The Barclays Premier League start date is only six weeks away and with the Transfer Window now opened as of July 1st things will certainly heat up the closer it gets to August 8. Numerous transfers have already been completed and millions has been spent. As it stands Champions Chelsea are favourites to retain their title.
Team: Arsenal
Predicted Finish: 2nd
Key Players: Alexis Sanchez & Petr Cech
Arsene Wenger's side finished third last season after two straight fourth placed finishes. And during Wenger's reign they boast a record of never finishing outside the top 4. The Gunners have so far signed 16-year-old Vlad Dragomir from Romanian side ACS Poli Timisoara and Petr Cech from London rivals Chelsea for €11 million. Arsenal fans will be hoping Alexis Sanchez can keep his form from last season and Petr Cech can as John Terry says "save them 12 to 15 points a season." Fans will also be hoping that Mesut Ozil can rediscover the form he had when they paid £42.5 million for him in August 2013.
Team: Aston Villa
Predicted Finish: 14th
Key Players: Christian Benteke & Fabian Delph
Tim Sherwood's side last season narrowly escaped the drop but did manage a trip to Wembley for the FA Cup Final which they lost 4-0 to Arsenal. Villa have so far signed Micah Richards on a free from Manchester City and Scott Sinclair for a fee of £3.5 million from Manchester City, he spent last season on loan at Villa Park. The Villians will be hoping to keep hold of Star Players Benteke and Delph, linked with Spurs and Man City respectively and that Delph can keep up his form that earned him an England call up. Villa have sold two strikers already with Andreas Weimann and Darren Bent both joining Derby County. They also released Netherlands Defender Ron Vlaar.
Team: Bournemouth
Predicted Finish: 19th
Key Players: Tyrone Mings & Christian Atsu
Bournemouth narrowly avoided relegation from the Football League in 2008-09 but a run of 3 Promotions in 6 seasons now sees them in the Premier League for the first time in their history having won the SkyBet Championship last season. Eddie Howe's side have already brought in a number of players for the season ahead. Polish Former Celtic Keeper Artur Boruc from Southampton on a free, Adam Federici from Reading also on a free, Joshua King from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee, Christian Atsu on a season long loan from Chelsea and Tyrone Mings for £8 million from Ipswich Town with Ryan Fraser going the other way on loan for a season and Brett Pitman signing for Mick McCarthy's side on a Two year deal. The club have been linked with Former Spurs and Fulham Striker Dimitar Berbatov following his release from Monaco, and could use a striker like him if they hope to stay up. Released Everton defender Sylvain Distin is reportedly having a medical at the club. Bournemouth also released a number of players including former Ireland International Ian Harte.
Team: Chelsea
Predicted Finish: 1st
Key Players: Eden Hazard & Diego Costa
The 2014-15 Champions will be hoping for back to back Titles like they achieved in 2004-05, also under Jose Mourinho. Player of the Season Eden Hazard has lit up the League since his arrival and barring any injuries will be vital to their success once again. Spaniard Diego Costa chipped in with 20 goals last season and a 20 goal a season striker was something Chelsea had been lacking since Didier Drogba scored 29 in the league in their last title winning side in 2009-10. So he will be hoping for a injury free season. Falcao has been linked with a move to the club from Monaco, he spent last season on loan at Old Trafford but had a disappointing season. Costa played with Falcao at Atletico Madrid. Chelsea have not been too busy in the transfer market as of yet with the only major deal being Cech leaving for Arsenal. But the club are expected to complete deal for Brazilian duo, Nathan Allan da Souza from Atletico Paranaense and Robert Kenedy Nunes de Nascimento from Fluminense, the pair are expected to be loaned out to Dutch Club Vitesse Arnhem along with Lewis Baker.
Team: Crystal Palace
Predicted Finish: 11th
Key Players: Yannick Bolasie & Jason Puncheon
Holding on to Bolasie and Puncheon will be key for a another strong finish in the league, and should do so with Alan Pardew saying that Bolasie was worth £60 million to them. A price tag that high, not many clubs will be willing to pay it. Puncheon provided many important goals last season as did Dwight Gayle who scored 10 goals in all competitions. As far as signings go Palace released four players including Brede Hangeland who they later gave a one-year deal. No major signings in at Selhurst Park but have been linked with PSG Midfielder Yohan Cabaye who played with Pardew at Newcastle. Cabaye has stated that he would like to work with Pardew again.
Team: Everton
Predicted Finish: 10th
Key Players: Phil Jagielka & Ross Barkley
Everton had by their standards a disappointing season last season finishing 11th after 8 successive finishes inside the top 8. The Europa League schedule can take its toll on a players fatigue and that may have been a factor in their poor start to the season after not being in a European competition for 4 seasons. The Toffee's have a tough opening 10 games this coming season with 8 of them against last seasons top 8 sides. Fans will be hoping Romelu Lukaku can regain his league form from when he was on loan from Chelsea in 2013-14 with 15 league goals but he did get 20 in all competitions last season. Roberto Martinez will be hoping for a few more signings after bringing in Tom Cleverley on a free from Manchester United and Gerard Deulofeu for £4.5 million from Barcelona. Deulofeu spent the 2013-14 season on loan at Goodison Park but spent last season at Sevilla. Everton have been linked with Leeds United Right Back Sam Byram after Man United were linked with Irish defender Seamus Coleman.
Team: Leicester City
Predicted Finish: 15th
Key Players: Jamie Vardy & Kasper Schmeichel
Leicester went on an impressive run of 7 wins in their last 9 games after winning only 3 of their first 29 games, this run kept them in the Premier League last season. So far in the transfer market The Foxes have signed Robert Huth from Stoke City having had in on loan for half of last season. The club is also set to sign Japanese Striker Shinji Okazaki from German Club FSV Mainz 05 aswel as Austrian Defender Christian Fuchs from Schalke 04. The club was involved in a bit of controversy during the off season as 3 players including the managers son were involved in a racist sex tape while the club was on tour in Thailand. The 3 players, Adam Smith, Tom Hopper and James Pearson son of Nigel have all been sacked. Nigel Pearson has also been sacked after the board claimed the working relationship between them and Pearson became 'no longer viable'. Leicester fans will be hoping record signing Andrej Kramaric will chip in with a few more goals this season to avoid a relegation battle.
Team: Liverpool
Predicted Finish: 5th
Key Players: Phillipe Coutinho & Roberto Firmino
The loss of Luis Suarez was evident at the end of last season perhaps even before that. During the 2013-14 season the club scored 101 goals, last season they scored 52, almost half, it was also not helped by the constant injuries to Daniel Sturridge. Last season Liverpool spent over £100 million on transfers most of which under performed. Liverpool have again this year spent big on transfers signing, James Milner from Manchester City, Adam Bogdan from Bolton Wanderers, Danny Ings from Burnley, Joe Gomez from Charlton Athletic and Roberto Firmino from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and the club have also signed Southampton right back Nathaniel Clyne. The club has rejected 2 bids from Manchester City for want-away Winger Raheem Sterling but a 3rd is expected. Fans will be hoping Sturridge can steer clear of injuries this season. Liverpool will be playing on unfamiliar ground this season with Steven Gerrard leaving for LA Galaxy after 17 years playing first the first team.
Team: Manchester City
Predicted Finish: 3rd
Key Players: Vincent Kompany & Sergio Aguero
Manchester City have not struggled in the Premier League of late barring a few upsets with their last finish outside the top 4 being a 5th placed finish in 2009-10. City have won 2 of the last 4 titles. Sergio Aguero has proved to be one of the worlds best strikers with his performances and still managed 32 goals in all competitions last season despite some injuries. The Argentinian will be vital for another finish in the top 4 along with Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure. No transfers in as of yet for Manuel Pellegrini's side but they have a strong interest in Liverpool's Raheem Sterling. The club are also interested in Juventus French Midfielder Paul Pogba but reports in Italy state he has agreed a deal worth £64 million to join Barcelona. Man City have sold on a few players, Alvaro Negredo made his deal with Valencia permanent, Matija Nastasic made his move to Schalke permanent and the club has also released John Guidetti.
Team: Manchester United
Predicted Finish: 4th
Key Players: Angel Di Maria & Wayne Rooney
Louis Van Gaal's first season in charge was seen as a successful campaign finishing in 4th with a Champions League spot the main aim. Rooney has been a key player for United for years now and his influence will be vital to another top 4 finish. United Fans will be hoping that Angel Di Maria can re-discover his Real Madrid form and that he can begin to justify the £59.7 million price tag. The club are in talks with Real Madrid over Sergio Ramos who has reportedly told the club he wants to leave the Bernabeu and join Man United. But his release clause may divert their attention elsewhere with the fee reported to be €200 million. It is increasingly likely that David De Gea will be joining Real Madrid. The club have put hold on their interest in Southampton Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. They have signed Dutch Winger Memphis Depay from PSV after an impressive season in the Eredivisie.
Team: Newcastle United
Predicted Finish: 18th
Key Players: Tim Krul & Ayoze Perez
Last season was another forgettable season for Newcastle up until the final day. Alan Pardew left mid season and was replaced by John Carver and a run of 1 point out of a possible 30 near the end of the season saw them in a dire situation but defeating West Ham 2-0 on the final day kept them up. During the summer John Carver was sacked and replaced a day later by Steve McClaren. So far this summer they have made no signings but hope that Siem De Jong will be back to top form he had a collapsed lung at the beginning of last season. The Toon Army are interested in Wolfsburg Striker Bas Dost but the Dutchman has stated that he intends to stay in Germany. The fans will also be hoping that Ayoze Perez has become more accustomed to the English game and will bag more goals for them this season. August last year Newcastle signed Jamelle Lascelles and Karl Darlow from Nottingham Forest but loaned them back for the season. They link up with there new teams mates this season.
Team: Norwich City
Predicted Finish: 17th
Key Players: Nathan Redmond & Graham Dorrans
Norwich City got relegated from the Premier League in 2013-14 but bounced straight back up after promotion from the Championship Play-off Final. Alex Neil's side released 5 players after last season finished including Irish Defender Kyle Callan-McFadden. They have signed 3 players thus far, Graham Dorrans and Youssuf Mulumbu from West Bromwich Albion and Anthony Andreu from Hamilton Academical. The club will need to keep hold of Redmond who has been a stand-out player for them since he signed for them from Birmingham in 2013-14. Form at Carrow Road will be vital of the Canaries want to stay up.
Team: Southampton
Predicted Finish: 9th
Key Players: Sadio Mane & Jose Fonte
Ronald Koeman had a tough job on his hands last season and many banked on Southampton to finish mid-table after Jay Rodriguez being ruled out for a vast majority of the season, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren were sold to Liverpool and Luke Shaw went to Man United. But the Club surprised most with the signing of Graziano Pelle, Ryan Bertrand, Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mane and Shane Long. So far this summer the club have signed Juanmi from Malaga, Cedric Soares from Sporting Lisbon and Maarten Stekelenburg on loan from Fulham and have released Daniel Pablo Osvaldo to spent last season on loan at Inter Milan and Boca Juniors. Southampton's involvement in the Europa League this season may dent their league form as this is their first time in European Competition since their promotion.
Team: Stoke
Predicted Finish: 8th
Key Players: Ryan Shawcross & Bojan Krkic
Since Stoke's promotion in 2007-08, they have improved every season with their best finish being 9th in 2013-14 and last season. Stoke have made the Britannia a fortress since their first season beating the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea. So far this season the club has signed Joselu from Hannover 96, Phillipp Wollscheid from Bayer Leverkusen and Jakob Haugaard from FC Midtyjlland. Last season Bojan was a vital player towards their success but sustained an injury which saw them drop in form temporarily. If the Former Barcelona player can steer clear of injuries and last seasons top goal scorer Mame Biram Diouf can bang in the goals Mark Hughes' side could be set for another record season. Reports in Italy suggest that Stoke have agreed a €12 million fee with Inter Milan For Xherdan Shaqiri.
Team: Sunderland
Predicted Finish: 16th
Key Players: Jermain Defoe & Connor Wickham
Sunderland last season were the draw specialists in the league with 17 draws, and they also had the joint lowest amount of wins with 7 along with Burnley. Sunderland have so far bought no players in this summer and have sold El-Hadji Ba to Charlton. Dick Advocaat resigned after keeping the Black Cats up and announced his retirement from management but reversed his decision a week later. Sunderland fans will be hoping that Defoe can bag a few more goals this season that he did last. Sunderland also had the 2nd lowest goals scored last season so will need to invest in a top striker.
Team: Swansea City
Predicted Finish: 7th
Key Players: Andre Ayew & Bafetimbi Gomis
Swansea exceeded their own expectations last season finishing just shy of the Europa League spots, which is even more impressive given the fact they lost Wilfried Bony to Man City in January. Bafetimbi Gomis stepped up and proved a valuable replacement to the Ivorian and more transfers from the French Ligue 1 followed. Garry Monk signed former African Player of the Year Andre Ayew on a bosman free transfer after his contract with Marseille ran out. They also signed Franck Tabanou from St. Etienne. And signed goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfelt from Heerenveen. Swansea have been a tough side to face since their promotion and have been top half finishers a number of times bar 2013-14 due to their involvement in the Europa League and the players could not deal with the fatigue. More signings like these and Swansea could be set for another top half finish which will soon attract bigger and bigger names to the Liberty Stadium.Swansea have also signed Portugal Striker Eder from Braga.
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Predicted Finish: 6th
Key Players: Christian Eriksen & Hugo Lloris
Christian Eriksen has been a key player for Spurs since he signed in 2013 from Ajax. Spurs spent all their Bale money that summer with a number of signings disappointing last season and the season before. Erik Lamela was more consistent last season after 'going missing' the season before. Roberto Soldado seems the shadow of the player he was while he was at Valencia. Harry Kane last season was the top English scorer in the league and his performances earned him a call up to the England Side. One of the players bought with the Bale money was Paulinho who has since been sold to Guangzhou Evergrande in China. They have also sold Lewis Holtby to Hamburg SV. This summer Spurs have bought in Austrian Defender Kevin Wimmer from Cologne and Keiran Trippier from Burnley. USA International DeAndre Yedlin has also arrived after being bought in January but was loaned back to Seattle Sounders. Spurs need to buy in another striker or hope that Soldado transforms over the summer to take the heavy weight off Harry Kane's shoulders.
Team: Watford
Predicted Finish: 20th
Key Players: Troy Deeney & Matej Vydra
Watford last season finished 2nd in the SkyBet Championship behind Bournemouth. Deeney bagged 21 league goals last season, Odion Ighalo bagged 20 league goals and Vydra bagged 16 league goals. 3 strikers, 57 league goals, if the trio can bag that many goals this season then they could stay up but the premier league is a different ball game. And if reports are to be believed then Deeney could be on his way out. New Manager Quique Flores has so far not released any players but has bought in Giedrius Arlauskis from Steaua Bucharest and Sebastian Prodl on a free from Werder Bremen. Last time Watford were in the premier league they finished 20th and will be hoping to last longer this time around.
Team: West Bromwich Albion
Predicted Finish: 13th
Key Players: Saido Berahino & Claudio Yacob
Baggies Fans last season witnessed the emergence of Saido Berahino who finished with 14 league goals. Tony Pulis kept his standing record of never being relegated as a manager and exceeded it helping WBA to a 13th place finish. So far only Irish International James McClean is the only new arrival at the Hawthorns and the club have released 7 players. Fans will be hoping Berahino will be more consistent this season and that Nigerian Forward Brown Ideye can chip in with a few more goals. They will need the experience of Darren Fletcher to aid a push for the top half after being known as the 'Yo-Yo' club for a few years. Promotion, relegation, promotion relegation and so on. West Brom do however need strengthening in defence and a defender like Ron Vlaar.
Team: West Ham United
Predicted Finish: 12th
Key Players: Dimitri Payet & Adrian
West Ham had an impressive season last season finishing 12th and qualifying for the Europa League through the Fifa Fair Play league. Qualifying by means of fair play means they started their season on July 2nd in the First Qualifying Round, beating Andorran side Lusitonas 3-0 courtesy of a Diafra Sahko brace and another goal from James Tomkins. This coming season will be West Ham's last in Upton Park with them moving into the Olympic Ground for the 2016-17 season. So far Irish International Darren Randolph, Dimitri Payet and Pedro Obiang have made their way to London. Adrian was vital last season for The Hammers mid table finish and Payet will be instrumental if they are to succeed on all fronts. After last season ended Manager Sam Allardyce was sacked and replaced by Croatian Slaven Bilic, a former West Ham player in the late 90's.
By Stuart Connolly