▪️ ARSENAL @Arsenal
Last season 8th FA Cup Winners League Cup Fourth round Europa League Last 32
Last major trophy FA Cup 2020
Ownership Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (USA)
Head coach Mikel Arteta (since December 2019)
New signings Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Willian, Gabriel Magalhaes, Dani Ceballos*, George Lewis, Tim Akinola, Salah-Eddine, Jonathan Dinzeyi
Those long-suffering Arsenal fans had another FA Cup to celebrate - a fourth in six years and record 14th overall - as Mikel Arteta picked up the pieces following Unai Emery's largely unimpressive tenure. But, despite their Wembley success, the Gunners merely bounced around the mid-table places throughout the campaign, and so it was really quite remarkable that skipper and talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed 29 goals in all competitions. Willian has now arrived from Chelsea to provide another attacking option with his wages no doubt covered by the 55 staff who were made redundant during this coronavirus pandemic. Expect a modest improvement at the Emirates.
Prediction [5th]
▪️ ASTON VILLA @AVFCOfficial
Last season 17th FA Cup Third round League Cup Runners-up
Last major trophy League Cup 1996
Ownership Nasser Sawiris (EGY) and Wes Edens (USA)
Head coach Dean Smith (since October 2018)
New signings Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins, Ben Chrisene
Aston Villa must still feel rather blessed to be taking their place in the Premier League this season considering they would, most likely, have been relegated if the goal-line technology had been switched on against Sheffield United in the first game to be played after lockdown. Villa made the most of their extremely good fortune to overtake Watford in the final week to secure safety but Dean Smith will certainly be looking for a more comfortable ride this time around. Coincidentally, the new campaign begins with another home match against the Blades.
Prediction [16th]
▪️ BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION @OfficialBHAFC
Last season 15th FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Tony Bloom (ENG)
Head coach Graham Potter (since May 2019)
New signings Joel Veltman, Adam Lallana, Zak Emmerson, Jensen Weir, Lars Dendoncker
Brighton scrambled just above the 40-point mark to maintain their record as the only current club in the top flight not to have been ever-present in the Premier League era and yet never having gone down. At the same time, though, the Seagulls are yet to win 10 games in a single season and they have so far recorded two finishes in 15th and a narrow escape in 17th in 2018-19. Now, as many bottom half dwellers have found to their cost in the past, repeated seasons of struggle cannot be sustained forever - and, unless Neil Maupay fires on all cylinders, the Amex Stadium-based Seagulls will be in danger of running out of credit.
Prediction [19th]
▪️ BURNLEY @BurnleyOfficial
Last season 10th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy First Division 1959-1960
Ownership Mike Garlick (ENG)
Head coach Sean Dyche (since October 2012)
New signings Will Norris, Marc Richter, Will Rickard, Marcel Elva-Fountaine, Conor Barrett
The indefatigable Sean Dyche led Burnley to their highest finish since ABBA went to the UK number one spot with Waterloo in the summer of 1974 - yes, I checked - but such relative success should not really come as any sort of surprise. Nick Pope kept 15 clean sheets last season behind a defence which is marshalled superbly by James Tarkowski while - between Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, young Dwight McNeil, and Jay Rodriguez - there is a more than decent array of attacking talent on show. The Clarets have certainly made good progress on the pitch then - but, while it would be a terrible shame for a Football League founder club to move away from their traditional Turf Moor home, the frankly dangerous conditions in the away end badly need to be rectified for when supporters can attend once again.
Prediction [9th]
▪️ CHELSEA @ChelseaFC
Last season 4th FA Cup Runners-up League Cup Fourth round Europa League Last 16
Last major trophy Europa League 2019
Ownership Roman Abramovich (RUS/ISR)
Head coach Frank Lampard (since July 2019)
New signings Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva
Frank Lampard was lauded last season despite 12 Premier League defeats, and eight losses at home in all competitions. True, the Stamford Bridge legend was always going to be given more room for error than his predecessors and he reacted to his hands being tied in the transfer market with a refreshing level of trust in his youth prospects. But, with the transfer ban now lifted, Lampard has been entrusted with millions of Roman Abramovich's Russian roubles, bringing in Timo Werner and Kai Havertz from Germany and thereby completely reinvigorating the Blues' attack. As such, even Lampard loyalists are expecting a far better season than last time out.
Prediction [3rd]
▪️ CRYSTAL PALACE @CPFC
Last season 14th FA Cup Third round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Steve Parish (ENG), Joshua Harris/David S Blitzer (USA)
Head coach Roy Hodgson (since September 2017)
New signings Michy Batshuayi*, Eberechi Eze, Jake Giddings, Nathan Ferguson
The preview for Crystal Palace could pretty much almost be copied and pasted from last year's assessment. Keep star player Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park and the Eagles will steer clear of the worst of the trouble. But if the main man in South Norwood gets injured - or, worse, departs elsewhere then an already poor attack will become still yet further blunted. Palace hit the net only 31 times in their 38 league games - only rock-bottom Norwich City scored fewer - although this can hardly come as a surprise given the propensity of manager Roy Hodgson to play up to three holding midfielders in the same line-up.
Prediction [15th]
▪️ EVERTON @Everton
Last season 12th FA Cup Third round League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy FA Cup 1995
Ownership Farhad Moshiri (IRN)
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti (since December 2019)
New signings Niels Nkounkou, Allan, James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure
Everton have made some eye-catching moves in the transfer market this summer - bringing in World Cup 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez from Real Madrid as they attempt to arrest their slide into the bottom half of the table. If anything, though, the Merseysiders' humiliation last season was worse still in the FA Cup where they lost to a Liverpool reserve side in the third round. Now barely able to boast even being the second best team in their city, it would be no surprise if the Toffees once again come unstuck with the new clown prince Jordan Pickford in between the goalposts.
Prediction [11th]
▪️ FULHAM @FulhamFC
Last season 4th (promoted from Championship via playoffs) FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Shahid Khan (PAK/USA)
Head coach Scott Parker (since February 2019)
New signings Antonee Robinson, Harrison Reed, Mario Lemina*, Alphonse Areola*, Kenny Tete
Fulham immediately bounced back from relegation by winning the playoff final for the second time in three years, beating local rivals Brentford on 4 August. Of course, when the Cottagers last went up, they spent upwards of £100m on a new starting line-up trying - and failing - to stay in the top flight. This time, there is more cohesion but, having bombed so miserably in 2018-19, Scott Parker's men will simply be happy if they inflict their bizarre neutral zone on the Premier League for more than a single season.
Prediction [17th]
▪️ LEEDS UNITED @LUFC
Last season 1st (promoted from Championship) FA Cup Third round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy First Division 1991-92
Ownership Andrea Radrizzani (ITA)
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa (since June 2018)
New signings Rodrigo Moreno, Robin Koch, Illan Meslier, Helder Costa, Charlie Allen, Jack Harrison*, Joe Gelhardt, Cody Drameh, Sam Greenwood
It might have taken 16 years involving points deductions - and a three-year detour to the third level - but Leeds United have finally made it back to the Premier League. The Whites will find quite a lot has changed in the intervening years - mainly that the so-called top six now have such an iron grip, even the most inventive management will only result in limited success - perhaps a top half finish like Sheffield United achieved. Regardless of the outcome, though, Marcelo Biesla's attacking principles will provide a welcome change to much of the drudgery in modern football even if, ultimately, it exposes a certain naivety in the way he sets up.
Prediction [10th]
▪️ LEICESTER CITY @LCFC
Last season 5th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Semi finals
Last major trophy Premier League 2015-16
Ownership Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (THA)
Head coach Brendan Rodgers (since February 2019)
New signings Timothy Castagne
Leicester blew a big advantage, winning only four of their last 17 league and cup games, to allow Manchester United and Chelsea to overtake and deny them what, at Christmas last year, seemed like a certain Champions League place. Now, excepting the wonders of the 2015-16 title win, fifth is still a historically strong placing for the East Midlands club. Nevertheless, many supporters were flabbergasted by the manner of the collapse - and so manager Brendan Rodgers begins the new term under a fair deal of pressure. At least, for the Foxes' sake, last season's Premier League top scorer - Jamie Vardy - has now committed himself to the King Power Stadium until 2023.
Prediction [12th]
▪️ LIVERPOOL @LFC
Last season Champions FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Quarter finals Champions League Last 16
Last major trophy Premier League 2019-20
Ownership Fenway Sports Group (USA)
Head coach Jürgen Klopp (since October 2015)
New signings Kostas Tsimikas
It will not have escaped anybody that Liverpool followed up a sixth European Cup in 2019 by winning the Premier League for the first time for a 19th English title. Certainly, it appears to be the sole aim of Liverpool fans to ensure no one ever forgets it. True, the Reds title win was extraordinary and record-breaking on many counts - but it still undoubtedly lost some of its lustre when ultimately relegated Watford strolled to a 3-0 win ahead of defeats for Jurgen Klopp's men after lockdown at Manchester City and Arsenal. While the unbeaten record at Anfield has now extended to an incredible 59 league matches over a three-year period, it will be fascinating to see if the same imperfections as those shown in the post-lockdown period affect Liverpool while they are on the road to their principle rivals during the whole of next nine months.
Prediction [2nd]
▪️ MANCHESTER CITY @ManCity
Last season 2nd FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Winners Champions League Quarter finals
Last major trophy League Cup 2020
Ownership Khaldoon Al-Mubarak (UAE)
Head coach Pep Guardiola (since July 2016)
New signings Ferran Torres, Nathan Ake, Pablo Moreno, Scott Carson*
Manchester City gave English football a taste of what it must be like to watch Celtic in the Scottish game in 2018-19, winning all three domestic trophies on offer. But, last season, Pep Guardiola's men had to settle for the League Cup only despite fielding the best player in the top flight in Kevin De Bruyne. The weaknesses appeared clear enough - the defence still misses the presence of Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany while the back-up for Sergio Aguero in attack is not effective enough. Of course, the Abu Dhabi billions could soon fix that - but, surprisingly, this has been a relatively quiet close season so far.
Prediction [Champions]
▪️ MANCHESTER UNITED @ManUtd
Last season 3rd FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Semi finals Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy Europa League 2017
Ownership Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer (USA)
Head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær (since December 2018)
New signings Donny van de Beek
Manchester United went unbeaten in their last 14 league games to recover from seventh place to the third and Champions League football for only the third time in the seven years since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Mid-season Portuguese arrival Bruno Fernandes proved an inspired signing, if nothing else but for his penalty taking ability as the Red Devils were given unfathomable 22 spot-kicks in all competitions. And yet, despite this, the Old Trafford trophy cabinet had no silverware added to it with three semi final defeats leaving troll-faced Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer with a nearly man reputation to shrug off in the coming campaign.
Prediction [4th]
▪️ NEWCASTLE UNITED @NUFC
Last season 13th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Second round
Last major trophy UEFA (Fairs) Cup 1969
Ownership Mike Ashley (ENG)
Head coach Steve Bruce (since July 2019)
New signings Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick, Jamal Lewis, Mark Gillespie, Niall Brookwell
Newcastle have been distracted throughout the close season by a classic Geordie soap opera in the form of a takeover by the Saudi Arabia-based Public Investment Fund, only for Premier League chief executive Dick Masters now declared officially to have blocked the bid at the behest of Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves. Bitterness and concern have more recently given way to relief as Mike Ashley has, seemingly, sought to protect his investment from a third relegation during his 13-year tenure. After suffering the sight of £40 million man Joelinton up front throughout last season, Callum Wilson arrives at St James Park with a genuine top-flight pedigree and things could get quite exciting if he links up with Ryan Fraser like he did at Bournemouth in 2018-19. For now, though, this feels like a campaign which could go either way for the Magpies.
Prediction [13th]
▪️ SHEFFIELD UNITED @SheffieldUnited
Last season 9th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Third round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1925
Ownership Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (KSA)
Head coach Chris Wilder (since May 2016)
New signings Aaron Ramsdale, Wes Foderingham, Ethan Ampadu*, Jayden Bogle, Max Lowe, Oliver Burke
Second season syndrome is a bit of a football cliché considering the first year up is still the most difficult for most promoted teams - but, after breezing through their first season back in the Premier League, Chris Wilder's men will surely find a repeat performance beyond them. After all, form rather deteriorated in the period after lockdown - and, even when they were flying, the Blades were often too easily blunted by their opponents. Certainly, much stranger things have happened in 2020 than Sheff United falling from a place top half to a relegation struggle - even if the South Yorkshire club, in contrast to others, can count on backing from Saudi Arabia without Premier League interference.
Prediction [18th]
▪️ SOUTHAMPTON @SouthamptonFC
Last season 11th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Fourth round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1976
Ownership Gao Jisheng (CHN)
Head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl (since December 2018)
New signings Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohammed Salisu
Southampton took a refreshing approach to their struggles last autumn by keeping faith in manager Ralph Hasenhüttl. The move to stick paid off as 2019 summer signing Danny Ings hit great form to finish with 22 league goals and elevate the Saints to a creditable 11th-placed finish. The 2020-21 season promises to be more successful if Southampton avoid another bad start - and any more 9-0 home defeats. Aye, *that* defeat was always going to be mentioned somewhere in this piece...
Prediction [8th]
▪️ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR @SpursOfficial
Last season 6th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round Champions League Last 16
Last major trophy League Cup 2008
Ownership ENIC International Limited (ENG)
Head coach José Mourinho (since November 2019)
New signings Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty
Tottenham failed to hang onto the coat-tails of the top four last season so are back to Thursday nights in the Europa League only 12 months after an appearance in the Champions League final. There was slightly improved form after Jose Mourinho arrived - and Harry Kane's goals will no doubt keep Spurs somewhat competitive. But impatient fans, eager for a first trophy since 2008 beyond the Audi Cup, will not be happy as it stands with the lack of a marquee signing in the close season.
Prediction [6th]
▪️ WEST BROMWICH ALBION @WBA
Last season 2nd (promoted from Championship) FA Cup Fifth round League Cup First round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1968
Ownership Lai Guochuan (CHN)
Head coach Slaven Bilić (since February 2019)
New signings Matheus Pereira, Cedric Kipre, Grady Diangana, Callum Robinson
West Brom boinged back to the big time after just two years in the summer - though it would be far from an understatement to suggest they made hard work of it. From a position of control in their own destiny, the Baggies ended up stumbling over the line, taking just three points - all from draws - out of last 12, and ultimately relying on Brentford bottling it. The Bees duly obliged as the prospect of a first top-flight season since 1946-47 created pressure on the present-day team which they could not overcome. Slaven Bilić simply cannot rely on Premier League clubs being as generous as that.
Prediction [20th]
▪️ WEST HAM UNITED @WestHam
Last season 16th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1980
Ownership David Sullivan (ENG) and David Gold (ENG) Head coach David Moyes (since December 2019)
New signings Tomas Soucek, Ossama Ashley
West Ham unsurprisingly continue to suffer the effects of having had their soul ripped out following their ill-fated move to the London Stadium - and the surprise return of David Moyes was the clearest sign yet that the Hammers have completely lost their way. To be fair to Moyes, dour though he is, the Stratford-based club stayed up without having to deal with final day nerves. But, while Karren Brady calls the shots alongside her smut trader friends David Gold and David Sullivan, it is difficult to envisage West Ham ever amounting to much.
Prediction [14th]
▪️ WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS @Wolves
Last season 7th FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round Europa League Quarter finals
Last major trophy League Cup 1980
Ownership Jeff Shi of Fosun International (CHN)
Head coach Nuno Espírito Santo (since May 2017)
New signings Marcal, Matija Sarkic, Fabio Silva, Vitinha*
Measured by all metrics except league placing, Wolves improved on their 2018-19 performance in 2019-20 as they matched their seventh-placed finish. However, this time, the Cup win for Arsenal means there will be no Europa League at Molineux in the coming campaign. In fairness, that might be no bad thing for Nuno Espírito Santo's exhausted squad, considering the Europa qualifiers right at the start, and then the coronavirus pandemic, extended the Midlanders' season to an amazing 383 days. Indeed, the much-reduced schedule should allow the undoubtedly morally squeaky clean Chinese-backed Old Gold to continue knocking hard at the door of the top six.
Prediction [7th]
*refers to loan signing
