has claimed he won’t wear any shirt with “Wonga.com” emblazoned across it, due to his religious believes about the money lending company. Plenty of other Newcastle players have supported him. Oh dear. Their new blue away kit looks okay though.
Norwich City
The Canaries launched their new home shirt at the end of last season, wearing it during their superb 3-2 away win over Manchester City. You get what you expect, lashing of yellow and green. Standard.
Southampton
There has been a considerable uprising against Southampton’s latest shirt. As you can see below, the traditional red and white stripes have completely disappeared. Last season’s shirt was red with small white pinstripes... So the gradual easing out of tradition hasn’t gone done well with Saints fans. Personally I think the Liverpool-esque design is quite snazzy.
Stoke City
Electric yellow and dark gray aren’t a combination you see often. But Stoke have that in their away shirt for next season. Let’s hope it ‘sparks’ more victories on the road Mark Hughes side, as the Potters won just twice away from the Britannia in 2012-13.
Sunderland
Sunderland fans out there, I would love to hear your opinion on this away kit. Quite frankly, it has to be one of the worst EPL shirts I’ve seen. The gaudy bright yellow color will certainly see the Black Cats stand out. This will look at home amongst the fluorescent jackets on a building site.
Swansea City
What you would expect from Swansea. Fresh and to the point with a plain white home kit with black undertones. The away kit is okay, blue and yellow never did any harm. But those huge sponsor logo’s on the front of the shirt need to be toned down.
West Bromwich Albion
Red and black stripes and a tasteful sponsor, West Brom fans will enjoy this retro away jersey which has been pulled back from the vaults. Just a great kit.
West Ham United
Another case of some old, same old. West Ham wear claret and blue. The home and away kits are a combination of claret and blue. Simple. Effective. Carry on.