The second part of our Premier League predictions concerns the race for the top 4 spots. As many as five teams have the potential to make it to next season’s Champions League. Four of them have featured in this competition before. One has won it three times, and another has two titles in its cabinet.
The other is making its debut in this competition. It’s time to find out who these teams fighting for a place in next season’s competition could be.
Chelsea
2023-24 was one of Chelsea’s most chaotic seasons under Mauricio Pochettino, yet they managed to finish sixth. However, due to Manchester United winning the FA Cup, they are now in the playoff round for the Europa Conference League.
The Conference League is the third tier of European football. It includes teams from the lower-ranked nations in Europe and the team that finishes seventh in Europe’s top leagues.
Hence, this is the perfect opportunity for Enzo Maresca to get some silverware for the club in his first season.
“Absolutely we can see clear results from our work. Today we could see that we tried to keep the ball. Inter are special at defending, but for sure the team is already doing well. It’s the most important thing, for sure. With time this team is going to get better and better. We started just one month ago so I can see clearly that the team is improving.”
Maresca: Goal.com
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But the main priority, from the fans’s perspective, is to get back into Europe’s premier competition.
Arrivals
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
As usual, The Blues have been on a spending spree and have so far spent a total of £101 million in the Transfer Window on Marc Guiu and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
But there are still a few issues for the club to deal with.
Gallagher/Felix Swap Deal?
The England Midfielder flew to Madrid last week on his anticipatory move to Atletico.
However, he was told to fly back to London as the deal had not been finalised yet. On Sunday, the £34.5m deal to sign Spanish striker Samu Omorodion collapsed over personal terms.
This is another example of why this club has become a total mess. The owners are drunk in their pure profit mania and do not care about the club’s dynasty.
Lukaku/Osimhen Swap Deal?
The striker situation has also become a total mess. It is bizarre that Napoli and Chelsea are still negotiating the swap deal for Victor Osimhen and Romelu Lukaku, and it should have been resolved sooner.
If Chelsea are to come close to what they were in the Roman Abramovich era, getting in a goalscorer like the Nigerian is paramount before August 31st. If reports are to be believed, Lukaku is still at Cobham Training Ground, and negotiations between the two clubs continue.
Will the 25-year-old get his dream move to Stamford Bridge? Can Chelsea become part of Europe’s elite clubs again?
Tottenham Hotspur
Towards the end of last season, Ange Postecoglou was critical of the club’s lack of ambition, especially when they missed a place in the Champions League.
“I think the last 48 hours have revealed the foundations are fairly fragile,” “Outside the club, inside the club, everywhere.”It has been an interesting exercise. It’s just my observations. I’m not going to tell you more. You can make your own assessment of what happened. “I probably misread the situation as to what I think is important and the endeavour to become a winning team, but that’s okay. That’s why I’m here. I just want to win, I want to be successful at this club. That’s why I was brought in.”
Postecoglou: Sky Sports
You sense that this is a big season for the North London club in terms of Figuring out what kind of side they want to be. Do they only wish to top four? Do they want silverware? Is there any ambition to be a top team in Europe?
Arrivals?
Spurs will be hoping that Dominic Solanke can fill the boots of all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane, who got 280 in 435 appearances. Solanke, brought by Spurs for £55 million, made 216 appearances for AFC Bournemouth and scored 77 goals.
Captain Heung Min Son praised the 26-year-old and backed his inclusion in the team this season.
“He did a fantastic job at Bournemouth, scored 19 goals I think, and I think it’s a great signing for us. “I haven’t seen him in the training session because we had a game so I’m looking forward to playing with him and hope he can help our team.”
Son: The Standard
Meanwhile, the club recently confirmed the signing of Leeds United Midfielder Archie Gray on a six-year deal for approximately £30 million.
Gray made 47 appearances for the Whites in the Championship and is yet to get a feel for Premier League football. Can he make a name for himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Manchester United
Winning the FA Cup was crucial for Erik ten Hag to convince Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he is the man to take the Red Devils forward.
“Now we are in a new season. We left everything behind and we are looking forward. It’s a great project. There will be ups and downs but now we are very energised, with a good dynamic and good spirit. We want to work and we want to win.”
Ten Hag: BBC Sport
However, he can finally get them to play more on the front foot like Ajax, as he was brought in to do so. The problem for Ten Hag is that he did not have a settled back four in 23/24 due to injuries to key players such as Raphael Varane and Lissandro Martinez.
Harry Maguire, who was not at the Euros, and Luke Shaw, who also missed most of last season, were not in form that season. It is also said that the England left-back will miss the first part of the season as he recovers from a calf injury. Thus, it is no surprise that Ten Hag and the hierarchy are buying more defenders, such as Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
Arrivals
Zirkzee To Make A Difference?
Like Chelsea, Manchester United failed to reach the top four because of the lack of goals. They ended 20233-24 as the 10th highest goal scorers of the Premier League. Part of that was due to injuries, especially those to Anthony Martial and Mason Mount.
But hopefully, Zirkzee can rediscover his end-of-season form, where he netted 11 goals and provided five assists to help Bologna qualify for the Champions League.
De Ligt, Yoro, And Mazroui To Strengthen Backline
Another issue ten Hag had last year was that, due to the injuries, he couldn’t have a consistent back four that he could rely on. That’s why bringing more quality defenders into his squad makes complete sense.
Suppose you look at why Manchester City always dominate the Premier League. Their bench strength is far superior to the other 19 teams. That is probably why United is now the second biggest spender behind Chelsea; they are trying to compete with their main rivals on the pitch. If they can start the season confidentially and have fewer injuries, then returning to the Champions League is a must.
Newcastle United
After returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03, Eddie Howe‘s Magpies did not have the season they wanted, finishing in seventh place. Part of that was due to having the third-largest injury list in the league, with 41 in total. They also had the same number of players in a game as United and Chelsea(11).
None more so than Sandro Tonali, who only played eight Premier League games for them last season.
Gordon Staying Put
One of the Magpies’ plus points is that their star winger has no plans to leave the club despite massive interest from Liverpool. Gordon was the star of Newcastle’s 23-24, with 11 goals and 10 assists in 35 games. Bizarrely, he only played one minute for England at the Euros.
Hence, this season could be an opportunity for him to prove to whoever the next England Boss is that he deserves to be an integral part of the future.
Signings
Bringing in a forward such as William Osula for £15million is a valuable addition to the squad especially if Isak or Wilson are injured. Osula, aged 21, scored only five goals in his short career for Sheffield United.
Guehi Move Unlikely
There have also been some rumours that the Magpies are keen on Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. Guehi, who partnered John Stones for England as a centre-back at this summer’s European Championships, revealed that he was fully committed to the South London side.
Newcastle can undoubtedly challenge the top four, but it depends on keeping their key players fit and obtaining consistent results.
Aston Villa
Villa’s first entire season under Unai Emery was memorable. They qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 1982-1983 European Cup. They also made it to the semi-finals of last season’s Europa Conference League, where they were beaten by winners Olympiakos 2-6 on aggregate.
Arrivals
The West Midlands side has strengthened its squad, particularly in the Midfield, where Amadou Onana was bought from Everton for £50 million.
Ross Barkley returned to the club after four years on a three-year deal for just £5 million.
Ian Maatsen signed a six-year deal for £37.5m from Chelsea after impressing on his loan move to Borussia Dortmund.
This is excellent work by Villa, as it shows how serious they are as a club about doing bigger and brighter things for this season and the future.
What can we expect from this season?
So that’s it for our predictions on who can make it into the top four.
Who do you think has a chance?
