Deadbat
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Premier League Season Preview & Predictions 23-24
It is that time of year again where everyone tries to predict the final standings come May 2024. You scan the football magazines, newspapers and various sites online and to date I have not seen one yet that has predicted a different champion to Manchester City. Sadly, I have also not seen any predicting the Blades to stay up. Time to ‘put the paper on the wall’ again?!
I will join the throng of uninformed idiots and put my neck on the line. I will discuss each team and my respective positional prediction, along with notes on the manager, key man and some trivia/thoughts that will bore and surprise in equal delight. The big question is will the one of the most negative Sheffield United fans around, have us anywhere but bottom?
Read on and you will find out…will be posted over next day all being well in 4 parts.
*Transfer info correct as of 9am Thurs 9th August
1) Manchester City
It is really hard to put anyone but City here. I could have been edgy and gone with Arsenal, Liverpool or even their city rivals United, but it is not happening. They have actually lost a few players like Gundogan and Mahrez and only brought in Kovacic which feels like a Declan Rice consolation prize. However, they were better than anyone else in all the main competitions by some way. They’ve got the best keeper (Ederson), best defender (Dias), best midfielder (De Bruyne) and best striker (Haaland). Oh, and the best manager too. They have a deep squad full of talent and goals and can pass teams to death. No-one is getting close to them anytime soon. Their biggest challenge might be themselves as only boredom stops them winning it again. They have not signed many players with Gvardiol the big outlay, but they did not need to, and know if they want to add depth, they will simply bring someone in before the end of the window. City’s standards are now so high that Pep has them at a level that no one in world football can really live with. They were not close to their best in the Champions League final and still won it without too much concern. I do not see any of the teams below being at the level consistently they will hit to properly challenge.
Manager: Pep Guardiola – As with City, his main issue will be finding the motivation to do it all again. How can he top last season? Suppose he could win the quadruple?
In
Josko Gvardiol – RB Leipzig, £78m
Spike Brits - AFC Wimbledon, undisclosed
Yangel Herrera - Girona, undisclosed
Mateo Kovacic - Chelsea, £30m
Out
Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahli, £30m
Shea Charles - Southampton, £15m
Carlos Borges – Ajax, £17.3m
Josh McNamara - Southampton, undisclosed
Morgan Rogers - Middlesbrough, undisclosed
Cieran Slicker - Ipswich, undisclosed
Terrell Agyemang - Middlesbrough, free
Ilkay Gundogan - Barcelona, free
Benjamin Mendy - Released
Kian Breckin - Wycombe, loan
Yan Couto - Girona, loan
Liam Delap - Hull, loan
Callum Doyle - Leicester, loan
James Trafford - Burnley, £19m
Finley Burns – Stevenage, loan
Alex Robertson – Portsmouth, loan
Key Player: Erling Haaland – The complete striker playing in the team that creates the most chances. He might not score 52 goals (36 in the EPL) this time but he won’t be far off now he is properly settled in!
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: City became the first (and so far only) reigning English champions to be relegated at the end of their defence. They won the title in 1936/37 but went down the next season. Also in 37/38 they managed to be the only team ever to be relegated from England’s top division with a positive goal difference, even going as far as being the top scorers in the division. Almost predictably, Manchester United were promoted in their place!
Verdict: Champions. Probably by at least 10 points
2) Arsenal
There are two contrasting takes on the Gunners from last season. One is that they blew it after leading the league most of the way. The other is they actually had an excellent season winning 26/38 games and amassing 84 points. Without the City juggernaut, they win the league. Arsenal now have a resiliency and team spirit allied to a move towards lowering of the age of the squad. His recruitment has been really good with the likes of Odergaard, Saliba and Ramsdale all now established as top players. They have spent big this summer and increased numbers with the added games in the Champions League. Rice cost a lot of money but is a good player who can do a bit if everything. Havertz gives them extra creativity. Timber provides some strength at the back (geddit?!). Arsenal now will see themselves as a side that has shook off the shackles of the post Wenger days and seem to be spending again judging by the activities this summer. They have a depth that they did not have a few years ago and a nice mix of young players mixed with those entering their prime.
Manager: Mikel Arteta - Arteta was under pressure a few years ago after an indifferent start but is now firmly ensconced at the helm overseeing an evolution of the club. The season they had last time out maybe puts extra expectation on them but they are definitely heading in the right direction under his leadership.
In
Kai Havertz - Chelsea, £65m
Declan Rice - West Ham, £105m
Jurrien Timber - Ajax, £38m
Out
Granit Xhaka - Bayer Leverkusen, £21.4m
Pablo Mari - Monza, undisclosed
Nikolaj Moller - St Gallen, undisclosed
Mazeed Ogungbo - Barrow, undisclosed
Matt Smith - Wigan, free
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Released
Mauro Bandeira - Colchester, loan
Billy Vigar - Eastbourne, loan
Tom Smith – Colchester, free
Austun Trusty – Sheffield United, undisclosed
Ainsley Maitland Niles, Lyon, free
Key Player: Martin Odegaard - He might not get the plaudits of Haaland, De Bruyne, Salah, Kate etc but Odergaard might be Arsenal’s best, and most important player. Technically good but he can do the dirty work as well as assist and score goals.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: Arsenal are believed to be the only team in Champions League history to have fielded 11 players from different nationalities in their victory over Hamburger SV in 2006.
Verdict: Look stronger on paper but got a feeling they won’t start as well and the additional European games might be an issue but still seem the only ones who ‘might’ get close to City.
3) Liverpool
Last season was a disaster for the Reds after looking like it would be them and City ‘duking’ it out for years to come. A lot of critics have said that the team and much of its spine needed reinvigorating but that is easy to say in hindsight. Firmino moved on after Mane left last summer but we also saw long term players like Milner, Keita and Henderson depart. New signings have been limited but both Mac Allister and Szoboslai are midfielders; the area many fans identified as needing an overhaul. The young strikers Gakpo, Nunez and Diaz will hopefully show more consistency and stay fit. They have also started playing Alexander Arnold further forward which would surely help get the best out of him?
Manager: Jurgen Klopp – You wonder about his motivation and if he has it in him to get them moving again? He still seems to enjoy a moan about anything and everything. Despite this he is a charismatic leader that the fans still have full belief in.
In
Alexis Mac Allister - Brighton, £35m
Dominik Szoboslai - RB Leipzig, £60m
Out
Fabinho – Al Ittihad, undisclosed
Jordan Henderson – Al Ettifaq, £12m
Roberto Firmino - Al Ahli, free
Naby Keita - Werder Bremen, free
James Milner - Brighton, free
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Released
Leighton Clarkson - Aberdeen, undisclosed
Anderson Arroyo - FC Andorra, loan
James Balagizi - Wigan, loan
Owen Beck - Dundee, loan
Fabio Carvalho - RB Leipzig, loan
Harvey Davies - Crewe, loan
Calvin Ramsay - Preston, loan
Sepp van den Berg - Mainz, loan
Rhys Williams - Aberdeen, loan
Layton Stewart – Preston, undisclosed
Max Woltman – Oxford, undisclosed
Key Player: Mohammed Salah – As he goes still do Liverpool. Still someone defences fear with his pace, ball carrying and finishing. He has lost his two pals so will be counted upon even more.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: Current manager Jurgen Klopp has a diploma in sports science, but his thesis focused on racewalking, not football.
Verdict: I feel they still need more quality and City have pushed away from them significantly but they will fare better. Also don’t have the distraction of the Champions League this time out. You could argue for them, Man Utd or even Newcastle here but with Chelsea and Spurs in transition somewhat, they will have a better season this time out.
4) Manchester United
It seems finally they have some sense of direction on the pitch, even if they lack this clarity off the field. With the ownership situation still unresolved, Ten Hag has done well to finally ‘unite’ the fans. They made some significant steps in the field. Granted they did not win a trophy losing in the final stages of the Europa League and FA Cup. City’s treble will have more than grated but sensible Red Devils will point towards continual improvements and a sense of identity being established. There is an argument the side still lacks top quality players to properly compete yet but at least there is a consistency of performance we have not seen under previous managers. Transfer business has been minimal with Mason Mount the marquee signing and until the boardroom affairs are in order, further additions may have to wait.
Manager: Erik Ten Hag – They had to settle on a manager and a plan and stick to it. Ten Hag seems a no nonsense sort of bloke and not afraid to do it his way. At times they dug in but also could play with style not seen before. He showed that tactically he certainly knew what he was doing but now needs to just keep evolving and improving the side.
In
Andre Onana - Inter, £47.2m
Rasmund Hojlund, Atlanta, £72m
Jonny Evans - Leicester, free
Mason Mount - Chelsea, £60m
Out
Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest, £15m
Alex Telles – Al Nassr, undisclosed
Zidane Iqbal - Utrecht, undisclosed
Ethan Laird - Birmingham, undisclosed
Manni Norkett - Nottingham Forest, free
Ethan Galbraith - Leyton Orient, free
Di'Shon Bernard - Released
David De Gea - Released
Phil Jones - Released
Axel Tuanzebe – Released
Charlie Savage – Reading, free
Will Fish – Hibernian, loan
Di’Shon Bernard – Sheffield Wednesday, free
Nathan Bishop – Sunderland, undisclosed
Key Player: Marcus Rashford – Scored 30 goals in all competitions and finally found some consistency. He now has established himself as the main man up top for United.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: United have won 726 out of 1,190 games since the inception of the Premier League averaging 1.9 ppg. The Blades have won 53 out of 198 which equates to just over a point per game!
Verdict: Did really well to get Champions League and compete in other competitions too. Will struggle to go much higher with others improving more than they have.
5) Newcastle United
You expected that they would be upwardly mobile after the ownership change but the level of investment into the playing squad has been more modest and gradual than maybe many thought? The signings have been smart ones and provide depth and quality but not at a huge cost – at least in football terms. They were extremely strong at home and expect that to continue. Tonali and Barnes might not be as eye-catching as other transfers domestically but both will improve them. There is pressure to keep improving but they don’t lack the funds to do that. Be interesting to see how they fare in Europe too. The fans would love a trophy of any kind. Alexandar Isak and Callum Wilson will score plenty and Nick Pope is one of the more reliable keepers around. Look a solid side now and one that will just keep improving as the quality is increased each transfer window.
Manager: Eddie Howe – I have to say that when the Saudi’s came in, I felt Howe may only be in charge briefly but he has done really well. He was excellent in mist of his tenure at Bournemouth bit lost his way a bit but now seems to have restored his reputation. The toon fans are delighted with what Howe has done.
In
Sandro Tonali - AC Milan, £55m
Tino Livramemto – Southampton, £40m
Yankuba Minteh - Odense Boldklub, undisclosed
Harvey Barnes – Leicester, undisclosed
Out
Allan Saint-Maximin – Al Ahli, undisclosed
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Karl Darlow – Leeds, undisclosed
Matty Longstaff - Released
Ciaran Clark - Released
Matthew Bondswell - Newport, loan
Yankuba Minteh - Feyenoord, loan
Kell Watts - Wigan, loan
Jamal Lewis - Watford, loan
Harrison Ashby – Swansea, loan
Max Thompson – Northampton, loan
Key Player: Bruno Guimaraes – Creative on the ball but can defend too. He is a complete midfielder and has embraced the Geordie culture too. With Tonali being able to do some of the defensive side, expect him to even flourish even more.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: In 1892, newly-formed Newcastle United wore the colours of their now hated rivals Sunderland, red and white.
Verdict: I sense they may bring a few more in before the end of the window. The one side that ‘may’ be able to eventually compete with City, on and off the field.
---
Part 2 to come later
It is that time of year again where everyone tries to predict the final standings come May 2024. You scan the football magazines, newspapers and various sites online and to date I have not seen one yet that has predicted a different champion to Manchester City. Sadly, I have also not seen any predicting the Blades to stay up. Time to ‘put the paper on the wall’ again?!
I will join the throng of uninformed idiots and put my neck on the line. I will discuss each team and my respective positional prediction, along with notes on the manager, key man and some trivia/thoughts that will bore and surprise in equal delight. The big question is will the one of the most negative Sheffield United fans around, have us anywhere but bottom?
Read on and you will find out…will be posted over next day all being well in 4 parts.
*Transfer info correct as of 9am Thurs 9th August
1) Manchester City
It is really hard to put anyone but City here. I could have been edgy and gone with Arsenal, Liverpool or even their city rivals United, but it is not happening. They have actually lost a few players like Gundogan and Mahrez and only brought in Kovacic which feels like a Declan Rice consolation prize. However, they were better than anyone else in all the main competitions by some way. They’ve got the best keeper (Ederson), best defender (Dias), best midfielder (De Bruyne) and best striker (Haaland). Oh, and the best manager too. They have a deep squad full of talent and goals and can pass teams to death. No-one is getting close to them anytime soon. Their biggest challenge might be themselves as only boredom stops them winning it again. They have not signed many players with Gvardiol the big outlay, but they did not need to, and know if they want to add depth, they will simply bring someone in before the end of the window. City’s standards are now so high that Pep has them at a level that no one in world football can really live with. They were not close to their best in the Champions League final and still won it without too much concern. I do not see any of the teams below being at the level consistently they will hit to properly challenge.
Manager: Pep Guardiola – As with City, his main issue will be finding the motivation to do it all again. How can he top last season? Suppose he could win the quadruple?
In
Josko Gvardiol – RB Leipzig, £78m
Spike Brits - AFC Wimbledon, undisclosed
Yangel Herrera - Girona, undisclosed
Mateo Kovacic - Chelsea, £30m
Out
Riyad Mahrez – Al Ahli, £30m
Shea Charles - Southampton, £15m
Carlos Borges – Ajax, £17.3m
Josh McNamara - Southampton, undisclosed
Morgan Rogers - Middlesbrough, undisclosed
Cieran Slicker - Ipswich, undisclosed
Terrell Agyemang - Middlesbrough, free
Ilkay Gundogan - Barcelona, free
Benjamin Mendy - Released
Kian Breckin - Wycombe, loan
Yan Couto - Girona, loan
Liam Delap - Hull, loan
Callum Doyle - Leicester, loan
James Trafford - Burnley, £19m
Finley Burns – Stevenage, loan
Alex Robertson – Portsmouth, loan
Key Player: Erling Haaland – The complete striker playing in the team that creates the most chances. He might not score 52 goals (36 in the EPL) this time but he won’t be far off now he is properly settled in!
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: City became the first (and so far only) reigning English champions to be relegated at the end of their defence. They won the title in 1936/37 but went down the next season. Also in 37/38 they managed to be the only team ever to be relegated from England’s top division with a positive goal difference, even going as far as being the top scorers in the division. Almost predictably, Manchester United were promoted in their place!
Verdict: Champions. Probably by at least 10 points
2) Arsenal
There are two contrasting takes on the Gunners from last season. One is that they blew it after leading the league most of the way. The other is they actually had an excellent season winning 26/38 games and amassing 84 points. Without the City juggernaut, they win the league. Arsenal now have a resiliency and team spirit allied to a move towards lowering of the age of the squad. His recruitment has been really good with the likes of Odergaard, Saliba and Ramsdale all now established as top players. They have spent big this summer and increased numbers with the added games in the Champions League. Rice cost a lot of money but is a good player who can do a bit if everything. Havertz gives them extra creativity. Timber provides some strength at the back (geddit?!). Arsenal now will see themselves as a side that has shook off the shackles of the post Wenger days and seem to be spending again judging by the activities this summer. They have a depth that they did not have a few years ago and a nice mix of young players mixed with those entering their prime.
Manager: Mikel Arteta - Arteta was under pressure a few years ago after an indifferent start but is now firmly ensconced at the helm overseeing an evolution of the club. The season they had last time out maybe puts extra expectation on them but they are definitely heading in the right direction under his leadership.
In
Kai Havertz - Chelsea, £65m
Declan Rice - West Ham, £105m
Jurrien Timber - Ajax, £38m
Out
Granit Xhaka - Bayer Leverkusen, £21.4m
Pablo Mari - Monza, undisclosed
Nikolaj Moller - St Gallen, undisclosed
Mazeed Ogungbo - Barrow, undisclosed
Matt Smith - Wigan, free
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Released
Mauro Bandeira - Colchester, loan
Billy Vigar - Eastbourne, loan
Tom Smith – Colchester, free
Austun Trusty – Sheffield United, undisclosed
Ainsley Maitland Niles, Lyon, free
Key Player: Martin Odegaard - He might not get the plaudits of Haaland, De Bruyne, Salah, Kate etc but Odergaard might be Arsenal’s best, and most important player. Technically good but he can do the dirty work as well as assist and score goals.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: Arsenal are believed to be the only team in Champions League history to have fielded 11 players from different nationalities in their victory over Hamburger SV in 2006.
Verdict: Look stronger on paper but got a feeling they won’t start as well and the additional European games might be an issue but still seem the only ones who ‘might’ get close to City.
3) Liverpool
Last season was a disaster for the Reds after looking like it would be them and City ‘duking’ it out for years to come. A lot of critics have said that the team and much of its spine needed reinvigorating but that is easy to say in hindsight. Firmino moved on after Mane left last summer but we also saw long term players like Milner, Keita and Henderson depart. New signings have been limited but both Mac Allister and Szoboslai are midfielders; the area many fans identified as needing an overhaul. The young strikers Gakpo, Nunez and Diaz will hopefully show more consistency and stay fit. They have also started playing Alexander Arnold further forward which would surely help get the best out of him?
Manager: Jurgen Klopp – You wonder about his motivation and if he has it in him to get them moving again? He still seems to enjoy a moan about anything and everything. Despite this he is a charismatic leader that the fans still have full belief in.
In
Alexis Mac Allister - Brighton, £35m
Dominik Szoboslai - RB Leipzig, £60m
Out
Fabinho – Al Ittihad, undisclosed
Jordan Henderson – Al Ettifaq, £12m
Roberto Firmino - Al Ahli, free
Naby Keita - Werder Bremen, free
James Milner - Brighton, free
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Released
Leighton Clarkson - Aberdeen, undisclosed
Anderson Arroyo - FC Andorra, loan
James Balagizi - Wigan, loan
Owen Beck - Dundee, loan
Fabio Carvalho - RB Leipzig, loan
Harvey Davies - Crewe, loan
Calvin Ramsay - Preston, loan
Sepp van den Berg - Mainz, loan
Rhys Williams - Aberdeen, loan
Layton Stewart – Preston, undisclosed
Max Woltman – Oxford, undisclosed
Key Player: Mohammed Salah – As he goes still do Liverpool. Still someone defences fear with his pace, ball carrying and finishing. He has lost his two pals so will be counted upon even more.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: Current manager Jurgen Klopp has a diploma in sports science, but his thesis focused on racewalking, not football.
Verdict: I feel they still need more quality and City have pushed away from them significantly but they will fare better. Also don’t have the distraction of the Champions League this time out. You could argue for them, Man Utd or even Newcastle here but with Chelsea and Spurs in transition somewhat, they will have a better season this time out.
4) Manchester United
It seems finally they have some sense of direction on the pitch, even if they lack this clarity off the field. With the ownership situation still unresolved, Ten Hag has done well to finally ‘unite’ the fans. They made some significant steps in the field. Granted they did not win a trophy losing in the final stages of the Europa League and FA Cup. City’s treble will have more than grated but sensible Red Devils will point towards continual improvements and a sense of identity being established. There is an argument the side still lacks top quality players to properly compete yet but at least there is a consistency of performance we have not seen under previous managers. Transfer business has been minimal with Mason Mount the marquee signing and until the boardroom affairs are in order, further additions may have to wait.
Manager: Erik Ten Hag – They had to settle on a manager and a plan and stick to it. Ten Hag seems a no nonsense sort of bloke and not afraid to do it his way. At times they dug in but also could play with style not seen before. He showed that tactically he certainly knew what he was doing but now needs to just keep evolving and improving the side.
In
Andre Onana - Inter, £47.2m
Rasmund Hojlund, Atlanta, £72m
Jonny Evans - Leicester, free
Mason Mount - Chelsea, £60m
Out
Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest, £15m
Alex Telles – Al Nassr, undisclosed
Zidane Iqbal - Utrecht, undisclosed
Ethan Laird - Birmingham, undisclosed
Manni Norkett - Nottingham Forest, free
Ethan Galbraith - Leyton Orient, free
Di'Shon Bernard - Released
David De Gea - Released
Phil Jones - Released
Axel Tuanzebe – Released
Charlie Savage – Reading, free
Will Fish – Hibernian, loan
Di’Shon Bernard – Sheffield Wednesday, free
Nathan Bishop – Sunderland, undisclosed
Key Player: Marcus Rashford – Scored 30 goals in all competitions and finally found some consistency. He now has established himself as the main man up top for United.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: United have won 726 out of 1,190 games since the inception of the Premier League averaging 1.9 ppg. The Blades have won 53 out of 198 which equates to just over a point per game!
Verdict: Did really well to get Champions League and compete in other competitions too. Will struggle to go much higher with others improving more than they have.
5) Newcastle United
You expected that they would be upwardly mobile after the ownership change but the level of investment into the playing squad has been more modest and gradual than maybe many thought? The signings have been smart ones and provide depth and quality but not at a huge cost – at least in football terms. They were extremely strong at home and expect that to continue. Tonali and Barnes might not be as eye-catching as other transfers domestically but both will improve them. There is pressure to keep improving but they don’t lack the funds to do that. Be interesting to see how they fare in Europe too. The fans would love a trophy of any kind. Alexandar Isak and Callum Wilson will score plenty and Nick Pope is one of the more reliable keepers around. Look a solid side now and one that will just keep improving as the quality is increased each transfer window.
Manager: Eddie Howe – I have to say that when the Saudi’s came in, I felt Howe may only be in charge briefly but he has done really well. He was excellent in mist of his tenure at Bournemouth bit lost his way a bit but now seems to have restored his reputation. The toon fans are delighted with what Howe has done.
In
Sandro Tonali - AC Milan, £55m
Tino Livramemto – Southampton, £40m
Yankuba Minteh - Odense Boldklub, undisclosed
Harvey Barnes – Leicester, undisclosed
Out
Allan Saint-Maximin – Al Ahli, undisclosed
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Karl Darlow – Leeds, undisclosed
Matty Longstaff - Released
Ciaran Clark - Released
Matthew Bondswell - Newport, loan
Yankuba Minteh - Feyenoord, loan
Kell Watts - Wigan, loan
Jamal Lewis - Watford, loan
Harrison Ashby – Swansea, loan
Max Thompson – Northampton, loan
Key Player: Bruno Guimaraes – Creative on the ball but can defend too. He is a complete midfielder and has embraced the Geordie culture too. With Tonali being able to do some of the defensive side, expect him to even flourish even more.
Deadbat’s pointless trivia: In 1892, newly-formed Newcastle United wore the colours of their now hated rivals Sunderland, red and white.
Verdict: I sense they may bring a few more in before the end of the window. The one side that ‘may’ be able to eventually compete with City, on and off the field.
---
Part 2 to come later
