Premier League: How will your side fare this season?

Premier League champions Manchester City celebrate winning the 2020/21 season.
Premier League champions Manchester City celebrate winning the 2020/21 season.
Dave Thompson
Carl Bennett

By Carl Bennett


Published: 12/08/2021

- 17:50

Updated: 12/08/2021

- 21:20

The 2021/22 season kicks off on Friday with Brentford's first ever Premier League game against Arsenal.

Premier League football is back as the 2021/22 season gets under way on August 13.

Here's a look at each club’s chances and their transfer dealings so far.


Arsenal

Manager: Mikel Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Peter Cziborra

Position last season: 8th

Nickname: The Gunners

Ground: Emirates Stadium

Capacity: 60,260

Key man: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

In: Ben White (Brighton, £50m), Nuno Tavares (Benfica, £7.2m), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Anderlecht, £15.75m)

Out: David Luiz (released), Dinos Mavropanos (Stuttgart, season-long loan), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille, season-long loan), William Saliba (Marseille, season-long loan), Tolaji Bola (Rotherham, undisclosed), Jordi Osei-Tutu (Nottingham Forest, loan), Harry Clarke (Ross County, loan), Tyreece John-Jules (Blackpool, loan), Matt Smith (Doncaster, loan), Daniel Ballard (Millwall, loan), Ben Sheaf (Coventry, undisclosed), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff, undisclosed), Trae Coyle (FC Lausanne-Sport, undisclosed), Zech Medley (KV Oostende, undisclosed)

Chances: Last season again failed to deliver much progress, with hopes of Europa League success ended by defeat to Villareal and former boss Unai Emery in the semi-finals. The Gunners will not be involved in European football this season, which could just help Arteta’s squad regain a foothold on the domestic front.

Aston Villa

Manager: Dean Smith

Position last season: 11th

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith.
Naomi Baker

Nickname: The Villans

Ground: Villa Park

Capacity: 42,682

Key man: Emiliano Buendia

In: Emiliano Buendia (Norwich, £33m), Ashley Young (Inter Milan, free), Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen, £25m), Axel Tuanzebe (Manchester United, loan), Danny Ings (Southampton, £25m)

Out: Ahmed Elmohamady (released), Tom Heaton (Man Utd, free), Bjorn Engels (Antwerp, undisclosed), Jack Grealish (Manchester City, £100m), Louie Barry (Ipswich, loan), Kaine Kesler Hayden (Swindon, loan), Finn Azaz (Newport, loan), Callum Rowe (Exeter, free)

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Chances: After the progress of the last campaign, Villa have spent most of the money received from the sale of Grealish to bring in playmaker Buendia from Norwich for a club-record fee and also Bailey and Ings for significant fees. Smith will be expected to keep the team upwardly mobile and pushing for the European places.

Brentford

Manager: Thomas Frank

Position last season: Promoted (Championship play-off winners)

Nickname: The Bees

Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
John Walton

Ground: Brentford Community Stadium

Capacity: 17,250

Key man: Ivan Toney

In: Frank Onyeka (FC Midtjylland, £9m), Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic, £13.5m), Yoane Wissa (Lorient, undisclosed), Myles Peart-Harris (Chelsea, undisclosed)

Out: Henrik Dalsgaard (FC Midtjylland, free), Emiliano Marcondes (Bournemouth, free), Ellery Balcombe (Burton, season-long loan), Aaron Pressley (AFC Wimbledon, season-long loan), Luke Daniels (Middlesbrough, free)

Chances: The Bees are very much an unknown quantity heading into a first Premier League campaign in the club’s history. If Toney, top scorer in the Championship last term, finds his feet quickly, Frank’s well-organised side could cause plenty of problems. If not, it could be a harsh reality check at the Community Stadium.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Manager: Graham Potter

Position last season: 16th

Nickname: The Seagulls

Ground: Amex Stadium

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter.
Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter.
Kieran Cleeves

Capacity: 30,666

Key man: Lewis Dunk

In: Enock Mwepu (RB Salzburg, £18m), Kjell Scherpen (Ajax, £4.2m), Kaoru Mitoma (Kawasaki Frontale, undisclosed)

Out: Ben White (Arsenal, £50m), Jose Izquierdo (released), Davy Propper (PSV Eindhoven, free) Bernardo (RB Salzburg, undisclosed), Viktor Gyokeres (Coventry, season-long loan), Mat Ryan (Real Sociedad, free) Alireza Jahanbakhsh (£1m, Feyenoord), Leo Ostigard (Stoke, loan), Kaoru Mitoma (Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, loan), Carl Rushworth (Walsall, loan), Matt Clarke (West Brom, loan), Jensen Weir (Cambridge, loan), Ryan Longman (Hull, loan), Alex Cochrane (Hearts, loan), Teddy Jenks (Aberdeen, loan)

Chances: The Seagulls eventually managed to keep themselves clear of the relegation dogfight again yet, but for a couple of results, it could easily have gone either way. Despite having seen key defender White sold to Arsenal, Potter will be under pressure to keep the club upwardly mobile rather than be dragged into another survival battle.

Burnley

Manager: Sean Dyche

Position last season: 17th

Nickname: The Clarets

Ground: Turf Moor

Capacity: 21,944

Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
Alex Livesey

Key man: Nick Pope

In: Nathan Collins (Stoke, £12m), Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace, free)

Out: Ben Gibson (Norwich, £8m), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Sheffield Wednesday, season-long loan), Robbie Brady (released), Jimmy Dunne (QPR, undisclosed), Adam Phillips (Morecambe, loan), Lukas Jensen (Carlisle, loan), Joel Mumbongo (Accrington, loan), Ryan Cooney (Morecambe, free)

Chances: Last season was too close a call for Dyche’s side, who lost seven out of their final 10 games. If the Clarets, now backed by new American owners, fail to start well then Dyche could soon find his own future under the spotlight.

Chelsea

Manager: Thomas Tuchel

Position last season: 4th

Nickname: The Blues

Ground: Stamford Bridge

Capacity: 41,631

Key man: N’Golo Kante

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
Nick Potts

In: Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham, free)

Out: Marco Van Ginkel (PSV Eindhoven, free), Willy Caballero (released), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan, £26.2m), Izzy Brown (Preston, free), Billy Gilmour (Norwich, season-long loan), Victor Moses (Spartak Moscow, £4.5m), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan, £900,000), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace, £18m), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, season-long loan), Lewis Bate (Leeds, undisclosed), Armando Broja (Southampton, loan), Ian Maatsen (Coventry, loan), Jack Wakely (Wycombe, free), Jamie Cumming (Gillingham, loan), Henry Lawrence (AFC Wimbledon, loan), Myles Peart-Harris (Brentford, undisclosed), Juan Castillo (Birmingham, loan), Luke McCormick (AFC Wimbledon, undisclosed), Nathan Baxter (Hull, loan), Levi Colwill (Huddersfield, loan), Danilo Pantic (Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed)

Chances: German coach Tuchel has plenty of credit in the bank following last season’s Champions League final triumph over Manchester City, as well as beating Villareal for the European Super Cup. Domestic improvement, though, will be the prime directive and expect the FA Cup runners-up to have full focus on closing the gap at the top of the table.

Crystal Palace

Manager: Patrick Vieira

Position last season: 14th

Nickname: The Eagles

Ground: Selhurst Park

Capacity: 25,486

Key man: Wilfried Zaha

In: Marc Guehi (Chelsea, £18m), Joachim Andersen (Lyon, £17m), Jacob Montes (Georgetown Hoyas, free), Michael Olise (Reading, £8.3m), Remi Matthews (Sunderland, free), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea, season-long loan)

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira.
Morgan Harlow

Out: Stephen Henderson, Gary Cahill, Nathaniel Clyne, Scott Dann, Connor Wickham (all released), James McCarthy (Celtic, free), Wayne Hennessey (Burnley, free), Mamadou Sakho (Montpellier, free), Patrick Van Aanholt (Galatasaray, free), Andros Townsend (Everton, free), Sion Spence (Bristol Rovers, loan)

Chances: The Eagles have taken something of a gamble on former Arsenal captain Vieira taking over the reins after Roy Hodgson’s departure. A testing opening schedule means the Frenchman will have to quickly get his progressive ideas across and help get the best of key man Zaha – or the pressure will soon mount.

Everton

Manager: Rafael Benitez

Position last season: 10th

Nickname: The Toffees

Ground: Goodison Park

Capacity: 39,572

Key man: Richarlison

In: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace, free), Asmir Begovic (Bournemouth, free), Demarai Gray (Bayer Leverkusen, £1.7m)

Out: Theo Walcott (Southampton, free), Joshua King (Watford, free), Yannick Bolasie (released), Muhamed Besic (released), Bernard (Sharjah, £850,000), Lewis Gibson (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Beni Baningime (Hearts, undisclosed), Dennis Adeniran (Sheffield Wednesday, free), Callum Connolly (Blackpool, free), Josh Bowler (Blackpool, free)

Everton manager Rafael Benitez.
Everton manager Rafael Benitez.
Anthony Devlin

Chances: Benitez is another new boss in need of quick results to help win over the blue half of Merseyside. The Spaniard will aim to succeed where predecessor Carlo Ancelotti could not in getting an under-performing squad into top-six and trophy contention.

Leeds United

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa

Position last season: 9th

Nickname: The Whites

Ground: Elland Road

Capacity: 37,890

Key man: Kalvin Phillips

In: Jack Harrison (Man City, £11m), Junior Firpo (Barcelona, £12.8m), Amari Miller (Birmingham, £1m), Sean McGurk (Wigan, undisclosed), Lewis Bate (Chelsea, undisclosed), Kristoffer Klaesson (Valerenga, undisclosed)

Out: Ezgjan Alioski (released), Gaetano Berardi (released), Pablo Hernandez (Castellon, free), Kiko Casilla (Elche, season-long loan), Leif Davis (Bournemouth, season-long loan), Oliver Casey (Blackpool, undisclosed), Alfie McAlmont (Morecambe, loan), Rafa Mujica (Las Palmas, undisclosed), Ryan Edmondson (Fleetwood, loan)

Chances: Bielsa continued his Leeds love affair with a respectable top-half finish last season after the club’s 16-year absence from the Premier League. Expect another entertaining campaign of progress at Elland Road – which, fuelled by an expectant capacity crowd, could have them pushing for European qualification.

Leicester City

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Richard Sellers

Manager: Brendan Rodgers

Position last season: 5th

Nickname: The Foxes

Ground: King Power Stadium

Capacity: 32,312

Key man: Youri Tielemans

In: Patson Daka (RB Salzburg, £27m), Boubakary Soumare (Lille, £17m), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton, free)

Out: Wes Morgan (retired), Christian Fuchs (Charlotte FC, free), Matty James (Bristol City, free), Callum Wright (Cheltenham, loan), Daniel Iversen (Preston, loan), George Hirst (Portsmouth, loan), Tyrese Shade (Walsall, loan), Darnell Johnson (Fleetwood, free), Admiral Muskwe (Luton, undisclosed), Josh Knight (Peterborough, undisclosed)

Chances: Despite the disappointment of again having narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, Rodgers’ well-drilled squad can take plenty of momentum from their FA Cup final and Community Shield triumph and head into the new campaign with renewed optimism of cracking the top four.

Liverpool

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers.
Nick Potts

Position last season: 3rd

Nickname: The Reds

Ground: Anfield

Capacity: 54,074

Key man: Virgil Van Dijk

In: Ibrahima Konate (RB Leipzig, £36m)

Out: Georginio Wijnaldum (Paris St Germain, free), Sepp Van Den Berg (Preston, season-long loan), Marko Grujic (Porto, £10.5m), Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, £6.5m), Harry Wilson (Fulham, £12m), Joe Hardy (Accrington, free), Liam Coyle (Accrington, free), Kamil Grabara (FC Copenhagen, undisclosed), Paul Glatzel (Tranmere, loan), Adam Lewis (Livingston, loan)

Chances: Liverpool fans will be hoping the return to fitness of Dutch defender Van Dijk from his serious knee injury can help build another sustained title push after falling so short in their defence last season. The £36million arrival of centre-back Konate from RB Leipzig will also add more steel to the core of a team which has plenty of ground to make up on their rivals.

Manchester City

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Position last season: Champions

Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas and manager Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas and manager Jurgen Klopp.
Peter Byrne

Nickname: Citizens

Ground: Etihad Stadium

Capacity: 55,017

Key man: Kevin De Bruyne

In: Scott Carson (Derby, free), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa, £100m)

Out: Sergio Aguero (Barcelona, free), Eric Garcia (Barcelona, free), Jack Harrison (Leeds, £11m), Matt Smith (Hull, loan), Lukas Nmecha (Wolfsburg, undisclosed), Callum Doyle (Sunderland, loan), Alex Robinson (Ross County, loan), Lewis Fiorini (Lincoln, loan), Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth, loan), James Trafford (Accrington, loan), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Anderlecht, loan), Dan Grimshaw (Blackpool, free)

Chances: While their European dream may have come up short again with a tough-to-take defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League final, City were phenomenal as they surged towards another Premier League title under Guardiola. The bar has been set high – but expect it to be raised once more by the team everyone else has to finish above, especially if they find that reliable replacement for Aguero.

Manchester United

Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Position last season: 2nd

Nickname: The Red Devils

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with Riyad Mahrez.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with Riyad Mahrez.
Nick Potts

Ground: Old Trafford

Capacity: 74,879

Key man: Bruno Fernandes

In: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund, £73m), Tom Heaton (Aston Villa, free), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, £41m)

Out: Sergio Romero (released), Joel Pereira (released), Tahith Chong (Birmingham, loan), Axel Tuanzebe (Aston Villa, loan), Max Taylor (Rochdale, free), Di’Shon Bernard (Hull, loan), Reece Devine (St Johnstone, loan), Nathan Bishop (Mansfield, loan)

Chances: United have backed Solskjaer with a summer spending spree, bringing in England winger Sancho and France centre-back Varane. The pressure, though, will soon crank up if the new-look squad does not quickly gel into an effective unit and keep pace with their noisy neighbours.

Newcastle United

Manager: Steve Bruce

Position last season: 12th

Nickname: The Magpies

Ground: St James’ Park

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Steven Paston

Capacity: 52,305

Key man: Allan Saint-Maximin

In: -.

Out: Christian Atsu (Al-Raed, free), Henri Saivet (released), Andy Carroll (released), Florian Lejeune (Alaves, undisclosed), Kell Watts (Wigan, loan), Jake Turner (Colchester, loan), Ludwig Francillette (Crawley, free), Lewis Cass (Port Vale, loan)

Chances: Magpies boss Bruce rode out the storm last season, both on and off the pitch, to eventually guide the club to mid-table stability. The background noise is unlikely to fade, especially with demanding fans back at St James’ Park as the takeover saga rumbles on – but Bruce will get on with the job in hand, whether or not he is able to strengthen the squad.

Norwich City

Manager: Daniel Farke

Position last season: Promoted (Championship winners)

Nickname: The Canaries

Ground: Carrow Road

Capacity: 27,244

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce.
Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce.
Barrington Coombs

Key man: Teemu Pukki

In: Milot Rashica (Werder Bremen, £11m), Angus Gunn (Southampton, £5m), Dimitris Giannoulis (PAOK, £7.5m), Ben Gibson (Burnley, £8m), Billy Gilmour (Chelsea, season-long loan), Pierre Lees-Melou (Nice, £3.5m), Christos Tzolis (PAOK, £8.8m), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, undisclosed)

Out: Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa, £33m), Alexander Tettey (Rosenborg, free), Mario Vrancic (Stoke, free), Josip Drmic (Rijeka, season-long loan), Sam McCallum (QPR, loan), Danel Sinani (Huddersfield, loan), Marco Stiepermann, Orjan Nyland, Moritz Leitner (released), Louis Thompson (Portsmouth, free), Daniel Sinani (Huddersfield, loan), Gassan Ahadme (Portsmouth, loan), Akin Famewo (Charlton, loan), Sebastian Soto (Porto, loan), Daniel Barden (Livingston, loan), Josh Martin (MK Dons, loan)

Chances: The Canaries flew straight back up with an impressive Championship-winning campaign and should be better prepared for life in the top flight again. After cashing in on key playmaker Buendia for a club-record fee, much expectation will rest on the young shoulders of Scotland midfielder Gilmour following his season loan switch from Chelsea.

Southampton

Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl

Position last season: 15th

Nickname: The Saints

Ground: St Mary’s Stadium

Capacity: 32,384

Key man: James Ward-Prowse

Norwich City manager Daniel Farke.
Norwich City manager Daniel Farke.
Mike Egerton

In: Romain Perraud (Brest, £10.8m), Theo Walcott (Everton, free), Adam Armstrong (Blackburn, undisclosed), Armando Broja (Chelsea, loan)

Out: Wesley Hoedt (Anderlecht, free), Angus Gunn (Norwich, £5m), Josh Sims (released), Ryan Bertrand (Leicester, free), Mario Lemina (Nice, £4.9m), Danny Ings (Aston Villa, £25m), Will Ferry (Crawley, loan), Callum Slattery (Motherwell, undisclosed), Dan Nlundulu (Lincoln, loan), Alex Jankewitz (Young Boys, undisclosed), Jake Vokins (Ross County, loan), Thomas O’Connor (Burton, free), Kayne Ramsay (Crewe, loan)

Chances: After promising so much, Saints again faded out last season, despite reaching the FA Cup semi-finals. Hasenhuttl knows the squad needs more strength in depth to push back into the top half, and the loss of striker Ings will not help. Armstrong was prolific for Blackburn in the Championship, but the Premier League is a different proposition.

Tottenham

Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo

Position last season: 7th

Nickname: Spurs

Ground: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Capacity: 62,062

Key man: Harry Kane

In: Bryan Gil (Sevilla, £26m/part-exchange), Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta, season-long loan), Cristian Romero (Atalanta, undisclosed)

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Phil Noble

Out: Paulo Gazzaniga (Fulham, free), Danny Rose (Watford, free), Juan Foyth (Villarreal, £13.5m), Erik Lamela (Sevilla, part-exchange), Toby Alderweireld (Al-Duhail, £4.2m), Joe Hart (Celtic, undisclosed), Dennis Cirkin (Sunderland, undisclosed), Jamie Bowden (Oldham, loan), Jubril Okedina (Cambridge, undisclosed), Kion Etete (Northampton, loan), Troy Parrott (MK Dons, loan), George Marsh (AFC Wimbledon, free), Shilow Tracey (Cambridge, free)

Chances: After a protracted search, Spurs finally got a new manager in place, but the jury remains out on how well Portuguese coach Nuno can make his mark on the squad. Spanish winger Gil will help freshen things up – but speculation continues over whether England captain Kane will still be around when the transfer window shuts.

Watford

Manager: Xisco

Position last season: Promoted (2nd in Championship)

Nickname: The Hornets

Ground: Vicarage Road

Capacity: 21,000

Key man: Ismaila Sarr

In: Imran Louza (Nantes, £9m), Joshua King (Everton, free), Emmanuel Dennis (Club Brugge, £3.6m), Kwadwo Baah (Rochdale, £125,000), Ashley Fletcher (Middlesbrough, free), Danny Rose (Tottenham, free), Dapo Mebude (Rangers, free), Peter Etebo (Stoke, season-long loan), Juraj Kucka (Parma, undisclosed)

Out: Craig Dawson (West Ham, £2m), Ben Wilmot (Stoke, £1.5m), Carlos Sanchez (released), Ignacio Pussetto (Udinese, season-long loan), Adalberto Penaranda (Las Palmas, season-long loan), Philip Zinckernagel (Nottingham Forest, loan), Pontus Dahlberg (Doncaster, loan), Dapo Mebude (AFC Wimbledon, loan), Daniel Phillips (Gillingham, loan), Tiago Cukur (Doncaster, loan), Bosun Lawal (Celtic, undisclosed)

Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nigel French

Chances: Like Norwich, the Hornets made an instant return to the Premier League, with Spanish coach Xisco replacing Vladimir Ivic to finish off the promotion drive. Keeping hold of Sarr is key, while French midfielder Louza, Rose and forward King are among the summer recruits who will all have to settle in quickly if Watford are to avoid a battle to stay up.

West Ham United

Manager: David Moyes

Position last season: 6th

Nickname: The Hammers

Ground: London Stadium

Capacity: 60,000

Key man: Declan Rice

In: Craig Dawson (Watford, £2m), Alphonse Areola (Paris St Germain, loan)

Out: Fabian Balbuena (Dynamo Moscow, free), Felipe Anderson (Lazio, £2.7m), Nathan Trott (Nancy, season-long loan), Nathan Holland (Oxford, loan), Joseph Anang (Stevenage, loan)

Chances: The Irons impressed last season, pushing for Champions League qualification. Moyes will be hoping the returning supporters at the London Stadium see continued improvement, built around England midfielder Rice and the forward running of Michail Antonio.

Watford manager Xisco Munoz.
Watford manager Xisco Munoz.
John Walton

***

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manager: Bruno Lage

Position last season: 13th

Nickname: Wolves

Ground: Molineux

Capacity: 32,050

Key man: Raul Jimenez

In: Yerson Mosquera (Atletico Nacional, £4.6m), Francisco Trincao (Barcelona, season-long loan), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Angers, £10m), Jose Sa (Olympiacos, £6.8m), Bendeguz Bolla (Fehervar, £1.8m)

Out: Ruben Vinagre (Sporting, season-long loan), Rui Patricio (Roma, £10.3m), Bendeguz Bolla (Grasshoppers, season-long loan), Taylor Perry (Cheltenham, loan), Theo Corbeanu (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Matija Sarkic (Birmingham, loan), Dion Sanderson (Birmingham, loan), Ryan Giles (Cardiff, loan), Sadou Diallo (Forest Green, free)

Chances: It is all change at Molineux as new boss Lage looks to build on the fine work of his fellow Portuguese predecessor. The foundations remain for a solid campaign, but one which could also quickly unravel should the transition not go to plan.

West Ham United manager David Moyes.
West Ham United manager David Moyes.
Jane Barlow

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage.
Bradley Collyer

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