Manchester City still
look like the strongest team despite the loss of Aguero, who didn’t play much
last season anyway due to injury. The signing of Jack Grealish for an English record
transfer fee was a statement signing even if it isn’t exactly clear where he will
fit in the team, and who will lose out. Further outgoings are possible, with
Bernardo Silva likely to be sacrificed to make way for Grealish and provide
extra funds towards the signing of a striker. City have made no secret of trying
to sign Harry Kane but whether they sign him or not is likely to depend on
whether Tottenham can find a suitable replacement in time. With or without Kane,
City are favourites to win
the league. Ultimately their season will be judged on whether they can finally
deliver the holy grail, the Champions League trophy. Given the travails of
other major clubs around Europe, they will certainly be among, if not the
favourites. But even while focusing on Europe, the squad is strong
enough to challenge on all fronts.
Their strongest
challenge on both fronts is likely to come from Chelsea. Buoyant after winning
the Champions League, they will be determined to challenge for the league title
after four relatively barren seasons domestically by their standards. The
expected signing of Romelu Lukaku will address their problem area up front.
They could still do with a centre back though as Thiago Silva isn’t getting any
younger while Christensen and Zouma don’t totally convince at the highest level.
The rest of the squad is incredibly strong though and arguably has the most strength
in depth of any in the premier league. Now they need to back up that quality with
a sustained title challenge.
Liverpool should bounce back after a difficult season with the return from injuries of key defenders Virgil VanDijk and Joe Gomez while they will be hoping for less injuries to their midfield as well. If they can keep everyone fit, they should be able to challenge for the title again. One question mark remains over their midfield where they haven’t replaced Georginio Wijnaldum after his departure to PSG. Liverpool tend to do their business on the quiet though, so the lack of rumour or speculation about possible signings doesn’t mean they aren’t close to finally signing the midfielder they need. They could also do with more cover for star forwards Salah and Mane as they are likely to miss up to six weeks mid-season for the African Cup of Nations.
They have signed one player so far
this summer in defender Ibrahima Konate, but it’s difficult to see where he
will fit into the team and he is likely to be a squad player for now.
Manchester United have
made two excellent signings in winger Jadon Sancho and centre back Raphael
Varane who should provide more ammunition in attack and tighten up the defence
respectively. Whether that will be enough for the title challenge the club
craves remains to be seen. On paper they have top quality players all over the
pitch. But presuming Sancho and Fernandes are automatic choices, who will play
alongside them out of Rashford, Greenwood, Martial and Cavani, and how does the
manager keep the others happy. The squad is bloated with too many players not
playing and some including Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Daniel James, will need
to be cleared out.
Question marks still
remain over manager Solskjaer’s tactical nous at key moments. When the pressure
was on in the Europa League final, Solskjaer did nothing and the team sleepwalked
to a shootout defeat. This is a massive season for Solskjaer, given the money
spent on this team, unless there is a real title challenge and progress in the
Champions League, surely his time will be up.
Another manager under pressure to show signs of progress will be Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Consecutive eighth place finishes are not good enough for a club of Arsenal’s size. A limp Europa League exit to Villarreal didn’t help especially when the team clearly put all their focus on that competition in the second half of last season. Talk of a massive overhaul of the squad with significant investment hasn’t materialized this summer with plenty of rumour and speculation only yielding centre-back Ben White, left-back Nuno Tavares and midfielder Albert Lokonga so far. White looks like a decent signing albeit overpriced, but central defence was not a priority this summer given the existing strength in depth there and a decent defensive record last season. Tavares and Lokonga meanwhile look to be back-up players with long-term potential. The team still desperately needs a playmaker and goalkeeper though. And the right-back position needs to be sorted, they have three decent options there but Arteta didn’t settle on one of them last season while there is still speculation they could bring in someone new and sell Bellerin. This was symptomatic of the manager’s problems more broadly where Arteta was prone to frequent rotation and he desperately needs to settle on a first choice eleven. Arteta’s other big challenge will be getting key striker Aubameyang back to form after a poor season, a new playmaker should help with that.
Arsenal could benefit from not having the distraction of European football meaning less games and less need to rotate players. The African Cup of Nations will have an impact though with four first-teamers likely to be called up for the tournament including Aubameyang and key midfielder Thomas Partey. They could be away for up to six weeks during a crucial period of the season. Other teams will be affected as well but Arsenal will be one of the hardest hit.
Leicester City have quietly
gone about their transfer business this summer adding much needed strength in
depth with striker Patson Daka, midfielder Boubakary Soumare and left-back Ryan
Bertrand. Given the injuries to Fofana and Evans, they still need a centre back
while Maddison will have to be replaced if he leaves. Leicester should remain
in or around the top six again this season but manager Brendan Rodgers will need
to do something differently to prevent the end of season collapse that cost
them champions league football in the last two seasons. Making use of the increased
strength in depth will help prevent tiredness creeping in towards the end of
the season.
After months of
speculation, Tottenham finally settled on a new manager in Nuno Espirito Santo,
who left Wolves at the end of last season. He was clearly far from Spurs’ first
choice and the long search for manager has affected their transfer business and
preparations for the new season. The big news this summer though is over whether
main man, striker Harry Kane will leave. He has made no secret of his desire to
leave while Man City have made it very clear they want to sign him. Tottenham
owner Daniel Levy is a tough negotiator and holds all the cards given Kane is
under long term contract. The likelihood is that Kane will go this summer but
the transfer could go to the wire. Tottenham won’t want a repeat of 2013 though
when they sold Gareth Bale and the money was wasted on poor signings. With or without
Kane, the team is short of a few players if they want to challenge for the title.
Even if they keep Kane, they will still need a striker as back up while they
also need a centre back and another central midfielder would help. The pressure
will also be on Nuno to move away from the more conservative tactics that characterised
his spell at Wolves.
In contrast to Spurs’
scrambling for a manager, Everton moved decisively to replace the departed Ancelotti
with Rafa Benitez. Despite the fans misgivings over his previous connections to
rivals Liverpool, Benitez has a proven track record and should be a good appointment
for the club. Their transfer business so far has been uninspiring, wingers Andros
Townsend and Demarai Gray are not the bigger names Everton had been getting
used to in recent seasons. But it suggests a more direct tactical approach with
focus on providing service to the striker. They’re still a bit short to
challenge the big six but should among the best of the rest even without Richarlison
for the first few games after his busy summer playing at the Copa America and
the Olympics.
The big news at Aston
Villa is the sale of their playmaker and talisman Jack Grealish to Man City for
a record fee. Grealish will be difficult to replace but Villa are going about
it the right way. They have used the money to make three excellent signings in striker
Danny Ings, playmaker Emi Buendia and winger Leon Bailey and still have money
left over. Not enough to challenge the top six but should do well and could
make a go of it in the cups.
West Ham had an
excellent season last time around but its hard to see that being repeated without
a couple more signings. They definitely need a striker, but a central
midfielder and centre back wouldn’t go amiss either. Under reliable manager
David Moyes, the hammers will be steady but not spectacular.
Leeds should have enough
quality to avoid any second-season syndrome but without the investment needed
to really push on another quiet mid-table finish is the likely outcome. Given
their long years out of the premiership, fans will be perfectly happy with
that.
Crystal Palace will be
hoping for a safe, uneventful mid-table finish, the kind they generally had
under manager Roy Hodgson. With Hodgson now retired the pressure will be on new
manager Patrick Vieira. While he had plenty of playing experience in the
premiership this is his first managerial job in England and his previous job at
Nice went sour after a good start. Signings so far have been good, and they
have begun the process of bringing youth to what has been an older team. A
decent striker would really help though. Wilfried Zaha, subject of speculation
for years, looks set to stay this summer though which will be a boost. Crystal Palace are the third team who will be most impacted by the African Cup with Zaha, along with midfielders Kouyate and Schlupp and striker Ayew all expected to be called up. Their absence could go a long way to deciding whether Palace enjoy mid-table safety or a fraught relegation battle but over the course of the whole season they should be safe.
Wolves decided manager Nuno
had taken them as far as he could and replaced him with another Portuguese in
Bruno Lage. Lage, formerly of Benfica is new to England but the number of
Portuguese players at the club should at least help with any culture shock.
They have been quiet on the transfer front but at least that means they have
held onto key players. Young forward Francisco Trincao who arrived on loan from
Barcelona is very highly rated and will provide much needed support for striker
Raul Jimenez returning after serious head injury last season. Too often last
season, Wolves were dour and uninspiring to watch (not helped by Jimenez’s absence)
and Lage will be expected to address that. Likely to be a season of transition
culminating in a mid-table finish.
Newcastle have had a
quiet summer with no signings yet although Joe Willock is expected to join
after his successful loan spell last season. It won’t be pretty to watch but
they should just have enough to avoid a relegation battle.
Brighton will be
delighted with the £50m they received for Ben White, a huge fee for a player
with just one season of top division experience. And despite his departure,
they are still well covered in defence while having money to improve their
whole team. They have been linked with a number of strikers who could make a
big difference, Brighton tend to play decent football but goals have been a
problem. If they sign the right striker expect them to move away from the
relegation battle and into safe mid-table obscurity.
The sale of Danny Ings
is a big loss for Southampton. Adam Armstrong had an excellent season with
Blackburn in the championship but there will be huge pressure on him to make
the step up and replace Ings’ goals. The experience and reliability of Ryan Bertrand
will be a big loss after his departure as well especially with what is
otherwise a young and callow team. The way the team collapsed after a strong
start last season doesn’t bode well for them either. Expect them to struggle
this season and relegation is a definite possibility.
Usually at least one more
established premiership team gets relegated in a season and that is likely to
be between Southampton and Burnley this season. Burnley have had a quiet summer,
just signing centre back Nathan Collins and back up goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey
to add depth to an already strong defence. Burnley will grind out the results
as usual but this season it might not be enough.
The three promoted
teams have been busy in the transfer window. Of them, championship winners
Norwich look the best equipped to stay up. They have lost star playmaker Emi
Buendia but have made good signings in winger Milot Rashica and striker Josh
Sargent while they will be stronger for the experience they had in their last premiership
season.
Watford have improved
the age profile of their team since their last season in the premiership with a
number of younger players coming into the team. They have reverted to signing
more experienced players again this summer though. The manager Xisco Munoz’s
lack of experience could be a factor though especially as he has only managed
winning teams. How he responds to managing in a league where they will lose
most of their games will play a big part in how they do this season.
Brentford who were promoted through the play-offs will be a bit of an unknown quantity. Unlike regular yo-yo teams Norwich and Watford, Brentford haven’t been in the top division in over 70 years. Known for playing good football and a strong bond with their local community it is good to see them at this level. The premiership is a big step up in quality though for a group of players with no experience of this level and they will struggle.
Final Prediction:
1. Manchester City
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Leicester City
7. Aston Villa
8. Tottenham
9. Everton
10. West Ham
11. Leeds
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolves
14. Brighton
15. Newcastle
16. Norwich
17. Burnley
18. Southampton
19. Watford
20. Brentford
