One of the biggest questions for the new Premier League season may surround whether Liverpool can win the league for a second consecutive season, but when looking at the entire league, who stacks up well? Newcastle's summer has been nothing short of a disaster with Alexander Isak pushing for a transfer.Meanwhile, Arsenal are hoping they have all the pieces, and Manchester City think this is their bounce-back season.
Lower down the table, Everton could be the biggest winners of the summer, and Palace will be holding their breath over the futures of Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi. Keep those two, and the Eagles could make a breakthrough, but without them, this may be a team on the verge of relegation. That's life in the middle of the Premier League, but how do all the teams shake out as the season is about to begin?
| 1. | Liverpool | The Reds could have a shaky start to the season with looking to integrate five new starters into the squad, but if they can hit the ground running, there's no reason that they can't win the Premier League again. Can't drop the defending champs below number one. |
| 2. | Manchester City | A down season for City still saw them finish third in the league. This is a squad that should be feared. With Rayan Cherki looking to fill the big shoes of Kevin De Bruyne, there may be growing pains, but City are still my pick to win the league. |
| 3. | Arsenal | Is this the season that Arsenal make the breakthrough from being second best in the league? Adding Viktor Gyokeres is a signal of intent from the Gunners, but they need a lot to go right in order to win the league. |
| 4. | Chelsea | Defensively, this is one of the top teams in the league, but Chelsea will have to show that their attack is legit. Liam Delap and Joao Pedro seem like they're ready to take the next step, but they have to prove that. |
| 5. | Aston Villa | Villa's summer has been okay, but at the top end of the league, okay isn't good enough. You have to constantly improve, and that just doesn't seem to be there in a season that seems primed for regression. |
| 6. | Newcastle United | Heading into the season with no proven strikers (who want to play for them), and Champions League success doesn't seem likely. This is already a team that struggled when they were in the Champions League, and Eddie Howe is in for a massive challenge. |
| 7. | Tottenham | Thomas Frank raises the floor of Spurs, and if they can defend consistently, they won't be close to the bottom half again. Their placement in the table depends on whether the teams ahead of them take a step back this season. |
| 8. | Brighton | So close to breaking through, it may not be the Brighton way, but they need a star. Losing Joao Pedro asks questions of the remaining members of the attack, but you can only get max value out of players for so long. |
| 9. | Nottingham Forest | The Tricky Trees don't seem set to compete on multiple fronts with Europa League soccer coming. Keeping Morgan Gibbs-White is a good thing, but losing Anthony Elanga is a major blow to the attack. |
| 10. | Manchester United | Some of United's signings are fun, but this only feels like a top-half squad because of how many questions the sides under them will face this season. The road back to the top is a long one. |
| 11. | Bournemouth | With an entirely new defense, Bournemouth are paying the price of success when it comes to losing talent. Andoni Iraola is a good manager, but he'll need to pull this team together quickly. |
| 12. | Crystal Palace | Uncertain times are ahead for the Eagles. Missing out on the Europa League may be a disappointment, but if Palace can hang onto their stars, they will have a chance at winning the Conference League. |
| 13. | Everton | Opening the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, there's excitement over what Everton can do this season. Following strong business in the transfer market, the Toffees are on the up. |
| 14. | Fulham | With no major additions or losses during the summer, the Fulham squad is fine, but it would've been nice to see them look to add and move toward the top half of the league. |
| 15. | Brentford | We're about to find out how much of Brentford success was reliant on Frank's ingenuity. |
| 16. | West Ham United | It's impossible to know where to put this team. Graham Potter has seen better days, but without Mohamed Kudus this campaign, who will take pressure off of Jarrod Bowen? |
| 17. | Leeds United | Plenty of the core from Leeds United's last Premier League campaign is still here, which is a good thing but their defense needs to improve to stay in the top flight. |
| 18. | Sunderland | With exciting signings, things are looking up for the Black Cats, but the question is around if they will all gel quickly enough to avoid relegation. If so, teams above them will need to be on notice. |
| 19. | Wolverhampton | In any other season, the performance of Wolves would've seen them relegated and without any marquee signings heading into the new season, this is when that luck catches up to them. |
| 20. | Burnley | Without James Trafford in goal after selling him back to City, it doesn't matter how many defensive reinforcements are added by the Clarets. Their return to the Premier League is set to be a short one, where they still don't score enough goals. |
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