It’s hard not to think of a new title for Manchester City as the Sky Blues have monopolized this reward with 5 coronations over the last 6 seasons. This 2023/2024 season may not escape the rule. Already the team remains qualitative and quantitative even if the losses of Ilkay Gündogan (FC Barcelona) and Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) are not to be minimized. However with an identical vertical column or Ruben Dias – Rodri – Bernardo Silva – Kevin De Bruyne – Erling Haaland, it allows to see coming. The latter also completely crushed the Premier League last year (36 goals and 8 offerings in 35 matches) and the main question will be about the greater integration of Julian Alvarez at his side. The Mancunians who have also recruited the two Croats Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have been able to strengthen themselves in other positions. It should be noted that this year could be marked by a greater assumption of responsibility by young nuggets trained at the club such as Phil Foden (23 years old), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (21 years old), Cole Palmer (21 years old), James McAtee (20 years old ) or even Rico Lewis (18 years old).
Dolphin of the Mancuniens last year, Arsenal will want to continue to put pressure on the Cityzens and reduce its delay on the latter. This was seen in particular during a Community Shield raised and finally won by the Gunners (1-1, 4-1 at Tab). Arsenal are once again ambitious and have focused on quality rather than quantity. With a well-established, young and progressing team, the North London club fully embraces Mikel Arteta’s project. No departure is to be deplored apart from that of Granit Xhaka at Bayer Leverkusen, but it was quickly compensated by the arrival of Declan Rice from West Ham for 117 million euros. Arsenal also made two other moves with Kai Havertz who arrived from Chelsea for 75 million euros and Jurriën Timber the former central defender from Ajax Amsterdam. Three recruits who have already integrated well into the eleven and who could be followed by David Raya, current Brentford goalkeeper.
Manchester United to assume its ambitions, Liverpool and the red revolution
Third last season for Erik ten Hag’s first year at the helm of the club, Manchester United must now confirm. Around a defense well in place with the pair Lisandro Martinez – Raphaël Varane, the Dutch technician made the strong choice not to keep David De Gea in favor of André Onana. The Cameroonian goalkeeper is coming off a full season with Inter Milan where he reached the Champions League final and his quality on the ball could change the defensive face of the Red Devils. In the middle, Mason Mount arrived from Chelsea to bring a different technical profile and compensate for the departure of Marcel Sabitzer. Finally in front, the lack of a referent striker was one of the big problems of last season. Arrived from Atalanta for 75 million euros, the Danish striker Rasmus Højlund will be under great pressure and will have to assume his new status.
Historic rival of Manchester United, liverpool will want to digest his disappointing fifth place from last year. If the Reds start further than the other three, they are also ahead of the rest of the competition and can thus hope for a flashback. Already, elements who suffered a lot of injuries last year such as Ibrahima Konaté, Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz can hope for a completely different exercise. Also, last season’s rookies like Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez have since been able to adapt in a better way. Jürgen Klopp also found another animation with a Trent Alexander-Arnold relieved of part of the defensive tasks and Mohamed Salah remains on a quality start to the year 2023. The question lies in the middle of the field. The recruitments of Alexis MacAllister (Brighton) and Dominik Szoboszlai (Leipzig) are qualitative and exciting. Roméo Lavia also has a good chance of landing from Southampton. However the losses of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabinho during the same summer has cleaned up this sector quantitatively, but perhaps also left a small void from a point of view qualitative.
Newcastle must confirm, Chelsea and Tottenham want to catch up
Surprise from last season, Newcastle was able to seize the top 4 and confirms its rise in power from a national point of view. If we have to learn to juggle the Champions League, the only departures, Allan Saint-Maximin (Al-Ahli) and Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest) only concern secondary elements of the workforce. As often with Newcastle, the profiles are very targeted and we prefer to bet high, but on few players. This is how for more than 150M€ came Sandro Tonali (AC Milan) in midfield, Tino Livramento (Southampton) in defense and Harvey Barnes (Leicester) in attack. Three elements of the future that will bring real competition in the short, medium and long term to the workforce of the architect Eddie Howe. The spine Sven Botman – Fabian Schär – Bruno Guimarães – Alexander Isak risks quickly becoming thick with other elements. In addition, Anthony Gordon, who arrived from Everton last year, is coming out of an excellent Euro U21 and will be keen to finally take a more important place in the squad.
Big shipwreck last season following more than 600 million euros spent on the last two transfer windows for a pitiful 12th place, Chelsea adopted another strategy. Continuing to rely on the long term with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Benoît Badiashile, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto as well as executives like Reece James, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell, the Blues have mostly downsized this summer since more than 250 million euros have been recovered with the departures of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Christian Pulisic, Edouard Mendy, Ethan Ampadu and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. This money was not fully spent and this made it possible to recruit Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu and Robert Sanchez. Combined with Levi Colwill’s return from loan, the Londoners have some interesting material at the disposal of new manager Mauricio Pochettino, but that may take some time to set up. Another question, the injury of Christopher Nkunku which requires offensive reinforcement. In addition, the midfield remains quite sparse and the Londoners are trying to get Moisés Caicedo in Brighton.
Suspended by the decision of Harry Kane, Tottenham would leave much less armed without his English striker. Still at the club for the time being, the Spurs star has seen heavy reinforcements arrive. Following the disappointing eighth place last year, the London club want to do better and have already made some nice changes to their squad. Already, the coaching position has been filled by Australian Ange Postecoglou, Scottish champion with Celtic Glasgow. The latter was able to count on a record transfer window of more than 200 million euros where Manor Solomon (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ashley Phillips (Blacburn), Alejo Véliz (Rosario Central), Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli), Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg ) and James Maddison (Leicester) have arrived while the purchase options of Pedro Porro (Sporting) and Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus) have been exercised. Shedding dead weight like Harry Winks and Lucas Moura, Tottenham is entering a new cycle and next season leaves room for curiosity. The Harry Kane question remaining, the performances of Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Heung-min Son will be particularly awaited.
Brighton, Aston Villa and Brighton on their way
For the European places, other formations can mingle with the fight. We think in particular of Brighton & Hove Albion by Roberto De Zerbi who caused a sensation last year with a fine sixth place. If Alexis Mac Allister has already left for Liverpool, just like Robert Sanchez at Chelsea, they have been replaced by Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht) and Mahmoud Dahoud (Dortmund). If we add a reinforcement of experience with James Milner (Liverpool) and the Brazilians Joao Pedro (Watford) and Igor (Fiorentina), it is an exciting new exercise which is preparing for the Seagulls. One uncertainty remains, the future of Moisés Caicedo who is the subject of an intense fight from Chelsea. Invigorating AstonVilla last year, Unai Emery will try to do better than seventh place last season. The Spanish coach can rely on an exciting transfer window for this since Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Pau Torres (Villarreal) and Youri Tielemans (Leicester) have arrived. Knowing no significant departure, the Birmingham club will continue to organize around Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey, Douglas Luis, Boubacar Kamara or Tyrone Mings to hope to climb a little further in the standings.
Winner of the last Europa League Conference which allows him to compete in the Europa League this season, West Ham must now show consistency in the league. For the moment, the transfer window is moderately reassuring with bellies like Delan Rice (Arsenal), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta) and Nikola Vlasic (Torino), while perhaps waiting for Lucas Paqueta. David Moyes has nevertheless had an interesting and stable squad for years with several elements established in the Premier League such as Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio. Harry Maguire could also land. Just missing the European march last year with a ninth position, Brentford will be organized around its star who is his coach Thomas Frank. The Danish technician who has been doing a huge job for a few years can be satisfied with a workforce that has changed little. If David Raya is heading to Arsenal, his departure has been anticipated by the arrival of Mark Flekken from Freiburg. The defense has also strengthened with Irishman Nathan Collins. Relying on Vitaly Janelt, Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen in the midfield, but also Bryan Mbeumo in front, Brentford will have arguments. Sacred blow nevertheless with the suspension of Ivan Toney for the first part of the season for having made sports bets.
