The Premier League preview: Chills, literal chills!

It is back. Another season of probably the best football league in the world is starting this Friday and anticipation is high, to say the least.

A lot has already happened this summer and plenty more is likely to happen with the summer transfer window stretching on until the end of August. But if you feel like the new Premier League season just snuck up on you out of nowhere, don't worry - Mozzart Sport Kenya got you covered. The 2023-24 season kicks off Friday with Vincent Kompany's Burnley hosting his former club and the defending treble winners, Manchester City. And here you can find all that you need to prepare for the new Premier League caravan.

Of course, bear in mind that we will inform you further regarding potential transfer until the window closes on September 1 at midnight.

ARSENAL - Can Mikel Arteta's side go that crucial one step further in the Premier League?

Arsenal were back to their best last season, but the form did not last long enough. Hence, the gold Premier League trophy is still barely shining in their cabinet as it’s now 20 years of hurt for the Gunners.

The previous season brought that pzazz that the Gunners fans have been waiting for for the past two decades. Mikel Arteta’s young guns finished five points behind arguably English football’s greatest-ever team – but took little solace from that, having topped the table every matchday from late August to late April bar one. The collapse cut so deep because it felt so close.

The Gunners aren’t the plucky underdogs anymore. Bukayo Saka and William Saliba – much missed last spring – have signed marquee deals, with other first-team regulars to follow, and big money has gone on Declan Rice and Kai Havertz ahead of the club’s Champions League return.

A lack of depth was blamed for the sad outcome, yet Arteta had barely rotated his best eleven all season. Mentor Pep Guardiola has developed systems at Manchester City that allow for injuries and drops in form; now his pupil must do the same.

Young, intelligent and charismatic, Arteta has grown an Arsenal side in his own image, from seeds to saplings, since December 2019. The Basque boss famously learned under Guardiola, and he’s now melding positional play with the kind of physical supremacy that would make the Invincibles blush.

It is not the 4-1 defeat to City that cost Arsenal the title race, but successive April draws with Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton. By the run-in, teams had worked out how to blunt Arsenal, but Kieran Tierney remained hugely under-utilised, while Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira could have injected the creativity that January arrival Leandro Trossard did show in spells. The only way the Gunners can go one step further is to utilize both old and new options.

Speaking of the strengths they already have - the top flight’s second-foremost Norwegian defines all there is to love about the Arsenal team that he captains. Former Real Madrid wunderkind Martin Odegaard is graceful yet he grafts too, and 15 goals and seven assists from midfield tugged his side toe-to-toe with compatriot Erling Haaland.

Out of those underrepresented in the previous season, one falling into that category the most is the Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira. Arguably no one in Arsenal’s squad has his vision. The 23-year-old hasn’t lit up the Premier League just yet, but nor has he been afforded much chance to do so. Granit Xhaka’s expected exit could thrust him into the spotlight this campaign.

Arsenal are resilient and reliable again. More importantly, Arteta has rebuilt the connection between fans and players that frayed so badly during the back end of the Arsene Wenger years.

Not all Gooners are convinced they’re poised to win the title, but the journey is a hell of a lot rosier than in previous years.

ASTON VILLA - Can Unai Emery continue Villa's upward trajectory?

“We’re all going on a European tour, a European tour, a European tour” - Villains keep singing ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Sure, the Europa Conference League is not even close compared with the Champions League’s high-end luxury, but that won’t take off the enthusiasm for Aston Villa fans - it’s been 13 years since Villa last dared to challenge in Europe.

Unai Emery’s squad must cope with extra scheduling demands – particularly ensuring that Ollie Watkins gets a rest – while trying to improve on seventh place in the Premier League and challenge for a first domestic cup triumph in 28 years.

Yet it’s a challenge that fans back their managerial master to meet, especially with the exciting arrivals of Sevilla transfer guru Monchi and Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres, a Champions League semi-finalist.

Every day’s a school day under the Basque manager - where Gerrard lost control, Emery came in and gave everybody a football lesson.

“He basically taught me that I know nothing about the position I play!” revealed Tyrone Mings. “He’s someone who takes great pride in everything he’s got to teach.”

Emery has instantly transformed this club with his searing tactical brain. A meme at Arsenal - a dream at Villa Park.

Villa are certainly taking great pride in learning from their Spanish tutor. Mings and his team-mates have improved individually and collectively, while fans are being educated, too, learning that patience with Emery’s play-out-from-the-back philosophy is more often than not rewarded with progressive passing, chances, goals and victories. Villa scored in Emery’s first 20 matches – a Premier League record – and won 10 of their last 15.

BOURNEMOUTH - Should the Cherries bother looking up the table?

“Bournemouth won’t be relegated,” American businessman Bill Foley said, ice in his veins, upon buying Bournemouth last December. “I guarantee it.”

Few gave the Cherries a sniff of survival yet safety was sealed with three games to spare, so perhaps Bournemouth’s aspirations for this season should be based on their own ambitions and not outside perceptions. And even though the club owner was right, The Bournemouth season 2023/24 is a proper mystery.

Even so, optimism and good faith were remarkably well-placed. Manager Scott Parker had fallen out with the club’s then-owner, Maxim Demin, over the state of his squad just three games in, with rookie replacement Gary O’Neil handed the keys.

O'Neil did not last long and even though he managed to keep the Cherries in the elite, he got replaced by Andoni Iraola who will be coaching in the Premier League for the first time.

Bournemouth’s first-ever foreign manager, Iraola is the top flight’s fourth Basque coach, following Emery, Arteta and Julen Lopetegui (who O'Neil eventually replaced at Wolverhampton). The former Athletic Bilbao full-back prefers a 4-2-3-1 and his high press compares to Marcelo Bielsa’s - Leeds wanted him last term but Rayo Vallecano said no.

Bournemouth have hired a highly-rated coach whose Rayo side were four points off Europe and beat Barcelona and Real Madrid last term, two years after Iraola took them up. It’s either a Foley masterstroke or it’ll implode spectacularly.

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BRENTFORD - Will Toney's absence really affect the goalscoring tally and can Thomas Frank's side secure European football next season?

The plan is simple - ‘More of the same, lads’ - considering the Bees had such a brilliant campaign last time out, with a remarkable top-10 finish.

However, Ivan Toney is banned until January and Thomas Frank must find some way of maintaining the Bees’ potency without his leading scorer. The signs are good as his side won four and drew one of the five league matches Toney missed in 2022-23, and there’ll surely be another centre-forward brought in to complement Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade in the attack.

At the back, it’s all about maintaining last season’s hallmark solidity, so the onus will be on Brentford's central defensive duo Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock to keep up their good work. The problem may be in goal: with David Raya’s exit expected for months, former Freiburg man Mark Flekken has to hit the ground running.

Their mastery of set-pieces, directness and pressing, and ability to switch between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 formations, caused problems for the opposition in the vast majority of their games.

Brentford wouldn’t swap Thomas Frank for anyone. He finally lifted the Bees’ play-off curse, led them to safety in their debut Premier League season and then proved all of those ‘second-season syndrome’ predictions acres wide of the mark.

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION - Seagulls flying into unchartered territory - how will De Zerbi's side fare being in Europe?

The first European campaign in the Seagulls' history will test squad depth like never before – and those who have masterminded the club’s recent rise from Premier League strugglers to top-six gatecrashers will be keen to avoid going backward. Things at the Amex have never been better. Brighton’s Europa League debut is looming and the club is the envy of the Premier League, with a committed local owner, a charismatic manager and an exhilarating young squad.

Even more excitingly, a rare big fee has been splashed on Watford’s Joao Pedro – at £30m it smashes the club record spent on defender Adam Webster four years ago – while 21-year-old Ivorian winger Simon Adingra returns from a loan at Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, having scored 15 goals and assisted 15 more last season.

That’s the same path as Kaoru Mitoma, who was sensational after Leandro Trossard left for Arsenal. If Adingra has even half of the impact, Brighton will have yet another gem.

The one to watch is obviously the new signing and the Premier League household name - James Milner. Elsewhere, Julio Enciso announced himself as Brighton’s latest teenage dream by scoring not one but two goal-of-the-season contenders. The Paraguayan has talent - the winning strike against Manchester City had opposition fans applauding as it went in.

World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has moved to Merseyside, and more may follow him through the door, though Brighton are accustomed to dealing with key figures leaving. Still, the increased workload puts extra pressure on the upcoming season, and plenty of richer teams have struggled to cope with the impact of Thursday night clashes across Europe.

However, if there’s one club that’ll have a plan to deal with it – a plan nobody else has thought of – that club is Brighton.

One of the main factors the Seagulls are flying high lately is their passionate coach. What more can you say about the man who Pep Guardiola called “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years”? Brighton fans should enjoy Roberto De Zerbi while they can, because he’s not going to be in East Sussex for long. It looks almost as much fun to play in his team as it is to watch them.

BURNLEY - Kompany's company Turf Moor revolution fully underway?

Vincent Kompany has turned the Lancashire club 180 degrees and lit a fire in the city of Burnley, sparking dreams of just how far he can take the Clarets.

Sean Dyche built a brick wall, but Kompany is erecting a cathedral. Under Dyche, Burnley won two promotions, had six seasons in the top flight and enjoyed a brief European jaunt, but it didn’t feel like this. Burnley, with a much better footballing side, could now surprise the Premier League in a very different way. The 37-year-old has dazzled with his results and how he’s got them, taking Burnley from a solid 4-4-2 block into a modern 3-2-5 attack structure that reverts to a back four without the ball. Many see him already as Pep’s heir at Manchester City.

Reaching 101 points despite winning only one of their first five matches, they were an all-time great Championship team; the question now is whether their fearless brilliance will translate to the England's elite competition.

In the image of its creator, Kompany’s football at Burnley is stylish but not without grit, and the technical ability of the lads he brought over in his luggage from Belgium – Josh Cullen, Anass Zaroury and Manuel Benson among them – suits a higher level.

Keep an eye on Josh Cullen - the 27-year-old has arrived in the Premier League the long way around: from cameos as a young Hammer to Burnley’s player of the season five years later, via several loans and a rebirth at Kompany’s Anderlecht. The Irish midfielder is the beating heart of this team, pumping lifeblood to its attackers.

CHELSEA - Can the Blues recover from their worst Premier League campaign?

Where to start?! ‘Plan’ and ‘Chelsea’ – now there’s an oxymoron. After their worst points haul since the 1980s? Maybe with spending nearly £300m in January – taking the season’s total in excess of half a billion – and expecting it not to utterly destabilize the first team.

The squad was so bloated, players were changing in corridors at Cobham, with training-ground dressing rooms too small to accommodate 30 senior pros. Even for optics, let alone the impact on morale and the manager’s ability to coach, trimming is vital. Mauricio Pochettino has taken on the mother of all rebuilds – there could be more pain before things can get better.

Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but there’s been so much of it at Stamford Bridge that fans are wondering what club they’re supporting. Chelsea lack any real culture from yesteryear – the likes of Terry, Lampard, Drogba must be fuming – and the team is light-years behind its rivals. Is it really only two years since the Blues were champions of Europe?

After positivity last summer, the Blues lurched from one disaster to another. Under four managers – let’s include Bruno Saltor’s solitary game – a team of pushovers deserved its bottom-half finish, closer in points tally to Leeds in 19th than Brentford in 9th.

Owner Todd Boehly mustn’t plough into managerial changes further. From Thomas Tuchel’s premature sacking to the hasty hiring of Graham Potter and then Frank Lampard’s failed vibes appointment, the season slid into oblivion.

Pochettino needs time to drill a wide array of talent at Chelsea; Enzo Fernandez instantly impressed and Noni Madueke ended 2022-23 strongly, but Mykhailo Mudryk requires minutes. Supporters may not mind losing Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, but Champions League hero Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount (three of them to their English rivals) hit much harder.

But there is a chance for Chelsea to reach the top three, or even win the title. It sounds a bit out there however remember when Antonio Conte arrived in West London? Chelsea had just finished 10th and were a shambles, but with no European football in 2016/17, the Italian whipped them into shape and the Blues ran away with the league.

The Argentine is either an absolute genius or a fool for taking the Chelsea gig, and not just for its effect on his Spurs legacy: failing in this mammoth task could damage his credentials. As at PSG, success is demanded – he won’t be given time to develop players over a few years, and that’s his main strength.

CRYSTAL PALACE - Can Eagles fly without Zaha?

After Roy Hodgson inspired his side to not only survive in the top tier but end the campaign in the familiar 11th spot, now they have one clear objective: push for the top 10. Crystal Palace have largely avoided nail-biting relegation dogfights, but after a decade in the Premier League there’s a desire to take the next step. For seven years in a row, they have finished between 11th and 14th – solid but hardly spectacular.

The experienced manager (oldest in the Premier League at 75 years of age) has a special connection with the South London club and is aware that recent stability and ever dynamic approach comes from younger players feeling that same connection. The key is the Eagles’ smart youth recruitment close to home - Tyrick Mitchell (born in Brent), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (Southwark), Ebere Eze (Greenwich), Michael Olise (Hammersmith) and Marc Guehi (raised in Bromley from the age of one) all joined aged 16-22 in the past seven years and they feel the love for the club and the fans.

With that said, Hodgson does not like to improvise and experiment a lot when it comes to his ranks - he simply loves to play his best players. Eze ended the season in magnificent form under Hodgson, finishing as Palace’s top scorer and earning an England call-up, but for long periods Patrick Vieira could find no way to get him into the team. Palace must devise a system to bring out the best of Eze and Olise without sacrificing cohesion nor balance.

Hodgson showed that age is just a number last season, having re-energised Vieira’s drifting squad to steer Palace clear of the drop, while playing surprisingly swashbuckling football. The local lad turns 76 before the opening day of the 2023/24 campaign, but there’s life in the old Hodge yet.

After a promising debut campaign, Michael Olise added consistency last term. The silky winger can twist the blood of experienced full-backs and his 13 goal involvements – including 11 assists and a stunning late free-kick against Manchester United – contributed to a third of Palace’s goals. The sky’s the limit.

There is an elephant in the room and that is Palace's potency up front - they long for a striker that will get into double figures. Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta have underwhelmed. Christian Benteke remains the only forward to notch more than 10 goals in a season since Palace’s promotion in 2013.

EVERTON - Will Sean Dyche be able to lead Everton away from troubled waters?

Sean Dyche wasn’t brought in only to be a firefighter who could steer the Toffees away from relegation. His track record of extracting every ounce possible from tight resources probably appealed to a board that knows how precarious Everton’s finances are right now, specifically within the shackles of Financial Fair Play.

Using the funds that are at his disposal, Dyche has pledged to recruit “pace, power and energy”. The hope is that this dovetails with a modified emphasis towards young players full of potential, which director of football Kevin Thelwell has already initiated.

And even though Everton's 2023/24 season might seem certain with Dyche in charge, but it's anything but. Given the club’s footballing horizons are set lower than they have been for years, Dyche and Thelwell might have the necessary breathing space to begin the Merseysiders’ long road back from the brink of the abyss.

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No one expects it to be pretty, but there is optimism that Dyche can deliver a season that’s free of drama, and start the process of creating a more robust incarnation of Everton. With a nod to Joe Royle and David Moyes, he is perhaps the most ‘Everton’ manager to helm the Goodison Park club for a while.

What the Toffees need to upgrade in comparison to the previous abysmal season is their fitness. Mitigating the risks of injuries will most likely put them in a completely different light because there is undoubtedly a lot of talent among the Liverpudlian Blues.

Next thing: the strikers' section of the roster. Going into a season pinning all of your hopes on an injury-prone centre-forward (Dominic Calvert-Lewin), may be the worst decision Everton have made of late. With the only alternative strikers being Neal Maupay and Salomon Rondon, two human goal vacuums, Frank Lampard was forced to recall Ellis Simms in January. Between the four of them, Everton’s forward line contributed four league goals all season, one of them a penalty.

FULHAM - Will Marco Silva be able to establish the Cottagers in the top flight?

One word: survival. Despite a top-10 finish and a points haul (52) bettered only in 2008/09 from their 16 Premier League seasons, Fulham’s first mission in 2023/24 is still staying up. The Cottagers recruited well last summer – in Willian’s case, unexpectedly so – and that will be vital again with quality rather than quantity needed.

Fulham binned the ‘yo-yo’ tag last term and the objective will be to establish themselves in the top flight, as they did between 2001 and 2014. Their manager demands nothing less.

The Londoners must maintain consistency if they wish to keep the drama away. Fulham’s record against last season’s bottom half was the bedrock of 2022-23 – they beat nearly everyone, including a delightful first defeat since March 2006 of SW6 neighbours Chelsea – and Marco Silva must again target those fixtures.

Silva clicked perfectly with the club. A record-breaking promotion in his first Fulham season and a top-half Premier League finish in his second – now what about his third? The Portuguese boss will want to build on that promise, and the club must match his ambitions or his itchy feet may be scratched elsewhere.

Aleksandar Mitrovic overcame injuries and a lengthy ban to score 15 goals in all competitions and banish any doubts of his top-flight suitability, but Fulham require someone who can play with the Serbian if he stays - or replaces him if he goes to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.

Apart from Mitrovic, a massive cog in the Fulham machinery is Bernd Leno. Costing £6m from Arsenal, the German has been some bargain. The keeper’s multiple match-winning displays ensured Fulham were well clear of the drop and earned him a Germany recall. Thanks largely to Leno, Fulham conceded 11 fewer goals in the league last term than one might expect.

Fulham are buzzing after the last season's final whistle. Finishing above Chelsea and nine other teams was more than most Fulham supporters would have dared to dream of 12 months ago. Yet, for all of the positivity, there remains the nagging sense that some points were left out there. Only Nottingham Forest and Leeds conceded more goals in the final 15 minutes of games last season.

LIVERPOOL - Can Jurgen Klopp revitalize his ailing squad and get back to title-challenging ways?

Return to the Champions League spots as a minimum and challenge again for trophies - a clear objective for Liverpool's 2023/24 season.

Liverpool’s inconsistent 2022/23 began with a quadruple-missing hangover that they struggled to shift. The Reds went behind in eight of their first 14 league games, as teams figured out how to beat and exploit the Klopp press.

With Jordan Henderson and Fabinho beginning to show wear and tear (and eventually leaving Anfield), Trent Alexander-Arnold shifting inside when in possession had the twin effects of adding midfield control and pushing the playmaker into higher areas. It should have happened sooner – seven of his nine assists came in the six post-tweak weeks from early April that revived their season.

The Merseysiders’ late-season run of form, helped by TAA’s transformative redeployment as an inverted full-back, must be backed up by a decent start.

Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner have left after a combined 900 outings under Jurgen Klopp, and the midfield rebuild that should have got going a year ago is now happening in a matter of weeks.

Only Mohamed Salah outscored Darwin Nunez in the latter’s first Liverpool campaign, yet with the Uruguayan’s chaotic style and semi-frequent butchering of chances being far from Firmino’s cerebral grace, pressure on the club-record signing will only increase.

Salah remains the undisputed king of Liverpool. His level of consistency is remarkable: in each of the last three seasons he has played 51 matches, posting goal returns of 31, 31 and 30. The Egyptian forward is 31, and with two years left on his deal, his peak years are destined to be at Anfield.

Luis Diaz’s return from injury and Curtis Jones’ excellent end-of-season form offer hope following the dismal days of February and a third Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in four campaigns.

The cut-price deal for Alexis Mac Allister early in this window, soon followed by Dominik Szoboszlai, and the confident step of snatching Moises Caicedo from the competition is proof that the midfield rebuild remains Klopp’s top priority, despite the new hybrid style.

Cody Gakpo in his first full campaign left a mysterious impression. The 24-year-old, who’s also played as a free No.8, recovered from a slow start with goals against Everton and in that 7-0 Manchester United drubbing to become Firmino’s false-nine heir.

All faith remains in Jurgen Klopp. Should the longest-serving gaffer in the Premier League depart before his contract expires in 2026, it would be an enormous shock – and doubtless trigger paroxysms of grief all around Anfield. The German gurner felt responsible for the last term and wants to put it right.

This is the first time in a while that life in the red half of Merseyside has been anything less than ebullient, but belief remains strong with Klopp at the helm.

LUTON TOWN - Can the Hatters keep their headwear on in the stormy elite?

Little to no one outside this settlement just outside north-west London believes Luton Town will stay within the top-tier next season and the Hatters' only focus will be to shock the naysayers.

Rob Edwards' squad did great last season and the last thing they need to do now that they are with the creme-de-la-creme is to panic. Under Edwards, Luton climbed from 9th to 3rd, ended the regular league season unbeaten in 14 matches, overcame a first-leg defeat to Sunderland in the play-off semi-finals, and then held their nerve by converting all six penalties against Coventry in the Wembley shootout.

The 39-year-old was previously fired by rivals Watford after fewer than a dozen games but clicked immediately with the Kenilworth Road crew. He arrived at Luton last November, in the third season of his entire managerial career, and quietly improved on what Nathan Jones had built. The steely mettle forged by the Welshman remains, but clothed in calm assurance; “I’m not buying that underdog stuff any more,” said Edwards in February.

If they are allowed by the Premier League regulars, Luton will carry on with the style that led them here: quick, direct attacks, attempting to win the ball high up the pitch, and a steadfast defence that conceded the second-fewest goals in the Championship last season. Don’t assume they’re reliant on cramped and ramped-up home support, either: their away record was almost identical.

The mood around the team is absolutely buoyant. The club’s on-pitch success seems to have taken even themselves by surprise: plans to move from Kenilworth Road to a new ground won’t come to fruition for another two years at least (necessitating expensive summer upgrades to the Kenny).

Back in the top flight for the first time since 1992 and written off from the off, they can play the role of party-poopers each week – something their fans will relish.

MANCHESTER CITY - How do you improve on perfection?

If you’re Pep Guardiola, you probably spend your summer Googling all the managers you will be facing in the upcoming campaign. But even so, Pep slept just fine this summer, finally ending his club’s long pursuit of Champions League glory – 15 years and more than £1.5 billion of transfer fees later, under their ownership – he has scratched his and their major itch.

Even after winning the lot with this club, success means just as much as ever to Guardiola – as seen in the Catalan’s tears at Wembley having defeated rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Summer reports suggest that he will leave the Etihad at the end of his deal in 2025, so enjoy him while you can.

The plan from here is the same as it always is: make them even better. City have set the bar so robotically high that quadruple talk is inevitable from the off.

However, it is not all milk and honey at the Etihad. In February, City were slapped with 115 financial charges, dating from 2009 to 2018, effectively accusing them of falsifying accounts and artificially inflating commercial deals over that nine-year period.

The club has refuted every charge but, if found guilty, could face punishments ranging from fines (manageable) to expulsion (less so). UEFA tried to ban them from European competition for two years after alleged breaches of FFP, only for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn that decision, so City have been here before and won – but the black cloud remains.

As far as the squad goes, there are changes but the concept and the style of play will stay true to Guardiola's genius. While Haaland’s brutal goalscoring makes headlines, City miss Rodri most when he’s not around. Both creator and destroyer in midfield, he maintains order in a way that makes him undroppable – a word rarely associated with his gaffer – and came in clutch with the winner in the Champions League final, too.

The one to watch out for is the 23-year-old Julian Alvarez. the Argentine has already won eight different major trophies, peaking with the World Cup, Copa America and two continents’ biggest club prizes. Now he’ll have sights on beefing up his game time, having bagged 16 goals in a hugely promising debut campaign. And let's not forget the most sought-after center defender in the world last two years - Croat Josko Gvardiol - that man is now in his last-name-sakes rotation.

MANCHESTER UNITED - Can Ten Hag deliver more silverware in his sophomore campaign?

Erik ten Hag became the first United manager since 1921 to lose his first two fixtures, then just the fifth to finish in the top four in his debut campaign. After a shaky start, the Dutchman rejuvenated the team and won over fans with his straight-talking, not least in his calling of Cristiano Ronaldo’s bluff.

It’s helpful if you can field a specialised striker who is able to both press and score goals. Last term, United’s No.9 department was initially manned by Ronaldo, who knew exactly where the goal was but did not play much defence. Also, off-pitch issues brought his second stint at Old Trafford to an end.

After the Portuguese veteran sulked his way to Saudi Arabia, his replacement was loanee Wout Weghorst, who pressed feverishly but couldn’t hit a barn door: 17 Premier League appearances, 797 minutes played, 14 shots taken, zero goals.

Even so, ten Hag managed to increase United’s goal threat. A tally of 58 last season was the lowest in the top six, and level with ninth-placed Brentford, owing to a creative blockage during Christian Eriksen’s layoff, poor finishing from anybody not named Marcus and the top flight’s fewest set-piece goals. Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro shored up the defence with a league-high 17 clean sheets.

Anthony Martial was too injury-prone and inconsistent to offer a real alternative, while Marcus Rashford is more at home on the left wing. Signing a proper striker could make Manchester United a different beast this season, especially with Mason Mount adding to Bruno Fernandes’ and Eriksen’s scheming. Hopefully for the Man U, Norwegian signing Rasmus Hojlund will take the scoring section to himself and take that more seriously than other strikers the Devils dealt with lately.

Talk of Rashford wanting to depart Old Trafford dissipated during a sublime year for club and country. Last term, the 25-year-old struck 30 times in all competitions, including 17 in the Premier League following a 10-game, 10-goal haul from December to February. When he’s on it, United always threaten.

A title tilt will be Manchester United’s official objective in 2023/24, even if overhauling the Manchester City machine seems fanciful this early in the ten Hag project. Fans would probably settle for any improvement on last term’s third-place-plus-League-Cup combo, while a decent Champions League showing would also be welcome – the Red Devils haven’t made it beyond the last eight since 2011.

Let's not forget the saga surrounding the club being sold. Eighteen seasons of Glazer-family ownership have alienated fans, the stadium is in a state of serious neglect and the noisy neighbours have won the Treble. Only big changes in the boardroom and a swing in local bragging rights will truly get Reds supporters onside. Also, David De Gea has left the club after a mini-saga of his own leaving the goal line, the woodwork and the net to be guarded by Cameroonian Andre Onana.

NEWCASTLE UNITED - Can the Magpies cope with the Champions League football alongside domestic hurdles?

Newcastle United's faithful are euphoric, to say the least. Securing Champions League football and reaching a first cup final in 24 years will do that to a fanbase that just endured a decade and a half of Mike Ashley. There are queues at the club shop again and ticket demand is so huge that cries to move to a larger stadium or upgrade St James’ Park – already one of England’s 10 biggest stadia – are growing increasingly loud. With Champions League football returning to St. James' Park, the Newcastle United season preview 2023/24 anticipates one of the most exciting in the club's history.

Sensible ambition seems to be the mantra from the top, reflected in transfer business which has been pragmatic, not preening – and boy, has it worked. Champions League qualification arrived ahead of schedule; now work is underway to build a squad suited to it.

Dreams can come true when you hire competent people and galvanise a city and fanbase – ‘uniting’ a club from top to bottom can have dramatic effects on the pitch. However, beware the glare of the top four. “We aren’t here to be popular,” insisted Eddie Howe after his side frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates in January, tempers flaring on the touchline.

His players’ quick mastery of the ‘dark arts’ was rather impressive, but that aspect of their game must be even sharper in Europe; a sore 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa in April was an early warning that teams are sussing how to neutralise Newcastle’s suffocating press.

Facing Villa again, followed by Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford, all before the Champions League begins, should provide a few stress tests.

Eddie Howe is so popular that fans even sing songs about his assistant, Jason ‘Mad Dog’ Tindall. Tyneside hasn’t loved its football this much since the days of Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson; many are of the opinion that Howe’s achievements already surpass the successes of even those eras.

Newcastle need quality additions around their solid spine of Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, though repeats of last season’s form from pre-takeover players such as Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson would be useful – not forgetting Kieran Trippier, who has been a man reborn.

Above all, restocking the trophy cabinet early in the new ownership era is a priority; this season marks 55 years since Newcastle last won a major pot - man hadn’t walked on the Moon the last time a Toons' captain touched something silver.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST - Can Cooper work more survival miracles at the City Ground?

Under Steve Cooper, fans have been happier than at any time since the 1996 UEFA Cup quarter-final run under Frank Clark; there’s a special connection between those sat in the stands, the dugout, even the dressing room. Cooper had reached deity levels after winning promotion in 2022, but came close to the sack last season, as only a lack of viable alternatives forestalled Evangelos Marinakis’ axe. The chances of him still being at Forest next May appear slim: either he loses patience with the chaos or becomes a victim of it.

It’s remarkable given the players were strangers last August, apart from the homegrown core of Joe Worrall, Ryan Yates and Brennan Johnson. There were grim days, but the final month was magical, creating a mood that has continued into the summer.

After last season’s 30 signings, some of whom proved to be hugely valuable, you would think the basis of a solid team is there, with the occasional judicious addition needed. After all, the club did spend more than £200m in fees across the two transfer windows.

But owner Marinakis tends to look beyond the realistic and modest, so he may demand something bigger – maybe a top-half finish; maybe more high-profile and flashier signings. It’s a campaign that could go either way: the chaos could spur Forest on, or it could drag them into a spiral. The only certainty is that it won’t be dull.

There were a few intakes of breath when Forest paid up to £40m for relative Premier League newbie Morgan Gibbs-White. But he soon became key; the conduit through which everything runs and perhaps the most talented player seen on the banks of the Trent since Stan Collymore. £40m? He’s worth it.

SHEFFIELD UNITED - Can Heckingbottom keep the Blades away from the bottom?

Among the Sheffield red-and-white, being pessimistic is being realistic because not many believe United will be able to stay in the Premier League. Therefore, the Blades will channel all their strength towards survival.

That’s all that matters this season. Being in dire straits financially, promotion was absolutely vital to the club’s long-term health, so preserving their top-flight status is their no.1 priority No.1. As well as no.2 or no.3. Manager Paul Heckingbottom is expected to rely on mostly loans and free transfers, as the club continues to feel the repercussions of spending upwards of £100m during their last spell in the Premier League.

The Blades must get their house in order financially and avoid a repeat of the embargo that left them unable to sign anyone in January. That has since been lifted, but with talk of a transfer budget circling £20m, they’ll need to be smart in buying and selling. The Blades have a few players who look capable at Premier League level but several upgrades are needed. Much will rest on the transfer business they are able to complete, in order to boost the options at Heckingbottom’s disposal before the campaign kicks off in mid-August.

With Iliman Ndiaye leaving, their most stable individual is Anel Ahmedhodzic - the only signing for whom Blades have paid a fee since 2020, and he was a bargain. Malmo’s Bosnia-Herzegovina international cost £3m to £4m last summer and quickly shone in an attacking role on the right of United’s back three.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR - Will Kane's future dictate Postecoglou's future at White Hart Lane?

The list of English league clubs who have won major silverware since Tottenham’s last pot in 2008 has now grown to 11, with new additions West Ham the most painful of them all. Spurs fans haven’t heard the end of it.

The exciting crop of players that reached the 2019 Champions League Final have nearly all left or turned stale, while those brought in to replace them have largely failed to deliver. A string of misguided managerial appointments and transfers have eroded almost all trust in Daniel Levy, and Spurs’ trophy drought has now lasted a decade and a half.

A(nother) new era gets underway at Tottenham, as incoming coach Ange Postecoglou is tasked with cleaning up the mess left by predecessor Antonio Conte and his interim successors. Big Ange’s early months in charge haven’t been easy, with the Harry Kane saga dominating headlines, but the Aussie is aware there’s no time to grumble.

The biggest deal of the window incoming: Bayern and Tottenham agree on 100,000,000 euros for Kane!

Australia, Japan, Scotland – Ange Postecoglou silences his doubters wherever he goes. His tactically flexible teams press aggressively and dominate possession, traits passed down by Ferenc Puskas, his former mentor. But are Spurs a step too far for the Premier League’s first Australian gaffer?

Postecoglou’s Celtic treble kings earned praise for their team spirit as the whole cast chipped in with goals, assists and work rate. This has to be the blueprint, but it’ll take patience and greater effort from the entire squad, especially those who went hiding in the last campaign.

Tottenham’s over-reliance on Kane in 2022/23 was genuinely shocking, with over £158m spent on new recruits, the seventh-highest outlay in the Premier League. Somehow the England captain hit 30 league goals – one of the Premier League’s top 10 hauls and 43 percent of his club’s entire tally.

Luckless £60m arrival Richarlison got one in 27 games. Other players must step up, especially with the signing of James Maddison – 52 goal involvements in his last three seasons, including 10 goals and nine assists in Leicester’s annus horribilis.

Lenglet has three more years of contract at Barcelona - but nobody wants him to stay there

WEST HAM UNITED - Can Hammers hit hard without Rice?

As magical as that night in Prague was, it had the very real sense of an ending; the last sighting of Declan Rice, David Moyes and David Sullivan. Instead, that natural full stop became a comma, and the short-termism that has been the hallmark of the Sullivan reign will continue for another season. A season that is all about working out a way to move on in the post-Declan Rice era.

The elation of Prague won’t abate for a while, but the reality of a Rice-less midfield might be a painful shock to the system. This is another attempt at a transition season, and in a league filled with glamorous foreign coaches, a poor start will prompt a familiar close examination of the Moyes style.

West Ham United will navigate another European campaign while integrating a host of new players. Do all of this while steering well clear of relegation trouble in a division filled with smarter, better-run clubs. The structure of the club’s recruitment team is highly confusing, with multiple influential figures contributing. They hope that new technical director Tim Steidten, formerly of Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, will bring clarity.

Gianluca Scamacca became the latest in a long line of high-priced purchases signed without much thinking. The ghosts of Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Nikola Vlasic looked on knowingly as the Italian was asked to play in the same style as Michail Antonio, and did it so well that he was replaced by Danny Ings in January. Even Brazilian World Cup starter Lucas Paqueta was initially misused as a No.10, before a late season surge in a deeper role.

Paqueta arrived in a flurry of excitement and bank notes, and after the World Cup found his feet in a withdrawn role. Tougher than you’d think and more creative than his team-mates, the Brazilian will be the fulcrum of a reshaped team this term; any change in style will rely heavily on his midfield prowess.

A surprise bid: City offer 80 million for Hammers star Paqueta

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS - Can O'Neal transform the limping Wolves left by Lopetegui?

Wolves have struggled to get near the seventh-place finishes that followed promotion in 2018, but 2022/23 was especially forgettable, bringing their lowest points tally in that time. They could easily have found themselves in troubled waters had it not been for some shrewd January moves, as Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina added the combativeness Wolves lacked.

Arriving from West Ham in January, Dawson not only provided stability and leadership, but helped to settle the talented Max Kilman alongside him. Loved by the fans, Dawson has also had some gentle ribbing from the South Bank due to being only the second ex-Baggie to play for Wolves in this millennium.

JLo (Julen Lopetegui) is out the door, only three days before the season starts. He did a lot for a lost team - the Wolves were bottom before the World Cup, with barely a goal to their name, and thatks to the former goalkeeper they ultimately finished seven points clear of the drop.

Lopetequi quits just three days before the Premier League start

Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves have chosen different surroundings and former Bournemouth gaffer Garry O'Neil has little time to organize a chaotic roster. The new manager will also have to work without Joao Moutinho, Diego Costa and Adama Traore at Molineux.

There you go. Each to his/her own - meaning good luck to all the team you personally support but as always and as it should be - LET THE GAMES BEGIN AND LET THE BEST TEAM WIN!

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 1

Friday

22:00: (9.00) Burnley (5.00) Man.City (1.35)

Saturday

14:30: (1.20) Arsenal (6.75) Nott.Forest (14.0)

17:00: (2.35) Everton (3.40) Fulham (3.00)

17:00: (1.38) Brighton (4.80) Luton (8.50)

17:00: (3.00) Sheffield Utd (3.15) Crystal Palace (2.50)

17:00: (2.75) Bournemouth (3.20) West Ham (2.65)

19:30: (1.80) Newcastle (3.60) Aston Villa (4.60)

Sunday

16:00: (2.80) Brentford (3.40) Tottenham (2.50)

18:30: (2.80) Chelsea (3.40) Liverpool (2.50)

Monday

22:00: (1.37) Man.Utd. (4.90) Wolverhampton (8.50)

***odds are subject to change***