Predictions

Premier League Preview and Predictions 23/24

The Premier League is finally back with the first round of enticing fixtures beginning this weekend! At inspiresport, we are proud to be partnered with some of the most successful clubs in the world, providing high quality training sessions at state-of-the-art facilities. With the Premier League kicking off this weekend, why not check out the tour experiences we have on offer and get prepared for another fantastic football season! Check out our preview and predictions below to get you in the mood for the 2023/24 season.

Arsenal Manager – Mikel Arteta 2022/23 Finish – 2nd Key Signing – Declan Rice After a disappointing end to a brilliant campaign last season the Gunners will be looking to go one better in 2023/24. With the signings of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber and the experience of a title race under their belt Arsenal are the clear favourites to challenge Manchester City’s dominance. However, an early injury to striker Gabriel Jesus could cause problems up front.

Aston Villa Manager – Unai Emery 2022/23 Finish – 7 th Key Signing – Moussa Diaby The key question facing Villa is whether their league form will be hindered by their first involvement in European football for 13 years. They have made shrewd signings in Pau Torres and exciting Fench winger Moussa Diaby, and arguably have one of the best starting XIs outside the “Big Six”. Could Ollie Watkins fire them to a spectacular top six finish before being poached by one of the big boys in summer?

AFC Bournemouth Manager – Andoni Iraola 2022/23 Finish – 15 th Key Signing – Justin Kluivert Bournemouth’s owners showed great ambition when replacing Gary O’Neil with Spanish coach Andoni Iraola and his “organised chaos” style of football. Looking to improve rather than survive they now have multiple young attacking options and could be a dark horse to do well this season if they can fix the defence that conceded the third most goals last season.

Brentford Manager – Thomas Frank 2022/23 Finish – 9 th Key Signing – Nathan Collins Having lost Ivan Toney to a ban, Bryan Mbeumo will have to step up and provide the goals if Brentford want to push for the European spot they narrowly missed out on last season. But with an impressive defence led by the ever-solid Ben Mee the Bees will be hoping they can get off to a quick start and push on once the talismanic Toney returns in January.

Brighton & Hove Albion Manager – Roberto De Zerbi 2022/23 Finish – 6 th Key Signing – Joao Pedro The surprise package of last season, Brighton’s impressive style of play stole the headlines but they have lost key players in Alex Mac Allister and the excellent Moisés Caicedo looks set for Chelsea. The addition of Joao Pedro and Mohammed Kudus to their plethora of young attacking options and the prospect of a season in the Europa League means the Seagulls can be extremely optimistic.

Burnley Manager – Vincent Kompany 2022/23 Finish – 1 st (Championship) Key Signing – James Trafford Following on from one of the most successful Championship campaigns in recent history the Claret’s look set to keep their possession-based play in the Premier League. Kompany will be hoping this positive style of play can boost their chance of survival and Burnley fans are optimistic that attacking threat from wide players like Manuel Benson can give them the match winning moments needed to avoid the drop straight back down.

Chelsea Manager – Mauricio Pochettino 2022/23 Finish – 12 th Key Signing – Christopher Nkunku The less said about last season the better for Chelsea fans as they finished with their lowest ever Premier League points tally. A summer clear out of multiple big names followed by the signings of

Nicolas Jackson, Robert Sanchez and the prolific Christopher Nkunku leaves a cautious optimism in the air, with a young squad needing to live up to their high potential.

Crystal Palace Manager – Roy Hodgson 2022/23 Finish – 11 th Key Signing – Jefferson Lerma A lack of a reliable striker and the loss of club legend Wilfried Zaha reduces the optimism of Palace fans who were treated to the brilliance of youngsters Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise in the second half of last season. If the youngsters can fire again under the oldest manager in the league, then a push for the top half of the table could be on for the Eagles.

Everton Manager – Sean Dyche 2022/23 Finish – 17 th Key Signing – Arnaut Danjuma Once a side pushing for European places Everton have been in crisis for the last few seasons with financial woes and catastrophic leadership from the board leaving another relegation battle looking likely in their last season at Goodison Park. The signings of Ashley Young and Arnaut Danjuma demonstrate a step in the right direction but the management of Dyche might be the only thing that saves them from the drop.

Fulham Manager – Marco Silva 2022/23 Finish – 10 th Key Signing – Calvin Bassey Fulham fans will be glad to see the end of a pre-season shrouded in confusion, with manager Marco Silva and key players Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian all rumoured to leave at various point. If Mitrovic stays then he can provide the goals needed to push for a European spot, on top of a solid defensive core of Bernd Leno, Calvin Bassey and the ever-tackling Palhina.

Liverpool Manager – Jürgen Klopp 2022/23 Finish – 5 th Key Signing – Dominik Szoboszlai

The pain of missing out on Jude Bellingham has been softened by the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but with 5 midfield outgoings this summer Liverpool lack the midfield depth the fans have been pushing for. Goal-scoring machine Mo Salah and the revolutionised Trent Alexander Arnold in his inverted full back role provide hope for the Reds, but lack of squad depth suggests they’ll struggle to challenge for the title.

Luton Town Manager – Rob Edwards 2022/23 Finish – 3 rd (Championship) Key Signing – Tahith Chong For Luton there is a sense of pure excitement heading into this season with fans focusing on enjoying their first ever season in the Premier League. They will hope to use their physicality and home form to secure the points needed to survive and prove the doubters wrong. The goals of Carlton Morris and defensive solidity of Marvelous Nakamba can help show that the Hatters are back where they belong.

Manchester City Manager – Pep Guardiola 2022/23 Finish – 1 st Key Signing – Josko Gvardiol An unprecedented treble cemented Pep Guardiola’s City side as one of the best England has ever seen and they will be looking to become the first ever team to win four Premier League’s in a row. Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan have departed leaving a slight concern in midfield but the arrival of Croatian centre back Gvardiol adds even more defensive stability and leaves City as favourites for the title yet again. Last season saw valuable minutes given to five City Academy graduates, showcasing the importance of the youth development programme at Manchester City. Your groups can experience life like an academy player, being trained by City Football Schools coaches in the elite setup at The City Football Academy – click the button below to find out more!

Manchester United Manager – Erik ten Hag 2022/23 Finish – 3 rd Key Signing – Rasmus Hojlund After three top-3 finishes in four years United fans will be hoping this is the year they can finally mount a proper title charge. In young Rasmus Hojlund they may have the 20 goal a season striker they have been crying out for to compliment the creativity of Bruno Fernandes. The signing of ball

playing goalkeeper Andre Onana will certainly help and if Raphael Varane can keep fit, they may have the defence required to go the whole way.

Newcastle United Manager – Eddie Howe 2022/23 Finish – 4 th Key Signing – Sandro Tonali With teams around them strengthening and the added Champions League fixtures Newcastle may struggle to improve on their impressive 4 th placed finish of last season. They have made smart signings in Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes and the squad seems to have an elite mentality that can push them to a European knockout stage, but squad depth will be tested and it remains to be seen if they can succeed in the league as well as Europe. Check out our Newcastle United Matchday Experience here

Nottingham Forest Manager – Steve Cooper 2022/23 Finish – 16 th Key Signing – Anthony Elanga The end of season form of Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi will surely be required again to help Forest avoid another relegation battle this year. Poor pre-season results alongside goalkeeper uncertainty and lack of midfield grit leaves fans with fears over survival but Steve Cooper has done the job before and the rousing City Ground can generate valuable wins.

Sheffield United Manager – Paul Heckingbottom 2022/23 Finish – 2 nd (Championship) Key Signing – Auston Trusty Before the sale of Iliman Ndiaye Blades fans would have been optimistic but the loss of the young Senegalese striker leaves them lacking any proven goal scorer, especially with the injuries to Oli McBurnie and Rhian Brewster. A seemingly solid defence and talented midfielder Sander Berge can offer some respite but it looks like an extremely tough job for manager Paul Heckingbottom.

Tottenham Hotspur Manager – Ange Postecoglou 2022/23 Finish – 8 th

Key Signing – James Maddison Amid the constant rumours of club legend Harry Kane leaving for Bayern Munich, Spurs have made shrewd attacking signings in Maddison and Manor Solomon as well as shoring up the defence with ‘keeper Guglielmo Vicario and promising young centre back Micky van de Ven. If Kane stays and Postecoglou can implement his new style of play quickly then Tottenham could very easily challenge for the top 4. Without Kane it could be a completely different story.

West Ham United Manager – David Moyes 2022/23 Finish – 14 th Key Signing – James Ward-Prowse A first trophy in 43 years overshadowed a poor league finish, and the sale of captain Declan Rice will be a huge loss for the Hammers. With more European football the small squad may struggle but the creativity and threat of Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta should help to easily avoid a relegation battle. Late signings of James Ward-Prowse and Harry Maguire have boosted the squad but the departure of Gianluca Scammaca creates a lack of options up top.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Manager – Gary O’Neil 2022/23 Finish – 13 th Key Signing – Boubacar Traore Neves, Moutinho, Jimenez, Traore… It’s a long list of departures for Wolves and the owners haven’t invested this profit back into the club either. Former manager Julen Lopetegui has also left just a week before the season starts suggesting trouble is looming. There is young attacking talent in Neto, Nunes and Cunha but none of these have fully lived up to potential and a relegation battle looks likely unless late investment is made. Take part in our Wolves Experience here

Our Predictions:

Predicted Table: 1. Manchester City 2. Arsenal 3. Newcastle 4. Chelsea 5. Manchester United 6. Liverpool 7. Tottenham Hotspur 8. Aston Villa 9. Brighton & Hove Albion 10. Crystal Palace 11. Brentford 12. Fulham 13. West Ham 14. Burnley 15. Bournemouth 16. Everton 17. Nottingham Forest 18. Wolverhampton Wanderers 19. Luton 20. Sheffield United

Golden Boot Winner – Erling Haaland Player of the Year – Erling Haaland Young Player of the Year – Bukayo Saka