Premier League Preview

With the 2024-25 Premier League season just beginning, there are many questions on our minds. Will Manchester City be able to retain the trophy and complete a historic five-peat? What can we expect in the race for European qualification? What about the relegation battle? What surprise teams should we look out for? Here, you will find The Spectator’s predictions to all your unanswered questions. 

Title Winners: Manchester City

For the last two seasons, Manchester City and Arsenal have both heavily contested the title, with Manchester City coming out on top by two points last season and five points the season before. We expect a similar fate to follow, despite Arsenal’s summer signings including left-back Riccardo Calafiori and midfielder Mikel Merino. Although these two signings will definitely help Arsenal’s title push, it remains to be seen if Arsenal’s front line of Martinelli-Havertz-Saka can match the strong offense of Manchester City. With last season’s Premier League player of the season and star winger Phil Foden, back-to-back Premier League top scorer and striker Erling Haaland, and a post-injury Kevin De Bruyne in the midfield, City’s attack looks stronger than ever. The Cityzens have simply been too strong for any team to compete with them for the title in the last four seasons, and with midfielder İlkay Gündoğan making his return to the Etihad after just one season in Barcelona, and left-winger Savío Moreira de Oliveira coming to aid the defense of the title, it is certainly City’s to win.

However, we expect it to be a very close title race between the two teams, and are definitely not disregarding the threat Arsenal pose to City’s title defense. The Gunners’ improvement over the last two years has been remarkable, and with a star-studded squad including the likes of England’s star winger Bukayo Saka, captain and attacking midfielder Martin Ødegaard, defensive midfielder Declan Rice, and the formidable center-back partnership of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba, Mikel Arteta’s men look set for another season right at the top of the division.

Champions League: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United

With Manchester City and Arsenal taking the top two spots, we predict Liverpool and Manchester United to complete the top four. Liverpool, despite the departure of legendary manager Jürgen Klopp, appear to have picked up right where they left off with new manager Arne Slot. Leading an impressive pre-season with wins over the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as convincingly defeating Ipswich Town on the opening day, it looks to be a promising season for the Reds. Although there are a few question marks over Liverpool’s lack of transfer activity over the summer, several players in the squad have stepped up, while stars such as right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, right-winger Mohamed Salah, and center back Virgil Van Dijk look as strong as ever.

Meanwhile, we expect Manchester United to round off the top four and return to the Champions League next season. After a very disappointing season in the Premier League finishing eighth, a shock FA Cup victory over derby rivals Manchester City has inspired some optimism for the upcoming season. Furthermore, an active summer window with marquee signings including forward Joshua Zirkzee, center-back Matthijs De Ligt, defender Noussair Mazraoui, and center-back Leny Yoro have certainly bolstered the squad. Although they did have a very underwhelming season in the league last year, a major factor in that was injuries as they experienced the most injuries out of any team (45). We predict that this season, if they aren’t as unfortunate, they will be able to bounce back and return to the top four.

Europa League: Aston Villa and Chelsea

Last season, Aston Villa were one of the biggest soccer underdog stories in the world, and managed to secure Champions League soccer for the first time in over 30 years. They have also had a strong transfer window, with marquee signing of Amadou Onana looking to be a fantastic replacement for midfielder Douglas Luiz, who made the switch to Italy to join Italian giants Juventus. They have also started the season off well, picking up a hard-fought three points against a resurgent West Ham. Although they will have to manage a plethora of games against world-class squads in both the Champions League and Premier League, the talent the squad possesses, as well as their brilliant manager Unai Emery makes them a strong contender for European places.

Chelsea will occupy the last Europa League place, beating out Spurs and Newcastle to it. While the club has come under incredible amounts of scrutiny and criticism following a very disappointing last two years for the club, the talent in the squad is undeniable. Don’t expect them to click immediately, as they are still settling in with new manager Enzo Maresca—who is also undertaking his first managerial job—and have a squad size far exceeding the size of an optimal one (43!). However, once the squad manages to gel and the chaos surrounding the club begins to slow down, the Blues are more than capable of qualifying for the Europa League.

Relegation: Southampton, Ipswich, and Leicester

Predicting all three promoted teams to go straight back down? How boring, right? Unfortunately, it appears that the gap between the Premier League and Championship is growing larger and larger every season, so much so that last season, all three promoted teams did face relegation. It appears that the huge financial gap between the two divisions makes it very difficult for newly promoted teams to strengthen their squads adequately and compete with already established Premiership teams. We predict the same trend to continue, especially considering the fact that all three teams have yet to invest in splash signings or squad depth in order to ensure survival. 

Surprise Package: West Ham

A lot of change has occurred at West Ham as manager David Moyes has been replaced by head coach Julan Lopetegui. The club have also been extremely active during the summer window, with key signings such as winger Crysencio Summerville, striker Niclas Füllkrug, center-back Jean Clair Tobido, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, center-back Max Kilman, and more. This strong transfer window, combined with the talent already at the club including the likes of England international and forward Jarrod Bowen, Brazilian international and winger Lucas Paquetá, and more could make West Ham a side to look out for this season, and allow the club to possibly have a strong run in one of the cup competitions.

Golden Boot: Erling Haaland

Most obvious outcome ever, next.

Player of the Season: Rodri

If Manchester City are to complete a five-peat of the Premier League, defensive midfielder Rodrigo Hernández Cascante—known as Rodri—will certainly play an instrumental role in that. The star midfielder recently won the Euros while being selected as the player of the tournament, and has been a mainstay in the Manchester City team for the last 3 years, even receiving Ballon d’Or shouts this year. His role for Manchester City in a potential five-peat could be impactful enough to land him the player of the season accolade. 

The Spectator’s full predicted league table:

1. Manchester City
2. Arsenal
3. Liverpool
4. Manchester United
5. Aston Villa
6. Chelsea
7. Spurs
8. West Ham
9. Newcastle
10. Crystal Palace
11. Bournemouth
12. Brighton
13. Fulham
14. Wolves
15. Brentford
16. Nottingham Forest
17. Everton
18. Ipswich
19. Leicester
20. Southampton