With a 25-day more before the new Premier League season starts, As usual prediction has started pouring in over who the potential winners are and the clubs to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Clubs have started their pre-season and preparing well for next season’s campaign. While some clubs are having their pre-season at home, others are on a pre-season tour abroad.
Next season’s Premier League is predicted to be one of keenly contested following clubs’ activity in the transfer market. The Premier League currently leads the European transfer market spending chart.
However, Paul Merson expects Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea to occupy the three positions and he expects Arsenal to finish fourth ahead of Tottenham Hotspurs.
What is Paul Merson’s Premier League top-four prediction for next season?
The former Arsenal and England playmaker said via Sportskeeda, saying: “I think Manchester City will win the Premier League, but I have to say it’s not as much of a foregone conclusion as others make it out to be.
“Erling Haaland’s arrival is obviously a massive boost for Pep Guardiola, but it’s not the end of it with Liverpool still very much in the running. With the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, Manchester City has lost at least 30 Premier League goals between the pair and that could turn out to be a huge problem for them.
“The only worry for Liverpool, on the other hand, is that they’ve lost an unbelievable player in Sadio Mane, who scored big goals for them over the years. They’ll have to rely on Darwin Nunez to settle as quickly as Luis Diaz did, which is obviously a long shot because the Colombian took to English football like a duck to water. If Jurgen Klopp can get Nunez firing immediately, it’ll be tight once again, but if that doesn’t happen, I think Manchester City should win the Premier League.
“Chelsea could be in the title race too with a couple of smart additions, but they’ll have to be consistent over the course of 38 games. Raheem Sterling will give them a massive lift – he’s a talented footballer who can play anywhere across the frontline as we’ve seen over the years for club and country. He has my respect and should have no trouble adapting to Thomas Tuchel’s philosophy at Chelsea, having flourished in the Premier League for Liverpool and Manchester City.
“Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea pick themselves as the top three in whatever order and I’d be shocked if anything else were to happen.”
The former Arsenal and England Playmaker believes Erik Ten Hag’s side will miss out on a top-four finish.
The former England international added: “I’ll put Manchester United in the reckoning for a place in the top four because they are a massive club, but they haven’t done enough business at this point to stand a chance of securing UEFA Champions League football, so it should be between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
“If I had to pick one of the two north London sides, I’ll have to go with Arsenal. Tottenham’s participation in the UEFA Champions League this season could be an issue for them, as they’ll have a bunch of tough mid-week games to cater to in between their Premier League commitments. They don’t really have a big squad, which could make all the difference. Arsenal, on the other hand, should be able to manage their domestic commitments as the UEFA Europa League isn’t that high in terms of quality, at least in comparison to the Champions League.”
The Premier League will start on Friday,5 August with Crystal Palace facing Arsenal.
