This is every single section, every single team, every preview, every signing all in one. This is the Premier League 24/25 preview and predictions, compiled into one. Settle in, this is 18885 words of pure football.

The title contenders:

1st: Arsenal

First come Arsenal. Last season they were oh so close to clinching the title, they were almost flawless in the run in, but in a defining week in their season, they were knocked out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich and lost 0-2 at home to Aston Villa. If they had won that game, they would have won the league by one point. The notion that they threw away the title, or “bottled it” is completely false, they finished on 89 points, which would have been enough to win the league in 2 of the last 3 seasons.

This Arsenal side have everything you need to win a title, they are strong from set pieces and the kings of the fine margins. They are resilient, can defend deep for long periods if that is what the situation requires, they are the best team in the world at doing this right now. Last season we saw them defend in a compact 4-4-2 in games where they knew they would come under pressure. An example of this comes from their 0-3 win against Brighton last season:

Here you can see Arsenal set up just outside their own box, they are compact and almost impossible to break down in this state. However, their body language is also positive, aggressive, switched on. A few seconds after this, Trossard wins the ball back, lays it off to Havertz, who plays it back through for Trossard, who eventually scores. That’s what Arsenal do well in this type of defending, they aren’t passive, teams that are passive when trying this are those that fail.

That is the thing with this Arsenal team, nothing is above them, they are so determined to win, and they’ll do anything to get what they want, it is testament to the mentality that Mikel Arteta has instilled into this group. A lot was made of the dog that Arsenal have at their training ground, called “Win”, and it is a bit silly really, but it does show the extremities that Arteta is willing to go to to get this message across to his players.

It’s tempting to think that this might go wrong for Arsenal, but they are so good at it, that it’s difficult to see how it does fail. Expected goals, or XG, is a flawed metric, but it does help show us just how good Arsenal are at defending deep and limiting their opponents’ opportunities.

In that Brighton game, in the second half, where they defending deep for almost all of the half, Brighton had 68% possession of the ball, yet they only had 4 shots, and 0.27 XG.

Brighton are a decent side, but they aren’t the toughest of tests, so you may think that perhaps Arsenal can’t do this against better opposition, who can do more with all that possession, well if you thought that, you’d be wrong. Just a week before that Brighton game, Arsenal faced Manchester City, away at the Etihad, and kept them to a 0-0 draw, not many other teams have done that. Man City had 73% possession of the ball in that game, and only created 1.02 XG over the entire game, which was one of their lowest totals of the whole season.

Arsenal were widely criticised for that approach at the Etihad, but grinding out results like that can be the difference between winning the League and losing it. In the 22/23 season, where Arsenal “bottled it” winning just one of their games against Man City would have been enough to win them the League. Both of which they lost in reality.

The only worry I would have with this would be that Arsenal could become too reliant on defending deep, and find themselves unable to get out of that low block, and giving all the momentum to the opposition. I could imagine a scenario, away at Anfield, Arsenal are 0-1 up in the 75th minute, defending deep, then Trent Alexander-Arnold fires one into the back of the net from range to equalise, the crowd erupt, and suck the ball towards the net at the Kop end, Liverpool end up getting another, winning the game. (You heard it here first)

That may well happen, but I think Arsenal are adaptable enough to avoid that scenario, and it’s not like they can’t attack anymore, around the time of the games that I spoke about earlier when they sat off, they demolished Chelsea 5-0 and went on a four game streak of scoring at least four goals in a game. They are an elite attacking side, and can control games so effectively.

Bukayo Saka is possibly the best right winger in the world, Martin Odegaard is their leader in every phase of play, and is crucial to everything they do, Kai Havertz has excelled as a centre forward who can also drop deep and pull opposition apart, they are elite in every sense.

Furthermore, the method of sitting off at times could actually help them, because at times last season they struggled to break teams that sat off against them, if Arsenal defend a little deeper, and invite their opposition higher up the pitch, it could open up space in behind for Arsenal to exploit, as shown earlier in that Trossard goal against Brighton.

This flexibility is exactly what can help them find solutions throughout a season, and they have certainly added to that in the transfer market.

Arsenal have recruited shrewdly this summer, Riccardo Calafiori is a great signing, which gives them increased depth at the back, and provides them with a different option. Calafiori, left-footed, can play Centre Back and Left Back, he excels in carrying the ball as he often did so into central areas for Bologna. The best way to describe him would be a more aggressive version of John Stones.

The addition of Mikel Merino is not one that many people were expecting, as although he was part of the Spain team that won the Euros , he was mostly used off the bench ,and was forced to watch on as Fabian Ruiz excelled in his position. However, when you look a little deeper, Merino is exactly the kind of signing that Arsenal make, he stands at 6’2, and excels in the air, this was perfectly illustrated by his dramatic late winner in the Euros quarter final against Germany, where he rose highest with an incredible leap to head the ball into the back of the net to give Spain the win.

Merino is also a technical player, who can play as a number 8 or as a number 6 in a double pivot. He focuses on the left hand side, so could be the solution to Arsenal’s problems down that side in midfield which plagued them last season.

Arsenal will also welcome back Jurrien Timber to the squad this season, after he spent all of last season injured, and we have only seen 60 minutes from him in the Premier League, he adds yet more depth to an already elite back line, and will be like a new signing for them.

ONE TO WATCH: Kai Havertz

For years, Kai Havertz has struggled with not really having a best position, he’s been played in central midfield, attacking midfield and even on the wing at times in the past, but by the end of the season, Mikel Arteta found the place for him, Havertz excelled as a central striker last year, racking up 13 goals and 10 assists last season. If he can have a full season playing in that position, he could finally become the star that we all expected him to be when he joined Chelsea 4 years ago.

2nd: Manchester City

Over the past seven years, Manchester City have been inevitable. 6 out of the last 7 Premier League titles have gone to the Etihad, they’ve won the Champions League and multiple FA Cups and Caraboa Cups. They’ve won the Super Cup, Community Shield and Club World Cup as well. It has been pure dominance. They have raised the level so high, in the past, if you got around 85 points in a season, you were almost certain to win the League, in the Man City era, teams have acquired 97, 92 and 89 points, and still finished behind City. The only League title that City haven’t one since 2017 was when Liverpool got 99 points in the 19/20 season. However, all eras must come to an end.

There is much uncertainty around Man City at the moment. Their 115 charges centred around the Premier League and UEFA’s financial rules loom ever larger, with a verdict expected by the end of the season. It is unknown what the punishment would be if they are found guilty, but the prospect of a massive points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League is frightening, as it would be completely unprecedented if that were to be the case. The future of Pep Guardiola is also uncertain. The Spaniard is out of contract at the end of the season, and has hinted at taking on a new challenge. Guardiola has been at Man City for 8 years now, by the end of the season it will be 9, there has to be some form of lethargy there, Guardiola is also ambitious, and will want to try something different. The 115 charges and Guardiola’s future are intertwined, if Pep gets an inclination that the repercussions of the charges could be serious, surely he will not stick around. Losing Guardiola would be calamitous for City, everything at City is built around him, every signing comes from Guardiola, he has left his mark on this club and everything runs to his standards, any new manager would have a very difficult job. Although, the squad is very strong, so that would soften the difficulty of the challenge.

Man City’s squad is so strong that they have only made one addition this summer, Savinho from Girona. Savinho is a 20 year old Brazilian winger. He is left footed, and mainly played off the left hand side for Girona last season, but is also capable of playing on the right. He played the full season for Girona, in an exceptional season for him and the club, he scored 9 goals, and provided 11 assists across the season. One of Savinho’s most distinct traits is his directness with the ball, he possesses exceptional dribbling ability, and loves to beat a man on the outside and then put a dangerous cross into the box. This will be music to the ears of Erling Haaland, who thrives off of these types of crosses. It has been rumoured that Jeremy Doku was signed last summer by City that the initial intention was for him to play on the right hand side, but that did not work out. The signing of Savinho to could reopen that prospect, giving another dimension to City, as if they played Savinho and Doku on either wing, on the left and right respectively, they could take on their man from that static position that we see City’s wingers in so much, and put a cross in for Haaland to attack. This leads me on to the topic of Haaland, who could be in for a huge season. Last year, he suffered from injuries, and clearly wasn’t himself for the second half of the year, he wasn’t moving with the sharpness of his first year and he missed chances that you could never imagine Haaland even having any doubt about. Yet, he still managed 27 Premier League goals in 29 starts. He has had the summer to recover, without the burden of playing in the EUROS or the Olympics, he has been in the mountains chopping down trees and meditating in rivers over the summer, and whilst that doesn’t automatically mean that he can score on a wet, cold Tuesday night at Bournemouth, he will be refreshed and physically at his best. The addition of Savio and the permanent return of Kevin De Bruyne will also do Haaland a world of good.

There is also the tantalising prospect of a full season of Phill Foden playing in the middle, Guardiola has to play him there, he submitted to it come the end of the season and when De Bruyne was out injured, having previously had doubts about his defensive capabilities. Guardiola was rewarded, Foden scored 5 goals in his last 5 games of the season, including a crucial brace against West Ham on the final day, where he twice let the ball run across his body and fired it into the net with his left foot, securing City the title. Foden has played in attacking midfield 54 times in his career, in those games he has scored 30 goals and 21 assists. Surely that appearances total will double this season, and Foden will have his best season yet.

There is plenty to be positive about for Man City this season, although they have lost Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, the rest of their key players are staying, which is a huge boost. They also remain one of the juggernauts of world football, and I could see them replicating their Champions League success of 22/23. However, I believe they will come up just short this season, we saw cracks appearing in City’s resolve last season, they switched off at points. I think back to their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in December, where they felt as if the game was done, only to concede 2 late goals, which could have been very costly come the end of the season. It will be a close run affair, but I think this will be the end of Manchester City’s dominance, and who knows what will come after this.

ONE TO WATCH: Oscar Bobb

Oscar Bobb is a star, only 21 years old, the Norwegian has shown flashes of his exceptional talent so far in a City shirt. In January, in a crunch match against Newcastle, City were in a lurch, the game was level at 2-2, and Bobb was entrusted by his manager to come on in place of Jeremy Doku and make a difference, and that trust paid off. Kevin De Bruyne played a wonderful ball in behind, only to be matched by Bobb’s inch perfect run, and first touch which took him around a defender and the goalkeeper at a seemingly impossible angle, then slotting the ball into the net to win it for City. He has continued to show his talent in pre-season, with 2 goals and 3 assists in 4 appearances. Guardiola has labelled Bobb as “incredible” and has praised his control over the ball and ability in tight spaces, he’s right, the ball seems to stick to Bobb when he has it at his feet, and with City desperate to avoid a repeat of the Cole Palmer saga, Bobb could be in for much more game time this season, in what could be a breakout year for him.

3rd: Liverpool

It’s a new era at Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp changed Liverpool, and will be remembered as one of their greatest managers of all time, he won everything with Liverpool and when he announced his departure, a city cried in unison. It wasn’t quite the farewell that Klopp would have wanted, especially as when he announced that he was leaving at the end of the season the quadruple was still possible, in the end they only won the Carabao Cup last season, and finished 3rd in the Premier League. Arne Slot still has a huge job on his hands.

Transfer activity has been minimal so far from Liverpool, but I actually think that that is a good thing, it shows that the club isn’t panicking just because of a managerial change, and the real revolution “Liverpool 2.0” if you want to call it that, occurred last summer. Slot is assessing the squad, and he has said multiple times that the squad is already good, and doesn’t need tearing up.

Slot is similar to Klopp in that he wants to control the game and uuses relentless high pressing, however, Slot, unlike Klopp, wants control by killing the opposition with passes. This is shown as last season, under Slot, Feyenoord averaged 609 passes per game, and Liverpool averaged 532 passes per game.

While the expectation has been that there will be a drop off from Liverpool this season, I actually think it may be the opposite, many of Liverpool’s players suit a more possession based style. Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szobozlai, Harvey Elliot, Curtis Jones, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac-Allister are all exceptionally technical players who were under-utilised in Klopp’s more rock and roll transitional football.

While it was Klopp’s decision to leave, and the club would have wanted him to stay, I think it may actually be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool, Klopp had been the manager for almost 9 years, and it was inevitable that lethargy could start to kick in, not just from the staff, but the players as well. The players will get behind Slot, and I don’t think it will take much for the fans to forge a connection with him as well.

Slot’s reign won’t come without it’s issues however, he has to deal with his three best players; Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk all being out of contract at the end of the season. All three players are too valuable to lose on a free transfer, so a decision needs to be made, they either need to be convinced that this project is right for them, and sign a new contract, or be sold. Losing any of them would be a huge problem and would be a damning indictment of the potential of Slot’s project.

Another potential issue for Slot is often, when a new manager comes in to a top side and looks to dominate possession, the players freeze up, knowing that their aim is to keep possession, so they just play sideways, there is a big difference between possession, and meaningful possession, Slot has to ensure that his team are brave, positive and use the ball in purposeful way, otherwise they could find themselves in a situation where they keep the ball for a while, have around 75% possession, but get hit on the counter once or twice and lose that way.

Those issues are why I don’t have them down as champions, but I do believe that this season could be a much more positive one for Liverpool than many people may expect.

ONE TO WATCH: Cody Gakpo

Despite showing flashes, Gakpo has never lived up to his true potential in a Liverpool shirt. He has been excellent whenever he has played for the Netherlands, and was one of the standout players in the Euros just gone by, but he was not suited to Klopp’s transitional approach, and was never fully trusted under Klopp. Gakpo only started 17 games last season, and racked up 8 goals and 5 assists in that time, so he’s clearly a talented player. Arne Slot’s style suit’s him very well, he will be able to get on the ball more, and do more damage with it, don’t be surprised if he becomes an integral part of this new era for Liverpool playing off the left hand side.

The fight for the europe:

4th: Manchester United

This is Manchester United Football Club that we’re talking about. MANCHESTER UNITED. Last year was a nightmare for Manchester United Football Club. Their injury woes are well documented, but it was their lack of cohesive tactical ideas which was the main issue. The narrative that they don’t have a style of play is wrong, they had a style of play, it just wasn’t very well executed, Ten Hag also didn’t have faith in his squad players, as he constantly blamed injuries in his press conferences, it wouldn’t be very inspiring if you were one of the players stepping in to the team would it?

Following on from that last part, the actual issue with Man United which wasn’t spoken about enough was that the individual players weren’t performing at their best. Rashford had an abject season, Antony was totally ineffective, Casemiro, Varane and Shaw dropped off completely. That was the opposite to Ten Hag’s first season, where players such as Rashford shone.

You have to take into account that first season under Ten hag when you think about the state of Man United, they finished 3rd, playing some enthralling football, and it really felt as if they had turned a corner, they were electric. Last year was almost the complete opposite, and if not for their victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup, Ten Hag would likely not be their manager right now.

This is my worry with United, do INEOS (who I’m not going to talk about much because quite frankly all the discourse around Man United’s ownership is tiresome) really back Ten Hag? He wasn’t their appointment, and were on the verge of sacking him, so will they really keep the faith if times are tough this season?

They have recruited well this summer, Leny Yoro is a coup of a transfer, one of the most talented young players in the world, snatched from under the nose of Real Madrid, who were confident of waiting 12 more months until his contract expired at Lille. Yoro is only 18 though, and will need time to adapt, time that he may not be given due to the inevitable pressure and scrutiny that he will need to deal with. The injury which he has picked up in pre-season will not help him, as he will struggle more as he tries to adapt to the league and recover physically simultaneously.

Joshua Zirkzee has also arrived this summer, and is a very interesting signing. Zirkzee is a centre-forward, and will provide competition for Rasmus Hojlund up front. He provides a different profile to Hojlund, Zirkzee is 6’4, but he is not a target man, his speciality is dropping deep and linking up the play, he’s also a dribbler, and loves carrying the ball forward. When Zirkzee plays, he will likely play a role more similar to what Wout Weghorst played in his short spell at United, Zirkzee dropping in could open up the space for Marcus Rashford to thrive upon, and we could see Rashford return to the levels of 22/23.

The addition of Matthijs De Ligt will be a solid one, as he is a proven quality centre-back, who can come in and add depth into an area where United struggled massively last season. United fans will be accustomed by signing ex Ajax players by now, and De Ligt is no exception, he was a part of that golden Ajax team which reached the Champions League final in 2019, managed by Ten Hag, and although his performances have waned since he has been at Juventus and Bayern Munich respectively, he is still an elite option, and will help United move towards the front footed defending that they tried and failed to apply last season.

Noussair Mazraoui, also from Bayern Munich, also ex Ajax (are you seeing a pattern?), is a slightly more confusing signing, he is a right-back by trade, but can also fill in at left-back, so he can offer solid cover in an area where United struggles last year. However, the arrival of Mazraoui would mean that Aaron Wan-Bissaka would leave the club. Whilst Wan-Bissaka isn’t exceptional in possession, he provides a profile of player which is very useful and rare, he is unbeatable in 1v1 situations, and has proved crucial in games against high profile opposition in the past. Some have been keen to see Wan-Bissaka leave United, but he would be a big loss for them, and Mazraoui is a solid player, and is decent squad depth for United, but I’m not sure if he is quite what they need.

Work still needs to be done in terms of outgoings for Man United, they will be glad to have ended the Mason Greenwood saga, as he has departed for Marseille, meanwhile Donny Van De Beek, Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane have all left the club, the later two both having their contracts expire. However, there is still plenty of dead wood in their squad which they need to clear out. Victor Lindelof, Scott Mctominay and Christian Eriksen are all out of contract at the end of the season and should be sold this summer to ensure they don’t leave on a free in 12 months time, whilst players like Casemiro and Antony realistically don’t have long term futures at the club, and they should be moved on.

Many things were wrong with Manchester United last season, and a manager should be able to work with all of their players, and shouldn’t use injuries as an excuse for a poor season, but the truth remains, in his first season, and at rare points last season when Erik Ten Hag has had his best players available, United have looked strong, and capable of beating anyone. Their first choice team is pretty strong on paper: Onana, Dalot, Yoro, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes, Rashford, Amad, Hojlund.

Ten Hag has also nurtured young players and intergrated them into the first team, that is the identity of Manchester United, going all the way back to the class of ’92. Mainoo, Garnacho and Amad have all been developed at United, and now are key parts of the first team squad having been developed by Ten Hag.

Manchester United are hard to predict, they could be thrilling, or calamitous, or even both, but they’ve got exciting options in their squad, and a manager that has proven that he can achieve success with this club, and I expect a bounce-back season from them.

ONE TO WATCH: Amad Diallo

This is the player that I have put forward as one to watch that I am most confident in this season. Amad Diallo is a star. In his first year of English football, he scored 13 goals in 27 starts whilst on loan with Sunderland in the Championship, increasing expectations for what he could achieve last season.

As it was, he struggled with injuries last year, so could only make 12 appearances, 9 of which were in the Premier League but he showed glimpses of his immense talent, he announced himself onto the world stage when he scored a last minute winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter final, he then scored and assisted in a 3-2 win against Newcastle at the end of last season, at which time he went on a run of games in the team. He has continued that form into pre-season, scoring 2 goals in 4 games.

There is a real chance for him to establish himself in that right wing position, with Alejandro Garnacho just returning from the Copa America, and his best position being off the left, whilst Antony hasn’t shown any evidence that he is better than Amad, and Jadon Sancho is just so unknown in a Manchester United shirt that you can’t trust him to be an important part of the team. Ten Hag himself said that “This has to be Amad’s season”, and he’s right, this is Amad’s year.

5th: Newcastle

Last season was a mixed bag for Newcastle, thier fans would have had some of their best nights as a Newcastle fan, including what will become a famous victory over PSG , 4-1 at home in the Champions League. Whilst the Champions League thrilled fans, with away trips to PSG, Dortmund and Milan, it derailed their League season. They suffered from a terrible injury crisis, meaning that the same eleven players were having to play every game, 90 minutes on the Saturday, 90 minutes on the Wednesday, 90 minutes again the next Saturday. They were burnt out, and Newcastle’s energetic style of play requires players that are fit and able to run for a full game, so burnout is pretty much the worst thing that could happen to them.

This season however, they are not burdened with dealing with the Champions League and severe fixture congestion. After finishing 7th in the League last season, and Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph, Newcastle will play no European football next year, which could give them the platform to jump up the League table. At the end of last season, when they had come out of that period where they struggled with burnout, they were excellent, and looked more like the team that finished 4th the season before last.

Their team is very strong, but their strong team ethos is their main quality, they work hard for each other, and are an aggressive, physical team, a nightmare for opposition. At home especially, they are almost unstoppable. I saw Newcastle play against Crystal Palace last year, at St James’ Park, Newcastle won the game 4-0 (not a great result for me), and were completely unstoppable, it felt at the time, watching them that they were in a different league to Palace, they were quicker, stronger and more aggressive than Palace in every aspect of the game, they were such a coherent team, and their overlapping full-backs and relentless pressing caused all kinds of problems for Palace. If they play like they did that day, they are capable of beating ayone. Their fans drive them on, and once they get on a roll with the momentum behind them, they are unstoppable.

They do though, have to push on and improve their squad for this year, and they have managed to do that. Despite losing Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in order to stay in line with PSR, they have not been forced to sell any of their star players.

The imminent signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace is a real ceiling raiser, he is. a top, top player. Palace fans have known ever since he signed, but Marc Guehi is elite, and the rest of the nation saw it at the Euros. Guehi excelled alongside John Stones at the back for England, and was arguably England’s best performer in the tournament. The signing of Guehi is a real coup for Newcastle, as he is certainly a player that would have been on the radar of Europe’s elite. He’s only 24, and with him, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, they have a quality back line set for the next decade.

They have also added Lloyd Kelly, on a free transfer from Bournemouth. Kelly is a shrewd signing, he’s 25 years old, so approaching his prime, he fits the homegrown quota and can cover centre back and left back. For a free transfer, he’s pretty perfect.

William Osula is also set to arrive from Sheffield United. Osula is a weird one, as he’s young and obviously talented, but also he is a 21 year old centre-forward who hasn’t scored a goal above League One level. He does though, add depth to attacking areas, where Newcastle suffered from many injuries last season.

Newcastle will also welcome back Sandro Tonali this season, following his suspension for betting offences which kept him out of football for the majority of last season. It is yet to seen if Tonali will get back to his pre-suspension best, but if he can, he would be a major boost to Newcastle’s prospects, and a massive upgrade in their midfield.

One of their main issues is away form. We’ve spoken about how dynamic they are at home, but away from home it is a different story, without the support of the home fans behind them, they are not as confident, and it is a major weakness of theirs. Last season, they amounted 60 total points in the League, 40 of those were at home. If they can fix this issue, and become more resilient away from home, it would do a world of good for their season. Being good at home isn’t a bad thing, but not at the detriment of away form.

This season feels like a season defined by the phrase “Passing on the torch”. Many of Newcastle’s key players of the last few years are getting on, and may be in their final years at the club, and there are young up comers looking to usurp them in the team.

Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn , Jamal Lascells and Callum Wilson are all above the age of 30, and all may be displaced within this season. Wilson has already been usurped by Alexander Isak, and has struggled with injury over the past couple of years. Trippier had a torrid season last year, it actually started off well, but deteriorated quickly in tandem with Newcastle’s drop in form, he went through a run of games in December where he almost made a mistake which led to a goal being conceded, every single game. Trippier is 33 now, and will be looking over his shoulder with the emergence of Tino Livramento, who is only 21, and will be looking to take Trippier’s place in the side over the course of this year. The same applies to Schar and Burn, who are likely to be usurped by Marc Guehi and Lewis Hall respectively.

The Newcastle hype train has quietened down over the past year, but I think that it is about to get going again. They are still one of the richest club’s in the League, with huge ambition, they are not a stepping stone club as they have began to be thought of, they are on their way to the top. They said it themselves, they weren’t expecting to qualify for the Champions League when they did, they were ahead of schedule, but now this year is a chance for them to reset, and begin to slowly build towards becoming a team that can consistently challenge at the top of the League.

ONE TO WATCH: Lewis Hall

Last year was a difficult one for Lewis Hall, he left Chelsea to join Newcastle on loan with on option to buy in a chase for more game time at his boyhood club. Yet that didn’t happen, for much of the season, he was uninvolved. He has spoken of his struggles when he joined the club, saying that he found moving so far away from his home in London difficult, and he found the adaptation to Eddie Howe’s intense training methods tough.

Yet by the end of the season, he was thriving, he started 7 out of the last 9 Premier League games and showed why Newcastle were willing to spend £28 million on him. Hall is very technical, and is capable of playing in midfield and at full-back.

He is small and lightweight, so there have been questions over his ability to be a full-back at Premier League level, but that will come with time, and with a space opening up at left-back, with Dan Burn declining, Hall could establish himself this year and become the important part of Newcastle’s squad that he was expected to be.

6th: Aston Villa

Aston Villa, Champions League once again, who would have thought it? Unai Emery in just one and a half years has taken the club from a relegation fight to the pinnacle of club football. Last season really was a dream for Villa fans, they finished in the top 4, securing themselves in the Champions League, beat Arsenal home and away and enjoyed some of the most entertaining football in the league along the way. They also made it to the semi final of the Europa Conference League, with away days to Ajax, Lille, Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski (from Bosnia). All in all, not a bad year.

With the Champions League does come some difficulties though, although they did play in Europe last year, many of their games were not particularly difficult, so they could rest key players in these games, but in the Champions League, they will not have that luxury, and the League instead may need to take a backseat. The Champions League format has also been changed this year, with the group stage replaced by a 36 team league, meaning a minimum of 2 extra games, which could rise to 4 depending on where you finish in the league phase, this will only add to the fixture congestion, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Villa struggle with player burnout, as Newcastle did last year.

Villa have however, bulked out their squad in preparation for Champions League football. Despite the loss of two high profile players in Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, their squad looks better now than it did a couple of months ago. Douglas Luiz, who was key to their success and controlled the midfield for them last season has been replaced with Amadou (Not Andre) Onana, Ross Barkley, and Enzo Barrenchea.

Onana is real ceiling raiser for Villa, he is capable on the ball, more so than he is given credit for as he played for an Everton side where technique came second and getting it forward and into the box at every opportunity came first. Where Onana really shines is his ability to stop transitions, he is huge, fast and strong, Villa play an extremely high line, so those attributes in midfield will be crucial to the way they play, they will face many counter-attacking transitions, and he will be able to stop them.

Barkley is an ideal replacement for the Brazilian, they are very similar players in that they are very technical, have the ability to dictate the game from deep, but also excel going forward.

Barrenechea meanwhile, is more likely to be a squad player for them this season, signed from Juventus for around £8 million, the Argentinian spent last season on loan in Serie A with Frosinone, where he racked up 36 appearances. He is technical enough, although doesn’t excel in forward play and chance creation as much as Douglas Luiz and, where he bests them is in his tenacity, he stands at 6’1, and will provide a similar profile to Onana, likely playing backup to him for a lot of the season.

They have also strengthened in the wide areas, with Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior and Lewis Dobbing all arriving.

Ian Maatsen is a quality signing in the left-back position, their current left-backs are solid, but getting, Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne are both the wrong side of 30 and past their primes, so getting Maatsen solves that issue.

Meanwhile, Cameron Archer has rejoined the club from Sheffield United, and could be the much needed back up to Ollie Watkins, especially if Jhon Duran leaves the club as he is expected to.

Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia missed out an almost all of last season through injury, and will return this campaign, providing a big boost to Villa’s squad.

Jacob Ramsey also had a difficult last season with injuries, and if he can stay fit, he will boost their prospects due to his directness, quality in tight situations and versatility.

There is so much versatility in this Villa squad, with many different players being utilised in different roles throughout the year, and Unai Emery has proven that he is an elite coach, so I don’t think it will be a poor season for Villa, but a drop off from last year is inevitable, partly because of the bar that they have set for themselves is so high but also because of the increased pressure and demands on them this year. I could definitely see them coming out of the blocks firing at the start of the Premier League season and making it to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, but their league form may suffer around November/December time.

ONE TO WATCH: Morgan Rogers

Rogers thrived for Villa after his January transfer window move from Middlesbrough, scoring three goals in eleven Premier League appearances for Villa, with the departure of Diaby, and the possibility of increased game time, Rogers could be in for a great first full season at Villa.

7th: Tottenham Hotspur

This is a pivotal year for Tottenham. After years of toxicity, Ange Postecoglu brought back the feeling to the club. The fan base were back alive and loving every moment. Postecoglu even described the stadium as being a “Nightclub, mate”. After ten games of the season, Tottenham were top of the League, from their on though, things became more difficult. Injuries plagued their season, losing key players in Micky Van De Ven and James Maddison for large periods of the season, they ended up finishing 5th in the League, following a turbulent end to the season, and the mood had dropped significantly.

The 0-2 loss to Man City in May was the real sticking point, there was real division between the fan base and Postecoglu, with many of the fans actually wanting their team to lose in order for their biggest rivals Arsenal not to win the League, as Tottenham beating City that day would have effectively handed Arsenal the title.

Before the game, Postecoglu said that he believed that “100% of Spurs’ supporters” would want for their team to win the game, but that was not how it played out. The game was played in a strange, muted atmosphere, and the players suffered from it, Spurs were even with City for much of the game, but it felt as if they didn’t have that final drive to get over the line that the fans usually gave them.

This got to Postecoglu, he was seen having an argument with a fan during the game, and in the post match press conference he unleashed a Conte esque rant, saying that “The foundations (of the club) are really fragile, the last 48 hours have shown me that”

He then went on to say the priorities of the fans were “of zero interest to him”.

This was not as catastrophic as Conte’s farewell interview before he was sacked as Tottenham manager, but it had echoes of it, and even if Tottenham fans say that they have moved on from it, and are still behind Ange, these memories will remain. The Postecoglu who came in and raised the spirits of Tottenham fans, and when the word “mate” brought laughter from the press room is no more. Postecoglu showed a different side to him towards the end of the season, and the fans will remember when he said that their views didn’t matter to him, even if that’s not what his intentions were, those thoughts will remain.

There are also questions over Postecoglu’s tactics, and whether they will be found out due to their clear and distinct nature. Postecouglu has repeatedly said that he will no change his tactics, mate. The opposition now are very smart, and do their research, so Tottenham will have to find different solutions, otherwise they will be found out. I predict that will be part of the reason why they will drop off this year.

The other possible difficulty they may face is that Last year they were not in Europe, this year they will compete in the Europa League. The extra fixtures each week will stretch their squad to it’s limits, and as we saw last season, when they didn’t have their first choice team available, they massively struggled. I predict that Tottenham will be electric at times this season, when they have their first choice team fit, but they will be massively inconsistent throughout the year.

They have attempted to strengthen the squad in the transfer market. Dominic Solanke is the marque signing, for around £60 million, the Bournemouth striker scored 19 league goals last season, and could be excellent for Tottenham. Solanke excels in leading a high press, and was crucial to that for Andoni Iraola last season, for Tottenham, that skill set will be equally as valuable. You could say that paying that extreme fee is a bit too expensive for a player who has only had one good season at Premier League level, but Solanke will thrive in this Tottenham side.

What I would say os that Solanke won’t be trans-formative for Tottenham, as the strikers that they already have are just as clinical as Solanke, last season, there main options up front Richarlison scored 11 goals from 9XG, and Son scored 17 goals from 12 XG,. Solanke himself scored 19 goals from 19 XG. Although it may be other aspects of Solanke’s game which are most valuable to Postecoglu than finishing.

The signing of Solanke will also likley mean that Son will play mostly play off the left hand side, with Solanke and Richarlison as the options up front.

Tottenham have also added two young 18 year old midfielders, in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. Gray is more defensive minded than Bergvall, and commanded the much higher transfer fee, but both are extremely talented.

Gray is a versatile player, who can play in midfield, full back and even centre-back, he is extremely strong in turning away from pressure, and possesses strong passing ability.

Bergvall meanwhile is a more attacking minded player, he is similarly press resistant to Gray, and can carry the ball for long distances. Bergvall is also tenacious and not afraid to get stuck into a tackle.

A winger will be on the agenda for the rest of the transfer window, as well as increased depth at full-back.

ONE TO WATCH: Brenan Johnson

Johnson had a promising first season for Tottenham, he scored 5 goals and got 12 assists in the Premier League, and the underlying numbers show that he should have done even better, he had an XG across the season 10.61, so if he had improved his finishing, he would’ve had a 20G/A season, elite numbers. Johnson though, is not an elite player, but he does thrive off the directness of Tottenham’s style, and the low, hard crosses which they put across the face off goal, he is great at playing those balls and getting on the end of them, so he could be in for a breakout season, and become one of Tottenham’s most important players.

8th: Chelsea

An era isn’t really an era at Chelsea, more like a 6 month spell. Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca will hope that he can change the tide at Chelsea, and actually build something over multiple years. Chelsea come off the back of a tumultuous, but ultimately successful season last year under Pochettino, they finished 5th in the league, with an incredible turn around of form towards the end of the season. Maresca meanwhile, joins the club off the back of winning the Championship with Leicester and getting them promoted to the Premier League.

I believe that it was the wrong decision to sack Pochettino, as it was clear to see that he was building something there, and the players were clearly behind him. Maresca though, to his credit, might be just what they need. His style of play is clear, structure is the keyword when it comes to his tactics, you know what you’re going to get from a Maresca team. They will lineup in a 4-3-3, with one of the fullbacks moving into midfield and the other tucking in to form a back 3, creating the 3-2-5 in possession formation which we have become so accustomed to in recent times. Chelsea will keep the ball, a lot. This was the issue with Pochettino, you weren’t quite sure what his style of play was. Chelsea are a mess, quite frankly, with player turnover extreme, and one of the most inflated squads in the Premier League, but having a manager who at least brings clarity on the pitch may help bring some form of structure to the club.

This change style also could be positive as it fits many of their players down to a tee, Marc Cucurella thrived for Chelsea at the end of last season playing in that inverted fullback role, and Reece James would benefit from such a change as well. Levi Colwill showed during his spell at Brighton that his is exceptional with the ball at his feet, and he could be invaluable for Chelsea this season, either playing as a left-sided centre-back, or playing as a left back who tucks back into a back 3 in possession. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo should also thrive in this team, well actually they must thrive in this team, due to the extortionate fees paid for them, if they can not perform in a possession based team, of which merits they were bought for, then you start to question what their purpose really is.

However, they may still be issues for Chelsea under Maresca, they have had a tumultuous pre-season, while you shouldn’t read too much into that, it has shown some of the issues that they have. They have conceded so many goals in their pre-season games so far, and have looked abject in that area, in the Premier League, they will be punished. Pace at the back is also a big issue, and with them likely to have the ball high up the pitch a lot this season, with teams sitting off them, they are likely to be exposed on the counter attack. They also may encounter a similar issue to what I expect Liverpool might have, Chelsea may go through spells in games, having lots of possession, but not really doing anything with it, and then getting hit on the counter. Chelsea had this problem a lot last season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it returned this year.

Maresca’s style of play may also take away from the freedom of Cole Palmer. Last year, Palmer carried Chelsea on his back at times, and was crucial to everything they did. Pochettino gave him that freedom to go and show himself, and that helped Palmer significantly. Maresca is a much more positional manager, and demands his players to be in the right positions all the time. Here is a comparison of Palmer’s, who featured mostly on the right wing for Chelsea last season, and Abdul Fatawu’s, who played on the right for Leicester last season, heat-maps from last season:

Palmer first:

Then Fatawu:

The difference is stark, and while Palmer will still be a crucial player for Chelsea this season, don’t be surprised if his involvement drops.

The Chelsea fan base is a volatile one, and one that isn’t happy with the state of the club, we saw protests against the coach and board last season, and with the sale of academy players such as Trevoh Chalobah, Lewis Hall, Ian Maatsen and Connor Gallagher, it feels as if that disconnect between club and fans is only growing, and I wouldn’t be surprised that if results don’t go their way this season, that those frustrations could resurface.

Chelsea’s squad is a mess, they have far too many players already, and they just won’t stop adding to it. Pedro Neto and Samu Omorodion are the latest additions, both are good players, but neither will be able to play many minutes. It’s impossible to understand how the club expect team cohesion to grow when they have so many players. it’s also not like they have wise old heads in the dressing room to help the younger players develop either, they are all extremely young. They are a mess. The best example of this is that they have 9 goalkeepers contracted to their first team, and many of them are under the age of 23, what is the point of signing all these young players with potential if they can’t play because there is another young guy ahead of them? It’s nonsensical.

ONE TO WATCH: Christopher Nkunku

It’s been a difficult start to life for Nkunku at Chelsea, injuries plagued him last season, and he has only able to start 2 games for Chelsea so far. When he has been fit though, he has looked like the player that Chelsea signed for around £60 million. He has scored 3 goals in a Chelsea shirt and will feature heavily this season, possibly up front (which will excite FPL players as he is classified as a midfielder) or on the wing. Either way Nkunku should be like a new signing for Chelsea, and could provide good return on investment this season.

The upper mid-tablers’:

9th: Crystal Palace

It’s a great time to be a Crystal Palace fan, the club are unbeaten in competitive matches since the beginning of April, and the run of 6 wins and a draw from their final 7 games provided some of the best football the fans have ever seen at Selhurst Park.

The potential has been there for it to be a turbulent summer for Palace, with Michael Olise leaving for Bayern Munich, and Marc Guehi likely to leave with Newcastle and Manchester City among those interested. There is also likely to be interest in Ebere Eze, Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Adam Wharton. Palace will want to hang on to as many of their players as possible, as the team that they had at the end of last season excelled. However, a couple of these players leaving, as Olise and Guehi almost certainly will (or have), will actually help boost Palace’s funds to bulk out a squad which is weak in areas. Oliver Glasner’s intense style of play will be harder to maintain over the course of a whole season than it is over a 7 game run, but a stronger squad, with more depth will make that less difficult.

Palace’s excpetional run towards the end of last season wasn’t just about the players though, it was about how coherent and well drilled the team was together. Their high press was one of their main strengths. Often, when people talk about triangles in football, they talk about in possession triangles, with three players occupying adjacent spaces near to each other to outnumber the opposition in that area. However, Palace create these triangles out of possession instead, crowding out the opposition. Here is an example from their game against Newcastle at the end of last season:

Here you see Palace having the three player triangle of Eze, Mitchell and Hughes, which cuts off all passing lanes for the opposition, Palace invited Newcastle to play into this position, then snapped into the triangle, once they were in this position,they can’t play out, and the only option that they have is to lose it, or play a long crossfield pass which has a low chance of being succesful. In this case, Chris Richards also steps up to join the triangle, making it more like a rectangle. This is another facet of Palace’s press, often their centre-backs will step up.

Here is another example of that same idea from that Newcastle game:

Again you can see the same three Palace players, Eze, Mitchell and Hughes closing down the opposition into a tight space, with all of them covering the clear passing options, Mitchell intercepts the attempted long ball, and Palace win it back.

The transfer market is still important though, and so far they have added well to the squad.

Daichi Kamada has arrived on a free transfer from Lazio, Glasner knows Kamada well from their time at Frankfurt, and it is likely that Glasner will be able to trust Kamada to do what is required of him immediately, we have seen that in pre-season, Kamada looks at home in this team, and could have an exceptional season. Despite Kamada playing in a similar position to the outgoing Michael Olise, he is a very different player to Olise. Kamada is more of a midfielder, tenacious in the tackle, and a silky dribbler, the ball seems to stick to his foot while he dribbles. Olise on the other hand, whilst very adept in the middle, was more of a winger, he was excpeptional cutting in from the right onto his devastating left foot, and more often found the back of the net. If you could stop Olise from shooting (hard enough), he would instead fire a perfectly weighted cross into the middle for a teammate to tap home, he was complete. Olise was a more direct player than Kamada will be, Olise dribbled at pace, taking on his man, giving him nightmares in the process, yet whilst he did everything at scintillating speed, it seemed as if he was completely in control, time slowed down for him when he had the ball at his feet. Olise is impossible to replace with just one player, Palace knew that, so they have also brought in Ismaila Sarr from Marseiile.

Sarr has been on Palace’s radar for many years, and he brings something that Palace don’t have, pace, searing pace. Sarr is known for his direct nature from during his time at Watford. Glasner demands runs in behind from his front players, and last season it felt at times as if Palace were struggling to do that, Sarr will solve that problem, and the idea of him coming off the bench to run at tired defences is quite frankly frightening.

Due to the switch to a 3 at the back formation, new centre-backs were also going to be a necessity for Palace this summer, so the addition of Chadi Riad from Barcelona is a smart one. Riad is a 21 year old, Morrocan defender, he is a aggressive, and looks to defend on the front foot, just what Glasner wants from his players. Riad is also comfortable on the ball, as you would expect from a La Masia graduate. Riad is one for the future, but he may even be ready for significant Premier League minutes now. Another centre-back will need to be added when Marc Guehi leaves, as he is expected to. Palace should also look to add depth in the wing-back positions, as there is no back up to Tyrick Mitchell, and a lot has been asked of Glasner’s wing-back’s. Another Striker may also be on the agenda if Odsonne Edouard leaves the club.

Palace have a strong foundation to build on, they finished in the top half for the first time since promotion last season, despite in February, it looking like it may be one of their most disappointing seasons since their return to the top flight. There were even banners aimed at the board citing “No structured plan” and “No Shared Vision”. It feels like a different club and a very different atmosphere just a few months later. I am fully confident that they can maintain their top half status and kick on again this season.

ONE TO WATCH: Jes Rak-Sakyi

Last year was a real let down for Jes Rak-Sakyi, having just come off the back of an excellent loan spell with Charlton in League One, where he scored 15 goals, and assisted 8 more, expectations were high for Rak-Sakyi, the thought was that he could kick on, go on loan to the championship and excel there, instead, despite interest from the championship, Roy Hodgson convinced him to stay, citing that he was important cover in the weak wide areas for Palace, Rak-Sakyi ended up making only 6 appearances all season, none of which were starts, all in the middle in Palace’s worst injury crises in the last decade. Rak-Sayi had his own injuries, and it was a season wasted. He has come back firing in pre-season though, scoring 3 goals in 2 games for Palace, and it feels as if wherever he ends up, whether that be on a loan in the championship, staying with Palace or leaving on a permanent, he’ll have a big season, he is not a lost talent as it has felt at times, he is just waiting for the opportunity to burst into life.

10th: West Ham

West Ham have finally moved away from David Moyes, almost 7 years after his first match in charge, it did feel as if it was time for a change. You can’t question the job that Moyes has done with West Ham, winning the Europa Conference League was his crowning moment, but he also finished 6th and 7th in the Premier League in consecutive years. However, rightly or wrongly, apathy had grown in the fan base over the lack of positive football played under Moyes, and it was time for a change. They have a myriad of exceptionally talented technical players, and it did feel at times that they were wasted under Moyes. The question is, is Julen Lopetegui the right man to bring the positive football that the fans want?

Lopetegui has certainly got experience at the highest level of football, managing both Spain and Real Madrid, neither of those escapades went particularly well though, he had a successful qualifying campaign with Spain for the 2018 World Cup, but was sacked just days before the tournament after he announced that he would join Real Madrid after the tournament had finished. Lopetegui was then sacked after just three months in the Real Madrid job. he then rebuilt his reputation at Sevilla, winning the Europa League with them, before eventually joining Wolves and saving them from relegation, he then left Wolves before the start of his next season due to complaints over a lack of funding. There are questions over Lopetegui’s style of play, in the early part of his career, he played the typical, possession style football that you expect from Spanish managers, but when he joined Wolves (a team with all due respect to them that aren’t blessed with quality) he played a more pragmatic style. That will not be music to West Ham fans’ ears, as they hope for attractive possession football.

West Ham have a quality squad though, and have made some very good signings so far in the transfer window, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Lopetegui is able to bring the kind of football that the fans want to the London Stadium.

They have added Max Kilman, who is not a £40 million player, as they signed him for, but he is a solid centre centre-back. Kilman is 27 years old, and comfortable on the ball, so will be capable of living up to Lopetegui’s demands, he will form a strong partnership at the back with Nayef Aguerd. They have also added Crysencio Summerville, which is a top signing, as he was on the radar of many clubs in England and abroad. Summerville is a 22 year old, versatile attacker who can play on either wing, he was the standout player for Leeds last season, scoring 19 goals in 43 Championship games. He will add competition in the wide areas which already have quality first choice options in Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, but Summerville and the also incoming Luis Guilherme will provide stronger depth and competition for places in that area of the pitch. Niclas Fullkrug is possibly the marque signing of the window for West Ham, the 31 year old centre forward joins the club for around £30 million, which is very expensive, but could be worth it. Fullkrug is your typical old fashioned number 9, he’s big, strong, holds up the ball well and is a quality finisher. Last season, he had 20 goal involvements in 29 starts for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, 12 of those being goals. I don’t think that he will repeat those numbers in the Premier League, and I can see him being labelled as a flop come the end of the season, but whilst I don’t think he’ll thrive in front of goal, his contribution to the team will be invaluable. Lopetegui likes having a big centre forward who can link up the play, so Fullkrug will be a perfect signing for him. Guido Rodriguez also been signed, on a free transfer from Real Betis, Rodriguez will add competition to an already strong midfield of Edson Alvarez, James-Ward Prowse and Lucas Paqueta.

There are questions of West Ham this season, their fans will have high expectations for a change from the Moyes era, and if those perhaps unrealistic expectations for perfect football are not met, it could get very toxic very quickly, those expectations will extend to the board as well. The other question is the future of Lucas Paqueta, who was charged for betting offences, it is yet to be seen if he will be given a ban, and if so, that will be a massive loss to their season.

ONE TO WATCH: George Earthy

The day is the 11th of May 2024, West Ham are playing Luton Town at the London stadium, the home side are 2-1 up with 15 minutes to go, 19 year old George Earthy is subbed on for Michail Antonio, just a minute later the ball is in the back of the net, the scorer? Earthy, in just his second Premier League appearance. A dream moment for a kid who joined the club aged 6. Earthy is a technical attacking midfielder, that has earned praise from former West Ham captain Mark Noble, as he was awarded West Ham’s young player of the year award, chosen by Noble himself. Earthy could thrive under Lopetegui. The more progressive style used by the Spaniard compared to that of David Moyes, could allow Earthy to show what he’s got more than he could under Moyes. Earthy has been widely praised for his work rate, which will only give Lopetegui more reason to get him involved in the first team, and he could be in for a breakout season.

The old “Crystal Palace Zone”:

11th: Brighton

The hype around Brighton has calmed down over the past season. They were viewed as one of the most exciting clubs to watch and follow at the start of the year, they were competing in Europe, defeating giants such as Ajax, and in the Premier League, they were third in the table after gameweek 6. After that though, things got more tricky. Their squad struggled to cope with the extra fixture demands that come with European football, and injuries kicked in to derail their season. Roberto De Zerbi, the man who had been hailed as the next big thing, suddenly didn’t look like that at all, and he publicly criticised the clubs owners, calling out their transfer strategy and their over reliance on young players. De Zerbi’s tactics though, had gone stale, and he was mostly to blame for their drop off towards the end of last year.

Their squad remains extremely talented, and new manager Fabian Hurzeler has an exciting job ahead of him. Hurzeler is an interesting manager, he’s extremely young to manage at this level, only 31 years of age, but that shouldn’t define him. It is his tactical ideas which are most interesting. Hurzeler plays a 3-4-3 system, but it is completely unique. out of possession it transitions to a 5-4-1, as you would expect, but in possession, they push one of their centre backs into a central midfield position, this is where it gets interesting, because you would expect that that centre back would play alongside a more natural midfielder creating a double pivot, but that’s not the case, the centre back sits in there by himself, as the two centre midfielders ahead of him push forward into the number 10 positions, this is perfectly illustrated as Marcel Hartel, one of those central midfielders, was St Pauli’s (Hurzeler’s last club) top goalscorer last season, with 17 goals in 33 games. The positions of the wingers and the wing backs are fluid, with one staying wide and the other supporting inside. This creates a very odd in possession shape, it reads something like a 2-1-2-5. As you would expect, a Hurzeler team will look to keep possession, last season, St Pauli, averaged 57% possession across the season, the second highest of any team in their division. They also played the most short passes of any team in their league.

I think that Hurzeler will be a massive success at Brighton, he is more of a yes man than De Zerbi was, and will buy into the model that Brighton have of buying young players, developing them and then selling them on for large fees. However, his tactical style is so extreme, it may struggle at first in the Premier League. I can just imagine Lewis Dunk stepping up into midfield, slipping on the ball, and the opposition running through 3 vs 2 on Brighton’s goal. I predict a difficult start to life for Hurzeler, before really picking up form towards the end of the season.

Brighton have been very active in the transfer market. They took advantage of the PSR storm at the end of June, picking up Yankuba Minteh from Newcastle for around £30 million. Minteh is an exceptionally talented player, he is a 20 year old right winger who was on loan at Feyenoord last season, where he picked up 15 G/A in 17 starts. Minteh will add to Brightons already stacked wide areas, where they have the likes of Ibrahim Osman (also a new signing), Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Solly March and Julio Enciso. They have also Mats Wieffer, who was also at Feyenoord last season, for a similar fee to Minteh. Wieffer is an exceptionally talented player, and not a prospect for the future, he’s ready to contribute now. the 24 year old plays as a midfielder, and can be deployed as a number 6 or number 8, but for Brighton it’s likely he’ll be used as one of the advanced midfielders, he is aggressive out of possession, averaging just under 5 tackles and interceptions per 90 last season, ranking him ahead of the likes of Rodri and even Declan Rice. When he gets on the ball, Wieffer looks forward, and has a great eye for a pass, he could prove to be a quality signing for Brighton will be a key player for them this season. They have lost Pascal Gross to Dortmund, which is a huge loss, Gross has been integral to them ever since they were promoted. Gross created the fourth most chances of any Premier League player last season, whilst playing at right back at times, and ranked ahead of the likes of James Maddison and Douglas Luiz. However, Brigton’s squad is strong, and they should be able to cope without him. They are filled with top prospects, if Hurzeler can get a tune out of Evan Ferguson when he returns from injury, then they have one of the most exciting strikers in the world on their hands, whilst prospects such as Carlos Baleba, Simon Adingra and Valentin Barco could explode this season.

Brighton are going to unpredictable this season, they will be an entertaining watch no matter what, even if it comes to the detriment of results at times, which is why I don’t have them moving significantly back up the table from last season.

ONE TO WATCH: Carlos Baleba

It feels as if Baleba could be one of the players to benefit from Hurzeler’s arrival most. the 20 year old was criticised by Roberto De Zerbi last year, with the Italian saying that “Baleba is not yet ready to play at this level” after he subbed him off at half time in their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. De Zerbi did after praise his potential, but the fact remains, that is not a very confidence inspiring thing to hear as a young player in a new country. Baleba showed signs of the potential that he has last season, he is aggressive off the ball, averaging 3 tackles per 90, more than 99% of other Premier League midfielders. He also possess great power when driving with the ball. The technical side of his game isn’t fully refined, but it is clear to see that it is growing, and will grow. A manager in Hurzeler who will want Baleba to play further forward could help him grow into a more rounded player, and with Billy Gilmour likely to leave the club, this could be the year for Baleba to seize his spot in the team.

12th: Everton

Off the pitch, Everton are a mess, their takeover which has been touted for years now has failed to go through time and time again, and they have suffered points deductions for breaking the Premier League’s PSR rules (Profit and Sustainability). All whilst they club are preparing for a massive change, moving stadium from Goodison Park to the “Everton Stadium”, creative naming guys, well done. On the pitch however, they have been solid and dependable under Sean Dyche. Without their total 8 points deducted last season, they would have finished 11th, on 48 points, for a club in crisis off the pitch, that’s a great achievement.

You know what you are gonna get from a Sean Dyche team, they’ll pepper your box at every opportunity, thundering crosses into the box for their giants to knock on, and for someone, anyone to cram it over the line. They will be compact in defense, and sit off you, making for a very uncomfortable experience. Except, that’s not what Everton are under Dyche, they have evolved. Yes, they are still direct in attack, they attempted 81 long balls per game last season, the most of any team in the league, but they do not just sit off you and wait for something to happen, they press high, and make it uncomfortable for you that way. Last season, Everton had 32 shots which were created from a defensive action (classified as a tackle or clearance). A perfect example of Everton’s high press comes from their game against Man City at Goodsion Park last season:

Here you can see City playing out from the back, and Everton have committed 7 players forward in the press, against the best team world in the world. (Mykolenko is the 7th player, he’s just out of shot) Every single Everton player’s body language is positive, going towards the ball, with an intent to with it back.

They regain possession (Off Rodri nontheless), play it forward quickly, Mcneil plays it across, and Harrison taps it home to give Everton the lead.

Everton are a much more progressive and positive team than people give them credit for, and are very different to Dyche’s Burnley.

They have got issues to sort out though, they need to improve their goal scoring, especially from set pieces. They scored only 40 goals last season, the second lowest of any team, and 50% of those goals were from set pieces. Now, it’s good thing to be effective from set pieces, but you need more than that to be successful over a course of a whole season. It’s a similar thing to what I said about Arsenal, with other teams beginning to realise about the importance of set pieces, Everton’s advantage in that area may diminish, and they may be left as a team that can’t score.

It has been a mixed bag in the transfer window for Everton so far, in order to comply with PSR, they were forced to sell Ben Godfrey to Atalanta and Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa, whilst Tim Iroegbunam came the other way, in the midst of the strange and inhumane trading of academy players (that’s another blog in itself). The biggest loss though, is that of Amadou (not A… I’ve made that joke already) Onana, who also departed to Aston Villa for around £50 million. Onana will be huge loss, as he was perfect for Dyche, tall, strong and loves a tackle.

Everton have been active in making signings themselves though, Jesper Lindstrom has arrived on loan from Napoli. Lindstrom endured a tough season last year, making 22 Serie A appearances, only 2 of them from the start. He could be a great signing for Everton though, he is a 24 years old versatile attacking midfielder who is capable of playing on either wing as well, this could prove invaluable for Everton as they may struggle to provide Sean Dyche with squad depth due to their financial issues. Lindstrom isn’t the tallest or most physical player, so on the surface he doesn’t seem the ideal Dyche player, but he is direct and works hard out of possession, he is the type of player that would do very well in that role that Abdoulaye Doucoure has made his own in the last couple of years, as a box crashing number 10. Iliman Ndiaye has also arrived from Marseille to strengthen them up front, whilst the marquee Jake O’Brien has joined from Lyon for around £20 million. O’Brien is possibly the most Dyche player you will ever see, he’s a 6’5, physical centre-back who dominates opponents, and is a massive threat from set pieces. James Tarkowski is a stole-wart of that Everton defence, and one of Dyche’s must trusted players, but the though of an O’Brien/Branthwaite centre-back partnership is frightening.

Everton will continue to be effective this season, as every Sean Dyche team always is, but don’t be surprised if they turn a few heads and people start to appreciate, they are a more attractive team to watch than they are given credit. Everton fans will be glad to have a season of relative stability on the pitch, but quite frankly, don’t predict anything to do with their fortunes off the pitch, because it’s a circus, and a baffling one at that.

ONE TO WATCH: James Garner

Garner has become one of Dyche’s most trusted players at Everton, he featured in 37/38 Premier League games last season, starting 34 of those games. He has featured all over the pitch for Everton, playing in central midfield, off the right and off the left. No matter the game, Dyche tries to find a way to get him in. With Onana leaving, Garner may take on extra responsibility in that midfield. He’s a tenacious player, which Dyche will like, but he also possess great technical prowess and he could establish himself as one of Everton’s most important players this season.

13th: Nottingham Forest

It’s impossible what to expect from Nottingham Forest, their return to the Premier League over the past two years has been entertaining and at times baffling. Every transfer window so far for Forest since their return has been insane, with a plethora of signings made, a lot of them being failures, but the odd one turning out to be a steal. Deals for players such as Jonjo Shelvey, Emmanuel Dennis and Lewis O’Brien have been total failures, whilst deals for Danillo, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been steals. It speaks to a club without a coherent structure, and a culture of sacking recruitment personnel hasn’t helped build a coherent squad. However, this summer has been different (touch-wood).

If you ignore the PSR frenzy which resulted in Elliot Anderson joining the club for around £35 million, which was a massively inflated fee (even though he is a good player), Forest have been smart with their recruitment. Nikola Milenkovic, a 26 year old centre-back has joined from Fiorentina. Milenkovic is a giant, standing at 6’4 ft, he is a proven player at european level, playing in the Fiorentina team which made it to two consecutive Europa Conference League finals. Forest were in need of centre-backs with Moussa Niakhate leaving for Lyon, so Milenkovic is a solid signing for them. Jota Silva and Carlos Miguel have also joined the club to increase depth in the attacking and goalkeeping positions respectively.

Forest’s squad doesn’t need tearing up though, their first choice team is full of quality, and much better than just a team that would be fighting relegation. A team of: Sels, Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina, Sangare, Danilo, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga and Wood is quality. Whilst Nuno wasn’t spectacular when he came into Forest to replace Steve Cooper, he got the job done, and his main issues were set pieces and finding his best team(which has been an issue for Forest’s whole time back in the league). Often he wouldn’t pick Hudson-Odoi, or he’d drop Elanga, by the end of the season though, he had figured out what his best team was. If Forest can have a settled first choice team that plays together more often than not, they could really push on this season. There is potential for Forest to become real giant-killers this season, as they are electric on the counter attack.

Milenkovic should help with the set pieces, although one player can’t make all the difference. Set pieces are a major issue for Forest, last season they conceeded 39 goals from open play, and 22 from set pieces, the most of any team in the league. The average number of goals conceded last year from set pieces throughout the league was around 10, so let’s say that hypothetically, Forest got those set piece goals conceeded down to that average, they would have conceded 49 goals last season, which would have made them the 4th best defence in the league, only behind Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal.

If they can sort these issues out, Forest will be much better off for it, I don’t think we’ll see another stressful battle against relegation for Forest this season, and they’ll establish themselves as a mid-table Premier League team.

ONE TO WATCH: Danilo

He’s a fan favourite at Forest, his song is sung every time he get’s in on the act and he could be in for a big season. Danilo has shown flashes of the quality he possess in his time so far at Forest, yet he hasn’t put it together over a full season yet. He went a run of goal-scoring after his January arrival in the 2022/23 season, but last season he suffered a myriad of injuries, which hampered his consistency, by the end of the season, he established himself in the team under Nuno and if he can stay fit, he could play a major part for Forest this year. He’s still only 23, so there is room to grow, he’s got *it, that indescribable ability to do the unthinkable, shown at it’s best by his goal against Brentford earlier this season, where the ball dropped out of the sky, on the edge of the area, he controlled it with his left knee, teeing it up for him to strike on his right foot (weaker foot by the way) and fired a sweet volley into the back of the net. He’s something special, and the world will see it this season.

14th: Bournemouth

Everyone doubted Gary O’Neil being sacked by Bournemouth before the start of last season, O’Neil did an incredible when he took over as manager following the sacking of Scott Parker just after the start of the 22/23 season, keeping Bournemouth in the League when they were everyone’s choice to go down. People continued to doubt that decision when Andoni Iraola got off to a terrible start as Bournemouth manager, it took until their tenth game of the season for Iraola to get his first Premier League win, in a 2-1 win against Burnley. From that point on, there was no looking for Bournemouth, from gameweek 10 to the end of the season, Bournemouth accrued the 6th most points of any team.

Bournemouth are a versatile team, they are aggressive in the high press, not giving the opposition time to breathe, that is a constant throughout their play. With the ball however, they can do different things. They often play risky, long balls, akin to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team in order to regain the ball higher up the pitch, last season they attempted the second most long balls of any team in the League, with 78 per 90 minutes, only bettered by Everton, yet only 47% of those long balls were accurate, the 4th worst rate of any team in the League. However, they are not just a long ball team, they are more than capable of playing the stereotypical Spanish possession style of football that we expected from Iraola. It will be interesting to see how Bournemouth evolve this season, and whether they move more away from the long balls as Iraola has more time to mould the squad into what he wants.

Bournemouth haven’t brought in too much new blood in the transfer window so far, they have completed the signings of Luis Sinisterra and Enes Unal, both of whom were on loan at the club already last season. They have replaced the outgoing Lloyd Kelly with Dean Huijsen, a 19 year old centre back from Juventus. Huijsen will likely play second fiddle to Ilya Zarbanyi and Marco Senesi this season, but could prove to be a crucial part of their team in the next few years. Daniel Jebbison has also arrived on a free transfer from Sheffield United to increase depth in the centre-forward position. That is where their strength really lies, their squad depth. They have quality players and quality backups in every position, creating intense competition for places. Don’t be surprised if they score many late goals this season with fresh legs making the difference. It’s no coincidence that Bournemouth’s best period of last season came around Christmas time, where fixture congestion is at it’s worst, whilst other club’s were struggling to maintain their levels playing a game every three days, and players were tiring, Bournemouth were able to rotate their side, without weakening themselves. If Justin Kluivert was fatigued, you could replace him with Antoine Semenyo, Dango Ouattara could come in for Luis Sinisterra, the list goes on.

It’s not all positive though, Dominik Solanke was their talisman last season, and with his move to Spurs, they will lose a vital part of their team, not only was Solanke crucial for his goals last year, but he led the press well, a quality which no doubt will have made him an attractive prospect for Ange Postecouglu, and a big loss for Bournemouth. They also were too open at the back last season, conceding 67 goals in the League, the 5th worst of any team.

This year Bournemouth will avoid the terrible start that they had at the start of Iraola’s reign, but if they will maintain the form which saw them be one of the best performers in the League throughout the mid-season is questionable. One other thing to look out for with Bournemouth is possible PSR issues. They have spent around £190 million in the past 12 months and have gained just £3 million back. They don’t have the biggest revenue, so I wonder if they might be in a little bit of trouble on that front.

ONE TO WATCH: Alex Scott

Signed last summer for around £20 million from Bristol City, Alex Scott is one of the most highly rated young midfielders in England, and this season should be the one where he realises that potential in the Premier League. His first season in a Bournemouth shirt was marred with injuries, and he failed to establish a regular place in the starting eleven. Part of the reason for that was questions over his out of possession work, which although doesn’t lack effort, sometimes his discipline is something to be left desired, and in an Iraola side, you need to be perfect out of possession. That will come with experience and maturity though, and there’s no doubt over his in possession qualities. He is your typical small, socks down, press resistant midfielder that we see so often nowadays, and although he has thrived in attacking areas in his short career so far, I think that his long term evolution is to become a number 6, and this season could be the start of that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a great season, then moves on elsewhere, possibly with Iraola.

Squeaky bum time:

15th: Fulham

Fulham have been exceptional since their return to the Premier League, they skipped the phase that most promoted teams go through upon promotion of struggling to remain in the League and then slowly gaining stability, Fulham have been stable from moment one. In their first season back in the Premier League, they finished 10th, and last year they finished 13th. The definition of stable. This season however, I predict that they wont be quite as stable, they will still avoid relegation, but there may be moments in the season where things look a little bit questionable.

They were inconsistent last season, they’d go through spells were they’d look exceptional, they beat Man United 1-2, Brighton 3-0 and Tottenham 3-0 in the space of three weeks, yet they also went through terrible spells, they lost 0-2 to Newcastle, then 0-2 to Burnley, then 3-0 to Bournemouth. They are the quintessential mid table team. My only worry is, what if they can’t get out of one of those bad patches? that is the kind of thing that can kill a team, confidence drops, morale drops and the end result can be disastrous. Just look at Leicester a couple of years ago, no-one though that they would go down, they finished 8th the season before, yet they went on a poor run, couldn’t recover, panic sacked their manager, and ended up getting relegated.

Fulham have also lost Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich for £45 Million and Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea on a free transfer. Both of which were crucial players for them last season. Fulham’s major strength last season was defensive security, they conceded the 7th fewest goals of any team last season, losing those two crucial players could really hamper their hopes this season. They have replaced Tosin with Jorge Cuenca from VIllarreal, a 24 year old left-sided centre-back, it is a strange one, because Cuenca is a good signing, he played 29 La Liga games for a VIllarreal side which finished 8th in the League last year, yet as said earlier, Cuenca is left-sided, and Tosin was right-sided, so it may be that Fulham have another player lined up in that position and Cuenca is not a direct replacement. Palhinha hasn’t been directly replaced, as the marque signing has been Emille Smith-Rowe, in a £30 million move from Arsenal. Smith-Rowe is an attacking player, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or winger, so he is not a replacement for Palhinha. If they can keep Smith-Rowe fit, he could be a quality addition to their squad. They have also re-signed Ryan Sessegnon on a free transfer, he is a similar story to Smith-Rowe, if he can be kept fit, he will be great, but that is a BIG if.

What I touched upon last is my huge worry with Fulham, the amount of injury prone players that they have could be a massive issue. They had one of the best injury records of any team last season, which massively helped them as their opposition weren’t able to field anything near their strongest team, whilst Fulham were at full strength the majority of the time. If injuries hit them hard, as they may do, they could be in a much worse position than they ahve been the past few seasons.

The other question that I have is about the striker position. Marco Silva has always had a firing striker at Fulham, whether it be Aleksandar Mitrovic in his first two seasons, or Rodrigo Muniz last year. It feels as if Muniz was running hot last year, and I’m not sure if he can keep that form going into the new season, and it isn’t likely that Raul Jimenez regains his lockdown form. Muniz is only 23, so it is possible that he continues as he was, but if he doesn’t, Fulham could struggle to score.

ONE TO WATCH: Antonee Robinson

Fulham have one of the oldest squads in the League, so picking an up and coming prospect for them was difficult, so I’ve decided to go with an established player, in Antonee Robinson, who could be set for another great season. Robinson is a very attacking left back, who got 6 assists last season. Robinson is also forward thinking in defence, he’s aggressive, and steps up out of defence to make interceptions. Robinson made 80 interceptions, the most of any Premier League player. The 27 year old is a quality, and could be in for another strong season for Fulham.

16th: Brentford

Last year was a difficult one for Brentford, it started off on the wrong foot as Ivan Toney, their talisman was suspended until January for betting offences, and it continued to go downhill from there. They lost their two first choice full backs in Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry for the majority of the season due to injury, they also had to do without Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade for much of the season. This hampered their results, and resulted in a terrible run of 5 losses on the bounce at around Christmas time. The pressure really grew on Thomas Frank to turn it around, and that he did. A combination of hard fought points against “better sides” in Brighton, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa and necessary wins against relegation rivals Burnley and Luton Town secured Brentford’s Premier League safety.

They must improve this season, and they are capable of it. At times last season they were void of any attacking plan, except win set pieces and get it into the box, which to be fair to them, they were very good at and it did win multiple games for them. However, to survive in the Premier League, you need more than that. I feel as if I have typed the word injuries a million times, but they were crucial to Brentford’s season, and when they had the likes of Toney, Mbeumo and Wissa available, they were a much more fluid attacking side.

Thomas Frank tried to move Brentford to a 4 at the back system at times last season, but the experiment didn’t work and more often than not he would revert back to his tried and tested 5 at the back which gave them so much success upon their promotion to the Premier League. I don’t think that is the last we’ll see of the 4 at the back though, it is the next evolution of this Brentford team, as they look to become a more progressive side, as they have now established themselves as a Premier League side. Brentford’s transfer business this summer also points towards them trying to move towards a 4 at the back. Fabio Carvalho has joined the club from Liverpool in a deal worth £27 million, Carvalho has been used off the left hand side in his career, but it is as a number 10 where he has really thrived. In his loan spell with Hull in the second part of last season, he played 20 games, scoring 9 goals, in this time he feautrued mostly as a number 10, and that is the position I expect him to play for Brentford, as they are already stacked on the left hand side, with the likes of Joanne Wissa, Keane Lewis-Potter and Kevin Schade. Carvalho could also be used as a false 9, a role in which he was deployed in at times for Hull. This could be effective, as you could have Carvalho dropping in, creating space for the pacey Mbeumo and Wissa/Schade to run into. This solution would also solve Brentford’s centre forward problem. Ivan Toney has said on multiple occasions that he wants to move on to bigger things this summer, yet he hasn’t attracted any offers thus yet, leaving all parties in an awkward situation, whilst Toney’s £30 million replacement Igor Thiago picked of an injury in pre-season, leaving him out until January. If Carvalho can play at centre forward, that would massively help sort out a really difficult situation in an important position of the pitch.

There is much uncertainty around Brentford, they have lost their set piece coach Bernardo Cueva, who was an instrumental part of making set pieces such a valuable part of Brentford’s game. They have also missed out on their top transfer targets in Antonio Nusa and Archie Gray. Yet they remain a solid, well coached team who have ways in which they can threaten the opposition, so whilst their bum’s will very much be squeaky for periods this season, they will eventually escape the threat of relegation.

ONE TO WATCH: Kevin Schade

Last season was quite frankly a nightmare for Schade, he started well, with a supreme solo goal against Crystal Palace, yet just weeks later, he suffered an Abductor injury which would keep him out for the next 7 months. On his return, he scored and assisted in consecutive games, leaving his season stats as 3 starts, 2 goals and 1 assist. If Schade can stay fit for a full year, he could be in for a big season, he is still only 22, so there is time for him to continue what was looking like a very promising career.

17th: Wolves

It seemed as if everyone, including myself, had Wolves as dead certs to be relegated last season, their manager Julen Lopetegui left just days before the season started, and they were forced to sell some of their key players due to financial issues. Yet Gary O’Neil defied the odds, and kept them up, and did so in the face of adversity. Wolves had so many VAR decisions go against them last season, many unjustly, they would have looked even better if they had not had to deal with them, and their injuries were shocking as well, key players such as Pedro Neto couldn’t play half of their games. Wolves were solid, dependable and could give anyone trouble on their day.

This season may be different though, it felt as if last season they were a club with a point to prove. A group of players determined to change the perspective of them and their capabilities to stay in the League, and a manger determined to prove that his previous sacker’s in Bournemouth were wrong to get rid of him, and that he wasn’t just a one season wonder. I don’t know if that will continue this season. Wolves have lost Max Kilman and Pedro Neto to West Ham and Chelsea respectively, and although the large fees recouped for those players will be helpful for their financial issues, they are huge losses. Neto was crucial to Wolves last season, in 18 league starts, he scored 2 goals and got 11 assists. His pace on the counter attack was crucial to how they played, he was a major part of their victories against Chelsea and Manchester United. Kilman meanwhile, was a stool-wart of their defence last year, starting all 38 league games. Kilman was their club captain as well, so will be a huge loss. Wolves now are going into a Premier League season with Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, Santiago Bueno and Yerson Mosquera as their centre back options, all of those players are solid enough in isolation, but not as the only options, they will have to make additions in that area or they will be in serious trouble.

They have added to their squad though. Tommy Doyle has joined on a permanent basis after his loan from Man City last season, whilst Jorgen Strand Larsen will bolster their forward options as he arrives on loan from Celta Vigo. Wolves have also brought in two young talents in Rodrigo Gomes and Pedro Lima. Gomes is a 21 year old winger signed from Braga. He featured heavily for them last season, scoring 7 and assisting 7 in the Portuguese top division. He can play on either wing and has impressed in pre-season so far, scoring 3 goals in 3 games. Lima meanwhile, is an 18 year old right back, snatched from under the nose of Chelsea, Lima joined Wolves from Sport Recife, in the Brazilian second division. Lima is a highly rated youngster, and while he may not be ready for much first team football now, he is a top prospect for the future.

It feels as if Wolves will struggle this year, whilst they did have poor luck with VAR last season, it felt as if it became to much of an excuse, and there was too much complaining about things that they couldn’t control, not what they could have, such as the fact that they only had 1 win in their last 10 Premier League games. Gary O’Neil is a decent manager, but it is yet to be seen whether he is more than just a mid table Premier League coach, this year will be the litmus test of that.

ONE TO WATCH: Rodrigo Gomes

I spoke about Gomes earlier, so wont go into too much detail, but he is a clearly talented young prospect, and with the departure of Pedro Neto, he could see more game time than was initially expected, with his development benefiting massively from that.

It was fun until it actually began:

18th: Southampton

Who would have thought it? After eight games of the Championship season, Southampton were languishing in 15th place, well below expectations, which had been high for them following their relegation from the Premier League the year prior. Yet, Russell Martin turned it around, and managed to guide Southampton to 4th in the League, securing a playoff spot, which they ended up winning, securing themselves a spot in the Premier League. Martin has rekindled the feel good factor around Southampton, after a difficult couple of years prior to his arrival, he speaks about his players glowingly, and that can only help bring a group together, and it feels as if they are really riding a wave as they return to the top flight.

However, that feel good factor may be difficult to keep going as they return to the Premier League. The top flight is a massive step up from the Championship, and it is very difficult to continue to play the style of football that Southampton did in the Championship. Across the entire of last season, Southampton averaged 65% possession of the ball. This will not happen again this season, and they will have to adapt to not having the ball as much. For much of last season, they used a 4-3-3 system, and were completely focused on the in possession side of the game, this resulted in them being open at the back, conceding 63 goals across the season, making them the 14th best defence in the League, not what you would expect from a promoted side, especially one that was only relegated from the Premier League the season prior.

They have attempted to adapt though, in the playoff matches and in some of their pre-season games, they used a 3 at the back system, which could give them extra security. It’s good to see Russell Martin adapting, as throughout his career so far, he has been criticised for his stubbornness in tactical identity. Don’t get me wrong, you have to have your principals that you stick to, any successful leader in any walk of life has that, but you have to have the ability to compromise as well, and change based on the situation that you find yourself in, that was the downfall of Burnley last season, they didn’t adapt, whereas Nottingham Forest did so when they returned the Premier League, they completely changed their style of play. Southampton will have to do so if they are to have any hope of staying up. It will take an adaptation period, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a difficult start to the season, but a strong end.

In the transfer window, Southampton haven’t gone down the route of the likes of Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich, they have largely focused on keeping their team together, adding some Premier League experience and a little bit of quality as well, it’s not a completely new team. Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes have joined the club on permanent deals following their loan spells at the club last year, both of which were crucial to their promotion bid. Southampton have added experience through the free transfers of Adam Lallana and Charlie Taylor. The quality comes from Ben Brereton Diaz. Brereton Diaz is a well known player, signed from Villarreal, he was on loan at Sheffield United for the second half of last year, where he scored 6 goals in 14 appearances. He will add quality to their forward line, and will give them added flexibility as he can play on either wing or up front. They have also added to young, promising centre backs from the lower leagues in Ronnie Edwards and Nathan Wood.

ONE TO WATCH: Yukinari Sugawara

Signed from AZ Alkmaar, Sugawara has potential to thrive for Southampton this season, he is a 24 year old, high flying right back. His signing points towards Southampton playing a 3 at the back system, as he is very much an attacking fullback and there are questions about his defensive capabilities, he registered 4 goals and 7 assists last season in the Eredivisie, and is an astute signing who could thrive in the Premier League after being signed for just £6 million.

19th: Ipswich

It has been an incredible rise for Ipswich under Kieran Mckenna. When he came in, Ipswich were floundering in League One, he stabilised them, and in his first 2 full seasons at the club, he achieved back to back promotions. They have reached the promised land, but now they must face the damning reality. Their first two games back in the league? Liverpool at home and Man City away, a nice reintroduction to the top flight.

They were enthralling to watch last season, scoring more goals than any other team in the championship. However, this will be difficult to replicate in the Premier League. It’s a huge step up from the Championship, I’m happy for them to prove me wrong, but for Ipswich to stay up, they’ll have to do better than clubs with international level players. Ipswich have made multiple signings already this summer, with Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves, Arijanet Muric, Ben Johnson, Liam Delap and Connor Townsend coming through the door. Their first choice team looks strong on paper, but all of their players lack premier league experience, a lot of their players are talented, and could be great players, but are they good enough? Teams that have stayed up in Premier League in recent years have added players that were proven to be good enough in the moment, that could elevate their team immediately, Fulham brought in Willian, Brentford brought in Christian Eriksen, Forest brought in Keylor Navas and Felipe. I haven’t quite seen that with Ipswich yet.

They are and adaptable team, and showed in the championship that they were capable of playing many different ways, they were free scoring, and dominated games, yet they didn’t dominate possession, averaging 53% possession across the season, compared to the likes of Southampton who averaged 65%.

They are riding a wave, momentum is with them and the fan base will be delighted from game 1 to game 38, no matter the results. The potential is there for them to survive and do well, Mckenna is a great coach, and they will be a well organised team with strong ideas of what they want to do. I just think that the level of the Premier League is so high, and it will be a step too many for them.

ONE TO WATCH: Arijanet Muric

Muric has been brought in to be the number one goalkeeper at Ipswich, he was backup to James Trafford for the majority of last season at Burnley, but got into the team at the end of the season, and shone, if you ignore the couple of frankly embarrassing errors that he made with his feet, he performed exceptionally. Muric had a save percentage of 81% last season, higher than the likes of Alisson, Ederson and Jordan Pickford. He’s only 24 years old, and with Ipswich likely to face many shots this season, he could really put his name into the limelight.

20th: Leicester

It’s been a frustrating couple of years for Leicester fans, first came relegation from the Premier League, in a season which was so critically misjudged with key players leaving and not being replaced. Then came all the optimism, Enzo Maresca came in to lead the promotion push, they started incredibly, building up a 12 point gap to 2nd place in the League Ipswich by gameweek 32, but then faltered, losing 7 of their final 14 games, almost double the amount of games they had lost in the first 32 games. They managed to crawl over the line though, and secure automatic promotion to the Premier League, and for a short time, there was jubilation and excitement about what could come next. What did come next though, was pretty much the worst new imaginable, manager Enzo Maresca left for Chelsea, and the club were announced to be under investigation for breaking PSR, with a points deduction this season imminent.

The appointment of Steve Cooper is an interesting one, as he is completely different to Maresca, who was all about possession and from the Guardiola school of the coaching, whilst Cooper, in the Premier League at least has been a lot more pragmatic, and focused on defensive solidity, and then pace on the counter attack. Cooper may be a throwback to Ranieri days in that sense, although I don’t expect similar results. Cooper is a people person, and was loved by his players at Nottingham Forest, so he wont have trouble getting the backing of the players, it’s just the fans he may struggle with. He built a special bond with the supporters at Nottingham Forest, and the thought of Cooper standing in the opposition dugout at the City Ground this season will bring a tear to the majority of of Forest fans eyes. However, the context is widely different around Leicester, in Cooper’s first season at Forest, he had some bad runs of results, which would have seen any ordinary manager be sacked, but it was the backing he received from the fanbase which kept him in the job, which in itself came from the good memories that he had given them the year before in their promotion year, the journey that they had been on. That journey doesn’t exist with the Leicester supporters, who didn’t want Cooper to be their manager in the first place. They will get behind the team, no doubt about it, but the patience wont be there if results don’t go their way.

The transfer market has also been difficult for Leicester so far. They have lost their star player Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea for only £35 million, and Kelechi Iheanacho and Harry Souttar have also left on free transfers and loans respectively. They have made additions though. They have signed Abdul Fatawu Issahaku on a permanent following his loan spell at the club from Sporting last season, Facundo Buonanotte has arrived on loan from Brighton as well. They have also acquired Bobby De Cordova-Reid on a free transfer from Fulham. It is strange that they are focusing on the wide areas in the market, as their wingers were one of their strongest assets last season, and Steve Cooper has historically played without wingers in his team. They have looked to strengthen in defence as well, 23 year old Caleb Okoli has arrived from Atalanta. The young midfielder Michael Golding, who mostly featured in youth football last year has arrived from Chelsea in a £6 million deal.

Premier League experience will now be the priority for the rest of the window, but their starting eleven is strong enough to compete in the Premier League: Hermansen, Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin, Winks, Ndidi, Soumare, Fatawu, Mavididi, Vardy. The level of the Premier League is so high though, and I’m not sure that this squad is ready to make that step up, with the threat of points deductions looming as well, I think that Leicester are almost dead certs for relegation, and Steve Cooper will not survive until the end of the season.

ONE TO WATCH: Jamie Vardy

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Jamie Vardy? He’s about 40 years old, I though the One To Watch was for up and coming players?” Well, that’s understandable, but this one is for nostalgic reasons. Seeing Jamie Vardy back in the Premier League is one for nostalgia, thinking back to the year that Leicester won the League, and how he and Riyad Mahrez tore up the League on the counter attack, and subsequently how he scored 15+ goals for 5 consecutive years. He is 37 now, and perhaps doesn’t have the same blistering pace that he has in his prime, but he scored 18 goals in 19 starts in the Championship last season, and it will be fun to see him play in the Premier League for perhaps one last team. One of the most underrated strikers of his generation, Jamie Vardy, in the counter-attacking style of Steve Cooper, is one to watch this season.