Pre-Season Predictions for the 2023-2024 Premier League Season

By Asher Esty

Another season is here, and so far, it has been crazy. With suspensions, red cards, eight-nil score lines and so much more, the 23’-24’ season has already been a joy to watch, and it will continue to be for the rest of the season. Before jumping right in, it’s important to note a few things about these predictions. First, there are the relegation fighters, which are the seven teams who will be struggling all season to stay out of the red relegation zone in hopes of spending another year in the glorious premiership. Next, the mid-table menaces are the six teams predicted to finish in the middle of the table, placing just high enough to be out of the relegation battle but not well enough to be a contender for European football. Finally, the European football contenders are reserved for spots 1-7 of the table and are duly named thanks to their contention for Champions League and Europa League spots next season.

First comes the relegation battle. In 20th, the team with the worst predicted performance this season is Sheffield United. While teams like Luton Town and Nottingham Forest have been savvy with their low-budget spending, Sheffield has failed to acquire young talent or experience, which will lead to a very disappointing season for Blades fans. Next, in 19th place comes Burnley . Despite manager Vincent Kompany’s optimism for his club, they are struggling to get much going in the midfield and the attack. They spent 12 million precious pounds on notorious flop Wout Weghorst and though they were able to sign young talent like Aaron Ramsey, the expectations are low for Burnley. The first returning premier league team to make this list comes with Bournemouth taking the 18th spot. The Cherries narrowly escaped relegation last season and after a poor performance recently, they take the third and final relegation spot on this list.

Though they will be in and out of the relegation zone for a lot of the season, Cinderella club Luton Town is narrowly going to escape relegation, coming in 17th. The Hatters have struggled so far, but they have shown signs of life recently through players like Carlton Morris, and they were able to hold their own against a very formidable Tottenham, exhibiting that they will have enough to barely stay up for a second season. Next comes Everton , who are the most resilient club in the league. Year after year they have struggled to win, yet they somehow consistently remain in the premiership. They will struggle again this season, but not enough to get relegated. In 15th, Wolverhampton did well beating the likes of Manchester City a few weeks ago, however, the wolves are just not strong enough yet to make it out of the relegation fighters. Finally, the last spot in the relegation fighters goes to Nottingham Forest . Forest could be in the mid-table menaces, however, they have been struggling to find a victory recently regardless of their striker Awoniyi’s strong play.

Onto the mid-table menaces, and who better to start this group off with than Fulham , placing 13th. They may have a few wins under their belt, but they just narrowly defeated bottom-of-the-table teams while losing to other mid-table teams. Placing 12th is Crystal Palace . A series of draws and recent lackluster play from superstar Ebrechi Eze has left new striker Édouard and defender Anderson to recover tight goals for the club. Their strongest point is in their defense with Anderson and Guehi, however, two solid center backs are not going to gain enough points for them to be any higher than twelfth. In 11th is Brentford , who have had a slow start to their 23-24 campaign, but change is on the horizon. Striker Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban ends in January, in time for five months of games, and in the meantime, Yoanne Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo have been playing adequately enough to keep Brentford in contention for the top half of the table.

Finally, the top half of the table is here, and who else would land the worst of the best than Chelsea ? Todd Boehly’s frivolous spending has left Chelsea struggling to create a team that works well as a unit, and recently the only shining light out of Stamford Bridge is the recent acquisition of Cole Palmer from City. In 9th comes the first big hard decision, but eventually, it is evident that West Ham is going to secure this spot. New signing Ward-Prowse and Englishman Jarrod Bowen have been great so far, however, there are so many great teams in the Prem that there isn’t a place for them higher on this list. The final mid-table menace may be surprising, but it’s Manchester United taking 8th spot. Though the club is struggling defensively and between the sticks, they are still Manchester United and still have some of the best attackers in the league.

Finally, we are onto the European football contenders. Starting in 7th is Brighton and Hove Albion . The seagulls have been inconsistent and unpredictable, with players like Karou Mitoma and João Pedro having moments of brilliance; they just need to find a way to shine more often. In sixth, narrowly missing out on Europa league qualifiers is Aston Villa . Villa have looked brilliant in the opening weeks of the season, with their absolute domination over Brighton in week 7, yet there are signs of slowing from Ollie Watkins and Mattie Cash, the two main Villa scorers. They are a great club, they just aren’t the best of the best, for example, Newcastle , who come in fifth on this list. Newcastle have looked better than ever, with on-field captain Kieran Trippier spearheading this phenomenal squad. Their midfield is playing cohesively, and the only reason they aren’t ranked higher is due to the caliber of the rest of the Premier league clubs.

Now, onto the top four clubs, and those competing in the Champions league. Taking fourth place is Liverpool , who have looked brilliant in the midfield and the wings, with leader Mohammad Salah tearing up the right side while strong and composed Van Dijk has been holding down the central defense. In third, is Arsenal , who have been in top form for a second year in a row. Bukayo Saka is looking confident on the right wing and captain Martin Ødegaard has been a consistent supplier of goal-scoring opportunities through the middle. Not to mention Zinchenko, Gabriel, and White holding down an impactful back line. Taking second place, and just missing out on the title, is treble-winning early-season favorites Manchester City . This club is one of the giants, with some of the best players in the world playing among its ranks. Erling Haaland may have started his season off slow, but he is arguably the best striker in the world, and his scoring drought will surely end soon. Not to mention the likes of Rodri and Dias keeping the center safe. The only reason they aren’t winning the league is due to the injury of Kevin De Bruyne, which has significantly hindered play for the club. Finally, winning the league title is Tottenham . James Maddison is in the form of his life, and Heung-Min Son is looking better than ever. A forceful defense composed of Romero and Van de Ven has kept all but eight shots out of the back of the net, and the cohesion of the team with new manager Ange Postecoglou is evident.

There is the prediction. It may not be correct, but with the knowledge of the league right now, this is a sound projection for the 2023-2024 season.