Premier League Predictions 24/25: Winners, top-four, European spots & Golden Boot

Anticipation is firmly building ahead of the new Premier League campaign kickstarting next week, so we thought we’d have a go at throwing together some predictions before the first ball is kicked on August 16th – starting with who we think will end the season crowned champions. 

League winner – Arsenal

Arsenal have come agonisingly close to overthrowing City from their jewel-encrusted crown in the last two seasons, but have ultimately slipped away during the final furlong. In 2022/23, the Gunners lead the pack for the most part of the season but a crucial injury to star defender William Saliba contributed towards an ill-timed downfall in the spring, which allowed Guardiola’s well-oiled winning machine to take back control of proceedings and lay claim to their seventh Premier League title. 

Last season saw a marked improvement in terms of consistency and Arsenal ended the campaign having not lost to City in the league – beating the Cityzens 1-0 at the Emirates before holding them to a 0-0 stalemate at the Etihad. A brief wobble towards the back end of the season, where Mikel Arteta’s side fell to a notable 2-0 defeat at home against Aston Villa, ultimately cost them dearly though, and it was yet again Manchester City’s name being carved into the trophy at the end of May. 

Last term was an improvement on the season before, however, with two points the final deficit compared to five 12 months prior. Ultimately, you cannot falter when going toe to toe with a side like City but after two seasons of doing just that, the north Londoners will be better prepared heading into what could potentially be Pep’s final season in charge of the Premier League record-breakers. 

There are small signs of an impasse in the offing, with several of City’s top dogs now entering the twilight stages of their careers and hinting that they might be on the move, with captain Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Ederson being heavily linked to a move to Saudi this summer. Whilst it remains to be seen whether either actually do depart the north west, it certainly feels that if they do remain in situ, this will be their final season at the club. Irrespective of those decisions, there is no doubting that off-pitch speculation could have a bearing on how well they fare this season – something Arsenal simply do not have to worry about. 

Arteta’s squad is young, hungry and – most importantly – content. There is no doubting that the world class assets on show at the Emirates will be spurred on even greater after two narrow misses at the target in the last two seasons, and with the City landscape for the first time beginning to look a little different, I think the Gunners will take advantage and finally get their moment. It will be close and go down to the wire, but I’m predicting an Arsenal title-win in 2024/25. 

Top four – Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham, Aston Villa

Despite predicting Arsenal to finish top, it would not surprise me in the slightest if Guardiola was to win a fifth consecutive title this season. It really could go either way and, as always, unforeseen injuries will undoubtedly play a big part in proceedings. Either way, it is hard to look past the Premier League’s top two teams falling short of the top two positions once again this term in whichever order. So, with those two presumably confirmed in the top-four, just two spots are left up for grabs. 

Aston Villa performed extraordinarily well in their role as major disruptors last season, sealing fourth following a memorable campaign under Unai Emery. This season, despite their increased workload in the Champions League, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Villa back in the top-four fold. The West Midlands side have strengthened considerably throughout the summer, bringing in a host of new arrivals in the shape of Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana, highly regarded left-back Ian Maatsen and winger Samuel Iling-Junior from Juventus among other exciting new talents. 

In Emery they have one of the best coaches in the league and a manager who is adept at balancing commitments in Europe with domestic action. Last season the Villans played a large number of additional games in their run to the Europa Conference League semifinals and it did not affect them in the league, so I have few reservations in them struggling to deal with their scheduling this time around. 

Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact they have one of the best natural goalscorers in the division at their disposal in Ollie Watkins. The England international enjoyed his best top-flight campaign to date last season, notching 19 goals, and was an integral part of England’s journey to the final of Euro 2024 this summer after scoring the winner off the bench against the Netherlands in the semifinals. If he carries that kind of form into this season, it can definitely provide Villa with the firepower they need to secure another Champions League finish.

My fourth and final prediction for the top-four is Tottenham. So often they flirt with the Champions League berths and frequently manage to secure a slot among England’s elite, but after a promising start to last season they fell apart towards the middle and that ultimately cost them, ending the campaign in a polite fifth and thus securing Europa League football this season, but missing out on the big time. 

With a full season to get accustomed to the loss of Harry Kane and adapting to “Ange-Ball” now securely under their belt, I feel Spurs will enjoy a successful season this time out. Brennan Johnson is displaying signs of improvement and consistency, whilst the defensive pairing of Micky van de Ven and Dusan Dragovic is blossoming nicely into one of the most complimentary in the whole division. If James Maddison can remain fit then he is one of the best creators in the league, and they will always stand a chance with club legend Son Heung-min spearheading the attack. 

Europa League – Chelsea

A lot of talk has surrounded Chelsea during the last two years and correctly so. It has been a whirlwind transitional period for the west London club both on and off the field, but there is an overarching feeling that under new boss Enzo Maresca they can begin to find some consistency and start to kick on in the Premier League. 

A disciple of Pep Guardiola having previously worked closely with him at Manchester City, the Italian will bring a similar footballing philosophy with him to Stamford Bridge and has the potential to get the ultra-talented – but so far somewhat disjointed – squad he has inherited ticking. Maresca has already bolstered his midfield by signing energy-infused Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from former club Leicester, replacing the outgoing Connor Gallagher who has joined Atletico Madrid after turning down a new deal in SW6, and I feel optimistic about the Blues’ chances of improving on their respective 11th and 6th-placed finishes this term.

Breaking into the top-four could come too soon for this Chelsea side who are still very much in transition, but securing Europa League football is well within their reach should things go as planned. Having qualified for this season’s Europa Conference League via the FA Cup last term, you have to feel overwhelmingly confident in their ability to clinch at least one piece of silverware along the way, too. 

Europa Conference League – Liverpool

This season is the start of a brand new era for Liverpool, with long-term manager Jurgen Klopp stepping down from his role at the end of the last campaign following nine trophy-laden years at the helm. Incoming boss Arne Slot has gargantuan shoes to fill at Anfield and only time will tell if he is up to the task of continuing the German’s legacy. 

As is often the case during such a major transition, cohesiveness can often take a hit and results on the pitch begin to falter as a result. Indeed, many of the Reds’ superstars still remain at the club but they are all another year older and, much like City, pedalling towards the end of their life-cycle in Merseyside. 

Mo Salah is now 32, and while he still carries a seismic threat in the final third and will be integral to Liverpool’s chances of a successful rebuild this year, few would argue with the sentiment that his best days are now probably behind him. The same can be said for stalwart defender Virgil van Dijk, who again is still one of the best players in his position but his performances took a notable dip last term. 

On the flipside, with the likes of Trent Alexander Arnold, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo – who failed to ignite the touchpaper last season but performed promisingly at the Euros this summer – and occasional world-beater (and occasional misfire) Darwin Nunez at Slot’s disposal, there is every hope that they can challenge for Europe – maybe even the title? – at the first time of asking in this new phase. I personally think it will be a step too far this season, but would back them to secure a top-seven finish and a spot in the Europa Conference League at least. It’s a start. 

Golden Boot – Alexander Isak

After missing out on last season’s Golden Boot by six goals, I think Alexander Isak might surprise a few people this season by topping the list. 

Of course, when Erling Haaland is your direct competitor for an individual goalscoring award, you’re always going to be up against it, but with two full seasons of dealing with the Norwegian, opposing defenders and managers might find new innovative ways of nullifying him. Easier said than done, of course, but should that theory come to fruition then it will clear the pathway for players like Isak (and Watkins) to knock the City striker off the perch he has dominated since joining City in 2022. 

The Swede found the net 21 times last season but played almost 300 minutes less than Haaland. Newcastle play to his strengths perfectly and have some phenomenal creative talent to supply him in the final third, especially with Sandro Tonali returning from his long-term ban, which will massively boost the 24-year-old’s chances of topping the goalscorers chart come what May.