With the start of the 2024/24 Premier League season just over five weeks away, English clubs are splashing the cash in the summer transfer window.
Reigning champions Manchester City have been relatively quiet to date, but it would be no surprise to see them improve their squad over the next few weeks.
Several other title hopefuls have also been active in the transfer market and more big-money deals will be completed before the summer window closes.
Read on as we preview the 2024/24 Premier League season and offer our predictions on the key issues at both ends of the table.
Man City Eyeing Another Title Success
Man City’s relentless form in 2022/23 helped them win the title for the third consecutive year and they are the bookmakers’ favourites to repeat the feat next term.
Punters who want to back City can read more at BettingTop10 about the latest Premier League odds and their chances of continuing their dominance in the English top flight.
The acquisition of striker Erling Braut Haaland last summer significantly boosted the team’s already formidable attacking options.
The Norwegian netted 36 goals in his debut season in the Premier League and will fancy his chances of hitting more than 40 next term.
City have compensated for the loss of midfielder Ilkay Gundogen by signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, while the rest of their squad remains intact.
Arsenal pushed Man City hard for most of last season before running out of steam as City’s greater depth told on the run-in.
The Gunners have been active in the transfer market this summer, but their squad still looks a little short of the quality needed to win the title.
With City likely to add to their options before the transfer window closes, they will be extremely tough to stop again next term.
Manchester United may emerge as serious title contenders if they can acquire the services of a top-class striker before the season starts.
However, it is tough to imagine them preventing Man City from maintaining their recent stranglehold on the English top flight.
The Race for the Champions League Will be Fierce
Man City, Man United and Arsenal look good bets to fill the top three spots and book their places in the 2024/25 Champions League.
Predicting who will join them by finishing fourth is no easy task, with several teams harbouring genuine ambitions of challenging.
Newcastle United ended last season in fourth place, but may struggle to repeat the feat in the face of competition from Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Magpies took full advantage of the deficiencies of their rivals last season to secure a place in the Champions League.
However, the additional fixtures in Europe will place a significant strain on a squad that is already stretched pretty thin.
While Midfielder Sandro Tonali looks to be an excellent signing, Newcastle need several more quality arrivals to challenge for the top four again.
Liverpool underperformed for much of last season, before a late surge helped them climb up to fifth in the Premier League.
Having added some quality to their squad this summer, the Reds will expect to at least break back into the top four next season.
Chelsea will have similar expectations after finishing 12th last term, but they may find it tough to make up the ground on the top teams.
New manager Mauricio Pochettino has been tasked with reviving the club’s fortunes and he will need to hit the ground running in order to succeed.
Villa Could Challenge for Europa League Berth
Aston Villa’s decision to appoint Steven Gerrard as manager in 2021 was always doomed to fail and it was no surprise when he was sacked part way through last season.
Gerrard got the job after winning just one trophy in three seasons with Rangers – a poor return for a club with much loftier ambitions.
Villa axed the former Liverpool midfielder after a woeful run of results and replaced him with Unai Emery – a respected boss with a strong CV.
The move paid massive dividends as Emery transformed Villa’s fortunes, guiding them to seventh in the standings and a place in next season’s Europa Conference League.
Villa are an intriguing proposition at odds of 9/1 to finish in the top six following the improvements they made under Emery.
The Midlands outfit are set to make several shrewd additions to their squad this summer and could possibly challenge for the top four if everything falls into place.
Tottenham Hotspur will also have their sights set on qualifying for Europe after ending the previous campaign in eighth position.
However, it could be another season of disappointment for the London club, with their squad lacking the quality needed to deliver consistent results.
Promoted Teams Set for a Tough Campaign
Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town won promotion from the Championship last season, but their stay in the top flight could be fairly short-lived.
The Clarets spent a fortune on players to climb out of the second tier, but their squad does not look good enough to handle the step up in class.
After receiving plenty of plaudits for the job he did at Turf Moor last year, manager Vincent Kompany now faces the acid test of his coaching ability.
Kompany previously failed to live up to expectations with Anderlecht in the Belgian top flight and history may repeat itself in the Premier League.
Sheffield United finished ten points behind Burnley last term and they look nailed on certainties to struggle next season.
The Blades’ squad needs significant improvements making to it this summer, but they will likely be unable to attract the quality of players they need.
It is a similar story with Championship play-off winners Luton Town, who are a banker bet to finish bottom of the Premier League next season.
The Hatters have done extremely well to climb up the English pyramid, but their stay in the top flight is not expected to last longer than a single campaign.