The Premier League is back and so are the Sportsman’s predictions. Fancy a 1-20 that isn’t like the rest? Let’s get straight into it, starting at the very bottom.
20th: Sheffield United
The Blades have lost Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge, while key loanees Tommy Doyle and James McAtee have not returned. They’re far worse than they were in the Championship and are heading down with a whimper.
19th: Wolves
Julen Lopetegui has already walked out over a lack of signings and Gary O’Neil is set to be the new man in charge. Having lost Nathan Collins, Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez, this is going to be a tough old year at Molineux.
18th: Luton Town
New boys Luton Town have the upwards momentum and they will come close to survival but just fall short. They’ll pick up plenty of points at Kenilworth Road, but ultimately their squad isn’t good enough to stay in the Premier League.
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17th: Everton
Sean Dyche will escape by the skin of his teeth. With one of the poorest squads in the division and a serious lack of firepower if Dominic Calvert-Lewin gets injured again, they will be scrapping for their lives. The final season at Goodison Park won’t be a positive one.
16th: West Ham United
Without Declan Rice, and with Lucas Paqueta potentially leaving, David Moyes’ side look weaker than they were last term. If they complete the additions of James Ward-Prowse and Harry Maguire they’ll survive, but with Europa League football to contend with, expect another tough season at the London Stadium.
15th: Fulham
Fulham were one of the surprise packages last term under Marco Silva but their form towards the end of the season was fairly concerning. They only beat the three relegated sides and Everton after February 19 and, despite securing a top-10 finish, it feels like a slight regression could happen this season.
14th: Nottingham Forest
Forest should be fine if they keep Steve Cooper in charge this term. After the most turbulent of summers following promotion they did enough to stay up, and the calmer waters of this transfer window should lead to a more stable season. Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood are sensible if unspectacular additions.
13th: Burnley
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley were seriously impressive in the Championship last term and I expect that to continue in the top flight. With their attractive style of play they could be beaten heavily by the big boys, but they’ll have more than enough to stay up comfortably.
12th: Crystal Palace
It’s Crystal Palace. They always finish 12th.
11th: Brentford
The Bees' buzz has been slightly diminished given Ivan Toney is suspended until January, but under Thomas Frank you simply can’t tip Brentford to drop off. Expect an as-yet-unknown superstar to take Toney's place and the Bees to upset a couple of the big boys along the way.
10th: Bournemouth
Woah, this is a bit high for the Cherries? The decision to swap Gary O’Neil for Andoni Iraola may have seemed harsh, but it is a clear and obvious upgrade on paper. He’s been backed by some strong summer business as Justin Kluivert, Romain Favre, Milos Kerkez and Hamed Traore have all joined for fees between £10m and £25m. Bournemouth will surprise people this term.
9th: Aston Villa
Villa have lofty ambitions this term and were incredibly strong under Unai Emery. However, they now have Europa Conference League football to deal with and that is likely to hamper a relatively small squad. Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby are excellent additions, and if things go really well they could break the top six.
8th: Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton will be strong again this season, with Roberto De Zerbi leading the Seagulls into Europe. In Joao Pedro they could have found their missing piece up front, and they are now top-half certainties. European football and the return of the big six sees them drop to eighth.
7th: Newcastle United
They may have finished fourth last term, and their run to Champions League qualification was impressive, but it is difficult to see them repeating the feat this time around. Eddie Howe has brought in Sandro Tonali for big money, as well as Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento, but is that enough to cope with the rigours of European football? There’ll be a slight drop off for the Magpies this term, down to seventh.
6th: Tottenham Hotspur
I believe in Ange Postecoglou. He’s exactly the man Spurs need and, with or without Harry Kane, he can lead them back to the top six. Tottenham also have the benefit of not playing in Europe, and after an exciting summer they will be back in business in the Premier League.
5th: Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino has a richly-assembled squad at his disposal, and he should be able to get a tune out of them over the course of the season. Expect them to go close to the top four if Poch can last the entire campaign. Without European football, they could even overhaul Liverpool.
4th: Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s midfield rebuild should be enough for them to break back into the top four and, even with Europa League football on a Thursday night, they have enough quality to return to the big time. However, there won’t be a title challenge this season on Merseyside.
3rd: Manchester City
MANCHESTER CITY IN THIRD! The dominant force of the Premier League over the past six years, the treble winners will not be lifting the trophy come May. The loss of Ilkay Gundogan is seismic, while Riyad Mahrez will also be missed. If they lose Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva too, City could fall away from the top two.
2nd: Manchester United
Just like the late 1990s, we’ve got an old-school title race on our hands between Manchester United and Arsenal. This time, we think United will just come up short, but they’ll be delighted to finish above City. Rasmus Hojlund can provide the goals, while their revamped midfield and new goalkeeper will carry them back into a title race. It’s been a long time coming.
1st: Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s title winners? It just sounds right. Back in the Champions League, they have a lot to deal with this term and a lot more expectation. But the young players will be hardened by the bruises of last year, and with the additions of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz they can go all the way.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
