We’re just weeks away from the start of the new season – and despite the lack of fans and support that will be seen in the stadium, there is still plenty to look forward too with the return of the beautiful game.
One thing that many people know about the Premier League is that its incredibly competitive, often regarded as the best league in the world. This means for some interesting predictions on how the table may turn out at the end of each season – and often you will see some crazy predictions on where some teams may finish.
Plenty of teams have been investing ahead of the new season, with newly-promoted clubs such as Fulham and Leeds investing big in their squads, and Premier League name stays such as Arsenal and Chelsea gearing up for their top four pushes, and maybe even the latter going for an ambitious title win.
Funnily enough, we are about to make those crazy predictions right now – and interestingly this can go one of two ways, you’re either almost spot on, or completely off – so, without further ado, here is my 2020/21 Premier League table prediction…
20th – Fulham F.C.
The Cottagers gained promotion back to the Premier League via the playoffs at the back end of last season – and have made some key investments in some troubled areas with the signings of Antonee Robinson and Mario Lemina. Despite this, I just can’t see the club staying up this season, and I see them finishing at the bottom.
The clubs in the league have grown in strength the past few seasons and previous bottom table clubs such as Brighton and Crystal Palace are now climbing the table, making the competition to stay in the league even harder. Scott Parker and his team will likely put up a fight, but compared to the strength of the rest of the league, they don’t have all the players to combat this.
19th – West Bromwich Albion
Another recently promoted club, Slaven Bilic has done really well to get The Baggies back up to the Premier League again. However, the club has only made one signing, and that is the permanent transfer of Matheus Pereira, who was on loan at the club last season and was one of the club’s best players too.
Despite the signing, the squad is no different from the one that finished second in the Championship last season, and it really isn’t a squad that is strong enough for a Premier League season, especially given the bottom table Premier League clubs that have been strengthening this summer. If the club is serious about retaining their newly found Premier League status, them Bilic and the club will need to make some more investments in some key areas, namely their midfield – with only four in their squad.
18th – Aston Villa
The Villans did incredibly well to keep themselves in the Premier League last season, after keeping out of the relegation zone during the last game with a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
This summer, the club hasn’t made any signings and haven’t managed to yet build upon their accomplishments from the end of last season – and along with the links for a move away for Villa starman Jack Grealish, this could become a worrying season for the club and their fans.
The club and the board will need to get some deals done before the transfer window deadline, and if they are able to keep hold of Grealish then this position may change, but as things stand I see them filling that last relegation spot.
17th – Burnley F.C.
The Clarets had a great finish in the table last time out, with Sean Dyche guiding his team to a 10th place finish in the Premier League. It has often been highlighted the great job that Dyche has done at Burnley, but next season I can’t see it happening again.
The club hasn’t really invested in the squad so far this summer, with goalkeeper Will Norris from Wolves the clubs only signing so far – and with the 20-year-old winger Dwight McNeil being linked with a move away after a great season with the club, they have failed to strengthen themselves any further over the past few years, and I just feel they will struggle this next season, but will just manage to keep themselves up for another year.
16th – Leeds United
After their 16 year absence, Leeds’ long-awaited return to the Premier League has finally come to fruition, thanks to the brains and brawn of Argentinian manager and cult figure Marcelo Bielsa. Now first off, I see the club staying up next season, which is great for the club and their fans – but it’ll be with slim pickings.
With the club finishing 16th, they would just avoid the drop and will stay safe despite the relegation of fellow promotees West Brom and Fulham – all thanks to the genius of Bielsa and the investments made in the squad with the recent signings of Rodrigo, Jack Harrison, Helder Costa, and Robin Koch.
It is unprecedented to properly predict where they may finish in the league, but I feel 16th will be a great start to the progress the club will want to make to establish themselves as a Premier League club once again.
15th – Newcastle United
The Magpies had a relatively strong start to last season, but form gradually dipped off after news of another Newcastle takeover emerging, which rocked the boat at the club, causing Steve Bruce and his men to lose momentum. With the recent revelations of the deal now having collapsed, it may give the club the focus and attention that they will need to keep themselves up in the Premier League, and I think that it will.
I can see the club finishing in 15th, which is a downgrade from last seasons 13th place finish. This is simply down to investment and squad depth – many of the teams that finished around the club last season have made some great signings as of late, and are pushing to improve ahead of the new season – this is something that as of late the Toon have failed to do.
14th – West Ham United
After facing an unexpected relegation battle at the end of last season, the Hammers managed to keep their Premier League status, avoiding the drop by 5 points and missing out on falling back down into the Championship.
With David Moyes’ first full season since his return to the club halfway through last season – I can see the club having a moderate campaign, not so much in a relegation battle but just cruising through to a mid-table-ish finish. So far, the club has only managed the permanent transfer of Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague after a successful loan with the club from January – but the Hammers have been linked with some big moves and I expect them to further their squad depth ahead of next season, and finishing in 14th place, an improvement on last seasons 16th.
13th – Crystal Palace
Palace had a disappointing end to last season, finishing 14th after failing to win any of their last 8 Premier League games.
This season, however, Roy Hodgson and his players will be hoping for a stronger finish, and I can see them getting that, but only by the one place. So far this summer, the club have signed Nathan Ferguson and Eberechi Eze, two great young players that will certainly bring a new dimension to a relatively aging squad – and only current midfielder James McCarthy has been linked with a move away from the club this summer, meaning the club’s best players such as Zaha and Ayew will more than certainly stay.
As I’m typing this I’m starting to think about putting Palace a little higher actually – but I’ll stick with my initial instinct and keep them at 13th.
12th – Brighton and Hove Albion
The club finished 15th last season and only 7 points outside of the relegation zone, but it weirdly felt that they had a good season overall? This may be due to some notable performances against some of the top table clubs in the league such as Arsenal, Tottenham, and Everton – but also due to the fact that many know that the squad and Potter himself have a lot of potential and can go on to become a top table club themselves.
This summer the club has signed some great players, namely Joel Veltman and Adam Lallana, and have also tied down Ben White with a new contract after a great season on loan to Championship winners Leeds United – overall it is only up from here for the Seagulls, and a strong finish in 12th is where I see them at the end of next season.
11th – Southampton F.C.
The Alpine Klopp faced his first full season at the club last time out and guided the Saints to an impressive 11th place finish in the league.
This summer window the club has signed Kyle Walker-Peters on a permanent transfer, and Ghanaian centre-back Mohammed Salisu – but still needs to make a few crucial midfield signings after the departures of Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and Mario Lemina leaving the club’s defensive midfield options very slim.
If the club were to invest wisely and strengthen these now weakened areas, I can see them having another strong season in the league – but the only holdback is the potential and growth of the clubs around them, therefore seeing the club finish in the same spot they did last campaign.
10th – Sheffield United
The Blades had an incredible season last year, with Chris Wilder taking the club up from the Championship and finishing 9th in their first season back in the Premier League despite many predicting the club would likely face relegation. What Wilder has done for the club is nothing short of a miracle, and it has given him and the club a strong foundation to build upon, starting with next season.
After on loan goalkeeper going back to parent club Manchester United, the club have signed Aaron Ramsdale from relegated Bournemouth, a strong and fitting replacement with experience of the league and talent to grow as a player.
Sheffield has a strong squad and has managed to keep hold of their best performers from the last campaign, and I can see them finishing just inside the top half of the table, just one spot down from last season’s placement.
9th – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Last season saw the Wanderers finish in 7th place and qualify for the Europa League qualification spots for next season which begin in October.
It is common knowledge that Wolves have a very strong squad, but manager Nuno stated that the club will need to invest in their depth, with his feelings towards the club not having enough players last season very evident.
This summer only Montenegran goalkeeper Matija Sarkic from Aston Villa, and have seen star right-back Matt Doherty leave the club for Tottenham Hotspur. I still feel the club has the strength and ability for a top table finish, but if they fail to reinvest properly and strengthen with their squad depth and at a now further weakened right-back position my predicted 9th place finish for them could be a generous suggestion.
8th – Leicester City
Brendan Rodgers has really started to take the Foxes to the next level after his appointment in February 2019 – and last season saw the club finish just outside of the top four after a strong season, including a memorable 9-0 victory over Southampton.
This summer, however, the club are yet to make any movements in the transfer market – and with the recent departure of Ben Chilwell to Chelsea, the club is looking at a difficult situation with less than two weeks away from the start of the season, and Rodgers will likely want to finish any business beforehand rather than at the end of the transfer window in October as not to unsettle the squad after the season openers.
Despite last season’s finish, I can’t see them pushing too close to the top four next season, and will likely end the campaign in 8th place.
7th – Everton F.C.
The Italian veteran manager was appointed at the club midway through last season, and the next campaign will be Ancelotti’s first full season in charge. Despite a lack of transfer activity as of yet, the club has secured deals for midfielders Allan and James Rodriguez, both of which would make great additions to their squad given the lack of excellence and influence that their midfield was possessing last season.
As well as this, Gylfi Sigurdsson has reportedly been in talks with Major League Soccer club D.C. United, a move that would free up wages and space for the imminent trio of signings coming the club’s way. If the club’s new signings and Ancelotti’s ambitions come to fruition for the squad, then I can see them finishing significantly better than last season’s 12th place, with an impressive 7th place finish.
6th – Tottenham Hotspur
After the club managed to finish with a Europa League spot last season, the club will go through the qualifying rounds next month.
This transfer window the club have secured some good signings with Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, Matt Doherty, and Joe Hart, as well as the permanent transfer of last season loanee Giovani Lo Celso to add some great quality and depth to the squad, with Mourinho’s influence finally starting to take shape on the Spurs squad.
Both Serge Aurier and Ryan Sessegnon have been linked with transfers away from the club, but it would be wise of Mourinho to keep hold of the pair to ensure there is enough depth in the squad – despite this the competition at the top of the table is tough, and I can’t see the club improving on last seasons 6th place finish.
5th – Manchester United
After a resurgence in form at the end of last season, the club found themselves finishing in third place in the Premier League, securing Champions League football for next season – an impressive achievement given the awful first half of the season that the club endured.
This summer has seen the club sign midfielder, Donny van de Beek, from Ajax, as well as the return of on-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson who has been tipped to take the No.1 spot at the club over out of favour and poor in form David De Gea.
This included with the January signing of Bruno Fernandes, who managed to ignite a creative and goalscoring spark back into the team, along with the bounce in form from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and youngster Mason Greenwood – the club could be looking at another exciting season, but will just miss out on the top four given the competition for spots in the league.
4th – Arsenal F.C.
What Mikel Arteta has managed to do at Arsenal in the space of nine months is nothing short of impressive. After taking over at the club in December last year, the club has gone on to win the FA Cup and Community Shield but finished in 8th place in the league after some difficult results towards the tail end of the season.
The club has been very active in the transfer market this summer too, completing the signings of Willian, Gabriel Magalhães, Cedric, and the return of on-loan defender William Saliba.
Arteta has focused a lot of defensive reinforcements for the club and the signings of Gabriel and Saliba could make for a great partnership if nurtured properly. I can see the club going on to succeed next season, improving on their 8th place finish last season and snatching the last Champions League spot.
3rd – Chelsea
Chelsea has been the most active in the transfer market in the Premier League this summer – securing some big money signings to reinforce their squad after a transfer ban last summer.
Last season saw Super Frank promote a lot of the youth players to the first team in an attempt to reignite the club and their aging squad, and did well considering – with the club finishing fourth and securing Champions League football next season.
With the additions of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Malang Sarr, Thiago Silva, and close to agreeing a club-record deal for Kai Havertz, the club will be a force to be reckoned with next season and I can certainly see them improving on last seasons finish, with predicting the Blues to finish in 3rd place next season.
2nd – Liverpool
After their first title victory in 30 years last season, the Reds have been riding the momentum and don’t look like stopping anytime soon. Next season, however, the club will likely miss out on the title.
It is difficult to win back to back league titles, especially in the Premier League, and if the club fails to invest any further this summer, after being heavily linked with Bayern Munich maestro Thiago, then we could see the club miss out on the title. Not only this, but midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has also been linked with a move to Barcelona, leaving another gap in Liverpool’s squad that would need urgently filling.
It is sad to say, but Klopp’s men will likely miss out on the league, but will likely win some form of silverware next season.
1st – Manchester City
After a disappointing campaign last time out, City will be looking to regain their status as Premier League champions once more, and after investing in Nathan Aké and Ferran Torres, the club has successfully managed to add further depth and quality to an already impressive squad.
The Citizens are also linked with a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, which would certainly give the team one of the best defences in the world – an aspect that is key to winning silverware.
After finishing second last season as well as crashing out of the Champions League against Lyon in the quarter-finals, the Guardiola and his men will be keen to righting those wrongs and returning to the top of the table come to the end of next season, which I can certainly see happening.