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  • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerAug 9, 2023, 04:00 AM ET

The 2023-24 Premier League season brings with it a whole host of new kits from all 20 teams for fans to run the rule over.

Home, away and (for most clubs, but not all) third alternate jerseys have been unleashed upon expectant fans who are hoping that their team won’t be the wearer of this season’s worst design disaster.

Clubs have drawn from a diverse range of influences for their designs: from historic kits and colours to street maps and stadium architecture, and from bubbles to bees’ wings.

While there is still everything left to play for on the pitch this season, by the time the season kicks off we can at least decide which Premier League teams are the winners in the style stakes and which deserve the drop for their fashion faux pas.

Each club’s combined output of jerseys is ranked from 20-1, but with several kits still to be released, those positions could yet change — for better or worse.

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Home: Spurs are one of two clubs who have so far released only one kit for 2023-24. They say that this kit’s woven pattern is inspired by London N17’s broadcasting heritage — specifically Alexandra Palace, the North London venue from where the world’s first public television broadcasts were made in 1936. A very tenuous bit of blurb for a very plain white kit with navy cuffs.

Home: Chelsea have opted for the easy allure of nostalgia with a throwback to their 1997-98 home kit worn by the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo and the late, great Gianluca Vialli while winning a League Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup double. The iridescent gold details are a nice touch, though it’s hard to deliver a final judgement until the club finally gets a shirt sponsor. That crucial detail probably explains why, like Spurs, they are yet to release more than one kit so far.

18. Fulham (Adidas)

Home: At first glance it looks like Fulham have been palmed off with a fairly plain template here, but the contrasting coloured stripes on the shoulders are a subtly distinctive innovation from Adidas.

Away: Bright pink. VERY bright pink. The club are calling it “shock pink,” which they say is based “on the popularity of Fulham’s training wear from recent seasons.” We’ll take their word for it.

Home: Brighton’s new home kit is — surprise, surprise — a basic blue-and-white-striped design with Nike’s “bib” template front panel to break up the lines. In all honesty, it’s hard to get excited about.

Away: Green-and-black stripes return to the club for the first time since 2012-13, though it has the whiff of a midtable Serie A side. Just as well the Seagulls’ brand of football is more exciting than their kits.

Home: Forest are yet to announce a new shirt sponsor, so this red template kit is entirely devoid of feature or flourish. But, as the club celebrate their 125th year at the City Ground next season, what better way to mark your quasquicentennial anniversary?

Away: The faint blue waves running down the length of this white shirt create an unsightly “bulging” optical illusion in the midriff area. If it makes honed professional footballers look portly, what chance does the average middle-aged bloke in the terraces have of looking good wearing it?

Third: The design of this fluorescent orange print on a navy background is, according to the club, inspired by Nottingham Castle. Though quite how is anybody’s guess.

Home: Burnley’s return to the Premier League means we once again have three claret-and-blue clubs in the top flight. This design is inspired by the 1994 home shirt, worn the year the Clarets were successfully promoted to the second tier of English football after a playoff victory against Stockport County.

Away: The club inform us that this bright yellow number with a stippled black-and-claret vertical bar is a modern spin on the club’s jaunty striped away kit from that same year, which somehow remains a fan favourite despite being an utter eyesore.

Third: Designed to celebrate the “iconic” floodlights at Turf Moor with a graphic that mirrors the cold Lancashire rain absolutely lashing down during a particularly sodden midweek night fixture.

Home: Luton Town’s first-ever Premier League kit is a spin on the look used during the club’s 1970s prime (which was also revisited a decade ago) with an offset vertical bar housing the club crest. While it’s always nice to see a splash of bright orange, the 2023-24 update just looks dated.

Away: The Hatters have gone for a straightforward colour reverse of their home kit for use on the road this season. It’s not a world-beater, but is nicer on the eye than the predominantly orange version.

Home: A gold-tinged kit that pays tribute to Arsenal’s famed “Invincibles” team 20 years on from their unbeaten 2003-04 title-winning campaign. Unfortunately, the regal gleam was dulled ever so slightly by a design error in the replica shirts that featured an incomplete recap of only 32 of the 38 games in the team’s W/D/L record, robbing Arsene Wenger’s fabled team of their final six games of the campaign.

Away: This gaudy neon yellow jersey bears a series of wavy black ripples across the torso, apparently (says Adidas) inspired by the street map of the London district of Islington, Arsenal’s home patch. Some fans love it, some fans hate it. Personally, we’ll be glad to see the back of it in a year’s time.

Home: Man United will be playing in a deeper red than usual, though the familiar black and white trim remains. The geometric rose pattern is inspired by the city’s emblematic flower as well as the struts and beams of the bridge over the River Irwell, which connects the neighbouring cities of Manchester and Salford.

Away: A grimy green shirt with far, far, far too many stripes. The design is based on United’s striped away shirts from the turn of the 20th Century, though Adidas says that the base colour is also meant to reflect the working heritage and brickwork of old industrial buildings of Manchester. It’s a no from us.

Third: Adidas says this shirt is an ode to United’s FA Cup-winning side of 1908-09, but in reality it is essentially a generic white t-shirt complete with minimal red detailing. But the Red Devil emblem on the crest — and getting the devilish Roy Keane to star in the unveiling — are enough to make it memorable.

Home: Harking back to Bill Shankly’s final season in charge at Anfield in the early 1970s, this plain, deep red jersey is adorned only by chunky white collar and cuffs. Era appropriate, yes, but a bit dull.

Away: Basing their away kit on the memorable green-and-white quartered jersey of 1995-96 was an excellent choice, but unfortunately the modern reworking falls a long way short of its predecessor. The patchy digital graphic employed here is vastly inferior.

Home: Bournemouth have opted for a simple design with narrow red stripes on a black base, rather than their traditional broader bars. It gets an extra style point for the retro press-stud “grandad” collar too.

Away: This two-tone blue jersey with a wave pattern conjures images of a bracing stroll along the promenade on Bournemouth seafront. The marine theme is perhaps a little on the nose but, given that the Vitality Stadium is situated a mile or so from the beach, we’ll allow it.

Third: An update of the Cherries’ 1996-98 away kit, which also came in blue and yellow halves and was worn by the club during their Division Two days. The revamp features a rough “scratchy” brushstroke effect that gives the impression that the painting is only half-finished.

Home: According to manufacturer Castore, the pattern across the claret torso is a visualisation of soundwaves, representing fans chanting “Allez, Allez, Allez” at Villa Park on matchdays. The overall design is fairly uninspired, but the redesigned circular crest does at least offer a nod to Villa’s European Cup-winning side of 1982.

Away: While the 1982 crest is again carried on the chest of Villa’s white away shirt, the fragmented silver print is made up of elements of all the different designs of the club’s badge since their foundation in 1874.

Home: Brentford have launched a new home kit for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, continuing with a policy they say is to reduce the financial burden on supporters. It features wider bar stripes, with the red ones transitioning to black, and additional black panels under the arms. It’s fine, but has the definite air of a generic shirt that a fictional movie team might wear.

Away: The Bees’ away kit, which is the same as last season’s, is light blue with a darker “marl” pattern running through it. It’s capped off with dark blue trim inspired by the geometric patterned shirts worn on the road during the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Third: Navy, pink and turquoise, with a graphic design based on the magnified image of a bee’s wing, Brentford say that their groovy third alternate jersey is “designed to be worn casually and socially.” Can’t see too many club bouncers agreeing with that.

Home: No club does gold like Wolves, so why tamper with it? This new home shirt is marked out by the thin monochrome collar and cuffs.

Away: Ruben Neves may be gone but there remains a hefty Portuguese contingent in the Wolves squad, so the club have once again leant into that with the colours of their away kit. The shirt is also infused with Mediterranean building and tile patterns to offer Wolves’ many southern European players a taste of home

Home: Another sponsor-less kit, Sheffield United’s red-and-white stripes stand out more with the addition of a black outline. The block red sleeves and block collar are reminiscent of the Blades’ 1997-99 home shirt — i.e. the kit worn by star striker Sean Bean in the movie “When Saturday Comes.”

Away: The retro vibes continue with the away kit, which harks back to the sunny yellow alternate jerseys worn during the 1980s and early 1990s. Other than that, decoration is limited to a matching set of red and black V-neck and cuffs.

Third: This steel grey jersey, with subtle stripes made up of a repeating metal treadplate effect, is perfect for wearing on the terraces or using to create hardwearing, non-slip surfaces in both industrial and domestic settings.

Home: Inspired by the club’s beloved prematch anthem “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” the new West Ham home shirt quite literally has bubbles all over it — which is, of course, ridiculous. However, credit for them trying something a little out of the ordinary and pulling it off.

Away: A shimmering silver crest on a white shirt with a retro rounded collar. The club say that the pristine design represents the “blank canvas” on which the “West Ham Way” of attacking football was drafted in the 1950s.

Home: Royal blue with an oversized retro white collar, Hummel have once again produced the goods for Everton with this classically styled home jersey. The Toffees are set to bid farewell to Goodison Park at the end of the season, so it’s nice to see the club’s spiritual home represented, with the collar and cuffs bearing a pattern inspired by the stadium architecture.

Away: Everton have essentially merged two of their away kits from the mid-1990s here: the coral pink and navy colour scheme and vertical stripes are taken from the 1992-94 away kit, while the jagged pattern is lifted from the one that immediately followed it.

Home: Half blue and half red, Palace have opted for a half-and-half shirt design for the first time since 2013-14 to mark the 10-year anniversary of their most recent promotion to Premier League. The architectural pattern visible in the background is a silhouette of the original Crystal Palace, where the club was founded in 1861. An excellent blend of history and modernity.

Away: The sash is back! Though if we were to nitpick, we might suggest that the “Crystal Palace Football Club Founded 1861” text printed repeatedly in the fabric makes an otherwise lovely jersey feel just a little too busy. The subdued white and light blue colours are inspired by Palace’s original 1861 kit.

Third: A high-sheen black shirt with a stylised, dark grey graffiti print made up of the words “South London” and “Proud.” The etchings serve as a nod to the street art found daubed on walls in Palace’s home corner of the city, though also have the unfortunate effect of making the jersey look a bit like a crinkly bin bag from a distance.

Home: A straightforward black-and-white striped design with thin monochrome bars on the collar and sleeve cuffs. Castore have kept it simple here, and the jersey is all the better for that.

Away: A two-tone green shirt with an angular, tessellating pattern. The jersey will be paired with white shirts, so the ensemble will reflect the colours of the Saudi Arabia flag to honour the club’s owners.

Third: Wearing this deep navy blue shirt highlighted by “electric” yellow trim and detailing, with the torso bearing a subtle chevron print, Newcastle will look the part when they embark on their first Champions League away trips in 20 years.

Home: A celebration of a rollercoaster 20 years at the Etihad stadium, City’s new shirt is a sky blue and white design that recalls the first kit the club wore at their new home in 2003-04. The large V-neck looks smart, as is the subtle striping which, according to Puma, is created by a pattern inspired by the four spiral “turrets” outside the ground.

Third: Designed around the concept of “ElectriCITY” (see what they did there?), City’s navy and neon third kit has a crackling spark pattern, while flashy neon pink versions of the crest and sponsor logos give it a certain dystopian sci-fi feel.

This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.
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