Who will win the Premier League this season?

Who will be crowned Champions and who will be faced with the dreaded drop?

The 2021/22 football season has well and truly kicked off; we’ve seen transfers galore with Messi changing allegiances to Paris Saint-Germain whilst Kylian Mbappe was linked to Real Madrid in a deal that could have been worth close to €200 million; the Premier League has also been thrown into shock by the whirl wind that was Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Manchester dramatically changing from City to United. With most Premier League clubs making big money moves, the competition for places has never been greater. Welcome to how I see this Premier League season turning out.

Chelsea signing Romelu Lukaku has made the London side the most complete team in the league. Since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival in late January, his implementation of the 3-4-2-1 has made the Champions League winners extremely hard to break down and has revitalised some of the first team players that saw themselves edge towards the fringes of the squad and helped them to rediscover their form and realise their potential. Chelsea’s strength in depth will only carry them on to bigger and better things with the German manager having world class players at his fingertips to be able to flip his tactics on its head with just a click of his fingers. Chelsea’s dominance will reign supreme, and I believe we will see Cesar Azpilicueta lift the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.

Once again, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been backed to the nth degree and it will only see Manchester United go from strength to strength. In a clear attempt to get the fans back on their side, the Glazers have made three world-class signings that will give United a real chance at winning silverware. However, the glaring problem with this star-studded side is their lack of a capable defensive midfielder; the two options they currently have, Fred and Scott McTominay, are holding the side back. The Brazilian midfielder, who signed for £47 million, is completely useless and is not Premier League quality. On the other hand, Scott McTominay has the potential to be a very good player however not only is he not yet good enough to start as a lone defensive midfielder, but he also needs a role model to guide him. At the moment the Scottish midfielder doesn’t have a positional role model at the club to be inspired by. Solskjær does not have faith in his two defensive midfield options, which is why he plays both in a double pivot instead of playing Pogba in a deeper role, something he did so well in France’s World Cup winning squad. However, the signing of Varane from Real Madrid will sure them up defensively whilst the acquisitions of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo will only improve their electric attack. I see United coming 2nd this season due to their lack of quality defensive midfielder holding them back, but I would not be surprised if they delve into the market again in January or next summer.

I know having Manchester City finish in 3rd may seem ridiculous because of their incredible team and depth however I think Pep Guardiola may not have winning the Premier League at the forefront of his mind. With the Spanish manager’s tenure in Manchester coming to an end in 2023, I think he will be going hell for leather to win the Champions League to shake off his hoodoo. Whilst their depth is incredible, they have shown signs of slight shakiness in games against Leicester, in the Community Shield final, and against Spurs. There is also slight unsettlement in the squad with high quality players like Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte wanting out; this combined with Benjamin Mendy’s club enforced suspension is likely to cause a bit of uncertainty in the squad. By placing the blue side of Manchester in 3rd position does not mean that I am saying they will have a bad season, I think the title race will be closer than it has been for a very long time, and I see Guardiola’s desire for Champions League glory causing them fall slightly down the table.

In 4th spot I have Liverpool. The Reds have just about averted their injury crisis however a severe lack of investment, once again, has left the side extremely thin and potentially going a bit stale. Whilst the €40 million signing of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig is a very positive move for Jurgen Klopp’s side, they are still very thin on the attacking front. Liverpool’s attacking three of Salah, Mane and Firmino was once feared across Europe however, both Mane and Firmino’s goals have dried up leaving the burden to fall to Salah. The signing of Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers was a breath of fresh air but he, like a lot of this Liverpool side has struggled with injuries. With the African Cup of Nations looming in January, Liverpool’s attack is going to be thinner than ever with both Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah leaving for just shy of a month. Leaving them with only four attacking options covering three positions, and that is assuming none of their attackers get injured; Harvey Elliot could also fill in for the Liverpool attack however Klopp has been playing more centrally this season and would be heaping a lot of pressure onto very young shoulders. The strength of the other competitors in the title race and how already stretched this Liverpool side is I see them slightly lagging behind the others but still comfortably qualifying for Champions League football.

Something that is becoming quite fashionable for Brendan Rogers’ Leicester side is a strong and confident push for Champions League qualification throughout the season and failing at the final hurdle to finish 5th and take up a Europa League spot - I would not be surprised if this happened again. Leicester have made some very strong signings this summer to go alongside an already youthful and brilliant side. The signing of Patson Daka is exceptional as he takes the pressure off both Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheannacho as he offers another goalscoring threat whilst slotting in perfectly to their system. Something that Rogers has done well is strengthening his team whilst weakening his opposition; signing both Ryan Bertrand and Jannick Vestergaard from Southampton has added great depth to the midlands side, something that they have struggled with previously. Despite fattening out the squad, the starting 11 has not been drastically improved which could be problematic for them because all the sides above them have, except for Liverpool. I think Leicester will be in and around the top four for the majority of the season, yet they will once again fall short at the tail end of the season.

I am expecting Spurs to have an improved season, of sortson. I say this because I expect them to improve on their 8th place finish by moving up to 6th however, they will not get as close to silverware as they did last season for a long time. Spurs have made good signings in needed areas with Cristian Romero being brought in from Atalanta to play CB and Emerson Royal bought off Barcelona for €25 million as a replacement for the calamitous Serge Aurier. However, this calls the future of players like Matt Doherty into question. When Jose Mourinho was eventually replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo I thought there would be a new lease of life for the Irish full-back as he was so successful under Nuno when playing in a back five for Wolves; since Nuno was appointed he has been playing a back four with academy graduate Japhet Tanganga, starring in the RB position. Luckily for Tanganga he can also play as a central defender, but he would understandably be disappointed with another right sided full-back coming into the club when he has been putting in exemplary performances. The North London side have also signed Bryan Gil, a Spanish left winger, for €25 million from Sevilla. This could be inferred as Spurs preparing for life after Harry Kane due to Heung-min Son starting to play more centrally instead of on the left. One of the biggest reasons for the white side of North London moving up the table is the improvement of the squad’s morale; towards the end of Mourinho’s reign the club had seemingly become very sour. Nuno has got most members of the squad playing with a smile on their face which will be key. They have strengthened in defence and the combination of Kane and Son, however long it will go on for, will always bring goals and points.

The post-Jack Grealish era for Aston Villa will be successful. This is not to say that Jack Grealish held the Villains back but the financial reinvestment they were able to do with the £100 million has made them a much stronger side. The three signings of Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia is elite because it adds sheer class and quality to an already fairly good front three. Beating a lot of top teams to the signing of Danny Ings is a real statement as it proves themselves to be a recognisably big side. I am also a massive fan of the loan signing of Axel Tuanzebe, a name you might recognise from the masterclass he produced against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League for Manchester United. The fantastic reinvestment from the sale of Jack Grealish will only propel them up the league and I see them becoming the Premier League’s second inductees into the Europa Conference League with a tidy finish in 7th.

Wolves were a hard one to predict because of their off-season last year. Their old manager, Nuno Espirito-Santo, was experimenting with transitioning the side from playing a back three to a back four. The side struggled and this was only amplified by the significant head injury to Raul Jimenez that kept him out of action for the majority of the season. Since the end of last season, they’ve lost their manager and starting goalkeeper. Whilst, they have obviously been replaced I do not believe the replacements to be of the same calibre. This season will be a vast improvement on the last due to the return of Jimenez and new manager Bruno Lage being able to imprint his own style of play on the side. Wolves have also made some tidy signings like Hwang Hee-chan on loan from RB Leipzig to take the pressure off Fabio Silva in playing a support role to the Mexican star, Jimenez. The young star-quality that Wolves have in Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto can and will easily win them games. I see them taking a tidy 8th place for Lage to start building his foundations.

David Moyes has the east end of London bouncing after their hugely impressive performances in the 2020/21 season earning them a Europa League spot. However, this could potentially be a bit of a poisoned chalice for The Irons as the fixture congestion could damage their overall performances. West Ham have a very thin squad which lacks masses of star quality apart from maybe the first fifteen names on the team sheet. This is massively apparent with the club’s forwards; Michail Antonio is the headline stealer for The Hammers, winning August’s Premier League player of the month award, however there is immense amounts of pressure on him; the side have just four registered forwards and only one striker. If the Jamaican international picks up an injury or suspension, they would find themselves in a tricky position. The signings that they have made are excellent: Kurt Zouma, a Champions League winner with Chelsea; Alphonse Areola, one of the best goalkeepers in the league last season and has also played for both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. The rotation that Moyes will be forced into due to the frequency of the games will see them fall further down the table than last year. However, I think you’ll struggle to find a West Ham fan who is unhappy by a 9th place finish and a run in the Europa League.

It’s hard to know where to start with Arsenal as the club keeps going from calamity to calamity. This is not the Arsenal of old that was feared and respected; the club and fans have become accustomed to mediocrity and there was little outrage at the club not qualifying for European football for the first time in 26 years. Mikel Arteta has led the club from a side with solid foundations to a club currently sat rock bottom of the league with fans struggling to put together a case as to why they are still the biggest team in London. The Spanish manager has spent €165 million this summer and once again has failed to take the club to another level. Whilst changing the transfer policy from buying players that have some quality now and will have little to no resale value, by the time the club tries to offload them, to young talented players who will cost slightly more due to the club having to buy into their potential but when it comes to selling them, the club will be able to recoup some of the money. However, this transfer policy shows the switch in attitude from one of Europe’s elite clubs, to a side that expects their good players to be picked off by bigger teams, similar to a Brentford or a Leicester. Despite the €165 million spend this summer, the starting eleven has barely changed due to one of their marquee signings being Martin Ødegaard, a player they had on loan last season. I think a 10th place finish can be all that’s expected of Arsenal due to a number of reasons: Eduardo Gaspar’s apparent refusal to sack the incompetent Arteta, but also the fact that they sold their most inform player, Joe Willock, to Newcastle for €30 million instead of bringing him back into the first team. Things could obviously improve for the North London club but if Arteta stays in his job, a 10th place finish could be an optimistic prediction.

Where the blue side of Merseyside will finish at the end of this campaign is a hard one to predict because of their reasonably strong start to the season. However, I do not think their form will last due to the volatility that the fans have towards their new manager, Rafa Benitez because of his rich history with Liverpool. The Toffees finished 10th last season with Carlo Ancelotti at the realm and his epic pull power being able to bring in players like James Rodriguez and Allan. Benitez has not had such luck in bringing in star names however those he has brought in have performed. One of the obvious things last season was that this Everton side lacked pace and the Spaniard has fixed this to some degree with the signing of Demarai Gray; the young English winger has set the league alight so far, being the club’s shining star, however his form alone will not be able to lift The Toffees to great heights. An 11th placed finish for the blue side of Merseyside could be an optimistic prediction due to the hostility that Toffees fans have towards the former Liverpool coach. He could not be in the job for a very long time.

Leeds had an exceptional start to Premier League life with a 9th placed finish and impressed everyone with their non-stop, fast paced style of football. Marcelo Bielsa has done an outstanding job since taking over the Yorkshire side in 2018. He has also performed very well in the transfer market - bringing in Daniel James and Junior Firpo whilst also making Jack Harrison’s loan spell permanent is very impressive business that has solidified this Leeds team for years to come. However, Junior Firpo has struggled to settle in the Premier League so far which has consequently made them shaky at them back - conceding 8 goals in just three games. Despite the poor start, this is not second season syndrome due to Bielsa’s side having too much quality for them to go down but I do see them having a slight dip in their position on the table that will see them fall from 9th last season to a respectable and solid 12th place finish.

Newcastle was a difficult team to place due to their turbulent times. Steve Bruce is extremely lucky to still be in his role after their extremely poor season, which only picked up after Graeme Jones was introduced as a coach, and what some of the players have had to say about him as a manager. The club’s star striker, Callum Wilson said: “I think Graeme Jones coming in as a coach (in January), definitely complemented the manager because he’s a little bit more tactically aware and up to date… when you see the results towards the back end of the season and the way we were in games, we had more of a style and philosophy. That will happen from the start of the season with a good coach around to help.” The fact that Bruce has players coming out and saying that he was effectively tactically incompetent with no style of play shows his lack of authority and it is shocking he is still in a job. However, there has been reasonably good investment in the club with Joe Willock being signed from Arsenal for €30 million. Willock performed exceptionally once he signed on loan in January and was a hug driving force in the club avoiding relegation. I see a 13th placed finish respectable for Newcastle however I would be hugely surprised if Steve Bruce was still in a job come August.

Brighton have hugely disappointed me this window; the sale of Ben White for €58.5 million gave the club a huge opportunity to sign a clinical striker to end their goalscoring woes. At the end of last season, Brighton finished 5th in the xG (expected goals) table however finished the season in 16th place. It was clear and obvious they were gasping for a consistent striker with both Neal Maupay and Aaron Connelly proving not reliable enough. The Seagulls did not sign a single centre-forward this summer and ultimately decided to put all their faith once again in Maupay and Connelly. This Brighton side is very strong defensively, shipping just 46 goals all season – the 7th best in the league. Brighton’s incredible wastefulness in front of goal will not go on for another season as Maupay’s form will pick up. I predict a slight improvement for Graham Potter’s side which will see them move up two places in the league to 14th, this could have been much higher if a goal hungry striker had been signed.

Brentford have really hit the ground running in their first taste of Premier League football with 5 points in 3 games including an astonishing 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the opening game of the season. Similar to Bielsa’s Leeds, Brentford are a team full of work horses who don’t stop running and play a very high intensity brand of football. When coming into the league a lot of teams that try to play expansive football often struggle and get relegated, 2019/20 Norwich being a prime example. However, I believe this Brentford team have got a spark to them that makes them special. They’re solid at the back with a wonderful goalkeeper in Jose Raya and a deadly attack lead by Ivan Toney. However, the free-flowing attacking football will catch them out at some points and it will take Brentford Manager a while to iron out the weaknesses in their game but a 15thplaced finish in The Bees’ first Premier League season will be nothing to be ashamed of for Brentford Manager and his team.

Every year Sean Dyche pulls off the impossible and keeps Burnley in the Premier League on next to no budget and he will do it again. However, the club’s new ownership has seemed to be fruitful for Dyche as he has been given a bit of budget to work with. The Clarets have spent €32 million on suring up their defence with three different signings. Maxwel Cornet, an explosive and attacking left back, signed from Lyon for a club record €15 million. Dyche will be hoping that this will help his side’s attacking output as they scored only 33 goals last season - the third worst in the league. Nathan Collins has signed from Stoke City for €14 million and will be looking to reinforce the centre back position for years to come, being only 20. Dyche has also brought back familiar face Aaron Lennon from Kayserispor in Turkey on a free transfer. The fresh faces will give everyone a lift at the club and will bring excitement to the fans. The fact that Burnley have been able to persuade Cornet to give up Champions League football to play for the Lancashire side could be a sign of promising things to come. I foresee an improvement in this Burnley side that will not only bring hope to the fans but could potentially be a definitive factor in Sean Dyche in staying, who is often rumoured to want out of the club.

Life without Roy Hodgson has been underwhelming so far for the South London side, securing just 2 points out of a possible 9, however bright sparks have been starting to emerge from the youngsters in the side. Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher set the London stadium alight with his man of the match performance against West Ham. Patrick Viera, Hodgson’s successor, has spent €73.5 million on bringing a fresh new spine to the aging Crystal Palace side. His transfer strategy was clear with the average age of his signings being 23 whilst the average of those sold was 32. The Frenchman has created a new centre back partnership with Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson being bought from Chelsea and Lyon; both defenders have shown huge promise with their performances in the English divisions – Guehi having dominated the Championship for two years whilst Andersen being a shining light whilst playing for Fulham last season. Viera has also bought Will Hughes from newly promoted Watford to play in the heart of midfield. The English defensive midfielder was a key part in the side’s successes and will be sorely missed. A big worry for Palace fans was Eberechi Eze’s long term injury but Viera has reacted very well by signing Michael Olise from Reading and Conor Gallagher on loan from the Champions League winners, Chelsea. Crystal Palace’s age-old problem has been their lack of a competent striker, with Wilfred Zaha often having to play out of position and often come more centrally to cover for the lacklustre Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke; the signing of Odsonne Edouard from Celtic will be sure to help relieve the pressure off Zaha. The Frenchman has scored 89 goals in 182 games throughout his career in the Scottish Premiership and will be looking to carry his form on and prove himself in the best league in the world. Whilst Viera has made lots of great signings and got rid of a lot of dead wood from this Crystal Palace side, I don’t know whether he can take them to the next level. The Arsenal invincible has not performed well when he was in charge of both Nice and New York City FC – luckily for him the star quality that this team now has will be just enough to save them from the drop. Club chairman Steve Parish is notorious for his ruthlessness in sacking managers so I would not be surprised if Patrick Viera did not last the whole season and if he doesn’t, they could finish higher than the 17th spot that I am predicting them to finish in.

Southampton’s tenure in the Premier League could very well be up; they’ve allowed key players like Danny Ings, Ryan Bertrand and Jannick Vestergaard to leave to Premier League rivals and have not done enough to replace them. The signings of Adam Armstrong for €18 million from Blackburn and Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea are good acquisitions but they will struggle to replicate the sheer number of goals Ings scored for them. Whilst James Ward-Prowse is an exceptional footballer, he won’t be able to keep the club out of the relegation zone on his own and the lack of quality centre backs is very apparent. Potentially their signing of the window is right back Valentino Livramento from Chelsea for €5 million. The young defender didn’t see a viable way into the Champions League winners’ first team due to the form of Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta, so he understandably got snapped up very quickly. Like Ward-Prowse, his efforts will not be able to keep the south coast side up. After 9-0 losses in consecutive seasons, Ralph Hassenhuttl’s tenure at Southampton could be steering towards an end – similar to Southampton in the Premier League.

Norwich have made an exceptional number of signings, enough to create a brand new starting 11, in an attempt to stay in the Premier League, but I question how successful it will be. When a club makes a lot of signings in one window, they usually start slowly due to the players taking time to get to know how one another plays and what suits each individual best. When you are Norwich, you can’t afford a bedding in period and the club has to hit the ground running – they have not done so. The Canaries currently sit 19th in the Premier League only above Arsenal, who they play today. The signing of Milot Rashica from Werder Bremen for €11 million has caused a lot of excitement amongst Norwich fans which has spread to the wider league however I question how effective he will be. Players coming from the Bundesliga often struggle with the physicality of the Premier League and I believe he may become overwhelmed by it. I believe Norwich will struggle to make it out of the relegation zone at any point this season and fans should expect a 19th placed finish.

Watford have had a huge overturn of players this window with 17 first team players leaving the club – the significance of some of these is huge. I believe it was hugely naïve of Xisoco, the Watford manager, to allow players like Nathaniel Chalobah and Troy Deeney to leave the club on a free whilst they only recouped €7 million for Will Hughes, who they sold to a relegation rival in Crystal Palace. To add insult to injury, the players brought in are hugely underwhelming. Despite an impressive 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on the first game, I believe this to be an exception to the rule as the Hornets forego a treacherous and deeply unsuccessful season that sees them finish rock bottom of the Premier League.

End of Season Awards

Top Scorer – Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea’s days of not having a competent striker are finally over. Not only is Lukaku currently one of the best strikers in the world, Chelsea fans won’t have to worry if he will be able to cope with the speed or physicality of the Premier League because he has proved himself at West Brom, Everton and Manchester United. With the unrelenting talent that the Belgian striker will have playing behind him, it is a no brainer that he will win not only the golden boot but the Premier League in his first season back in the Premier League.

Top Assister – Kevin de Bruyne

This prediction will not come as a surprise to footballing fans – the man is nothing short of elite. De Bruyne’s range of passing is quite frankly astonishing and with the amount of goals that this Manchester City side score, he will start racking up the assists.

Golden Glove – Edouard Mendy

Since joining Chelsea at the end of the 2020/21 summer transfer window, Edouard Mendy has proved himself to not only be a bargain at £22 million but also one of the world’s best goalkeepers. He will be an integral part of Chelsea’s Premier League winning side and the clean sheets will come thick and fast especially when he has Chelsea’s resilient back five sat in front of him.

Player Of The Year – Ngolo Kante

Every time Ngolo Kante has won the Premier League, not only has he been an integral part of the side, but he has also picked up the Player of the Year trophy and this season will be no exception. Kante showed his old form in Chelsea’s incredible Champions League run which resulted in The Blues winning the trophy for a second time and Kante being named as one of the three best players in European football. I have no doubt that he will carry this form on right until the very end of the season. When he plays his best football, Kante is irreplaceable.

Young Player Of The Year – Mason Greenwood

Over the past three seasons Mason Greenwood has looked more and more class with each game he played, and he has started this season off in electric form. After a player of the month nomination and 3 goals in just three games you can see why he is one of the Premier League’s most exciting exports. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo will only do good for Greenwood’s development as he will flourish under the guidance of the Portuguese star.

Signing of the season – Lukaku

If Lukaku wins top goal scorer and fires Chelsea to their first Premier League title since John Terry left the club it will be extremely hard to argue with him not being the signing of the season. The €103.5 million that The Blues spent on the Belgian will feel like a bargain if he brings the Premier League back to Stamford Bridge.

Flop of the season – Rashica

A lot of Norwich’s survival hopes have landed on the shoulders of Rashica and I am not sure he will be able to handle the pressure. After getting relegated from the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, I think it will be hard for him to lift a whole club out of their impending doom.

If you believe me claiming Rashica will be a flop a bit of a cop out, another other player I would tip to be the flop of the season is Jadon Sancho. I feel like he may become a bit of a forgotten man after the signings of Ronaldo and Varane and I feel like his form may suffer because of it.

Unexpected star – Benrahma

Said Benrahma showed flashes of the excellence that we saw on display when he played for Brentford in his first Premier League season, however he was hugely inconsistent. A new season brings new hope and I believe after his exceptional start to the season he will continue his outstanding form and silence all of his doubters.

First manager sacked – Rafa Benitez

Everton fans hated the appointment of Rafa Benitez from the second it was announced due to his affiliation with Liverpool, and they’ll be looking for any opportunity to be calling for his head. An underwhelming start to the season could see the Spaniard be sent for an early tea-time.

The Premier League season is a long one with many twists and turns. Do you think the Premier League trophy will return to Liverpool or do you think one of the Manchester teams will snatch it? Tweet me @zsampsonsport and let me know.