The 2022/23 Premier League season is now consigned to the history books, with Manchester City lifting the league title for the third successive year.
Erling Haaland’s exceptional show shattered numerous records and propelled the Sky Blues to success in the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City suffered relegation.
There is a lot to be excited about the upcoming 2023/24 Premier League season which commences on August 11 with the opening fixture between Man City and Burnley. Can City become the first team in English football history to win four successive titles, will Liverpool bounce back after a disappointing last season, and how will the promoted teams Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town fare?
So with the new season just a couple of weeks away, here are some way-too-early predictions of where the clubs will finish.
- Luton Town
No surprises here really. Luton Town’s rise from non-league to the Premier League over the last nine years has been nothing short of spectacular.
Rob Edwards has done a brilliant job in his first season at the club, guiding the Hatters to the Premier League, via the play-off final win against Coventry City, through a third-place finish in the Championship. Luton are currently preparing for a first shot at top-flight football, but they will require heavy investment to stay and we don’t think they’ll have enough to survive.
- Sheffield United
Sheffield United are back in the Premier League at the second time of asking. Paul Heckingbottom has done a good job at Bramall Lane, and his current crop of players have got decent top-flight experience.
However, just like fellow promoted side Luton, Sheffield United desperately need quality new signings to arrive to give them any chance of beating the drop. They have brought in three players so far, but having released experienced players such as Billy Sharp, Enda Stevens and Jack O’Connell at the end of last season, Heckingbottom must push to beef up his squad to sustain the demands of top-flight football.
- Bournemouth
Given virtually everyone outside the club had them going down before a ball was kicked this past season, Gary O’Neil proved the doubters wrong.
Having initially replaced Scott Parker as an interim boss after just four games into the new campaign, O’Neil quickly changed the mood at the Vitality Stadium with some positive results that left the board with no option but to appoint him the permanent boss. What followed was a topsy-turvy campaign as expected but the English tactician surprisingly guided the Cherries to safety with four games to spare.
O’Neil’s reward after turning Bournemouth’s fortunes around was getting sacked in June, with the south coast club replacing him with Spaniard Andoni Iraola. Iraola is highly rated across Europe for his possession-based, attacking style of football, but as this will be his maiden season in England, there are very high chances of his Bournemouth side struggling to stay up.
- Nottingham Forest
Steve Cooper kept Nottingham Forest afloat in the top flight after a chaotic campaign. The Tricky Trees’ survival was secured by beating Arsenal in their penultimate game of the season in a raucous City Ground atmosphere on May 20. It was a massive achievement for Cooper, who a couple of weeks before was on the brink of losing his job.
Nottingham Forest grabbed a lot of eyeballs when they signed 30 new players following promotion last season. Cooper has started trimming his bloated squad and bringing in some quality replacements over the summer transfer window. If he gets the new additions spot on, coupled with some of his star players enjoying productive campaigns, Forest should stay up again.
- Wolves
Wolves could have a long season. They are already experiencing a summer, with the club’s owners requiring a big profit in the summer transfer window. A tumultuous transfer window with no significant incomings so far, coupled with widespread speculation the club are for sale, has left manager Julen Lopetegui highly frustrated.
Lopetegui led Wolves to safety last season after being bottom of the Premier League at Christmas. He is wary that the tired squad needs refreshing while answering a broader challenge of not breaching the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. Such uncertainty over a number of things could contribute to a disastrous season for Wolves and their fans.
- Everton
Everton have narrowly beaten the drop in the last two campaigns, and Sean Dyche will want to avoid that next year. Considering their squad, they have underperformed.
Dyche is an experienced manager and perhaps the right man at the Merseyside club’s helm. However, he does require the right personalities to come through the door to fit into his system and help Everton stay far away from the relegation zone.
- West Ham
West Ham’s placement next season hinges on their summer transfer window. They have lost skipper Declan Rice to Arsenal and could see Gianluca Scamacca depart after just one season—ideally on loan.
Following Rice’s sale, the Hammers are armed with £105m to spend. David Moyes needs to not only sign a replacement for the England international but also bring upgrades in different areas of the pitch. If he gets his targets, West Ham should be alright.
- Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have lost Wilfried Zaha on a free transfer to Turkish club Galatasaray, while Michael Olise is attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.
It has been a quiet transfer window for the Eagles, who are yet to pay a transfer fee for incoming players after signing Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer from Bournemouth. It’s clearly not enough for the south Londoners who failed to achieve any kind of stability last season.
If Palace are to enjoy a decent campaign, they must sign a quality replacement for Zaha, as well as try to keep hold of Olise.
- Burnley
Burnley secured their return to the Premier League last season at the first time of asking, winning the Championship title in impressive fashion with 101 points on board. Vincent Kompany has transformed the club with his philosophy and style of play, making the Clarets the team to beat in the Championship last term.
They have made some exciting signings and look the best-placed of the newly-promoted sides. There’s certainly a pattern of play and structure, two crucial parts to any survival bid, and they have an astute tactician in Kompany who knows what it takes to compete and win in the Premier League.
If Burnley can beef up their squad with a few more signings, they should expect to have a good season on their return to the top flight.
- Brentford
Ever since their promotion in 2021, Brentford have been one of the success stories of the division. The west London outfit comfortably secured safety in their first season and then recorded their first top-half finish in 2022/23.
Thomas Frank has impressed with his smart signings and in-game management, but given the teams around them improving and flexing their financial muscle, Brentford’s form may slightly dip in the upcoming campaign.
In addition, star man Ivan Toney is banned until January 26, 2024, from all soccer-related activities for breaching betting rules, and spending a large chunk of the season their 21-goal striker might just be the difference between Frank’s side securing another top-half finish and ending the season in the bottom half.
- Fulham
Fulham had quite a strong season upon their return to the top flight. They made some exciting signings—surprisingly—that helped Marco Silva’s men achieve a top-half finish.
However, Silva is about to lose Aleksandar Mitrovic—the club’s top scorer last season—to Saudi Arabia and that will be a big blow. If Fulham can bring in a top-quality replacement for Mitrovic and sort out the uncertainty around Joao Palhinha’s future, they should enjoy another strong campaign. Re-signing Willian for another year is a step in the right direction.
- Tottenham
Tottenham have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager after suffering a disappointing last campaign.
Postecoglou, fresh from guiding Celtic to the domestic treble, has taken the job at Tottenham that has been a graveyard for managers of late. In James Maddison, Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario, he has made some exciting signings so far. But with the club’s all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane exit from north London on the cards as Bayern Munich’s interest in the striker is increasing day by day, Spurs fans may have to settle for another mediocre campaign if a top-quality replacement for the England skipper is not brought in before the transfer window slams shut.
- Brighton
Brighton overachieved last season thanks to Roberto de Zerbi’s immediate impact at the club after taking the reins from Graham Potter. He guided the club to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League and subsequently to their first European adventure.
However, they have lost Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool and are likely to see Moises Caicedo join Chelsea. One would back the south coast club to find gems to replace them like they always do, but with Europa League football to deal with, De Zerbi’s men might find the hectic schedule more difficult to cope with next year.
- Aston Villa
Unai Emery has done an incredible job since taking over the Aston Villa job, guiding the club to Europa Conference League qualification last season. He has brought stability and structure to the team while bolstering the squad with the signings of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby over the summer so far.
Given the challenges of competing in Europe, Aston Villa may want to bring in at least a couple of new faces before the transfer window slams shut. If they do, they will grab again one of the European spots.
- Chelsea
Todd Boehly will be desperate to watch the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino work out. Pochettino’s squad rebuild is in full swing as he looks to return to the Premier League with a bang.
There are questions regarding the atmosphere at the club but Pochettino’s side have been doing well in the pre-season. Plus, he has had time to trim the bloated squad as per his requirements and add a couple of fresh faces to it. If Chelsea can thrash out of a deal for Moises Caicedo, sign a central defender and another flexible forward, their adaptation could quickly happen under Pochettino.
- Newcastle United
Newcastle United were the surprise package of the division last season. Eddie Howe acknowledged their initial goal of avoiding a relegation battle, but his team surpassed expectations by securing the 4th position and subsequently a spot in the Champions League.
There is renewed optimism among the fans after the last season’s heroics. Following their entry into the Champions League, the Magpies have responded by signing Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes. However, with teams around them significantly improving, repeating a top-four finish may just become a tall order for Newcastle considering the demands of playing twice a week.
- Arsenal
Many would argue that the 2022/23 season was Arsenal’s best hope of winning the Premier League title, and they will find it more difficult in 2023/24.
Mikel Arteta’s team must overcome the psychological blow of throwing the title away in the closing weeks of the last campaign. Plus, the young Arsenal side faces an additional demand of competing in the Champions League in the upcoming season. While they have broken the club transfer record by signing Declan Rice from West Ham, whilst adding Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber to the roster, producing top-quality performances twice a week all the way until Christmas, is a tough ask.
There is a chance the Gunners falter this season but should have enough in their squad for another top-four finish.
- Liverpool
After finishing in fifth place, 22 points behind champions Manchester City, Liverpool will be desperate to rediscover the consistency that has made them City’s closest rivals in recent years.
A midfield revamp is taking place at Anfield. The arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have excited the fans. There’s interest in Southampton teenager Romeo Lavia as Jurgen Klopp looks to replace Jordan Henderson, who has joined Al-Ettifaq.
The Reds have enough firepower to blow away teams, and if they can add a central defender to compete with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, they could be in the mix for a top-three finish.
- Manchester United
Very few predicted Manchester United to finish in the top four before the start of the last season, and after back-to-back losses against Brighton and Brentford in the opening two games, things started looking grim for Erik ten Hag very early into his tenure at the club. But Ten Hag engineered a remarkable turnaround and guided them to a third-place finish.
Man United will aim to be in the top four mix, and if Ten Hag manages to bring in a striker and another midfielder after Mason Mount, his team could push City for the title next season.
- Manchester City
There is no reason why Manchester City cannot become the first team in English football history to win four successive titles. They will be going into the new season favourites to finish top of the pile again despite the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez leaving the club.
In Erling Haaland, City have a goal machine who will be aiming to shatter more records. They have replaced Gundogan with Kovacic and are looking to bolster their defensive unit with the signing of Josko Gvardiol. Thus, it will be foolish to bet against Pep Guardiola’s men from creating a potential piece of history.
