The new campaign is almost upon us, and clubs have lined up (or in many cases are scrambling to line up) new squads for their first matches over the weekend. Below is a team by team breakdown of how each club will approach the new season, how their squad has changed, and what their outlook is.

While compiling this article, a few themes emerged which may be guiding questions for season to come:

-How will the new managers (or those leading a club for their first full season) impose their tactics and style? Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Wolves, and Brighton all fall into this category

-How much should last season’s form, poor or otherwise, impact our expectations for each of the clubs? Some historical powerhouses (Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool) struggled, and some surprising teams (Fulham, Brentford, Villa, Brighton) had unexpectedly strong campaigns

-How will the freshly promoted teams fare? They run the gamut from slick football playing (Burnley) who may have to sacrifice their style, to underdogs who are entrenching for a difficult fight (Luton Town), to teams who might have one foot back in the Championship due to their grim finances (Sheffield United)

Surely, a good portion of what’s written below will turn out to be wildly off base. But isn’t that the fun of a new season - that anything can happen?

**Disclaimer: this article was published on Wednesday, August 9th and reflects completed transfers at that time. It will be updated where possible, but a transfer round up article will be published after the window closes to reflect the final changes.

Few fans of the North London club can honestly say that they expected to challenge for the title last season. Going into last campaign, a few steps forward under Mikel Arteta and a comfortable qualification for the Champions League would have been seen as solid work for the young, exciting Gunners. But, unfortunately, expectations change - especially when you start winning matches - and the team that led the table fell away down the stretch. Accusations of bottling aside, the fact remains that the club arrived as a title challenger perhaps a full year or two sooner than most would have predicted.

Which brings us to this campaign. Arsenal have added huge talent (with huge price tags) to their squad and will need to be prepared for the increased scrutiny that will follow them a year after their coming out party. Add to that tricky balance a berth in the Champions League for the first time since 2017, and this becomes a very different challenge from a year ago. In preparation for the new season, they’ve raided the London toy box and brought in reinforcements across the pitch.

Despite their success, their defense has room to improve. They conceded 43 goals in the league, 10 worse than Manchester City and Newcastle and even with Manchester United. While their electric offense offset this weakness, they’ll need to solidify to make the final jump up the table. Enter Declan Rice, Jurriën Timber, and David Raya. Rice, one of the biggest dominoes of the transfer window, arrives from East London and will be expected to anchor midfield. Timber will provide depth across the defense (able to play RCB, RB, and LB) and also bring a progressive flair which might or might not be Arteta’s cup of tea. And Raya - though it feels incredibly cruel to the all-around feel good character, Aaron Ramsdale - provides competition at the very least and, more likely, a slight improvement on the position.

They’ve also added the mercurial attacker, Kai Havertz. Havertz, who arrives for big money from West London rivals, Chelsea, has never quite found his sea legs in English football. Whether that’s down to playing in a less optimal position as a false nine or something deeper will be a mystery only solved by seeing him on the pitch in red.

However, while new signings get the most column inches, the existing squad is really the story of this season. As a group overall, they are very young and they will have left the past campaign feeling some level of deflation. But, there’s every chance they’re able to put it behind them and if even only a few of Bukayo Saka (21), Martin Ødegaard (24), Emile Smith Rowe (23), Gabriel Martinelli (22), Eddie Nketiah (24), or William Saliba (22) make strides forward, this team’s potential will go through the roof.

Their signings show ambition and provide added depth and flexibility, their expectations are bigger than ever, and on paper their squad is primed for a title challenge. It’s now up to them to prove that last season was an underachievement of their talent, and that new heights are not a shared dream but the bare minimum that they’ll reach.

Key Arrivals:

-Declan Rice: Transfer from West Ham United

-Kai Havertz: Transfer from Chelsea

-Jurriën Timber: Transfer from Ajax

-David Raya: Loan from Brentford (with reported nearly guaranteed buy option)

Key Departures:

-Granit Xhaka: Transfer to Bayer Leverkusen

In what will become a theme for many of the teams in this preview, Aston Villa start this campaign with a talented manager entering their first full year with the club. That brings with it such wonderful advantages as a full preseason, influence over certain transfers, and institutional knowledge that should serve as a springboard. Taking a leap into the new season from said springboard in Birmingham is Unai Emery, who guided this club to a surprise 7th in the league last year. He also gets to dip his toes into the uncharted (for Villa) waters of the Europa Conference League - and, as many know, he is no stranger to shining in continental competitions.

The squad that Emery turned around is largely intact, only losing veteran Ashley Young from its regular contributors. They’ve also added some high-profile new faces in Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans, and Moussa Diaby who add both quality and some questions to the mix.

To take the additions one by one, Youri Tielemans is a wildly sensible move. He comes for free having run down his contract at Leicester City, and he brings experience, quality, and the occasional banger to their midfield. There may be some merit to the worry that he’s been overplayed and has lost some quality, but for where Villa are, it’s difficult to think of his addition as anything but a net positive. Pau Torres, joining up with his former gaffer at Villarreal, is perhaps more of a wildcard. Because, while he brings definite quality and experience, he plays a position that the club already has filled with a key player - namely Tyrone Mings. How these two are rotated or balanced becomes a key puzzle for the club. All that said, Aston Villa have made one of my personal favorite signings of the summer in Moussa Diaby. He’s young (just turned 24), he’s electrically quick, and he can play across a front line that has desperately needed more speed. Linking up and rotating with Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey, Villa will have a deeper, more versatile attack that will scare their opponents - especially those playing a high line.

In the league there is an obvious path to improvement for Emery and the squad: lose fewer games. This sounds idiotic obviously, but they lost 14 times last campaign and you’d expect Emery to be able to lower that number, giving them a decent chance of ending the season higher than 7th. Complicating this, however, is the new wrinkle of European competition. As stated, their manager has a certain penchant for winning in Europe, but it doesn’t change the simple challenge of mathematics. This squad has improved, but it hasn’t gotten deep enough that you can write off concern that they’ll be stretched across their competitions. Will there be a point where a cup that West Ham has proven is winnable takes precedence over the league down the stretch?

If Aston Villa are to have success it will be down to the managerial acumen of Emery combined with players showing quality and durability. Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins are candidates to shine with a year more experience under their belts, and don’t sleep on Cameron Archer contributing after returning from a successful Championship loan. The squad will be tested on a new level this season, and contributions will need to come from all over,

Key Arrivals:

-Moussa Diaby: Transfer from Bayer Leverkusen

-Pau Torres: Transfer from Villarreal

-Youri Tielemans: Signed on a free

-Cameron Archer: Returns from Loan at Middlesbrough

Key Departures:

-Ashley Young: Joins Everton on a free

The south coast club surprised much of the football world by staying up and ending the campaign in 15th place. Not satisfied with defying expectations just once, the club shocked the league again by sacking Gary O’Neil in late June despite him guiding the club admirably. Enter Andoni Iraola, stepping in from Spain. Iraola comes from Rayo Vallecano, having earned promotion with them followed by two seasons finishing 12th and 11th. He has experience operating successfully with one of the smallest budgets in the league and, crucially, his Rayo Vallecano club bought very few players and who they did buy came in without huge fees. This could be a winning background to bring to the Cherries.

Tactically, he suits the club on paper. He played under Marcelo Bielsa and brings some of those ideas to his set up - particularly his emphasis on fitness and conditioning. He relies on aggressive pressing to create offense through transitions and is happy to cede possession. Adapting to a new manager’s expectations can take time. Minimizing the time it takes for Bournemouth to play his tactics will be key, and it becomes much harder to play your way if you end up creeping down the table.

Their survival last season was admirable, but football is fickle, margins cut both ways. You have to ask if last season was their ceiling or their floor, especially when you dig into their results. They had a truly awful goal difference (losing 9-0 early on can do that to you), which at -34 was 4 worse than any other team that survived. Additionally, they conceded more goals overall than everyone except for relegated Leeds United and Southampton and only scored 37 goals themselves. Changing both of these numbers for the better would help them solidify their position and look up the table.

What have they done to make that happen? The manager is clearly the biggest change at the club, and, by and large they’ve kept the core of the team together. Jefferson Lerma departs having played in 37 of their league matches last year, but otherwise their match day squad will have the same main options. They’ve added as well, making Hamed Traorè’s loan permanent (which was mandatory), and bringing in Justin Kluivert and Milos Kerkez. Kluivert returned 6 goals in 26 appearances for Valencia last season, which is low but Valencia was a pit of dysfunction. Kerkez is intriguing - he’s very quick and only 19. He loves a slide tackle and a cross and from left-back scored in nearly 1 of every 10 matches for AZ Alkmaar. He could be an important feature of Bournemouth’s transitions, especially if he provides accurate crosses for the likes of Dominic Solanke or Philip Billing. Max Aarons appears to be joining as well and will provide depth at either full back position. Not a new signing, but it should be noted that David Brooks will be fit to start the season after a terrifying battle with cancer and he adds to their attacking options.

There are many clear areas for the team to improve. Owner Bill Foley clearly thinks he has the right man for the job in Andoni Iraola. How fast this team adapts will be the story of their season.

Key Arrivals:

-Hamed Traorè: Loan made permanent from Sassuolo

-Milos Kerkez: Transfer from AZ Alkmaar

-Justin Kluivert: Transfer from AS Roma

-Ionuț Radu: Loan from Inter Milan

-Max Aarons: Transfer from Norwich

Key Departures:

-Jefferson Lerma: Joins Crystal Palace on a free

It’s a third season in the Premier League for the West London outfit. Under Thomas Frank’s watch, they were able to avoid a sophomore slump last campaign - and it didn’t hurt that they were incredibly difficult to beat. However, this season isn’t without obstacles. Their talismanic frontman, Ivan Toney is suspended until mid-January, and they’ve yet to reinforce his position. There’s also the question of how Mark Flekken replaces David Raya, who has left for Arsenal.

Brentford finished last season in a very respectable 9th, and ended up only 2 points shy of European qualification. As mentioned above, they were a very difficult team to beat, ending the season with only 9 defeats (the same number as Liverpool and Manchester United and fewer than Spurs, Brighton, and Aston Villa). They drew 14 times, which presents either a risk or an opportunity, depending on your perspective. If they can turn a few of those draws into wins, they have a decent chance to improve their position in the table and chase for Europe. However, if those draws turn to losses (or any of their 15 wins turn to draws), the campaign is at risk of deflating.

How valid is this worry? Like so much in football, it all comes down to goals. A key aspect of all their draws last season: they were almost all score-draws. Only 3 of the 14 were 0-0. Ivan Toney was their top scorer and more than doubled up their second place man, Bryan Mbuemo. So, if either they’re unable to replace Toney’s goals or if losing their coveted keeper, Raya, causes an increase in goals conceded, maintaining their results from last season becomes a challenge.

Mark Flekken, the presumed new starting keeper, is far from a chump - in fact he was the starting keeper for a team that only finished 3 points away from the Champions League places in Germany. But clubs want Raya for a reason, both for his shot-stopping and for his distribution. More critically, Brentford have yet to reinforce their attack, as of writing only making Kevin Schade’s loan permanent. Schade has a lot of potential but tallied no goals and only 1 assist over 728 minutes of action in the league last year. Frank will likely lean on Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa to carry the scoring load, but Schade’s contribution (or additional reinforcements) will have a sizable impact.

Thomas Frank has adapted to the Premier League well, and, while the attack is a major question, their midfield (a major strength) has remained intact. They also have players in Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter who may rise to the occasion. Brentford sit poised for either a major step forward or, if too many fine margins go against them, a slide into the bottom half of the table.

Roberto De Zerbi earned a lot of fans with his exciting play style and instant impact on the team when he took over from Graham Potter last season. Brighton were already a well-run and well-respected outfit, but the jolt he provided saw the Italian manager bring the Seagulls to the Europa League - as well as raise his profile significantly. Of course, success comes with its own challenges, and clubs have swooped in for some of Brighton’s best players. The club has retooled and reinforced the squad and ultimately they’ve added significant depth of quality before embarking on their European challenge.

To dig deeper into the squad, as of writing they’ve lost Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sánchez with Moisés Caicedo looking closer to leaving than staying. All three of those players have contributed to their success - though Sánchez was left out in the cold last year. But, with that exodus of talent, there has been a huge influx of players coming down to the seaside. In no particular order: João Pedro; James Milner, Bart Verbruggen; Igor Julio; Mahmoud Dahoud; and a potential deal for Mohammed Kudus on the way. This new blood provides experience in midfield, new dynamics in attack, defensive reinforcements, and a keeper to fill the number 1 shirt. Striking business, but you can’t assume immediate fluency with so many additions.

If Brighton are to improve their league position, tightening their defense is the first place to start. They lost a surprising 12 matches last season, but 6 of those were only by one goal. There’s room to raise their ceiling by solidifying. But solid defense is not what attracts so many neutrals to “De Zerbi Ball” - that’s the lightning quick attacks by skilled, electric players. For a team that has added so many new faces, it’s a credit to their recruitment that perhaps the most exciting part of their roster is the group who’s already there - especially if the likes of Kaoru Mitoma, Evan Ferguson, and Julio Enciso continue their development.

No Brighton fan will want to hear this, but there’s an elephant in the camp, which is - as much as fans of football have taken notice of De Zerbi - other clubs are also following the manager closely. He appears fully committed to the club, but, with his name floating around the top five leagues of Europe, early struggles from a historically big club could translate to a new job offer.

Overall, the club has taken to success well. They’ve played the game and are bringing in quality to fill the boots of players who they’ve sold for good fees as well as adding needed depth to cope with - and hopefully thrive in - European competition. Despite bringing in James Milner, they won’t be boring - that is a certainty.

Key Arrivals:

-João Pedro: Transfer from Watford

-James Milner: Free transfer from Liverpool

-Bart Verbruggen: Transfer from Anderlecht

-Igor Julio: Transfer from Fiorentina

-Mahmoud Dahoud: Free transfer from Borussia Dortmund

-Mohammed Kudus: Potential transfer from Ajax

Key Departures:

-Alexis Mac Allister: Transfer to Liverpool

-Robert Sánchez: Transfer to Chelsea

-Moisés Caicedo: Potential transfer to Chelsea

Burnley return to the Premier League at the first opportunity - and do it with style. Under Vincent Kompany the Clarets have transformed, and, if they’re able to play the way they want, will be absolutely unrecognizable from their previous run in the top flight. Runaway dominance of the Championship is not a guarantee for Premier League success. In fact, over the past six seasons, the team that comes up as champions has been relegated in their first season the same amount as the team that comes up through the play-offs - twice each. That said, Burnley’s performance in 22/23 deserves attention.

In his first season with the club, Kompany transformed their style to something resembling Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and the results were similarly dominant. After a bit of a slow start, the Clarets went on to top the table with 101 points, while scoring 87 goals and only conceding 35. Put even more starkly, they only let in .76 goals per game while netting 1.89. They accomplished this by relying on possession and intricate build up and showed an ability to adjust as the season wore on, tightening their defense and sharpening their attack. The obvious, and therefore necessary, question to ask is if their strategy can hold up in the Premier League.

Since their relegation in 2022, there has been immense squad turnover, and that’s continued this summer. Most significantly in terms of departures, three loan players (Nathan Tella, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Ian Maatsen) have returned to their home clubs. There’s some buzz around at least Tella returning, but nothing confirmed as of yet. His 17 league goals last season will need to be replaced. Despite these concerns, Burnley have added well and generously, bringing in a new number 1 in James Trafford, attacking depth in Zeki Amdouni and Michael Obafemi, Premier League experience in Nathan Redmond, and defensive reinforcements in Jordan Beyer and Dara O’Shea - along with additional squad depth and a surprising swoop for Sander Berge from Sheffield United.

If you didn’t follow their Championship campaign closely, there are also players who contributed to their dominance who will grab attention in the top flight. Manuel Benson plays off the right wing, and the young Belgian has an absolute rocket of a left foot, which he cuts in on often. Anass Zaroury is a full Morocco international and attacks on the left. Josh Brownhill has also experienced a renaissance, and facilitates through the middle of the park as part of their revamped build-up.

All in all, how this new look Burnley scales to a bigger challenge, especially in a league where many other teams thrive on possession, will be the defining crux of their season. If it goes relatively smoothly, there’s no reason to believe they won’t survive comfortably or even push towards the top half of the table. However, if points become scarce and survival is in the balance, the compromises they’d have to make on style would change everything.

Key Arrivals:

-James Trafford: Transfer from Manchester City

-Zeki Amdouni: Transfer from FC Basel

-Jordan Beyer: Loan made permanent from Borussia Mönchengladbach

-Dara O’Shea: Transfer from West Bromwich Albion

-Michael Obafemi: Transfer from Swansea City

-Nathan Redmond: Free transfer from Beşiktaş

-Sander Berge: Transfer from Sheffield United

Key Departures:

-Ashley Barnes: Free transfer to Norwich City

-Nathan Tella, Ian Maatsen, & Taylor Harwood-Bellis: End of Loan

After a disastrous season, Chelsea look to rebuild with massive squad turnover and a highly-rated new manager in Mauricio Pochettino. The second full season of the Todd Boehly era brings more big spending, long contracts, and a bloated squad. This time, however, one can’t help but feel that more thought has gone into the offseason, as opposed to the spaghetti throwing of a year ago. Pochettino brings clear ideas and will look to build the cohesion he found in his early Tottenham teams.

Before digging into who’s in and who’s out, it’s crucial to remember just how dysfunctional Chelsea were last season. After doling out long term contract after long term contract to seemingly every available player, they bundled their way to 12th in the table behind a shocking offensive output - 38 goals in 38 games. They didn’t shine defensively by any means, but their 47 goals conceded isn’t enough to preclude a top four run on its own. Beyond their record, Chelsea was a team with no cohesion and no fluency. Pochettino has shown that he can create belief in a group of players to raise the level collectively. He has also shown that he struggles to manage when a club has dysfunction behind the scenes. The Stamford Bridge faithful will hope he’s able to focus on building a team to compete at the top end of the league.

There are too many squad changes to dig deeply into each of them, but a few arrivals and departures will set the tone for this revamped Chelsea squad. Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku highlight the forward additions. Jackson has shone in preseason and allowed Nkunku to slot in as a second striker instead of lone front man. However, a knee injury suffered in preseason on a shoddy NFL pitch means Nkunku will miss around 4 months. There are rumblings about another big name dropping in (namely Dušan Vlahović), who, supported by Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk on the wings, should be a step up from the Havertz false 9 days.

They’ve also added Axel Disasi, a progressive passing CB, and locked down Levi Colwill to a long term deal following his return from Brighton. Also in through the door is a backup keeper in Robert Sánchez and a few additional young players. The big unanswered question is if Moisés Caicedo will be the next Seagull in West London. Getting an anchoring defensive midfielder in the squad is critical, especially if they want to unlock Enzo Fernández’s potential.

These additions don’t come without many, many recognizable faces leaving the club. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovačić, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Édouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kanté, César Azpilicueta, João Félix, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and many others are off - with more players in the queue to leave. This is extreme and high-profile turnover, but the club will bank on Pochettino, armed with more training time without European commitments, to mold the club to compete now and going forward. He will need to show progress quickly, as patience hasn’t been the new owner’s strong suit.

Key Additions:

-Christopher Nkunku: Transfer from RB Leipzig

-Axel Disasi: Transfer from AS Monaco

-Nicolas Jackson: Transfer from Villarreal

-Lesley Ugochukwu: Transfer from Rennes

-Robert Sánchez: Transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion

-Ȃngelo: Transfer from Santos

-Levi Colwill: Returned after loan, signed long-term deal

Key Departures:

-Kai Havertz: Transferred to Arsenal

-Mason Mount: Transferred to Manchester United

-Mateo Kovačić: Transferred to Manchester City

-Kalidou Koulibaly: Transferred to Al-Ittihad

-Christian Pulisic & Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Transferred to AC Milan

-Édouard Mendy: Transferred to Al-Ahli

-N’Golo Kanté, César Azpilicueta, & Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang: Leave on free transfers

-João Félix & Denis Zakaria: End of loan

Hodgson returns for one last Roy-de (I’m so sorry). But, in all seriousness, the veteran manager’s appointment last season was one of the major surprises of the second half of the campaign. He reinvigorated the South London outfit and, unexpectedly, triggered an attacking renaissance at Selhurst Park. It’s no guarantee that this translates to a new season, but the club enters matchweek 1 with (relatively) few squad changes and Eberechi Eze poised for a strong campaign.

The offseason did bring a major departure in Wilfried Zaha, who is taking his talents to Turkey, and there are plenty of rumors circulating that Michael Olise may follow him out the door. Zaha has been crucial to the club for years, but you can’t help but feel it was time for this move. He will leave a big hole in the squad, but did only net 7 goals in all competitions last season. Olise’s potential transfer is more problematic for the Eagles, as a suitable replacement would need to be brought in quickly with their first match just days away. Two veteran midfielders in Luka Milivojević and James McArthur also left after their contracts expired.

The only confirmed arrivals are veteran midfielder Jefferson Lerma, who joins from Bournemouth, and Matheus França, a 19 year old attacking midfielder from Flamengo. Lerma provides experience in the middle of the park along with the occasional goal from set pieces or crashing the box. França comes with heaps of potential, but the adjustment period for a young player is always a moving target. His scoring numbers aren’t earth-shattering but he facilitates beautifully and Crystal Palace should have enough depth to allow him to ease into the pace of the Premier League.

Few expected Roy Hodgson to raise the Eagles’ levels so much so quickly, but it is not safe to assume continued success. Last season’s top scorer, Eze, taking the next step into the upper echelon of Premier League stars would certainly help. He has the power to take over matches, breaking through defenses and scoring from minimal chances.

Palace ended up in 11th place in 2022/23 behind a great run at the tail end of the season. It’s tempting to trust Hodgson with the club, assuming he’ll give them a decent foundation and lead them to comfortable survival somewhere between 11th and 15th. There’s every possibility that he’ll do this, but at the same time the club has opened itself up to the risk of stagnating.

Key Arrivals:

-Jefferson Lerma: Free transfer from AFC Bournemouth

-Matheus França: Transfer from Flamengo

Key Departures:

-Wilfried Zaha: Free transfer to Galatasaray

-Luka Milivojević: Contract Expired

-James McArthur: Retired

Sean Dyche takes charge of the Toffees for his first full season with the club. The club has been in crisis for the past few seasons, narrowly avoiding relegation twice in a row now. Dyche brings a steady hand and a deep well of experience navigating unfavored sides in the Premier League. He seems a great fit for the challenge ahead, but the extent of that challenge is perhaps deeper than ever. There have been very few incomings and that isn’t likely to change, with financial pressures making additional outgoings more likely. Survival in the top flight is the goal - anything more than that is a bonus.

To look at Everton optimistically, a new season is a clean slate - and a full preseason under Dyche should add to his squad’s understanding of what he wants out of them. He’s also experienced working with a smaller squad, so these departures and lack of reinforcements might not be quite the disadvantage it seems. Also they’re not completely without new faces, with Arnaut Danjuma, Ashley Young, and Youssef Chermiti in the door. That, plus Dominic Calvert-Lewin played in their last preseason match, and getting him back to his best could be a stepping stone to comfortable survival.

To look at the club pessimistically, they’ve lost two senior defenders in Conor Coady and Yerry Mina (who admittedly only appeared 7 times in the league) and as of writing this have not added a center back. The only calvary coming to help them defensively is Jarrad Branthwaite, coming off a successful loan move to PSV Eindhoven. Ashley Young provides experience, but isn’t likely to change their defense drastically. However, their rear guard wasn’t even the main issue for them - scoring was. With only 34 netted in the league last season, the club needs to find reliable goals. Calvert-Lewin could have a renaissance, or Danjuma and Chermiti could contribute above expectations. But Chermiti is only 19 and pretty unproven, Demarai Gray looks to be on his way out, and Dwight McNeil is injured. It looks like goals will be hard to come by again, which just adds to the pressure on the Merseyside club.

This isn’t meant to be a premature eulogy for the Toffees. Dyche has the experience necessary to lead this club to safety or even further. But that should not diminish the rickety foundation on which they start the new campaign. Avoiding further injuries, getting a surprise tune out of Calvert-Lewin or one of the players returning from loan, simply being really difficult to play against - these will be the keys to Everton’s potential success.

Key Arrivals:

-Arnaut Danjuma: On loan from Villarreal

-Ashley Young: Free transfer from Aston Villa

-Youssef Chermiti: Transfer from Sporting CP

-Jarrad Branthwaite: End of loan

Key Departures:

-Ellis Simms: Transfer to Coventry

-Conor Coady: End of loan

-Yerry Mina, Tom Davies, Andros Townsend, Asmir Begović: End of contracts/free transfers

Fulham were a bit of a surprise last season. Bucking their recent trends of bouncing between the divisions, Marco Silva led the Cottagers to 10th. They played exciting football, scoring goals and conceding in almost equal measure. Silva has given the club a vote of confidence by rebuffing approaches to take him away from West London. Avoiding a second season slump in the top flight will be key to ensuring that the Portuguese manager doesn’t regret his decision.

Squad turnover is far from the most extreme in the league, but Fulham fans may be worried that much of it is happening in their attack. Their top scorer Aleksandar Mitrović is agitating for a move and last season, despite an 8 match suspension, he scored 10 more goals in all competitions than their next best group of players - one of whom, Manor Solomon, was a loanee who’s now joined Spurs. They brought back Willian, who contributed 5 goals, though he is also subject to transfer speculation and will be 35 at the start of the campaign. Also still on the books are Carlos Vinicius, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, and Andreas Pereira who have contributed in the past. But, it’s a new signing that will be asked to step in for their departures - and Raúl Jiménez has not been able to return to his best since his horrific head injury.

There have been some departures in defense with Joe Bryan, Cédric Soares, and Shane Duffy either leaving on frees or not extending their loan move. But, by bringing in Calvin Bassey and extending Antonee Robinson, Fulham look to have covered their losses. But, still, clubs are circling for more of their defensive players, with Tosin Adarabioyo and João Palhinha coveted.

Ultimately, Fulham stayed up very comfortably last season, ending on 52 points. The 40 point threshold equaling safety is a bit of an urban legend, but using it as a benchmark the Cottagers have a 12 point buffer if they’re going to remain a top flight club. Is this squad 12 points worse than last season? That depends on the last few weeks of the transfer window. Have the clubs below them strengthened to a degree that they should feel automatically on the back foot? By and large no. But relying on that would be asking for a rude awakening.

Under Silva, Fulham have a manager dedicated to the club and who has shown he can get the best out of this core both in the Premier League and the Championship. The challenge this season may be greater than last year, but fans of the club shouldn’t feel as anxious as some others about their chances.

Key Arrivals:

-Calvin Bassey: Transfer from Ajax

-Raúl Jiménez: Transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers

Key Departures:

-Manor Solomon & Cédric Soares: End of loan

-Joe Bryan, Shane Duffy, & Neeskens Kebano: Free transfers

-Potential for Willian, Aleksandar Mitrović, Tosin Adarabioyo, and João Palhinha to leave

Last year was a season to forget for the Merseyside club. The Reds started slow and always regressed after seeming to turn corners, before a good run to end the season saw them end up in 5th place. It’s far from where Jürgen Klopp and the players wanted to be, but some tactical switches worked and, if preseason matches are any indication, the club looks to be building off those adjustments. Every fan and pundit diagnosed the problem as a rapidly deteriorating midfield in dire need of fresh legs. The club, to date, has brought in said fresh legs, but also said goodbye to a raft of veteran players.

It’s safe to say that the midfield was a mess last season, and it had downstream effects on both the attack and the defense. At the front end of the pitch they went from scoring 94 goals in 21/22 to 75, and at the back they conceded 47 after only letting in 26 the year prior. As a whole they lacked fluency and a raft of injuries compounded the difficulties.

What should the Reds do to bounce back? Have they done it? There has definitely been a revolution in the midfield, with the Kop bidding adieu to James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of their contracts - only to be followed by Jordan Henderson and Fabinho when offers came in from Saudi Arabia. To a degree, those losses aren’t as extreme as they seem, with Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain playing few minutes and Milner used most often as a solidifying substitute. But there’s no getting around the fact that 5 senior midfielders are out the door and only two, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, are in so far. The club will hope that Curtis Jones is more available after his good run at the end of last season, and Harvery Elliott, Stefan Bajčetić each have a year more experience. But one can’t help but feel the club feels light in the middle of the park.

The defense was not blameless in their big step back last campaign and no new faces have come in, despite rumblings of an interest in bringing in a left sided center back. The attack, however, looks as strong as ever, and it seems a sure thing that this team will score quite a few goals for Klopp. Whatever the midfield additions lack in defensive expertise, the two new boys do bring a desire to knit the middle of the park to the potent attack - which looks deeper than ever with Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota fit, Cody Gakpo fully settled, and Darwin Núñez a year more mature. That’s not even including young Ben Doak, whose appearances in preseason seem to be suggesting a spot in the rotation if Mohamed Salah needs a rest. There’s no one quite like Roberto Firmino, but the club seems to have prepared for his departure, unlike other areas of the pitch.

There are reasons to approach the season with optimism if you’re a Liverpool fan. The club should be dangerous in attack, they have added some new faces, and the Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté partnership seems settled to start the year. Trent Alexander-Arnold has found an effective position roaming into the middle of the park, and you can cross your fingers and hope that injuries won’t hit as hard. But it just feels as though, without any additions, they’re incomplete. Klopp is one of the very best, and last year may be something the players can easily shake off. But the teams around them are improving, and the top four is increasingly open with a slew of well managed, well funded clubs knocking on the door. Liverpool need to show quickly that they belong back there.

Key Arrivals:

-Alexis Mac Allister: Transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion

-Dominik Szoboszlai: Transfer from RB Leipzig

Key Departures:

-Jordan Henderson: Transfer to Al-Ettifaq

-Fabinho: Transfer to Al-Ittihad

-Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita, & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Contracts expired

The Hatters are Premier League! As has been mentioned in nearly every piece about them, they’re the first team to reach the current top flight from non-league football - though they were part of the Football League First Division who voted to start the Premier League only to be relegated before its first campaign. Manager Rob Edwards took over from Nathan Jones, and brought the club up through the playoffs. It’s tempting to keep expectations low, but - along with all the justifiable concerns - there are some reasons to think Luton Town may surprise us.

Under Edwards, they play a style of football that should scale well to the level of the top flight. They don’t rely on possession, and they look to score in transition. The club won’t have to drastically change its tactics at top level, which sometimes hampers promoted sides. Also, they’ll try to make Kenilworth Road a fortress and build a strong base of points there - a strategy that paid off for Nottingham Forest last season. Despite the mandated improvements the ground is undergoing to be considered fit for Premier League purpose, the stadium will offer a different look to visiting players and clubs.

Clearly, however, the Hatters face an uphill battle to survive for a second season. They are massively outmatched budgetarily, and - while they’ve brought in new faces - the players they’ve signed are mostly from the Championship. Marvelous Nakamba makes his loan permanent after being a key cog in promotion, Tahith Chong joins from Birmingham and can play across the forward line, and Thomas Kaminski comes in having kept 10 clean sheets in 28 league appearances for Blackburn last season. There’s also Ryan Giles, who joins from Wolves after playing nearly every match in the Championship for a good Middlesbrough side, among a few others - most notably Ross Barkley, who returns to the Premier League after a spell in Nice.

They haven’t been wildly depleted, of players who featured regularly only Sonny Bradley and Ethan Horvath have left. Bradley featured just 19 times and Ethan Horvath was a loanee whose position is covered by Kaminski’s signing.

If Luton are to be a surprise package, they will need to be greater than the sum of their parts and build a collective understanding and atmosphere around themselves. In short, they need to be hard to beat. Some key individuals to watch include their top scorer, Carlton Morris, who will need to find goals in the top division, and the aforementioned Nakamba, who will be responsible for being a screen in defensive midfield to avoid the backline getting overrun.

Rob Edwards has a team ready to play a style that can survive against more established sides. But it will be a David vs Goliath match up more often than not, and it’s difficult to know how sustainable that is.

Key Arrivals:

-Marvelous Nakamba: Loan made permanent from Aston Villa

-Tahith Chong: Transfer from Birmingham

-Ryan Giles: Transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers

-Thomas Kaminski: Transfer from Blackburn Rovers

-Mads Andersen: Transfer from Barnsley

-Chiedozie Ogbene: Free transfer from Rotherham

-Ross Barkley: Free agent signing, last played for Nice

Key Departures:

-Sonny Bradley: Free transfer to Derby County

-Ethan Horvath: End of loan

Last season’s treble winners - and champions of the last three Premier League campaigns - go again. The club who has dominated English football finally took the final step forward in the continental game, capturing their first Champions League in June. Though, for all their success, are there any reasons to think that this season may be a step backward?

Going in their favor, they have an outstanding squad of players and they are still led by Pep Guardiola. His obsessive approach to on-pitch greatness could allay any fears that the squad may lack motivation after so much sustained success. New players have come in, with Mateo Kovačić joining in the center of the park and his highly touted countryman, Joško Gvardiol, adding depth of frightening quality to the back line. The manager has also publicly indicated that the Sky Blues aren’t done in adding to their already top of the line squad.

Then why is there any reason to worry? Or, put another way, should supporters of other clubs have any reason to hope that Man City won’t run away with another title? A possible worry for anyone on the blue side of Manchester is, while the additions they’ve brought in are high quality, they may not actively improve the team. Mateo Kovačić is a very solid addition in the midfield, but he is filling the boots of Ilkay Gündoǧan - who departs on a free to Barcelona. The German was immense for Pep’s City last campaign and added key goals down the stretch. Kovačić is a very good player, but he doesn’t bring the exact same impact to the middle of the park and has had injury concerns in the past. It’s a minimal downgrade, but it’s rare to see City taking any steps back.

Then there’s Gvardiol. He is massively talented, very young, and already coveted across Europe. Seems like a no brainer to bring him on, right? Short answer is yes, but the question gets murkier when you work out where he plays and who he replaces. He’s a left sided defender, but Nathan Aké just signed a big contract extension and the club has further defensive depth in Aymeric Laporte, Rúben Dias, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji. His position wasn’t a great need for City, so could it be a risk to splash nearly 80m pounds on a player in that area of the pitch - especially considering Riyad Mahrez’s departure leaves the club down an attacker.

To put it bluntly, you’d be incredibly foolish to write off City, but this is the first season in a long time where it’s not a certainty that the squad has improved. Add to the above squad concerns -and the potential for a tiny drop in motivation - that City may not yet be done selling, and there’s a case for arguing they’ll finish with a lower points total than in the past few years. That doesn’t mean anyone can catch them, though, and Pep has shown ruthless efficiency in pursuing continuous improvement. That they still have Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and heaps more world class players certainly doesn’t hurt their cause.

Key Arrivals:

-Joško Gvardiol: Transfer from RB Leipzig

-Mateo Kovačić: Transfer from Chelsea

-Lucas Paquetá: Rumored transfer from West Ham

Key Departures:

-Riyad Mahrez: Transfer to Al-Ahli

-Ilkay Gündoǧan: Free transfer to Barcelona

Erik ten Hag begins his second season in charge of the Manchester outfit. While his first campaign had a few dips, it was overall a success, returning the Red Devils to the Champions League and turning around an end of season malaise to finish 3rd in the table. Behind aggressive spending that directly targets last season’s weaknesses, the Dutch manager will look to smooth out their rough patches and take a serious swing at the title.

Much has been made about how David de Gea held back Manchester United’s ability to build from the back. He’s been a great player for the club, winning player of year four times, but his lack of comfort in distribution and the slow erosion of his elite shot stopping means there’s a clear opportunity to upgrade the position following his departure. Enter André Onana. The Red Devils’ new keeper joins from Inter Milan and brings distribution in spades. There are some suggestions that his shot stopping might be a slight downgrade, but, if he can bring fluidity to the club’s build up, that risk is worth it. Manchester United were not awful defensively last campaign, but did let in 43 goals, and occasionally conceded in bunches. But the back of the park wasn’t their achilles heel - that was their lack of ruthlessness up front.

United only scored 58 goals and screamed out for a consistent striker. Anthony Martial only appeared in 21 matches, Marcus Rashford is more effective on the left, and Wout Weghorst ended up functioning more as a number 10 than a target man. The club has spent big money to bring in Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta, and some have criticized them for overspending on a player that’s more potential than proven. He’s a buy for the future, and they’ll also hope that the young Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho can continue his ascendancy. Their addition of Mason Mount from Chelsea could also help in this department - at his best he knits together the midfield and forward line.

Outside of de Gea and the end of loan departures of Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer, they’ve kept their core together. More sales are possible, but the rumors - Scott McTominay, Fred, Harry Maguire - are names that either have been pushed to the side or who they already have preferred options for in the squad. An additional defensive midfielder would not be out of order, especially if one or both of McTominay and Fred leave.

If last season was one of transition, the new campaign will need to be where Erik ten Hag proves his vision for the club is the right one and that there’s a clear path forward. By improving their clinicality in front of goal, they’ll take a massive leap towards success. It may be a season early for a title challenge, but it would be a gigantic failure if this club with its investment isn’t comfortably in the top four.

Key Arrivals:

-Rasmus Højlund: Transfer from Atalanta

-Mason Mount: Transfer from Chelsea

-André Onana: Transfer from Inter Milan

Key Departures:

-Anthony Elanga: Transfer to Nottingham Forest

-David de Gea: Contract expired

-Wout Weghorst & Marcel Sabitzer: End of loan

-Harry Maguire, Fred, & Scott McTominay: Rumored to be on the way out

When Newcastle United were bought in late 2021, it was widely expected that they use the new investment to push to disrupt and break into the established top four. However, few would have expected the turn around to be so quick. In Eddie Howe’s first full season with the club, he led them to fourth in the table and a spot in the Champions League. They were cohesive as a team, with the splashy new signings combining well with the longer tenured Magpies. They’ve reinforced with more cash, but do they have enough depth to mount a full-fledged attempt at progressing in Europe while maintaining their levels in the league?

What did they do to jump up the table so quickly? Obviously they are extremely well funded, and that will color neutrals’ views on them. But, Eddie Howe deserves immense credit for how he organized the team. They were horrendously difficult to beat, only losing 5 times - joint lowest with Manchester City. And, with only 33, they also conceded the joint fewest goals. Add to that a very respectable return of goals themselves (68), and it’s easy to see how this team flourished. They ran away with many matches or, at the very least, kept themselves in them. They did draw 14 matches, which was tied with Brentford for most in the league. Turn a few of those draws to wins, and the top two is in their sights. Lose a few of those, and the club risks sliding down the table.

Even though Financial Fair Play was said to limit their spending ambitions this offseason, Newcastle have brought in some new faces. To load up for the next campaign, Newcastle have signed midfielder Sandro Tonali, left winger Harvey Barnes, and full back Tino Livramento. All three of the players are high quality and for the most part fill needs in their squad. Sandro Tonali comes in for 55m pounds, which caused some speculation that the Tyneside club had overpaid. He is an upgrade over Sean Longstaff and has experience in the Champions League and winning Serie A, so at the very least he raises the level of their starting eleven.

Harvey Barnes from relegated Leicester is a more like for like swap for Allan Saint-Maximin, who departs for fellow PIF-owned club, Al-Ahli. He fills the spot on the left wing, and, while he cannot hold a candle to Saint-Maximin in one on one play, his overall skill set fits better with the team, and he’s a master of the give and go pass.

Livramento is more likely than not a buy for the future. He can play on as a left sided full back, which is a place on the pitch that could use reinforcement, but his natural position is on the right where Kieran Trippier is clear first choice. He’ll cover for Trippier and maybe start a fair few matches on the left.

These are all sensible, quality additions. However, the squad is still thin for a team hoping for Champions League and Premier League success. A deep run in a cup or in Europe could stretch the squad and injuries are a higher risk for the Magpies than other clubs. Eddie Howe is a tremendous manager, but he’s never quite been at the helm in a situation like this. How the squad is able to cope with next level demands will be the defining question of the season.

Key Arrivals:

-Sandro Tonali: Transfer from AC Milan

-Harvey Barnes: Transfer from Leicester City

-Tino Livramento: Transfer from Southampton

Key Departures:

-Allan Saint-Maximin: Transfer to Al-Ahli

-Chris Wood: Loan made permanent at Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest bucked expectations under Steve Cooper and survived to earn a second season in the Premier League. Despite several tense moments where his position was openly questioned, Cooper held steady on the reins and guided the club to 16th, four points above the first relegation spot. He did this by organizing an absolute flood of new signings into a team that won enough matches at their home ground to maintain their status. In this second season, however, new arrivals are limited and outgoings may be mandatory.

Even with so many new faces last campaign, the lack of quality reinforcements puts the club on the back foot from the first match. This is their own doing, so it’s hard to feel too bad for the club as this tracks to them not making promised payments to players and agents.

They had an awful goal difference last season at -30 and so far they’ve only added Ola Aina to the defense and brought in Matt Turner to replace Keylor Navas between the posts. Turner is not a bad signing, and he’s shown enough quality to be the number 1 keeper for the US national team. But he is unproven in a top European League, and Ola Aina is a right back, where the club already has depth. Add to this that Harry Toffolo, one of their few left backs, is looking likely to face a long ban for betting breaches, and the situation looks a bit murky.

There is a bright spot in Anthony Elanga, the young Swedish attacker joining from Manchester United. He had a breakout year a few seasons ago, but has been moved on from Old Trafford. He has great pace from either wing and is unafraid to try a trick or shot. He would be a wonderful addition to a front line with Taiwo Awoniyi and Brennan Johnson - but it’s looking odds on that Johnson, a crucial piece of their survival last season, may be off, with both Brentford and Tottenham interested. Threading the needle on their financial constraints while not completely handcuffing the club and the manager will be very difficult. They’ve also made Chris Wood’s loan permanent from Newcastle, which provides a veteran presence, though how much he can contribute is no sure thing.

The club is not completely in crisis, despite the above concerns. The squad has mostly been kept together, Steve Cooper is still in charge, and the City Ground is still the City Ground. The challenge is clear, and fans likely would have wanted to feel more confident in the team entering their second season in the top flight after more than 20 years out. That said, there are enough other clubs with question marks surrounding them that Forest will have a fighting chance to extend their stay at the pinnacle of English Football.

Key Arrivals:

-Anthony Elanga: Transfer from Manchester United

-Matt Turner: Transfer from Arsenal

-Ola Aina: Free transfer from Torino

Key Departures:

-Sam Surridge: Transfer to Nashville

-Jack Colback, Cafú, Jesse Lingard, & André Ayew: Contracts expired

-Keylor Navas & Renan Lodi: End of loan

The Blades return to the Premier League after two seasons in the Championship. Last season they finished comfortably in the second automatic promotion place under the leadership of Paul Heckingbottom. However, the party atmosphere that you might expect to be buzzing through Yorkshire has been severely dampened by their dire financial outlook and the sale of several key players.

Sheffield United were relegated at the end of the behind closed doors 2020-21 season and needed only two bites of the apple to find themselves back in the top flight. That’s well within the timeframe where relegated clubs still receive parachute payments, but their situation has taken a turn for the worse. Due to defaulted payments to Liverpool for the transfer of Rhian Brewster, the club was placed under a transfer embargo in January. While that has since lifted, they’ve had continuing issues in honoring clauses in players’ contracts for promotion bonuses and they’ve been forced to sell players that should be center pieces in a fight to remain in the top flight. There are talks of new ownership coming in and hopefully digging the club out of financial trouble, but, with that not sorted before the start of the new season, they look dangerously close to stagnating before even playing their first match.

Iliman Ndiaye leaves for Marseille, a hugely important player for them last campaign. Sander Berge also looks set to depart Bramall Lane - and for a direct rival to their survival in Burnley. Those are on top of the departures of Enda Stevens, Jack O’Connell, and their now retired talisman, Billy Sharp. New faces have come in, but with questionable experience. Auston Trusty joins from Arsenal, but the American has no Premier League experience. Similarly, former Liverpool youngster Yasser Larouci joins on loan from Troyes, who were relegated from Ligue 1. Bénie Traoré and Anis Ben Slimane from the Swedish and Danish leagues respectively round out their business so far.

This all seems to bode poorly for the Blades. If there are bright spots to focus on, it’s that they have retained a fair few players from their last stay in the Premier League. OIi McBurnie, Chris Basham, John Egan, and Oliver Norwood - among others - are all back. Also their success in the Championship was based on a 3-5-2 that thrived on creating turnovers. Some of their matches became quite end to end, but, if their focus is on solidifying the defense and picking off goals with counters, crosses, and set pieces, their tactics from last season should be able to flex to the higher quality of opposition.

It’s hard to sugarcoat Sheffield United’s prospects. They look unprepared for a successful season in the top flight, and that looks unlikely to change soon enough to make a difference for them.

Key Arrivals:

-Auston Trusty: Transfer from Arsenal

-Bénie Traoré: Transfer from Häcken

-Anis Ben Slimane: Transfer from Bröndby IF

-Yasser Larouci: Loan from Troyes

Key Departures:

-Iliman Ndiaye: Transfer to Marseille

-Enda Stevens, Jack O’Connell, Billy Sharp, Kyron Gordon: Contracts expired

Tottenham bring a new manager and one of the season’s biggest remaining unanswered questions to the first weekend of the campaign. Ange Postecoglou makes the journey south from Glasgow to North London, armed with a fresh approach after the Mourinho, Espírito Santo, and Conte years. He promises to bring an aggressive pressing, quick passing attack, building deliberately from the back and keeping a high line in defense. Postecoglou has had success at every job he’s taken, but the Premier League is the most difficult place he’s worked. Oh yeah, and Spurs may sell Harry Kane in the next few days.

The Spurs haven’t been shy about adding to their team, and they’ll need to change course after a dreadful run in which saw them fall to 8th and miss out on European football. Before addressing Kane, let’s look at who is through the door. James Maddison joins from relegated Leicester, and he brings a wealth of experience with him to go along with goal scoring from attacking midfield. Pedro Porro has signed permanently after a loan - as has Dejan Kulusevski. They both are well suited to the new system under Postecoglou. Micky van de Ven comes in on the left side of defense. He’s an attack minded defender and can play in the left center back or left back role. Tottenham’s defense was woeful last campaign, conceding more than everyone except Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, and the relegated teams. It’s a bit unclear if van de Ven solves this. Guglielmo Vicario joins from Empoli to replace club captain Hugo Lloris, who looks nearly certain to depart. Vicario had 7 clean sheets in 31 league appearances in Italy last season, but is relatively young for a keeper at 26 and has room for improvement. Additionally they’ve reinforced their attack with Manor Solomon, who burned very bright for Fulham last season, and a 19 year old forward from Argentina named Alejo Véliz who has a mean right foot and good size. A host of players have returned from loan as well and may get a chance in the new system.

But, as has been the case for many years at Spurs, it all comes down to Harry Kane. Bayern Munich have approached the North London outfit and, according to reports, tabled multiple offers. The discussions have hit the ultimatum point and it’s possible that an answer will come just after this article is published. Harry Kane has been a talismanic, nearly mythical figure for Spurs, and the end of the Kane era - if he leaves - feels seismic. However, and not everyone will feel this way, there are a few very good reasons to sell the England captain. Firstly, he’s nearly guaranteed to leave for free after this season, and a large return (80-100m pounds has been reported) for a player you’d otherwise lose for nothing is very tempting.

There’s also the small matter of him not necessarily fitting Postecoglou’s system as well as other options, namely Richarlison. Breakdowns of his performances in preseason has suggested that the Brazilian is a better fit, but then - for balance - it must be mentioned that Kane netted four goals in one of those matches. That’s the trade-off: surefire brilliance versus cool-headed pragmatism. It remains to be seen, but, especially with Spurs out of Europe and what Tottenham will hope to be a new era of steady Australian leadership, maybe it’s time to say goodbye.

Either way, Spurs look to be better placed than last season (or rather the end of last season) to have a serious go at top four. There may be some growing pains in a new system, but there has been support and clear direction.

Key Arrivals:

-James Maddison: Transfer from Leicester

-Pedro Porro & Dejan Kulusevski: Loans made permanent

-Micky van de Ven: Transfer from Wolfsburg

-Guglielmo Vicario: Transfer from Empoli

-Alejo Véliz: Transfer from Rosario Central

-Manor Solomon: Free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk

Key Departures:

-Lucas Moura: Free transfer to São Paulo

-Arnaut Danjuma & Clément Lenglet: End of loan

West Ham United, Champions of Europe. It may have been the third most prestigious of the continental competitions, but winning the Conference league likely saved David Moyes’ job. The Hammers underperformed in the league and will need to change that pattern this season if the Scot is to stay in East London. The challenge will be the same as West Ham is back in Europe for the third year running, this time competing in the Europa League.

The squad is far from fully formed. As of writing no new players have been confirmed, however they are strongly linked with Edson Álvarez of Ajax to bolster their midfield in the wake of Declan Rice’s expected departure for big money. They are also rumored to be shopping around clubs in England, with James Ward-Prowse of Southampton and the Manchester United duo of Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay heavily linked. It’s far from ideal to enter the beginning of a season with so much business left to do, and this isn’t optional for the Hammers. After also selling Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta, they enter the first matchweek with 21 first team players and very little attacking depth (also you may notice that none of the linked players are attackers). Obviously they will remedy this, but you are taking a risk when Danny Ings and Michail Antonio are your only senior center forwards, and whatever players they bring in will still need to adjust to a new club.

Aside from the current lightness of their squad, the underlying issues with the club might not be as severe as last year’s 14th place finish suggests. They only logged 40 points and lost 20 matches, but still managed to end up with a -13 goal difference. Nottingham Forest lost 2 fewer games but had a more than double GD with -30. If West Ham can turn those narrow losses into draws and add to their previous total of 11 wins, they will be safe without much stress. Though, that is a big if considering the loss of their star man, Rice. They will need to cover his loss with the new arrivals to maintain their previous defensive levels. Edson Álvarez has joined up from Ajax, and more pragmatic signings appear to be lined up.

In the attack Jarrod Bowen, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio, and Saïd Benrahma have each separately shown they have what it takes to start week in week out. Each of them contributing to their potential will be key if West Ham want to avoid a dreary season.

David Moyes will need to show stability and improvement in the early weeks of the season. A few poor results, and it’s possible he becomes one of the first managers under pressure.

Key Arrivals:

-Edson Álvarez: Transfer from Ajax

Key Departures:

-Declan Rice: Transfer to Arsenal

-Gianluca Scamacca: Transfer to Atalanta

-Manuel Lanzini: Free transfer to River Plate

Well… this preview looked a bit different before this past Tuesday. This summer saw very few transfers come through the doors, and Julen Lopetegui made it clear he was disappointed. That disappointment escalated to the point of no return, and the club has announced that the former Sevilla, Real Madrid, and Spain manager has parted ways with the club, with Gary O’Neil tapped to replace him.

Lopetegui was the driving force behind Wolves’ turnaround last season. 9 of their 11 wins came under his leadership, as did half of their draws (just over 75% of their total points). He secured safety for the club, and there was excitement going into the summer to see just how well he could do with a clean slate. Then, however, players started leaving. Rúben Neves departed for Saudi Arabia. Nathan Collins and Raúl Jiménez were sold to West London clubs. Add to that a slew of loans, depth being sold off, and Adama Traoré, Diego Costa, and João Moutinho’s contracts expiring, and you can begin to see the Spanish manager’s concerns.

When they parted company, only Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traoré had been bought (loans made permanent), with free agent additions Matt Doherty and Tom King also joining. The players returning to Molineux from loan spells of their own are unlikely to have a huge impact on the first team with possibly two exceptions. Fábio Silva, who arrived for huge money a few years ago without much return, found his shooting boots a bit on loan and will likely be looked to for a solid return of goals. Gonçalo Guedes also returns from Benfica, but it remains to be seen if he’s considered a long term option.

Enter Gary O’Neili. He seems a perfectly sensible choice, having led Bournemouth to safety when few assumed that was possible. But he would bring a survivalist mentality to a club whose fans would have ended last campaign looking up the table rather than bracing themselves for another relegation battle. He inherits a squad with talent but bereft of goals. Cunha, Pedro Neto, Silva, and Daniel Podence will need to start rifling home chances early or else this season could easily begin to creep away from them.

Despite all the challenges outlined above, Wolves do have a solid group of experienced Premier League players - just not as many as they’re used to having. If O’Neil can hit on the right balance of attack and defense, mid table is possible for this squad. The risk is that uncertainty erodes cohesion. Players will feel let down and may begin questioning the project. It’s imperative that they’re able to regain focus quickly if this season isn’t to be a struggle.

Key Arrivals:

-Matheus Cunha & Boubacar Traoré: Loans made permanent

-Matt Doherty: Free transfer from Atlético Madrid

-Fábio Silva & Gonçalo Guedes: Returned from loan

Key Departures:

-Rúben Neves: Transfer to Al-Hilal

-Nathan Collins: Transfer to Brentford

-Raúl Jiménez: Transfer to Fulham

-Adama Traoré, Diego Costa, & João Moutinho: Contracts expired