Preseason continues to gather pace as we edge towards the 21/22 season kick off, and the brands have been rolling out their releases in preparation, which the pros have been showing off, alongside some throwback gems, special editions, and custom creations. It’s Monday, it’s Boot Spotting.
Harvey Elliott (Liverpool) New Balance Furon v6+
New Balance dropped the 'Alpha Flair' pack ready for the start of the new season, providing new looks for the Furon v6+ and Tekela v3+. And it's no longer just Sadio Mané that's the sole standard bearer for the brand, with fellow Liverpool teammate Harvey Elliott one of several new recruits, and the midfielder laced up the Furon in Liverpool's preseason friendly against Hertha BSC.
Alfie Gilchrist (Chelsea U21) Nike Tiempo Legend 9
Nike dropped the 'Motivation Pack' this week as their first on-pitch pack of the 21/22 season, and young Chelsea centre back, Alfie Gilchrist gave us our first glimpse of the Tiempo Legend 9 from the collection in action.
Ross Barkley (Chelsea) Nike Phantom GT II
There's some spill over from the Olympics into preseason, with the Nike 'Rawdacious Pack' being spotted on several pros. One such was Ross Barkley, who opted for the 'Rawdacious' Phantom GT II in their 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) Nike Mercurial Superfly IV
Aubameyang is always worth keeping an eye on, with the striker always keen on a special edition. For Arsenal's preseason clash with London rivals Chelsea, he opted for the Nike Mercurial Superfly IV 'Heritage ID' collection, which originally dropped back in 2018 ahead of the World Cup. Design doesn't need much explanation, paying homage to Ronaldo's OG Mercurial from 1998.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City) PUMA Ultra 1.3
PUMA launched the 'Faster Football' pack in a disjointed drop that saw the Ultra 1.3 arrive on the scene first. And it's this boot that Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko laced up in for his side's 4-0 win over Barnsley.
Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig) Nike Tiempo Legend 9
Alongside the colourful 'Rawdacious' and 'Motivation' packs for the new season, Nike also put out the more lowkey and subtle 'Renew Pack', offering blacked out versions of its roster with only hints of blue. It's not a pack that will be supported on-pitch by the professionals, but that hasn't stopped several lacing up in the appealing look, including RB Leipzig's US international, Tyler Adams.
Rob Holding (Arsenal) Nike Tiempo Legend 9
Shortly after Nike unveiled the next generation Tiempo Legend 9, the Swoosh dropped a special edition known as 'Focus', which featured details on the grey and white base that reflected light. Arsenal defender Rob Holding decided to take them for a spin in training this week, however he did not stick with them for the match against Chelsea.
Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus) Nike Mercurial Vapor XII
In amongst all of the new releases ahead of the new season there's plenty of space for some special edition sauce from yesteryear. Juve's Dejan Kulusevski showed off the Nike 'Euphoria Gold' Mercurial Vapor XII, which originally dropped back at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal) PUMA Future Z 1.2
Completing the 'Faster Football' pack, PUMA dropped the new look Future Z 1.2 at the end of July, and it was a surprise choice for Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles in training this week, suggesting he could be potentially set to join the German brand. Maitland-Niles is normally seen in throwback Nike boots, so it was an interesting choice to change up, but it wasn't;t carried into the preseason match with Chelsea.
Ben Nelson (Leicester City) Nike CTR Maestri 360 II
More throwback flavour, this time from Leicester City's Ben Nelson, who opted for the Nike CTR Maestri 360 II from 2012's 'Clash Collection' for his side's 1-0 preseason win over Wycombe.
Trevor Chalobah (Chelsea) Nike Phantom GT
More spotting from the Arsenal v Chelsea game, this time from Threvor Chalobah, who donned the special edition Nike Phantom GT.
Tegan McGowan (Chelsea Women) Nike Phantom x Skepta
Completing the Phantom special edition drops, and again coming from the Arsenal v Chelsea fixture, albeit the women's version, Tegan McGowan wore the Phantom x Skepta, which dropped back in May. The result went the other way in this game, with Arsenal edging Chelsea 2-1.
Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII
Adama Traore has been embracing his 'beast' persona, with a specially personalised pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII, customised by artist Swithadot. Traore is without a boot deal, and so continues to enjoy the freedom, expressing his personality through some sweet customisation.
