Previewing each team before the start of the Premier League season
Arsenal
The runners-up from last season have strengthened in the transfer window by buying Declan Rice for a club record £116.60 million, and also by buying Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and David Raya to their ranks. While Kai Havertz hasn't exactly lit up the league while at Chelsea, David Raya is a proven goalkeeper in the league with Brentford for the past 2 seasons, and Timber is one of the most highly rated center backs in the world. There do not seen to be any weaknesses in the squad, and do expect Arsenal to mount a challenge to the premier league title again this season.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have arguably had the best transfer window of all premier league teams. They have added one of the best defenders in the La Liga for the past 3 seasons, Pau Torres, along with the best right winger in the Bundesliga, Moussa Diaby. Youri Tielemans adds a lot of strength and steel to the midfield, and with Unai Emery at the helm, don't be surprised to see Aston Villa mount a challenge to the top four.
Brentford
David Raya, the goalkeeper, is the biggest outgoing member of the team, and although Brentford have signed Mark Flekken, who seems to be a good backup, the 6 month ban on Ivan Toney is the biggest talking point. The goals from the striker will be missed, but Brentford look good to finish in the top of the bottom half of the table.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth have had a decent transfer window, with the highlights being the highly rated, Alex Scott, Max Aarons, and Justin Kluivert from Bristol City, Norwich, and AS Roma respectively. With Andoni Iraola at the helm, expect them to stay clear of the relegation zone and finish comfortably outside it.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Although there is a raging transfer saga with Moises Caicedo, who wants to move to Chelsea, expect Roberto de Zerbi to continue to make waves with him Brighton squad. While most of the transfers that the team have made are not well known, Mahmoud Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund and James Milner from Liverpool add experience and strength to the midfield. The best transfer though is Joao Pedro, who joins from Watford. He is highly rated and is expected to have a massive season. Brighton might again finish in the top half of the table, and might challenge for top 6.
Burnley
Chelsea
Chelsea continue their mad spending by buying more players in the transfer window. While their quest to sign Caicedo from Brighton continues, they have also bought Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, Axel Disasi from Monaco, Robert Sanchez from Broghton, and Nicolas Jackson from Villareal. They also sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal, Mason Mount to Manchester United, Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan, César Azpilicueta to Atletico Madrid, Aubameyang to Marseille, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, and N'Golo Kante to clubs in Saudi Arabia. There is some optimism with the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as manager, but it remains to be seen if he would be able to get the team together and produce good results. They will finish in the top 6, and don't be surprised if they get into the top four also.
Crystal Palace
The outgoing players have made a bigger splash than the incoming players at Crystal Palace. They lost their best player for the past 8 years, Wilfried Zaha, left on a free, while the experienced Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur have also left. The only incoming player of note is Jefferson Lerma from Bournemouth, but the rest are not worth writing home about. Don't see Crystal Palace finish in the top half of the table.
Everton
Everton's transfer business has been a mystery for a while now. They haven't strengthened their squad, and look destined to be in another relegation scrap. They might avoid it as there are some teams that are weaker them.
Fulham
Fulham have a giant Aleksander Mitrovic sized hole in their squad. He has been their top scorer for the past 5 years, and they haven't replaced him. The signing of Raúl Jiménez hasn't convinced everyone as he seems to have lost his bite since the head injury he sustained against Chelsea. The stewardship of Marco Silva will save them though, and they might not finish in the top half of the table as they did last season.
Liverpool
Liverpool are missing strength and depth in the midfield. The loss of Henderson and Fabinho has made them lose some of the best midfielders in the league for the past 4 years, and while the addition of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis MacAllister has gone a long way in adding some creativity and steel, the absence of a strong defensive midfielder will hurt them. They have added Wataru Endo lately, but he seems like a stopgap solution as they might go for someone more established before the end of the transfer window. They might not finish in the top four, but look like a shoo in to finish in the top six.
Luton Town
While the rise of Luton Town over the past decade is an inspirational story, their stay in the top flight looks like it will not last long. They have signed some good players from the Championship, but that is where the problem lies. They do not seem to have a squad that looks good for the Premier League, and will almost certainly get relegated.
Manchester City
The winners of the treble in the 2022-23 season look like they are the favourites to retain their title. Although they have lost Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, and Riyadh Mahrez, they have signed credible replacements in Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, and Jeremy Doku. It is hard to spot any weaknesses in the squad, and it will be a brave person who would be betting their life earnings against the team winning the league again.
Manchester United
The transfer business conducted by the club has been decent. The addition of Mason Mount adds more creativity to the midfield, and he seems destined to replace Christian Eriksen in the long run. The separation with club legend David de Gea, while seems like a big loss, the replacement with Andre Onana might smooth the transition. The sale of Fred makes the team looks like they have shed some weight, but the big signing of Rasmus Hojlund is the one that has grabbed the headlines. The 20 year old has a lot to prove, and the price tag does not make it easy. Expect Manchester United to finish in the top four eventually though.
Newcastle United
The magpies have bade their goodbye to Allan Saint-Maximin, who has been with the club for the past 4 years, and has been a fan favourite, often delighting the fans with his dribbling speed. They have replaced him with Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, who might not have the same dribbling skills as ASM, but has the qualities to be a good left winger. The best signing of the club has been Sandro Tonali, who is expected to be the mainstay of the club for the next decade, and is expected to become one of the best players in his position before he ends his career. Tino Livramento from Southampton adds more steel and cover to the right back position. Expect Newcastle to finish in the top four once again this season.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest look like they are destined to be in a relegation battle again this season. They have strengthened their attack by adding Anthony Elanga from Manchester United, and Chris Wood from Newcastle United, but the rest of the transfers are nothing to write home about. Expect them to finish in the bottom 5 of the league table this season.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have strengthened their midfield and defence by signing James Maddison from Leicester City and Micky Van de Ven from Wolfsburg respectively. The talk of the transfer window, not just for the club, but also for the entire league, has been the move by Harry Kane away from the club to Bayern Munich. While the club got a good amount of money from the transfer, replacing a world class forward who has been not just the top scorer for Spurs for the best part of the previous decade, but also for the England national team will be nigh on impossible. They need a world class striker, and we need to see who they bring in.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United is a club in major crisis. They are struggling financially, and have sold their best players, Sander Berge to Burnley, and Iliman Ndiaye to Marseille respectively. They have bought some young players, but it looks like a tactic where they intend to develop them before they sell them later to raise funds. They look destined to go back down to the Championship, and look like they are going to have a few difficult years in front of them.
West Ham United
The highlight of the transfer window has been the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal for a huge amount of money. While they have brought in Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, there is a difference in quality between them and the player they are replacing. Nonetheless, West Ham look good, and expect them to finish between 8th and 14th this season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves, like Sheffield, are another club in crisis. The difference is that this team has a first team that has some top quality players who might be able to keep them outside of relegation. The big loss for the team early in the transfer window was Ruben Neves to Al Hilal. The loss of Nathan Collins to Brentford and Conor Coady to Leicester City makes their defense wafer thin, and that is a place where they might struggle a lot this season. While the midfield and attacking players look good, the absence of a top class striker might end up biting them in the behind. Expect them to spend most of the season in the relegation zone, but expect them to avoid getting relegated.
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