Pundits predict 24/25 Premier League title winners, top four, surprise package, qualify for Europe

Contents

Who will be champions?Who will finish in the top four?Who else will qualify for UEFA competitions?Which team will be a surprise package?Which promoted team will finish highest?Will the newly-promoted teams stay up this season?Who will win the Golden Boot?Who will be the best young player?Who is the most exciting signing so far?Which summer signing do you think will have the most impact?Is there any other transfer business that has impressed you?Player to watch out for this season?What is your bold prediction for the season?

A number of pundits predict who will be the 24/25 Premier League title winners, top four, surprise package, and qualify for Europe.

The new season gets underway this weekend, and with that in mind, almost every pundit for every broadcaster has given their thoughts.

This is what was posted on the PremierLeague.com and Sky Sports website…

Who will be champions?

Michael Owen: Arsenal
Karen Carney: Manchester City
Darren Bent: Arsenal
Tim Sherwood: Man City
Shay Given: Man City
Mark Schwarzer: Man City
Don Hutchison: Man City
Matt Holland: Man City
Leon Osman: Arsenal
Paul Merson: Man City
Jamie Carragher: Man City
Gary Neville: Arsenal

Merse: I can’t see past Manchester City. If Arsenal do bring in a centre-forward, I can see them pushing City all the way, potentially even winning it. They definitely need a 20-goal merchant. However, it’s difficult to back against City doing it again.

When asked if he thinks Manchester City’s dominance will continue, Jamie Carragher told Sky News: “Unfortunately, yes. Arsenal will be the closest challengers but Pep Guardiola, it doesn’t matter what league he is in, more often than not he wins the league title. The only people that have managed to stop him are Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid one season and Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool a few seasons ago in the Premier League. That shows how tough it is and it has been tough on Arsenal with how close they have come in the last two season, but I know with Liverpool, Manchester City are a very difficult nut to crack. I think most neutrals will hope there’s a different winner this time around and I think I’d say the same because you don’t want the same team winning year after year, but you do have to take your hat off to City and Guardiola. With the job he has done and the team they have built, they are an extremely difficult team to beat. Arsenal are extremely close to winning a major trophy. I have said I think Manchester City will win the league, but seeing what Arsenal have done over the last couple of seasons, it is a toss of a coin. Mikel Arteta’s side are that close and that good. The job he has done at the club has been fantastic and it’s been great to watch.”

Gary Neville told Sky News: “I went with Arsenal to win the Premier League last year and I’m sticking with them this season. They are on an upward trajectory and they are getting better every single year. Obviously, they are up against of the great sides this league has ever produced in Manchester City under Pep Guardiola so it is always going to be tough. However, I feel like Arsenal have stability with the manager Mikel Arteta and they have stability in a team that is still improving. You cannot write of Manchester City, but I am going for Arsenal again. They were so close last year and I think they will be able to make that extra step this time.”

Who will finish in the top four?

Owen: Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Man City
Carney: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd
Bent: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea
Sherwood: Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Spurs
Given: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle
Schwarzer: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs
Hutchison: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs
Holland: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd
Osman: Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle, Spurs

Paul Merson: I do [think there will be a surprise]. Tottenham will finish in the top four. Dominic Solanke is a really good buy. They needed an out-and-out striker with pace, and he’s that. He’s a presence up there leading the line and he will suit the way Spurs play under Ange Postecoglou. Spurs were unlucky last season. They started brilliantly and then lost to Chelsea. They had two players sent off that day but they lost so many to injury as well that week. We just talked about Arsenal winning the league, if you took the key players Spurs lost away from Arsenal, or anybody else bar Man City, it would be a struggle. So, if Spurs can keep their players fit, I think they can spring a surprise or two this season.

Who else will qualify for UEFA competitions?

Owen: Newcastle, Spurs, Man Utd
Carney: Aston Villa, Newcastle
Bent: Spurs, Man Utd, Newcastle
Sherwood: Liverpool, Villa, Man Utd
Given: Aston Villa, Spurs
Schwarzer: Chelsea, Man Utd, Newcastle
Hutchison: Man Utd, Newcastle, Chelsea
Holland: Spurs, Chelsea, Aston Villa
Osman: Liverpool, Villa, Man Utd

Which team will be a surprise package?

Owen: Aston Villa (again!)
Carney: Crystal Palace
Bent: Ipswich Town
Sherwood: Spurs
Given: Everton. I don’t think they’ll be in a relegation fight but will be cruising in top half.
Schwarzer: Palace. Oliver Glasner did an incredible job at the end of last season. The big question marks are around keeping Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze.
Hutchison: Everton
Osman: Ipswich
Holland: West Ham United

Which promoted team will finish highest?

Owen: Ipswich
Carney: Leicester City
Bent: Ipswich
Sherwood: Southampton
Given: Southampton. I like Russell Martin a lot and the way they play.
Schwarzer: Leicester. They’ve got the set-up, the players and, in Steve Cooper, an exciting manager.
Hutchison: Leicester
Osman: Southampton
Holland: Ipswich

Will the newly-promoted teams stay up this season?

Merse: All three newly-promoted teams played in a certain way last season. The style of football from Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton was very good on the eye. However, coming into the Premier League, they now have to be flexible. They have got to be able to change things up when needed. The way they played last season worked a treat but they were playing against a different calibre of opposition. Last season, look at Burnley, we all know what they have to do and we know they have to get the ball away from their goal and not keep on playing it out from the back. However, they kept doing it and they ended up being relegated. Vincent Kompany got the Bayern Munich job by playing in the right way but it didn’t help Burnley. The new managers in the Premier League need to look at that and be flexible. You cannot open the game up every week. Sometimes you need to sit in and be disciplined. The difficulty might be the fact that I expect a team like Everton to be more competitive this season. They were fighting relegation last season but I don’t expect that to be the case this year. That rules out a potential team to go down so it will be difficult because it’s a ruthless league. But start well, build some confidence and you never know.

Who will win the Golden Boot?

Owen: Erling Haaland
Carney: Haaland
Bent: Haaland
Sherwood: Haaland
Given: Haaland
Schwarzer: Haaland
Hutchison: Haaland
Holland: Haaland
Osman: Haaland
Merson: Haaland

Merse: No one will be looking any further down the list than Erling Haaland. What did he miss last season? Two months? He still won it. He’s the only striker in the league who can score three, four, five goals a game regularly.

Who will be the best young player?

Owen: Kobbie Mainoo
Carney: Oscar Bobb
Bent: Adam Wharton
Sherwood: Cole Palmer
Given: Mainoo
Hutchison: Bobb
Holland: Mainoo

Who is the most exciting signing so far?

Owen: Joshua Zirkzee
Carney: Jurrien Timber. Not a new signing, but he will feel like one after his injury last season.
Bent: Amadou Onana
Sherwood: Elliot Anderson
Osman: Riccardo Calafiori – not one to get you out of your seat, but could bring a title.
Given: Elliot Anderson
Schwarzer: Niclas Fullkrug. He’s over 30, but is a top-class player and fits the mould of a West Ham player.
Hutchison: Archie Gray
Holland: Archie Gray

Which summer signing do you think will have the most impact?

Paul Merson: I’ve pretty much answered that in Solanke. At Spurs, Richarlison is a good player on his day, but you need more than on your day. Solanke could be that difference because teams were starting to push up on Spurs and suffocate them, but Solanke’s pace and his threat in behind, that can help stretch the game for Postecoglou’s side. That could in turn help James Maddison, who didn’t get much space at all when he returned to the team after his injury. But Solanke will help him get space and, with time and space, Maddison can pick out anybody.

Is there any other transfer business that has impressed you?

Paul Merson: The fee Man City got for Julian Alvarez. Wow, that was impressive.

Player to watch out for this season?

Paul Merson: Someone else who I think can do really well is Pedro Neto at Chelsea. At the start of the summer, I thought he’d be a great signing for Arsenal. He suits them down to the ground and is a player that could have taken the load off Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. So, that deal shocked me. If Chelsea can keep him fit, I think it is an incredible signing. With transfers like Matthijs de Ligt to Man Utd, I think that’s a deal you have to wait and see on before judging. Is he going to be a ‘Rolls Royce’ defender or another signing where we question why United got him? Only time will tell on that one. The jury is definitely still out.

What is your bold prediction for the season?

Owen: Man City reign to end
Carney: I am interested to see how Liam Delap does with his move from Man City to Ipswich. Also I can’t wait to see how Liverpool play without Jurgen Klopp.
Bent: Ipswich to finish top 10.
Sherwood: Arsenal to finish second.
Given: Newcastle to get back in the UEFA Champions League.
Schwarzer: Villa will not finish in a European place.
Hutchison: Newcastle win a trophy.
Osman: Liverpool not to finish in top four.
Holland: Haaland to reach 100 Premier League goals…(he needs another 37!).