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Who will win the 2022/23 Premier League?

The fabled first game of the Premier League season is almost among us, just over a month to go before that first whistle blows and the race begins. Until then, we can speculate, debate and discuss how we think the 2022/23 season will go.

New signings and managers will play a massive part, teams that were miles off last season may have opportunities to manifest themselves into a title race. When a new season begins, it’s anyone’s title. We all saw what happened in 2016 with Leicester!

Manchester City

Of course, the champions Man City are favourites to retain the title and become only the second side in Premier League history to three-peat the Premier League after Manchester United who did so from 2007-2009. Pep Guardiola’s side’s dominance has drawn many comparisons to that of Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous Man Utd machine that was dominant for so many years.

They had another exceptional league season, once again accumulating more than 90 points to beat out Liverpool. They also reached the semi-final of the Champions League but failed to advance to a second final in a row after Real Madrid’s late heroics at the Bernabeu. Man City have a huge squad full of talented players, and they have added to it further this summer with the acquisitions of two strikers. Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.

The pair have never played Premier League football but their goal records in their respective leagues speak for themselves. Here are the duos stats from last season:

• Julian Alvarez- 17 goals in 22 appearances
• Erling Haaland- 27 goals in 29 appearances

Man City have quickly gone from playing largely without a striker, to having two of the best in the business at their disposal. This has come after a very long hunt for a striker. Last summer they were after Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo, but both moves never materialised. With the number of goals and squad depth they have brought in, there is no doubt that City will once again be a force to be reckoned with.

Predicted league finish- 1st

Liverpool FC

Liverpool, they had a fantastic season, but an extremely disappointing one at the same time. They came out of the 21/22 campaign with an FA Cup trophy as well as the League Cup. While this should be considered a success, sometimes it’s the hope that kills you. And in football, this is a very common theme. Liverpool were looking to win all four major trophies available to them. This would’ve been a record-breaking feat, but they fell at the final hurdle. Twice.

On the final day of the league season, they needed City to drop points. Instead, they came back from 2-0 down in a dramatic comeback. Then just under a week later, suffered defeat in Paris in the Champions League final vs Real Madrid.

This coming season, Jurgen Klopp will be after his next Premier League triumph. The German has won the competition just once in his career, if not for Pep and City he may have had three to his name! His side have shown real signs of intent to push further next season by signing two players for squad depth and the future in Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay, as well as securing one of the hottest young strikers in Darwin Nunez for €100m.

They have lost Sadio Mané but bringing Nunez in will certainly soften the blow somewhat. With his arrival, Liverpool will have a new front three to inspire them to trophies. But will Nunez, Diaz and Salah be as successful as Mané, Firmino and Salah?

Predicted finish: 2nd

Chelsea FC

Chelsea are a tough nut to crack at the moment, as unlike Liverpool and City they are yet to sign any new players. So, we are continuing to judge them based on their squad from last season. The one bit of business that has been done is £100 million striker Romelu Lukaku returning to former club Internazionale. He will join the Milan side on a loan deal worth around £8 million + addons. A massive loss for Chelsea but if the Belgian can once again prove himself at Inter, Chelsea may be able to demand closer to their original fee for a permanent switch.

After this horrendous transfer, Chelsea will need to be much savvier in the window. They are after a new centre-back or two as well as another forward. Two of the names being linked with the club are Jules Koundé of Sevilla and Raphinha of Leeds United.

The most recent reports have indicated that Chelsea would need to stump up more than £65 million to secure Raphinha and a similar fee for Koundé. They will be facing competition from Barcelona and Arsenal for both these signings, and it remains to be seen whether Tuchel will get his targets. Another name on the list is Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, who is ‘open’ to leaving Manchester this summer.

Chelsea will be looking to push on into a title race after another disappointing league season.

Predicted finish: 4th

Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs have been very active in the transfer window already, strengthening their side in major ways. They have signed Ivan Perisic from Inter who has previously worked under Conte. They secured defensive midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton in a deal worth £25 million, and they also picked up Fraser Forster to be a backup keeper.

There are no signs of them stopping either, they are still in the market to sign a full back and another attacking player. Djed Spence has been discussed for the right back position, but Chris Wilder and Middlesbrough are driving a hard bargain. It seems they want some Brazilian flair in attack as they’ve been linked with Raphinha, Richarlison and Antony.

If they can secure a couple more signings and keep hold of their best players then we may just see a surprising Tottenham Hotspur title charge. Something to remember though, Spurs have UCL football to play next season which will be massively impactful on the side’s fitness.

Predicted finish: 6th

Arsenal FC

The red side of North London were kicking themselves for missing out on a top four place this season. They had all their eggs in the top four basket after missing out on European football the season before. They had one competition to focus on. This ended poorly for them as they lost to Spurs and Newcastle, losing their top four place to their North London rivals.

They have signed Fabio Vieira from Porto as well as securing prospect Marquinhos from São Paulo. On top of this, they have brought in a backup keeper in Matt Turner. They are also linked with a move for Raphinha, but as previously discussed, he will cost £65 million. The last time Arsenal spent big on a winger, it didn’t work out for them. Nicolas Pepé has been nothing short of a flop and they are right to have reservations about spending big again.

With Europa League football to play, Arsenal with struggle with the physical demands and slightly falter.

Predicted finish: 5th

Manchester United

Man Utd are a massive enigma at the moment, such a tough side to predict. Erik ten Hag is an unproven Premier League manager, and the club are yet to do any real business this summer aside from seeing players leave. Paul Pogba is the biggest departure, although he never truly lived up to expectations, there was never doubt in his ability. Having that sort of player is only a positive and losing him will hit United hard unless they find the right replacement.

They’re still in the process of signing Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, but no one knows if this transfer will go through. Barca’s high price demands scare United and the Dutch midfielders’ reservations about leaving Catalonia are also a stopping block. Ten Hag has made it clear that de Jong is his no.1 target. United are also opening talks with Ajax for winger Antony and centre backs Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez. Whether United sign any of these players remains to be seen, but if Erik ten Hag is able to sign his targets United could become a revived force.

I’m optimistic for the Red Devils and while I don’t see them winning the title, I do see them finishing comfortably in the top four as well as winning the Europa League.

Predicted finish: 3rd

Who do you think will win the title next season? Will the usual suspects be up to their old tricks? Or will we see City dethroned? We can’t wait for what the new season has to offer.

Author: Jude Sutcliffe