Arsenal

Stop The Count! Arsenal fans could do with the season ending before it’s even begun, as they sit pretty at the top as we get underway on Friday 13th August. They could realistically stay there as they also kick off the season with the opener against Brentford, however this season is going to be a challenge for Arsenal as they continue this huge rebuild project under Arteta. Many fans last season were ready to pull the plug on the Arteta project, however with an 8th placed finish last season meaning no European football, a squad that seems jumbled up of players and an owner who is reluctant to match the hundreds of millions the top Premier League sides are willing to splash, they have to be careful what they wish for, as realistically I don’t know which big name manager would actually take the job. Just look at rivals Tottenham for a prime example of what happens when you decide to ditch your manager and not embark fully in a long-term project. So, in a metaphor for turning their club around, they are only just getting into reverse gear as they embark on a ‘3-point turn’. Personally, they need to initially lower expectations massively and just make the most of watching their side bring through new talent this year, and stay resolute as their club miss out on European nights for a season, this is the only way they can begin to improve. I understand Arteta is an untested quantity, however he does seem to have a plan, and be willing to stick around long-term and forge a legacy, many alternative replacements would be unwilling to do the same. As the squad is in the middle of a rebuild, this season is a chance to properly bed in the young hopeful stars like Saka, Martinelli and Smith-Rowe to name a few.

Their transfer activity has been slow and unremarkable, however they have seriously upgraded their defence with Ben White joining the club, while we are still yet to see the best of players such as Partey and Pepe. The squad does have talent within, however it’s not yet a side with an identity or style, and still so heavily reliant on Aubameyang. It’s going to be a long, tiring season for fans in particular, however to be optimistic, things are becoming more sensible with the last few transfers in. They still have plenty of deadwood, however if they can get maybe Maddison or Ødegaard in again then they can certainly aim for a return to Europe (even if it’s the Conference League) for the following season. So, my message to Arsenal fans simply is, just keep going, and try to persevere.

Key Players: This season I believe Arsenal’s key players are Saka, White and Aubameyang. For the young winger Saka, he is coming off of an incredible summer tournament where he really showed Europe what a talent he is, and after securing a first team place last season, Arteta must nurture him this year further to ensure the full potential can be met. At such a young age, he is already hyped up to the moon, and with no European football, he is not going to burn-out from a 60+ game season. Instead, he can be rested for the early cup games, and be a talismanic figure in the league when he’s needed. With new signing Ben White, he is going to be expected to start immediately and almost become the defensive leader, alongside Gabriel Magalhaes upon his return from the summer tournaments. White has already established himself within the Premier League, and given that Arsenal are actually at their least pressured seasons, he will hopefully settle quickly and make himself a regular starter and potential leader in the squad. Finally, the 3rd key player for Arsenal is of course Aubameyang, their goal machine up front who they will once again rely on massively for the season to get the goals this season. While really he needs those around him to step up, the fans will be focussed and expecting of him to be as consistent as he has been for the past 3 and a half years. With only 10 league goals last season, it was really poor by his own high standards, and this year, now at 32 he must get a minimum of 17/18 goals for Arsenal to get themselves up the table.

Transfers: In the transfer window thus far, Arsenal have made a big signing in Ben White, who of course is a massive improvement with a defender that many sides were after this summer. Individually, the signing looks a positive move, improvement and serious upgrade from last season, however possibly when you compare with the signing of Varane for the same price, and other sides making more economic improvements, it may be one that the board are perhaps regretting financially. Aside from White, who again will be a great signing and a player fans will enjoy watching, they’ve been pretty quiet in and out. They have also signed young winger Tavares from Benfica who is a bit of an unknown quantity for this season, and another young signing in Albert Sambi Lokonga whom I admittedly know little about aside from seeing his call up to the Belgium senior side earlier in the year. Obviously these could prove to be great gems joining the side, however it feels like really they’ve managed 1 of 3 big signings they need to really push on. Alongside Ben White, there’s talk of Maddison, Ødegaard, Trippier and possibly even Bernardo Silva, all of which would be superb acquisitions and show they are seriously making progress in the rebuild. There is plenty of time left and so we must wait and see, however the history of Arsenal and transfers suggests they may be unwilling to get these deals over the line.

In terms of outgoings, they have cleared some serious deadwood in the form of Luiz who simply shouldn’t be starting for Arsenal the way he had in the past season. Meanwhile they have had loans end for players such as Ceballos, Ødegaard and Mat Ryan. There are still some players that they could do with shifting out sooner rather than later to free up finances for the incomings, however it is dependent on the market and buyers coming in before this can happen. One of the outgoings that surprised me slightly is the re-loaning out of Saliba to Marseille who also picked up a loan for Guendouzi. Saliba was impressive last season on loan at Nice, and he is progressing through the national team ranks, however the loaning out once again shows an unwillingness for Arteta to ingratiate the defender into the squad, potentially signalling he might not be in Arteta’s plans for the future, especially considering how willing the manager had been to give young players a chance in the first team.

Opening Fixture: Arsenal get the new season underway on Friday 13th August, with an evening game away to newly promoted Brentford, in what is undoubtedly a challenging game to start the season. Arsenal have had a horrendous pre-season run, losing to Hibernian, Chelsea and Tottenham, and only managing a 2-2 draw with Rangers. Obviously not the ideal preparations for a long, tough season ahead, however going into the opener they do have many of their big players available. On the injury front, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Magalhaes will both be absent while Nketiah, Gabriel and Martinelli are also unavailable. They do however have new signing Ben White ready to go, Saka is back and training following his tremendous summer and their big attacking names are as ready as ever to start.

This game is a tough opener, as Brentford were a dominant side in the Championship last season, and being newcomers to the Premier League in front of a surely packed-out Brentford Community Stadium where their fans will be up for this one. Arteta’s men will have it all to do, to not only put their stamp on the season but also stop highly-rated striker Ivan Toney who has remained with the Bee’s.

My prediction for this one is a 1-1 draw, as the crowd and occasion will give Brentford the boost they need, while Arsenal will take a few games to get going this season in my opinion. Arsenal are favourites in betting terms, at 5/6 to get the win, while the draw is at 13/5 and Brentford getting the win is 16/5. These odds will surely fluctuate in the coming days, however I would imagine that Arsenal will remain favourites given their pedigree in the league.

Predictions: Arsenal fans may want to look away now, however I genuinely predict a long, tough season for Arsenal. As mentioned previously, I believe they are turning their fortunes around, however this is the start of a possible 12 point turn rather than a quick U-turn that their fans expect. With Arteta, they have a manager at the start of a career, which I believe is the correct long-term solution for them. For Arteta to be successful he needs to create the team in his own image, and currently he is a long way away from that. Although only having a short-spell as assistant to Guardiola, Arteta is a man who knows football, had a long and fairly decent playing career and I have no doubt has ideas for how he wants his side to play. Unfortunately for Arsenal fans, looking at the squad they are entering the season with, this is not the team that will be able to compete. They will be eventually, 5-10 years down the line I have belief, but with everyone else around them improving and building, Ben White is not enough for Arsenal to even get back into the Europa League places.

Therefore, my prediction for this season with Arsenal is a maximum 7th place finish, which although it would be an improvement on last years’ 8th, it’s still way off where they expect to be. I believe not having any European football will be a positive for them this season, however 7th place is all they will reach in this season, where they will have to persevere with some heavy defeats and questions over the manager. I think that fans need to stick it out here with Arteta, as ultimately this is the best manager that will realistically take the job in it’s current situation, and taking the ‘easy route’ of sacking the manager when the going gets tough is only going to extend this rebuild project. So, the football results aren’t going to be great for a few years admittedly, but it is a recovery project and is the only way they can get back to the leagues’ top-teams.

Aston Villa

Messi leaving Barcelona, Lukaku leaving Inter and Grealish leaving Aston Villa, these have been the massive stories of the summer so far, and Aston Villa must now adapt and accept their talismanic figure has gone, leaving behind memories and a giant novelty check with a lot of 00s on it. Looking at the Villa side that finished the season, and likely starting line-up to start the season, actually I would say is a lot stronger and exciting, despite the obvious loss. As the signing began to look inevitable, Villa had been making moves themselves to bring in 2/3 of the most exciting transfers of the whole window. Bringing in the Championship player of the season, an established Bundesliga goalscorer and Southampton’s star player, alongside a club legend who has just won Serie A and a great young centre-back who has experience at Villa Park, all while having change to spare, Aston Villa’s scouting and recruitment team are having the most incredible summer that has rocketed them from narrowly avoiding relegation in 2019/2020 so this season having realistic European ambitions. Dean Smith is a great manager and has built a great core group of players with some star players that Villa fans can turn into there heroes if they need to. Aside from my own team this year, Aston Villa are the team I am most excited to watch, as I cannot wait to see how the signings gel together this year.

Key Players: With Grealish gone, their newest and possibly most exciting signing of the Premier League in Emi Buendia could be the perfect replacement and become the latest talismanic figure at Villa Park. After being the Championship player of the season and having some of Europe’s elite looking to bring him across from Norwich, it was Villa who swept in and completed the signing and showed they mean serious business. I think he surely has to hit the ground running as part of Villa’s new look attack force if they are to complete seriously as expected by many. He will be the key chance creator and can be a real danger-man in the no.10 role or even pushed wide as Grealish has done on many occasions. Having an almost like-for-like replacement, Villa fans will have comfort in this big signing. At the other end of the pitch, it’s the goalkeeper Emi Martinez who I have down as the 2nd most crucial player for Villa this season. After an impressive showing last season, breaking Friedel’s clean sheet record for Villa in the Premier League and became the clubs’ supporters player of the season. With a much improved attacking line-up, it will be this security at the back and in goal that keeps things steady and allows the attackers the freedom to press forward, and this starts from right at the back with Martinez.

Transfers: The transfer window for Villa has been a whirlwind. With their big money man Grealish leaving for a British record of £100million, the cash has flowed in and out again as they replaced their talisman with 5 big names coming in. Championship player of the season Buendia is the star man at around £35 million, and will be looked at as a perfect replacement for Grealish, and possibly the most exciting and intriguing signing of the summer. Leon Bailey is another incredibly interesting signing as the former Leverkusen man has impressed in Germany and at just 23, could be a star striker with minimum of 10-15 goals a season. Even more strike power has arrived in another surprising signing of Danny Ings. With City and Liverpool both interested in the former Southampton striker, Villa have again nipped in and grabbed a bargain. A guaranteed 15 goal a season striker, he will be Villa’s lead man in the most part, and with Buendia and Bailey playing alongside, you could see a 40+ goal a season trio and turn Dean Smith’s side into one of the league’s most exciting clubs. Other signings include Axel Tuanzebe who will be a solid option at centre back who returns for another season long loan, and another return in Ashley Young who has been fantastic in Inter’s Serie A winning season. After playing at this level in Italy, he will be a useful rotation player and a real leader in the dressing room for the coming season. It’s been an A++ transfer window for Aston Villa, and we just have to wait and see what will come from it.

Opening Fixture: Aston Vila get underway against newly promoted Watford in their opener, in a game which they will surely feel confident to grab all 3 points in. The newly promoted side will of course feel excitement and in-form in front of their home crowd, however their yo-yo form will give them the fear of securing safety rather than the novelty of being back at the top table. This fear of relegation and already with their manager being the early frontrunner for the sack race, Watford will perhaps come in to their first game with a cautious attitude, which Villa will likely capitalise on. If Smith is able to get his new signings up and running, this could be anything from a 1-0 to a bit of a riot on the opening weekend for Villa. Either way, I am putting Villa as heavy favourites as they get their season up and running.

Predictions: Arsenal fans may again need to look away, as just pipping them to the Europa League spots in 6th place, I believe will be Aston Villa. It will be fantastic progress from the previous few seasons which has seen them promoted, narrowly avoid dropping back down and then finish in a respectable 11th place last season. Given their stability and obvious improvements in many key areas, I genuinely believe they can leapfrog the likes of Leeds, West Ham and even Tottenham and Arsenal in order to climb those extra places which put them just into the Europa League. On paper, the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham obviously have the expectation, whereas in terms of form, the squad for Aston Villa is one of the top squads, most stable clubs and with everyone from the owner to the fans pulling in the same direction, they are a breath of fresh air which means now the Grealish headlines are over, they shouldn’t be facing any off-field issues which de-rail their campaign. The odds do slightly disagree with my optimism, however if you agree with my prediction of Villa earning a top-6 spot, it’s good odds at 11/2 for them to break into the coveted European spots.

Brentford

What a year Brentford fans have in store. A new stadium, and the return of fans, and top-flight football. Everything is on the up for Brentford, and their fans. The expectations range from finishing in the European spots all the way down to 20th depending on who you speak to on whatever day. As a club, they are run to near-perfection, and everything about their club seems to work efficiently and excitingly, meaning they will be a breath of fresh air for the coming season. What to expect, well quite frankly I have no idea, but I am ready to enjoy the journey of Brentford in the top-flight whatever comes.

Key Players: There are many players who could be discussed with Brentford for the coming season, but we must simply focus on the exciting striker Ivan Toney, who has lit up the Championship and gained some big admirers in the process. Almost everyone I have seen speak of the striker, suggests he will have a strong season in the top-flight, and I am inclined to agree. I would easily predict 15+ goals from him this season, which at the bottom half of the table is the difference between relegation and comfortable survival. I think if he hits the ground running as he finished last season, and adapts to the top-flight, Brentford are in for a good season ahead.

Transfers: In the transfer market, Brentford have a unique model, which many clubs will look to replicate and is one that you should look up as it’s fascinating how they are run off-field. What’s most impressive for Brentford fans, is that they have not lost any major player for the coming season, and for a side coming up from the Championship, we have seen so many times that they are picked apart before kicking a ball in the Premier League, whereas Brentford are entering with almost the same squad that got them to the top-flight. The incomings are nice little additions to the squad, with Ajer coming down from Celtic for just shy of £15million, and will provide stability at the back and experience of being a 3x league, cup and league cup winner in Scotland. Along with the Danish centre-back, they have brought in Wissa from Lorient. The 24 year old winger will add another dimension to the Brentford attack, and provide another outlet for main man Toney. The final notable signing is Onyeka, a 23 year old central midfielder who joins from Midtjylland. Overall, it’s been a solid transfer window, and Brentford have been sensible not to go wild with the riches that the Premier League brings, instead add smaller additions to an already quality squad.

Opening Fixture: As mentioned previously, the season opener sees Brentford in front of their home crowd against the ‘legendary’ Arsenal, who quite frankly are there for the taking, and honestly I think they’ll do just that. I have gone for a 1-1 prediction, however I do think if there’s a side that will edge it, it’ll be Brentford as everything is set up perfectly for what’s to come. The sheer adrenaline of the game will almost guarantee a result for Brentford, and with Arsenal being such an unknown, Frank’s men will be confident of their chances against an out-of-form side like Arsenal. With a potential big scalp on the opening day of the season, Brentford will be looking to build on this first fixture and see how far they can go. If you want to witness a quality atmosphere inside a stadium, look no further than Brentford Community Stadium on the Friday evening.

Predictions: Both Watford and Norwich have become ‘yo-yo’ sides, alternating between the Premier League and Championship over the last few years, however for Brentford, this season they will have the novelty of the Premier League and will not be wanting to join that club. I think with being such a well-run club on-field and off, they have the capabilities, structure, squad and manager to avoid that relegation, if they can continue to pick up the ‘easier’ points in the league while not being demoralised by any potential hammerings from the ‘big boys’ in the league. My prediction is that Brentford will finish 16th this season, securing another top-flight season, as I honestly think there are at least 4 sides more in danger of the drop, and if the likes of Toney can net 10+ this season, then there’s no reason they cannot exceed this. I’m not expecting a top-half finish by any means, however they have enough potential to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

Brighton & Hove Albion

xG kings Brighton return for another year of Premier League football, and with Potter now firmly comfortable in his position, they may look to push on from being relegation threatened, and become stable in their position in the league. Brighton statistically are one of the unluckiest teams in terms of results, as their xG is often ahead of their opponents, but they simply struggle to turn this into actual points so often. With an exciting crop of young talents, Potter is capable of having a decent season, and although I think they will survive the year, it may not be as comfortable as some fans would hope for.

Key Players: After losing potentially their ‘star player’ in Ben White, Brighton will have to replace their solid defender, however they do have some incredible talents in their squad that can be leaders for this season. Personally, I have been most impressed with Lamptey, the 21 year old right-back, who grabbed headlines and plaudits last season for his impressive performances which even helped him break into England’s U-21 side. Of course, his 9 month layoff means he may not be ready for the season opener, however if he can return and build on his form from pre-injury, Lamptey could become a star player in this Brighton side. Their other key player for the coming season has to be Neal Maupay. With Brighton creating plenty of chances, they need their strikers to be finishing the chances, and Maupay is key to doing that. Arguably, the clubs’ top striker, he netted 8 goals last season, and if he can hit a run of form, he is easily capable of a 15+ goal season.

Transfers: One of Brighton’s biggest assets in the transfer market, is they have a team of coaches and scouts who have a huge depth of knowledge of teams, players and future talents. This has allowed them to subtly and without splashing the cash to an obscene rate, pick up some exciting prospects. This window has been no different, although Brighton by their own standards have been quite free flowing with their funds, as they have spent £40million+ on 3 big signings this summer. Firstly, they have picked up Cucurella, a 23 year old left-midfielder from Getafe. After coming through Barcelona’s youth setup and making it through to the first team where he won the Spanish Cup, he has spent the last season at Getafe where during this time he has broken into the Spain first team setup. Their second big signing, is Mwepu, the 23 year old central midfielder from RB Salzburg. At £20million, this is their big signing for the window, and the 4 time Austrian league winner has plenty of experience despite his young age. With a decent trophy cabinet from his time at Salzburg, Mwepu will slot nicely into Brighton’s midfield. As a more defensive minded midfielder, he will provide some stability in the middle of the park and stabilise the squad after the loss of their main centre-back. The final signing is Sima, a 20 year old winger from Slavia Prague. Another player who has a league title and domestic cup to his name from his time at Prague. In these 3 signings, Brighton have brought in youth with trophy-winning experience, which is vital for a side that perhaps doesn’t have those trophy winning credentials. The final transfer to discuss with Brighton has to be Ben White. Losing White to Arsenal has been a decent bit of business, as they’ve still made profit on their summer spending, as £50million for their centre-back is huge for Brighton, and although they will massively miss their talented defender, this is the maximum value they could have asked for, and so cashing in makes sense in this summer, as they may not get this offer again. Overall, it’s yet to be seen how useful the 3 incomings will be for Brighton, however I do believe in Potter’s coaching and scouting to ensure these are thought-out signings that will improve the side.

Opening Fixture: With Brighton facing Burnley on the opening week, it could be the chance for either side to make a perfect start in which the 3 points will be invaluable as they can build on this for the following weeks. Burnley are no pushovers, and breaking down their resolute defence will be tough, however I would give Brighton the edge in this fixture, as I think Potter’s attack will outdo Dyche’s defence. With a tense and close encounter to start the season, I doubt it will be a ‘one to watch’ for neutrals, but I can see Brighton edging this one by just goal, either as a 1-0 or 2-1 win to get their season up and running.

Predictions: Although I massively rate Potter as a coach, and think he may actually be poached before the season is out, I think Brighton will suffer a similar fate as last season in which they perform valiantly, but struggle to get enough points on the board to be comfortable in their position in the league, and will likely finish in 17th. I think Norwich, Watford and Newcastle are all much poorer sides than Brighton and so I think the relegation battle is all but nailed on, however Brighton may just drop down into that battle if any of those 3 sides can outperform expectations. Potter will have enough knowledge to get the points on the board and is building an impressive and underrated side, however the questions still remain and the jury is still out on Brighton as they perhaps lack the star players that many sceptics look for.