After a torrid year for the world and a stunted season which saw Liverpool walk away cosy winners of the 19/20 PL season and their first PL trophy, the sense of normality will hope to be restored this season with a first ever September start for the English top tier.
The conclusion of the relegation fight came down to the final day with three possible relegation candidates and two spots to fill, Aston Villa needed a single point to stay up and they managed to do so which sent Watford and Bournemouth packing despite Bournemouth’s conclusive 3-1 win away in Everton on the final day. Norwich were 14 points adrift and didn’t stand a chance.
The Championship was won by Leeds which looked a formality for much of the year, they finished 10 points clear and confirmed the clear promise they’ve shown in recent times, West Brom also filled the other automatic promotion spot. Fulham beat Cardiff 3-2 on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals and went on to beat Brentford in extra time in the final to push themselves back into the top tier after only one season away.
As it seems every year, the difficulty of predicting the outcome of this season has increased even more, the newly promoted teams look more than capable of mixing it with the high finishing regulars and it will inevitably lead to an exciting year of football.
ARSENAL – Predicted finish 5th
Mikel Arteta’s up and coming Arsenal side finally seem as if they have a future to look forward to, the tactics that the Spaniard has embedded in the Gunners, especially against the top teams, seem to be shutting the doors and getting some defensive stability that they’ve lacked so much in the last few seasons. In the transfer window they’ve picked up some much-needed PL experience with former Chelsea man, Willian. The Brazilian played 237 games for Chelsea and with their huge influx of signings, a move was the right decision. Gabriel Magalhaes cost a pretty penny at £27,000,000 from Lille but he’s shown that he’s a serious prospect and fills a position that Arsenal have been desperately trying to fill for a while. In the last two seasons he’s helped Lille qualify for the Champions League after their seven-year absence from the competition.
Arsenal’s team is very clearly in development and they’re undoubtedly a team to watch in coming years, but they do lack the cutting edge offensively. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is one of the leagues best attacking threats but unfortunately without his presence this Arsenal team look like they may struggle for goals. Bukayo Saka has burst onto the scene in the last 12 months and is expected to have another brilliant season but the lack of strength in depth up top could well be Arsenal’s major downfall. The likes of record signing Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette both have a touch of class about them but they were not vital figures in Arsenal’s last campaign, they will both need to step up in what’s tipped to be a difficult season.
ASTON VILLA – Predicted finish 18th
Aston Villa hadn’t won in 10 with 4 games to go at the end of the 19/20 campaign but pulled off the unexpected with 8 points from that possible last 12, including a gutsy win against Arsenal. Dean Smith’s side have acquired Matty Cash for a £14,000,000 deal that could rise to £16,000,000 from Nottingham Forest, the 23 year old can play anywhere down the right side and his versatility will be ideal for a Villa side that have very minimal offensive options.
Jack Grealish has been the target of relentless transfer embargo but the born and raised Brummy looks as if he’ll be staying in his hometown for now, at least. Grealish at the age of 24 received his first England call up this month and is finally having his consistent good performances rewarded. In the 19/20 season he set a new record for being fouled, he was fouled more than any player in PL history in one game (9 vs Chelsea) and he was also fouled 40+ times more than anyone else in the duration of the season. Villa conceded the most goals in the PL last season (1.76 per game) which cannot be ignored but the glaring issue is undoubtedly in the final third. Grealish was Villa’s top scorer with 8 goals followed by Trezeguet with 6 and they’re going to have to find significant improvement in that area, hence the record signing of Ollie Watkins from Brentford who scored 26 goals last season, but he is a bit of a gamble on his maiden season in the Premier League- time will tell.
BRIGHTON – Predicted finish 15th
Graham Potter’s Brighton have completed some shrewd business this transfer window, the Seagulls signed Adam Lallana on a free transfer and Dutch international Joel Veltman on an absolute steal for a deal believed to be worth around £750,000. Veltman has made 22 appearances for the Netherlands and can also play full back if required, he’s got plenty of Champions League experience and he should partner Lewis Dunk at the back, Dunk has been linked with many top clubs throughout the window but looks as if he’ll be staying. Brighton managed to hold onto most of their squad with exceptions of Aaron Mooy who left for the Chinese League and Shane Duffy who joined Celtic. Potter gets a fine tune out of this Brighton team when they’re on song and the defensive stability they look to have gained could really benefit them this season, 15th may be slightly unfair but other teams have a fair bit more potential.
BURNLEY – Predicted finish 10th
Burnley in their ongoing four-year spell in the Premier League haven’t had a serious threat of relegation, they finished 16th in the 16/17 season but followed that in 17/18 with a 7th place finish and a spot in Europe. The yo-yo continued with a drop down to 15th the following year and finally they finished mid-pack in 10th last season. Chris Wood played 2436 minutes last season which works out as roughly 28 games and he scored 14 goals, a very impressive average of over a goal every 2 games, should the New Zealand striker stay fit- he could very well press for 20 this year. Nick Pope and James Tarkowski have been staples in the Burnley backline that has brought them so much success and has also struck the attention of Gareth Southgate and the England squad too. Pope kept 15 clean sheets last season and was behind only Ederson for the PL golden glove. This Burnley side continually go under the radar and will cause problems for every team they face but they do lack a playmaker to provide chances on a consistent basis, a mid-table finish is expected.
CHELSEA – Predicted finish 4th
The Chelsea team of 19/20 is now in the distant past as the transfer ban has been lifted and Chelsea have let rip in this transfer window spending big money and picking up several big names. Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr have been acquired to bolster what was an already a sturdy top 6 squad. The backing of Frank Lampard is quite eye-opening, and he’s made the necessary signings that Chelsea have quite clearly needed. Timo Werner has already scored his first Chelsea goal in pre-season and Havertz after weeks of speculation finally completed his deal in the first few days of this month. The offensive threat of Chelsea this year is bound to be never ending and goals will not be a problem, the real issue lies defensively. Kepa last season accrued the stat of “worst statistical goalkeeper in PL history~ and the world’s most expensive keeper’s game was littered with mistakes. There hasn’t been any big market moves from Chelsea to sign another goalkeeper and that could be a possible downfall, the Blues had conceded an average of 1.02 or lower for the three previous seasons but their end-of-season average was 1.42 last year. It’s silly to expect a massive influx of money to win Chelsea the league or make them a title challenging team, as it was last season this will be another season of building a future under Lampard, saying that- top 4 is a must.
CRYSTAL PALACE – Predicted finish 17th
Last season Palace were fortunate to have had a good Christmas period because their last 9 games of the season resulted in them getting one point, they also only scored in 2 of those games. Roy Hodgson’s side scored the second least goals in the PL with 31 last season, the only team that scored less were Norwich and they finished 14 points adrift of safety. Eberechi Eze was recruited for a £20,000,000 fee and looks a nice option after a breakout season at mid-table Championship side QPR. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder scored 14 goals and added a further 8 assists, he will be dangerous alongside Wilfred Zaha who by his standards, underperformed last year. The lack of defensive reinforcement in the transfer window is going to prove a real issue for Palace this season as all the surrounding teams have spent big. There’s a level of stubbornness that this Crystal Palace side have that may be able to keep them in the PL but this season is going to be very difficult if they perform even half as bad as the last quarter of the 19/20 season.
EVERTON – Predicted finish 7th
Carlo Ancelotti has worked absolute wonders in the transfer window by signing Allan from Napoli and 2014’s World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez. The Colombian was brought in on a £22,000,000 deal but he’s only made 28 league appearances in his last two years because he’s been riddled with injury, if he was to return to his previous levels and match sharpness then this deal could be one of the bargains of the window. Adding those two to the rest of the already strong Everton squad looks to given them the necessary strength to challenge for Europe this season, Lucas Digne has consistently performed since his arrival from Barcelona and Richarlison has scored 13 goals in both of his seasons at Everton and he’s still only 23. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a brilliant run in the middle of the season too and hit double digits, having a player like James in midfield will only add to fuel to the fire he was on last season. The one downside is, the Toffees always seem to spend in the transfer windows and the money hasn’t ever quite looked justified. The squad they’ve put together this season though, is more than capable.
FULHAM – Predicted finish 19th
Fulham bounce straight back to the PL after their play-off final victory over 3rd placed Brentford, they won with a brace in extra-time from full-back Joe Bryan and gave Scott Parker a dream start in his first managerial season. The last time Fulham were in the top flight they spent plenty of money and attempted to play their attacking style of football which was inevitably their downfall, they conceded 81 goals in the 38 game season which was the most out of anyone in the league. Parker hasn’t made any miraculous signings this window, but Harrison Reed’s deal was made permanent, Mario Lemina has been brought in on loan and Antonee Robinson was purchased on a cut price deal from financially depleted Wigan. Alexander Mitrovic scored 11 goals in his first PL spell with Fulham, he scored 26 last season in the Championship and also won the Golden Boot, the Serbian is getting better by the year and his brutish approach makes it difficult for any defender to defend against him. Fulham’s did also score the least out of the newly promoted sides, but they’ve been notorious over the years for their home record, that should keep them away from the bottom.
LEEDS – Predicted finish 16th
The 19/20 Championship winners Leeds stormed the league and put any doubts behind them by staying in the title fight the whole season without any real slip ups, they eventually won the league by 10 points and Marcelo Bielsa’s impressive management finally paid dividends. As most newly promoted teams seem to do in current times, Leeds have smashed their record transfer fee by bringing in Spaniard, Rodrigo. Valencia are currently undergoing some serious financial grief following the global pandemic, so they’ve been forced to let go of their players, saying that Rodrigo only scored 4 goals last season and the signing raised a few questions. Leeds also secured a permanent deal for Helder Costa and extended their loan of Jack Harrison once again. Ben White was on loan at Leeds from Brighton last season and they’ve been unable to keep him, he was a core member of their squad last season and played every game of their Championship season, he could be a loss despite Robin Koch being recruited as a possible replacement. This Leeds team should undoubtedly do the best out of the promoted teams but there’s doubt surrounding their quality at this level, relegation shouldn’t be close, but the squad doesn’t seem capable of getting to mid-table.
LEICESTER – Predicted finish 8th
Leicester looked to have a top 4 position in the bag with roughly 10 games to go at the end of last season but after getting only 9 points from their final 27 available, they dropped out of the Champions League spots quite tamely. Jamie Vardy won the Golden Boot last season and has scored 96 goals in the last 5 PL seasons he’s taken part in, he’s always going to be a reliable source of goals- especially with the surrounding creativity of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes. The Foxes lost a core member of their defence in Ben Chilwell but instantly reinvested the funds in Belgian full-back Timothy Castagne from an Atalanta side that challenged for the Serie A title last season and looked one of the most promising teams in Europe; they also only invested £22,000,000 which isn’t even half of the £50,000,000 they received for Chilwell. After the ending of last season, you’d have expected Brendan Rodgers to be searching for some big reinforcements but there has not been enough. Leicester will be in Europe this season and the lack of depth they’ve got will surely hinder their league chances, it’s hard to see the same start of the season for them this year and a finish outside of the European places looks an unfortunate expectation.
LIVERPOOL – Predicted finish 2nd
19/20’s PL Champions Liverpool set a standard that was unmatched throughout the whole of the year, by the time football was put on hold they were over 20 points ahead and finished the season with a 18 point cushion, the second highest in PL history. The Liverpool squad from last year was more than capable of walking away with the league but only one signing in full-back Tsimikas hasn’t added much to the already superb squad. Mane, Salah and Firmino have ripped the PL apart for the past three seasons and have been involved in 71, 87 and 57 goals respectively. The trio look simply unstoppable when they’re performing and it’s very unlikely, they’ll slow down this year. Robertson and Alexander-Arnold contributed heavily to Liverpool’s offensive genius with consistent assists from left and right back and once again it’ll continue. It’s very hard to know whether Liverpool will be firing on all cylinders like last season but there’s nothing obvious stopping them having another exceptional season, they’re an almost guaranteed top two if they play half as good as last season.
MANCHESTER CITY – Predicted finish 1st
Manchester City were left in Liverpool’s wake for the majority of the year and they were unable to even scratch the surface of the gap that was built up so quickly. David Silva signed for Real Sociedad after a decade at the Etihad, Leroy Sane also left for Bayern Munich for roughly £55,000,000 but he didn’t take a huge part in their previous campaign. Nathan Ake was signed from relegated side Bournemouth for a £41,000,000 fee to bolster what has become quite a shaky defensive line. There’s absolutely no doubting City’s offensive prowess, they scored over 100 goals in the PL last season and Kevin De Bruyne was head and shoulders above the league, he won the PFA player of the year and scored 13 goals alongside his 20 assists- the Belgian is bound to do the same this season. Sergio Aguero was injured for the majority of last season so he only played 1449 minutes, he scored 16 goals in those minutes which averages out as a goal every 90.5 minutes, the Argentinian has struggled for fitness in recent seasons but when available, he’s a guaranteed source of goals. Raheem Sterling’s 55 goals across the last 3 seasons has proven how clinical he can be, the English winger has really flourished under Pep Guardiola and with the service he regularly receives from midfield he’s going to continue to progress. This City side simply have too much offensively, and they will be much closer to Liverpool, they could even pinch the title.
MANCHESTER UNITED – Predicted finish 3rd
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United are on the rise, Bruno Fernandes made an instant impact after his arrival from Sporting Lisbon last season and contributed 8 goals and 7 assists in his 14 games he played. The rise continues with other offensive players, Anthony Martial scored 23 goals in all competitions and Marcus Rashford scored 22- this is the first time two United players have scored more than 20 in one season since 2010 when Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez did. Lastly, Mason Greenwood has taken the league by storm at the age of 17, he scored 10 goals in his debut year which was simply mesmerising to watch as he plays as if he’s been playing at the top level for years. The Red Devils have added Donny Van de Beek to the midfield that was already littered with quality and will merely increase the promise of the team. The United defence is the slight worry, despite only conceding 2 less than City and 3 less than Liverpool, David De Gea is looking more mistake prone by the season but United have Dean Henderson available after his superb season at Sheffield United. If United’s defence were to trim out their calamity of errors that regularly see them drop silly points and even possibly finally secure a deal for Jadon Sancho, this team has the ability to push for that top two.
NEWCASTLE – Predicted finish 12th
The Magpies have been the centre of the news over the last few months because they were subject to a Saudi takeover which would’ve seen them become the richest club in the world, their owners are worth a staggering £320,000,000,000 which is roughly 13x the size of City’s owners. The takeover did fall through but Steve Bruce has done some very tidy business by signing the Bournemouth duo of Calum Wilson and Ryan Fraser, in the 18/19 season they scored 21 goals and got 23 assists between them which are insane numbers for a side that finished 14th. Danny Rose was on loan here last season, but he has since returned to Tottenham which allowed a gap for Jamal Lewis to be signed from relegated Norwich on a £15,000,000 deal. The 22-year-old full back has plenty of top-level years ahead of him and he was a shining light in a bleak Norwich season. Newcastle’s problems in recent times have been their lack of offensive threat and with Steve Bruce as manager it’s hard to see a change in that, he plays a very defensive style which hasn’t been seen to full effect. Martin Dubravka in goal has been exceptional since his signing from Sparta Prague, he made the most saves in the PL last year. Newcastle’s signings are perfectly suited to the positions they required improvement; they could have a good season but it’s hard to see it happen under Steve Bruce.
SHEFFIELD UNITED – Predicted finish 14th
Chris Wilder’s team shocked the footballing world by almost securing a European spot in their first season back in the Premier League but it was foiled by a stumble at the end of the season after the resumption of football, they won 3 of their last 8 games. The squad that Sheffield United have is not typically a PL standard but the way in which Wilder’s team defend and perform consistently caused many a problem for every team in the league. The Blades unfortunately lost a key member of their squad in Dean Henderson who returned to his parent club Manchester United but they raided Bournemouth for Aaron Ramsdale who was so impressive in his first PL season, he should fill the void. Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe were Derby’s full-backs last season and have been signed in a double deal and will bolster the wing back options that were so vital in the system last year. Sheffield United scored 39 goals in a 38-game season last year which was the joint fourth lowest, they haven’t signed any forwards during this transfer window which is questionable considering the lack of goals. It’s to be expected that the defence will hold up under Wilder’s organised tactics but the goalscoring droughts will see this Sheffield United team fall further down the table this year.
SOUTHAMPTON – Predicted finish 11th
Ralph Hasenhüttl’s job security was seriously under fire at the start of last season where Southampton started horrendously and conceded 21 goals in their first 6 home games, one of which was a 9-0 home defeat against Leicester which is the largest home loss in the history of the top tier of English football. Danny Ings revitalised the Saints and finished the year on 22 league goals, he had previously shown potential in the league, but it was his first year that was injury free and he really blossomed. Kyle Walker-Peters was secured as part of an exchange with Pierre Hojberg which remains to be seen whether that’s the right decision, Hojberg was a key member of the squad and the club captain. This Southampton team haven’t gained a huge amount this transfer window but they’ve got a fantastic manager in Hasenhüttl, providing Ings can stay fit this team will have a very similar season, if Ings was to have trouble with injury again, they could plummet.
TOTTENHAM – Predicted finish 6th
Harry Kane’s Spurs are going to undoubtedly go under the radar this season, the offensive pairing of him and Heung Min Son will cause problems for any defence they face and will more than likely both score double digits. Harry Kane has suffered injury problems in recent seasons but has scored a minimum of 17 goals in each of the last six seasons, providing he stays fit he’s going to be a real contender for the golden boot, as always. Spurs lost Jan Vertonghen to Benfica after an 8-year spell in North London but they’ve been playing four at the back consistently under Mourinho so the loss will not be as noticeable. Matt Doherty was brought in from Wolves for a very cheap fee of £15,000,000, the Irishman has contributed 16 goals over the last two seasons from defence and will be a great attacking option that will more than likely provide plenty of chances for Kane up top. This Spurs squad has plenty of potential and heaps of depth in comparison to recent years, but they’ve failed to purchase a back-up striker for Kane once again. Fernando Llorente was the last striker Spurs purchased and that was over 3 years ago, the risk of Kane getting injured can put an instant stop to this team and it’s happened on a few occasions in recent times. There’s plenty of opportunity for Spurs to get heavily involved amongst the top 6 but the downfall will once again be the lack of striking back-up should Kane get injured.
WEST BROM – Predicted finish 20th
West Brom claimed an automatic promotion spot by 2 points after Brentford’s final day slip up against relegation battling Barnsley. Slaven Bilic’s side look the weakest of a very strong Premier League line up this year, they conceded the most goals out of the newly promoted sides in the Championship last season and have not signed any defenders of real significance. Cedric Kipre has come in on a cheap deal from Wigan to provide some depth in the central positions, but the lack of an experienced quality PL standard defender will really be noticeable. There is positives in the Brom camp though after they secured the permanent deals of Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana, the latter was much to the disappointment of his former club West Ham- he was rated very highly by the fans and even some of the West Ham players have spoken about how poor the decision to sell him is. West Brom’s top goalscorer in the league last season was a tie between Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu, both of which only scored 10 goals. Austin was prolific in his younger years at QPR but in recent times hasn’t been as good as he once was and he’s not going to be up to the forever rising standard of the Premier League. It would be very impressive to see West Brom stay up with the squad they’ve got but the same was said about Sheffield United last season, could it happen? It’s a huge longshot.
WEST HAM – Predicted finish 13th
David Moyes’ West Ham have come under fire in recent weeks for the previously mentioned sale of Grady Diangana, he was one of their top prospects and had returned after a year on loan looking as if he’s ready for the step up, only to be sold. The West Ham offensive line was firing at the end of last season with the likes of Michail Antonio scoring 8 in their final 7 games. Tomas Soucek has been secured on a £15,000,000 deal from Slavia Prague and the big Czech made a significant difference whilst pairing Declan Rice in the middle of the park, he had 20 shots in his 13 appearances and scored 3 goals. Antonio had the most shots for the team last season with 68 and at the rate Soucek was firing, he wouldn’t be far off- he’s lethal from corners and will cause problems for everyone. West Ham’s consistent goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had trouble with injury last season and it was very noticeable when he was missing, this side also have a huge lack of depth in the defensive areas, it’s surprising that Moyes hasn’t been hunting for defenders and that’s likely to be a problem for a team that’s usually prone to injury. The stubbornness of the London side has continued to keep them in the PL in recent times and Soucek will have a great season scoring some very important goals to keep them sturdy.
WOLVES – Predicted finish 9th
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves have finished in 7th and secured back to back Europa league spots in their first two seasons back after their promotion from the Championship and have proven themselves as a top side, regularly taking points off of the big guns and being a real nuisance to play against. Raul Jimenez has scored 30 goals in his first two PL seasons and contributed a further 17 assists, the Mexican arrived for a £30,000,000 fee after his initial loan and has been the main talisman for such an exciting side. Unfortunately, Matt Doherty has been sold to Spurs and his consistent offensive contribution will be sorely missed but Wolves have made a loan move for Lyon full-back Marcal who was injured for the majority of the season but took part in their Champions League run in Lisbon. Adama Traore was a regular pain for full-backs last season too, he completed the most take-on’s in the league with 183 and was over 60 ahead of third on that leader board- he was rumoured to join a variety of top teams but he’s stayed. Captain Conor Coady recently had his first ever England call-up and is getting the recognition he deserves after playing every single minute for the last two seasons, something that’s quite unprecedented in today’s high paced modern game. Wolves will undoubtedly cause problems for the big teams once again but the similar teams surrounding them have made significant inroads into improving their squads, Wolves haven’t done huge amounts. Competitive but a slight drop.
TOP GOALSCORER
The top goalscorer in the PL has been a very tightly fought trophy in recent times but providing they both stay fit; Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero will be right up there at the business end of the season. The two of them are so important to their sides and have the raw talent to finish a ball in any given situation, both also suffered injuries last season that really hindered their challenges. Aubameyang is not to be written off either as he’s the only true source of goals at Arsenal.
PFA Player of the Year
The way in which Kevin De Bruyne effortlessly went about his usual game last season is simply insane, the Belgian is the obvious favourite to repeat last year’s feat of winning this award and would be the first player to win it back to back since Cristiano Ronaldo in 06/07 and 07/08.
PFA Young Player of the Year
This is always an exciting award to watch throughout the season and this year’s main candidates will be Mason Greenwood, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka. Mason Greenwood burst into the league last season and hit double digits for goals at the age of 17, Trent Alexander-Arnold is already regarded as one of the best right backs in the world but at such a young age he’s still progressing and it’s yet to be seen quite how good he can be. Bukayo Saka at the age of 18 has proven to be hugely versatile, he’s played at full-back, on the wing and even just in behind the striker- he’s got serious potential at a growing Arsenal side, he could be the man to side with.
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samyets 