2019-20 English Premier League Season Preview

The following is a team-by-team preview for the 2019-20 English Premier League season. Each preview covers the side’s prior form and stats, key squad changes, pre-season results, a survey of pundit predictions, futures odds and a summary of positives and negatives heading into this campaign. This article will be updated to incorporate the latest news as we approach the start of the season on August 10 AEST.

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Arsenal

• Last six season finishes: 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, 5
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 5th with 70 points and a 21-7-10 record (14-3-2 at home and 7-4-8 away)
  • Offence:: 73 goals scored (42 at home and 31 away) – league rank: 3
  • Defence:: 51 goals conceded (16 at home and 35 away) – league rank: 9
• Stadium: Emirates Stadium (60,260 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Unai Emery. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2004.
  • Key arrivals: Nicolas Pépé (Lille, £72m), Gabriel Martinelli (Ituano, undisclosed), Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid, loan), William Saliba (Saint-Etienne, £27m), Kieran Tierney (Celtic, £25m), David Luiz (Chelsea, £8m)
  • Key departures: Alex Iwobi (Everton, £34m), Laurent Koscielny (Bordeaux, £4.6m), Danny Welbeck (Watford, free), David Ospina (Napoli, £3.1m), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus, free), Petr Cech (retired), Danny Welbeck (released), Stephan Lichtsteiner (released), Charlie Gilmour (Norwich, free), Julio Pleguezuelo (FC Twente, free), Jordi Osei-Tutu (Bochum, loan), Daniel Ballard (Swindon, loan), Vontae Daley-Campbell (Leicester, undisclosed), Ben Sheaf (Doncaster, loan), Cohen Bramall (released), Xavier Amaechi (Hamburg, £2.25m)
• Pre-season results:
  • Colorado Rapids 0-3 Arsenal
  • Arsenal 2-1 Bayern Munich
  • Arsenal 3-0 Fiorentina
  • Arsenal 2 v 2 Real Madrid
  • Arsenal 1-2 Lyon
  • Angers 1-1 Arsenal (3-4 pens)
  • Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal
• Positives:
  • Manager Unai Emery is highly experienced and a proven winner. He won the Europa League three consecutive times at the helm of Sevilla. He will likely fare better in his second season at the helm, much as did Pep Guardiola with his second season at Man City. Arsenal finished one place better with seven more points in his first season in charge.
  • Had the third best home record last season
  • Had the third most prolific offence, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring 31 goals in all competitions for them last season. The addition of Nicolas Pépé means goals shouldn’t be a problem for them this season either. Pépé scored 22 goals for Lille last season.
  • Academy products Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock showed promising pre-season form.
  • Were able to agree terms for big-name signing Nicolas Pépé via a series of instalments that suited Arsenal’s restricted budget this summer.
  • Their Under-23 side came second in Premier League 2 last season, so there are some quality youth players set to come through.
• Negatives:
  • Despite having a Champions League spot to play for, Arsenal faded badly at the end of last season with a 2-1-4 run.
  • Had a limited transfer budget to work with this summer. This led to an inefficient summer in the transfer window, with a number offers being rejected due to the opposite party turning down deal structures that involved conditions and delayed payments.
  • Despite claiming to have a limited transfer budget, Arsenal opted to sign William Saliba for £27 million and then loan him back to Saint-Etienne for the season.
  • Had only the 9th best defensive record last season, with 51 goals conceded. This issue hasn’t been addressed during the transfer window, with Arsenal opting instead to spend £72 million on Nicolas Pépé.
  • Despite having a year left on his contract, captain Laurent Koscielny has departed after he refused to travel on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA. This has provided an unwanted pre-season distraction. It also leaves Arsenal short of quality centre-backs given Shkodran Mustafi’s inconsistencies and the fact that William Saliba has been loaned out.
  • Mesut Ozil is on £350,000 per week, which has blown out Arsenal’s wage bill. Ozil only made 24 league appearances last season and his form was mercurial.
  • Aaron Ramsey has departed.
• Pundit table predictions: 6th¹, 6th², 4th³, 6th⁴, 6th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 67.00
  • Top four finish: 2.50
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.53
  • Top six finish: 1.33
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 15.00
  • Relegated: 2001
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Aston Villa

• Last six season finishes: 15, 17, 20, 13 (C), 4 (C), 5 (C)
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 5th in the Championship with 76 points and a 20-16-10 record (11-8-4 at home and 9-8-6 away)
  • Offence:: 82 goals scored (50 at home and 32 away) – league rank: 3
  • Defence:: 61 goals conceded (36 at home and 25 away) – league rank: 11
• Stadium: Villa Park (42,785 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Dean Smith. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Wesley (Club Bruges, £22m), Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth, £20m), Matt Targett (Southampton, £15m), Ezri Konsa (Brentford, £12m), Bjorn Engels (Stade Reims, £9m), Trezeguet (Kasimpasa, £8.75m), Anwar El Ghazi (Lille, £8m), Jota (Birmingham City, £4m), Kortney Hause (Wolves, £3m), Douglas Luiz (Manchester City, £15m), Tom Heaton (Burnley, £8m), Marvelous Nakamba (Club Bruges, undisclosed)
  • Key departures: Gary Gardner (Birmingham, undisclosed), Tommy Elphick (Huddersfield, free), Matija Sarkic (Livingston, loan), Albert Adomah (Nottingham Forest, released), Mark Bunn (released), Ritchie de Laet (released), Alan Hutton (released), Mile Jedinak (released), Ross McCormack (released), Micah Richards (released), Glenn Whelan (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Aston Villa 3-0 Minnesota United
  • Shrewsbury 0-1 Aston Villa
  • Walsall 1-5 Aston Villa
  • Charlton 1-4 Aston Villa
  • RB Leipzig 1-3 Aston Villa
• Positives:
  • Roared into the playoffs on the back of a 10-1-1 to finish the regular season.
  • Spent over £110m to strengthen the squad during the summer. Comparisons have been made with Fulham’s failed £120m spending last year, but the difference is Aston Villa made many of their signings early, with eight coming in before the pre-season started. In contrast, Fulham made five of their signings on last season’s deadline day. Also, four of Villa’s signings were on loan at the club last season and anther two have worked under manager Dean Smith before.
  • Cleared some dead wood on high wages from their books.
  • Have signed five new defenders to address their weak backline from last season.
  • Jack Grealish has matured and improved as a player since the last time he was in the EPL.
• Negatives:
  • Four of the last five teams to be promoted via the Championship playoffs were relegated after one season. None of those five teams lasted more than two seasons.
  • Conceded 61 goals last season, which was only the 11th best defensive record in the Championship.
  • Have made eleven summer signings and released a large number of last season’s squad so it may take a while for the new squad to gel and for Dean Smith to establish what is best starting eleven is.
  • Of their eleven signings, only two have played in the top flight before.
  • Aston Villa’s last EPL campaign in 2015/16 was a disaster. They finished dead last with a 3-8-27 record. Villa finished that season on a 0-1-12 run.
  • Will have to make do without Tammy Abraham who scored 26 goals in 40 appearances when on loan from Chelsea last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 16th¹, 15th², 13th³, 15th⁴, 14th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 151.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 51.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.16
  • Relegated: 3.00
  • Rock bottom: 11.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Bournemouth

• Last six season finishes: 10 (C), 1 (C), 16, 9, 12, 14
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 14th with 45 points and a 13-6-19 record (8-5-6 at home and 5-1-13 away)
  • Offence:: 56 goals scored (30 at home and 26 away) – league rank: 7
  • Defence:: 70 goals conceded (25 at home and 45 away) – league rank: 18
• Stadium: Vitality Stadium (11,329 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Eddie Howe. At the helm since 2012 and began his managerial career in 2008.
  • Key arrivals: Lloyd Kelly (Bristol City, £13m), Jack Stacey (Luton Town, £4m), Philip Billing (Huddersfield, £15m), Arnaut Danjuma (Club Bruges, £13.7m), Harry Wilson (Liverpool, loan)
  • Key departures: Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa, £20m), Lys Mousset (Sheffield United, £10m), Connor Mahoney (Millwall, undisclosed), Marc Pugh (released), Mikael Ndjoli (Gillingham, loan), Emerson Hyndman (Atlanta United, loan), Sam Surridge (Swansea City, loan), Harry Arter (Fulham, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Girona 2-1 Bournemouth
  • West Brom 0-0 Bournemouth
  • Brentford 1-3 Bournemouth
  • Bournemouth 3-0 Lyon
• Positives:
  • Have enjoyed stability in the managerial position, with Eddie Howe being at the helm since 2012.
  • Have retained a core nucleus of players over the years.
  • Have managed to keep hold of star striker Callum Wilson, who has signed a new four-year contract.
  • Were the 7th highest scorers in the league last season.
  • Raised £36m this summer by selling two back up players.
• Negatives:
  • Conceded 70 goals last season (9 more than the season before), which was the 3rd most in the league and the most of any team to survive relegation.
  • Vitality Stadium has a capacity of just 11,329, which means Bournemouth can’t compete with other clubs for ticket revenues.
  • Regressed from 12th to 14th last season, despite spending £80million during the summer. It was the second consecutive season that they regressed, having finished 9th two years ago.
  • Striker Callum Wilson has had a consistent run with injuries. Over the past 4 seasons he has made no more than 30 league starts.
  • Dan Gosling is out until October with a hip injury and David Brooks is out for three months with an ankle injury.
• Pundit table predictions: 14th¹, 12th², 12th³, 13th⁴, 13th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 151.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 51.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.28
  • Relegated: 5.50
  • Rock bottom: 17.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Brighton & Hove Albion

• Last six season finishes: 6 (C), 20 (C), 3 (C), 2 (C), 15, 17
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 17th with 36 points and a 9-9-20 record (6-5-8 at home and 3-4-12 away)
  • Offence:: 35 goals scored (19 at home and 16 away) – league rank: 17
  • Defence:: 60 goals conceded (28 at home and 32 away) – league rank: 14
• Stadium: Amex Stadium (30,666 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Graham Potter. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 2010.
  • Key arrivals: Leandro Trossard (Genk, £18m), Matt Clarke (Portsmouth, £5m), Taylor Richards (Man City, £2.5m), Lewis Freestone (unattached, free), Adam Webster (Bristol City, £20m), Neal Maupay (Brentford, £20m), Romaric Yapi (Paris Saint-Germain), Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield, loan)
  • Key departures: Bruno (retired), Ales Mateju (Brescia, undisclosed), Will Collar (Hamilton, undisclosed), Anthony Knockaert (Fulham, loan), Alexis MacAllister (Boca Juniors, loan), Ben White (Leeds United, loan), Leo Ostigard (St Pauli, loan), Christian Walton (Blackburn, loan), Jayson Molumby (Millwall, loan), Robert Sanchez (Rochdale, loan), Jan Mlakar (QPR, loan), Viktor Gyokeres (St Pauli, loan), Percy Tau (Club Brugge, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Crawley Town 0-1 Brighton
  • Brighton 1-2 Fulham
  • Birmingham City 0-4 Brighton
  • Brighton 2-1 Valencia
• Positives:
  • New manager Graham Potter might give them a lift after a poor second half to last year’s campaign. He has a reputation for being innovative. Perhaps some of their unsuccessful signings from last season will find a new lease of life under him.
  • Have addressed their goal scoring inadequacies by signing winger Leandro Trossard, who scored 14 goals for Belgian side Genk last season, and Neal Maupay, who scored 25 league goals in the Championship last season.
  • Their Under-23 side came third in Premier League 2 last season, so there should be some quality youth players set to come through. This includes 19-year-old Aaron Connolly, who scored 17 goals in 20 games for the under-23’s last season.
• Negatives:
  • Were terrible in the second half of last season. Went 2-5-11 in Jan-May after going 7-4-9 in Aug-Dec. Finished the season on a 0-3-6 run.
  • Top scorer Glenn Murray turns 36 in September, so it remains to be seen whether he has another 10+ goal season in him. Murray scored 37% of Brighton’s league goals last season, which whas the the highest percentage of team goals in the league.
  • Scored only 35 goals last season, which was the lowest of any team to survive relegation.
  • Had a -25 goal difference last season, which was the worst of any team to survive relegation.
  • Had the worst away record (3-4-12) of any team to survive relegation.
  • Regressed from 15th to 17th last season, despite heavy spending during the summer. Jurgen Locadia and Alireza Jahanbakhsh cost £31m but they combined for just three league goals and one assist last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 17th¹, 19th², 17th³, 16th⁴, 18th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1501.00
  • Top four finish: 201.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 81.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.11
  • Relegated: 2.87
  • Rock bottom: 9.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Burnley

• Last six season finishes: 2 (C), 19, 1 (C), 16, 7, 15
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 15th with 40 points and a 11-7-20 record (7-2-10 at home and 4-5-10 away)
  • Offence:: 45 goals scored (24 at home and 21 away) – league rank: 14
  • Defence:: 68 goals conceded (32 at home and 36 away) – league rank: 16
• Stadium: Turf Moor (21,944 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Sean Dyche. At the helm since 2012 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Jay Rodriguez (West Brom, £10m), Erik Pieters (Stoke City, £3m), Joel Senior (Curzon Ashton, undisclosed), Ryan Cooney (Bury, undisclosed), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Leeds, £2.5m)
  • Key departures: Peter Crouch (retired), Jon Walters (retired), Stephen Ward (Stoke, free), Anders Lindegaard (Helsingborg, free), Mark Howarth (released), Tom Heaton (Aston Villa, £8m)
• Pre-season results:
  • Crewe Alexandra 1-0 Burnley
  • Port Vale 1-3 Burnley
  • Fleetwood 0-2 Burnley
  • Wigan Athletic 2-2 Burnley
  • Burnley 6-1 Nice
  • Burnley 2-0 Parma
• Positives:
  • Have enjoyed good stability in the managerial position, with Sean Dyche being at the helm since 2012.
  • Don’t have the distraction of Europa League football this season.
  • Had the lowest wage bill of any club to survive relegation last season.
  • After a torrid 3-3-12 start to the campaign, Burnley went 8-4-8 in the second half to avoid relegation. If you extrapolated their 28 points in the second half of the campaign to 56, they would have finished 8th.
  • Were highly efficient at picking up points against fellow relegation rivals last season.
  • Scored 9 more goals in 2018/19 than they did in 2017/18.
  • Have managed to keep hold of promising 19-year-old winger Dwight McNeil.
  • New re-signing Jay Rodriguez scored 22 goals in the Championship last season.
• Negatives:
  • Had a -23 goal difference last season, which was the second worst of any team to survive relegation.
  • Were notoriously streaky last season. Every defeat came in batches of 3 or more and 10 of their 11 wins came in batches of two or more.
  • Conceded 68 goals last season. This was the second most of any team to survive relegation and considerably more than the 39 they conceded in 2017/18.
  • Squad isn’t stronger or much larger than it was last season. Last summer’s signings didn’t have a big impact.
  • Have a relatively modest budget by EPL standards.
• Pundit table predictions: 18th¹, 14th², 19th³, 17th⁴, 15th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 2001.00
  • Top four finish: 251.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 81.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.11
  • Relegated: 2.87
  • Rock bottom: 6.50
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Chelsea

• Last six season finishes: 3, 1, 10, 1, 5, 3
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 3rd with 72 points and a 21-9-8 record (12-6-1 at home and 9-3-7 away)
  • Offence:: 63 goals scored (39 at home and 24 away) – league rank: 6
  • Defence:: 39 goals conceded (12 at home and 27 away) – league rank: 3
• Stadium: Stamford Bridge (41,631 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Frank Lampard. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 2018.
  • Key arrivals: Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund, £58m – signed in January but kept on loan with Borussia Dortmund until the end of the season), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid, £40-45m – was on loan to Chelsea last season)
  • Key departures: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid, £88m), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid, £58m), Ola Aina (Torino, £8.9m), Tomas Kalas (Bristol City, £8m), Jay Dasilva (Bristol City, £2m), Gary Cahill (Crystal Palace, free), Fankaty Dabo (Coventry City, free), Rob Green (retired), Todd Kane (released), Nathan Baxter (Ross County, loan), Richard Nartey (Burton Albion, loan), Eduardo (released), Kyle Scott (released), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta, loan), Charly Musonda (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Nathan (Atletico Mineiro, loan), Daishawn Redan (Hertha Berlin, loan), Ethan Ampadu (RB Leipzig, loan), Jake Clarke-Salter (Birmingham, loan), Matt Miazga (Reading, loan), Lewis Baker (Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan), Dujon Sterling (Wigan Athletic, loan), David Luiz (Arsenal, £8m)
• Pre-season results:
  • Bohemians 1-1 Chelsea
  • St Patrick’s Athletic 0-4 Chelsea
  • Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Chelsea
  • Chelsea 2-1 Barcelona
  • Reading 3-4 Chelsea
  • Red Bull Salzburg 3-5 Chelsea
  • Borussia Monchengladbach 2-2 Chelsea
• Positives:
  • Have the ability to call upon many of the 41 players they loaned out last season.
  • Have been able to bring Christian Pulisic in because he was signed in January. He has shown good form in pre-season and will help somewhat to fill the void left by Hazard’s departure.
  • Some argue the transfer embargo could be a blessing in disguise, with many Chelsea fans looking forward to having the club rely on youngsters who have been coming through the ranks.
  • The embargo has dampened expectations for this season, which should give new manager Frank Lampard more time to make his mark.
  • 18-year old England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has opted to stay after previously handing in his transfer request in January.
  • Had the joint 3rd best defensive record in the league last season.
  • Beat Barcelona in pre-season.
• Negatives:
  • Currently under a transfer embargo, which bans Chelsea from signing players until the end of the next January transfer window.
  • Star player Eden Hazard has departed. He scored 16 goals and made 15 assists last season, making him involved in almost half of Chelsea’s 63 league goals.
  • New manager Frank Lampard is relatively inexperienced and is unproven at the Premier League level.
  • While they did finish 3rd last season, they were 26 points behind winners Man City.
  • Were only the 6th highest scorers last season.
• Pundit table predictions: 4th¹, 4th², 6th³, 4th⁴, 4th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 34.00
  • Top four finish: 2.10
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.72
  • Top six finish: 1.22
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 19.00
  • Relegated: 1001.00
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Crystal Palace

• Last six season finishes: 11, 10, 15, 14, 11, 12
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 12th with 49 points and a 14-7-17 record (5-5-9 at home and 9-2-8 away)
  • Offence:: 51 goals scored (19 at home and 32 away) – league rank: 11
  • Defence:: 53 goals conceded (23 at home and 30 away) – league rank: 10
• Stadium: Selhurst Park (26,047 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Roy Hodgson. At the helm since 2017 and began his managerial career in 1976.
  • Key arrivals: Stephen Henderson (Nottingham Forest, free), Jordan Ayew (Swansea, £2.5m – had been on loan at Palace last season), Gary Cahill (Chelsea, free), James McCarthy (Everton, £3m), Victor Camarasa (Real Betis, loan)
  • Key departures: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United, £50m), Jason Puncheon (released), Julian Speroni (released), Bakary Sako (released), Levi Lumeka (Varzim, undisclosed), Ollie O’Dwyer (Aldershot, free), Joseph Hungbo (released), Tyler Brown (released), Alexander Sorloth (Trabzonspor, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • FC Luzern 1-1 Crystal Palace (5-6 pens)
  • BSC Young Boys 2-0 Crystal Palace
  • Barnet 6-2 Crystal Palace
  • Nottingham Forest 1-0 Crystal Palace
  • Bristol City 0-5 Crystal Palace
  • AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Crystal Palace
  • Crystal Palace 0-4 Hertha Berlin
• Positives:
  • Have sold right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has just one year of first-team experience in a deal worth up to £50, so they have money to spend in the transfer market.
  • Highly experienced manager Roy Hodgson returns for another season.
  • Had the 6th best away record last season.
  • Scored 51 goals last season, which was their greatest haul out of their six EPL seasons since promotion. Their -2 goal difference was also their best ever result since promotion, and a vast improvement on -10 in 2017/18 and -13 in 2016/17.
  • Have brought in former Brighton manager Dean Wilkins as head of coaching within the academy.
  • Finished last season on an 8-2-4 run.
  • Mamadou Sakho is fit again after picking up a season-ending injury in February.
  • Max Meyer and Christian Benteke have shown good pre-season form after disappointing seasons last year.
  • Have managed to keep hold of Wilfried Zaha, at least until January.
• Negatives:
  • Have a consistently bad record of starting seasons slowly. Started last season with a 2-2-8 run.
  • Had some poor results in pre-season. Lost 0-2 to Swiss side Young Boys, lost 2-6 to National League side Barnet, lost 0-1 to Championship side Nottingham Forest and in their final pre-season game, lost 4-0 at home to Hertha Berlin.
  • Have had uncertainty with squad planning due to persistent speculation over whether star player Wilfried Zaha will stay.
  • Despite being flush with cash have been quiet during the transfer window. No club has spent less this summer than Palace.
  • Frequently involved in the relegation scrap each season, with a late-season surge making their campaign look more easy than it was.
  • Picked up only 20 points at home last season, which was the fewest of any team to survive relegation.
  • Their wage bill is high relative to Palace’s turnover.
  • Michy Batshuayi has returned to Chelsea after a successful loan spell last season. Palace had enquired about signing him but were told it would cost them £40m.
  • Have a relatively small squad, particularly in the full-back position.
  • Shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer are seeking to sell their stakes, which has been a distraction for club management and has stalled stadium redevelopment.
• Pundit table predictions: 12th¹, 16th², 15th³, 12th⁴, 16th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 151.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 34.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.25
  • Relegated: 6.00
  • Rock bottom: 19.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Everton

• Last six season finishes: 5, 11, 11, 7, 8, 8
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 8th with 54 points and a 15-9-14 record (10-4-5 at home and 5-5-9 away)
  • Offence:: 54 goals scored (30 at home and 24 away) – league rank: 8
  • Defence:: 46 goals conceded (21 at home and 25 away) – league rank: 5
• Stadium: Goodison Park (39,221 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Marco Silva. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Andre Gomes (Barcelona – was on loan to Everton last season, £22m), Fabian Delph (Man City, £8.5m), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield Town, free), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz, £25m), Moise Kean (Juventus, £25.1m that could rise to £27.5m), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco, loan), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal, £34m)
  • Key departures: Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow, £14m), Ademola Lookman (RB Leipzig, £22.5m), Idrissa Gueye (Paris Saint-Germain, £30m), James McCarthy (Crystal Palace, £3m), Phil Jagielka (Sheffield Utd, free), Brendan Galloway (Luton Town, free), Antonee Robinson (Wigan, undisclosed), Jonjoe Kenny (Schalke, loan), Sandro Ramirez (Real Valladolid, loan), Korede Adedoyin (Hamilton, loan), Kieran Dowell (Derby, loan), Joao Virginia (Reading, loan), Luke Garbutt (Ipswich, loan), Josh Bowler (Hull, loan), Ashley Williams (released), Harry Charsley (released), Boris Mathis (released), Mateusz Hewelt (released), Shayne Lavery (released), Jack Kiersey (released), Danny Bramall (released), Joe Hilton (released), Chris Renshaw (released), Muhamed Besic (Sheffield United, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Kariobangi Sharks 1-1 Everton
  • Everton 0-0 Sion
  • Everton 1-0 Monaco
  • Wigan Athletic 0-0 Everton
  • Mainz 05 3-1 Everton
  • Sevilla 1-0 Everton
  • Werder Bremen 0-0 Everton
• Positives:
  • Have managed three consecutive top-8 finishes.
  • Had the joint 5th best defensive record in the league last season.
  • Their Under-23 side won Premier League 2 in two of the last three seasons, so there are likely some quality youth players set to come through.
  • Finished the season on a 6-3-2 run which included 8 clean sheets and wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd.
  • Signed Andre Gomes after a successful loan spell last season.
  • Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is a billionaire who has invested £250m in the club.
• Negatives:
  • Were hurt by their poor away form last season. Their 5-5-9 away record was only the 12th best in the league.
  • Quality midfielder Idrissa Gueye has departed after they failed to persuade him to stay. No player in the league attempted more tackles than Gueye last season.
  • Centre-back Kurt Zouma was a big success when on loan from Chelsea last campaign, but at the time of writing Everton haven’t been able to bring him back on loan this season.
  • Have a bloated wage bill as a consequence of poor previous recruitment. Wages were equalled 77% of turnover in the club’s last published set of accounts (2017-18).
• Pundit table predictions: 7th¹, 8th², 8th³, 7th⁴, 7th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 151.00
  • Top four finish: 17.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.03
  • Top six finish: 4.50
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 2.75
  • Relegated: 41.00
  • Rock bottom: 81.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Leicester City

• Last six season finishes: 1 (C), 14, 1, 12, 9, 9
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 9th with 52 points and a 15-7-16 record (8-3-8 at home and 7-4-8 away)
  • Offence:: 51 goals scored (24 at home and 27 away) – league rank: 11
  • Defence:: 48 goals conceded (20 at home and 28 away) – league rank: 7
• Stadium: King Power Stadium (32,312 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Brendan Rodgers. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 2008.
  • Key arrivals: Youri Tielemans (Monaco, £40m), Ayoze Perez (Newcastle United, £30m), James Justin (Luton Town, undisclosed), Vontae Daley-Campbell (Arsenal, undisclosed), George Hirst (OH Leuvens, undisclosed), Ali Reghba (Bohemians, undisclosed), Mitchell Clark (Aston Villa, free)
  • Key departures: Harry Maguire (Man Utd, £80m), Shinji Okazaki (Malaga), Danny Simpson (released) Daniel Iversen (Rotherham United, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Scunthorpe United 0-1 Leicester
  • Cheltenham 1-2 Leicester
  • Cambridge United 0-3 Leicester
  • Rotherham 2-2 Leicester
  • Stoke City 1-2 Leicester
  • Leicester 2-1 Atalanta
• Positives:
  • Picked up in form when Brendan Rodgers replaced Claude Puel as manager in late February. Jamie Vardy scored 10 goals from 11 games under Rodgers compared to 8 goals in 27 games under Puel.
  • Signed Youri Tielemans after a highly successful loan spell last season. He had been linked with the likes of Man Utd and Tottenham during the summer.
  • Boast a young squad that has arguably yet to peak, eight of the first XI are aged 26 or younger.
  • Have earned a world record fee by selling Harry Maguire to Man Utd for £80m.
  • Have added attacking options with the acquisition of Ayoze Perez.
  • Were the 6th best team for scoring chances created last season, averaging 13.6 per match.
• Negatives:
  • Have changed managers on a regular basis since winning the Premier League.
  • Have had the dragged out uncertainty over Harry Maguire’s future due to transfer negotiations with Man Utd. They eventually sold him near the end of the transfer window, giving them less time to organise acuisitions using the fees received.
• Pundit table predictions: 9th¹, 7th², 7th³, 8th⁴, 8th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 301.00
  • Top four finish: 17.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.03
  • Top six finish: 4.50
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 2.37
  • Relegated: 34.00
  • Rock bottom: 51.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Liverpool

• Last six season finishes: 2, 6, 8, 4, 4, 2
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 2nd with 97 points and a 30-7-1 record (17-2-0 at home and 13-5-1 away)
  • Offence:: 89 goals scored (55 at home and 34 away) – league rank: 2
  • Defence:: 22 goals conceded (10 at home and 12 away) – league rank: 1
• Stadium: Anfield (54,074 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Jürgen Klopp. At the helm since 2015 and began his managerial career in 2001.
  • Key arrivals: Sepp van den Berg (PEC Zwolle, £1.3m intially, could rise to £4.4m), Harvey Elliott (Fulham, undisclosed), Adrian (West Ham, free)
  • Key departures: Danny Ings (Southampton, £20m), Alberto Moreno (Villarreal, free), Rafael Camacho (Sporting Lisbon, £5m), Sheyi Ojo (Rangers, loan), Marko Grujic (Hertha BSC, loan), Allan Rodrigues de Souza (Fluminense, loan), Kamil Grabara (Huddersfield Town loan), Daniel Sturridge (released), Connor Randall (released), Adam Bogdan (released), Rhys Williams (Kidderminster Harriers, loan), Simon Mignolet (Club Bruges, £6.4m), Harry Wilson (Bournemouth, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Tranmere Rovers 0-6 Liverpool
  • Bradford City 1-3 Liverpool
  • Liverpool 2-3 Borussia Dortmund
  • Liverpool 1-2 Sevilla

  Liverpool 2-2 Sporting

  • Liverpool 0-3 Napoli
  • Liverpool 3-1 Lyon
  • Liverpool 1-1 Man City (4-5 pens)
• Positives:
  • Finished 2nd by just one point last season with 97 points, which would have been enough to win 25 out of 27 EPL seasons. Liverpool suffered only one defeat during the campaign.
  • Finished last season on a nine-game winning streak and they kept four clean sheets in their final five games.
  • Conceded just 22 goals last season, which was the best defensive record in the league. They led the league with 21 clean sheets.
  • Scored 89 goals last campaign, which the second most in the league and 19 more than the third top scorers, Arsenal.
  • Have retained the manager and key players from last season.
  • Their +67 goal difference last season was the second best in the league and a whopping 39 goals superior to the next highest.
  • In the absence of Salah, Mane and Firmino in pre-season, Divock Origi showed good promise and was a crowd favourite.
  • Have retained the bulk of last season’s squad which will help with continuity. Didn’t have the same level of transfer speculation or trade distractions as other clubs this summer.
  • Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rhian Brewster and Gomez are back to full health after long-term injuries.
• Negatives:
  • Liverpool have been heavily reliant Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino for goals. No other player scored more than seven goals in all competitions last season. The trio have had a reduced pre-season due to national team involvement. Jurgen Klopp has suggested he will have to manage the return of this front three through the opening weeks of the season.
  • Right-back Nathaniel Clyne is out for six months with an ACL tear. While he is no longer a starter, his absence does reduce squad depth.
  • Due to their inclusion in the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar in December, Liverpool could potentially play 10 games in 29 days over Christmas.
  • Lost their last four pre-season games, including a 3-0 defeat to Napoli.
  • Have opted not to make any big-name signings to improve the squad, especially given the reliance on Salah, Mane and Firmino for goals.
  • The last four times Liverpool finished 2nd in the league, they finished no better than 5th in the subsequent season.
• Pundit table predictions: 2nd¹, 2nd², 1st³, 2nd⁴, 2nd⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 3.60
  • Top four finish: 1.062
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 11.00
  • Top six finish: 1.01
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: N/A
  • Relegated: 4501.00
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Manchester City

• Last six season finishes: 1, 2, 4, 3, 1, 1
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 1st with 98 points and a 32-2-4 record (18-0-1 at home and 14-2-3 away)
  • Offence:: 95 goals scored (57 at home and 38 away) – league rank: 1
  • Defence:: 23 goals conceded (12 at home and 11 away) – league rank: 2
• Stadium: Etihad Stadium (55,017 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Pep Guardiola. At the helm since 2016 and began his managerial career in 2007.
  • Key arrivals: Rodri (Atletico Madrid, £62.8m), Joao Cancelo (Juventus, £60m), Angelino (PSV Eindhoven, £5.3m), Zack Steffan (Columbus Crew, £7.2m)
  • Key departures: Danilo (Juventus, £34.1m), Fabian Delph (Everton, £8.5m), Taylor Richards (Brighton, £2.5m), Vincent Kompany (Anderlecht, free), Patrick Roberts (Norwich City, loan), Jack Harrison (Leeds United, loan), Aro Muric (Nottingham Forest, loan), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan), Philippe Sandler (Anderlecht, loan), Tom Dele-Bashiru (released), Aaron Nemane (released), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa, £15m), Yangel Herrera (Granada, loan), Tosin Adrbioyo (Blackburn, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Manchester City 4-1 West Ham
  • Wolves 0-0 Manchester City (3-2 pens)
  • Kitchee FC 1-6 Manchester City
  • Yokohama F Marinos 1-3 Manchester City
  • Liverpool 1-1 Man City (4-5 pens)
• Positives:
  • Achieved the rare feat of back-to-back Premier League titles last season. The title wins were achieved by accumulating an eye-watering 100 points in 2017-18 and 98 points in 2018-19 – the two highest points tallies in EPL history.
  • Boast one of the most accomplished managers in the world.
  • Finished last season on a 14-game winning streak and kept clean sheets in 10 of those games.
  • Have finished no worse than 4th in each of the last six seasons, with five top-three finishes and three title wins..
  • Completed the domestic treble and also won the Community Shield last season.
  • Will be motivated by their Champions League failure last campaign.
  • Led the league in goals scored last season, with their 95 goal-haul six better than Liverpool.
  • Conceded just 23 goals last season.
  • Had a league-leading +72 goal difference last season, compared to +67 for 2nd placed Liverpool, +24 for 3rd placed Chelsea and +28 for 4th placed Tottenham.
  • Won last year’s league despite star player Kevin de Bruyne missing 19 games due to two serious knee injuries. de Bruyne has looked good in pre-season.
  • Were able to use a buy back clause to get Angelino back from PSV Eindhoven for £5.35m, which is far below his market value.
  • Have brought in Atletico Madrid star midfielder Rodri to further enhance an incredibly strong and well-rounded squad. This provides great succession management for the ageing Fernandinho.
• Negatives:
  • Will have a firm eye on winning the Champions League this season, which could detract from their league form.
  • Lost 4 EPL games last season, while Liverpool lost just one.
  • Were held to a 0-0 draw and lost on penalties to Wolverhampton in a pre-season tournament.
  • Star striker Sergio Agüero is injury prone.
  • Captain Vincent Kompany has departed, which is a big loss both on and off the field.
  • There has been speculation that Leroy Sane may depart.
• Pundit table predictions: 1st¹, 1st², 2nd³, 1st⁴, 1st⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1.50
  • Top four finish: 1.015
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 26.00
  • Top six finish: 1.005
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: N/A
  • Relegated: 4501.00
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Manchester United

• Last six season finishes: 7, 4, 5, 6, 2, 6
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 6th with 66 points and a 19-9-10 record (10-6-3 at home and 9-3-7 away)
  • Offence:: 65 goals scored (33 at home and 32 away) – league rank: 5
  • Defence:: 54 goals conceded (25 at home and 29 away) – league rank: 11
• Stadium: Old Trafford (74,879 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjær. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 2011.
  • Key arrivals: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace, £50m), Daniel James (Swansea City, £15m), Harry Maguire (Leicester City, £80m)
  • Key departures: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan, £74m), Ander Herrera (Paris St-Germain, free), Kieran O’Hara (Burton Albion, loan), Antonio Valencia (released), Matthew Olosunde (released), James Wilson (released), Regan Poole (released), Dean Henderson (Sheffield United, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Perth Glory 0-2 Manchester United
  • Manchester United 4-0 Leeds
  • Manchester United 1-0 Inter Milan
  • Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham
  • Kristiansund 0-1 Manchester United
  • Manchester United 2-2 AC Milan (5-4 pens)
• Positives:
  • Don’t have the same negativity in the build up to this season as they did this time last year under Jose Mourinho.
  • Signed high quality right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka who has impressed in pre-season. Have further strengthened their defence by signing Harry Maguire.
  • Have quality young players coming through the ranks, including 17-year-old forward Mason Greenwood.
• Negatives:
  • Regressed from 2nd in 2017/18 to 6th in 2018/19. Have finished outside the top four in three of the last four seasons.
  • Ended last season on a 0-2-3 run.
  • Conceded 54 goals last season, which was only the 11th best defensive record in the league.
  • Travelled over 20,000 miles in pre-season, which was by far the most in the league.
  • Defender Eric Bailly is out for 4-5 months with a knee injury
  • Alexis Sanchez hasn’t lived up to the hype and he is on a £350,000-per-week contract, which is the highest in the league (some have reported it being £391,000 a week with an extra £75,000 for every game he plays and an annual £1.1m signing-on fee).
  • Have had the distraction of Paul Pogba saying he wants to leave.
• Pundit table predictions: 5th¹, 5th², 5th³, 5th⁴, 5th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 41.00
  • Top four finish: 2.10
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.72
  • Top six finish: 1.16
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 19.00
  • Relegated: 1001.00
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Newcastle United

• Last six season finishes: 10, 15, 18, 1 (C), 10, 13
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 13th with 45 points and a 12-9-17 record (8-1-10 at home and 4-8-7 away)
  • Offence:: 42 goals scored (24 at home and 18 away) – league rank: 16
  • Defence:: 48 goals conceded (25 at home and 23 away) – league rank: 7
• Stadium: St James’ Park (52,354 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Steve Bruce. At the helm since 2019 and began his managerial career in 1998.
  • Key arrivals: Joelinton (Hoffenheim, £40m), Kyle Scott (unattached, free), Jake Turner (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed), Allan Saint-Maximin (Nice, £16.5m), Emil Krafth (Amiens, £5m), Andy Carroll (Arsenal, free)
  • Key departures: Ayoze Perez (Leicester City, £30m), Joselu (Alaves, undisclosed), Dan Barlaser (Rotherham United, loan), Liam Gibson (Grimsby Town, loan), Mohamed Diame (released), Cal Roberts (released), Josef Yarney (released), Tyrique Bartlett (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Newcastle 0-4 Wolves
  • Newcastle 1-0 West Ham
  • Preston North End 2-1 Newcastle
  • Hibernian 1-3 Newcastle
  • Newcastle 2-1 St Etienne
• Positives:
  • Fantastic support base who often fill their 50,000+ capacity stadium.
  • New manager Steve Bruce has managed 392 Premier League games, the seventh-most in the competition’s history.
  • Managed to finish 13th last season despite a 0-3-7 start. Newcastle ended the campaign on an 8-3-5 run.
  • Had the 7th best defensive record in the league last season.
  • Owner Mike Ashley has shown a bit more willingness to spend this summer, with the club buying striker Joelinton for £40m.
• Negatives:
  • Owner Mike Ashley has drawn consistent criticism from Newcastle’s support due perceived lack of spending. Some fans have called for boycott of St James’ Park until Ashley leaves. There are reportedly 10,000 unsold season tickets.
  • Their highly-rated manager Rafael Benitez has departed.
  • Steve Bruce was announced as the new manager less than a month ahead of the new season. Among the 33 managers to have managed 200 or more Premier League games, Steve Bruce’s win percentage of 28.1% (110 games in 392 games) is the second-lowest. Bruce has suffered relegation from the Premier League twice.
  • Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez have departed. The duo scored 23 of Newcastle 42 EPL goals last season.
  • Newcastle’s 42 goals last season was the 5th lowest in the league.
• Pundit table predictions: 15th¹, 18th², 16th³, 18th⁴, 20th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 151.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 26.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.14
  • Relegated: 3.25
  • Rock bottom: 13.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Norwich City

• Last six season finishes: 18, 3 (C), 19, 8 (C), 14 (C), 1 (C)
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 1st in the Championship with 94 points and a 27-13-6 record (15-4-4 at home and 12-9-2 away)
  • Offence:: 93 goals scored (51 at home and 42 away) – league rank: 1
  • Defence:: 57 goals conceded (34 at home and 23 away) – league rank: 8
• Stadium: Carrow Road (27,244 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Daniel Farke. At the helm since 2017 and began his managerial career in 2009.
  • Key arrivals: Sam Byram (West Ham, £750,000), Aidan Fitzpatrick (Partick Thistle, £350,000), Daniel Adshead (Rochdale, £300,000), Rocky Bushiri (KV Oostende, £100,000), Archie Mair (Aberdeen, undisclosed), Rob Nizet (Anderlecht, undisclosed), Josip Drmic (Borussia Monchengladbach, free), Charlie Gilmour (Arsenal, free), Patrick Roberts (Man City, loan), Ralf Fahrmann (Schalke, loan), Reece McAlear (Motherwell, undisclosed)
  • Key departures: Marcel Franke (Hannover 96, undisclosed), Nelson Oliveira (AEK Athens, free*), Carlton Morris (Rotherham United, loan), Mason Bloomfield (Crawley Town, loan), Ciaren Jones (Eastbourne Borough, loan), Josh Coley (Dunfermline Athletic, loan), Sean Raggett (Portsmouth, loan), Savvas Mourgos (Dordrecht, loan), James Husband (Blackpool, loan), Ben Marshall (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Norwich 2-2 Arminia Bielefeld
  • Norwich 1-3 Brentford
  • Luton Town 1-5 Norwich
  • Norwich 1-4 Atalanta
  • Norwich 1-0 Toulouse
• Positives:
  • Since 2002, 71% of the teams that were promoted as Championship winners survived relegation in their first EPL season.
  • Scored 93 goals last season, which was the most in the Championship by a margin of 6 goals.
  • Were excellent travellers last campaign. They picked up 45 points away (most in the league) compared to 49 at home (most in the league).
  • Five players scored 8+ goals last season, with Teemu Pukki scoring 30 in his first season with the club.
  • Will have good continuity in the squad due to no wholesale changes being made during the summer. Squad morale is high because of this.
  • Brought in Sam Byram for £750k, which appears to be great value in the current market.
  • Since his appointment in 2017, Sporting Director Stuart Webber has been instrumental with recruitment and creating pathways for the youth players to break through. In his previous post, Webber was also instrumental in the recruitment of players that got Huddersfield promoted to the EPL.
• Negatives:
  • Conceded 57 goals last season, which was only the 8th best defensive record in the Championship.
  • Four of their last six seasons in the EPL ended in relegation.
  • While their squad did enjoy Championship success, there is no success it will translate over into the EPL. Norwich have opted to stick largely with the squad from last year rather than go for wholesale changes like Aston Villa have.
• Pundit table predictions: 19th¹, 17th², 18th³, 19th⁴, 19th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 2001.00
  • Top four finish: 251.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 101.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.071
  • Relegated: 1.90
  • Rock bottom: 5.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Sheffield United

• Last six season finishes: 7 (L1), 5 (L1), 11 (L1), 1 (L1), 10 (C), 2 (C)
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 2nd in the Championship with 89 points and a 26-11-9 record (15-4-4 at home and 11-7-5 away)
  • Offence:: 78 goals scored (42 at home and 36 away) – league rank: 4
  • Defence:: 41 goals conceded (17 at home and 24 away) – league rank: 1
• Stadium: Bramall Lane (32,702 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Chris Wilder. At the helm since 2016 and began his managerial career in 2001.
  • Key arrivals: Oli McBurnie (Swansea City, £20m), Lys Mousset (Bournemouth, £10m), Callum Robinson (Preston, £6m), Luke Freeman (QPR, £5m), Phil Jagielka (Everton, free), Ravel Morrison (unattached, free), Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Dean Henderson (Manchester United, loan), Muhamed Besic (Everton, loan), Michael Verrips (KV Mechelen, free)
  • Key departures: Paul Coutts (released), Martin Cranie (released), Conor Washington (released), Daniel Lafferty (released), Caolan Lavery (released) Nathan Thomas (Gillingham, loan), Rhys Norrington-Davies (Rochdale, loan), Jake Eastwood (Scunthorpe, loan), Oliver Greaves (Barrow, loan), Tyler Smith (Bristol Rovers, loan), Nathan Thomas (Carlisle, loan), Regan Slater (Scunthorpe, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Real Betis 0-1 Sheffield United
  • Burton Albion 2-1 Sheffield United
  • Northampton Town 0-2 Sheffield United
  • Chesterfield 0-5 Sheffield United
  • Barnsley 1-4 Sheffield United
• Positives:
  • Under manager Chris Wilder Sheffield Utd have secured two promotions in three years. Wilder received the LMA Manager of the Year Award (best manager in the top four divisions) last season. He was also successful in his previous managerial spell at Northampton Town.
  • Have been active in the transfer window without completely overhauling the squad. Their biggest signing is Oli McBurnie, who scored 24 goals for Swansea last season.
  • Had the best defensive record and the best goal difference in the Championship last season.
  • Were the best Championship team in the second half of last season, finishing on a 15-6-2 run.
• Negatives:
  • Three of the last five teams to be promoted as Championship runners up were relegated after one season.
  • A number of the new signings are players who were surplus to requirements at other EPL clubs.
  • Chris Wilder has no EPL or other top division managerial experience.
• Pundit table predictions: 20th¹, 20th², 20th³, 20th⁴, 17th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 2501.00
  • Top four finish: 501.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 101.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.04
  • Relegated: 1.66
  • Rock bottom: 3.50
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Southampton

• Last six season finishes: 8, 7, 6, 8, 17, 16
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 16th with 39 points and a 9-12-17 record (5-8-6 at home and 4-4-11 away)
  • Offence:: 45 goals scored (27 at home and 18 away) – league rank: 14
  • Defence:: 65 goals conceded (30 at home and 35 away) – league rank: 15
• Stadium: St Mary’s Stadium (32,384 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Ralph Hasenhüttl. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2007.
  • Key arrivals: Danny Ings (Liverpool, £20m), Che Adams (Birmingham City, £15m), Moussa Djenepo (Standard Liege, £14m)
  • Key departures: Matt Targett (Aston Villa, £11.5m), Jordy Clasie (AZ Alkmaar, undisclosed), Steven Davis (Rangers, free), Alfie Jones (Gillingham, loan), Jack Rose (Walsall, loan), Kingsley Latham (Havant and Waterlooville, loan), Alex Cull (Totton, loan), Harry Hamblin (Bath City, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • Rehindorf Altach 1-1 Southampton
  • Preston North End 1-3 Southampton
  • Southampton 4-0 Guangzhou Evergrande
  • Feyenoord 1-3 Southampton
  • Southampton 2-0 Koln
• Positives:
  • Picked up in form following the sacking of manager Mark Hughes. After starting the season 1-6-9, Southampton went 8-6-8 to secure survival.
  • Signed Danny Ings after a successful loan spell last season.
• Negatives:
  • Have regressed to a lower tier. They finished 17th and 16th in the last two seasons, having spent the prior four seasons inside the top eight.
  • Finished no better than 14th in any of the home points, away points, goals scored and goals conceded stats from last season.
  • Had a -20 goal difference last season, which was the third worst of any team to survive relegation and six goals worse than the fourth worst.
• Pundit table predictions: 13th¹, 13th², 14th³, 14th⁴, 12th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 151.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 34.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 13.00
  • Relegated: 5.50
  • Rock bottom: 17.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Tottenham Hotspur

• Last six season finishes: 6, 5, 3, 2, 3, 4
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 4th with 71 points and a 23-2-13 record (12-2-5 at home and 11-0-8 away)
  • Offence:: 67 goals scored (34 at home and 33 away) – league rank: 4
  • Defence:: 39 goals conceded (16 at home and 23 away) – league rank: 3
• Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,062 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Mauricio Pochettino. At the helm since 2014 and began his managerial career in 2009.
  • Key arrivals: Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon, £53.8m), Jack Clarke (Leeds, £8.5m), Kion Etete (Notts County, £200,000), Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham, £25m – could rise to £30m) ,Giovani lo Celso (Real Betis, loan)
  • Key departures: Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid, £20m), Vincent Janssen (Monterrey, £6.3m), Jack Clarke (Leeds, loan), Luke Amos (QPR, loan), Michel Vorm (released), Dylan Duncan (released), Charlie Freeman (released), Tom Glover (released), Connor Ogilvie (released), Jamie Reynolds (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Tottenham 3-2 Juventus
  • Tottenham 1-2 Manchester United
  • Tottenham 1-0 Real Madrid
  • Tottenham 2-2 Bayern Munich (6-5 pens)
  • Tottenham 1-1 Inter Milan (3-4 pens)
• Positives:
  • Have been consistent, finishing no worse than 6th in each of the last ten seasons.
  • Maintained consistent league form last season despite being disrupted by injuries to star players including Harry Kane.
  • Won’t have the distraction of switching home stadiums this year.
  • Their stadium and training facilities are among the best in the world.
  • Have a settled squad and a highly rated manager who has been at the helm since 2014.
  • Their wage bill last season was significantly lower than Arsenal’s and Chelsea’s.
  • Made the big summer signing of Tanguy Ndombele after failing to make a signing last summer. He will improve an already high quality midfield.
  • Have reaped the cumulative financial rewards for playing in the Champions League for the past three seasons, with last year’s campaign seeing them reach the final.
  • Beat Real Madrid in pre-season.
  • Managed to hold onto Toby Alderweireld despite a release clause in his contract this summer.
• Negatives:
  • Finished last season on a 3-2-7 run.
  • Harry Kane scored 17 goals in 28 league appearances last season, which is a notably lower strike rate than his 29 from 30 in 2016/17 and 30 from 37 in 2017/18. Kane is susceptible to injury stints on the sidelines.
  • Finished lower in the league for the second straight season last year.
  • Are having to payoff the substantial debt used to finance their £1 billion stadium.
  • Defender Juan Foyth suffered a serious looking ankle injury in pre-season.
  • Tottenham’s move for big-name signing Paulo Dybala appears to have fallen through late in the transfer window.
• Pundit table predictions: 3rd¹, 3rd², 3rd³, 3rd⁴, 3rd⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 17.00
  • Top four finish: 1.50
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 2.62
  • Top six finish: 1.10
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 26.00
  • Relegated: 2501.00
  • Rock bottom: 1001.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Watford

• Last six season finishes: 13 (C), 2 (C), 13, 17, 14, 11
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 11th with 50 points and a 14-8-16 record (8-3-8 at home and 6-5-8 away)
  • Offence:: 52 goals scored (26 at home and 26 away) – league rank: 9
  • Defence:: 59 goals conceded (28 at home and 31 away) – league rank: 13
• Stadium: Vicarage Road (20,400 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Javi Gracia. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 2004.
  • Key arrivals: Ismaila Sarr (Rennes, £25m), Craig Dawson (West Brom, £5.5m), Bayli Spencer-Adams (Arsenal, free), Tom Dele-Bashiru (Man City, free), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal, free)
  • Key departures: Obbi Oulare (Standard Liege, undisclosed), Jerome Sinclair (Venlo, loan), Marc Navarro (Leganes, loan), Ben Wilmot (Swansea, loan), Michael Folivi (Wimbledon, loan), Alex Jakubiak (Gillingham, loan), Miguel Britos (released), Tommie Hoban (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Ajax 2-1 Watford
  • Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Watford
  • QPR 0-1 Watford
  • Watford 2-1 Real Sociedad
• Positives:
  • Have steadily improved their final league standing over the last two seasons (17 to 14 to 11).
  • Have found some stability in the managerial position after a number of short-term appointments.
  • Have managed to hold onto the star duo of Étienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucouré.
• Negatives:
  • Conceded 59 goals last season, which was only the 13th best defensive record in the league.
  • Finished last season on a 1-1-4 run.
• Pundit table predictions: 11th¹, 11th², 11th³, 11th⁴, 11th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 1001.00
  • Top four finish: 101.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 34.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.36
  • Relegated: 6.50
  • Rock bottom: 21.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

West Ham United

• Last six season finishes: 13, 12, 7, 11, 13, 10
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 10th with 52 points and a 15-7-16 record (9-4-6 at home and 6-3-10 away)
  • Offence:: 52 goals scored (32 at home and 20 away) – league rank: 9
  • Defence:: 55 goals conceded (27 at home and 28 away) – league rank: 12
• Stadium: London Stadium (60,000 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Manuel Pellegrini. At the helm since 2018 and began his managerial career in 1988.
  • Key arrivals: Sebastien Haller (Eintracht Frankfurt, £45m), Pablo Fornals (Villarreal, £24m), Goncalo Cardosa (Boavista, £2.7m,) Roberto (Espanyol, free), David Martin (Millwall, free)
  • Key departures: Marko Arnautovic (Shanghai SIPG, £22.4m), Lucas Perez (Alaves, £2.21m), Pedro Obiang (Sassuolo, £8m), Sam Byram (Norwich City, £750,000), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz, undisclosed), Marcus Browne (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Josh Pask (Coventry City, free), Jordan Hugill (QPR, loan), Adrian (Liverpool, free), Andy Carroll (released, now with Newcastle), Samir Nasri (released), Toni Martinez (released), Moses Makasi (released), Noha Sylvestre (released), Vashon Neufville (released), Nathan Trott (Wimbledon, loan), Martin Samuelsen (FK Haugesund, loan)
• Pre-season results:
  • SCR Altach 2-3 West Ham
  • West Ham 1-4 Manchester City
  • Newcastle 1-0 West Ham
  • Fulham 0-1 West Ham
  • Hertha Berlin 3-5 West Ham
  • West Ham 2-2 Athletic Bilbao (2-4 pens)
• Positives:
  • Finished 10th last season despite being hit hard by numerous long-term injuries to starting players.
  • Have been active in the transfer market, with signings that include striker Sebastien Haller for £45m.
  • Manager Manuel Pellegrini is vastly experienced, having previously won the Premier League at the helm of Manchester City.
  • Improved their defence last season. They conceded 55 goals in 2018/19 (12th best in the league) compared to 68 goals in 2017/18 (19th best in the league).
  • Have gotten rid of the self-serving Marko Arnautovic, selling him for £22.4m.
  • Andriy Yarmolenko is back to full fitness after missing most of last season with injury.
• Negatives:
  • Visiting West Ham isn’t nearly as intimidating for opposition teams since they moved from Upton Park to London Stadium. Visiting players enjoy the fact that the fans are now so far away from them.
  • Lost 1-4 to Man City and 0-1 to Newcastle in a pre-season tournament.
  • Might take time for the new-look squad to gel following the departures of eight senior players.
  • The squad looks a bit short of strikers.
• Pundit table predictions: 10th¹, 10th², 9th³, 10th⁴, 10th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 501.00
  • Top four finish: 51.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: N/A
  • Top six finish: 13.00
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 1.66
  • Relegated: 13.00
  • Rock bottom: 23.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Last six season finishes: 1 (L1), 7 (C), 14 (C), 15 (C), 1 (C) , 7
• Last season:
  • Placing:: 7th with 57 points and a 16-9-13 record (10-4-5 at home and 6-5-8 away)
  • Offence:: 47 goals scored (28 at home and 19 away) – league rank: 13
  • Defence:: 46 goals conceded (21 at home and 25 away) – league rank: 5
• Stadium: Molineux Stadium (32,050 capacity)
• Squad:
  • Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo. At the helm since 2017 and began his managerial career in 2012.
  • Key arrivals: Raul Jimenez (Benfica – was on loan to Wolves last season, £30m), Patrick Cutrone (AC Milan, £16m), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht, £12m), Hong (Yeovil Town, undisclosed), Raphael Nya (Paris St-Germain, undisclosed), Tsun Dai (Oxford United, undisclosed), Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid, loan), Patrick Cutrone (AC Milan, £16m), Pedro Neto and Bruno Jordao (Benfica, combined £18 million), Renat Dadashov (Estoril, out on a season-long loan to Pacos de Ferreira)
  • Key departures: Kortney Hause (Aston Villa, £3m), Ethan Ebanks-Landell (Shrewsbury, undisclosed), Pedro Goncalves (FC Famalicao, undisclosed), Joao Dias (FC Famalicao, undisclosed), Ryan Leak (Burgos, undisclosed), Helder Costa (Leeds, loan), Christian Herc (Viktoria Plzen, loan), Ryan Giles (Shrewsbury, loan), Ivan Cavaleiro (Fulham, loan), Rafa Mir (Nottingham Forest, loan), Michal Zyro (released), Carlos Heredia (released), Ben Goodliffe (released), Aaron Hayden (released), Diego Lattie (released) Enzo Sauvage (released)
• Pre-season results:
  • Wolves 4-0 Newcastle
  • Wolves 0-0 Manchester City (3-2 pens)
  • Wolves 2-0 Crusaders F.C. (Europa League qualifier)
  • Crusaders F.C. 1-4 Wolves (Europa League qualifier)
  • Pyunik 0-4 Wolves (Europa League qualifier)
• Positives:
  • Live up to the hype last season by finishing 7th in their first EPL campaign since promotion. That hype was based around the strong financial resources available to the club and their connections with super-agent Jorge Mendes.
  • Did not suffer any back-to-back defeats from mid-January onwards.
  • Beat Newcastle 4-0 and held Man City to a 0-0 draw before beating them on penalties in a pre-season tournament.
  • Had the 5th best defensive record last season.
  • Have addressed their lack of goals by signing Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan.
  • Have signed top scorer Raul Jimenez after his successful loan spell last season.
  • Went 4-4-4 against the top six teams last season.
• Negatives:
  • Have the distraction of the Europa League this season. Last season Burnley finished 15th when they had Europa League duties, compared to 7th the season before. In the past 10 seasons, only one non-“top six” side qualified for Europe through the league and finished higher the following season.
  • Only scored 46 goals last season, which was just the 13th best in the league.
• Pundit table predictions: 8th¹, 9th², 10th³, 9th⁴, 9th⁵
• bet365 futures odds:
  • Title winner: 151.00
  • Top four finish: 17.00
  • Fail to finish in the top four: 1.03
  • Top six finish: 4.50
  • Finish in the bottom half of the table: 2.75
  • Relegated: 41.00
  • Rock bottom: 51.00
  • Click here to compare the latest futures odds

 

Notes

Table prediction sources:

• ¹ – inferred based on bet365 futures markets
• ² – https://www.theguardian.com/football/premier-league-2019-20-previews
• ³ – https://www.radiotimes.com/news/sport/2019-07-29/premier-league-2019-20-season-preview-every-team-rated-predictions/
• ⁴ – https://talksport.com/football/577410/ultimate-2019-20-premier-league-preview-everything-you-need-to-know-including-fixtures-signings-kits-odds/
• ⁵ – https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49236095

Pre-season results:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48764805

Transfers:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49086586