Premier League 2023-24 Preview: Arsenal Leads the Charge

A new Premier League season opens on Friday and, for the first time in a decade, it does so without Pep Guardiola on the touchline. Arsenal arrive as defending champions for the first time in 22 years. Mikel Arteta is now the longest-serving manager in the division. Stability at the Emirates, chaos almost everywhere else.

Nine clubs have changed managers over the summer. Michael Carrick and Roberto De Zerbi begin their first full campaigns at Manchester United and Tottenham. Andoni Iraola has walked into Anfield. Xabi Alonso has landed at Stamford Bridge. Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City are back from the Championship, taking the places of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves. Sunderland showed last year that newcomers can crash the European party. The question now is who rises, who falls.

Here is how this season could shake out.

Hull City – straight back down?

Last season: Promoted via play-offs

Hull’s return comes with a warning label. Sergej Jakirovic’s side pulled off one of the strangest promotion campaigns the Championship has seen. Opta’s expected points model had them 23rd in the division. They ignored the numbers, dodged a drop to League One, surged into the play-offs and then beat Middlesbrough at Wembley after Southampton’s expulsion opened the door.

They’ve been busy in the market, shuffling the squad aggressively, but the bookmakers are not fooled. Hull start as relegation favourites. Over 38 games, the underlying cracks they outran last year tend to show.

Ipswich Town – back quickly, but is the reset enough?

Last season: Championship runners-up

Ipswich have wasted no time in returning after their forgettable relegation in 2024-25. The club have ripped up the old recruitment script. Instead of simply raiding the Championship, they’ve stretched their reach: a record deal for striker Emersonn from Toulouse, Daizen Maeda from Celtic, and a broader, more ambitious profile of signing.

Gary O’Neil, fresh from spells at Bournemouth and Wolves, inherits the project from Kieran McKenna, who stepped away citing burnout after three promotions and a relegation in four breathless seasons – and perhaps an awareness of the size of the rebuild. The squad looks livelier, more varied. The task remains huge.

Coventry City – momentum and Lampard

Last season: Championship winners

Of the promoted trio, Coventry feel the most alive. A 25-year exile from the Premier League ended in a surge of emotion under Frank Lampard, whose unexpected promotion campaign rewrote the mood around the club.

Now comes the real test. The gap to the top flight has never been wider. Sunderland’s bold recruitment on their return last season offered a template and Coventry have followed it, smashing their transfer record twice, including £26m on 20-year-old midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi. The headline move, though, is the one that didn’t happen: Lampard staying. After bruising exits at Chelsea and Everton, he has another crack at the league that once defined him.

Fulham – new face, old fears

Last season: 11th

The Marco Silva era at Craven Cottage is over and with it, a layer of comfort. His departure after five strong years has left anxiety hanging over Fulham. Alvaro Arbeloa, the former Liverpool defender, arrives from a spiky caretaker stint at Real Madrid and has yet to calm the nerves.

He’s brought striker Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios from Madrid, two talented but untested youngsters, and they will need to grow up quickly. Fulham have also lost their player of the season Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez at the end of their contracts. With Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United among their first five opponents, Arbeloa does not have the luxury of a gentle bedding-in period.

Newcastle United – from title dreams to trouble?

Last season: 12th

The exodus on Tyneside has been brutal. In 18 months, Newcastle have gone from Carabao Cup winners and Champions League qualifiers to losing Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and, most startling of all, Eddie Howe.

The Saudi-era talk of a title challenge by 2030 now sounds hollow. Matthias Jaissle, previously of Red Bull Salzburg and Asian champions Al-Ahli, has been handed the job of stitching together a new side. Newcastle have spent with one eye on the future, leaning into youth and potential. It is a gamble. The risk is that, instead of pushing upwards, they spend the season glancing nervously at the bottom three.

Brighton – Europe again, but at what cost?

Last season: 8th

Brighton’s first taste of Europe in 2023-24 dragged them back into mid-table. The Conference League awaits this time and Fabian Hürzeler must find a way to balance ambition abroad with stability at home.

Given the financial muscle of the Premier League, Brighton are clear favourites to emulate Crystal Palace and win the competition, which would be the first major trophy in the club’s history. That prize is hard to ignore. Record signing Luka Vuskovic has been brought in to stiffen the defence, but Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea strips away a reliable source of goals. That ramps up the importance of Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh. Neither is fit to start the season. The margin for error is thin.

Everton – steady, but stuck?

Last season: 13th

David Moyes’s return has done its job. Everton are stable again, one of the few clubs carrying genuine continuity into the new campaign. The flip side is a nagging sense that they might simply be treading water.

Relegation should not be on the agenda. A push into the top half looks just as unlikely. Last year they flirted with a European challenge before fading badly. The defence should remain tight, but goals are a persistent problem as Beto and Thierno Barry continue to misfire. Keeping Iliman Ndiaye would be a significant boost, a rare touch of invention in the final third. Without more, the ceiling looks clear.

Crystal Palace – new ideas after European glory

Last season: 15th

Crystal Palace’s farewell truce with Oliver Glasner delivered the most improbable of parting gifts: the Conference League trophy. The hangover could be sharp.

Pierre Sage arrives from Lens with a reputation enhanced by a stunning season in France, where he turned them into Ligue 1 runners-up and French Cup winners. His style should dovetail with the foundations Glasner laid over two-and-a-half years. Palace are used to losing key players and the defence has been stripped again: Marc Guehi and Maxence Lacroix have gone in the past year, and Daniel Munoz may yet follow. Sage must rebuild on the fly while keeping Palace competitive.

Sunderland – Europe and the second-season test

Last season: 7th

Sunderland were the story of last season. From recent memories of League One to clinching a European spot on the final day, their first year back in the top flight under Regis Le Bris was a revelation.

Now comes the Thursday-Sunday grind. The squad has barely changed. Veteran right-back Thomas Meunier arrived on a free, left-back Dayann Methalie cost £25.6m, and that is essentially it. The load on the core group will be heavy. Yet Sunderland thrived against expectation last year and they’ve already had a major win this summer: captain Granit Xhaka turned down Chelsea to stay. His decision anchors the project.

Nottingham Forest – Glasner’s next act

Last season: 16th

After a chaotic season that saw four different managers – Nuno, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira – Nottingham Forest have finally handed the keys to Oliver Glasner. It is a bold move and a coup.

Glasner arrives with two major trophies from his time at Crystal Palace and had been linked with Manchester United earlier in the year. Forest lost Elliot Anderson, but Morgan Gibbs-White remains the heartbeat, as he was when he dragged them clear of danger late last season. With no European distractions and a switch to Glasner’s preferred 3-4-3, there is scope for a leap forward. The wild card, as ever, is owner Evangelos Marinakis and the volatility he brings.

Brentford – clear identity, higher ceiling

Last season: 9th

Keith Andrews’s first season in charge could hardly have gone better. Brentford finally escaped their reputation as permanent relegation candidates and nearly snatched a European place.

They know exactly who they are. Igor Thiago’s 22 goals led the line, but the record signing of Mamadou Sangare from Lens adds a new dimension in midfield and softens the blow of Jordan Henderson’s move to Chelsea. Set-pieces remain a weapon; efficiency remains the mantra. Brentford start this season not just aiming to survive, but to belong in the top half.

Leeds United – Farke’s revival gathers pace

Last season: 14th

Leeds changed course in December and everything followed. From 1 December 2025 onwards, Daniel Farke’s side posted form good enough for seventh. Hypotheticals don’t give you points, but they do offer belief.

The summer has been targeted, not flashy. James Trafford arrives to finally end the revolving door in goal. Harry Wilson joins on a free from Fulham to add craft in midfield, with the sense that another creative body would still help. Towering centre-back Tarik Muharemovic strengthens a spine that already looks robust. If Dominic Calvert-Lewin can back up last season’s 14-goal resurgence, Leeds can think seriously about the top half.

Tottenham Hotspur – money spent, questions remain

Last season: 17th

Tottenham survived on the final day. It had to sting. The response has been to hand Roberto De Zerbi the chequebook and step aside.

Only Chelsea have spent more this summer. Spurs have ripped up their midfield with a £180m overhaul, bringing in Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. At the back, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson look smart, experienced additions. More attacking options are expected before the window closes. De Zerbi, now with full control after hauling them to safety, finally has a squad that resembles his football.

No European football clears the calendar, but the issues are not magically solved. Injuries still stalk the squad and could yet drag them back towards trouble. It should be better than last year. It might not be as simple as the spending suggests.

Bournemouth – holding the line, stepping up

Last season: 6th

Bournemouth’s first European qualification rewrote the club’s modern history. The priority this summer was obvious: keep the band together.

They largely have. Andoni Iraola has gone, which hurts, but in terms of players the only major departure is Marcos Senesi to Tottenham at the end of his contract. That is a victory. Alex Scott, Rayan and Junior Kroupi – despite a freak foot injury that will delay his start – all remain. Marco Rose, a Jurgen Klopp disciple, arrives with a high-pressing, high-intensity style that should slide neatly into what Iraola built. The German’s experience will be vital as Bournemouth navigate the Europa League for the first time.

Aston Villa – Emery at the centre of everything

Last season: 4th

Aston Villa stand on the edge of change. Emi Martinez could yet follow Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne out of the door. Losing four senior figures from the spine of last season’s Europa League-winning side would rattle most clubs.

Villa’s trump card is Unai Emery. His knack for solutions has already transformed them and now he is evolving the squad again. Switzerland World Cup star Johan Manzambi has arrived for a club-record £59.5m, while Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki has been added to cover the looming gap in goal. Alejandro Garnacho joins on loan and must hit the ground running as Villa return to the Champions League for the second time in three seasons. Emery, though, remains the main event.

Liverpool – Iraola’s gamble

Last season: 5th

Liverpool split opinion. On one hand, a young, dynamic coach in Andoni Iraola promises high-octane football at Anfield. On the other, some of the old problems remain untouched.

The forward line, featuring Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, has the talent to explode after difficult debut campaigns. Yet the squad still looks thin in attack and at full-back, and the midfield remains a concern after Arne Slot’s final season exposed its limitations. Jeremy Jacquet, the 21-year-old centre-back signed for £55m in January, impressed in a friendly against Como, and the loan of Ronald Araujo adds depth, but at 35, Virgil van Dijk is still the pillar everything leans on.

The pursuit of Bradley Barcola drags on, while Hugo Ekitike is sidelined for months. Iraola starts with questions everywhere. Early goals from Isak and Wirtz would buy him time and calm the noise.

Manchester United – Carrick’s next step

Last season: 3rd

Michael Carrick transformed Manchester United’s season. After replacing Ruben Amorim in January, he won 12 of 18 league games; no club collected more points over that stretch. The reward is a permanent two-year deal. The challenge is to prove it was more than a surge.

United return to the Champions League and the schedule will swell. They played 40 matches last season; this year could push towards 60. Rivals will have time to decode Carrick’s patterns while United have less time on the training ground. Bruno Fernandes remains the talisman, but the supporting cast must grow.

Midfield depth was a priority after Casemiro’s exit. Andrey Santos has arrived from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, smart moves on paper, yet there is still a sense that United are one or two players short of a genuine title tilt.

Chelsea – Alonso and the clean slate

Last season: 10th

Chelsea hit a new low last season. Liam Rosenior lasted three months, the club slumped to their worst league run since 1912, and Stamford Bridge felt consumed by chaos.

The reset has been ruthless. Xabi Alonso, still one of Europe’s most coveted coaches after winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, has been installed despite a failed stint at Real Madrid. He inherits a squad that finally looks like it has been built with some logic. Morgan Rogers is an expensive but high-quality addition, and the prospect of him dovetailing with a fully fit Cole Palmer – desperate to respond after missing the World Cup – is enticing.

Crucially, Chelsea have no European football. Alonso will have time on the training ground that his rivals can only envy, and he will wield more authority than recent managers. The owners have shifted strategy too, bringing in experienced Premier League heads Jordan Henderson, 36, and Danny Welbeck, 35. After four years of chaos, the club is betting on know-how and control.

Manchester City – life after Pep

Last season: 2nd

No club faces a bigger adjustment than Manchester City. After a decade of Guardiola, the league’s defining dynasty is over. The shadow he leaves is enormous.

Enzo Maresca steps into the light with a midfield in flux. Rodri and Bernardo Silva have gone, ending an era within an era. Elliot Anderson arrives for £116m after a standout World Cup with England, while 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi, another World Cup breakout, is lined up as part of the solution. It is a lot to ask. City could yet raid Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez at £120m, a sign that the rebuild is far from finished.

The safety net, of course, is Erling Haaland. With his goals, and the defensive upgrades of last season – Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi among them – City will still be in the mix. But stylistically they are about to change, and that shift stands in stark contrast to the calm, familiar rhythm at the Emirates.

Arsenal – the champions with continuity

Last season: 1st

Arsenal enter this season as champions, with the same manager, the same core, and a fanbase that has waited 22 years to say those words. While the rest of the league scrambles to adapt to new ideas and new faces, Arteta’s side begin from a position of rare continuity.

The Guardiola era is over. The Premier League has been thrown open. Arsenal, for once, are not chasing the standard. They are setting it.