PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 2022-23
Last season 5th FA Cup Third round League Cup Semi finals
Last major trophy FA Cup 2020
Ownership Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (USA)
Head coach Mikel Arteta (since December 2019)
New signings Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, Matt Turner, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Arsenal have reacted to missing out on Champions League football for a sixth season in a row with a splurge of transfer activity this summer. Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrive from Manchester City while Fabio Vieira, from Porto, and Marquinhos, from Sao Paolo, freshen up the Gunners' attacking options following the departure of Alexandre Lacazette. Certainly, head coach Mikel Arteta cannot complain at the level of investment which, at £119 million, is the highest in the Premier League. At the same time, though, many Arsenal supporters are questioning if the club is backing the right man. Following three defeats on the spin to start last season, Arsenal were always playing catch-up - but, any time it looked as if they might consolidate a place in the top four, they hit another sticky patch such as the four defeats out of five in March and April. Arteta was regularly indebted to his younger players like Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Sako and Emile Smith Rowe - but a lack of consistency comes naturally with youth and further successive away defeats inside four days in May to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United confirmed the end for the Gunners' top four hopes. The summer signings should relieve some of the pressure on the young Gunners players - but that pressure now lies firmly on Arteta to deliver. Prediction [7th]
Last season 14th FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy League Cup 1996
Ownership Nasser Sawiris (EGY) and Wes Edens (USA)
Head coach Steven Gerrard (since November 2021)
New signings Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos, Robin Olsen, Boubacar Kamara, Ludwig Augustinsson*
Aston Villa lost exactly half of their Premier League matches last season as early progress following the appointment of Steven Gerrard in November proved to be something of mirage. Gerrard won his first two games in charge of the Villans to lift his side up to 13th - but, in the 25 matches which followed, Villa won eight, drew five and lost 12 to finish in 14th, three places lower than in 2020-21. Home form was particularly poor - there were eight defeats in B6 alone and the Holte End witnessed just two league wins in the whole of the second half of last season. This summer, Diego Carlos - a commanding centre-back - has arrived from Sevilla, Boubacar Kamara will add some steel to the midfield - and, with Philippe Coutinho signing permanently following a successful loan spell since January, there is much to be said for Gerrard's ability to attract top signings to the second city. For the most part, the appeal of working with the 42-year-old no doubt still largely owes itself to his playing days. Nevertheless, Gerrard's record at Rangers looks better with every passing week and he has also stamped his authority on the Villa Park dressing room by deciding to remove the captain's armband from the error-prone Tyrone Mings and hand it instead to John McGinn.
Prediction [8th]
Last season 2nd in Championship (promoted) FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Maxim Demin (RUS)
Head coach Scott Parker (since June 2021)
New signings Ryan Fredericks, Joe Rothwell, Marcus Tavernier
Bournemouth are back, with the foundations of only their second ever promotion to the top flight laid between August and October when the Cherries enjoyed a club record unbeaten start to a season of 15 matches. Thereafter, though, the campaign became a real slog and three matches without scoring in April, including a woeful defeat to West Bromwich Albion, threatened to land Scott Parker's men in the playoffs. Indeed, it took until the penultimate match to seal the deal with a nervy 1-0 win over fellow-promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest - and Premier League teams simply will not allow a team to get away with such profligacy. Dominic Solanke - once a promising prospect at Chelsea - will lead the line but, just like head coach Parker, he is unproven at the top level. Whatever happens, at least, Parker will no doubt appear sharply-dressed on the touchline in a tailored suit. But, with no real head-turning arrivals to the south coast, the smart money will be on Bournemouth to go down.
Prediction [20th]
Last season 13th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy None
Ownership Matthew Benham (ENG)
Head coach Thomas Frank (since October 2018)
New signings Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter, Thomas Strakosha, Yehor Yarmolyuk, Ben Mee
Brentford were dropping like a stone when they made the bold decision to bring Christian Eriksen in from the cold, only seven months after the Danish midfielder has suffered a cardiac arrest while playing at Euro 2020+1. True, the Bees had little to lose with that particular roll of the dice - an immediate return to the Championship looked more and more likely as early-season optimism faded in a bleak mid-winter run of 4 points out of 33 between Boxing Day and February. Nevertheless, having sparked a remarkable turnaround in form to secure safety, it feels rather galling that the 30-year-old will now turn out for Manchester United. Instead, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank must head back to the drawing board and attempt to plot a different escape route - but, unfortunately for Frank, his realistic options are extremely limited, perhaps merely just to keeping it tight at the back while hoping Ivan Toney enjoys a purple patch or two in front of goal.
Prediction [19th]
Last season 9th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Fourth round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Tony Bloom (ENG)
Head coach Graham Potter (since May 2019)
New signing Julio Enciso
Brighton & Hove Albion achieved their highest league finish in club history last season as a blinding start and strong finish brought a placing in the top half. The Seagulls took 15 points out of their first 18 and finished by taking 18 points out of their last 24, a run which included a club record top-flight triumph with a stunning 4-0 win over Manchester United. But, in between the autumn and the spring, Graham Potter's outfit reverted to their long-held reputation as draw specialists with eight coming in 10 matches between late-September and early-December. A more worrying sequence of five successive defeats in February and March even threatened to suck Albion into the battle to avoid relegation - so, in other words, Brighton's historic finishing position hardly tells the whole story of their season. As ever, the Seagulls struggled to convert their neat possession into goals - and this campaign promises to be another exercise in frustration.
Prediction [13th]
Prediction [13th]
Last season 3rd FA Cup Runners-up League Cup Runners-up Champions League Quarter finals
Last major trophy Champions League 2021
Ownership Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital (USA)
Head coach Thomas Tuchel (since January 2021)
New signings Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka
Chelsea were top of the Premier League on 1 December after beating Watford - but the 3-2 defeat to West Ham United three days later hit the Blues hard, and Thomas Tuchel's team never recovered the sort of consistency required to fight for the Premier League title. Losing both domestic Cup finals on penalties to Liverpool ended up adding to the frustration - but, as the season wore on, the football at Stamford Bridge took a back seat. The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine led to former owner Roman Abramovich having his assets frozen - and left Chelsea unable even to sell a mug in the club shop. Officially at least, Abramovich has now cleared off and the Blues - now under the control of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital - have been able to operate quite normally this summer. Raheem Sterling has made a shock move from Manchester City for £47.5 million while centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly arrives from Napoli for £33 million as Chelsea seek to retain their place in the top four which they have now held for the last four seasons. Perhaps crucially, though, Tuchel lacks an out-and-out goalscorer - Mason Mount finished top of the charts last time at the club with just 11 in the league, and this is an omission which could easily come back to cost the West London club.
Prediction [5th]
Last season 12th FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Second round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Steve Parish (ENG)
Head coach Patrick Vieira (since July 2021)
New signings Sam Johnstone, Cheick Doucoure, Chris Richards
Crystal Palace have given themselves a platform to build on after a 12th-placed finish and a second visit to Wembley in the FA Cup in six years. Most significantly, the Eagles' attacking presence - which was for so long restricted only to Wilfried Zaha - now extends to an array of talent including Zaha, youth talent Eberechi Eze, and French pair Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Patrick Vieira has overseen the transformation as Palace finally tried something new in the Selhurst Park dug-out following a run of managers which - barring five disastrous matches in 2017 under Frank De Boer - reads: Ian Holloway, Tony Pulis, Neil Warnock, Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson. Frustratingly for Vieira, Palace were prone to too many draws, finishing the season with 15 in all, with 11 of those score draws. The Eagles held a lead at some stage in seven of those 11 matches so the area for improvement is fairly obvious. Any such progress will have to come without the effective Conor Gallagher, though, as he has returned to his parent club Chelsea for 2022-23.
Prediction [11th]
Last season 16th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Third round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1995
Ownership Farhad Moshiri (IRN)
Head coach Frank Lampard (since January 2022)
New signings James Tarkowski, Dwight McNeil, Ruben Vinagre*
Frank Lampard may have kept Everton up in May following the ill-starred tenure of former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez - but the 44-year-old will not be sitting comfortably heading into the new season. In fact, Lampard is currently favourite to be the first Premier League boss to leave their post - and it is not difficult to work out why. The Toffees took just 10 points on the road in 2021-22 - and only four of them came in the nine away matches under Lampard. Effectively, Everton retained their top-flight status for a 69th consecutive season on the back of some strong form at Goodison Park from Richarlison and a bit of graft from youngster Anthony Gordon. Richarlison has now left for Tottenham Hotspur with his replacement Dwight McNeil arriving on the back of a terrible campaign at Burnley. In fairness, the goal-threat provided by Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be enough for Everton to survive as usual - but it also seems likely the cash-strapped Merseyside club will reach the finishing line in the spring with yet another new face in the dugout.
Prediction [16th]
Last season 1st in Championship (promoted) FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Shahid Khan (USA)
Head coach Marco Silva (since July 2021)
New signings Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira, Kevin Mbabu, Bernd Leno, Manor Solomon*
The yo-yo existence for Fulham continues unabated, with the spring bringing a third promotion from the Championship out of their last three seasons at that level. But, while the promotion campaigns of 2018 and 2020 concluded with success in the playoffs, this time the Cottagers return under Marco Silva on the back of a convincing Championship title win in which they tallied 90 points and scored 106 goals. Indeed, Aleksandar Mitrovic helped himself to 43 of them personally to break a record held since 1993 by Guy Whittingham for the highest scoring English league season in the current 46-match format. Now, in his past forays in the top flight, the Serbian has struggled with his discipline - or, in the case of 2020-21, struggled full-stop - but he arrives in the Premier League this time with more confidence than ever. The departure this summer of attacking foil Fabio Carvalho to Liverpool is disappointing, if understandable - but, even without the Portuguese forward, Fulham still now carry enough threat to score when on top during games, something which was sorely lacking in their most recent survival attempt.
Prediction [14th]
Last season 14th FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round
Last major trophy First Division 1991-92
Ownership Andrea Radrizzani (ITA)
Head coach Jesse Marsch (since February 2022)
New signings Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra, Sonny Perkins
Leeds United should be worried, really worried. Having survived by the skin of their teeth last season on the final day, the Whites have lost two of their better players this summer as Manchester City and Barcelona came sniffing around Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha respectively. Marc Roca - signed from Bayern Munich - covers the loss of Phillips from midfield but Jesse Marsch's men will sorely miss the skill and directness of the talented Brazilian. Following the departure of the enigmatic Argentine Marcelo Bielsa at the end of February, Marsch did pretty well to be fair, taking 15 points from the last 10 games to keep Premier League football in this part of Yorkshire despite a heavy dose of second season syndrome. However, with the squad now still weaker again, the American faces an even tougher survival challenge in his full Premier League campaign.
Prediction [18th]
Last season 8th FA Cup Fourth Round League Cup Quarter finals Europa League Group stage
Last major trophy FA Cup 2021
Ownership Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (THA)
Head coach Brendan Rodgers (since February 2019)
New signings None
There is a concerned mood around the King Power Stadium ahead of the new season despite the eighth place in May making it five top half finishes out of six since the Foxes' remarkable Premier League title win in 2015-16. The concern is understandable, though - displays throughout last season were far from convincing, particularly from a defensive perspective, as rather neatly demonstrated by the concession of 16 goals from corners alone. The Foxes' set-piece weakness contributed to Brendan Rodgers's men dropping 21 points from winning positions - and, with 34 matches played, Leicester were floundering down in 14th. It was only a late string of good results, in easy fixtures, against Norwich City, Watford and Southampton, which pushed Leicester into the top half - and a lack of as much as a single signing this summer has done nothing to allay the worries in this part of the East Midlands. With Kasper Schmeichel off to Nice, Leicester have spent most of the transfer window warding off interest in members of their team such as Wesley Fofana, Youri Tielemans, and James Maddison. Of those three, the loss of Maddison would serve as an especially critical blow following his efforts towards the back end of last season - and, without his talisman, it would be difficult to see Rodgers avoiding an early exit.
Prediction [12th]
Last season 2nd FA Cup Winners League Cup Winners Champions League Runners-up
Last major trophy FA Cup 2022
Ownership Fenway Sports Group (USA)
Head coach Jürgen Klopp (since October 2015)
New signings Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay, Fabio Carvalho
Liverpool drew first blood this season in the glorified friendly that is the Community Shield - but it will not mean much at all if the Reds miss out on the biggest prizes again in 2023. From a possible historic quadruple, the Reds had to settle for success in the two domestic cups only, with both finals decided on penalties after finishing 0-0. Much of the summer break was taken up by the rumour that the prolific Mo Salah was set to move on - and, with Sadio Mane already off to Bayern Munich, Jurgen Klopp will be pleased that contract negotiations with the Egyptian were successful. Even strong teams undergo transformation, of course - and Darwin Nunez has been signed from Benfica for the small matter of £65 million, while January signing Luis Diaz will look to build upon his encouraging start to life at Anfield. At the back, Virgil Van Dijk remains the Reds' most indispensible player - while the full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will again provide the attacking width. It is a very defined way of playing and extremely effective when done well. However, it can also leave the defence exposed - and fine lines are often the deciding factor in the biggest matches.
Prediction [2nd]
Last season Champions FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Fourth round Champions League Semi finals
Last major trophy Premier League 2021-22
Ownership Abu Dhabi United Group (UAE)
Head coach Pep Guardiola (since July 2016)
New signings Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips
Much was made last summer of the failure of Manchester City to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur as Pep Guardiola prepared his team for life after Sergio Aguero - then, to add insult to injury, Spurs beat Man City on the opening day. Yet, despite that early setback, the defending champions stormed into a 12-point lead on the back of a run of 43 points out of 45 between November and February. Gradually, though, Liverpool ate into the advantage to the extent that only one point separated the teams heading into the final day. Certainly, it was a nervy run-in - Man City had trailed 2-0 at half time before coming back to draw level against West Ham United in their penultimate match, then fell 2-0 behind again to Aston Villa on the final day. Ilkay Gundogan inspired an amazing five-minute turnaround to make it four Premier League titles in five years at the Etihad Stadium, but the feeling persisted that Guardiola's men would have made life so much easier for themselves if they had signed Kane or another big-name forward. This year, Erling Haaland arrived nice and early - and, despite a difficult debut in the Community Shield at the weekend, the quality of service from Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Premier League player of the season Kevin De Bruyne should help the 22-year-old Norwegian settle in quickly.
Prediction [Champions]
Last season 6th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round Champions League Last 16
Last major trophy Europa League 2017
Ownership Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer (USA)
Head coach Erik ten Hag (since May 2022)
New signings Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Tom Huddlestone
Manchester United finished last season with a meek 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace for a sixth consecutive away league defeat for the first time since March 1981. This was also the first time the Red Devils failed to end a league campaign with a positive goal difference since 1989-90. New manager Erik ten Hag, who led Ajax Amsterdam to the Dutch title in May, has said the job is not a risk to his reputation - and there are already promising signs that the 52-year-old can succeed where the other five permanent or interim managers appointed since the Sir Alex Ferguson era have failed. The Old Trafford faithful seemingly will only settle for the return of the Premier League - and ten Haag's transfer business appears solid. For example, Christian Eriksen showed at Brentford last season that he has lost none of his magic, while 24-year-old Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez could be a rock at the back for years to come. At the same time, though, the Red Devils have now fallen too far behind their city rivals Manchester City and eternal rivals Liverpool to be considered as serious title challengers in 2022-23.
Prediction [4th]
Last season 11th FA Cup Third round League Cup Second round
Last major trophy UEFA (Fairs) Cup 1969
Ownership Public Investment Fund (KSA)
Head coach Eddie Howe (since November 2021)
New signings Matt Targett, Nick Pope, Sven Botman
Newcastle United made Premier League history last season by becoming the first top division team since Sheffield United in 1990-91 to fail to win any of their first 14 matches and still stay up. Even as late as January, when the Magpies suffered their latest FA Cup embarrassment at home to Cambridge United, hopes of survival looked slim - especially when Joao Pedro towered over Jamaal Lascelles at the Gallowgate End to head in a stoppage-time equaliser for Watford. But January also brought a first transfer window under new Saudi Arabia-backed ownership. Already action had been taken in October to replace the ruinous Steve Bruce with former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe - and near enough a new defence was next to be sorted. Matt Targett's loan from Aston Villa was followed by the signings of Kieran Trippier and Blyth-born Dan Burn - but it was Bruno Guimaraes, a £33.3 million arrival from Lyon, who really got Tyneside buzzing. Howe's refreshed outfit won 12 times in the second half of the season and took 37 points in 18 matches to find a top-half finish only just beyond them. There have been further defensive reinforcements this summer with the permanent signing of Targett and the arrival of Sven Botman, while Nick Pope will provide competition for Martin Dubravka between the sticks. However, there are also concerns about a lack of depth up front and the continued over-reliance on injury-prone Callum Wilson has somewhat tempered expectations on Tyneside.
Prediction [9th]
Last season 4th in Championship (promoted) FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Second round
Last major trophy League Cup 1990
Ownership Evangelos Marinakis (GRE)
Head coach Steve Cooper (since September 2021)
New signings Taiwo Awoniyi, Giulian Biancone, Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards, Neco Williams, Wayne Hennessey, Brandon Aguilera, Harry Toffolo, Lewis O'Brien, Jesse Lingard, Orel Mangala, Dean Henderson*
A big welcome back to the Premier League for Nottingham Forest who are gearing up for a first season in the top flight in the 21st Century. When Forest were last among the elite, Tony Blair was still Prime Minister and Bill Clinton was US President - and, in the meantime, the twice former European Champions even dropped to the third tier for three seasons between 2005 and 2008. Only last year, another visit to that level looked a distinct possibility with Forest taking just a single point from their first seven games under Chris Hughton. But the arrival of Steve Cooper brought about a massive turnaround as Forest then won 23 and lost only six of the following 39 matches to qualify for the playoffs. All four of the Tricky Trees' previous end-of-season escapades had ended in failure - but Cooper's side defied this record, winning promotion by beating Huddersfield Town at Wembley. Surprisingly, that was the last game for the club for goalkeeper Brice Samba who has moved to Lens in France, while Djed Spence - who was on loan from Middlesbrough - has opted instead to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. Highly-rated keeper Dean Henderson comes in on loan between the sticks and the signing of Jesse Lingard can be considered as something of a coup. The next 10 months will be a struggle at times but, if the City Ground becomes the fortress which it could be, Cooper can defy the odds again.
Prediction [17th]
Last season 15th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Fourth round
Last major trophy FA Cup 1976
Ownership Sport Republic (SRB)
Head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl (since December 2018)
New signings Gavin Bazunu, Mateusz Lis, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia, Joe Aribo, Sekou Mara
For just how much longer are Southampton happy to tread water? The Saints' last five Premier League finishes have been 17th, 16th, a relatively creditable 11th, and then two 15th placings. Certainly, it is a long way off from the successive top seven places under Ronald Koeman in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Additionally, in the meantime, there have also been some humiliating results - the two 9-0s, at home to Leicester City in October 2019 and away to Manchester United in February 2021 - and a 6-0 home defeat to Chelsea last season. As such, it basically feels like Southampton are back to where they constantly were during the 1990s when club legend Matt Le Tissier did enough to save his team from the drop year after year. The equivalent contribution now comes from an arguably even more talented player, James Ward-Prowse - but this over-reliance on a single player is not exactly a sustainable approach.
Prediction [15th]
Last season 4th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Semi finals Conference League Group stage
Last major trophy League Cup 2008
Ownership ENIC International Limited (ENG)
Head coach Antonio Conte (since November 2021)
New signings Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Djed Spence, Clement Lenglet*
Without ever really threatening actually to win something, Tottenham Hotspur have actually had a pretty good last 52 weeks. Last August, Harry Kane snubbed Manchester City to stay in North London - then, at the start of November, Spurs finally got around to appointing the man who they should have brought in last summer when Antonio Conte's arrival put Nuno Espirito Santo out of his misery. In January, Spurs recruited well, signing Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus and agreeing an 18-month loan for Dejan Kulusevski from the Italian giants - and their influence, along with the goals of Kane and Premier League joint-top scorer Son Heung-min, pushed Conte's men over the line in the race for the fourth Champions League spot. This summer, there have been some more smart signings such as Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and Ivan Perisic who, despite being past his very best, still has much to offer - and, as such, Spurs head into a campaign in their strongest position for quite a few years. Of course, that does not necessarily mean Tottenham are actually going to win anything - after all, the cup defeats to Chelsea and Middlesbrough were, for rather different reasons, both as Spursy as it gets.
Prediction [3rd]
Last season 7th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Quarter finals
Last major trophy FA Cup 1980
Ownership David Sullivan (WAL), Daniel Kretinsky (CZE) and David Gold (ENG)
Head coach David Moyes (since December 2019)
New signings Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca
West Ham United secured a second successive season of European football with a seventh-placed finish last season - but it looked as if it could have been so much better for David Moyes's men. Instead, the Hammers won only one of their last seven matches - against Norwich City - and consequently dropped away from the Champions League race into a Europa Conference spot. The Londoners' final chance of a Champions League place came via their run in the Europa League - but their semi final defeat ended badly with Moyes forced to apologise after his full-pelt volley at a ballboy in Frankfurt. But, despite that lack of discipline - and the lack of nerve shown by his team - the Scotsman has had some decent backing in the transfer market. Indeed, the arrivals of defender Nayef Aguerd from Rennes and the highly-rated striker Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuola should ensure the Moyes's men challenge towards the top end of the table again.
Prediction [6th]
Last season 10th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy League Cup 1980
Ownership Fosun International (CHN)
Head coach Bruno Lage (since June 2021)
New signings Hwang Hee-chan, Nathan Collins
Wolverhampton Wanderers finished last season with as many league defeats (17) as relegated Burnley after taking just eight points out of the last 36 - and so a promising first season for Bruno Lage at Molineux can be considered to have badly petered out. The reason behind it was obvious: a lack of goals. Wolves finished the 38-match league campaign with exactly one-per-game - and, sadly, Mexican striker Raul Jiminez has only shown odd glimpses of his previous form since his comeback from a horrific head injury in November 2020. Hwang Hee-chan produced some promising moments - and the Korean forward has now signed permanently from Red Bull Leipzig. Meanwhile, the retention so far of Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto will have the Old Gold safely in the middle of the pack once again.Prediction [10th]
*refers to loan signing
