Premier League
New Premier League Season Predictions
It feels like just a matter of days since Manchester City lifted their third successive Premier League crown in June, yet here we are in the late, balmy evenings of July with another season of the English top flight only just around the corner.
There’s a lot to get through, but to keep it concise, below we give our predictions for who will win the 2023/24 Premier League title, who will muscle their way into the top four and which teams will start the 24/25 season in the Championship.
Premier League Winner – Arsenal (9/2)
Yep – it’s a controversial one to begin with. We’d almost feel bad tipping Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at an odds-on price (8/11), so the Gunners are our selection to lift their first Premier League title in 20 years.
It should be prefaced that this isn’t to say City will drop off spectacularly, nor that Arsenal will run away with it (although it does seem that one of those two things need to happen in order to dethrone the Mancunians). One just gets that feeling that Arsenal’s young, hungry squad will learn from the last campaign and become more professional towards the business end of the season.
Whether they overpaid for Declan Rice or not is irrelevant – the qualities he will bring to the engine room in Arsenal’s side will make them almost impossible to pass in transition, and they can focus on exerting pressure on their opposition rather than worrying about their compatibility in the middle of the park.
The main issue with City is that they (at the time of writing) haven’t seemed to freshen their squad sufficiently, whilst looking like losing some very experienced and senior members. Joško Gvardiol would be a brilliant addition at centre-back if the deal gets over the line, but adding some more fresh faces would reignite the hunger of a squad that probably feels it won’t ever transcend their success of last season.
They will of course be amongst it when the season ends in May, as may city rivals Manchester United, but we reckon it’s Arsenal’s turn to end the City dominance next season.
Top Four – Arsenal (4/11), Manchester City (1/20), Manchester United (8/11), Liverpool (4/7)
This is an equally difficult one to predict, but when assessing the quality and form of all of the teams that will be amongst the Champions League places next season, the four odds-on sides are probably best placed to feature in Europe’s premier competition in the 2024/25 campaign.
Arsenal and Manchester City speak for themselves and will likely make up the top two next season, but which other teams will be troubling them towards the top of the table next year?
Chelsea have looked promising in pre-season and have the luxury of no European competitions to worry about in midweek, with their new-look and youthful attack providing a much-needed injection of energy and mobility. There aren’t many managers in the world better at naturing young talent than Mauricio Pochettino, but the scars from a horror season last campaign will run deep in the squad. Achieving a top four place this season might therefore be a bridge too far for the west Londoners, who are 5/4 to muscle their way into the Champions League.
Manchester United look a much more sensible bet at 8/11, with Erik ten Hag’s men making some valuable additions to a squad that already have experienced with a top four finish. The Red Devils have likewise been good in pre-season, casting aside Arsenal 2-0 and looking like harnessing some momentum from ten Hag’s promising debut campaign.
Liverpool are perhaps a different prospect due to having such an underwhelming campaign last year, but have likewise made some intriguing additions to their squad over summer. Jurgen Klopp seldom has two consecutive bad seasons in management and already looks like he’s tweaked his system with Trent Alexander Arnold assuming a more central position, so don’t say you weren’t warned if the Reds make a comeback next season.
Relegation – Luton (3/10), Fulham (3/1), Wolves (3/1)
This is another tricky one, though most will admit that Luton going down is a near certainty and would possibly rival Leicester City’s 2015/16 title win if Rob Edwards’ men were able to stay up.
Fulham suffering relegation may come across as a hot take, but their poor form towards the end of last season coincided with striker Alexandar Mitrovic’s suspension, who is close to leaving the club during the summer transfer window. With Marco Silva also being tempted with a move abroad, there seems to be an air of apprehension around the club at the moment, so 3/1 for their customary return to the Championship seems reasonable.
Wolves are another interesting one. Despite a solid debut season for Julen Lopetegui, there seems to have been more of a focus on outgoings at this current stage of the transfer window, with captain Ruben Neves’ move to Saudi the most notable move involving the club so far. If Lopetegui leaves, one fears the wheels may start to come off in Molineux, so 3/1 doesn’t seem like the worst punt for the west Midlands side to go down.
