After my Premier League Season Preview, it’s time for me to predict how the 2023/24 Premier League Season goes. If I have your team down really low, that’s probably a good thing because I have a track record of having really terrible predictions (just read my reactions).
20th: Wolves
A lot of people in my family support Wolves, and I’m worried it’s going to be a very tough season for all of them. After a run of 7th place finishes when they returned to the top flight, Wolverhampton Wanderers haven’t been able to finish any higher than 10th in their last 3 seasons (13th twice). My big concern with Wolves this season is as of right now, their squad is in a much worse state than it was last year. Matt Doherty is the only player Wolves have brought in and he doesn’t feel like the type of player that’s going to win Wolves football matches whilst they’ve lost a bunch of players including Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore, Joao Moutinho and Nathan Collins. And that list isn’t even including Ruben Neves who feels almost irreplaceable for this team. Not only was he Captain last year, but he’s also a set-piece specialist and he was Wolves’ top goalscorer last year. Wolves have struggled massively the last few years at scoring goals and I can’t see that improving which is scary considering I actually believe that Fabio Silva can be a really good player for this team. Julen Lopetegui is a really good manager, but I can’t see him still being at the Molineux come May next year (whether he gets sacked or quits is another matter).
19th: West Ham
Whilst there’s still a long way to go in the Transfer Window, as of right now, I have very little confidence in West Ham United. West Ham have had a mixed 5 years, with their highest finish being 6th (2020/21) and their lowest finish being 16th (2019/20). My big concern over West Ham this season is as of right now, in a similar way to Wolves, their squad has gotten worse. The Hammers haven’t brought in a single player (Transfer or Loan) and whilst they haven’t lost as many players as Wolves, they’ve lost their Club Captain Declan Rice which is pretty big. When you consider the impact that Rice had at the club and the Hammers still struggled in the league last year. what are WHU going to do now Rice has left? West Ham are also now lacking in the Midfield areas as a result and they really need to improve in that department if they’re going to do better than what I currently expect of them.
18th: Everton
After two years of riding their luck, I expect Everton’s luck and Premier League status to end this season. Whilst Everton finished 8th in the 2018/19 season, they’ve only achieved one top-10 finish since and they’ve only just survived Relegation in the last two years. My big concern over Everton this season is as of right now, it doesn’t feel like they’re going anyway with any sort of urgency. Unlike the two teams below them, I don’t think the Toffees have gotten any worse as Yerry Mina feels like the only decent player that’s left. However, it doesn’t feel like Everton have gotten much better either as bringing in Ashley Young isn’t super inspiring whilst Arnaut Danjuma struggled on Loan at Tottenham in the second half of last season. Finally, whilst I like Sean Dyche, it’s not like he’s immune to relegation and I don’t think he’s going to be able to save this Everton side like he did last year.
17th: Luton
Whilst this might seem crazy, I believe that Luton Town can survive this season. Luton Town have been on the up in recent years, earning Promotion in 3 of the last 6 seasons (whilst never getting relegated). The main reason why I think Luton can stay up is because of their stadium. Whilst Luton’s squad is alright, it’s fair to say it’s one of the weakest in the league if not the weakest. However, Kenilworth Road is probably the cosiest football ground in England, certainly in the Premier League and that could really benefit the Hatters. Also, you don’t have to have great players to do well, you just need to have a great team and the likes of Sheffield United (in their first season), Brentford and Brighton have all shown this. I also think Rob Edwards is an exciting manager and I’d like to believe that he’s finally going to stay at a club for more than just 1 year.
16th: Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest are a team that I’m not quite sure about. After spending 14 years in the Championship, Notts Forest returned to the Premier League, brought in 20+ players and finished 16th, just 4 points off Relegation. It sort of feels like Forest have stayed at the same level in terms of ability in the squad, with players coming in replacing players of a similar level that have left. It is worth mentioning that Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas, two good goalkeepers, have both returned to their parent clubs, but they’ve also gotten back Keeper Ethan Horvath who helped Luton get Promoted whilst on Loan at the club last year. Realistically, Forest should perform better this year now that most of their players know each other (that goes for the manager Steve Cooper as well), but I’m still not 100% sure about them which is why I’ve got them finishing in the same place as last year.
15th: Sheffield United
I fully believe that Sheffield United will have enough quality to remain in the Premier League for another season. The Blades look very good in the Championship last season (they scored 91 points) and whilst they might have lost a few key players, Anis Slimane and Benie Traore look like they could become pretty good additions to a squad that’s beaming with confidence. However, the biggest reason why I think Sheffield United will stay up is because of their fans. Bramall Lane is a great “little” ground and people need to remember how good they were the last time the fans were cheering them on in the top flight. In actual fact, it’s fair to say that in the last 6 seasons where United have had fans in attendance, they’ve done pretty damn well.
14th: Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth had a pretty positive 2022/23 campaign and I expect more of the same from them this year. Bournemouth managed to stay up and finish 15th last year when not many people expected them to and it’s fair to say that the Cherries have been overachieving for a long, long time. Whilst the quality in the Bournemouth side hasn’t changed much (some players have come in, some have left), the bit change at Bournemouth is Gary O’Neil is no longer in charge and instead, that job falls to Andoni Iraola. I’m actually really impressed with Iraola’s managerial record as he very much overperformed with Mirandes and Rayo Vallecano. Whilst it was harsh that O’Neil lost his job, I kind of get why because Andoni Iraola looks like he could help Bournemouth, particularly if they bring in some more players.
13th: Crystal Palace
I’m really torn on Crystal Palace this season and I feel like it’s going to be pretty close between them and the two teams that I’ve put above them. Crystal Palace are a pretty consistent team in that they tend to finish between 11th and 14th (each of the last 7 seasons) and it’s not like they’ve made too many additions to change that. Jefferson Lerma is a solid midfielder, but he’s not going to improve Palace on his own whilst the Eagles have lost “Club Legend” Wilfried Zaha. I really like Roy Hodgson, I think he improved Crystal Palace a lot in the last 10 games of last season, but I also really liked Patrick Viera and that just didn’t quite work out as well as hoped (especially in the middle part of last season). The one positive I can say about Crystal Palace is I can’t see them finishing any lower than this whilst, if everything goes right, the Eagles could finish a few places higher in real life.
12th: Brentford
There’s no doubt that Brentford have been really, really good for the last few years (in both the Premier League and the Championship), but I do think the loss of Ivan Toney (for the first half of the season) will hurt them. The Bees achieved their highest top-flight finish (9th) last year since the 1930s and that’s mainly because they have a really hard-working team with a really good manager in Thomas Frank. However, it would be silly to ignore that Ivan Toney being unavailable till January will really hurt them. Toney has been the Bees’ top scorer for each of the last 3 seasons (combined total of 63 goals in the league, 68 in all competitions) and we’ve seen in the past with different teams the difference a really good striker can make. However, I still think Brentford are a good footballing side and will be under no threat of Relegation at any point during the season. I also think they’ll come pretty close to finishing ahead of the team that I’ve got in 11th and they won’t be too far away from a top-half finish.
11th: Fulham
In my 2022/23 Premier League Awards, I had Fulham as the biggest overachievers and I also gave Marco Silva the Manager of the Year Award and I still fully stand by that. Fulham did incredibly well to finish 10th last season and it’s worth mentioning that their total points tally of 52 was only 1 less than their highest-ever in top-flight football. When I look at Fulham’s team this year, it doesn’t feel like they’ve gone forward or backwards, with no major talented players leaving whilst Raul Jimenez unfortunately isn’t the World Class Striker that he was a few years ago. I understand the argument that some people have about Fulham dropping off this season, but I think they’re far too good to do that and I expect them to finish with a similar points tally to last season.
10th: Chelsea
After a terrible 2022/23 campaign, Chelsea have to do better and whilst I think they will (because they can’t be much worse than last year), I’m still not convinced by them. Chelsea have been a pretty consistent Top 4/5 team for years until last year when they crashed all the way down to 12th and were closer to Relegation than a place in Europe. Mauricio Pochettino is the new Chelsea boss and whilst he’s definitely an improvement from Frank Lampard, I still don’t rate him super highly, particularly after his time at PSG. It’s worth mentioning that the last time Chelsea weren’t in Europe, they won the Premier League (2016/17), but it’s fair to say that Chelsea had a better Coach and a better squad back then. Whilst Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are exciting signings, it’s fair to say that plenty of talented Strikers have moved to Chelsea and it hasn’t worked out for anyone (Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, etc) and I’d argue Chelsea’s team has gone backwards from last year. Whilst the Blues had to get rid of people after spending nearly £600m over the course of last season, the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Club Captain Cesar Azpillicueta all leaving isn’t going to make them any better. I also think Chelsea as a club looks like a bit of a mess and we’ve seen in other sports that it doesn’t matter if you have the best players or not if there’s a fundamental issue with the actual club/team.
9th: Tottenham
Speaking of teams that I think have a fundamental issue, I’m not at all confident in Tottenham Hotspur heading into the new campaign. After a disappointing campaign which saw Spurs only finish 8th, the club are about to have a season without European Football for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign which arguably isn’t the be-all and end-all as it allows them to focus fully on the league. Tottenham have also strengthened in the Summer and I particularly think the signing of James Maddison is a really good one. However, my concern with Tottenham is their new manager Ange Postecoglou. Whilst Postecoglou has won a lot of things as a manager, he’s untested in a truly top league and this feels like a massive risk for Tottenham to take. It’s also worth mentioning that Ange wasn’t even Tottenham’s first choice, and I can’t help but worry about Spurs a little given they struggled under one of the best managers in the world in Antonio Conte. There are also rumours about Harry Kane potentially leaving before the end of August and I can tell you that these Predictions are based on the clubs as of right now. I can also tell you that if Harry Kane leaves, Spurs are going to finish a lot lower!
8th: Burnley
I’m at a stage where I’m starting to believe more and more in teams and clubs that are harmonious and from the outside, that’s exactly what Burnley look to be. After a tough campaign which saw Burnley get relegated and Sean Dyche leave, Vincent Kompany came in and gave new life to Burnley Football Club before the team went on to have a brilliant season, winning the Championship and earning 101 Points! Burnley also feel a bit like how Brentford, Brighton and others are in the sense that whilst they don’t have the greatest squad on paper, they’re a very good team. Burnley have also gone out and brought in a bunch of different players that should improve the side and I genuinely believe they can go and have a really great season. Whilst finishing ahead of both Chelsea and Tottenham may seem a little optimistic, I rate Vincent Kompany very highly as a Manager and I also look at how the likes of Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, and Sheffield United all got on in their first season back in the “big leagues”.
7th: Brighton
After their greatest-ever season, I expect Brighton will continue where they left off this campaign. Brighton finished 6th last season, but it felt like they were better than that in terms of their actual quality. I do think Brighton will struggle a bit more now they’ve lost Alexis Mac Allister and they’re going to have to focus on European Football for the first time ever, but it’s also worth mentioning that Mac Allister wasn’t as highly rated as he is now a year ago so there’s a good chance someone will break out and fill the role well. It’s also worth mentioning that the Seagulls have improved their team with some good signings and I get the feeling that James Milner could be at his best at this club given how the likes of Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana have performed at the AMEX. Whilst I think they’ll finish lower than they did last year, I still think Brighton and Hove Albion are going to be really strong and tough to beat.
6th: Aston Villa
I expect Aston Villa to be a real problem for every team they face this season. Aston Villa had a brilliant second half to the 2022/23 campaign which resulted in them qualifying for Europe for the first time since 2010. Aston Villa’s squad is also stronger this season compared to the end of last season due to bringing in Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Moussa Diaby who are all good footballers in my opinion. Unai Emery is also a brilliant coach and whilst Villa may suffer a little bit from being Europe, it’s fair to say that Emery is a specialist in those competitions. You also have to remember that Villa started the first few months of last season with Steven Gerrard as their manager (I don’t really have to say anything else). I also think Villa could seriously challenge for a few trophies this season, particularly as I feel like they could be on their own in the league table. I think they’re clear of the teams behind, but maybe not quite close enough to challenge for a spot in the Champions League.
5th: Liverpool
Liverpool need to bounce back this season, but I’m not 100% sure that they’re going to be able to. Last year was definitely Jurgen Klopp’s worst full season in charge of Liverpool as the Reds fell way short of hopes and expectations. It’s also expected that Liverpool should be much stronger this year, finish in the top 4 and potentially fight for the title. Whilst that isn’t impossible, I’m not sure Liverpool are as good as they were a few years ago. It is worth mentioning that the last time Liverpool scored under 70 points (69 in the 2020/21 season), they went on to get over 90 the following season and they just missed out on the Premier League title. It’s also worth mentioning that they’ve majorly improved their Midfield (which has been weak for a while) with the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. However, they’ve lost leaders Jordan Henderson and James Milner which is probably a big deal behind the scenes whilst Roberto Firmino leaving is a massive loss for Liverpool because that man knows how to score goals. I do think Liverpool will be better this season than they were last year and they could easily finish in the top 4 if things go well, but I also have more confidence in the teams I’ve put above them.
4th: Newcastle
After their best season in over 20 years, I expect Newcastle United will continue to get better. After being taken over midway through the 2021/22 Season, Newcastle flew up the table in the 2022/23 campaign and they fully merit a place in this year’s UEFA Champions League. Whilst I understand why people think Newcastle could drop out of the Top 4 this season, especially as the Magpies are going to have to be dealing with European Football for the first time in 10 years, I still feel that this team is only getting started. Newcastle United have a lot of hunger in their team and they also have quite a lot of quality. You then look at this Summer’s Transfer Window and you see that the Magpies have only gotten stronger with the signings of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes. I personally think Tonali is a fantastic footballer whilst Harvey Barnes was very good at Leicester last year. Whilst I don’t necessarily think Newcastle have enough to finish ahead of the top 3 teams, you throw in the fact that Eddie Howe is getting better and better as a Manager and you have the recipe to have another successful season.
3rd: Manchester United
After a positive first season under Erik Ten Hag, I expect Manchester United will close in on the top 2 this campaign. Manchester United definitely had one of their most positive campaigns since Sir Alex Ferguson last year as United achieved 3rd in the league, won the Carabao Cup and also made it to the FA Cup Final. Since then, United’s squad has only gotten stronger with the signings of Mason Mount and Andre Onana. Ten Hag and Man United will hope that they can get Mason Mount back to his best whilst Andre Onana, on paper, is one of the signings of the entire Transfer Window so far. I think when you add Mount and Onana to the United squad and factor in that Erik Ten Hag knows the club and players well now, I don’t think Manchester United will be too far off the title at all.
2nd: Manchester City
Manchester City are looking to become the first team in English top-flight history to win 4 league titles in a row, but I’m not quite sure they’re going to be able to do it. Man City won a historic treble last year by being absolutely superb in the second half of the season and they’ve brought in Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea to try and help them do it again. It’s fair to say that Kovacic is a serial winner so he should fit in quite well at the Etihad. However, it has to be mentioned that Club Captain Ilkay Gundogan has left and I think that’s going to really hurt City. Gundogan comes alive in the final few months of the season and that tends to be when Man City go on an amazing run so that is a concern for them. Funnily enough, it’s literally just been announced (as I’m writing) that Riyad Mahrez has left and that could be a good or bad thing for City as he was never particularly consistent whilst at the club. I still absolutely think Manchester City will be strong this season and they can easily win a few trophies including the Champions League again. However, the fact that no club in English top-flight history has ever won 4 league titles in a row feels like the type of record that’s never going to be broken.
1st: Arsenal
You heard it hear first, I think Arsenal will end the 2023/24 Season as Premier League Champions! Arsenal had their best campaign for a while last year as they finished just 5 points off the title and I fully believe that that experience will improve the entire team. You then look at the fact that they’ve brought in Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice and you have to say that’s only going to improve the team. Timber and Rice have shown their quality over the past couple of years whilst I think Kai Havertz has so much potential if he can unlock it. The Gunners have lost Granit Xhaka and whilst that might hurt them a little bit, Xhaka can also be a bit of a liability at times so I don’t think it’s the worst loss in the world. Mikel Arteta is also a good manager who should only keep improving and the same can very much be said for the Arsenal squad itself as that team is very young. Whilst they came close to winning the Premier League last year and some will say that they should’ve won it, I believe the Gunners will do it this year in/with style.
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