Premier League preview: Arsenal primed to loosen Man City stranglehold

PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB-BY-CLUB PREVIEW

2024-2025

▪️ ARSENAL @Arsenal
Last season 2nd FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round Champions League Quarter finals
Last major trophy FA Cup 2020
Ownership Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (USA)
Head coach Mikel Arteta (since December 2019)
New signings David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori
Arsenal head into the campaign as the best-placed challenger to interrupt this period of Manchester City dominance in the Premier League after edging ever closer over the past two seasons. For, while it could be reasonably argued that the Gunners lost their bottle in 2022-23 with dropped points in the closing stages against West Ham United, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, 2023-24 was nothing like that. Instead, a free-scoring Arsenal outfit took 50 points out of the last 54 available - and the title was effectively decided by a tight tussle at Manchester City which finished 0-0. Mikel Arteta knows his existing squad really is not far away now, so the fact there is only one completely new face this summer so far - highly-rated centre-back Riccardo Calafiori - is no great surprise, and merely just a matter of fine-tuning ahead of another season-long assault on the title. 
▪️ Prediction Champions

▪️ ASTON VILLA @AVFCOfficial
Lamovesason 4th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round Conference League Semi final
Last major trophy League Cup 1996
Ownership Nasser Sawiris (EGY) and Wes Edens (USA)
Head coach Unai Emery (since November 2022)
New signings Lewis Dobbin, Ian Maatsen, Samuel Iling-Junior, Ross Barkley, Enzo Barrenechea, Jaden Philogene, Amadou Onana

Aston Villa achieved their highest Premier League finish since 1995-96 as Unai Emery impressively led the club into the premier European competition for the first time in 42 years in his first full season. Of course, with great achievement comes great responsibility to maintain the same level of performance - and, in anticipation of the extra games, Villa have filled out their squad with no fewer than seven first-team signings. Those arrivals have been funded by the sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby to Juventus and Al-Ittihad for £42.3 million and £50.5 million respectively so the Villans should be in no danger of breaching the farcical profit and sustainability rules. However, the loss of Luiz and Diaby should not be underestimated - and there is huge pressure on main striker Ollie Watkins to avoid injury and remain as prolific as he was last season, despite the inevitable strain which additional games will bring.
▪️ Prediction 8th

▪️ BOURNEMOUTH @afcbournemouth
Last season 12th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Fourth round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Bill Foley (USA)
Head coach Andoni Iraola (since June 2023)
New signings Enes Unal, Alex Paulsen, Daniel Jebbison, Dean Huijsen, Julian Araujo, Evanilson
Bournemouth comfortably retained their place at the top table for a eighth season out of the last 10, maintaining their role as the embodiment of support size meaning little given that their average attendance of 11,108 suggests there is no great need to extend the measly capacity of Dean Court. It means, though, that the Cherries will always have a much lower ceiling than their competitors - especially in this era where commercial income is vital to comply with profit and sustainability rules. As such, it was no surprise really that their main weapon Dominic Solanke, scorer of 19 league goals in 2023-24, had his head turned by the bright lights of the capital city and moved to Tottenham Hotspur, while talented out-of-contract centre-back Lloyd Kelly has journeyed north to Newcastle United. Last season, though, head coach Andoni Iraola produced a team last season which often played at a level exceeding the sum of its parts - so, while the goals of Solanke will be missed in particular, the south coast club can continue to punch well above its weight under the astute Spaniard.
▪️ Prediction 13th

▪️ BRENTFORD @BrentfordFC
Last season 16th FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy None
Ownership Matthew Benham (ENG)
Head coach Thomas Frank (since October 2018)
New signings Benjamin Fredrick, Igor Thiago, Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg
Brentford failed to hit 40 points for the first time since their promotion to the Premier League as an unconvincing campaign required late wins over Sheffield United, Luton Town and Bournemouth to secure a fourth successive season in the top flight. The Bees actually coped well with the ban until January of main striker Ivan Toney for betting irregularities - and the 28-year-old responded to his reintroduction into the team with four goals in five games. Thereafter, though, Toney's goals dried up completely amid speculation that he was seeking new pastures, something which as of yet still remains unresolved. This spell is not the first time that there has been speculation surrounding Toney's future in a Brentford shirt - and, having seen his show better form without him in the team during 2022-23, head coach Thomas Frank may consider it is time for the west London club to cut its losses.
▪️ Prediction 17th

▪️ BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION @OfficialBHAFC
Last season 11th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round Europa League Last 16
Last major trophy None
Ownership Tony Bloom (ENG)
Head coach Fabian Huerzeler (since July 2024)
New signings Ibrahim Osman, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Georginio Rutter

All change again at Brighton and Hove Albion as the Seagulls begin the season with another new man at the helm. Following in the recent footsteps of Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi, Fabian Huerzeler is the latest left-field appointment on the south coast - and undoubtedly the biggest risk yet. The 31-year-old American-born German arrives in English football without any top-flight experience - and, although he led St Pauli into the Bundesliga in May in his first full season there, it is difficult to tell if he knows exactly what awaits him. For his part, Huerzeler - the youngest manager in Premier League history - has set his sights on producing a "season to remember", but that will be no mean feat considering Brighton have already had plenty of memorable days in recent years. 
▪️ Prediction 9th

▪️ CHELSEA @ChelseaFC
Last season 6th FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Runners-up
Last major trophy Champions League 2021
Ownership Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital (USA)
Head coach Enzo Maresca (since July 2024)
New signings Omari Kellyman, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Filip Jorgensen, Aaron Anselmino, 

Billion Pound Bottlejobs - it is going to be a difficult tag for Chelsea to shrug off especially after another summer splurge has resulted in the signing of nine new faces at a cost of over £200 million so far. Remarkably, at the time of writing, the Blues have 42 first-team players vying for a squad place - an eye-watering number and a clear result of a revolving door approach to the head coach role. On 1 July, Enzo Maresca became the fourth new man in the role in under three-and-a-half years, excluding caretakers and interim appointments - but there are already doubts over just how long he will last in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat. After all, despite the Championship title win, the Italian's reputation at Leicester City suffered some damage after the Foxes squandered a lead which had stood at 14 points - and yet chairman Todd Boehly still saw fit to bring him in.
▪️ Prediction 7th

▪️ CRYSTAL PALACE @CPFC
Last season 10th FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Last major trophy None
Ownership John Textor (USA), David Blitzer (USA), Josh Harris (USA), Steve Parish (ENG)
Head coach Oliver Glasner (since February 2024)
New signings Chadi Riad, Daichi Kamada, Ismaila Sarr, Louie Moulden

Crystal Palace continue to battle to keep their squad together after new head coach Oliver Glasner perhaps revealed too much of his hand during the south London club's fine late recovery last season. Glasner led Palace to six wins out of seven at the back end of 2023-24 as the Eagles eventually soared into a finishing position of 10th, only weeks after being on the fringe of the relegation battle, as the second Roy Hodgson era came to the sad conclusion that the 77-year-old was simply too frail to continue in the role. So far, following the sale of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Palace owner Steve Parish has rejected no fewer than four bids by Newcastle United for Marc Guehi while Eberechi Eze also has his suitors. At this point, though, it is difficult to see more than one other major player at most leaving Selhurst Park - and, as such, Glasner's men should bounce around midtable all season with little drama.
▪️ Prediction 14th

▪️ EVERTON @Everton

Last season 15th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Quarter finals 

Last major trophy FA Cup 1995 

Ownership Farhad Moshiri (IRN)

Head coach Sean Dyche (since January 2023) 

New signings Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye, Jake O'Brien, Jack Harrison*, Jesper Lindstrom* 

It was a slightly long and winding road - but Sean Dyche restored some stability at Everton last season as the Toffees survived fairly comfortably despite taking deductions of six and two points respectively. Of course, much of that was down to the desperately poor quality of the chasing pack as, for only the second time in the Premier League era, all three promoted sides made an immediate return to the Championship. However, the Merseysiders also deserve credit for their solid defensive record which brought 13 clean sheets including nine at Goodison Park, something which lessened the impact of the goal drought suffered by main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Ideally, Dyche would have liked to have used this summer as a platform to build on - but, ahead of the delayed relocation to the new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock next season, finances remain perilously tight.
▪️ Prediction 15th

▪️ FULHAM @FulhamFC 

Last season 13th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Semi finals 

Last major trophy None 

Ownership Shahid Khan (USA) 

Head coach Marco Silva (since July 2021) 

New signings Ryan Sessegnon, Emile Smith Rowe, Jorge Cuenca, Sander Berge, Joachim Andersen

For Fulham, the first stage of the recovery is close to completion. Having yoyoed wildly between the Premier League and the Championship in five consecutive seasons between 2017-18 and 2021-22, the Cottagers have begun to re-establish themselves in the top flight again with trouble-free finishes of 10th and 13th in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Head coach Marco Silva also appears to have settled down and, having failed to stay for longer than a year in his four previous jobs, the Portuguese moves into a fourth full season at the west London outfit. Fulham struggled in front of goal last season at times, failing to score in 13 of their 38 league games - but if new signing Emile Smith-Rowe can overcome his recent injury woes, Fulham will re-establish themselves as part of the Premier League furniture once again.
▪️ Prediction 10th

▪️ IPSWICH TOWN @IpswichTown

Last season 2nd in the Championship (promoted) FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Fourth round 

Last major trophy UEFA Cup 1981 

Ownership Gamechanger 20 Ltd (USA)

Head coach Kieran McKenna (since December 2021) 

New signings Omari Hutchinson, Ben Johnson, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Arijanet Muric, Conor Townsend, Sam Szmodics, Kalvin Phillips*, Jens Cajuste* 

Too much, too soon? In May, Ipswich Town became the fifth team during the Premier League era to gain successive promotions from the third tier - and two of the previous four (Southampton and rivals Norwich City) stayed up. The Tractor Boys will hope to become the third as top flight football returns to Portman Road for the first time since 2002 after a couple years of missing out in the playoffs turned into years of mediocrity - and then worse with the drop into League One in 2018-19. Kieran McKenna has led a magnificent recovery - and, while those of the Suffolk faithful who expect survival might be a little too drunk on optimism, their Northern Irish head coach has given them plenty of reason to dream.
▪️ Prediction 20th

▪️ LEICESTER CITY @LCFC 

Last season 1st in the Championship (promoted) FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Third round 

Last major trophy FA Cup 2021 

Ownership Srivaddhanaprabha family (THA)

Head coach Steve Cooper (since June 2024)

New signings Abdul Fatawu, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Michael Golding, Caleb Okoli, Oliver Skipp, Facundo Buonanotte*

Out of the 20 clubs in the Premier League, Leicester City have ridden the biggest rollercoaster in the last 20 years, since relegation from the top flight in 2004. There followed a demotion to the third tier for the first time in history in 2008 before promotions in 2009 and 2014, a great escape in 2015, an incredible first English league title in 2016, a first FA Cup triumph in 2021, and a shock relegation in 2023. Even this summer, the soap opera on Filbert Way has not stopped with Championship-winning head coach Enzo Maresca moving to Chelsea. Replacement Steve Cooper looks like a sound choice given his recent experience in the lower reaches of the table at Nottingham Forest - but, just like in his last season at the City Ground, some of Cooper's fate will rest outside of his control if the Foxes receive a points deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
▪️ Prediction 19th

▪️ LIVERPOOL @LFC 

Last season 3rd FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Winners Europa League Quarter finals 

Last major trophy League Cup 2024 

Ownership Fenway Sports Group (USA) 

Head coach Arne Slot (since June 2024)

New signings None 

Arne Slot takes on the difficult job of following Jurgen Klopp at Anfield - and the Dutchman has not exactly been able to stamp his own authority yet with Liverpool making precisely zero incoming signings at the time of writing. Now, it is not as if the Reds have a weak squad - but, having finished in the top two in three of the four seasons between 2019 and 2022 and having finally won the Premier League in 2020, the Merseysiders are no longer the closest challengers to Manchester City after finishes of fifth and third in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Slot will want to rectify that - but his first priority will be to win over some sceptical fans with strong early results in a fixture list which features a relatively early-season visit to Manchester United on 1 September.
▪️ Prediction 4th

▪️ MANCHESTER CITY @ManCity 

Last season Champions FA Cup Runners-up League Cup Third round Champions League Quarter finals 

Last major trophy Premier League 2023-24 

Ownership Abu Dhabi United Group (UAE) 

Head coach Pep Guardiola (since July 2016) 

New signings Savinho, Ilkay Gundogan 

The longest shadow continues to loom large over the whole integrity of the Premier League with the investigation into the charges against Manchester City for breaching financial rules expected to reach a conclusion early next year. That might not be the end of the matter as the Blues, who deny all 115 charges, would be likely to appeal any judgement against them - but the whole legal circus is almost certain to cause a noisy distraction for Pep Guardiola's men at some point this season. Moreover, the loss of handy back-up striker Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, albeit for £81.5 million, leaves Man City looking improbably short up front - especially if main man Erling Haaland continues to struggle make much of an impression in games against the best teams in the division. Following an unprecedented four consecutive English league titles, this could be the year in which Man City lose grip on their crown, although it certainly will not be given up easily.
▪️ Prediction 2nd

▪️ MANCHESTER UNITED @ManUtd 

Last season 8th FA Cup Winners League Cup Fourth round Champions League Group stage 

Last major trophy FA Cup 2024 

Ownership Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer (USA) 

Head coach Erik ten Hag (since May 2022) 

New signings Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui

Amid much speculation at the end of last season, Erik Ten Hag was surprisingly given a stay of execution in the Old Trafford hotseat with the decision to retain the services of the Dutchman only coming on 12 June, almost three weeks after the last domestic season ended. Ten Hag can point to trophies in successive years with the FA Cup in May adding to the League Cup won in February 2023 but, having been well backed in the transfer market, the Red Devils' descent to eighth place in the Premier League was undoubtedly a massive step backwards following the promising third-place finish in 2022-23. In truth, though, Man United have not sustained a title challenge in the 11 years since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson - and that seems unlikely to change while Ten Hag remains in charge.
▪️ Prediction 5th

▪️ NEWCASTLE UNITED @NUFC 

Last season 7th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Quarter finals Champions League Group stage

Last major trophy UEFA (Fairs) Cup 1969 

Ownership Public Investment Fund (KSA) 

Head coach Eddie Howe (since November 2021) 

New signings Odysseas Vlachodimos, Lloyd Kelly, Lewis Hall, John Ruddy, Miodrag Pivas, William Osula 

Much like many reputable bands have difficult second album, the 2022-23 campaign was a difficult second full season for Newcastle United under head coach Eddie Howe. Cup draws were not kind as, in various competitions, the Magpies faced AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea in the League Cup, and a hotly-contested derby against Sunderland, and Man City again in the FA Cup. In total, Howe's men ended up playing 51 matches while trying to cope with a seemingly never-ending injury crisis and an almost year-long ban for Sandro Tonali for breaching betting rules. On that basis, seventh place was no disgrace even if it was not good enough to qualify for any European competition this year due to Man United's surprise FA Cup Final win - although the summer has also been extremely frustrating with a long pursuit of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi appearing to have been a wild goose chase. For as long as the likes of Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes and Tonali all remain on Tyneside, though, Newcastle really should be competing hard for a European spot once again.
▪️ Prediction 6th

▪️ NOTTINGHAM FOREST @NFFC 

Last season 17th FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Second round

Last major trophy League Cup 1990

Ownership Evangelos Marinakis (GRE) 

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo (since December 2023)

New signings Marko Stamenic, Eric da Silva Moreira, Elliot Anderson, Carlos Miguel, Nikola Milenkovic, Jota Silva, Ramon Sosa, Alex Moreno*
Reliant on home form to stay up on their return to the Premier League in 2022-23, Nottingham Forest head into the new season having won just three of their last 17 games in all competitions at the City Ground, with 10 of those matches finishing in defeat. That record simply must improve for Forest to survive this time as the Tricky Trees cannot rely on finding three teams as averse to picking up points regularly as Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United were. In the end, Forest stayed up last season on 32 points, breaking the record for the lowest tally of any surviving team in the Premier League era - and, even accounting for the four-point deduction incurred for a breach of profit and sustainability rules, the 36 points won on the pitch would be touch-and-go normally. A baffling scattergun set of new signings - and a head coach in Nuno Espirito Santo who does not connect to the fans like his predecessor Steve Cooper did - point towards another difficult campaign on the banks of the Trent.
▪️ Prediction 18th

▪️ SOUTHAMPTON @SouthamptonFC

Last season 4th in the Championship (promoted) FA Cup Fifth round League Cup First round 

Last major trophy FA Cup 1976

Ownership Sport Republic (ENG)

Head coach Russell Martin (since June 2023) 

New signings Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Adam Lallana, Charlie Taylor, Ronnie Edwards, Nathan Wood, Yukinari Sugawara, Flynn Downes, Ben Brereton Diaz, Cameron Archer, Mateus Fernandes, Lesley Ugochukwu* 

Southampton recovered admirably from a devastating relegation season in 2022-23 in which they fell well short of the required standard, winning just six matches and collecting only 25 points. The Saints eventually ensured an immediate return by beating Leeds United 1-0 in the playoff final through an Adam Armstrong goal - an outcome which did not too likely when the south coast club lost four games in a row last September. From then, though, Russell Martin guided his side to a club-record 25-game unbeaten run in all competitions but the Premier League is a completely different beast. Indeed, a defence which leaked 63 goals in the second tier - and which still regularly features the ponderous Polish centre-back Jan Bednarek - will have top-flight strikers licking their lips.
▪️ Prediction 16th

▪️ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR @SpursOfficial 

Last season 5th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round 

Last major trophy League Cup 2008 

Ownership ENIC International Limited (ENG) 

Head coach Ange Postecoglou (since June 2023) 

New signings Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner*
Tottenham Hotspur defied the prediction of this scribbler, and many others, by finishing in fifth place last season under Australian head coach Ange Postecoglu, as skipper Son Heung-min picked up the slack by filling the Harry Kane-sized hole up front with 17 goals. However, another late-season collapse of five defeats out of six in April and May, precipitated by another battering away at Newcastle United, prevented Spurs from returning to the Champions League fold - and that, as well as early exits in both cup competitions, left Postecoglu feeling rather downcast at the end of the season as he described the foundations of the club as "fragile". The big signing this summer of Dominic Solanke restores a presence in the centre-forward position - but it has come at a cost of £65 million, has been based on the output of a single campaign, and does nothing to address Tottenham's biggest concern, which is at the back.
▪️ Prediction 3rd

▪️ WEST HAM UNITED @WestHam 

Last season 9th FA Cup Third round League Cup Quarter finals Europa League Quarter finals 

Last major trophy Europa Conference League 2023 

Ownership David Sullivan (WAL), Daniel Kretinsky (CZE), Vanessa Gold (ENG) 

Head coach Julen Lopetegui (since July 2024)

New signings Luis Guilherme, Wes Foderingham, Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fuellkrug, Guido Rodriguez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo*

Sometimes relationships just come to a natural conclusion and that was certainly the case between West Ham United and David Moyes despite the Scotsman having won a first trophy for the east London club since 1980 with the Conference League triumph in June 2023. Last season was much more of a toil, though - with an abrasive Moyes often forced to defend his results over questions about his style of play - and, once results declined into a series of dispiriting defeats and with Moyes out of contract, the statement released prior to final game announcing a parting of the ways came as no surprise. Julen Lopetegui was recruited  after his gap year - and the Spaniard has been backed in the transfer market with, among seven new faces, the arrival of Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in defence, as well as forward Niclas Fuellkrug who impressed during Euro 2024 for Germany.
▪️ Prediction 11th

▪️ WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS @Wolves 

Last season 14th FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Third round 

Last major trophy League Cup 1980 

Ownership Fosun International (CHN) 

Head coach Gary O'Neil (since August 2023) 

New signings Tommy Doyle, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima, Jorgen Strand Larsen*
For the second time already in his short managerial career, Gary O'Neil has jumped in at the deep end - first, O'Neil took charge on Bournemouth less than a month into the 2022-23 season - then, just over a year ago, he was drafted in at Wolverhampton Wanderers as a late replacement for Julen Lopetegui. On both occasions, O'Neil has proven himself to be a quietly effective operator - and, unlike at Bournemouth, the 41-year-old has been given a second season to build upon his work at Molineux - and a first ever full pre-season as a head coach. The summer has seen the departure of injury-prone Pedro Nero to Chelsea but, perhaps far more critically, centre-back Max Kilman to West Ham United - as a former defender who builds his teams from the back, O'Neil likely faces a tough assignment again in the current campaign.
▪️ Prediction 12th