NBC Sports
·7 min read
Making Premier League predictions ahead of the new season kicking off is always risky but it's also a lot of fun to think about the chaos coming up over the next nine months.
[ MORE:Premier League 2024-25 schedule, how to watch every game live]
The summer sun is still here, new kits and balls are being rolled out, new signings are making their mark and expectations from fans of all 20 clubs is high. Well, pretty much all 20 clubs.
[ MORE: PST predict the 2024-25 Premier League table ]
Below we make our big predictions for the upcoming 2024-25 season, which you can bookmark and hopefully see how correct we were when we look back at the season in May 2025...
[ MORE: Premier League odds for 2024-25 season ]
The Premier League top scorer will be...
It's hard not to pick Erling Haaland, but I'm going to. I think Mohamed Salah is going to have a heck of a comeback season at Liverpool and a new style of play will allow him to get on the ball even more than he did under Jurgen Klopp, and Salah on the ball around the box only means one thing: goals. Keep an eye on Dominic Solanke too. There's a lot of chat about the transfer fee being too big for him, but he's perfect for the way this Tottenham team plays. I expect him to get close to 20 goals. If you fancy a few names that probably won't be mentioned right away: Alexander Isak and Niclas Fullkrug.
Who will be the comeback player of the year?
He's shown flashes of it during preseason and it seems like Gabriel Jesus could become a big player for Arsenal this season. He may not start the season in the starting lineup but don't be surprised if he gets the No. 9 spot soon and Kai Havertz moves to a slightly deeper role. Jesus scored just four Premier League goals last season as his season was ravaged by injury but he's still a fine player and looks to have regained his fitness and confidence. Also, watch out for Jadon Sancho, Amad Diallo and Casemiro at Manchester United. All three have had superb preseasons.
Best signing of the season?
Very long way to go with so many new additions set to arrive, but there are two obvious choices here: Niclas Fullkrug to West Ham and Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal. Both add real quality to their respective teams in areas they needed to strengthen and both deals were done early enough in the summer for them to hit the ground running. I like what West Ham have done bringing in Kilman and Todibo in defense too, while Southampton (who have been one of the busier teams) have added the trio of Ben Brereton-Diaz, Taylor Harwood-Belis and Yukinari Sugawara and all will be key. Crystal Palace have replaced Michael Olise in a savvy way with Daichi Kamada and Ismaila Sarr arriving, while Pedro Neto has the potential to be a superstar at Chelsea if he can stay fit. Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham), Jake O'Brien (Everton), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa) and Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray (both Tottenham) have the potential to be brilliant signings, long-term, too as all of those players are under the age of 24.
The Premier League surprise team(s) will be...
I'm going with Crystal Palace in a positive sense. Can it be much of a surprise given how they finished last season? Anyway, even after losing Michael Olise and potentially Marc Guehi they should be fine and Oliver Glasner has the perfect squad to implement his tactics. Watch out for Palace to push for Europe and definitely finish in the top 10. In the a negative sense, I really worry about both Brentford and Wolves. They've both lost/are losing some big players, injuries have already built up and I think Wolves boss Gary O'Neil is in a really tough spot due to the financial situation at the club. Thomas Frank and Brentford have to sort out the Ivan Toney situation quickly and his replacement Igor Thiago getting injured in preseason is a big blow.
Top teenagers who could break through?
Quite a few teenagers have been making a name for themselves in preseason and Tottenham's Mikey Moore and Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri (both 17) are two to keep a close eye on. Chelsea's new signing Marc Guiu (18) has looked really sharp in preseason and will be a real pest up top, while Lucas Bergvall (18) has arrived at Spurs with plenty of hope and the Swedish playmaker looks a real talent. Keep an eye on Tyler Dibling (18) at Southampton too, he has extreme young Jack Grealish vibes.
Who will be the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year?
This is tough and often depends on which team wins the title. All signs point towards Bukayo Saka leading another title charge for Arsenal so I'm going for him as the player of the year. In terms of the young player of the year, Kobbie Mainoo will probably continue his incredible rise at Manchester United and it's hard to believe he's just 19. Watch out for Eberechi Eze, Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to all be right up there.
Which Premier League manager will be sacked first?
If you look at Wolves' schedule it is horrendous early on. They play all of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle in their first eight games. It is very possible they will head into October without a victory in the Premier League and we all know what usually happens then. Gary O'Neil is a very bright young manager. He proved that last season with a small budget and small squad. But it feels like Wolves losing Max Kilman and Pedro Neto, on top of injury issues, will be a tough situation to shake off in the opening months of the season. Steve Cooper at Leicester, Nuno Espirito Santo at Nottingham Forest and Enzo Maresca at Chelsea all need fast starts to the season to shake off talk of the sack.
Who will be relegated from the Premier League?
Due to the factors I mentioned above, I think Wolves are going to have a tough start and then panic and be scrambling. I think they will go down and Brentford will be really close. The three newly-promoted teams are all going to be right in the scrap but Leicester City are in a very tough spot given the charges against them and Steve Cooper's side could well be looking at a points deduction. Ipswich Town have also struggled to strengthen their squad significantly due to financial limitations, while Southampton look the most likely of the new boys to fight to stay up. I think the Saints could do it if they have a strong end to the summer window and get a new goalkeeper and attacking star.
The Premier League title winners will be...
Arsenal. This feels like the season they're going to overtake Man City. They came so close last season and Guardiola's side have lost Julian Alvarez and their core stars are now the wrong side of 30. This is Arsenal's chance and as long as Odegaard, Saliba, Rice, Havertz and Saka stay fit, they'll do it.
