The following is a team-by-team 2024/25 Premier League season preview with futures betting tips. We cover every club’s form and stats, key squad changes, positives, negatives and futures odds. This article will be updated daily to incorporate the latest transfer news as we approach the start of the season on August 16 (August 17 AEST).
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- Arsenal
- Aston Villa
- Bournemouth
- Brentford
- Brighton
- Chelsea
- Crystal Palace
- Everton
- Fulham
- Ipswich
- Leicester City
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Newcastle
- Nottingham Forest
- Southampton
- Tottenham
- West Ham
- Wolverhampton
Arsenal
- Last six season finishes: 5, 8, 8, 5, 2, 2
- Manager: Mikel Arteta (since December 2019)
- Key arrivals: Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna, £42m), David Raya (Brentford, £27m, was previously on loan)
- Key departures: Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham, £27m), Amario Cozier-Duberry (Brighton, free agent)
- Positives:
- Boasted the league’s best defensive record last season. Arsenal kept 16 clean sheets and conceded just 29 goals.
- Matched Man City for a goal difference of +62 in the last campaign. The year before that, City’s goal difference had been 16 goals better than Arsenal’s.
- The new defensive signing Riccardo Calafiori can play as a central defender or at left-back.
- Jurriën Timber can also play at centre-back or full-back and he is fit after an ACL injury limited him to just two league appearances last season.
- Went in 16-1-1 from January onward.
- There is a harmonious working relationship between manager Mikel Arteta, the sporting director Edu and the co-chairman Josh Kroenke.
- Have up-and-coming talent coming through the ranks who could feature this season. This includes Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand.
- Have a youthful spine to the squad, which should only improve each year. Half of Man City’s expected starting XI, in contrast, is over 30.
- Negatives:
- Transfer market activity this transfer window has been hampered by profitability and sustainability rules due to Arsenal’s heavy spending last year.
- Opta Prediction: 2nd
- Futures odds:
Aston Villa
- Last six season finishes: 5 (C), 17, 11, 14, 7, 4
- Manager: Unai Emery (since November 2022)
- Key arrivals: Amadou Onana (Everton, £50m), Ian Maatsen (Chelsea, £35m), Jaden Philogene (Hull City, £18m) Cameron Archer (Sheffield United, £14m) Lewis Dobbin (Everton, £10m), Ross Barkley (Luton, £5m), Enzo Barrenechea (Juventus, £6.7m), Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus, £11.8m)
- Key departures: Douglas Luiz (Juventus, £42.3m), Moussa Diaby (Al Ittihad (£43m) Omari Kellyman (Chelsea, £19m), Tim Iroegbunam (Everton, £9m), Morgan Sanson (Nice, £3.4m), Vijami Sinisalo (Celtic, £1m)
- Positives:
- Finished 4th last season despite the added burden of European football and a spate of injuries, particularly in defence.
- Finished higher in the football league than the previous year for four of the last five seasons.
- Recruitment efforts have been boosted by their qualification for the Champions League.
- Manager Unai Emery has signed a new five-year contract.
- Have been active in the transfer market. Over £140m has been spent on new signings, which includes Amadou Onana to offset the departure of Douglas Luiz.
- Defeated Man City at home and completed the double over Arsenal last season.
- Striker Ollie Watkins has been incredibly consistent for goals scored and for his availability. Watkins has made 37, 35, 37 and 37 league appearances over the last four seasons.
- Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings return from long-term injuries.
- Negatives:
- Fizzled out last season with 3-4-4 form and a four-game winless streak to finish the campaign.
- The burden of European football took its toll last season and they will compete in the Champions League this season. Unai Emery is known for taking European football incredibly seriously, so their Champions League campaign will likely impact upon their Premier League performances.
- Key midfielder Douglas Luiz has departed.
- Opta Prediction: 8th
- Futures odds:
Bournemouth
- Last six season finishes: 14, 18, 6 (C), 2 (C), 15, 12
- Manager: Andoni Iraola (since June 2023)
- Key arrivals: Evanilson (Porto, £40.2m), Luis Sinisterra (Leeds, £20m, had been on loan), Dean Huijsen (Juventus, £15.2m), Enes Unal (Getafe, £14m, had been on loan), Alex Paulsen (Wellington Phoenix, £2m, pending loan out to Auckland FC), Daniel Jebbison (Sheffield United, £1.5m)
- Key departures: Dominic Solanke (Tottenham, £55m), Lloyd Kelly (Newcastle, free), Kieffer Moore (Sheffield United, undisclosed)
- Positives:
- Finished higher in the football league than the previous year for the last four seasons. The 48 points collected last season was a club record.
- Despite a nine-game winless start, the Cherries recorded their highest ever Premier League points total last season.
- Their highly regarded Manager Andoni Iraola has signed a new contract.
- Spent the money from the sale of Solanke by making a club-record signing to get their new striker, Evanilson.
- Negatives:
- Dominic Solanke’s release clause was triggered by Tottenham late in the transfer window. Solanke scored 19 league goals last season, so his departure is a massive blow.
- Revenue is hampered by their small stadium. Vitality Stadium’s capacity is just 11,307. Only one other club has a capacity below 24,500 and the league median is almost 36,000.
- Were notoriously streaky last season. Their 13 wins all came from a 7-wins-from-9 run and from a 6-wins-from-10 run.
- Have had an injury-plagued pre-season. Tyler Adams, Enes Unal, David Brooks and Owen Bevan look set to miss the start of the season.
- The highly regarded technical director Richard Hughes has joined Liverpool.
- Opta Prediction: 15th
- Futures odds:
Brentford
- Last six season finishes: 11 (C), 3 (C), 3 (C), 13, 9, 16
- Manager: Thomas Frank (since October 2018)
- Key arrivals: Igor Thiago (Club Brugge, £30m), Fabio Carvalho (Liverpool, £27.5m)
- Key departures: David Raya (Arsenal, £27m, was previously out on loan)
- Positives:
- Will have Ivan Toney for the entire season after he missed much of the last campaign due to serving an eight-month ban.
- Had injury excuses in the last campaign. Kevin Schade, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbuemo are fit again after missing large chunks of last season.
- Marquee signing Thiago won young player of the season in the Uefa Conference League last season.
- They haven’t lost any first-choice players during the transfer window.
- Negatives:
- The newly signed £30m striker Igor Thiago has been ruled out for most of 2024 with injury. This has possibly derailed their sale plans for Ivan Toney, whose contract has entered its final year. Toney has made it clear he wants to leave.
- Suffered a sharp fall to 16th compared to 9th the season before.
- Were streaky last season. Brentford suffered through a mid-season 3-1-14 patch.
- Revenue is hampered by their small stadium. Gtech Community Stadium’s capacity is just 17,250. Only one other club has a capacity below 24,500 and the league median is almost 36,000.
- Their bid to sign Archie Gray from Leeds was hijacked by Tottenham.
- Are heavily reliant on Bryan Mbeumo. He missed 13 games last season and Brentford lost 10 of them.
- Opta Prediction: 14th
- Futures odds:
Brighton
- Last six season finishes: 17, 15, 16, 9, 6, 11
- Manager: Fabian Hürzeler (since June 2024)
- Key arrivals: Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle, £30m), Ibrahim Osman (Nordsjaelland, £16m), Mats Wieffer (Feyenoord, £25m), Malick Yalcouye (IFK Gothenburg, £6m), Amario Cozier-Duberry (Arsenal, free), Brajan Gruda (Mainz, £25m)
- Key departures: Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund, £10m), Adam Lallana (Southampton, free), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester City, loan)
- Positives:
- Don’t have the added burden of European football this season.
- Had injury excuses last campaign.
- Signed Amario Cozier-Duberry for free after he refused to sign a new deal with Arsenal.
- Are an incredibly well-run club under owner Tony Bloom. He has invested more than £400m in his childhood team since 2007 and the club yielded a record Premier League profit of £122m last year. So far more than £75m of those profits have been spent this summer.
- Kaoru Mitoma returns after missing the last three months of last season with injury.
- Negatives:
- Finished last season in 1-3-6 form.
- Roberto de Zerbi has departed and new manager Fabian Hürzeler has never managed a top-division club before.
- Brighton didn’t wish for Pascal Gross to depart, but he desired to play for his boyhood club Dortmund. Billy Gilmour might also be on the way out.
- Lost out to Chelsea in their pursuit of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
- Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen will miss the start of the season due to injury.
- Opta Prediction: 11th
- Futures odds:
Chelsea
- Last six season finishes: 3, 4, 4, 3, 12, 6
- Manager: Enzo Maresca (since June 2024)
- Key arrivals: Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton, £54m), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester, £30m), Marc Guiu (Barcelona, £5m), Omari Kellyman (Aston Villa, £19m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham, free), Renato Veiga (FC Basel, £12m), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United, £8.5m, loaned to Strasbourg), Estevao Willian (Palmeiras, £29.1m), Filip Jorgensen (Villarreal, £20.7m), Aaron Anselmino (Boca Juniors, £15.6m, loaned back to Boca Juniors until at least January)
- Key departures: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid, pending), Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa, £37.5m), Lewis Hall (Newcastle, £28m, had been on loan), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich, £18m, had been on loan), Thiago Silva (Fluminense, free), Michael Golding (Leicester City, £4m)
- Positives:
- Finished last season with just one defeat in their last 15 games. Chelsea ended the campaign on a five-game winning streak. The Blues went 10-1-1 in their final 12 home games. Only Arsenal and Man City outperformed Chelsea from mid-February onward.
- Finished last season strongly despite their deep runs in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
- New manager Enzo Maresca has previously worked with Pep Guardiola. Another ex-City assistant coach Mikel Arteta has gone on to enjoy a successful career as head coach.
- Cole Palmer scored 22 league goals in his first season for Chelsea and he’s still only 22 years old.
- Have spent over £200m in the transfer window, largely funded through the sale of five players who were out on loan last season.
- Have spent over £100m on defensive players to address their 12th ranked defence last season.
- Were able to bring in Tosin Adarabioyo for free after he rejected a new contract from Fulham.
- Beat out Bayern Munich, PSG and Man City to sign Estevao Willian.
- Signed Marc Guiu for just £5m due to a low release clause and his unwillingness to sign a new deal with Barcelona.
- Beat out Brighton to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was Leicester City’s player of the year last season. The move reunites him with manager Maresca.
- The highly promising Christopher Nkunku is back to full fitness after only making 11 league appearances last season due to injury. Roméo Lavia is also fit again after managing just one appearance last season.
- Negatives:
- Enzo Maresca is Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years and the fourth since 2022.
- Questions remain over the competency of owner Todd Boehly. Over £1bn spent on transfers has resulted in only 12th and 6th placed finishes over the past two seasons.
- Have the added burden of the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup this season.
- Might start the season slowly. Have made a number of personnel changes and they leaked numerous goals in pre-season as the side adjusts to playing out from the back under their new manager.
- Captain Reece James is suspended for the first three rounds.
- Stand-in captain Conor Gallagher is set to depart.
- Opta Prediction: 4th
- Futures odds:
Crystal Palace
- Last six season finishes: 12, 14, 14, 12, 11, 10
- Manager: Oliver Glasner (since February 2024)
- Key arrivals: Chadi Riad (Barcelona, £14m), Daichi Kamada (Lazio, free), Ismaila Sarr (Marseille, £11m)
- Key departures: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, £50.8m)
- Positives:
- Palace went 7-4-3 with a goal difference of +15 once Glasner took over in February. He took the club from 16th in February to 10th in May. Had the season started when Glasner took over, Palace would have finished 4th.
The Eagles finished last season in 6-1-0 form and they won the Stateside Cup in pre-season by beating Wolves and West Ham by 3-1 score lines.
- Palace scored 16 goals in their final four home games.
- Have made slow but steady progress, finishing higher on the table than the previous year in each of the last three seasons.
- Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta blossomed last season, particularly once Glasner took over. Mateta scored 16 league goals in the 23/24 season, compared to 5 and 2 in the prior two campaigns.
- The January signing of Adam Wharton proved to be a masterstroke.
- Have retained the services of the highly-rated sporting director Dougie Freedman. He has been involved of much of the club’s successful transfer strategy.
- Brought in Daichi Kamada as a free transfer, which reunites him with manager Glasner. The pair won the Europa League title together in 2021.
- Cheick Doucouré is back after he missed most of last season with an Achilles injury.
- Michael Olise, arguably Palace’s best player, has departed for Bayern Munich. A chunk of the transfer fee they received has gone to his previous club, Reading.
- There’s ongoing interest from other clubs in Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze.
- Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta might need to be rested at the start of the season following his involvement at the Olympics.
- Finances are tighter this year due to the development of the new main stand.
- Co-owner John Textor announced that he is selling his 45% stake in Palace as he looks to take over another English club.
Everton
- Last six season finishes: 8, 12, 10, 16, 17, 15
- Manager: Sean Dyche (since January 2023)
- Key arrivals: Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa, £9m), Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille, £20m), Jesper Lindstrom (Napoli, loan), Jake O’Brien (Lyon, £17m)
- Key departures: Amadou Onana (Aston Villa, £50m), Lewis Dobbin (Aston Villa, £10m), Ben Godfrey (Atalanta, £10m)
- Positives:
- Achieved a higher placed finish compared to the previous two seasons, despite being deducted 8 points. Everton would have finished 12th without those deductions.
- Boasted the league’s 4th best defensive record last season. Everton boast a world-class goalkeeper in Jordan Pickford.
- Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young both signed one-year contract extensions.
- Have secured Jack Harrison on loan for another season.
- Sean Dyche is a capable manager who is well-suited to Everton. He is well versed in working with tight resources.
- Finished last season in 4-1-1 form. Won their last four games at Goodison Park and kept clean sheets in those wins.
- Negatives:
- Ownership uncertainty continues due to successive failed sale attempts.
- Striker Youseff Chermiti will miss the start of the season following foot surgery.
- There’s ongoing transfer interest in Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in this transfer window. Calvert-Lewin is in the final year of his contract and has turned down the offer of a contract extension.
- Seamus Coleman only managed 12 league appearances last season due to injury.
- Amadou Onana has departed.
- The threat of another points deduction remains.
- Only scored 40 goals last season, which was 9 goals fewer than any other side to avoid relegation.
- Opta Prediction: 13th
- Futures odds:
Fulham
- Last six season finishes: 19, 4 (C), 18, 1 (C), 10, 13
- Manager: Marco Silva (since July 2021)
- Key arrivals: Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham, free), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal, £34m), Jorge Cuenca (Villarreal, undisclosed)
- Key departures: Joao Palhinha (Bayern Munich, £47.4m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea, free), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Leicester City, free)
- Positives:
- Have finally shown signs of breaking the yo-yo club tag after two consecutive top-13 finishes in the Premier League.
- Have spent the cash from the departing Palhinha by signing Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal.
- Negatives:
- Key defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha has departed. He was statistically the best tackler in Europe’s top five leagues last season.
- Tosin Adarabioyo joined Chelsea for free after he rejected a new contract.
- Ryan Sessegnon has had recurring hamstring problems.
- Opta Prediction: 12th
- Futures odds:
Ipswich
- Last six season finishes: 24 (C), 11 (L1), 9 (L1), 11 (L1), 2 (L1), 2 (C)
- Manager: Kieran McKenna (since December 2021)
- Key arrivals: Liam Delap (Man City, £20m), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea, £18m, had been on loan), Jacob Greaves (Hull, £15m), Darragh McCann (Glentoran), Arijanet Muric (Burnley, £15m), Ben Johnson (West Ham, free), Conor Townsend (West Bromwich Albion, £750K), Kalvin Phillips (Man City, loan)
- Key departures: Gassan Ahadme (Charlton, £1m), Idris El Mizouni (Oxford, £400K), Silva Mexes (Manchester United, compensation), Vaclav Hladky (Burnley, free)
- Positives:
- Despite being approached by Chelsea and Brighton, manager Kieran McKenna has signed a new contract. Ipswich have enjoyed back-to-back promotions under McKenna. He was the EFL Championship Manager of the Season.
- Signed forward Omari Hutchinson following his successful loan spell last season. He was the club’s primary target this transfer window.
- Beat out Southampton for the signing of Liam Delap.
- Signed centre-back Jacob Greaves, who was Hull City’s player of the season last year.
- Negatives:
- Their bid to sign Jaden Philogene was hijacked by Aston Villa.
- Nathan Broadhead will miss up to two months with a hamstring injury and George Hirst is out for eight weeks following knee surgery.
- Managed only the 7th best defensive record in the Championship last season.
- Six of the last ten teams to win promotion as the second best team in the Championship were relegated the following season.
- Opta Prediction: 19th
- Futures odds:
Leicester City
- Last six season finishes: 9, 5, 5, 8, 18, 1 (C)
- Manager: Steve Cooper (since June 2024)
- Key arrivals: Abdul Fatawu (Sporting, £17m, had been on loan), Michael Golding (Chelsea, £4m), Caleb Okoli (Atalanta, undisclosed), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Fulham, free), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton, loan)
- Key departures: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Chelsea, £30m)
- Positives:
- Wilfred Ndidi has signed a new contract.
- The sale of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall went through early enough that it can be included in their 2023/24 accounts, which should ease their PSR concerns.
- Had the best defence in the Championship last season, with just 41 goals conceded in 46 games. Leicester City also had the best goal difference of +48, which was ten goals better than any other side.
- Negatives:
- Face a possibly severe points deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
- Have been hampered by profit and sustainability regulations. They had been hoping for £40m for the sale of Dewsbury-Hall, but their finances forced them to accept less. Dewsbury-Hall was the club’s player of the year last season.
- Enzo Maresca, the manager who got them promoted last season, has joined Chelsea.
- Striker Jamie Vardy only managed 3 goals in 37 appearances in the 2022-23 EPL season. He’s now 37 years old.
- Backup goalkeeper Jakob Stolarczyk is out for up to six months with injury.
- Three of the last five Championship winners were relegated back to the Championship after just one season.
- Stumbled over the line in 6-1-7 form last season.
- Opta Prediction: 18th
- Futures odds:
Liverpool
- Last six season finishes: 2, 1, 3, 2, 5, 3
- Manager: Arne Slot (since June 2024)
- Key arrivals:
- Key departures: Fabio Carvalho (Brentford, £27.5m, had been out on loan at RB Leipzig & Hull City)
- Positives:
- Michael Edwards returns as the chief executive of football and Liverpool has poached the highly regarded technical director Richard Hughes from Bournemouth.
- Beat Arsenal, Man Utd, Real Betis and Sevilla in pre-season.
- Never suffered consecutive defeats last season and never went winless beyond two consecutive games.
- Have been consistent, with just one finish below 3rd in the last six seasons.
- Negatives:
- Begin the season with some uncertainty given the change of managers has resulted in a change in playing style. Eight players were given time off following busy summers, so the new manager Slot didn’t have the full squad to work with in pre-season.
- Have been slow in the transfer market, with no signings as of the 12th of August.
- Opta Prediction: 3rd
- Futures odds:
Manchester City
- Last six season finishes: 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1
- Manager: Pep Guardiola (since June 2016 (signed in February))
- Key arrivals: Savio (Troyes, £33.6m)
- Key departures: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, £81.5m), Liam Delap (Ipswich, £20m), Tommy Doyle (Wolves, £4.3m), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton, £20m, had been on loan), Sergio Gomez (Real Sociedad, £8.4m), Kalvin Phillips (Ipswich, loan)
- Positives:
- Have won six of the last seven Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four in a row. City finished 2nd in the one year in that span when they didn’t win.
- The highly-regarded Pep Guardiola remains at the helm.
- Won the league last season despite Kevin De Bruyne missing half the season due to injury.
- Finished last season in 19-4-0 form. City finished the season on a nine-game winning streak and all nine wins were by 2+ goals. Five of those wins were by 4-goal margins.
- Went unbeaten at home, boasted the league’s best away record and finished with the league’s best goals scored and goal difference last season.
- Boast incredible squad quality and depth.
- Adherence for profit and sustainability rules have been boosted by the sale of Alvarez for an initial fee of £64.4m, having paid £14.1m for him in 2022.
- Jack Grealish will be fresh and have a chip on his shoulder after missing out on Euro 2024 selection.
- Negatives:
- There are 101 oustanding charges over financial fair play rules. This could result in a hefty points deduction.
- Will once again burden a heavy fixture schedule due to their involvement in the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
- Had 13 players selected for Euro 2024 squads, which was the most of any club. This has shortened the off-season for much of the squad.
- Julian Alvarez has departed. This leaves City with just one specialist striker in the squad.
- Erling Haaland scored nine fewer goals last season than he did the year before.
- Won only 2 of their 10 matches against top-six opponents last season.
- Opta Prediction: 1st
- Futures odds:
Manchester United
- Last six season finishes: 6, 3, 2, 6, 3, 8
- Manager: Erik ten Hag (since June 2022 (signed in April))
- Key arrivals: Leny Yoro (Lille, £58.9m), Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna, £36.5m), Silva Mexes (Ipswich, compensation), James Overy (Perth Glory, free), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich, £38.5m), Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich, £12.8m)
- Key departures: Alvaro Fernandez (Benfica, £5.1m), Mason Greenwood (Marseille, £26.6m, had been on loan to Getafe), Willy Kambwala (Villarreal, £9.6m), Donny van de Beek (Girona, £7.6m), Anthony Martial (Released), Raphael Varane (Como, free), Omari Forson (Monza, free), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham, £15m)
- Positives:
- Had injury excuses last season.
- Have poached sporting director Dan Ashworth from Newcastle.
- Mason Mount has impressed in pre-season. He only featured 14 times last season due to injury.
- Held Man City to a full-time draw in the Community Shield.
- Negatives:
- United’s 8th placed finish last season was their worst league result since the 1989-90 season in the old Division 1.
- Conceded a club-record 58 goals last season and finished with a -1 goal difference.
- Picked up costly injuries in pre-season. Marquee signing Leny Yoro has been ruled out for three months and Rasmus Hojlund will miss five weeks.
- Won the FA Cup last season, which might have been the reason for sticking with Erik ten Hag.
- Promising talent Omari Forson rejected a new deal and left for free. Willy Kambwala rejected a new contract offer with one year remaining and has also departed.
- Luke Shaw only managed 12 appearances last season and he is already set to miss the first three weeks with a calf injury. Fellow left back Tyrell Malacia is out for two months with a knee injury.
- Opta Prediction: 6th
- Futures odds:
Newcastle
- Last six season finishes: 13, 13, 12, 11, 4, 7
- Manager: Eddie Howe (since November 2021)
- Key arrivals: Lewis Hall (Chelsea, £28m, had been on loan), William Osula (Sheffield United, £15m), Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth, free), Miodrag Pivas (FK Jedinstvo Ub, undisclosed), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), John Ruddy (Birmingham, free)
- Key departures: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest, £35m), Yankuba Minteh (Brighton, £30m, had been out on loan to Feyenoord)
- Positives:
- Don’t have the added burden of European football this season.
- Had injury excuses last season. Many of those players are now fit, including goalkeeper Nick Pope.
- £50m signing Sandro Tonali returns from his 10-month ban early in the season.
- Had the 4th best home record last season.
- Were able to bring in Lloyd Kelly for free. He has previously worked under Eddie Howe.
- Finished last season in 9-4-4 form. Had the season started in mid-January, Newcastle would have finished 5th.
- Negatives:
- The Saudi owners’ deep pockets and high ambitions are hampered by the profit and sustainability rules, which have forced them into selling Elliot Anderson.
- Sporting director Dan Ashworth has joined Man Utd.
- Went 6-2-11 away from home last season, which was only the 11th best away record in the league.
- Lost out to Chelsea in their pursuit of Tosin Adarabioyo.
- Lewis Miley will miss the first five weeks with injury. Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are still months away from returning from their long-term injuries.
- Opta Prediction: 5th
- Futures odds:
Nottingham Forest
- Last six season finishes: 9 (C), 7 (C), 17 (C), 4 (C), 16, 17
- Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo (since December 2023)
- Key arrivals: Elliot Anderson (Newcastle, £35m), Eric da Silva Moreiro (St Pauli, £1.3m), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina, £12m), Carlos Miguel (Corinthians, undisclosed), Marko Stamenic (Red Star Belgrade), Shea Cahill (Brisbane Roar, free), Jota Silva (Vitoria Guimaraes, £10.1m)
- Key departures: Remo Freuler (Bologna, £3.4m), Orel Mangala (Lyon, £20m, had been on loan to Lyon since January), Moussa Niakhate (Lyon, £27m), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Newcastle, undisclosed)
- Positives:
- Avoided relegation last season despite being deducted 4 points for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
- Have retained the services of key player Morgan Gibbs-White.
- Negatives:
- Had the worst goal difference (-18) of any team to survive relegation.
- Opta Prediction: 17th
- Futures odds:
Southampton
- Last six season finishes: 16, 11, 15, 15, 20, 4 (C)
- Manager: Russell Martin (since June 2023)
- Key arrivals: Adam Lallana (Brighton, free), Flynn Downes (West Ham, £18m), Ronnie Edwards (Peterborough, £6m), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Manchester City, £20m, had been on loan), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ Alkmaar, £5m), Ben Brereton Diaz (Villarreal, £6.5m), Nathan Wood (Swansea, £3m), Charlie Taylor (Burnley, free), Welington (Sao Paulo, will join in January), Juan (Sao Paulo, will join in January)
- Key departures: Lyanco (Atletico Mineiro, £4m), Romain Perraud (Real Betis, £3m), Che Adams (Torino, free)
- Positives:
- Manager Russell Martin has signed a contract extension. Under Martin, from September 2023 to February 2024, Southampton enjoyed a club-record 25-game unbeaten run.
- A key reason for Southampton’s relegation after the 22/23 Premier League season was they adopted a very youthful team. Those young signings are now two years older.
- Have been proactive in the transfer market.
- Negatives:
- Were promoted via the playoffs, so they’ve had less time to prepare for the Premier League than Leicester City and Ipswich. Six of the last ten sides promoted via the playoffs were relegated the following season.
- Che Adams, who scored 16 league goals last season, rejected a new contract offer and has departed for free.
- Lost out to Ipswich in their pursuit of Liam Delap.
- Lost out to Brentford in their pursuit of Fabio Carvalho.
- Managed only the 14th best defensive record in the Championship last season, with 63 goals conceded in 46 games.
- Went 0-4 against Ipswich and Leicester City last season. Leicester City beat Southampton by 4-1 and 5-0 score lines.
- Opta Prediction: 20th
- Futures odds:
Tottenham
- Last six season finishes: 4, 6, 7, 4, 8, 5
- Manager: Ange Postecoglou (since June 2023)
- Key arrivals: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth, £55m), Archie Gray (Leeds, £30m), Lucas Bergvall (Djurgarden, £8.5m), George Feeney (Glentoran, undisclosed), Min-Hyuk Yang (Gangwon FC, undisclosed, will join in January)
- Key departures: Eric Dier (Bayern Munich, £3m), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar, £6.7m, had been out on loan to Excelsior), Joe Rodon (Leeds, £10m), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Marseille, loan), Emerson Royal (AC Milan, free)
- Positives:
- Improved from an 8th placed finish in 2022/23 to 5th last season, despite the sale of Harry Kane.
- Signed striker Dominic Solanke, who scored 19 league goals for Bournemouth last season.
- Richarlison rejected move to Saudi Arabia. He scored 11 league goals last season under Ange Postecoglou, compared to just 1 the year before.
- Beat out Brentford to sign Archie Gray.
- Negatives:
- Have the additional burden of Europa League football this season after not having any European commitments last year.
- After sitting five points clear at the top after 10 games (8-2-0 record), Tottenham tailed off and finished 5th last season. Had the season started in November, Tottenham would have finished 9th.
- Opta Prediction: 7th
- Futures odds:
West Ham
- Last six season finishes: 10, 16, 6, 7, 14, 9
- Manager: Julen Lopetegui (since May 2024)
- Key arrivals: Luis Guilherme (Palmeiras, £25m), Max Kilman (Wolves, £40m), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds, £25m), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund, £27.5m), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis, free), Wes Foderingham (Sheffield Utd, free), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice, loan), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice, loan, obligation to buy for £34.2m in 2025), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Man Utd, £15m)
- Key departures: Said Benrahma (Lyon, £13m), Flynn Downes (Southampton, £18m), Thilo Kehrer (Monaco, £9.5m), Nathan Trott (Copenhagen, £1.5m), Ben Johnson (Ipswich, free)
- Positives:
- The signing of Wolves captain Max Kilman reunites him with former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui.
- New signing Crysencio Summerville was last season’s Championship Player of the Year. He and Niclas Fullkrug provide a needed boost to West Ham’s attacking options.
- West Ham should have no profit and sustainability issues thanks to the £105m sale of Declan Rice last summer.
- Negatives:
- Finished last season in 2-2-5 form and lost to Crystal Palace and Wolves in pre-season.
- Conceded 74 goals last season, which was 7 more than any other side to avoid relegation.
- Lucas Paqueta is under investigation for spot-fixing for the purpose of affecting the betting market.
- Opta Prediction: 10th
- Futures odds:
Wolverhampton
- Last six season finishes: 7, 7, 13, 10, 13, 14
- Manager: Gary O’Neil (since August 2023)
- Key arrivals: Tommy Doyle (Man City, £4.3m), Rodrigo Gomes (Braga, £12.7m), Pedro Lima (Sport Recife, £8.45m), Arthur Nasta (Larkhall Athletic, undisclosed), Jorgen Strand Larsen (Celta Vigo, loan)
- Key departures: Pedro Neto (Chelsea, £54m), Max Kilman (West Ham, £40m)
- Positives:
- While Pedro Neto’s departure is a blow, his tenure at Wolves was heavily impacted by injuries over the last three seasons. Wolves received good money for the sale of him and Max Kilman.
- Beat out interest from Atletico Madrid to sign Rodrigo Gomes.
- Have kept Hwang Hee-chan despite interest from Marseille.
- Negatives:
- Pedro Neto and captain Max Kilman have departed. They are the latest big-name departures following Ruben Neves’ move to Saudi Arabia last year.
- Finished last season in 1-2-7 form. Wolves failed to achieve a clean sheet in their last 12 games.
- Opta Prediction: 16th
- Futures odds:
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Manchester City’s charges and their implications on futures markets
Manchester City have been charged with a whopping 101 instances of breaking financial fair play rules over a nine-year period. The legal proceedings have been dragging out for ages but they should be resolved during this season. The possible penalties include a heavy points deduction, relegation, the stripping of previous title wins and even expulsion from the league. This explains the relatively short odds on Man City to be relegated (17.00 with bet365). The Betfair back and lay odds with for City to be relegated are currently even shorter, at 10.50 and 14.00, respectively. The proceeding also explain the relatively long 2.74 odds with Betfair for Man City to win the title.
At this stage it’s a case of watch this space. City’s most recent title wins were by the following margins:
2023/34: 2
2022/23: 5
2001/22: 1
If, say, a 10 points deduction is handed out, then the winner lay odds of 2.78 with Betfair hold appeal.
In any event, keep an eye on the legal proceedings if you plan to bet for or against Man City.
Brighton to finish in the top half at 1.80 (bet365)
Brighton finished 11th last season, but they had plenty of injury excuses and they don’t have the additional burden of European football this season. The Seagulls have taken a punt on a new, young manager, but the club is incredibly well run and their managerial appointments in the past have been sound. The squad has been boosted by the return of Kaoru Mitoma after he missed the last three months of last season with injury.
West Ham to finish in the top half at 1.80 (bet365)
West Ham begin life under new manager Julen Lopetegui, who immediately brought in one of Wolves’ star players in Max Kilman, who Lopetegui has previously managed. Thanks to the sale of Declan Rice for £105m in last year’s transfer window, the Hammers shouldn’t have any profit and sustainability issues. This has enabled them to bring in the likes of Luis Guilherme for £25m, Max Kilman for £40m, Crysencio Summerville for £25m and Niclas Fullkrug for £27.5m.
Southampton to be relegated at 2.25 (bet365)
All three newly promoted sides were relegated last season and statistically, the side promoted via the playoffs has the lowest chance of avoiding relegation. Che Adams, who contributed 16 goals last season, has rejected a new contract offer and has departed. The biggest concern of all, however, is Southampton had only the 14th best defensive record in the Championship last season, with 63 goals conceded in 46 games. That bodes terribly for their Premier League campaign.
Sources
Opta’s season predictions can be viewed here.
Transfer figures have been sourced from Sky Sports and the BBC.