16 August 2024
2024/25 Season Preview
Premier League fans up and down the country are feeling the anticipation of another season on the horizon. The summer seems to drag and there is no excuse not to go shopping with the better-half. The Euros offered a stop-gap but all it really underlined is how there really is no competition quite like the English Premier League. Non-stop thrills, spills and excitement with the occasional sprinkling of anger and disappointment. That said, we wouldn’t change it for the world. Apart from VAR, we would definitely change that, or possibly scrap it. We take a look at the prospects of each side for the forthcoming season.
Arsenal
For the last two seasons, The Gunners have seemed to be always the bridesmaid but never the bride. Falling short of toppling Man City’s domination of the Premier League has haunted them. Mikel Arteta feels his squad have learnt from those experiences and are ready to take that next step. They have signed David Raya on a permanent deal from Brentford and added Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
As an outsider looking in, they have still not addressed the major elephant in the room. Adding a proven goalscorer who can add 20+ goals a season seems a current gaping hole in this Arsenal squad. Their midfielders and wingers chip in with the goals but having that focal point up top could make this side a completely different proposition. Arteta is not done with this transfer window, he will look to strengthen. If he does that well, it could be their season, the alternative however leaves some awkward conversations with the owners in his future after another trophyless season.
Aston Villa
Unai Emery surprised many last campaign, breaking into the top four and securing Champions League qualification. The Spaniard is not looking to rest on his laurels and has added eleven players so far in the transfer window. Some of whom you would struggle to recognise if you walked past them in the street despite the huge price tags. The pick of the signings were Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Cameron Archer.
European football will put a big strain on their squad and juggling that with domestic competition will offer a true test for Villa. In Ollie Watkins they have a striker at the top of their game, he will need to replicate that form if they are to make themselves a top four regular. Emery will have all eyes on his squad this season, at home and abroad. Their rivals have strengthened in the close season and achieving a top four finish will be harder than ever.
Bournemouth
The Cherries have lost prized asset Dominic Solanke as Tottenham signed him for a club record £65m. Andoni Iraola reacted quickly to this, signing FC Porto’s Evanilson for £40m. The Brazilian striker has just broke into the national team over the summer as he was selected for the Copa America. He has some big shoes to fill and Bournemouth will need him to hit the ground running. Fans will just be glad to see the void filled so promptly.
Last season, after a poor start, the Spaniard was one of the favourites to be relieved of his duties first. By the end of the campaign, he had completely turned things around. Iraola even won the manager of the month award for March. The Cherries will be looking for a top half finish this season, possibly even pushing for European football isn’t out of the question. Making the Vitality Stadium a difficult place to visit will be integral to that plan.
Brentford
The Bees flirted with relegation last season having been without some key players for a large chunk of the season but managed to steer themselves to safety. The usual ‘will he, won’t he’ questions have been asked about the future of Ivan Toney but the club have received no approaches as yet for the England striker. They have bolstered their ranks adding Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho to the squad. You do feel with this side that keeping Mbuemo, Wissa and Toney fit for action is key.
Thomas Frank has worked wonders since guiding his side to the Premier League and for a club of their size to be now considered a top-flight mainstay is nothing short of impressive. Safety is the main aim as ever for their season goals but if they can keep their key players fit for the campaign you do feel that anything is possible. With the transfer window open until the end of the month, one of the focal points for fans will be avoiding the circling vultures coming in for any of them as there is little time to replace their quality.
Brighton
After the departure of Roberto De Zerbi at the end of last season, The Seagulls are very much in a period of transition. The new man at the helm, Fabian Hurzeler, is inexperienced and comes across as somewhat of an unknown entity. Brighton have always been known for their attacking football, mixed with a solidity in defence. Sadly this was lacking last campaign and as a result their league position suffered.
The departure of Pascal Gross to Borussia Dortmund will hit The Seagulls hard as he was often the lynchpin of their midfield. There is no doubting they still have plenty of quality in the squad but once again fitness is pivotal. The likes of Mitoma, Enciso and Ferguson are players they can ill-afford to be without. Despite a disappointing season last time out, they never flirted with relegation and you would still fancy the south coast outfit to achieve a top-half finish.
Chelsea
Stamford Bridge still seems to have a revolving door policy when it comes to new arrivals. They have spent big again in the summer but many of the additions are largely unknown even to the most knowledgeable football fan. Questions will be asked as to whether Todd Boehly is just running an elaborate people-trafficking ring in West London, but that aside, new manager Enzo Maresca will be looking to get the club back to where they feel they belong.
Pedro Neto has been brought in from Wolves and there is no denying the quality of the winger, if you can keep him fit. If you don’t, all you have done is bought a new best friend for Reece James in the treatment room. The Chelsea captain has suffered a hamstring injury which will keep him out for the first month of the season. He has created a new position in football, the ‘I’ll be right back’. With new players on contracts longer than most mortgages, achieving Champions League qualification is key to that business model.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles made a great start under Oliver Glasner last season with some impressive results. Losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich will serve as a big blow however. Fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that they can hold on to Eberechi Eze in what remains of the transfer window. During the Olympics, striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta continued to score goals, eventually earning France a silver medal.
The makings of a good side remains at Selhurst Park but Newcastle currently seem to be trying to prise Marc Guehi up north. If this transfer happens the club will have recouped well over £100m in transfers and how they reinvest this money will be key to their plight. They make their home ground a fortress to visit with an intimidating atmosphere, that needs to continue if they are to replicate last season where they achieved their highest Premier League finish.
Everton
Being an Everton fan of late should come with a government health warning. They really put their supporters through the ringer, on and off the pitch. Amadou Onana has left for Aston Villa but there still seems little money to spend on Merseyside. The players the club have brought in during the transfer window are from awe-inspiring. Keeping hold of Jordan Pickford and Jarrod Branthwaite seems vital to the club clinging onto its Premier League status.
One of the big issues for the last few seasons has been scoring goals. As things stand, that does not seem likely to change anytime soon. If you were to be hauled up in front of a firing squad, your last request may be that Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Beto take the shot. Sean Dyche is one of football’s grafters and is used to working with a shoestring budget, what the goals are for the season from a club perspective may just be safety to ensure their new ground hosts Premier League football.
Fulham
Marco Silva’s side have had some big departures in the summer with Joao Palhinha, Tosin and Bobby Decordova-Reid all heading to pastures new. The manager has brought in Ryan Sessegnon and Emile Smith Rowe to bolster the squad. Whether the club make more signings before the closure of the transfer window remains to be seen. The dream for The Cottagers would be to qualify for Europe but that is a big ask such is the competitiveness of the league.
Safety is the number one goal for the West London outfit, Silva seems to get the best out of his players and is well respected by them. They have yet to replace the goals of ex-player Aleksandar Mitrovic and as with many clubs, it is something they would like to address. Fulham are never talked about when it comes to relegation and mid-table mediocrity would be seen as a successful season. Craven Cottage will be key to their plight and continuing to make it a venue that they are able to give anyone a difficult game at will be the focus.
Ipswich Town
Everything seems like a lottery win still for Ipswich Town fans. Nobody expected them to get back-to-back promotions and to be plying their trade in the top-flight seems like a fever-induced dream still. Under Kieran McKenna he has applied an ethos to way the club plays its football and it is paying dividends. More importantly, the Tractor Boys have not broke the bank to prepare for their Premier League exploits.
Ipswich have signed Omari Hutchinson on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell. Signing Liam Delap from Man City was seen as quite the coup. The fixture list has been kind to the East Anglian outfit, facing three of the teams they would regard as rivals at Portman Road early on. It provides the chance for McKenna’s side to get some points on the board early on in the season. The size of the task of survival in the top-flight is well understood and will be the main aim for the Tractor Boys this season.
Leicester City
Winning the Premier League title seems a distant memory for Foxes’ fans nowadays. Relegation to the Championship was a sobering reality for Leicester but they managed to bounce back at the first time of asking. It has been a difficult summer for new manager Steve Cooper to prepare for the challenge of the Premier League. Sanctions hang over the head of The Foxes for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules and could lead to a points deduction early on in the campaign.
Cooper has spoken openly of how he feels the club needs to bring in new players. The chances of that being possible with the current financial situation at the King Power Stadium seems slim. Things were quite different when the manager was at Nottingham Forest as they spent heavily in preparation for the top-flight. Of the recently promoted sides, Leicester are likely to face the toughest challenge, avoiding relegation could be one of the biggest achievements on Steve Cooper’s CV.
Liverpool
The Arnie Slot era is set to start at Anfield this campaign. Fans are starting to question the lack of transfer activity from the club, while all their rivals strengthen. The failure to sign Martin Zubimendi recently underpinned this. The new manager has spoke about how he has inherited a very talented squad of players. To not add quality to that suggests he is happy with what he has, despite Jurgen Klopp not being able to win major honours with this group of players.
Liverpool fans are used to challenging for the Premier League title and to go into the season just looking to cement a top four place seems a step backwards. After winning the title under their German manager, many feel the club have not utilised that to push on for more success. This has been vented towards the owners for not backing the managers in the transfer window. Many see a period of transition for The Reds but the fans want trophies.
Man City
Man City won the season curtain-raiser last weekend as they beat local rivals Man Utd in the FA Community Shield, now attentions turn to the new campaign. The sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £81.5m surprised many and has left them short of reinforcements up top. They go into the Premier League season as firm favourites to win the title once again but have only added winger Savio during the summer. In pre-season many academy graduates featured but they did suffer two surprising defeats on their US tour to Celtic and AC Milan.
Pep Guardiola has yet to commit to a new contract and those infamous 115 charges still appear on the horizon, with a date finally set for the hearing. While City fans will be confident that more silverware will come, the campaign has a real air of uncertainty about it. Losing their manager at the end of the season when his contract expires would hurt. The outcome of the Premier League charges could dictate the foreseeable future for Man City. Watch this space.
Man Utd
Erik ten Hag dodged the bullet last season as many wondered whether the owners were going to relive him of his duties. He has been able to splash the cash in the summer, spending over £150m on new additions. Most of whom he worked with at his old club as he looks to create Ajax 2.0 in Manchester. Many question whether he was given a new contract based on a single match, beating Man City in the FA Cup final.
Injuries to new signing Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund see the club go into the new campaign with the squad severely stretched. Pre-season was underwhelming but despite this, fans seem uber-confident for the season ahead. Champions League football is a necessity for the club and nothing short of a top four finish will be deemed acceptable. Last season their defence had more of a leak than the Old Trafford roof and that needs to change.
Newcastle
Eddie Howe’s side struggled last season juggling European and domestic duties. While they have added numbers during the summer, there have been no big name signings that you would expect from a top four club. This is not quite what fans dreamt of when they heard they were being taken over by uber-rich Saudis. Having Sandro Tonali back from his ban three games into the season will be like a new signing for The Magpies. Having him and Bruno Guimaraes in the midfield three will make Howe’s side a completely different proposition.
Alexander Isak is a natural born goalscorer and will be psyching himself up for another successful season. Whether they retain Anthony Gordon will play a big part, with Liverpool having been interested in signing him until the deal broke down. Allegedly, the player also is interested in making the move back to Merseyside. Away form will be key for The Magpies, they seemed a different team on the road to the one at St James’ Park.
Nott’m Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo has been very active in the transfer market, bringing in no less than seven players so far. The most expensive of those was Elliot Anderson from Newcastle in a £35m deal. They are hoping the youngster can have the same sort of impact that Morgan Gibbs-White did when he made the move from Wolves. The manager will be hoping the likes of Callum Hudson Odoi and Taiwo Awoniyi can stay injury-free to boost their chances of a top-half finish.
There could be potential for more signings but sides are far more wary of Profit and Sustainability Rules nowadays, particularly after their points deduction last season. They will not want to be drawn into another relegation battle as they were last season. Forest only won five games at the City Ground in the last campaign and that needs to change if they want to be comfortably safe. That said, they need performances their fans can get behind to turn the ground into a cauldron once again.
Southampton
Russell Martin is looking to test himself at the highest level for the first time in management. The Saints were Premier League regulars until their recent relegation. It will be his job to try and turn this squad into a team that are comfortable at this level once again. After the highs of last season’s play-off final victory at Wembley, the buzz on the south coast has been rising as we get closer to the first game.
Adam Armstrong will be key to their survival after scoring 24 league goals in the last campaign. Martin will no doubt look to utilise the loan market well to save them forking out huge transfer fees. There has even been talk of them trying to get James Ward-Prowse back from West Ham. The important thing for The Saints will be to ‘lose well’ also. As silly as that sounds, some of their heavy defeats in the season they were relegated really dented morale within the squad.
Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou has had his first real summer to mould this squad into his own vision. They have taken Timo Werner on loan again from RB Leipzig as well as breaking their transfer record, acquiring the services of Dominic Solanke. This should allow Heung-min Son to play in his more natural position out on the left. Dejan Kulusevski has looked impressive in pre-season and they also have the talent of Brennan Johnson to call upon.
Consistency is key for the North London outfit, something that has been lacking for some time. One week they will beat Man City, the following they will take a hiding from Bournemouth. This is the conundrum the Australian manager needs to solve. Defensively, they always seem to have a self-destruct button ready to be pressed. It could be an interesting campaign for Spurs’ fans. To dare is to do as they say.
West Ham
With David Moyes having left the club, it is a new era in the capital. Julen Lopetegui has taken the reins and added eight players to strengthen the squad. Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have all been brought in to tighten up the defence. Crysencio Summerville has joined from Leeds Utd, Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras and Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund. The latter should offer a real focal point up top.
Attacking play was never a problem for West Ham but all too often they created plenty of chances but failed to take them. This team was very much hinged on Jarrod Bowen. With the players they have signed, this seems a far more rounded squad. Having enjoyed their recent exploits in Europe, the Spaniard will be keen to juggle both Europe and domestic commitments this season. That said, Hammers' fans will want to see the team much higher up the table.
Wolves
The biggest signing Wolves have made this summer is getting manager Gary O’Neill to extend his contract. Their signings have been somewhat underwhelming considering that they brought in £94m from the sale of two players, Max Kilman and Pedro Neto. They will be sorely missed at Molineux and the fans will be keen to see that money spent wisely to strengthen the squad.
Last season they were regularly robbed of points by poor VAR decisions but that is here to stay sadly. Wolves were one of the only teams to vote to scrap it after last season ended. O’Neill’s side were plagued with injuries last season, he will be keen to address that this campaign. Maybe the missing money has been spent on bringing in some of the best doctors and physios from around the world to keep his squad ticking over.
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