So here it is peeps, what you have all been waiting for, the yearly set of predictions from me, which you all make fun of and ridicule. You knew it was due, and I know what I am going to get in reply, so let's get her done: Arsenal Ins: Stephan Lichtsteiner (free, Juventus), Bernd Leno (£19.3m, Bayer Leverkusen), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (undisclosed, Borussia Dortmund), Lucas Torreira (£27m, Sampdoria), Matteo Guendouzi (£7m, Lorient) Outs: Santi Cazorla (free), Per Mertesacker (retired, coaching role), Jack Wilshere (free, West Ham) A new era at Arsenal and it will be different. Something Arsenal fans are going to struggle to get used to. Players that were disliked under Wenger may shine and others that shone before may struggle. I can’t see the changes resulting in no real change; either this is going to work, or it isn’t, I can’t see Arsenal finishing 5th or 6th at the end of this. It is going to be Monte Carlo or bust. Needless to say, I am predicting success at the first time of asking. I think Arsenal will succeed, for all the same reasons as I thought they would do well last year. No CL football, and not many stars playing international football. On top of that you have a new manager and a hunger for victory. I also think that the new tactics will be bring Arsenal level with the top clubs. Wenger’s tactics were too attacking and dropping back into the back 8 and sitting deep was just not an acceptable defensive strategy, when so many of the team were picked for their offensive talents. Bournemouth Ins: David Brooks (undisclosed, Sheffield United), Diego Rico (£10.7m Leganes) Outs: Ryan Allsop (free, Wycombe), Baily Cargill (released), Benik Afobe (£12m, Wolves), Max Gradel (undisclosed, Toulouse), Adam Federici (undisclosed, Stoke) An excellent season last year under a talented manager. Can they do it again? Probably not. I see Bournemouth in a relegation battle this year, and I think they will lose it. There are just not enough clubs worse than they are. They are going to be fighting the drop from round 1, and they will need to get almost perfect results against the clubs around them, because I can’t see them getting much from the top half teams. I think their experience will help them, and maybe they will probably find some unknown youngster that becomes a star in their team, but there is very little upside here. Brighton Ins: Leon Balogun (free, Mainz), Jason Steele (undisclosed, Sunderland), Bernardo (£9m, RB Leipzig), Florin Andone (£6m, Deportivo La Coruna), David Button (undisclosed, Fulham), Yves Bissouma (undisclosed, Lille), Percy Tau (undisclosed, Mamelodi Sundowns), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (£17m, Alkmaar) Outs: Tim Krul (free, Norwich), Uwe Hunemier (released), Niki Maenpaa (released), Liam Rosenior (released), Steve Sidwell (released), Jamie Murphy (undisclosed, Rangers), Connor Goldson (£3m, Rangers), Robert Sanchez (loan, Forest Green), Ben Hall (loan, Notts County), Ales Mateju (loan, Brescia) Brighton really need to improve in attack. Murray cannot last another year, can he? Seriously? And Gros cannot score and Supply goals from midfield forever. However, Brighton I think are going to punch above their weight this year and improve over last year. They seem to have a decent scouting network and have a solid man at the helm, and I have a sneaking suspicion they will find a goal-scorer this year. Burnley In: Out: Scott Arfield (free to Rangers), Dean Marney (released), Tom Anderson (Doncaster Rovers, free), Chris Long (released), Josh Ginelly (released) Burnley over achieved last year, and I think they will suffer a slight drop this year, but they should still be able to reach a comfortable mid-table position. They have more than enough to beat the teams around and below them, and they still have their team from last year. They are going to be hard to beat, particularly at home, but they will struggle to reach the same heights as they did last year. Cardiff In: Josh Murphy (£11m, Norwich), Greg Cunningham (£3.5m, Preston), Alex Smithies (£3m, QPR), Bobby Reid (£10m, Bristol City) Out: Junior Hoilett (released), Aron Gunnarsson (released), Frederic Guonongbe (released), Greg Halford (released), Brian Murphy (released), Ibrahim Meite (released) Neil Warnock is back, and I am going to rely on his pedigree to predict that Cardiff are going straight back down. This guy is a Championship specialist, but we all know that the grafting long ball tactics that get you into the top flight, don’t work when you get there. If you look at his signings, he just doesn’t get it. Of course, he may have learnt his lesson from his previous trips to the… no I can’t do it. There isn’t anything positive to say about him. The best chance Cardiff have is that they sack him quickly, and get someone with top-flight success behind them in, before it is too late. Chelsea Ins: Jorginho (£53m, Napoli), Rob Green (unattached) Outs: Eduardo (released), Matej Delac (free, AC Horsens), Trevoh Chalobah (loan, Ipswich), Reece James (loan, Wigan), Nathan Baxter (loan, Yeovil), Dujon Sterling (loan, Coventry), Lewis Baker (loan, Leeds), Jake Clarke-Salter (loan, Vitesse Arnhem), Jordan Houghton (free, MK Dons), Kenedy (loan, Newcastle), Jamal Blackman (loan, Leeds United), Mason Mount (loan, Derby), Charlie Colkett (loan, Shrewsbury), Jeremie Boga (undisclosed, Sassuolo), Victorien Angban (loan, Metz) Chelsea seem to have lost the plot, or have they lost the attention of Abramovich? He seems to be doing some wheeling and dealing, but I think Chelsea are finding it tricky to buy their way to success, with Man City in the picture. Of course, the Hazard situation doesn’t help, and Arsenal fans know better than most how transfer rumours can ruin a player’s season, even if he stays. They are still a star-studded team, but I think even if they get some players in, the chances of a manager fresh to England integrating them all in a season is low. I am predicting Chelsea to drop further off the pace this year. Crystal Palace Ins: Outs: Yohan Cabaye (free, Al Nasr), Joel Ward (released), Bakary Sako (released), Diego Cavalieri (released), Chung-Yong Lee (released), Damien Delaney (released), Julian Speroni (released) This team seem to be expected to do well by many, and Zaha seems to be the darling of everyone. It just seems to be a bit tenuous to me. Zaha is not a paragon of consistency, and I just think they may struggle this year. Hodgson is a decent manager and should have the experience to see them through, and there are a lot worse in the division, but I am expecting them to be in and around relegation at some point of the season, before surviving relatively easily. Everton Ins: Richarlison (£35m, rising to £50m,Watford) Outs: Joel Robles (released), Ramiro Funes Mori (undisclosed, Villarreal), Davy Klaassen (£12m, Werder Bremen) I’m not certain that Everton are doing enough to get back near the top. Richarlison, darling of Fantasy Football last year, isn’t enough to turn this club around and I think Everton are another club that are going to struggle, yet have enough to avoid a real relegation battle. They still have enough about them to stay out of any real trouble but they are really light in terms of depth and after an injury or two they will not be in a position to compete for the top end of the table. Fulham Ins: Jean-Michael Seri (£35m, Nice), Fabri (£5m, Besiktas), Andre Schurrle (two-year loan, Dortmund) Outs: Ryan Fredericks (free, West Ham), Isaac Pearce (free, Forest Green), Luke Garbutt (loan, Oxford), David Button (undisclosed, Brighton), Marek Rodak (loan, Rotherham) Newly promoted side that might have a chance this year? Like all promoted sides you worry that they got the depth or the tactics for the premier league, particularly if they suffer a few injuries. Also, they have a new and untested manager. Having said that, they have two solid signings, and probably on that basis alone will do well this year. I think Fulham will surprise and get a top half finish. Huddersfield In: Florent Hadergjonaj (undisclosed from Ingolstadt), Jonas Lossl (undisclosed from Mainz), Ben Hamer (free from Leicester), Ramadan Sobhi (£5.7m), Terence Kongolo (£17.5m from Monaco), Juninho Bacuna (undisclosed from FC Groningen) Out: Dean Whitehead (retired), Robert Green (released), Jack Boyle (released), Denilson Carvalho (released), Dylan Cogill (released), Luca Colville (released), Cameron Taylor (released), Robert Green (released) Huddersfield seem to be one of the favourites to go down this year. They were pretty bad last year and survived only by beating the teams below them. They were easy fodder for the top half of the table. That said Wagner has another year under his belt and has been relatively active in the transfer market. I think teams that try to play football will do well this year and Huddersfield will be safe. Leicester Ins: Ricardo Pereira (£17.5m, Porto), Jonny Evans (£3.5m, West Brom), James Maddison (£20m – rising to £24m, Norwich), Danny Ward (£12.5m, Liverpool) Outs: Robert Huth (released), Ben Hamer (free, Huddersfield), Connor Wood (undisclosed, Bradford), Riyad Mahrez (£60m, Manchester City), Harvey Barnes (loan, WBA) Leicester are a team I think will struggle this year. The heroic back 8 defence and punt the ball to a fast forward tactics, will not be as effective, as in years past. Mahrez is gone, and Vardy will start to lose a few yards of pace. They still have strong players, and Leicester seem to always be playing a heroic game of their lives every performance. If they can keep up that intensity they can be right at the top, but they are another team that are struggling to compete with the new tactics in the premier league. They are by no means a Stoke or a West Brom, but they don't cherish possession much either. Liverpool Ins: Naby Keita (£52.75m, RB Leipzig), Fabinho (£43.7m, Monaco), Xherdan Shaqiri (£13.5m, Stoke), Alisson Becker (£66m, Roma) Outs: Yan Dhanda (free, Swansea City), Ovie Ejaria (loan, Rangers), Jordan Williams (free, Rochdale), Emre Can (free, Juventus), Jon Flanagan (free, Rangers), Harry Wilson (loan, Derby), Danny Ward (£12.5m, Leicester), Ryan Kent (loan, Rangers) All the pundits are predicting a great year for Liverpool, but I am not so certain. They have spent a lot of money this year, much of it being the profits from Coutinho. I think their season will depend entirely on Salah and whether he can perform at the same level as last year. Without him they are struggling to score. Part of the reason he did so well is that no one else on the team gets in position to score. I think he is going to find that repeating his heroics, with more close attention from defenses, is going to be hard. They also have an truly awful defense they have done nothing about. Even so, Liverpool did well last year, and they have got more players in. I still think they will mount a decent challenge for the title this year. They are going to be fun to watch and high scoring games will be a feature of their results again. They may just drop too many games to the small clubs that have a go at them. Manchester City Ins: Riyad Mahrez (£60m, Leicester City) Outs: Yaya Toure (released), Pablo Maffeo (undisclosed, Stuttgart), Ashley Smith-Brown (undisclosed, Plymouth), Matt Smith (loan, FC Twente), Jacob Davenport (undisclosed, Blackburn), Angus Gunn (£10.75m, Southampton), Paolo Fernandes (loan, NAC Breda) Champions by 19 points last year, so certain to repeat? Maybe not. Everyone else was bad last year, and everything just went right for City. They seemed to get every bounce and every piece of luck going. We also know that repeating as Champions is tough enough without having so many players not getting a decent break this summer. I think they will struggle to repeat this year, although I think Pep will have decent run at the Champions League. The consistency and grind of the league may just be beyond them. They will of course be close, but there were a few players in their team for whom this last season was probably their crowning achievement and they will have lost their hunger. I think they will come up short in the league, as the demands of their run deep in the Champions League, and the residual effect of the World Cup takes its toll. Manchester United Ins: Fred (£52.5m, Shakhtar Donetsk), Diogo Dalot (£19m, FC Porto), Lee Grant (£1.5m, Stoke) Outs: Michael Carrick (coaching role), Dean Henderson (loan, Sheffield United), Sam Johnstone (£6.5m, West Brom), Daley Blind (£14.1m, Ajax) I just don’t like this United side. They are boring dull and overly defensive. They are dependant on Lukaku for goals, and still can’t score enough to win the league. Mourinho seems always to be one rant away from a nervous breakdown or being committed, and I think they are headed downwards. I think defensively other teams will break them down easier, and offensively they will not be able to score enough goals to bail themselves out. They may also draw too many games against teams lower in the table. I think Mourinho will be sacked before Christmas. If Mourinho holds it together, then they can get into the top 4 simply because they play conservatively enough to grind out results. I honestly want to say more positive things about them, but I really am struggling to find anything to get a grip on. Newcastle United Ins: Martin Dubravka (undisclosed, Sparta Prague), Ki Sung-yeung (free, Swansea), Kenedy (loan, Chelsea), Fabiam Schar (£3m, Deportivo La Coruna) Outs: Jesus Gamez (released), Massadio Haidara (released), Stuart Findlay (released), Curtis Good (released), Macauley Gillesphey (free, Carlisle), Jack Colback (loan, Nottingham Forest), Chancel Mbemba (£7.1m, Porto) Newcastle did OK in the end last year. They have a dreadful owner, at least in terms of investment, and they have no real star players anyone knows about. On the upside, they have a very decent manager in Benitez, and they get first pick of the journeymen in the league. This means they get the players without star quality, but they get hard work and graft. This plays into the strength of their support and the Northern work ethic. I think they will be an even bigger surprise this year. They are going to hustle the **** out of teams and I think it will work well. Not top 4, but a solid showing, and maybe a Europa league spot. Southampton In: Stuart Armstrong (£7m from Celtic), Mohamed Elyounoussi (£16m from FC Basel), Angus Gunn (£13.5m from Manchester City) Out: Jeremy Pied (released), Florin Gardos (released), Olufela Olomola (free to Scunthorpe United), Ollie Cook (released), Armani Little (released), Will Wood (released), Richard Bakary (Released), Dusan Tadic (£11.4m to Ajax), Guido Carrillo (loan to Leganes) Another year for Southampton where the Outs exceed the Ins. Tadic was probably their best player going forward last year and he has gone. Hughes is not a good manager for me. I think his tactics are older than Wenger’s were, and he is a millstone around Southampton’s neck. On the upside Southampton seem to pull two or three brilliant youngsters out of their academy every year, and I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t do so again. I am predicting a string of bad results early, a quick sacking for Hughes and then and a classic Southampton relegation battle in which they scrape survival in the last 3 games of the season Tottenham Hotspur In: Out: Keanan Bennetts (free to Borussia Monchengladbach) I predicted a fall for Spurs last season and I am going to just predict that again. They have an unchanged team as the financial effects of their new stadium begin to bite. Talking of which, they also have a new home to get used to. They are suffering from the World Cup more than most, and they have Champions League football. If players start to get injured they could be in serious trouble. They do have an extremely well-balanced side however, that has been together for a long time. And they have Kane who seems to be able to score goals, so they will not drop too far. I think though that this side has reached their high-water mark in the league. Watford In: Gerard Deulofeu (£11.5m from Barcelona), Marc Navarro (undisclosed from Espanyol), Ben Wilmot (undisclosed from Stevenage), Adam Masina (undisclosed from Bologna), Ben Foster (undisclosed from West Brom), Ken Sema (undisclosed from Ostersunds) Out: Dennon Lewis (free to Falkirk), Brandon Mason (released), Costel Pantilimon (undisclosed to Nottingham Forest), Mauro Zarate (undisclosed to Boca Juniors) Watford are many people’s favorites to go down, and I am not going to disagree with them. I am not a fan of the players they have brought in so far and I think that they got very lucky last year, winning some very strange games and seemingly catching teams at very opportune times. I don’t think that they will be as lucky this time around. I don’t think there is much upside for them here. If they get some bad results early and heads go down, they could be in deep trouble early on. West Ham Ins: Ryan Fredericks (free, Fulham), Issa Diop (£22m, Toulouse), Lukasz Fabianski (undisclosed, Swansea City), Jack Wilshere (free, Arsenal), Andriy Yarmolenko (£17m, Borussia Dortmund), Fabian Balbuena (undisclosed, Corinthians), Felipe Anderson (£35m rising to £42m, Lazio) Outs: James Collins (released), Patrice Evra (released), Reece Burke (£1.5m. Hull City), Marcus Browne (loan, Oxford) West Ham seriously underperformed last year, and you really feel that their team didn’t believe that they could compete. It didn’t help that they had a horrific injury list most of the year. Now with Manuel Pellegrini in charge they may be due some payback from the football gods. Flappy isn’t the worst goalkeeper in the world, and one assumes that they will be able to move away from lumping the ball up to Andy Carroll. Fearsome as he may be, you can’t build your team’s tactics around a player that is never fit. Maybe they should have picked up Giroud so that they could hope to have one of the two of them fit, but that opportunity passed them by, always assuming Giroud would have gone there. Nevertheless, I see West Ham solidly in the top half. Wolves In: Benik Afobe (£12.5m from Bournemouth), Diogo Jota (undisclosed from Atletico Madrid), Willy Boly (undisclosed from Porto), Rui Patricio (free from Sporting), Raul Jimenez (loan from Benfica), Ruben Vinagre (undisclosed from Monaco) Out: Benik Afobe (loan to Stoke), Sherwin Seedorf (loan to Bradford City), Jordan Allan (released), Dan Armstrong (released), Anthony Breslin (released), Nicu Carnat (released), Ross Finnie (released), Jon Flatt (released), Conor Levingston (released), Tomas Nogueira (released), Hakeem Odoffin (released), Adam Osbourne (released), Ryan Rainey (released), Jose Xavier (released), Ben Marshall (undisclosed to Norwich City) Wolves seem to be generating a lot of interest with pundits predicting a top half finish. They pretty much coasted home in the Championship and were odds on to win from Christmas on. I think they will be safe from relegation, but it is going to take a while for them to settle in so lower-mid-table for me. They were so dominant in the Championship it is difficult to tell if they will succeed in the top flight and what exactly will go wrong, but they will not have the time and space to play the way they did in the Championship, so they may not find things quite as easy as they hope for. So here are my final predicted positions: 1. Arsenal 2. Man City 3. Liverpool 4. Tottenham 5. Man Utd 6. Chelsea 7. West Ham 8. Newcastle 9. Fulham 10. Brighton 11. Wolves 12. Huddersfield 13. Everton 14. Leicester 15. Burnley 16. Crystal Palace 17. Southampton 18. Bournemouth 19. Cardiff 20. Watford
4th at best for me. Maybe a trophy in emery’s first season though? I think it’s going to take a while for emery to change the way we play i.e stamp his authority on our playing style. I also don’t think our squad is 100% there yet. Emery will better identify what we need this season and hopefully get the required players next summer. What others sometimes forget is we wanted Wenger out not only because we were going backward, but we recognized any new manager coming in would need TIME to get going and mold the team to his liking - we needed to start the process and quit delaying the inevitable. Thus I think it will take Emery a bit to get us to compete. (Think Klopp at Liverpool) Regardless still as excited as I’ve been for season in 5-6 years.
Any improvement on last season will be a plus for us at the moment. Top 4 would be a brilliant achievement for Emery in his first season, but this is a project that's going to take a while to come to fruition. I'm encouraged by what I've seen in pre-season, although the defence still looks shaky and needs work, but that stuff doesn't happen overnight. This season, I just want to see us work harder and cut out the self inflicted silly mistakes that cost us so badly during Wenger's last years.
Im gonna go with... 1.Man City 2.Liverpool 3.Arsenal 4.Man United Chelsea & Tottenham to miss out on top four.
I think we will draw our opening 2 games and then do well for a few months, ending up in top 4. or we will lose our opening 2 games and do ****e for a few months, then rally, ending up in 5th
