Richard Jolly casts his eye over the 20 teams in the Premier League and predicts who will shine and who will disappoint.
Arsenal
Last season Fourth
Chances The best in many a year. Sort out their away form against the top teams and they could be champions.
Key player Aaron Ramsey – Welshman could be the best central midfielder in the Premier League this season.
Big signing Alexis Sanchez – A truly world-class player, either as a winger or a striker. As Arsene Wenger said, Arsenal are more used to selling footballers of his calibre than signing them.
Prediction Third
Aston Villa
Last season 15th
Chances Poor. Seem condemned to an annual fight against relegation while manager Paul Lambert grows increasingly unpopular with fans.
Key player Ron Vlaar – If the centre-back repeats his imperious World Cup form with the Netherlands, Villa should have a decent defensive record.
Big signing Joe Cole – In decline and on a free transfer, but still Villa’s most eye-catching signing. That says something.
Prediction 17th
Burnley
Last season Promoted
Chances Limited. Confounded expectations to finish second in the Championship last season. It would rank as more of a surprise if they were to stay up.
Key player Danny Ings – Scored 26 times last season. If he can prove remotely as potent in front of goal in the Premier League, it would make a huge difference.
Big signing Matt Taylor – In terms of cost there are no big signings, but the set-piece specialist has a decade of top-flight experience.
Prediction 20th
Chelsea
Last season Third
Chances Very good. Have the division's tightest defence and have now added more firepower in attack. Should be the favourites.
Key player Thibaut Courtois – Potentially the world’s best goalkeeper and set to finally debut for Chelsea after three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid.
Big signing Diego Costa – The lack of a goalscorer cost Chelsea the title last season and Costa, who scored 36 times for Atletico, should remedy that.
Prediction Champions
Crystal Palace
Last season 11th
Chances Even if they cannot sustain last season’s incredible improvement, Tony Pulis’s track record amounts to a guarantee of safety.
Key player Mile Jedinak – There are few better central midfielders outside of the top seven clubs. The captain was outstanding last season.
Big signing Fraizer Campbell – Cheap at £900,000 (Dh5.5m), the striker has the work rate to please Pulis and chips in with valuable goals.
Prediction 12th
Everton
Last season Fifth
Chances It will be difficult to better fifth place, or top the 72 points they managed, especially now that they are in Europe. The optimistic Roberto Martinez will believe they can.
Key player Seamus Coleman – The attacking full-backs are pivotal in Martinez’s style of play. Coleman gives them another dimension by scoring and providing goals.
Big signing Romelu Lukaku – At £28m, a huge signing for Everton. Excellent on loan, his arrival secures Everton the sort of high-class forward they have rarely owned.
Prediction Seventh
Hull City
Last season 16th
Chances Improved by manager Steve Bruce’s signings every transfer window, but weakened because they are in the Europa League. However, they should stay up.
Key player Curtis Davies – One of the signings of last season, the captain is the defensive fulcrum. Hull’s other centre-backs are not in his class.
Big signing Thomas Ince – The winger turned down a move to Inter Milan and joined Hull. That has to be a first.
Prediction 15th
Leicester City
Last season Promoted
Chances They are underdogs, but their organisation, industry and commitment mean they will be hard to beat. They should not be underestimated.
Key player Kasper Schmeichel – A brilliant goalkeeper can be the difference between staying up and going down, and Schmeichel can make superb saves.
Big signing Leonardo Ulloa – At £8m, Ulloa, 28, is not cheap. He is charged with scoring the goals to keep Leicester in the division.
Prediction 18th
Liverpool
Last season Second
Chances Depends on how they adjust to life in the Uefa Champions League, how they cope without Luis Suarez and how the new signings gel. Could be title contenders, or they might not be in the top four.
Key player Daniel Sturridge – Without Suarez, the onus is on the other half of the “SAS” to deliver the goals.
Big signing Dejan Lovren – Not the biggest signing but, given the number of goals Liverpool conceded last season, the centre-back must be the most important.
Prediction Fifth
Manchester City
Last season Champions
Chances Have perhaps the strongest starting 11, have addressed some shortcomings in the squad and can score goals galore. But very few teams retain the title.
Key player Yaya Toure – A return of 24 goals from the centre of midfield was extraordinary. It is vital that, after a summer of unrest, he shows the same form again.
Big signing Eliaquim Mangala – The most expensive defender in English football history should end City’s long search to find Vincent Kompany a suitable partner.
Prediction Second
Manchester United
Last season Seventh
Chances Will fare better than last season now that Louis van Gaal has replaced David Moyes. Without European football, they ought to return to the top four.
Key player Robin van Persie – Tends to produce his best form for managers he rates highly. There is no doubt he respects Van Gaal.
Big signing Ander Herrera – The £28m Spaniard should provide a welcome upgrade to United’s below-par midfield.
Prediction Fourth
Newcastle United
Last season 10th
Chances They finally spent some money, which helps, and their transfer-market record encourages optimism. But manager Alan Pardew has to win over the fans.
Key player Cheik Tiote – The combative midfielder has been appointed vice-captain and needs to return to the form he displayed in his first two seasons on Tyneside.
Big signing Remy Cabella – The belated replacement for his fellow Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, Cabella will be charged with providing the creativity.
Prediction 10th
Queens Park Rangers
Last season Promoted
Chances The best of the three promoted clubs. Many of their squad have excelled in the top flight, though too few have done it in a QPR shirt.
Key player Loic Remy – If he stays, a guarantee of goals. Remy is one of the finest forwards not owned by a leading club.
Big signing Rio Ferdinand – Will Rangers benefit from his experience and enduring class or see a declining player whose best days are behind him?
Prediction 16th
Southampton
Last season Eighth
Chances Who knows? They have lost five key players and their manager, Ronald Koeman, is frantically assembling a new-look team.
Key player Morgan Schneiderlin – If he does not join the exodus. The midfield fulcrum is pivotal, as Southampton are showing by trying to stop him from joining Tottenham Hotspur.
Big signing Graziano Pelle – Scorer of 26 goals for Koeman’s Feyenoord last year. Has to take over for the departed Rickie Lambert.
Prediction 14th
Stoke City
Last season Ninth
Chances Quietly good. Finished ninth last season and, if they can improve their away form, could stay in the upper half of the league.
Key player Peter Odemwingie – Gave Stoke more of a cutting edge after his mid-season arrival from Cardiff City. Ignore the controversy: he is a fine finisher.
Big signing Bojan Krkic – Failed to justify early predictions of greatness, but he is still only 23 and remains a real talent.
Prediction Eighth
Swansea City
Last season 12th
Chances Should be able to consolidate their status among the Premier League’s middle class, despite the loss of Michu, Michel Vorm and Ben Davies.
Key player Wilfried Bony – The best striker among the bottom-half teams last season after scoring 25 goals. Crucially, Swansea kept him.
Big signing Gylfi Sigurdsson – A revelation on loan at the Liberty Stadium in 2011/12, the goalscoring midfielder has returned from Tottenham.
Prediction 11th
Sunderland
Last season 14th
Chances Depends on which Sunderland side shows up. Could beat many of the best and lose to the worst. The right sort of consistency would help.
Key player Wes Brown – Sunderland’s record was far better when the veteran was fit last season – apart from the three games in which he was sent off.
Big signing Jack Rodwell – The £10m midfielder offers quality. The key is if he can stay fit often enough to show it.
Prediction Ninth
Tottenham Hotspur
Last season Sixth
Chances How quickly they adapt to new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s pressing style will define how their year pans out. As ever, the aim will be a top-four finish. Fifth, sixth or seventh is more likely.
Key player Roberto Soldado – Endured a dreadful first season in England. If he can perform as he did for Valencia, Spurs will belatedly have a striker worth £26m.
Big signing Eric Dier – Signed from Sporting Lisbon, Dier, 20, will be a central part of Pochettino's new-look defence.
Prediction Sixth
West Bromwich Albion
Last season 17th
Chances Many are pessimistic after they finished 17th and then made the shock appointment of Alan Irvine, whose managerial record does not inspire confidence.
Key player Youssouf Mulumbu – His central-midfield partnership with Claudio Yacob remains one of Albion’s great strengths.
Big signing Brown Ideye – No one scored more than five league goals last season, so it is vital the club-record £10m striker fares better.
Prediction 19th
West Ham United
Last season 13th
Chances Sam Allardyce’s record suggests they will stay up, despite the disquiet about his direct playing style. They will expect the home form to improve, though.
Key player Winston Reid – West Ham were at their most frugal last season when their New Zealand centre-back was fully fit. His partnership with James Collins has been excellent.
Big signing Enner Valencia – The £12m Ecuador forward will be particularly important at the start of the season while target man Andy Carroll is sidelined.
Prediction 13th
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