After few months of summer holidays, beach parties and heavy transfer rumours – THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE IS BACK! The headline every football fanatic wanted to read since the last game of the season in May. Since then Liverpool won their 6th European Cup, England disappointed yet again during the UEFA League of Nations, and it was a relatively quiet transfer summer for the English clubs (well that is subject to a change in the last 3-4 days of the transfer windows). Could City retain their title or could Liverpool finally break their duck by winning the league after years of failure to secure the silverware locally? How will Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard cope with their first full season in charge of clubs where they made their names as footballers? Who will break into Top 4 and how will promote Aston Villa, Norwich and Sheffield United fare in the big time?
Enjoy the WhaleBets team by team preview of the season and don’t forget – let’s bust the bookies together! Do not forget to follow our Strategies and Reviews section and build your style of play, or take a look at our VIP Section to see how you can benefit from WhaleBets experts team predictions.
1. Arsenal
The Gunners turbulent summer have taken a few twist and turns, a dreadful end of the last season and UEFA Europa League final heartache – just a few topics which the Arsenal era got after the retirement of Arsene Wenger. Club captain Laurent Koscielny is on the verge of leaving the club, Aaron Ramsey left on a free, but there were some reasons to be optimistic after the highly-rated acquisitions of Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos. Unai Emery has a big task on his hands to make sure the Gunners return to the UEFA Champions League, after three successive seasons outside the Top 4.
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Star Player
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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Major Signings
- Nicolas Pepe (Lille, £73m)
- William Saliba (Saint-Etienne, £27m)
- Gabriel Martinelli (Ituano Futebol Clube, £6m)
- Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid, loan)
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Kits
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First 5 Fixtures
- Newcastle (A), Burnley (H), Liverpool (A), Tottenham (H), Watford (A)
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Predicted Finish
- 6th Place
2. Aston Villa
The Villans returned to the Premier League after 2 years of absence, and the Play-off win against Derby County confirmed that one of the most successful English clubs returned where they belong. You can argue whether they were taking the right approach after making at least 12 signings and reshaped their promotion squad. Fulham did that last term, and we all know what happened. Jack Grealish and John McGinn were the keys, and they both remained at the club, so if the manager Smith wants to establish the Midlands club at the league, he must build the team around them. Goals from Tammy Abraham will be missed, but new signing from Belgium Wesley Moraes must fire in his debut season.
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Star Player
- Jack Grealish
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Major Signings
- Wesley Moraes (Club Brugge, £22m)
- Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth, £20m)
- Douglas Luiz (Manchester City, £15m)
- Matt Targett (Southampton, £14m)
- Ezri Konsa (Brentford, £12m)
- Marvelous Nakamba (Club Brugge, £11m)
- Trezeguet (Kasimpasa, £8.75m)
- Anwar El Ghazi (Lille, £8m)
- Tom Heaton (Burnley, £8m)
- Bjorn Engels (Reims, £7m)
- Jota (Birmingham, £4m)
- Kortney Hause (Wolves, £3m)
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Kits
-
First 5 Fixtures
- Tottenham (A), Bournemouth (H), Everton (H), Crystal Palace (A), West Ham (H)
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Predicted Finish
- 15th Place
3. Bournemouth
The Cherries established themselves as a Premier League club having being saved from extinction almost a decade ago when they were fighting for survival in League Two. Eddie Howe did wonders on a limited budget on the South Coast and even was rumoured to be linked higher profile jobs over the past few years. The rise of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser also saw them linked to bigger clubs, and if they remain at the club, the Vitality Stadium attacking football will continue. Home form is going to be crucial, and if they repeat last year’s performances, the Cherries should comfortably avoid the drop.
- Star Player
- Ryan Fraser
- Major Signings
- Nicolas Pepe (Lille, £73m)
- Philip Billing (Huddersfield, £15m)
- Arnaut Danjuma (Club Brugge, £13.5m)
- Lloyd Kelly (Bristol City, £13m)
- Jack Stacey (Luton Town, £4m)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Sheffield United (H), Aston Villa (A), Manchester City (H), Leicester City (A), Everton (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 13th Place
4. Brighton
Brighton finished last season so bad that the poor run almost costed their elite status. The Seagulls finished the campaign with ten games without a win, winning just 2 points which cost Chris Hughton’s job. Many questioned the decision to hire Graeme Potter from Swansea. His inexperience, combined with lack of proven goal scorers in the Premier League (albeit Glenn Murray). Maybe the signing of the season could be Brentford striker Neal Maupay, who have taken the Championship by storm during the past few years.
- Star Player
- Mat Ryan
- Major Signings
- Adam Webster (Bristol City, £20m)
- Leandro Trossard (Genk, £18m)
- Matt Clarke (Portsmouth, £3.5m)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Watford (A), West Ham (H), Southampton (H), Manchester City (A), Burnley (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 16th Place
5. Burnley
Burnley suffered from Europe hangover after a few early matches in last season’s campaign did harm to the Clarets in the long turn. Sean Dyche’s squad started early on last season and disappointed with their 15th place finish. The core of the Clarets side which raised the expectation with a few Top 10 finishes remained, plus fan-favourite Jay Rodriguez returned after impressing for West Brom Albion last season in the Championship.
- Star Player
- James Tarkowski
- Major Signings
- Jay Rodriguez (West Brom, £5m)
- Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Leeds, £2.5m)
- Erik Pieters (Stoke, £1m)
- Ryan Cooney (Bury, undisclosed)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Southampton (H), Arsenal (A), Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), Brighton (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 17th Place
6. Chelsea
The main talking point around the Blues from London, of course, was the long-anticipated return of the club legend Frank Lampard who took the helm after a stormy season under the Italian Maurizio Sarri. The fan-favourite made a huge step forward after almost guiding Derby County to the Premier League in his 1st managerial season, but yes, he can benefit from a massive amount of backing from owner Roman Abramovich and the Blues’ faithful. Eden Hazard left for Real Madrid after guiding Chelsea to yet another European success after he masterminded 4-1 final win in the UEFA Europa League against city rivals Arsenal. American wonder kid Christian Pulisic will be a man in the middle, but it’s yet to be seen whether Lampard will give Chelsea youngsters a chance after so many players returned from successful loan spells.
- Star Player
- N’golo Kante
- Major Signings
- Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid, £40m)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Manchester United (A), Leicester City (H), Norwich City (A), Sheffield United (H), Wolves (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 4th Place
7. Crystal Palace
Roy Hodgson main concern and task during the summer was to convince talismanic forward Wilfried Zaha to stay – a familiar story in South London over the last few years. Their club captain and fan favourite were heavily linked with a transfer to Arsenal, Everton and abroad and it is yet to be seen whether he will remain at Selhurst Park for yet another season. The signing of Gary Cahill from Chelsea will certainly bolster Palace’s defence, and if the Eagles want to cement themselves in the Top 10 and even aim higher, they need to score more and turn their home ground into a fortress.
- Star Player
- Wilfried Zaha
- Major Signings
- Jordan Ayew (Swansea, £2.5m)
- Stephen Henderson (Nottingham Forest, free)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Everton (H), Sheffield United (A), Manchester United (A), Aston Villa (H), Tottenham (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 12th Place
8. Everton
Everton finished 8th last season without moving any place further or down the table since their previous campaign with Sam Allardyce. The Goodison faithful was firmly against the ex-England manager, but after a series of high-profile signings and new manager, the situation hardly changed. The Blues are doing everything possible to add to their squad and the likes of Cisse from Monaco, Zaha and Doucore will undoubtedly improve the potential of the playing team. The signings of Kean from Juventus and Fabian Delph certainly made the impression that Silva is trying to improve the squad. Breaking in the Top 6 would be the target for the Toffees.
- Star Player
- Richarlyson
- Major Signings
- Moise Kean (Juventus, £36.6m)
- Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Mainz, £25m)
- Andre Gomes (Barcelona, £22m)
- Fabian Delph (Manchester City, £8.5m)
- Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield, free)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Crystal Palace (A), Watford (H), Aston Villa (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 7th Place
9. Leicester City
Brendan Rodgers enters his first full season in East Midlands, and he has a big task ahead of him. Harry Maguire’s long-awaited transfer to Man United finally materialized, and Leicester must sort out the defensive woes and keeping hold of their lead after disappointing last season. Youri TIelemans’ big-money arrival from Monaco seems one of the transfer gems of the summer after impressive stats for the Belgian midfield maestro during his loan spell at King Power’s last season. Jamie Vardy’s performance up front again should be crucial for the Foxes and the England international yet to recapture his form from the champion-winning season.
- Star Player
- Youri TIelemans
- Major Signings
- Youri Tielemans (Monaco, £40m)
- Ayoze Perez (Newcastle, £30m)
- James Justin (Luton Town, £6m)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Wolves (H), Chelsea (A), Sheffield United (A), Bournemouth (H), Manchester United (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 8th Place
10. Liverpool
The Reds enter the season as one of the bookie’s favourites to win the league after missing out last season just by a small margin to Man City. The points earned by the Jurgen Klopp’s side was so impressive that it makes you wonder what can the Merseyside side do ever to win the league. The front trio in Salah, Mane and Firmino will be again crucial, but having in mind that all of them finished the season late on and played in their continental competition, fatigue is on the cards for Jurgen Klopp and his players. This was confirmed in some disappointing results during the pre-season, but can Liverpool start the new season on a high and establish themselves as pace-setters in the league it’s yet to be seen.
- Star Player
- Virgil Van Dijk
- Major Signings
- Sepp van den Berg (PEC Zwolle, £1.7m)
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham, undisclosed)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Norwich (H), Southampton (A), Arsenal (H), Burnley (A), Newcastle (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 2nd Place
11. Man City
Pep Guardiola is quickly becoming a City favourite after winning back to back Premier League titles and winning domestic Cup trophies for fun. Just to think that City managed to record 98 points last term and played unreal football makes them a firm favourite even without a ball been even kicked. Rodri joined for a significant amount from Atletico Madrid and will be added to the variety of talent Guardiola has at his disposal currently – De Bruyne, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho are to name a few. Vincent Kompany returned to his homeland, and it will be interesting to see how will City replace his presence on and off the pitch.
- Star Player
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Major Signings
- Rodri (Atletico Madrid, £63)
- Angelino (PSV Eindhoven, £11m)
- Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew, £7m)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- West Ham (A), Tottenham (H), Bournemouth (A), Brighton (H), Norwich (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 1st Place
12. Man United
The English Premier League most successful club in terms of league titles has tough times repeating Sir Alex Ferguson’s good times after David Moyes, Van Gaal, Ryan Giggs, Jose Mourinho and now Solskjaer been in charge. The uncertainty of the future of key players like Pogba, De Gea and Lukaku certainly didn’t please the ever-demanding United’s fan base. Harry Maguire and Wan-Bissaka added to the defensive ranks, and now it’s up to be seen whether United will have changes in the attacking front. Jose Mourinho often argued with the Man United hierarchy over lack of backing in the transfer market, but now the situation looks like been changed. Hopefully, for United, the acquisition of world’s most expensive defender will ease the 54 conceded goals last season. Will Dybala join and who will lead the attack – one thing is sure, United’s season is going to be pretty exciting
- Star Player
- Paul Pogba
- Major Signings
- Harry Maguire (Leicester, £85m)
- Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace, £50m)
- Daniel James (Swansea, £16m)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Chelsea (H), Wolves (A), Crystal Palace (H), Southampton (A), Leicester City (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 5th Place
13. Newcastle
Anger in Tyneside reached new highs after the departure of Raffa Benitez who was idolized by the fans. Club owner and club board didn’t convince with the appointment of Steve Bruce either, knowing that he was 11th choice for the manager. Takeover talks didn’t help either as potential new buyers are nowhere to be seen so the problems off the field will undoubtedly impact the Magpies performances. Arrivals of Joelinton for a club-record fee of 40 million and Allan Saint-Maximin from Nice will undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows, but it’s there to be seen whether Bruce can work wonders with limited resources as Benitez did
- Star Player
- Miguel Almiron
- Major Signings
- Joelinton (Hoffenheim, £40m)
- Allan Saint-Maximin (Nice, £20m)
- Jetro Willems (Eintracht Frankfurt, loan)
- Kyle Scott (Chelsea U23, free)
- Jake Turner (Bolton, free)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Arsenal (H), Norwich (A), Tottenham (A), Watford (H), Liverpool (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 18th Place
14. Norwich
Continental-looking and attacking Norwich returned to the big time after storming the Championship last season. Daniel Farke, ex-assistant to Jurgen Klopp, had transformed the Canaries to a more attractive looking side compared to when the East Anglian club was last in the elite. The Canaries scored 93 goals in 46 matches so Teemu Pukki and co will undoubtedly be one of the sides to watch this season. The mixture of European talent and young academy graduate makes the Yellows an exciting party. The first trip to Anfield, friendly Place to start, huh?
- Star Player
- Teemu Pukki
- Major Signings
- Sam Byram (West Ham, £750k)
- Daniel Adshead (Rochdale, £300k)
- Josip Drmic (Borussia Monchengladbach, free)
- Patrick Roberts (Manchester City, loan)
- Ralf Fahrmann (Schalke, loan)
- Rocky Bushiri (KV Oostende, undisclosed)
- Aidan Fitzpatrick (Partick Thistle, undisclosed)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Liverpool (A), Newcastle (H), Chelsea (H), West Ham (A), Manchester City (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 19th Place
15. Sheffield United
Chris Wilder is a miracle worker and the Sheffield-born and bred manager must be knighted in terms of his successes for Sheffield United. Well, at least in the red part of the Steel City. The Blades did the unthinkable climbing up the Football League, and the core of the squad is the same as the one won promotion in League 1. Sheffield United managed to avoid Play-Offs and beat the odds by surpassing Leeds, Villa and many other teams with bigger budgets from the Championship. Now they are facing the even more difficult task in trying to compete against bigger monsters, and Bramall Lane certainly will not be a comfortable place to go to.
- Star Player
- Billy Sharp
- Major Signings
- Oli McBurnie (Swansea, £20m)
- Lyss Mousset (Bournemouth, £10m)
- Callum Robinson (Preston, £7m)
- Luke Freeman (QPR, £5m)
- Phil Jagielka (Everton, free)
- Ravel Morrison (Ostersund, free)
- Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed)
- Dean Henderson (Man United, loan)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Bournemouth (A), Crystal Palace (H), Leicester City (H), Chelsea (A), Southampton (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 20th Place
16. Southampton
Stability is maybe the keyword for Southampton and its fans. They flirted with the relegation during the past few seasons, but this is not reflecting on the quality, and the potential Saints are having at their disposal. Gone are the days of outgoing transfers of key players to bigger clubs now with the level set by the likes of Virgil, Mane, Wanayama, being hard to recapture. Che Adams is an exciting young prospect from Birmingham City, who will compete for a starting place with Charlie Austin, Shay Long, Danny Inggs and others.
- Star Player
- Mario Lemina
- Major Signings
- Danny Ings (Liverpool, £20m)
- Che Adams (Birmingham, £15m)
- Moussa Djenepo (Standard Liege, £14m)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Burnley (A), Liverpool (H), Brighton (A), Manchester United (H), Sheffield United (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 14th Place
17. Tottenham
Plenty of things to be excited about around the Spurs currently – reached UEFA Champions League Final, moved to a new stadium, making some transfers (finally!), Pochettino is staying for the time being etc. etc. If we add plenty of stars coming in during the last few days of the transfer window, we are sure that Harry Kane and co. are going to be firing all cylinders this season. If Spurs manage to stay injury-free and not be complacent, why not to think that they can fight for the title against City, Liverpool and the rest.
- Star Player
- Harry Kane
- Major Signings
- Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon, £54m)
- Jack Clarke (Leeds, £10m)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Aston Villa (H), Manchester City (A), Newcastle (H), Arsenal (A), Crystal Palace (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 3rd Place
18. Watford
Watford and the Pozzo family were changing their manager we hardly remember their total number, but Javi Gracia is doing a remarkable job by setting high standards for him and his team. The Hornets even reached the final of the FA Cup which shows that they’ve enjoyed a fruitful last season. A bad form in the previous 11 games of the season during which they’ve focused on the Cup run saw them drop outside of the Top 10. Will Hughes, Doucoure and Capoue can dictate each game from the midfield, so the Hornets are going to be exciting to be watched next season too.
- Star Player
- Abdoulaye Doucoure
- Major Signings
- Craig Dawson (West Brom, £5.5m)
- Sam Dalby (Leeds, free)
- Tom Dele-Bashiru (Manchester City U23, open)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Brighton (H), Everton (A), West Ham (H), Newcastle (A), Arsenal (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 11th Place
19. West Ham
West Ham would want to avoid the start they had last season and disappointing results made by Pellegrini and his players. The Hammers improved throughout the season and finished in the Top 5 within reach of the European qualification. The additions of Fornals and Haller on a record deal from Eintracht Frankfurt certainly add to the real potential at disposal with the likes of Felipe Anderson, Declan Rice and the rest. The London Stadium is about to witness an entertaining season, but could the Hammers brake into Top 6 and aim for the even greater season.
- Star Player
- Declan Rice
- Major Signings
- Sebastien Haller (Eintracht Frankfurt, £40m)
- Pablo Fornals (Villarreal, £25m)
- David Martin (Millwall, free)
- Roberto (Espanyol, free)
-
Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Manchester City (H), Brighton (A), Watford (A), Norwich (H), Aston Villa (A)
- Predicted Finish
- 10th Place
20. Wolves
Nuno Espirito Santo would want to ensure that the last season’s heroics were no a fluke and the Midlands club is a power to be reckoned. Wolves have taken the league by storm after winning promotion the season before. Wolves main strength is in midfield where Neves and Moutinho you could argue that they could walk into any midfield of the league. The permanent signing of the Mexican striker Raul Jimenez is crucial to Wanderers in terms of scoring goals, so sit back and enjoy some European football and hard campaign at home, Wolves’ fans!
- Star Player
- Ruben Neves
- Major Signings
- Raul Jimenez (Benfica, £34m)
- Patrick Cutrone (AC Milan, £16m)
- Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht, £12m)
- Flavio Cristovao (Desportivo Aves, free)
- Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid, loan)
- Bruno Jordao (Braga, undisclosed)
- Pedro Neto (Braga, undisclosed)
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Kits
- First 5 Fixtures
- Leicester (A), Manchester United (H), Burnley (H), Everton (A), Chelsea (H)
- Predicted Finish
- 9th Place
Enjoy the new season and do not forget to follow WhaleBets website for new strategies and styles of play so that you can enjoy even higher profits. Take a look in the Infographics section where the new one would be published after the transfer window shuts.
