With the Premier League season kicking off this Friday (August 15th), now seemed like a good idea to provide a quick preview for every club involved. Where they stand, what to get excited about, what to be worried about, and try and provide a rough prediction on where they could (or should) be finishing.
In this third part, we will focus on newly promoted Leeds United, Liverpool, the reigning champions, the two Manchester rivals and Newcastle.
Leeds United
What happened last season?
A superb campaign saw them winning the Championship last season (England’s 2nd tier league), registering 100 points, and scoring a whopping 95 goals. It looked something of a formality, not dropping out of the top 2 (automatic promotion to the Premier League) from early December. Though Burnley and Sheffield United both pushed them to the end of the season, Leeds held on for their 5th Championship title.
Reasons to be cheerful
Leeds were genuinely excellent last season, and have real momentum going into the Premier League campaign. They’ve spent over £73m ($99m) on new signings, adding depth and Premier League experience in key positions. They have an incredible fanbase, who will give any team visiting Elland Road a difficult afternoon. Oh, and Elland Road is going to be expanded from 37,645 capacity to 53,000.
Reasons to be fearful
The last time a promoted side stayed in the Premier League was 2022/23, when all 3 of Fulham, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest beat the drop. Since then, 6 teams have attempted to beat the drop, and all 6 have failed (Luton Town, Burnley, & Sheffield United in 23/24; Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton in 24/25). Additionally, though head coach Daniel Farke has now achieved his 3rd promotion to the Premier League, he has yet to keep a side up.
Key signing
Lucas Perri. Goalkeeper has been a problem position for Leeds in recent years, as 1st-team regular Illan Meslier has continued to make regular high-profile errors. Perri’s transfer from Lyon might offer a more assured presence in goal, which is essential for a side among the favourites for relegation.
Additional: Leeds are also on the verge of signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer. If he can stay clear of injury, his goals could prove invaluable for the West Yorkshire side.
Predicted finish: Relegation battle
It’s going to be tight, but if Leeds can get off to a good start, they have the players to threaten more established Premier League sides. Home results could be the difference.
Liverpool
What happened last season?
Despite not making any first-team signings, Arne Slot led Liverpool to only their 2nd title in 35 seasons (or 2nd in 6) in his first season in charge. On top of that, they finished top of the inaugural UEFA Champions League ‘League Phase’, before losing on penalties against eventual winners PSG.
Reasons to be cheerful
I mean, being the defending Premier League champions is a pretty good place to start. They also managed to sign Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah to new contracts, despite protracted (and very public) negotiations. Speaking of signings, how about £261m ($354m) worth of new players? They come in the form of: Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez. They’ve also made some impressive sales, raising £169m ($229m) from 7 departing players. They could also be about to snatch away Newcastle United’s star striker Alexander Isak, in a deal well over £100m.
Reasons to be fearful
Much like last season may not have been the ‘transition season’ many expected (possibly due to the squad not changing), this one may well be. Firstly, there is no like-for-like replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold. He has such a unique skill-set, that despite signing a quality replacement in Frimpong, Liverpool can’t build-up attacks the same way as last season. Similarly, the replacements for Diaz (Bayern Munich) and Darwin Núñez (Al-Hilal) are going to need time to work with their new teammates, before we see the best of them. Finally, there’s no way to predict how the team will get on after the sudden death of Diogo Jota. Practically, it leaves a gap in the squad, but the emotional impact is immeasurable, and grief affects everyone differently.
Key signing
Florian Wirtz. There are big expectations for the 22 year-old German, following his £116m ($157m) + add-ons transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. If he can find his feet quickly though, we will see exactly why he is worth every single penny, as he is already among the world’s best players.
Predicted finish: Title challenge
With rivals Arsenal and Manchester City having strengthened from last season, we should be in for a gripping title challenge. Slot has already shown how quickly he can communicate his ideas to new players; can he do it again?
Manchester City
What happened last season?
A disappointing season from City‘s usually ridiculously-high standards. Despite a decent start to the season, they suffered an awful drop of form in the latter-stages of 2024, before recovering to finish 3rd in the Premier League. They also lost in the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, meaning that Pep Guardiola experienced just his 2nd ever season of not winning a trophy!
Reasons to be cheerful
Unlike Thanos, Guardiola is actually “inevitable”. Statistically, he will win at least 1 competition this season. He’s overseen something of a squad turnover, spending £152m ($206m) on new recruits, and allowing former key players (such as: Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Kyle Walker) to depart. Then of course, there’s the small matter of reigning Ballon D’or winner Rodri returning from injury.
Reasons to be fearful
Despite a myriad of new signings in the last 2 transfer windows, Manchester City still look vulnerable in transition. We’ve only had a brief glimpse of how they’ll play this season, when they participated in the Club World Cup. They initially looked their usual, dominant selves, but then lost 4-3 to Al-Hilal in the 2nd round, conceding twice from set pieces, and twice from counter-attacks. Much of last season felt like their tactical set-up only worked if Rodri was on the pitch, and as he’s had a set-back on his recovery, perhaps City should have a viable ‘Plan B’. City could also regret letting so many experienced players (De Bruyne, Grealish, Walker) leave in the same window.
Key signing
Tijjani Reijnders. Signed from AC Milan, the cultured midfielder has the heavy responsibility of replacing club legend De Bruyne. Has the potential to form an incredible partnership with Rodri, but could also be overrun without significant defensive cover.
Predicted finish: Title challenge
A squad packed with quality in every position, Guardiola will be determined to reclaim the Premier League title, but have last season’s issues been solved?
Manchester United
What happened last season?
Essentially, their worst season of the Premier League era, and their worst since 1974. When Erik Ten Hag was sacked in late October, Manchester United were 14th in the Premier League. After hiring Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP, they somehow became worse; ending the season in 15th place. The did reach the final of the Europa League, but lost to Tottenham Hotspur, meaning Man Utd miss out on European competition for the first time since 2014/15.
Reasons to be cheerful
It can’t get any worse, can it?!? The lack of European football will also allow more time on the training field for Amorim, hopefully leading to a better understanding of his very specific tactical set-up. They also beat Newcastle United to the signings of Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško, as well as paying Matheus Cunha’s release clause at Wolves. Perhaps this new attack will propel them towards the top half of the table?
Reasons to be fearful
Despite some impressive attacking reinforcements, Man Utd’s biggest problem last season was their midfield: they didn’t have one. More specifically, they were often left with just 1 player (usually Casemiro or Ugarte) covering the entire centre of the pitch. This meant that when teams played around the Man Utd’s press, their players could run 30/40 yards into the opposition half, before facing any kind of defensive cover. No signing can fix this problem, and pre-season has shown that familiar problems are still there for the Red Devils.
Key signing
Matheus Cunha. The Brazilian forward out-performed his xG significantly last season, party down to scoring several wonderful goals from outside the penalty area. He’s going to have to continue with that kind of output, otherwise his unconvincing work rate, or his inconsistent temperament, might become a stick to beat him with,
Predicted finish: Top half
More time on the training ground will see a definite improvement from last season, helped by the impressive new attacking recruits. They will still be picked apart fairly regularly though, particularly against the ‘bigger clubs’. You could probably make a good argument why 8 other teams will finish above them, so for that reason, it’s unlikely they’ll do enough to qualify for European competition again.
Newcastle United
What happened last season?
In short, their best season in living memory. After an inconsistent start, the Magpies recovered to finish 5th in the Premier League, and qualify for the Champions League. On top of that, they won their first domestic trophy since 1955, and first of any kind since 1969.
Reasons to be cheerful
Newcastle fans will argue a return to the Champions League, and a first trophy in 56 years, is far more than they could’ve hoped for already. They have some excellent first-team players, and have one of the best midfields in the league. In Eddie Howe, they have a head coach with a proven record of improving every player he’s worked with. Despite a long list of rejections, they have made some good signings this summer, adding Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest), Malick Thiaw (AC Milan), and Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton). They are also into the final stages of signing Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, giving good cover for nearly every position…
Reasons to be fearful
The 1 position lacking in depth? Striker; though it’s not for want of trying. After allowing Callum Wilson to leave on a free transfer, Newcastle’s only option at striker is Alexander Isak. They have tried to bolster their frontline, bidding for: Liam Delap, João Pedro, Benjamin Šeško, and Hugo Ekitike. but were turned down by all parties. Additionally, they’ve also been turned down by James Trafford , Dean Huijsen, and Bryan Mbeumo this window. That’s a lot of rejections to deal with, and a lot of pivoting required for their transfer plans. To make matters worse, Isak has been trying to force a move to Liverpool, and is training away from the first-team. Then there’s the lack of sporting director, lack of C.E.O., plans for the training ground and stadium have both stalled. Just as Newcastle built signifiant momentum with an excellent season, the off-season seems to have curtailed it.
Key signing
Regardless of what happens to Isak, Newcastle need a striker. Fast.
Predicted finish: Challenge for Europe
Last season’s recovery shows that even with a poor start, Newcastle have the squad and management to turn things around, and they may need to work their magic again this time around. Having the added workload of Champions League fixtures, as well as the well-documented issues trying to sign a striker, could see the Geordies scrapping for Europa League/Conference League qualification. They could also drift into mid-table, if they struggle to score goals. So much depends on what happens with Isak.
