Somehow, the Premier League is already back. The return of the world's biggest domestic league always kind of sneaks up on you, but this time around, it feels like soccer never really left. That's the magic of a summer that had the European Championships, the Copa América, and the Olympics, all in the span of about two months. It's been a busy summer for the best players plying their trade in the Premier League, and one of the most important tasks facing the league's managers this time around is supervising player fitness to get through a grueling schedule.
At the same time, the summer tournaments seem to have cooled the usually sizzling summer transfer market. Given that the international schedule interfered with clubs' recruitment efforts, a bit of an economic slowdown makes sense. There have been a couple big transfer fees thrown around by Premier League sides this summer, but when the most expensive move of the window so far is for Dominic Solanke, something's off. It seems most sides in the league are content to shore up depth, avoid running afoul of the menacing Profit and Sustainability Rules, and count on the same players as last season, though the clubs that did make moves will hope to see a return on their investments sooner than later.
Because of this, the Premier League this season feels as open from top to bottom as it has in some time. While there will always be an established hierarchy, the crucial zones on the table—top four, European competition qualification, and the last relegation safety places—should all have more teams vying for them than last season. And with the transfer window not closing until Aug. 30, there is still time for one of those teams caught between two tiers of the table to make a splashy signing that betters their fortunes.
Whether that happens or not, it should be, to borrow a British phrase, a cracker of a season, with multiple title contenders ready to race for the trophy, and with a strong batch of promoted sides that will put the fear of God into those who survived the relegation battle a year ago. In order to tackle the entire breadth of the Premier League's clubs, I recruited my fellow Defector soccer sickos to help write some of these team previews below. As with last year's preview, each team will also be rated on the Title Contender Index and the Relegation Candidate Index; these sophisticated and foolproof ratings will disclose whether a team has trophy aspirations, survival on the mind, or something in the middle. Without further ado, let's get started. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Arsenal
For the second year in a row, Arsenal enters the season with title aspirations, the talent to make it happen, and the most daunting impediment possible in their way. The Gunners spent big last offseason and narrowed the gap with Manchester City to two points, which is a nice improvement that is nevertheless a mere consolation prize. So, how have they gone about preparing to mount another assault on the Sky Blue juggernaut? Mostly by tinkering around the margins of what was already a pretty complete team. Arsenal's midfield and frontline are (for the moment) unchanged, while the defense that allowed a league-low 29 goals last season is now even better. We know what Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard can do, but can Arsenal stay under 30 again?
Jurrien Timber is essentially a new signing, as he tore his ACL pretty much the second the season started, and he is easily the most intriguing player on the squad. At his best, Timber is the ideal right back for the way Mikel Arteta wants to play. He's a gifted passer who doesn't take big risks and excels at the small, connective sorts of passes that begin beautiful team moves. As a ball-carrier, he truly shines. He primarily played center back at Ajax, though, when he's healthy, he'll probably play more at both full back positions this coming season. He has a bristling athleticism to his game—or at least he did before doing his knee—and Arsenal got so much done on the right last season through Saka. If that flank can become even more dangerous, they become scarier in every context, and have a stronger best option to keep trying against the best teams in the most compact games.
Ideally, he will play opposite Riccardo Calafiori, an extremely cool and handsome Italian center/left back whose incredible season for Bologna helped them get back to the Champions League for the first time since Aldo Moro was prime minister. He followed that up by making the play of the Euros this summer. Calafiori has had an interesting path to the big-time, starting as a young hotshot at Roma, suffering a nearly career-ending knee injury, having such a disastrous game against a Norwegian side in the Europa League that he got perma-benched by José Mourinho, then finally redeeming his talent at Bologna and the Euros. Signing guys based off of big international tournament performances is a risk, though Arsenal were looking at him before, and if he was good enough to show out as the best player for the defending Euro champs, he's no flash in the pan.
Calafiori is a different sort of player than Timber, though both have played both center back and full back and both like to shoot from distance and carry the ball, which gets me to what I like most about this year's Arsenal defensive corps. There's so much versatility surrounding the rock-solid duo of Gabriel and William Saliba. Every single one of Timber, Calafiori, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Jakub Kiwior can play multiple positions and are comfortable making runs into unfamiliar places, and each of them besides Zinchenko can play center back. Hell, even Thomas Partey can play right back. This group is both deep and coherent with the rest of the team, and I love that Arteta and the club's decision-makers consolidated a strength.
Aside from that, Arsenal fans should also come into this season optimistic, since Odegaard didn't have to play in the Euros and Gabriel Jesus didn't make Brazil's Copa América squad. Jesus had a real down year last season. Can he still find the best version of himself at 27? The defense is strong enough that Arsenal can afford to find out in the league, instead of having to be conservative with the front line. – Patrick Redford
Title Contender Index: 85.1
Relegation Candidate Index: 0.01
Aston Villa
Is Aston Villa ready to make the jump to the big boys? That's the question that will linger over the Lions this season, after finishing fourth in the table last time around. While the prestige and riches that come with Champions League qualification have boosted Villa's profile and coffers, the side comes into the 2024-25 season having lost two key contributors to the transfer market, while also facing down the issue of depth that tends to haunt (relatively) smaller sides when they make such a jump.
To Villa's credit, its brain trust tried to address those issues this summer after losing both Moussa Diaby—€60 million transfer to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia—and Douglas Luiz, who went to Juventus for €51 million. Douglas will be the bigger miss. He scored nine goals and added five assists from midfield, giving Villa a deeper attacking option to contribute alongside Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey. (Diaby was no slouch on the wing, adding six goals and creating eight goals.) To replace Douglas, Villa got Amadou Onana from Everton for €59 million, and though he is not a creative player, he should allow Youri Tielemans and captain John McGinn more freedom going forward. Elsewhere, Villa went for depth in replacing Diaby rather than splashing for one of Europe's premier wingers, bringing in Jaden Philogene from Hull City, Lewis Dobbin also from Everton, and Samuel Iling-Junior from Juventus. That trio, alongside Colombian striker Jhon Durán, will be expected to fill in the void on aggregate.
In the main, though, Villa will be much the same team as last year. It will play around Watkins, who emerged as one of the best strikers in the Premier League and had an impactful campaign at the Euros, scoring a 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands to send England to the final. Watkins is a perfect striker for the modern era, able to be both quick off and on the ball and strong, despite his smaller 5-foot-11 frame. He scored 19 goals and added 13 assists last year, and everything Villa does in attack will flow through him. On the other end of the pitch, the Lions have Ezri Konsa, who also starred at the Euros, and Emiliano Martínez is always worth a watch in goal, even his performances for club have never quite reached the world-conquering heights of his Argentina tenure.
And then there's manager Unai Emery, the knockout competition specialist, at the helm. Emery doesn't have the best Champions League track record, but he's won the Europa League four times, so it's not like he doesn't know how to deal with a bloated schedule and the heightened tension of continental tournament play. Emery is who he is at this point, and Villa feels like his right level. Since joining the Lions, Emery has guided them from relegation candidates to party crashers in the top four in less than two full seasons, and his ability to prepare for any situation, regardless of opponent, will serve him well in the Champions League.
Villa might buckle a bit under the weight of so many intense fixtures this season, but it would be a surprise if the club isn't in the mix for the European spots, though repeating its top-four feat will be tough due to the glut of sides expected to be near the top of the Premier League table. Given the club's resources and still evolving squad, finishing in the top six would be a rousing success, and anything beyond group play in the Champions League will put Villa in a position to not just be a shock, but rather a mainstay in the Premier League's upper echelon going forward. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 13.3
Relegation Candidate Index: 1.0
Bournemouth
Bournemouth has a Herculean task this season: replacing Dominic Solanke. Heading into last season, that wouldn't have seemed like the hardest assignment in the world, as the former Liverpool and Chelsea man had a disappointing first season back in the Premier League, scoring only six times in 32 matches in the 2022-23 season. However, Solanke finally delivered on the promise he once had as a highly touted striker prospect in his youth, upping his game last season to score 19 goals as Bournemouth finished a tidy 12th place. (Apologies from me to the club, for thinking it would be relegated last season. Defector regrets to skepticism.)
However, as is bound to happen when a lower-table striker explodes for as many goals as Solanke, a bigger club came knocking, and no one could have turned down €64 million Tottenham offered for the striker. Bournemouth has moved quickly to replace his production, and whether the new signings and returning squad players pick up the slack will go a long way towards determining whether the Cherries keep their place of mid-table safety or fall back into the relegation scrap.
Bournemouth's big signing came on Aug. 15, when it dropped a club-record €47 million for Evanilson, the 24-year-old Brazilian who scored 13 league goals for Porto last season. Evanilson isn't the fastest striker, but he's great in the box, and has size in his 6-foot frame, so he should be projects as a good poacher. The club also permanently signed Enes Ünal, the well-traveled 27-year-old who spent the second half of last season at Bournemouth on loan. The two goals he scored didn't wow anyone during his loan spell, but he should see more opportunities with Solanke gone.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth made Colombian winger Luis Sinisterra's loan from Leeds United permanent for €23 million. Sinisterra was another under-performer during his loan, scoring just two goals in 20 appearances, but he has big talent. Then there's forward Daniel Jebbison, who is coming over from relegated Sheffield United on a free transfer. Jebbison only made one appearance for the Blades in their failed bid to stay up, but he should get some run as manager Andoni Iraola tries to figure out how to fill the Solanke-sized hole with spare parts. Of course, if Evanilson lives up to his hefty price tag, then this might be moot; having a star goalscorer makes things easier for everyone, as this very club found out last season.
If the revamped attack can put the ball in the back of the net with enough frequency to keep Bournemouth in games, then the Cherries might have something brewing as they strive to remain solidly in the middle of the pack. The defense got a bit of an overhaul this summer, with Julián Araujo (Barcelona) and Dean Huijsen (Juventus) leaving prestigious clubs in favor of playing time in England. The midfield works hard, and Iraola has plenty of attacking impetus from the likes of Ryan Christie and Antoine Semenyo to complement the striker spot. Bournemouth is a fun side, but goalscoring will determine whether the club faces another relegation battle or if it becomes a top flight mainstay. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 1.7
Relegation Candidate Index: 23.3
Brentford
Perhaps more than any club in the Premier League, writing a preview about Brentford is a bit of a fool's errand at the moment. That's because of Ivan Toney. In January Brentford's star striker returned from an eight-month gambling ban, and chipped in a tidy, if not spectacular, four goals in 16 appearances in the second half of the year. However, Brentford might not be able to count on his services for much longer. Toney appears ready to move to a bigger club, and is reportedly content to run out the last year of his contract before leaving for free next summer. For a club with relatively limited resources, it would might behoove Brentford to sell now, even at a discount, to avoid losing Toney for nothing. Arsenal is reportedly interested, but there's been no motion yet on a concrete offer.
Part of the reason why is that Brentford might actually want to ride out this season with Toney in hopes of convincing him to stay next summer. That's because the club's presumptive replacement, Club Brugge's Igor Thiago, came in this summer and immediately suffered a meniscus injury in his pre-season debut. He'll be out at least through the rest of 2024, which leaves Brentford short of options in case of a Toney sale.
Whatever happens with Toney's saga will dictate how high the Bees can fly, but the club might be alright even without a true standout at the tip of the spear. Brentford has pieces to ensure survival once again, after finishing 16th last season. Yoane Wissa can provide goals from outside, notching 12 last season, and Bryan Mbeumo added another nine while dealing with an ankle injury in the middle of the season. Incoming Liverpool transfer Fábio Carvalho could provide some attacking spark from midfield, and the defense should be improved after allowing 65 goals last year. Goalie Thomas Strakosha was less to blame for those goals, and at times was Brentford's best player last season.
Still, though, this could be yet another rough year for Brentford after the heights of its ninth-place finish in 2022-23. Even if Toney stays, the club didn't improve all that much around him, and Thiago's injury will rob the attack of some expected explosiveness until mid-season at best. For Brentford to stay up, the defense will have to improve, and the attack will have to turn up the heat and, maybe more importantly, stay healthy, because Brentford won't have a lot of depth there. Those are numerous challenges for manager Thomas Frank, but the Dane has pulled off some magic at the helm so far in his tenure. It remains to be seen what tools he'll have once the transfer window closes, but he's been handy with whatever Brentford has given him in the past. - Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 0.9
Relegation Candidate Index: 40.5
Brighton & Hove Albion
It’s a perverse sort of credit to Brighton’s deft management that last season’s 11th-place finish registers as a modest disappointment. The previous year’s sixth-place finish earned the club its first ever berth in a continental tournament, and that, combined with manager Roberto De Zerbi’s thrilling playing style, made … well, not any height, but significant heights seem attainable. For a minute.
What happened? Well, you famously cannot serve two masters, particularly when one of them is the rigors of a Europe-crammed schedule and the other is a business model entirely dependent upon selling the players who led your team to European qualification in the first place. Injuries shredded Brighton’s talented but sales-depleted squad; De Zerbi asked the boss whether he should expect things to always be like this, or whether the club might consider ever retaining and extending some of the young players it grooms to the brink of stardom; upon receiving the answer, De Zerbi left for Marseille. No points for guessing what that answer was!
Fabian Hürzeler is the new coach. It’s possible to look at him and see something like the German version of De Zerbi—a precocious (31 years old!) guy who over the course of a couple of seasons directed St. Pauli’s rise from flirting with relegation to Germany’s third division to its first Bundesliga promotion since 2010. As of this writing, Brighton’s squad is—ironically—largely unchanged from last season, though there’s still plenty of time for Chelsea to splash €100 million on any two of its members. The task, as I see it, is pretty straightforward: fight for the unofficial “best of the rest” title, all season. A return to the Europa League is a smashing success; a return to the relegation fight is a dismal failure. – Albert Burneko
Title Contender Index: 3.3
Relegation Index: 22.3
Chelsea
Does anybody know what's going on with Chelsea? Does anybody at Chelsea know what's going on with Chelsea? The promise of BlueCo's acquisition of the club in 2022 was that the group's well-established deep pockets, willingness to spend, and commitment to building a contender—demonstrated most clearly with the group's MLB team, the Los Angeles Dodgers—would maintain the heavy investment that marked the Roman Abramovich era while hopefully cutting back on some of the more erratic maneuverings that also characterized the Russian's tenure. Turns out, that was only half right.
Like the old one, the new Chelsea loves to spend—my God, does it love to spend. And yet, what the team chooses to spend money on makes very little sense. This was true during the £1 billion spending spree the ownership group went on during the first two years with its new toy, and, despite the implied threat of the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules, it's true again this offseason. Nobody in the world has shelled out more in transfer fees this summer than Chelsea's €189 million. How this is sensible or even possible in light of the increasingly onerous PSR is anyone's guess. Just as confusing are the choices Chelsea made when lavishing that money: £50 million on winger Pedro Neto, £30 million on midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, £20 million on goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, £19 million on midfielder Omari Kellyman. Do any of these players make Chelsea appreciably better? Do any of them project to be starters? Is anyone here going to score goals?
Slightly mitigating the extravagance of the Blues' offseason expenditures is the fact that they've earned a little more than €100 million in player sales (though their €88 million net spend is still eighth highest in the world). The vast majority of that has come from offloading three young players who came through the club's academy: £37 million from Aston Villa for left back Ian Maatsen, £28 million from Newcastle United for left back Lewis Hall, £20 million from Ipswich Town for winger Omari Hutchinson. Chelsea boasts one of the very best and most productive academies in the world, though you wouldn't know it from looking at the team's lineups. As was often the case during the Abramovich days, and as has only become more true under BlueCo's ownership, the club treats the talent that comes out of Cobham as little more than salable assets auctioned off to help foot the bill for the new acquisitions.
Though not always a fan-pleasing one, the strategy of selling rather than integrating youth teamers can be effective, as long as the ones coming in are better than the ones going out. This is not really the case here. Even after dropping zillions of dollars over the past few years, I'm certain ex-academy guys like Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Mason Mount, Dominic Solanke, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Declan Rice, Nathan Aké, Marc Guéhi, and Fikayo Tomori would be a lot more useful than much of what's currently on the roster. And Chelsea is hardly done alienating its own academy's progeny for quick cash. Cobham grads Conor Gallagher, Trevoh Challobah, and Armando Broja (and the first two could easily be starters in this team) have all been banished to train with the reserve team as the club attempts to force them out of the club to help balance the books.
But it's going to take a whole lot of selling for Chelsea to come anything close to balanced. At the moment Chelsea has 43 first-team players on its roster. Forty three! That's almost two entire squads! The Premier League only allows teams to register 25 players, so unless the team starts engaging in some frantic selling and loaning over the next two weeks, Chelsea could easily be left with a dozen or so players doing nothing but eating into the wage bill. And yet the club by all reports is still trying to buy new players! How on earth is any of this possible? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
In two full seasons in charge, BlueCo's Chelsea has finished in 12th and sixth place in the league table. They got rid of Mauricio Pochettino (from the bottom of my heart: thank you!) after he'd finally gotten this misshapen team clicking. The club replaced him with Enzo Maresca, who did a merely acceptable job getting Leicester City promoted back to the Prem (no great feat considering how much money the Foxes had spent) in his first and only season as a manager. This wannabe Pep clone has all the makings of another Graham Potter–style flameout.
Though ownership has technically stayed the same, by all indications the actual decision-making power at the club has transferred from chairman Todd Boehly to co-owner Behdad Eghbali. Boehly chased his whims for a while, failed, and has since handed the reins to Eghbali, who appears to be doing even worse. They have spent a ton, done way too much, and have little more than Cole Palmer's breakout and a narrowly avoided racism schism to show for it. A potential transfer ban looms, as does a PSR points deduction. Almost nothing has gone right at Chelsea for years now, and there's no reason to believe things will be any different. Bonne chance! – Billy Haisley
Title Contender Index: 10.1
Relegation Candidate Index: 10.1
Crystal Palace
There are two things we know about Crystal Palace, and we've known those things for years. One, it has the coolest name in the Prem, and two, it will finish 12th. True, it has actually finished 12th only twice since rejoining the top flight in 2014, and finished a lofty 10th last year, but these are Palace's placements since their last promotion: 11th, 10th, 15th, 14th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 14th, 14th, 12th, 11th and 10th, which averages out to 12th, and it has finished further than six points away from 12th only once. Palace is the 12thiest team in the history of 12, and is feels destined to always be so.
But there is something new about Palace this year: the seemingly perpetual Roy Hodgson era is finally done. At 77, he incurred a health scare that allowed/convinced him to resign before getting the sack as Palace were 15th and in apparent freefall. Replacement Oliver Glasner allowed the power of 12 to retake the team and power it to a lofty 10th, or as it is known at Selhurst Park, one point out of 12th.
Palace had four players named to England's coach-killing Euro squad, though center back Marc Guéhi has been linked to Newcastle and midfielder Eberechi Eze to Liverpool and Manchester City. Palace also sold French Olympic star Michael Olise to Bayern. These are the things that happen to the 12th best team in the Premier League, after all. Palace still has leading scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta from last season to key a team that will absolutely, positively and unquestionably own 12th place until the number 12 is stricken from the number line. – Ray Ratto
Title Contender Index: 0.0, because 12th
Relegation Index: 0.0, because 12th
Everton
A brief rundown of things that happened to Everton over the last 12 months: Coming off two consecutive seasons in which it escaped relegation by the width of one of owner Farhad Moshiri's eyebrow hairs, a much-needed takeover of the financially ruined club was announced. Moshiri revealed his plans to sell the team to a Miami-based investment firm called 777 Partners just before last season began. The Toffees started the season without a win in their first five games, and then in November the Premier League hit the team with an unprecedented 10-point deduction for violating the league's profit and sustainability rules. Everton went on a nice run of games from there, winning five in a row at one point, only to then go 13 games without a win. A successful appeal saw the deduction reduced by four points, but then a second violation of the PSR brought a new, two-point deduction. The sale to 777 Partners, which remained in limbo for the entire season, eventually collapsed due to the firm allegedly committing all sorts of fraud around the world. Despite being docked eight points, Everton escaped relegation by a comfortable margin. A second sale, to the Friedkin Group, was announced this summer, but that takeover also collapsed after the Friedkin Group got spooked by the massive amounts of debt that Everton owes to various parties, including 777 Partners. It's entirely possible that they will get another points deduction this season. The team remains for sale and on the brink of financial collapse.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this season! Overshadowed by the parade of horrifying off-field catastrophes was the fact that Sean Dyche had Everton playing functional, winning soccer for the first time since Carlo Ancelotti abandoned the team. Without any deductions from the Premier League, the Toffees would have finished level on points with Brighton and Bournemouth last season, and everyone loves to talk about how spunky and cool Brighton and Bournemouth are.
Now, you may be tempted to look at some of the underlying numbers—like the "40" in Everton's goals scored column, putting them ahead of only league-worst Sheffield United—and conclude that Everton's 48 points were not captured nearly as impressively as anyone else's 48 points, and that Dyche is a crime against football. But I will refute such a take by looking at numbers that lie even deeper: The Toffees actually created a decent number of chances last season, and the 40 goals they scored fell well short of their expected goals, which was at 54.0. That isn't to say Everton's scoring output was solely victimized by bad luck—finishing is a skill that Everton's players were desperately short on—but it indicates that there is at least a platform here on which Dyche could potentially build a more prolific team.
If there's reason to feel hopeful that such a thing might happen, it can be found in the transfer business Everton got done this summer, which was uncharacteristically completed early in the transfer window. Iliman Ndiaye is perfectly suited to play as a second striker in Dyche's 4-4-1-1 formation, and should bring a lot more creativity to the role than Abdoulaye Doucoure has in the past. Jesper Lindstrom should hopefully bring a little more top-line speed and flair to the wings, which is where such things have gone to die over the last few years.
Oh alright, who am I kidding? Even if everything breaks right in attack, Everton's fate will still be determined by its defenders. As of now, they still have Jarrad Branthwaite, one of the most talented and sought-after young center backs in the league, anchoring the backline. Behind him is keeper Jordan Pickford, who is really good and for whatever reason has no desire to play for a better team. If those two can go on keeping the ball out of the net as well as they did last season, Everton should survive another year in the Premier League. Until those bankruptcy proceedings start, that is. – Tom Ley
Title Contender Index: 0.4
Relegation Candidate Index: 50.0
Fulham
João Palhinha was probably the second-best defensive midfielder in the league last season. The young Tosin Adarabioyo and the old Tim Ream formed a solid partnership in the center of Fulham's defense. All three players are gone, with Palhinha and Adarabioyo moving on up to Bayern Munich and Chelsea, respectively, and Ream aging on down to Charlotte FC. Such is the life of a mid-table Premier League team: your best players get snapped up by huge clubs, and your reliable low-market-value guys eventually get old. The Cottagers finished 13th last season, floating in the no-man's land between the interesting mid-table teams and the true relegation fodder. Their goal once again is survival, an always-urgent, never-easy task for a club of middling resources in such a competitive league.
I really liked watching Fulham play last year, as manager Marco Silva excels at adapting his team's tactics to their opponent. Fulham tweaked their pressing style throughout the season, helping them beat and draw Arsenal, and smoke both Tottenham and Brighton. They don't always press high, and they adjust their focus to take away the opponents' best stuff. Silva likes to play with a four-man backline and send his fullbacks, most notably American international Antonee Robinson, flying forward,. That will be riskier this year with Sasa Lukic and Harrison Reed stepping in for Palhinha, though Robinson is one of the best two or three left backs outside of the Big Six. He is a tremendous athlete, and he creates a ton of chances from the flank. Converting those chances will be the Brazilian duo of Rodrigo Muniz (young, cool) and Andreas Pereira (in his prime, medium-cool).
But most intriguing of all is the big new signing who will be charged with pulling strings in the midfield. Emile Smith Rowe came up at the same time as Bukayo Saka at Arsenal, and was considered for years to be a symbol of the club's renaissance under Mikel Arteta. He inherited the 10 shirt from Mesut Özil, and scored 10 league goals in 2021-22. Then he got hurt right as Arsenal vaulted into title contention status and all of a sudden, there wasn't a place for him in the squad. He'd play and make magic occasionally, though it was obvious that he wasn't anywhere near the player Martin Odegaard was, and that he wasn't physical enough to play anywhere else in the midfield.
Fulham is a perfect landing place for him, as he'll have protection behind him and runners around him. He was at his best at Arsenal in a true 10 role, which is where Silva will use him. Smith Rowe is a fantastic passer, a great runner with the ball, with real vision and creativity, and is a crack shot. He has a Pulisician tendency to try stuff and push forward at all times, which seems well suited to a mid-table side like Fulham that will counterattack more than Arsenal did. Former Arsenal guy Alex Iwobi will help him adjust, and I'm so excited to see him fly this season. – Patrick Redford
Title Contender Index: 0.6
Relegation Candidate Index: 37.7
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town, one of England's oldest and most storied clubs, is back in the top flight for the first time since 2002. After years mired in the third division, the Blues (or the Tractor Boys, if you want a more fun nickname) achieved the rare double promotion, finishing second in League One and then second in the Championship in back-to-back seasons. That's reason enough for optimism at Portman Road, and Ipswich might be best positioned of the three promoted sides to survive in the upper level of the English soccer pyramid.
It starts with the manager. Kieran McKenna may only be 38 years old, but he's a weathered hand at Ipswich, taking over in 2021 and guiding them to the aforementioned promotions in tidy fashion. McKenna is a fan of attacking, exciting soccer, deploying a 4-2-3-1 that looks to get goals above all else; the Blues led the Championship with 92 goals scored last season. That formula will have to take somewhat of a backseat against the much higher opposition of the Premier League, but I don't see McKenna, who just signed a four-year contract extension this summer, fearing for his job enough to restrict his side in attack, especially against fellow relegation candidates.
It helps that he has plenty of firepower at the top of the formation. The star man might end up being Omari Hutchinson, the 20-year-old who served Ipswich on loan last year from Chelsea before a permanent move this summer for €23 million. That might not seem a large sum in the Premier League, but for a club of Ipswich's stature, it's plenty, and it was much needed. Hutchinson took some time to cement his place in the starting lineup, but he ended the Championship campaign with 10 goals and five assists from the wing, and his counter-attacking prowess and general proclivity for letting shots rip from anywhere inside 30 yards will serve Ipswich well.
Hutchinson's partner on the left side of the field will be Leif Davis, who has freedom to attack from his starting spot at left back, and he makes those attacks worth it: the 24-year-old notched a whopping 18 assists last year, going into the open spaces left by Ipswich's left wingers cutting inside. In the goalscoring department, last season's starter Kieffer Moore is gone, so McKenna will test out a variety of options, including Connor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead. Will that be enough to translate the team's frenetic pace into Premier League success? If so, then Ipswich should be able to ride out ahead of its relegation brethren and then hopefully hang on for another year in the top flight. Even if not, though, it would be hard to envision any relegation side providing more entertainment than the Blues should this season. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 0.0
Relegation Candidate Index: 73.3
Leicester City
Leicester City is in a strange spot. Of all three newly promoted sides, the Foxes have the most recent history of success—the 2016 Premier League title, but also the subsequent period of relevance and consistency in the top flight—and they won the Championship last season. Why, then, does it feel so much like Leicester is the most likely of the promoted sides to fall right back down to the second tier?
The answer is twofold, and unfortunately, neither reason is something the club can do much about now. The first is that a lot of its success last season was down to Enzo Maresca, the 44-year-old Italian manager who came in, won the Championship, then was plucked up by Chelsea. Maresca took Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall with him, the 25-year-old midfielder responsible for a shocking 26 goals and assists last season in the second division. The Italian's replacement, Steve Cooper, was fired from Nottingham Forest last season, though he did manage to keep the Trees up in their first season back in the top flight.
Leicester will hope he can replicate that feat, but even if the performances under Cooper are there, it might not be enough. That's because Leicester is the latest team to face a Profit and Sustainability Rules violation, stemming from the three-year reporting period ending in 2022-23. The club attempted to get the charge thrown out, alleging that the violations happened in the Championship, which is not governed by the same PSR, but an independent commission rejected that appeal. That doesn't mean Leicester is certain to be hit with a points deduction like Nottingham or Everton were last year, but the threat is clear.
Leicester is not good enough, at least on paper, to survive much of a deduction, and its summer moves were made with an eye to the future, seemingly more than an eye towards its immediate reality. The best signing was probably Abdul Fatawu, who was on loan at the club last season from Sporting in Portugal; he moved over permanently, and should have the right wing locked down for at least the next few years. He scored six and assisted 13 in the Championship last season, and his responsibilities in attack should go up with Dewsbury-Hall wearing Chelsea blue. However, Fatawu barely counts as a new signing, and without other reinforcements ready to star in the Premier League, with a new manager, and with the sword of PSR hanging over its head, this could be a short stay for Leicester in the Premier League. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 0.0
Relegation Candidate Index: 90.1
Liverpool
It's a new era for Liverpool. Following Jürgen Klopp's departure from the club he brought back to the pinnacle of England and Europe, the Pool Boys have a new manager. Outside of that, though, not much else has changed. To fill Klopp's beloved shoes, the club hired Feyenoord manager Arne Slot away to, hopefully, keep the good times rolling. Slot's task is simple, if not easy: Do not let Liverpool backslide from its position as a perennial title contender.
He should be able to do it. Slot comes to Liverpool with a different tactical style than Klopp, preferring more possession-based soccer, rather than the frenetic pressing that the club has ran with for the last nine years. However, that's a bit of a misreading of Liverpool's recent past, as even Klopp had throttled down on the pressing in favor of dominating games with the ball. This should suit Slot and his new players well, and his preference for letting his midfielders roam more freely should help bolster Liverpool's weakest sector on the field. Alexis Mac Allister especially should feast in Slot's system, as he is a wizard on the ball and in counter-attacks.
Once the ball gets into the front three, things should remain mostly the same: Mohamed Salah will be the star man, while some combination of Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota will flank the Egyptian. Elsewhere, the defense is what it is: Virgil van Dijk is great, Trent Alexander-Arnold will spray crosses in from the right back position, Ibrahima Konaté should lock down the other center back spot, and Andy Robertson is also there. In other words, this is the same Liverpool side that ended Klopp's tenure, ensuring continuity for Slot to tinker with ...
... and also raising question about what the hell Liverpool was doing this summer. A new manager can be just as impactful as a flashy new signing, and the Reds will have to hope that proves the case this time, as the club has brought in no new signings of consequence during the transfer window. It wasn't for lack of trying, though; the club just couldn't cross the finish line on any new signings. The most painful of those, for Liverpool fans, will be the near miss with Real Sociedad's Martín Zubimendi, an exciting name who looked set to bolster the midfield before deciding to stay with his hometown club. The club was also shot down in its pursuits of Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong and Newcastle's Anthony Gordon. It's been a bleak summer of transfer activity in Merseyside, and Slot seems comfortable just bringing back the same roster he inherited.
Will that be enough? Last season, Liverpool had to rely on its youth products to win its sole trophy, the League Cup, and the club visibly faded away from the three-team title race it had set up alongside Manchester City and Arsenal. City also sat somewhat pat this summer, while Arsenal brought in key reinforcements, so the pecking order probably still leaves Liverpool in third place. How distant that third is will be down to the players feeling re-energized with a new manager and playing style, but with how much the squad loved Klopp, that new manager bump might not be as sizable. Still, though, given how much Klopp meant to the side, early returns on Slot's pre-season tactics and training have been positive enough that there might not be as much of a faltering as one would expect following a club legend at manager. Even in a Premier League that saw clubs below the top three strengthen in key areas, Liverpool should still have enough to claim one of the Champions League spots and possibly even make a title run. Whichever one becomes more realistic as the season goes on will give a good indication of Slot's job performance, and falling out of contention for both will see the club rue the ineffective summer it had in trying to strengthen the squad. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 63.4
Relegation Candidate Index: 0.63
Manchester City
Is it finally time for the end of the Manchester City hegemony? Even asking that seems foolish, given that Pep Guardiola's side has won six of the last seven Premier League titles. The cracks are beginning to show, if only at a glacially slow pace for everyone else with title aspirations. Last season culminated in the third last-day title clinch of Guardiola's tenure, and City looked rather beatable until its customary late surge of wins put it over Arsenal and a faded Liverpool. A season after finally winning the Champions League, and in the process completing the second English treble, City's aging squad and tougher competition left it with just one trophy to its name.
Still, though, that trophy was stunning to watch in action. Despite missing Kevin De Bruyne for what has become an almost annual long injury absence, Phil Foden stepped up and became if not the best player in England, then at least in the conversation, even if he's still probably not the best player on this club (that would be Rodri, for my money). Despite a lackluster Euros campaign, Foden now appears to be City's key man in attack, which is quite an accomplishment on a roster loaded with potential key men. Erling Haaland might have fallen back to earth after his monstrous opening campaign in England, but for him that's still 27 goals in 31 matches in league play. (His faults were more evident in continental play, where he seemed to disappear in Champions League matches more often than anyone of his caliber should.)
De Bruyne is still here, also, and if healthy, he's still the best playmaker in England. But the core of City's dominant run is withering season by season, and the replenishment of youth hasn't all been wins. Jérémy Doku has a lot of talent but didn't quite put it all together last season. Josko Gvardiol was a great addition to the defense, but that end of the field could use some more youth, especially with 34-year-old Kyle Walker still having to play a pivotal role. And Julián Álvarez is gone, having moved to Atletico Madrid for €75 million after an 11-goal and nine-assist season in England. City had an even quieter summer than last time out, only bringing in Girona winger Sávio as a potential contributor. Sávio, also known as Savinho, is good, and City might still make moves after the season starts but before the window closes, but for now, Guardiola seems mostly content to run it back. Given how dominant City looked at times last season, that might be enough, but a few key injuries here and some age-related slumps there could leave them vulnerable.
Then there are the charges. City is still facing down over 100 charges of financial impropriety, and though it's almost a joke now that a potential ruling hangs in the balance while clubs like Everton and Nottingham Forest get swiftly hit with point deductions, the breadth of City's accused financial offenses means that, if and when the hammer does come down, it might be brutal. As it stands, a hearing is scheduled for September, so it might not be smooth sailing this season for City, even if the action on the field remains top-notch. There's no telling how many points City might be deducted whenever a ruling does come down, and so that will linger as a black cloud as City goes for an unprecedented five titles in a row this season. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 86.4
Relegation Candidate Index: 3.4, but only because of the potential penalties from the hearing
Manchester United
It's make or break time in the red side of Manchester this season. In fairness, it was that last season, too, but somehow manager Erik ten Hag survived a disappointing campaign that saw Manchester United finish in eighth place. The Dutch boss might have saved his job by winning the FA Cup over City, therefore clinching at least Europa League play for this upcoming season, but he will have to get more out of an incongruent squad.
To help Ten Hag, United has gone out and spent a lot of money this summer to strengthen the side in what feels like a more sensical manner than in recent years. The defense has long been an issue here, but United scooped up three talented players for a combined €122 million this summer. Two of those defenders came from Bayern Munich, in Noussair Mazraoui and former-wonderkid-turned-merely-good-defender Matthijs de Ligt.
United also made a play for the future, beating out a handful of clubs to sign Lille center back Leny Yoro, an 18-year-old prodigy with commanding size and deceptive pace. (Yoro, however, picked up serious a foot injury in preseason, which will keep him out until sometime around the New Year.) United also picked up Bologna's Joshua Zirkzee for €45 million, in order to inject some youth and goalscoring to the attack. Zirkzee was Bologna's leading scorer last season, helping guide the club to a stunning fifth place finish, and he should be able to play alone or next to Rasmus Hojlund in a revamped forward line.
In midfield, United might have its best set of players, led by Bruno Fernandes, whose inconsistency is maddening but whose excellence is unrivaled on this side. It's not quite as simple as saying that as Fernandes goes, so does United, but the side has no one who can create, for himself or others, quite like the Portuguese. The rise of Kobbie Mainoo last season was one of the few bright spots for the side, and he had a hell of a summer, ending as one of England's best players in its second-place finish at the Euros.
No matter who else starts alongside those two, United should have run of the middle of the park against most opponents. One has to hope that Scott McTominay will not see as much playing time as he has in his United career, but there isn't a third standout in the bunch, so watching the competition for that spot will help chart United's progress. Ideally, Mason Mount will end up there, giving United another potential attacking threat from deeper, though that might strain Mainoo too much this early in his progression.
If it sounds like the vibes are good in Manchester, that's because nothing fires up a fanbase more than a busy summer. There was hope entering last season as well, following 2023's third-place finish, but that quickly dissipated after a horrid first half, which saw the club in eighth at the turn of the new year. Ten Hag will hope for a better start this year in order to return to Champions League contention, but another underwhelming stint might see him gone for good. However, given that the club handed him a contract extension through 2026 after last season, even something closer to respectable, while not yet at the pinnacle of the Premier League, might be enough to keep him at the helm of this project that has not looked better under Ten Hag. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 22.2
Relegation Candidate Index: 4.1
Newcastle United
How does one rate Newcastle's 2023-24 season? On the one hand, the club finished in last in its Champions League group, and the strain of that competition hindered its early Premier League campaign; Newcastle had 10 losses by Jan. 13, after only accruing five the year before, when it finished fourth. On the other hand, Newcastle's struggles were to be expected. Despite having a lot (a lot) of money thanks to its Saudi owners that took over in 2021, Newcastle didn't spend its way into a more complete, deeper squad. Instead, it merely upgraded some key positions and hoped for the best. (It didn't help that its most expensive signing, Sandro Tonali, was banned for gambling.)
But Newcastle did manage to finish a respectable seventh last season, and only missed out on European play because eighth-placed Manchester United won the FA Cup. That missing out might be a boon for the Magpies, as their schedule this season will be much easier to manage. That'll be important, because the club once again did not break the bank in the summer, preferring the slow-and-steady approach, no doubt with an eye toward avoiding any PSR charges. Its marquee signing was Lewis Hall, a versatile youngster from Chelsea who can play at left back or in midfield, and the rest of its summer business was for depth, not headliners. Similarly, the players who left the club—most notably Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton—weren't among the star men; Anderson barely played, and Minteh was on loan at Feyenoord.
With all that in mind, Newcastle and manager Eddie Howe will continue to rely on a trio of hyper talented 20-somethings. Anthony Gordon was briefly rumored for Liverpool, but he remains at Newcastle and will look to build on a 21 g/a season playing everywhere across the attack. Alexander Isak had a quiet first season after moving to Newcastle in 2022, but he picked up 21 goals in league play last year. And the best player on the team, Bruno Guimarães, will continue prowling the midfield and doing a bit of everything all at once. The Brazilian will also have Tonali back next to him, after he served his 10-month ban, and the Italian is a calm and reassuring presence in midfield.
So, while there might not have been a spending spree commensurate with the club's coffers, the removal of European play and another year of these players together could see Newcastle yo-yo back up into top four contention. That's about as well as one can hope for in this next season. There's significantly less pressure on the side this time around, and given the squad construction and the early stages of the Saudi project, that's just where Newcastle wants to be. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 9.7
Relegation Candidate Index: 6.3
Nottingham Forest
Everyone warned me against Forest fandom last year, when I began searching for a Premier League squad to call my own. Luis said wanting to back an underdog was nice but to just pick one of the top six teams. Tom accused me of trolling. “I said Tottenham, not Nottin’ham,” my Spurs-supporting brother joked. And you know what? Luis and Tom and my brother were right. I’d made a huge mistake. Gio Reyna and Matt Turner, the two names who drew me to Forest in the first place (I know, I know), never played. Points were deducted. We wrote an insane statement about some VAR guy and threatened to sue Sky Sports for laughing at our statement. I have an aggrieved and litigious team in my life already—at least that one is good. Since I only became a real fan after the new year, I can count the Forest wins I’ve seen on one hand.
That said, the Tricky Trees are winning one for the thumb this season! Center back Murillo is smart and young and perfect and shaped like a fridge. Many are even saying that, on account of my beautiful sons Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White, “our counter attack xG (7.59) was the sixth highest across Europe's top five leagues in 2023/24.” Except for all the times they make me regret ever learning anything about them, Forest is actually pretty fun to watch. One thing they should try this year is not conceding 10 thousand billion set piece goals. I would die for Ryan Yates. – Maitreyi Anantharaman
Title Contender Index: 0.0000001
Relegation Candidate Index: 83.1
Southampton
Oh, Southampton. For years, the Saints were a consensus choice to drop out of the Premier League, but they kept surviving, until finally dropping down into the Championship in 2023. It took only one season to climb back, though, as Southampton won the promotion playoffs by beating Leeds 1-0 in the final, securing a return. This is not that same Southampton team that survived by the skin of its teeth for so long, though, and it will find that task much harder this time around.
One thing that has remained the same is that Southampton will always rely on its commitment to youth. Using that fresh new Premier League money, the Saints spent about €65 million in incoming transfers, none above the age of 25. The big signing was Taylor Harwood-Bellis, coming over from Manchester City for €23 million after spending last season on loan at St. Mary's Stadium. The 22-year-old wasn't a particular standout in the center of defense last season, but he did play in 43 Championship matches and did well enough to earn the vote of confidence this summer.
Elsewhere, Ben Brereton Díaz is coming in to bolster the attack. The former Villarreal man spent time in the Premier League at Sheffield United last season, and scored six goals in 14 appearances during the Blades' relegation campaign. His goals will be needed, as Southampton lost 21 total league goals in the departures of Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong. Luckily, manager Russell Martin will still be able to call upon Adam Armstrong (no relation to Stuart), and last season's leading goalscorer (24) and leading assist man (13) will be more important than ever.
And hey! Adam Lallana is back! The former and current Saint left for Liverpool in 2014, but after a stint there and at Brighton, he's back home at Southampton at the age of 36. No one expects much from him on the field, but he'll be a welcome presence in the locker room and perhaps even with tactics; he helped coach at Brighton, and will be able to provide Martin with another voice while gameplanning.
Even with all of that, Southampton still faces a tough road ahead. There just isn't that much proven talent on this roster. The way Southampton's roster is set up is smart for a club of its standing, and even a relegation back to the Championship wouldn't be the end of the world. However, multiple players will have to step up across the field in order to keep the Saints up, and that might be too much to ask for from a side that only just made it here in the first place. I'm not saying Southampton is a lock to be relegated, but it would be a happy surprise if it were to stay up. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 0.0
Relegation Candidate Index: 87.6
Tottenham Hotspur
Nobody heats up like Spurs, and nobody cools off faster than Spurs. Under manager Ange Postecoglou and his crazed attack-until-they-drop-and-then-attack-until-you-drop system, the club won eight of its first 10 matches but lost five of its last seven to remind everyone that whether the Prem is a league with four, five, or six elite European sides, Tottenham is always a safe bet to be the fourth, fifth, or sixth in that group. The face of the side used to be Harry Kane, it is now kind of Ange and his profoundly square head, but it is always eternally glowering owner Daniel Levy, who is the English version of Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross: always hanging around but never holding any silverware.
Levy is stereotypically accused of being tight with a quid, but he found €65 million to sign striker Dominic Solanke, Spurs' highest-ever expenditure. Solanke is supposed to replace the ghost of Harry Kane, the still-competent-but-aging Son Heung-min, and the now out of favor Richarlison. Postecoglou is also expected to trigger the buy-back for fullback Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton. Hooray.
What we can safely assume is that Tottenham is still not Man City or Arsenal, and that the supporters will continue to whinge about Postecoglou's obstinate disavowal of a tactical Plan B to address the high number of goals for an allegedly elite team. Tottenham is always on the verge of something, and based on the recent history what it's probably on the verge of is a new manager, since the club has had seven in the last five years (five plus two interims) from a field that includes reputational bigshots José Mourinho and Antonio Conte. In sum, Tottenham is another way to say "dissatisfied." – Ray Ratto
Title Contender Index: 31.7
Relegation Index: 2.9
West Ham United
He's baaaaack. After leaving Wolverhampton a week before last season began, Julen Lopetegui returns to the Premier League, this time one spot up on the alphabetical list at West Ham. Lopetegui's shock departure from Wolves still makes no sense to me, especially because that club fared well, if kind of drably, during his brief stint in the 2022-23 season. Lopetegui is a good manager, and West Ham is in better shape than Wolverhampton was last season, so this fit makes sense, especially replacing David Moyes, who was David Moyes until the end of his stint (that's both complimentary and derogatory).
Lopetegui inherits a strong side that over-performed last season, climbing five spots from the previous year to finish in ninth. There's no shame in ninth, but the change from Moyes to the Spaniard hints at higher aspirations; perhaps another surge into the European spots is in the cards. The biggest wins of this summer for the Hammers came in the form of holding on to both Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, who combined for 24 goals and 14 assists on the wings. The club also brought in depth this summer, spending a total of €52 million on Crysencio Summerville from Leeds and 18-year-old Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras in Brazil.
Last summer's addition of James Ward-Prowse from then-relegated Southampton injected creativity into the midfield and on set pieces, while the defense added Max Kilman from Wolves and Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United this summer. The former is an experienced hand at center back, while the latter is, if nothing else, a great defensive right back. Striker is a bit of a weakness still for the Hammers, as Michail Antonio somehow remains the best option on the roster. West Ham did add Niclas Füllkrug in the summer, grabbing the Borussia Dortmund man for a frankly ludicrous €27 million; the German isn't all that great at most things a modern striker needs to do, but at least he's a big body for Bowen and Kudus to find in the center of the box.
With all of that said, the main question mark that will need to be answered for West Ham is what happens to Lucas Paquetá. The 26-year-old Brazilian has been a stalwart in the midfield since moving over to England in 2022, but the possibility of a large ban for betting offenses could see his tenure at West Ham cut short. With Paquetá, West Ham has strength in all levels of the field, but without him, the midfield could be missing the extra oomph that the club would need to make it further up the table. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 6.2
Relegation Candidate Index: 8.9
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton might just be the most boring team in the Premier League. I don't mean that specifically because of how the side plays, though it's not particularly exciting there either. I just mean that Wolves are constantly an afterthought when I think about the Premier League. That's not the worst place to be, though; Wolves are solidly mid-table, and constantly refresh their talent pool with Portuguese prospects and steady Englishmen. It does, however, make writing anything of note about the side a challenge.
At least this summer, Wolves have made bank. The club sold Max Kilman to West Ham for €47 million, but that was merely an appetizer, as it somehow got Chelsea to pay €60 million for Pedro Neto. Neto is a fine player, but Chelsea severely overpaid for someone who only played 20 league matches and scored only two goals from the wing last year. Neto did add nine assists, so he's not useless. He's fine, like I said. Getting that much money for a player who was a featured player but no one's idea of a star is a coup for Wolves.
Or, it would be if the team had spent any of that money on incoming signings. There's still time, of course, but for now, Wolves' incoming transfer activity has been sleepy. The big signing was Rodrigo Gomes from Braga, another diminutive Portuguese player, albeit one who can play winger or wing back. The club also loaned in Jorgen Strand Larsen from Celta Vigo, with an obligation to buy, and manager Gary O'Neil will have to hope the big Norwegian can lock down the no. 9 position and link up well with Matheus Cunha, the side's best player last season. Other than that, the club signed some depth here and there, and it has the return of a bunch of loans, but there's no star power on this side.
It may not need it to do what Wolverhampton always does: give up a ton of goals, especially with Kilman gone, but score just enough to finish somewhere in the 10-to-14 range of the table. There's not really potential as it stands now for the club to climb higher than that, but there are too many efficient players on the roster to put Wolves in serious relegation danger. There's still time for the club to bring in more players, though the attack seems set as of now; any purchases would likely help fill the gap at center back that Kilman left behind. It's a sensible side, managed by a sensible manager, and if that's boring, well, that seems to be the way Wolverhampton wants it to be. – Luis Paez-Pumar
Title Contender Index: 2.1
Relegation Candidate Index: 26.6
