It's finally here! The 2022-23 Premier League season begins Friday as Crystal Palace host Arsenal, and it's been a summer of quiet revolution up and down the table. From new signings to notable exits, from big clubs like Man City and Liverpool trying to reinvent themselves to the continuing projects at Arsenal and Tottenham, there's a lot to discuss. Who will win the league? How does every team look compared to last season?
With the big questions around the Premier League to a team-by-team guide, we'll get you ready for kickoff on Friday.
1. Will Manchester City and Liverpool keep the rest at arm's length?
When City sealed their fourth Premier League title in five seasons in May, their total of 93 points was the joint sixth-best mark in the competition's history. Liverpool finished just one point behind, 18 points clear of third-placed Chelsea. Of the eight biggest point hauls in Premier League history, six of them have been achieved by these two clubs in the past five seasons, including all of the top four. City's and Liverpool's respective goal differences of +73 and +68 put them both into the top five in league history. (City monopolise the top three.)
As if all of that wasn't ominous enough for the rest of the league, City have signed Erling Haaland, the hottest prospect in the world game who scored 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund, as well as Julian Alvarez, the hottest prospect in South America who scored six goals in one Copa Libertadores match, which happened to be one of his final appearances for River Plate. Liverpool, meanwhile, have brought in Darwin Nunez, a striker who scored 32 goals in 38 games for Benfica last term, including strikes against Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax, and his new employers.
With the rest of last season's top six clubs all in various stages of transition, can any of them mount a credible challenge to break City's and Liverpool's duopoly when that pair have been able to build again from such a position of strength?
2. Can Erik ten Hag start his rebuild without falling further behind?
It's hard to believe that United are the only club other than City or Liverpool to finish in the top two in the past five seasons. Not only that, but they did it twice. And yet last season's sixth-place finish means that manager Erik ten Hag begins work with the club at their lowest ebb.
The former Ajax coach has maintained an Eredivisie connection with his summer signings: Lisandro Martinez followed him from Amsterdam, Tyrell Malacia arrives from Feyenoord and even Christian Eriksen began his senior career in the Dutch capital. Several big personalities and long-standing players have been moved on after last season petered out under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, but settling the future of Cristiano Ronaldo -- who has said he wants to leave despite struggling to find any interested clubs -- could be the most pivotal piece of transfer business United do this summer.
Ten Hag will find it difficult to implement his playing style on a team that has the 37-year-old forward in it, but can he risk doing without last season's top scorer, who netted more than twice as many goals as anyone else at the club?
Even if Ten Hag can get his own house in order in time, that will only take him so far. He told ESPN's Rob Dawson this summer that one of his key aims is "to bring the confidence back" to Old Trafford, but there is little cause for optimism when looking at their main rivals for a top-four place next season.
3. Will we see the highest-scoring Golden Boot race in years?
Since Mohamed Salah shocked everyone in his first season at Liverpool by scoring 32 Premier League goals to claim the 2017-18 Golden Boot, the figures required to win the award have fallen back to normal levels. Salah shared the prize with fellow Africans Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the following season despite scoring 10 fewer goals (22), while he needed only one more than that to get his hands on it for a third time (shared with Son Heung-Min) last term. (That tally, 23, was also enough to make Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy top scorer in the previous two campaigns.)
It's all a far cry from the days when the lead striker at a top club could make hitting the 30-goal mark a realistic target, but this coming season promises to bring that back. Haaland averaged almost a goal per game in the Bundesliga while at Dortmund (22 in 24 appearances last season, and 62 in 67 overall), so the main obstacle to a clear run at the Golden Boot for him could be his own injury issues. Nunez's 26 goals in 28 league games for Benfica last term is similarly prodigious, although he'll need a strong start to erase any whispers of "one-season wonder."
Tottenham's Son will be backing himself to at least match last season's tally now that Spurs have had a full preseason of prep under Antonio Conte, while teammate Kane is out to equal Thierry Henry's record of four Golden Boots. Over at Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus has the chance to fully affirm his status as a top striker as the Gunners' undisputed first-choice No. 9 with a rotating cast of busy young midfielders working to create the chances for him.
Chelsea don't have an immediately obvious candidate to join this race, but in the 27-year-old Raheem Sterling, they now have a player who has hit 20 league goals in a season before and is approaching what should be his peak years. Plus, if Ronaldo ends up staying at Manchester United this summer, then we also have the greatest goal scorer of modern times in the mix. And we can't rule out a contender from the fringes, either: After scoring 43 goals in the Championship last season, could Aleksandar Mitrovic finally make his mark on the top flight with Fulham after two previous failed attempts?
4. Will new-look Newcastle break up the big six?
It shouldn't be difficult for Eddie Howe to have a better start to this season with Newcastle United than his predecessor, Steve Bruce, did last term. Without a win in his first nine games of the season before the club was taken over by the Saudi-backed PFI, Bruce was afforded one farewell match at St James' Park in the form of a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham before he was sacked. After two draws and a defeat under caretaker Graeme Jones, Howe was appointed as the man to lead Newcastle into a brave new era.
The former Bournemouth manager claimed just one win before the January transfer window opened -- a 1-0 home victory over Burnley -- but the midseason arrivals of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn, along with Joelinton's conversion from a misfiring striker into an all-action central midfielder, spurred Newcastle on to claim 12 more wins and secure a comfortable mid-table finish. This summer's transfer business has been similarly sensible, with England goalkeeper Nick Pope coming in from Burnley and Matt Targett's loan from Aston Villa being made permanent, while defender Sven Botman is the closest thing to a glamorous, big-money foreign signing.
These are not signings to get the casual fan's pulse racing, but they do consolidate Newcastle's rapid improvement over the first half of the year and give them a real platform to target being this season's "best of the rest." And if they can set up camp below the top six this season, next summer's window will see the next phase of the PFI plan come into effect. Also, if they can surprise everyone by looking like outside bets for the top four come January, who knows what they might be able to do to give their campaign a boost?
Howe is too sensible to be looking too far ahead, and he can't afford to: Fixtures against Man City and Liverpool before the end of August will be at the forefront of his mind.
5. Can the yo-yoing between Premier League and Championship stop?
This will be the fifth consecutive Premier League season to feature either Fulham or Norwich City, but at no time in that run have both been in the top flight at the same time. Since 2013 the pair have won a total of seven promotions and have always ended up back where they were a year later. Those two teams, plus Watford and West Bromwich Albion, form a clutch of clubs that have been bouncing between the top two tiers of English football for the past few years without ever settling in either. Bournemouth -- back up this season at the second attempt -- and Burnley could also establish themselves as part of that group if they swap divisions again next summer.
Those clubs that are regularly accruing Premier League parachute payments -- perhaps in addition to generous backing from their owners -- are finding it ever harder to break out of this purgatory, as all the other Premier League clubs are getting ever richer and the increasing gulf between the Big Six and the rest means that there are fewer points that are realistically available for newly promoted sides.
The aforementioned Mitrovic will be key to Fulham's chances of staying up -- although this was said the last time they came up, and the time before that. If the Serbia international can get even close to half of the 43 league goals he got last season, Marco Silva's side might just have something to build on.
Better than last year for Arsenal means Champions League qualification, and that is the benchmark against which Mikel Arteta will be judged this term. The club opted not to strengthen in January when they were well-placed to secure a top-four finish amid wage restructuring due to financial fair play concerns and a lack of availability over their preferred targets. Missing out on Europe's premier club competition to Tottenham was a huge blow, but it has not derailed the Gunners from their long-term plan, which has seen further investment including a couple of shrewd acquisitions from Manchester City in Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arteta knows both players well, having worked with the pair at City, and they add useful versatility that should make Arsenal more unpredictable. However, the team had no European football to contend with last term, and the return of Europa League engagements will make things tougher for them.
Key player: Gabriel Jesus
Jesus adds a potent goal threat at the top end of the pitch that Arsenal have lacked since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang went off the boil before joining Barcelona. Seven goals for the Brazilian in five preseason games is encouraging, displaying both a promising understanding with his new teammates and the range of finishes he is capable of producing. Jesus' success in transitioning from City will be a significant factor in determining whether Arsenal can crack the top four, given goals were an issue last season; Bukayo Saka was the club's top scorer last season with just 12, while their Premier League tally of 61 was the lowest in the top five, with City (99), Liverpool (94), Chelsea (76) and Tottenham (69) all superior.
Will their manager last the season?
Yes. There remains some scepticism toward Arteta after Arsenal fell away last term, and that will quickly grow if the Gunners get off to a slow start. But the 40-year-old's backing among Arsenal's hierarchy remains total. Despite this being his first managerial role, the Spaniard has been given a huge amount of influence at the club, ranging from staffing changes to decisions over paying off the contracts of unwanted players, all with the aim of creating a more efficient and professional work environment. That, in turn, brings its own pressure.
With a month left to go in this transfer window, Arsenal's spending totals more than £250m in the past two summers. There can be no referencing hangovers from different eras: This squad is undeniably Arteta's, and they have to improve. Having shown so much faith in him to this point, something would have to go badly wrong for Arsenal to dispense with Arteta this season.
Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard will do better than 14th place last season. However, the question should be different. It should read: Will Villa do better than they did under Gerrard last season? Because if we count only the points won by the team after his arrival in November, they would have finished ninth.
It was a very different Villa before Gerrard, even if they had a rough patch toward the end of the season with two wins in their last 11 games, but this team should keep improving with Gerrard, especially with the players they've brought in this summer. Defender Diego Carlos and defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara are great additions, while the permanent signing of Philippe Coutinho should allow him to play with more freedom. They're not done yet given that they need a striker, too.
It's a shame they lost Carney Chukwuemeka to Chelsea, but they are still very strong in midfield, especially if Jacob Ramsey keeps developing. Collectively, Gerrard has made the team much stronger and more structured with better patterns of play, especially on the right flank with Matty Cash. If Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins get more clinical and Coutinho is more consistently at his best, this team can surprise.
Key player: Philippe Coutinho
Which Coutinho will we get? The one who dazzled after his arrival on loan from Barcelona in January and put on some superb performances? Or the one who was anonymous in too many games toward the end of the season? Or both, maybe, if the Brazil international can't find some consistency? Whatever happens, Coutinho will be the key. He is the creative brain of this team and arguably their greatest threat on the ball. He is the most gifted player in this squad, but he has to show it now. At 30 years old, this is a huge season for him, especially if he has a shot at making the Brazil squad for the 2022 World Cup. He needs a sharp start to the season to get momentum and beat the scepticism around him.
Will their manager last the season?
This is the Gerrard Project. Everything Aston Villa are doing right now is around him, and even if they start slowly, this club is committed to him and to this process. Gerrard got the players he wanted in the transfer window so far and expects (and should get) more. He has been backed up by the club, and he will deliver.
- Transfers in: MF Joe Rothwell (free agent), DF Ryan Fredericks (free agent), MF Marcus Tavernier (Middlesbrough) - Transfers out: DF Zeno Ibsen Rossi (Cambridge United), DF Sam Sherring (Northampton Town), FW Robbie Brady (free agent), DF Gary Cahill (released) - Last season: Championship (2nd, promoted), FA Cup (fourth round), Carabao Cup (second round)
Will they be better or worse this season?
Bournemouth did much of their big business in January when they brought in Kieffer Moore and James Hill, but it's been a quiet summer. They have a strong spine to the team with Lewis Cook, Dominic Solanke, Lloyd Kelly, Ryan Christie and David Brooks all key, but manager Scott Parker is clearly banking on the team that got them promoted, along with three new additions, being good enough to keep them in the Premier League. Fredericks will offer a new option at right-back, while Rothwell impressed for Blackburn last season. Tavernier will slot in nicely on the flanks or behind the striker, but they are going to have to hit the ground running.
Their opening fixtures are brutal -- they play Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in August -- and no doubt their fans will have taken note of the big spending by their fellow promoted teams, Fulham and Nottingham Forest, but they will be putting all their chips on Bournemouth's familiarity and cohesion being enough to keep them in the top flight. Anything above 18th will be a huge achievement.
Highly rated Cook will be key alongside the likes of Kelly and Christie, and you should keep an eye on the fiercely talented Jefferson Lerma. But if Bournemouth are to survive, they need Solanke -- who arrived for a £17m fee in 2019 -- to take his championship goal-scoring form into the top flight. He scored 29 last term, following 15 the previous season, and Bournemouth will be banking on him finding the back of the net this time out. He needs to continue using that chemistry he's forged with Philip Billing and Christie to find the goals that could keep Bournemouth afloat.
Will their manager last the season?
Bournemouth really should have won the championship last term, but had an awful habit of giving away leads. Parker knows they cannot afford to leave any points out there this season. His sole season in the Premier League with Fulham saw them relegated in 2020-21 and he will have learned from that, but this promises to be a tough season. I'd say his chances are 50-50 of being in charge by May.
Apart from Christian Eriksen -- who they brought in on a contract for the second half of the season -- they haven't lost any of their core group, which bodes well. They were brilliant last season, the highlight being their 4-1 win at Stamford Bridge against local rivals Chelsea, and you would expect them to improve this time around. But achieving that in a league like the Premier League could be quantified as managing to stay roughly where they were last term.
Their recruitment has been on point, with Lewis-Potter and Hickey both exciting, young talents, while Mee could prove to be an inspired piece of business, adding experience and leadership to their backline. The signing of Strakosha provides David Raya with the competition he needs, while they've also been strongly linked with Sampdoria playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard, who's a wonderful talent.
If they can see out the transfer window without losing any key players -- Ivan Toney's future is uncertain -- then expect Brentford to finish where they did last season.
Key player: Ivan Toney
While they have added new faces to the flanks, they will be in a world of pain if Toney gets injured or leaves. He scored 12 Premier League goals last season -- five ahead of Yoane Wissa and eight more than Bryan Mbeumo and Vitaly Janelt. It shows how reliant they are on Toney upfront. They did struggle at times last term with a lack of depth in the squad -- which contributed to their dodgy run at the start of 2022. Summer moves mean they're sufficiently deep at most positions, but a run of games without Toney would be tricky to navigate.
Will their manager last the season?
Owner Matthew Benham is not one for knee-jerk decisions, which is how he's managed to take Brentford from League One to the Premier League in seven years. So even if Brentford end up in a relegation battle, then I feel Thomas Frank will see out the season. The fans adore him, the players work well with him and he has a great relationship with the owner. A look at the preseason odds on the first manager to get sacked shows he's not even in the top 10 contenders -- only Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have longer odds -- so expect Frank to be there in May regardless of where Brentford finish.
-- Tom Hamilton
Brighton
- Transfers in: FW Julio Enciso (Libertad), FW Simon Adingra (Nordsjaelland), FW Benicio Baker-Boaitey (FC Porto) - Transfers out: MF Yves Bissouma (Tottenham), DF Leo Ostigard (Napoli), MF Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion) - Last season: Premier League (ninth), FA Cup (fourth round), Carabao Cup (fourth round)
Will they be better or worse this season?
It's hard to believe they can improve on ninth with a squad that's not really been reinforced yet this summer. Bissouma's exit weakens the midfield, while Marc Cucurella's endless status updates hint at another vital loss should he leave for Chelsea (amusingly being denied by Brighton on social media), Man City or Barcelona.
A squad in need of goals -- last season's top scorer was Neal Maupay, with nine -- is banking on new signing Enciso being an immediate success out wide and Moises Caicedo making an impact in midfield. It seems a lot to ask, even with the mercurial Graham Potter always seeming to have a plan.
Much was made of Brighton's finish in the top half last season and despite being relatively thin in front of goal (42 goals in 38 games), their defending was a major reason for their final position. Dunk will again be asked to shoulder the load in central defence in order to give his side a fighting chance, especially if a proven scorer isn't added to the squad in the remainder of the summer transfer window.
Will their manager last the season?
It's hard to imagine a fracture between Potter and the club given his remarkable methods on a sensible budget. Potter will be welcome on the south coast until he decides he wants a change, rather than the other way around.
Manager Thomas Tuchel faces a difficult task to improve on last season given the upheaval caused by Chelsea's change of ownership. Roman Abramovich's sale of the club -- effectively forced by U.K. government sanctions over his alleged links to Russia president Vladimir Putin -- led to a situation where the Blues were unable to negotiate new contracts with existing squad members or hold talks with new players. Consequently, Rudiger joined Real Madrid, Christensen left for Barcelona and Chelsea have been playing catch-up in the transfer window, all while Tuchel knowing there was already ground to make up on Manchester City and Liverpool.
The signing of Sterling from City is excellent business by new club chairman Todd Boehly, while Koulibaly adds experience at the back, but further reinforcements are required if Chelsea have any chance of closing what ended up as a 19-point gap to champions City last term. The chasing pack -- led by Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United -- have strengthened and so a frantic end to the window awaits.
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Why there's no reason to worry about Haaland after Community Shield loss
Chelsea spent €115m to sign Romelu Lukaku last summer, but Tuchel ended up preferring Havertz as his central striker. With Lukaku now back at Inter Milan on loan, Tuchel appears to be pinning a lot on Havertz to lead a title challenge. There remains the possibility Chelsea could sign a centre-forward before the window closes, but Havertz's mixture of intense pressure and high quality in possession is something Tuchel favours in setting the tone from the front. Havertz ended with 14 goals from 47 appearances across all competitions: if he does play up front this season, that record must improve.
Will their manager last the season?
Yes. The consortium led by Boehly and Clearlake Capital might have inherited Tuchel as manager, but he is a European champion who has conducted himself with tremendous humility and grace during the difficult takeover period. Significantly, he has also been given greater influence over transfers following the departures of technical and performance adviser Petr Cech, along with the club's former lead transfer negotiator, Marina Granovskaia. Managers could never be confident of seeing the season out under Abramovich, but the early signs are that Tuchel would have to seriously underperform in order for a change to take place.
- Transfers in: MF Cheick Doucoure (Lens), DF Chris Richards (Bayern Munich), MF Cormac Austin (Linfield), GK Sam Johnstone (West Bromwich Albion), FW Malcolm Ebiowei (Derby County) - Transfers out: DF Martin Kelly (released), DF Jaroslaw Jach (released) - Last season: Premier League (12th), FA Cup (semifinals), Carabao Cup (second round)
Will they be better or worse this season?
Patrick Vieira: pretty good at this, eh? He wasted little time in turning a stodgy, obdurate team into an exciting, quick-passing side that has creativity and intent all over the pitch.
Arsenal
Aston Villa
AFC Bournemouth
Brentford
Brighton
Chelsea
Crystal Palace