By Ian Laird
Last year was a runaway for Manchester City who spent €248.5 million to add young talent to their squad including starlets like Ederson and Bernardo Silva. Then this Summer they broke their transfer record to add Riyad Mahrez for €67.8 million adding to an embarrassment of riches in the attacking third. Fourth place finishers Liverpool have been the most active team in the transfer market and look likely to mount a challenge for the title, the other two UEFA Champions League spots are up for grabs though and as always the relegation fight will be intense. Lets run through some predictions for each team in the 2018-19 Premier League season.
Team | Predicted finishing position for 2018-19 | Biggest Signing: name (former team), position, price | Biggest Departure: name (new team), position, price
AFC Bournemouth | 13th | Biggest Signing: Diego Rico (CD Leganes), Left Back, €12 million | Biggest Departure: Benik Afobe (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Striker, €11.4 million
Bournemouth had a glut of strikers last year and this Summer they were able to sell off two of those players in Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban leaving them with Joshua King, Callum Wilson, Jermain Defoe, and Lys Mousset which is a very strong group, and the competition between the four will force them to constantly work hard and improve. Their midfield still seems to be a weakness even after the addition of David Brooks, with Lewis Cook, Marc Pugh, Andrew Surman, and Dan Gosling all rotating through and neither of the four establishing themselves as an every day starter last year. Defensively Bournemouth are anchored by Nathan Ake who was solid coming over from Chelsea, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels and Simon Francis, while incoming left back Diego Rico will likely see a prominent role too. The goal will be manned by Bosnian stopper Asmir Begovic a proven Premier League vet.
The Cherries have been the definition of average in their three years in the Premier League, never challenging for a spot in European Football, while remaining at least five points clear of the relegation zone. In that time they haven’t been very active in the transfer market which makes it seem like they are just fine with finishing mid table. While the current squad is equipped to maintain its position in the Premier League, the lack of spending by the ownership group will hurt the team in the long run. A failure to fully address an aging and weak midfield could prove to be the fault that prevents Bournemouth from jumping into the top half of the table as they did in the 2016-17 season, and if the ownership group remains frugal Bournemouth could be on its way out of the Premier League in the next few years. For now though another mid table finish seems in order.
Arsenal | 7th | Biggest Signing: Lucas Torreira (Sampdoria), Center Mid, €30 million | Biggest Departure: Jack Wilshere (West Ham), Center Mid, Free Transfer
Arsenal shed excess midfielders Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla and replaced them with Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. Torreira will fill a definite need in the defensive midfield where Arsenal has cycled through several players looking for someone to anchor the team, while Guendouzi is young and won’t necessarily add to the first team this year, but could be a solid starter in the future. They also brought in Sokratis to shore up a defense that was already shaky last year, and was dealt a big blow with the injury to Laurent Koscielny late in the season, while Bernd Leno will take the number one spot from the aging legend Petr Cech. Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan undoubtedly each have talent in the attacking midfield, but don’t seem to put out maximum effort on a consistent basis earning them the label of lazy over the past few years and harming the team’s performance. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be dangerous if they learn how to work off of each other, if not each is more than capable of playing as the lone striker.
The biggest move for Arsenal this offseason wasn’t a transfer, it was the decision to force Arsene Wenger out and replace him with Unai Emery who was fired by Paris Saint-Germain. Wenger’s departure signals the end of an era for Arsenal who will hope to have a smoother transition than Manchester United did after Alex Ferguson retired. Emery has said that he wants to play a style similar to champions Manchester City, being aggressive in possession and pressing whenever they lose the ball. While I believe Emery is the right man for Arsenal and will be successful if he is allowed to build the squad he wants, this squad still has too many issues remaining from Wenger’s tenure. Shkodran Mustafi was unconvincing in the heart of defense while Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal need to be better. Besides Aaron Ramsey, most of Arsenal’s midfield was disappointing with Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny looking out of their depth and Ozil’s weekly effort being questionable. Once Emery fully gets his hands into the squad next year Arsenal could return to their former state, until then though I expect Arsenal to struggle and possibly miss out on European competition.
Brighton & Hove Albion | 11th | Biggest Signing: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar), Right Winger, €19 million | Biggest Departure: Tim Krul (Norwich City), Goalkeeper, Free Transfer
Coming off of their first Premier League season where they finished seven points clear of the relegation zone Brighton showed they intend to stay in the League adding plenty of help in the defensive and attacking thirds. On the back line they brought in Leon Balogun on a free transfer, and left back Bernardo for €10 million. In midfield Davy Propper, Pascal Groß, and Dale Stephens will be supplemented with the former Lille player Yves Bissouma. Jose Izquierdo and Anthony Knockaert will be joined by Iranian star Alireza Jahanbakhsh on the wings, while Percy Tau and Florin Andone will compete with Jurgen Locadia and Glenn Murray for playing time.
With so many teams around Brighton losing star players and not bringing in many noteworthy signings I think Brighton’s activity in the Summer window can boost them up a few positions. A lot of their moves also bring in some much needed youth to a squad whose starting eleven had an average age just under 28 years old, seventh oldest in the League. The added youth will allow Brighton to inject some pace and energy into a squad and add a new dynamic to their attack which last year mostly consisted of deliveries into the box from the wings. Now though they have the ability to stretch defenses by being able to run onto balls in behind the back line. This added dimension and style of play, and a bolstered squad will keep Brighton clear of a relegation fight, but not quite push them into the top ten.
Burnley FC | 10th | Biggest Signing: N/A | Biggest Departure: N/A
Burnley opted to stand pat and haven’t made any major moves in the transfer market to add or sell players. That means they will return the same lineup that shocked many by finishing seventh in the Premier League last season. Center backs James Tarkowski and Ben Mee form a solid defensive backbone that only allowed 39 goals last year in the 38 game season. Midfielders Jack Cork, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, and Jeff Hendrick are now seasoned Premier League veterans who might not match the talent level of other midfield groupings, but are smart and tactically disciplined in how they play. Leading the line are Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood who are also backed up by Sam Vokes.
While last year was definitely exciting for Burnley, as they qualified for the Europa League along with their 7th place finish, it’s hard to not see their season as an anomaly. Despite only allowing 39 goals Burnley only managed to score a meager 36 goals the lowest total of the top 14 teams. This is partly due to a lack of talent up top. Barnes, Wood, and Vokes struggle against most defenders because they aren’t necessarily great finishers, and don’t have the pace to stretch defenses on the counter. So it was surprising to not see Burnley look to add more attacking options that offer a change of pace to the squad in the transfer market, especially since they will need to go deeper into their squad to compete both domestically and in the Europa League. Further hurting their offense is Sean Dyche’s system of sitting in and defending. Dyche has the center midfielders play in a holding role to restrict passes into the opponents forwards and attacking midfielders while the wingers work back to double the opposing wide players. With all four of the midfielders sitting behind the ball Burnley struggles to give the strikers the support they need. Dyche is a master tactician and is by no means culpable for Burnley’s lack of goal-scoring, rather that falls on the ownership group who is either unwilling or unable to give Dyche the funds he needs to bolster the squad. The ownership’s frugality and the additional workload of the Europa League will likely doom Burnley to a drop in the table.
Cardiff City | 20th | Biggest Signing: Josh Murphy (Norwich City), Left Winger, €11.4 million | Biggest Departure: N/A
Cardiff was tied for the best defensive record in the Championship with a defense led by Sol Bamba, Sean Morrison, Joe Bennett, and Bruno Ecuele Manga. In midfield Bobby Reid was brought in to help Joe Ralls, Loic Damour, and Aron Gunnarsson who missed much of the season due to injuries. On the wings star man Junior Hoilett and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing will be supported by new signing Josh Murphy. At striker Kenneth Zohore and Gary Madine will lead the team, though neither was a prolific goal scorer in the Championship.
It’s hard to be optimistic about Cardiff who have the least talented roster of the three promoted teams, and are by far the oldest team of the three to be promoted. While their defense might keep them close against some of the lesser teams in the Premier League their inability to score goals will limit their ability to chase games or nick a goal in a tight game. With no big changes to the roster, and clear flaws in the attacking half it’s hard to see this squad performing well enough to avoid relegation.
Chelsea FC | 5th | Biggest Signing: Jorginho (Napoli), Center Mid, €57 million | Biggest Departure: N/A
It has been an up and down four years for Chelsea alternating between title wins and missing out on Champions League football. They have gone through two managers now and are on to their third in Maurizio Sarri the former Napoli boss. In that time the squad has seen a lot of turnover, though this year Chelsea was notable quiet in the transfer window. Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso, and Antonio Rudiger lead a good, but not great, defense. Timoue Bakayoko struggled to replace Nemanja Matic alongside N’Golo Kante in the heart of midfield and will likely take a seat behind the incoming Jorginho while Spanish playmaker Cesc Fabregas continues to decline. Alvaro Morata was a disappointment losing his spot to Olivier Giroud down the stretch while Eden Hazard and Willian were two of the few bright spots in the season.
With how inconsistent Chelsea has seemed to be recently it is hard to not be pessimistic about their season. The roster is littered with aging players like David Luiz, Gary Cahill, and Fabregas, and under performing players such as, Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley, and Davide Zappacosta who Chelsea might be forced to give big time minutes. There are also rumors that Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard could be on the move, which would leave Chelsea with the hapless Willy Caballero in goal, and without their best creator and scorer. There are a lot of holes on this roster and the Blues chose to not address them instead cutting back on spending this year. Tough times could be ahead for the West Londoners who will once again miss out on the Champions League.
Crystal Palace | 15th | Biggest Signing: Vicente Guaita (Getafe CF), Goalkeeper, Free Transfer | Biggest Departure: Yohan Cabaye (Al-Nasr), Center Mid, Free Transfer
Crystal Palace spent nothing in the Summer window with their only signing being Vicente Guaita who will likely take over the starting spot in goal. They also gained nothing from outgoing transfers, but still lost key players with Yohan Cabaye leaving for free, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning to their clubs after their loans expired. In defense Joel Ward and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will likely take over for Fosu-Mensah at right back while the center back pairing of Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins will likely remain the same along with left back Patrick van Aanholt. In midfield Luka Milivojevic will start with James McArthur in a deeper role, while Jeffrey Schlupp, Wilfried Zaha, and Andros Townsend will play in a more advanced role just behind Christian Benteke.
The inability to bring in replacements for players who started a decent portion of games does not bode well for Crystal Palace. While the players within the squad might be able to take up a larger role within the team, the bench just got drastically shortened because there are very few players outside of that starting eleven who would be competitive on a Premier League field. In midfield there is no depth with only Jairo Riedewald and Jonny Williams seeming to be playable while the defense faces similar problems with Scott Dann being the only center back with any meaningful playing time under his belt. I don’t see Crystal Palace getting relegated because of the talent in their starting lineup, but a decent drop in the standings seems to be coming.
Everton FC | 6th | Biggest Signing: Richarlison (Watford FC), Left Winger, €45 million | Biggest Departure: Davy Klaassen (Werder Bremen), Center Mid, €13.5 million
In Jordan Pickford Everton have one of the best goalkeepers in the league, providing them a solid base defensively. The once great duo of fullbacks, Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines, are older and have definitely lost a step, but they are still serviceable working alongside Phil Jagielka and Michael Keane. In midfield Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin, and Gylfi Sigurdsson are a versatile trio with the first two acting as a defensive shield and Sigurdsson offering some creativity in the attacking third while being a threat to score directly from free kicks. Everton definitely overpaid for Richarlison, but he will work well alongside Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as will fellow winger Theo Walcott.
Everton spent big last Summer and had a disappointing start to the season before recovering throughout the second half to finish in eighth. Everton eased up on their spending this year, but still made a splashy signing in Richarlison who is a young spark in the attacking third. Defensively though the team will struggle with four of their top five defenders in terms of minutes played at 29 years old or above. Outside of the defense though the team has plenty of youth with Pickford in goal, Tom Davies and Mason Holgate in midfield, and Calvert-Lewin at striker, and I expect at least one or two of them to have a breakout season, and, along with the offensive firepower of Richarlison and Tosun, help push Everton into sixth.
Fulham FC | 17th | Biggest Signing: Jean Michael Seri (OGC Nice), Center Mid, €30 million | Biggest Departure: Ryan Fredericks (West Ham United), Right Back, Free Transfer
In goal last year David Button and Marcus Bettinelli rotated with each getting at least 20 starts, now though Button has been sold and Fabri has been brought in from Besiktas after being voted best goalkeeper in the Turkish League for each of the past two years, and will likely take the starting role. Defensively losing Ryan Fredericks is a big deal because he started 47 games at right back, though Cyrus Christie, who played mostly as a center back last year, should be able to fill in. At left back Ryan Sessegnon is Fulham’s star player who can also play in a more advanced role as a left wing which is what allowed him to be the team’s leading goal scorer with sixteen goals. At center back Tim Ream, who can also play left back when Sessegnon is a left mid, and Denis Odoi are joined by Maxime Le Marchand who was signed from OGC Nice. Fulham’s big signing Jean Michael Seri will add to a midfield that consisted last year of Kevin McDonald, Stefan Johansen, and Tom Cairney. They also brought in winger Andre Schurrle on loan from Borussia Dortmund which is a good move to shore up a position that needs some depth. At striker Fullham signed Aleksandar Mitrovic following his loan last year who will rejoin, Aboubakar Kamara, Floyd Ayite, and Rui Fonte.
Fulham conceded the most goals out of the three teams to be promoted, lost one of their key defensive pieces, and haven’t done anything to shore up their defense other than adding Le Marchand so I don’t think it’s a stretch to expect them to struggle defensively. They have plenty of offensive firepower though so they won’t have the same offensive struggles many promoted teams have. Fulham’s squad doesn’t compare to Wolverhampton’s talent wise so I don’t expect them to do as well as Wolves. However world-class players like Mitrovic, Seri, Fabri, and Sessegnon will be able to keep Fulham from dropping back down to the Championship.
Huddersfield Town | 18th | Biggest Signing: Terence Kongolo (AS Monaco), Left Back, €20 million | Biggest Departure: Tom Ince (Stoke City), Right Winger, €11.2 million
Many of Huddersfield’s transfers were to bring back players who they had on loan last year. They brought back defenders Terrence Kongolo, Florent Hadergjonaj, and goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The defense is completed by Mathias Jorgensen, Christopher Schindler, and Tommy Smith who will compete with Hadergjonaj for minutes at right back. The midfield was an area of strength for Huddersfield with Aaron Mooy, Jonathan Hogg playing centrally, and Tom Ince and Rajiv Van la Parra playing on the wings. Ince was a large part of the team so his departure will hurt, and I’m not sure if the incoming Ramadan Sobhi will be able to replace him. Huddersfield typically played with one striker and another forward playing just underneath him, and incoming striker Adama Diakhaby will likely take on one of those two roles with Steve Mounie taking the other and Laurent Depoitre providing a third option.
Huddersfield barely managed to avoid relegation finishing only four points ahead of Swansea City after they only managed to get six points over their last eight games. With virtually the same roster returning for the 2018-19 season and newly promoted sides Fulham and Wolverhampton adding so much to their roster Huddersfield are at risk of being surpassed and dropping into a relegation position. Losing Ince is a big deal especially if Sobhi can’t replace him and Elias Kachunga isn’t able to step up. The defense still remains a bit shaky with no reinforcements, while the forward group lacks a clear goal scoring threat, Diakhaby only scored twice in 22 Ligue 1 appearances last year while Mounie and Depoitre combined for thirteen goals across 61 appearances. Deficiencies in the lineup plus an idle transfer window usually equals a drop in performance, and for Huddersfield that means relegation.
Leicester City | 9th | Biggest Signing: Ricardo Pereira (FC Porto), Right Back, €22 million | Biggest Departure: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City), Right Winger, €67.8 million
Leicester will obviously struggle to score goals without their dynamic playmaker Riyad Mahrez who finally forced a move to Manchester City. They brought in the young James Maddison who was prolific at scoring and creating chances for Norwich in the second division last year, but the Premier League is obviously a different beast in comparison to the Championship so Maddison could have a rough time adjusting to the league initially. Ricardo Pereira will replace Danny Simpson at right back adding some stability to a defense that looked improved with Harry Maguire replacing Robert Huth as a starter. Jonny Evans will also add some depth at the position with Huth leaving and Aleksandar Dragovic’s loan ending. Leicester has a wealth of options in midfield with Wilfred Ndidi, Vicente Iborra, Adrien Silva, and Daniel Amartey, though most of those players are defensive options and Leicester will need to add offensive firepower to compensate for Mahrez’ departure in the January window. At striker they have a similar level of options with Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ahmed Musa, and Islam Slimani.
It has been a rough few years since Leicester’s magical title run. They finished twelfth in 2016-17 and ninth last year all while they were embroiled in rumors of Vardy and Mahrez wanting a move to bigger club. Now that Mahrez finally got his move to champions Manchester City there will be limited distractions for the club and they will be able to return to the team oriented style of play that won them the title of defending and counter attacking as a unit. I don’t expect Leicester to suffer too much from the loss of their best player because of their depth and unity in defense and attack, though a solid ninth place finish might not be enough to save Claude Puel’s job.
Liverpool FC | 2nd | Biggest Signing: Alisson (AS Roma), Goalkeeper, €62.5 million | Biggest Departure: Emre Can (Juventus), Center Mid, Free Transfer
While they are still yet to address their defensive issues it’s hard to not get excited about the moves. Brazilian keeper Alisson headlines their transfer arrivals but, Naby Keita, Fabinho, and Xherdan Shaqiri are all fantastic signings. The front trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah will carry momentum from last year into this season an continue to terrorize defenses throughout the league. Whenever Jordan Henderson didn’t start Liverpool struggled to control the pace of the game so the additions of Keita and Fabinho will add stability and more options to Klopp’s squad. Virgil van Dijk will attempt to lead a backline that features the accident prone Dejan Lovren and youngsters Alexander Trent-Arnold and Andrew Robertson.
The open attacking and pressing style that Klopp is famous for, hadn’t shown any success in the Premier League until last year. Salah exploded onto the scene as one of the best in the world while Firmino and Mane completed one of the best front trios in the world allowing Liverpool to tally 84 goals in the Premier league last year. After a successful season that included a Champions League spot and a UEFA Champions League Finals appearance Liverpool showed they were hungry for more by being incredible active in the transfer market. All four of their big signings will strengthen them immediately with Fabinho, Keita, and Alisson all likely starting and Shaqiri being a nice option of the bench. This bolstered Liverpool squad will be dangerous and is more than capable of hanging with Manchester City in head-to-head matches, but over the course of a season I expect them to slip behind and finish second.
Manchester City | 1st | Biggest Signing: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Right Winger, €67.8 million | Biggest Departure: Yaya Toure (Without a team), Center Mid, Free transfer
Manchester City are the undisputed favorites going into the season, as many of the players on their second team are good enough to start for most other Premier League teams. Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus are arguably the best one-two combination of strikers in the world with the duo combing or 47 goals in all competitions. Sitting in behind the striker, Pep Guardiola will have trouble fitting in all of the talented playmakers on their roster. Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, and David Silva all prefer to work centrally while Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, and Riyad Mahrez all bring speed and skill on the wings. Lying deeper in the midfield Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, and Fabian Delph can act as defensive shield to what remains a shaky defense. The effects of January signing of Aymeric Laporte will fully be felt this season now that he has acclimated to the team, but there will still be questions about John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi who at times struggled last season, while the injury plagued Vincent Kompany will hope to have a healthy season.
After dominating the Premier League with their open attacking style of play there will be big expectations for this side. Because they are head and shoulders above the rest of the league domestically anything short of a title win will come as a disappointment to Pep Guardiola and the ownership group. The team will rather look to the Champions League for growth after a disappointing exit in the quarterfinals to Liverpool last year. Manchester City’s deep arsenal of weapons far outnumbers their rivals so they will be unbothered by the stress a season that will likely include deep runs in domestic and European competitions will put on their roster. The youthfulness of the side also means Manchester City will likely have staying power for several years and unless someone matches them in the Premier League arms race we could be looking at a situation that is very similar to what happened with Manchester United in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
Manchester United | 3rd | Biggest Signing: Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk), Center Mid, €59 million | Biggest Departure: Daley Blind (AFC Ajax), Left Back, €16 million
The Brazilian Fred will be a nice complement in the midfield as a box-to-box player who can take some of the workload off of Paul Pogba allowing the French playmaker to play freely and roam forwards more. Against lesser teams Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard will add some attacking punch, and if Jose Mourinho wants to play a more standard formation Nemanja Matic can play in the traditional number six role sitting just in ront of the back line. The second best defense in the league remains unaltered with Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia headlining the group of defenders in front of world class keeper David De Gea. Up top Romelu Lukaku, who is coming of a brilliant World Cup, will want to add to last years goal tally of 16, and he will get some help from a full season with Alexis Sanchez and the continued development of Marcus Rashford.
Mourinho has been criticized throughout his career for his defensive style of play despite often working with some of the best offensive stars in the game. His tenure at Manchester United has been no different as many of their games against lesser teams are dismal because Mourinho refuses to unleash his team. This style of play has caused Pogba to look like a shell of the player who plays for France while both Rashford and Anthony Martial have seen their development and growth stunted as they have struggled to gain consistent game time. Defensively thought there can be no complaints about what Mourinho has done as mistakes from the back line are rare and David De Gea can easily cover for some of the errors that are made. Despite their star studded cast of players I expect Mourinho’s obstructive style of play to frustrate fans once again and prevent Manchester United from really challenging for the title and finishing a distant third behind their cross town rivals and Liverpool.
Newcastle United | 12th | Biggest Signing: Sung-yong Ki (Swansea City), Center Mid, Free Transfer | Biggest Departure: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fullham FC), Striker, €20.2 million
A side that struggled for goals last year will likely continue to have difficulty finding the back of the net as they have yet to bring in an attacking player, and sold striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham after he returned from a loan spell there. Defensively they lost Chancel Mbemba and replaced him with Fabian Schar who will join Jamaal Lascelles, DeAndre Yedlin, and Paul Dummet. Sung-yong Ki probably won’t start with Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diame being the ideal pairing. Offensively Christian Atsu, Matt Ritchie, and Ayoze Perez will support Dwight Gayle or Joselu who need to improve and be more clinical in front of goal if Newcastle are to have a successful season.
A tenth place finish was somewhat surprising for Newcastle considering it was their first year back in the premier league, but under manager Rafael Benitez they were able to squeeze out results and exploit their opponents weaknesses. Despite their success many potential starters are on the move including Mbemba, Mitrovic, and Mikel Merino. Newcastle have failed to find adequate replacements for these departures and I have a hard time seeing them improve on last year’s finish.
Southampton FC | 19th | Biggest Signing: Jannik Vestergaard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Center Back, €25 million | Biggest Departure: Dusan Tadic (AFC Ajax), Center Mid/Left Winger, €11.4 million
After a very disappointing year Southampton will try and rebound with a fair amount of roster turnover. Star playmaker Dusan Tadic is out despite being second on the team in goals and tied for second in assists last year in Premier League matches. In his stead Mohamed Elyounoussi has been brought in. Also departing on loan is Sofiane Boufal who scored the goal of the season against West Brom last year. The defense took a massive hit last year with the departure of Virgil van Dijk who they didn’t replace in the January window opting to wait until this Summer where they picked up Jannik Vestergaard who will join Maya Yoshida, Wesley Hoedt, and Jack Stephens at center back. At right back Cedric Soares was solid as was Ryan Bertrand at right back. Goalkeeper seems like a mess with Fraser Forster the former number one being dropped halfway through last season and being replaced by Alex McCarthy, and now Angus Gunn has been brought in from Manchester City, though it looks like McCarthy will start the season as the number one keeper. In midfield the quartet of Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Mario Lemina, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will compete for starts. On the wing opposite of Elyounoussi Nathan Redmond will likely get the lion’s share of starts though Steven Davis and Manolo Gabbiadini can play there. Up top Gabbiadini will share time with Charlie Austin and Shane Long.
I think this might be the year where Southampton’s tendency to sell of their best players finally catches up with them. In the past they have avoided relegation despite the sales of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Morgan Schneiderlin, Nathaniel Clyne, Victor Wanyama, Sadio Mane, and van Dijk. Last year though they faltered for the first time finishing only three points above a Swansea City side that lost all of its final five games. The decision to move on from a proven creator like Tadic in favor of a relative unknown in Elyounoussi is incredibly risky, and I’m not sure Southampton will be able to over come the loss of talent. Like the other relegation teams there is no clear player on the roster who you can count on to create or put away chances, while the defense, despite the arrival of Vestergaard, won’t be able to replace van Dijk. I believe Southampton’s long, profitable run in the Premier League will end in disaster as they nearly bottom out finishing in nineteenth.
Tottenham Hotspur | 4th | Biggest Signing: N/A | Biggest Departure: N/A
An inactive Summer transfer period means the Spurs are banking on their squad taking another step forward developmentally. Harry Kane is undoubtedly a top two or top three striker in the world, and Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-min are one of the better, more consistent playmaking groups in the league. Behind the front four Spurs have plenty of options with Victor Wanyama, Moussa Dembele, and Eric Dier all being starting caliber players. Their back line remained one of their strengths last year with the addition of Davinson Sanchez paying off big time as the Colombian center back was able to fill in for the injured Toby Alderweireld. At the full back positions Spurs overcame the loss of Kyle Walker, and contract and injury issues with Danny Rose with Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, and Serge Aurier all contributing nicely.
As currently constructed I think Tottenham might’ve hit their ceiling. Their starting eleven is strong enough to beat most teams, but their subs are a noticeable level below the starting eleven which is incredibly damaging in a season that can be well above fifty games including European and Domestic cups. They have needed a backup striker behind Harry Kane and have failed to fill that hole for a few years now. They also whiffed on the signing of Moussa Sissoko who hasn’t played up to the level he was at with Newcastle several seasons ago. Lucas Moura was brought in during the Winter transfer period, but saw limited action, and if he can be a solid contributor it will add some much needed depth to the squad. With whispers of possible transfers for Harry Kane and Dele Alli growing louder time is running out for Spurs who need to add players soon. In failing to do so this Summer I believe Spurs will slip a spot from last years third place finish.
Watford FC | 14th | Biggest Signing: Gerard Deulofeu (FC Barcelona), Right Winger, €13 million | Biggest Departure: Richarlison (Everton FC), Left Winger, €45 million
Somehow Watford were able to swindle Everton into drastically overpaying for Richarlison and replaced him for the much cheaper, but similarly talented Gerard Deulofeu. Other than that they didn’t add any one who will start opting to bring in back ups at left back, right back, and goalkeeper, with Adam Masina, Marc Navarro, and Ben Foster joining the squad. Troy Deeney will lead the line for Watford, while Kiko Femenia, Roberto Pereyra, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Tom Cleverley will support him in midfield. Defensively Daryl Janmaat and Jose Holebas occupy the fullback positions while Christian Kabasele and Adrian Mariappa will start in the center.
After finishing one spot outside of the relegation zone in the 2016-17 season Watford will be happy with their fourteenth place finish. With some of the pressure to avoid relegation easing off of them they went into the Summer window less concerned about adding talent, and more focused on being financially smart. The sale of Richarlison and replacing him for less than a third of the price was a great bit of business. I don’t think Richarlison will be missed as much as some people are saying because he really didn’t contribute much last year, tallying only five goals and four assists all of which came early in the year. He finished the season on a 21 game streak without a goal or an assist with 20 of those appearances being starts. Unfortunately good business in sports usually means a boring season is coming and I expect this to be no different. With no other notable players departing I expect Watford to repeat its fourteenth place finish from last year.
West Ham United | 8th | Biggest Signing: Felipe Anderson (Lazio), Right Winger, €38 million | Biggest Departure: James Collins (Without Club), Center Back, Free Transfer
West Ham were big spenders in the Summer window upgrading their team at all four levels. In goal they added Lukasz Fabianski who will take the starting role now that Joe Hart’s loan has ended. Defensively Ryan Fredericks will likely enter the team as a backup to Pablo Zabaleta, but the 33 year old will be on a short leash, and any slip up will likely cede the starting role to Fredericks. At center back Reece Oxford is returning from loan and will be joined by Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena in supporting Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, and Winston Reid. Jack Wilshere was added in the midfield to bolster an already strong group, and Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko will give new manager Manuel Pellegrini more options on the wing while Yarmolenko can also play in a more advanced role.
The mount of purchases the West Ham board made signify they weren’t happy with what happened last year and want to return to the top half of the table. All of the additions, with the exception of Diop, are veteran players still in their prime who are definite upgrades on the players that held their positions last year. With so many transfers some will undoubtedly be flops, but West Ham didn’t lose anyone noteworthy and have a large pool of players so if a transfer doesn’t work out the Hammers will have serviceable replacements ready. Such a deep squad makes West Ham well suited for the long Premier League season, and I expect West Ham to take a massive step forward from last year’s thirteenth place finish and end up well into the top half.
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 16th | Biggest Signing: Rui Patricio (Sporting CP), Goalkeeper, Free Transfer | Biggest Departure: Benik Afobe (Stoke City), Striker, €13.5 million
After winning the Championship by a comfortable margin Wolverhampton was very active in the transfer market bringing in veteran players with plenty of experience in Europe’s top leagues. In defense they brought in left back Jonny Castro on loan from Atletico Madrid and signed fellow left back Ruben Vinagre and center back Willy Boly who were on loan at Wolves last year. The defense will be completed by stalwarts Matt Doherty and Conor Coady who each started 45 games last year for Wolves. Former Sporting CP and Portuguese international Rui Patricio will be a nice upgrade over John Ruddy in goal to solidify the defensive third. In the midfield Joao Moutinho was brought in to complement fellow Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves and Romain Saiss who was the engine in midfield that allowed Wolverhampton to play such an open offensive game. In the offensive third Wolves have yet another Portuguese star in Diogo Jota their top goalscorer from last season who typically plays out wide on the left wing and was just signed after last season’s loan deal expired. Striker Leo Bonatini was also signed following the completion of his loan deal and he will have to compete for minutes with Raul Jimenez who was signed on loan for this year. On the right wing Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa will battle for starts.
Unlike most teams that reach the Premier League Wolves already had young stars coming into the league, and then they supplemented that raw talent with veteran leadership from players like Moutinho and Patricio who also still have a lot of value as players. Replacing Benik Afobe should be no issue with Raul Jimenez coming in and Bonatini, who was the team’s second leading goal scorer, could thrive in a more prominent role if he is the every day starter. As with most teams that are promoted I expect Wolves to cut back slightly on their offensive style to cope with the increased firepower that Premier League teams possess. Wolves seem well equipped though to succeed in the Premier League and while they might not ever get fully clear of the relegation zone I don’t expect them to really be at risk of slipping to the bottom of the table.
Contact me at uneducatedandunqualified@gmail.com if you have any questions.
uneducatedunqualified.wordpress.com 
One thought on “Premier League Preview”