Time flies by during the summer. You spend weeks lamenting the lack of Premier League football, trying to distract yourself with international tournaments and blockbuster transfers. Suddenly, the new season is starting!
Manchester United and Fulham kick off their season on Friday 16th August, so in anticipation of the fast-approaching start, we've laid out five big questions that will shape the season we're about to see.
From title contenders to relegation rivals and everything in between, here's what to watch ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
1. Is this Arsenal's year?
2022-23: 84 points, second place.
2023-24: 89 points, second place. Again.
Will 2024-25 be the season where Arsenal finally make the leap and overtake Manchester City for the Premier League title?
To do so, they will likely need to get past the 90-point mark, which is the typical standard Pep Guardiola’s City have set. And even if they do, there are no guarantees – just ask Jürgen Klopp’s hapless Liverpool of 2019 and 2022, who racked up 97 and 92 points respectively but failed to win the league.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could have smiled at City's difficult summer so far, with so many late arrivals of players who played in Euro 2024 and the Copa America, plus speculation about the futures of key players such as goalkeeper Ederson and striker Julian Alvarez. City have started the season slowly and have still won in the past, but any visible weakness will encourage Arsenal.
There is a third team in this conversation, albeit one with many more unknowns. Liverpool have a new manager in Arne Slot and a bold new style of play. But while some may say this is a new era, that is undermined by the fact that key stars such as Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all in the final year of their contracts.
Perhaps the third point is Liverpool's ceiling this year as they face a difficult transition from a manager who took them to new heights in his nine-year tenure. Although perhaps if Slot's “elegant” style proves as successful as Klopp's “heavy metal football” they could be title contenders again.
2. Did Manchester United make the right decision by keeping Ten Hag?
The early stages of the summer were dominated by speculation over Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford, which was eventually resolved with a new contract until 2026. It was no secret that the board, under the guidance of new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team, looked at and interviewed other options during this period, only to seemingly conclude that there was no manager available who could do a better job.
It was a decision that surprised many fans; the level of performance United displayed in achieving their worst ever Premier League finish (eighth) seemed to suggest a change was necessary. By the 28-match mark, United had conceded an incredible 467 shots on goal (only Sheffield United and relegated Luton Town have conceded more), while their matches often lacked any essence of control or composure, resembling NBA games in their back-and-forth nature.
Ratcliffe has backed his man with money, spending €62m to sign 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro from Lille and €42.5m on striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna this summer, with more arrivals and departures to come, but the gamble United have taken on improving things will not only define their campaign but that of everyone else too. If United are anything like they did last season then it may not be long before Ten Hag is replaced. And if United are in disarray then it would leave at least one top-four spot wide open, with Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Chelsea all ready to pounce.
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Why Manchester United's striker problem worries Don Hutchison
Don Hutchison explains why Manchester United need to find a competent striker to succeed next season.
3. Is Leicester already doomed?
Gone are the days when the relegation battle could be assessed in terms of equality, as not everyone starts from scratch in the era of profit and sustainability regulations (PSR). Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest recovered from points deductions; this season it seems almost certain to be Leicester City.
In fact, the newly promoted Foxes appear to be in an even more difficult position than Everton and Forest, as rather than working with the Premier League and admitting fault (which led to a lenient punishment), they have hit back at every opportunity. They failed to submit their accounts on time, have challenged the league's authority over their accounts while in the Championship and have lost an appeal to an independent committee.
All of this has led to reports that Leicester are set to be hit with a harsh punishment: a possible double-digit points deduction, which would make staying in the league almost impossible.
To add insult to injury, Leicester have already lost their manager, Enzo Maresca, and their best player, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, to Chelsea this summer. The money brought in is said to have helped meet their PSR needs for the next accounting period, but it has forced them to start from scratch under Steve Cooper for the campaign.
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Ed Sheeran celebrates Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League
Ed Sheeran celebrates and speaks to the Ipswich team after their promotion to the Premier League.
4. Which clubs will join the relegation battle?
Southampton and Ipswich Town, both also newly promoted this season, present fascinating stories. The former must adapt a ball-hogging philosophy that saw it rack up better possession numbers (65.5% to 65.2%) than Manchester City in the Championship to be eligible for the Premier League; while the latter is on a wave of remarkable momentum, guided by one of the game’s best emerging managers, Kieran McKenna.
Last season, all three promoted clubs were relegated, but that is far from the norm. It was the first time that this had happened since 1998. Statistically, it is equally likely that all three promoted clubs will stay in the league.
So, in all likelihood, some of the Premier League's established clubs are about to fall into the mire. All the teams that finished in the bottom half of the table last season are on alert again, and the fact that Fulham have lost four key players (including João Palhinha) perhaps puts them in the spotlight for now.
Brentford also need to move on from last season, with striker Ivan Toney likely to remain now that his replacement, Thiago, injured his knee in pre-season.
5. Can Newcastle compete without European distractions?
Understandably, many Newcastle United fans were disappointed when Manchester United won the FA Cup final, as this reshuffled the European spots to the point that the Magpies ruled out a continental adventure in 2024-25. But perhaps it is for the best.
Newcastle had to deal with the number of games and injuries that piled up last season and, although they were not the only team to have this happen, it particularly affected their style of play. It is almost impossible to play a high-intensity, high-pressure game if half the team is injured and the other half is exhausted.
With a summer to get fit and healthy, plus at least eight European games on a Thursday night off the calendar, there is every chance Newcastle will be fearsome again: aggressive, energetic, relentless, prolific.
This is a great opportunity for manager Eddie Howe to regain his strength and fight for a Champions League place. He is now in his third full season at the richest club in the world. [though the Saudi PIF have been hamstrung by PSR this season and won’t be spending as lavishly as in the past]He is under immense pressure to perform.
