After a summer that seemed to pass by in a flash, the English Premier League will kick off its 2024-25 season on Friday, when Manchester United hosts Fulham at Old Trafford.
Last season went down to the wire, as Manchester City edged Arsenal by two points to take first place and third-place Liverpool also made a push for the title. Aston Villa was the surprise package and kept things interesting by finishing fourth. You have to figure all four will be in the mix again this season, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United also challenging for a top-four spot.
There’ll also be a few new faces on the touchlines this season thanks to a series of coaching hires over the summer. With Jürgen Klopp gone, Arne Slot taking over as Liverpool boss, while Chelsea will hope for a turnaround under Enzo Maresca.
Here are five storylines to watch during the upcoming English top-flight campaign.
Manchester City chasing fifth consecutive title
Manchester City has won four Premier League titles in a row and six of the last seven, and is attempting to become the first club to win five consecutive English top-tier crowns. And it’s already won its first trophy of the season, defeating bitter rivals Manchester United in last weekend’s Community Shield.
Pep Guardiola’s championship side from last season remains largely intact, with the exception of Argentinian forward Julián Álvarez, who was sold to Atlético Madrid for a reported 82 million pounds. City will miss the World Cup winner, but it still has plenty of dangerous attacking weapons at its disposal, including Erling Haaland (the Premier League’s top scorer last season with 27 goals) and Kevin de Bruyne (third in assists with 10). The Blues look a sure bet to repeat as English champions.
But controversy hangs over Man City as a hearing into its alleged 115 breaches of Financial Fair Play rules will begin in September. The London Times reported City could be relegated if it is found guilty of the most serious charges it is facing. Can Guardiola’s side stay focused and grind out results while the hearing over its future unfolds? We’ll soon find out.
Trailing Arsenal looks to topple Man City
Manchester City was pushed by Arsenal right to the very end of last season before eventually emerging as champions. After finishing as runners-up in each of the last two campaigns, the Gunners are the team most likely to topple the Blues in 2024-25. Mikel Arteta has emerged as one of European club soccer’s most astute managers, and his side has strengthened with the summer addition of Italian centre back Ricardo Calafiouri, who joins the London-based club from Bologna.
With Arne Slot now in charge, Liverpool enters a new era and will be looking to re-establish itself as the kings of the Premier League after fading toward the tail end of last season and surrendering the title to Man City. Mohammed Salah remains at Anfield after coming close to moving to the Saudi League, and is keen to improve upon his remarkable 2023-24 campaign in which he scored 25 goals and tallied 14 assists in all competitions.
According to Tranfermarkt.co.uk, Chelsea (€189 million), Aston Villa (€176.20 million) and Manchester United (€164.50 million) were the three biggest spenders in the Premier League during the summer transfer window. But whether that will translate into success in the form of toppling Man City for the title remains to be seen.
The relegation battle
All three of the newly promoted teams — Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United — were relegated at the end of last season, marking the first time that occurred since the 1997–98 season.
Will it happen two years in a row in 2024-25 with Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton? Of the three newcomers, playoff winners Southampton, has to be considered the most likely to drop back down to the English Championship (second division), even after a busy summer in which it signed a host of new players, including Chilean international forward Ben Brereton Díaz from Villarreal.
But Southampton won’t be the only team looking over its shoulder. Nottingham Forest wasn’t relegated last season, despite earning only 32 points (including a four-point deduction). In doing so, it set a Premier League record for the lowest points total of a side to avoid relegation — beating the old mark of 34 set by West Bromwich Albion in 2004-05. Forest hasn’t made any significant upgrades in the summer transfer market, so it has to be considered a top candidate for relegation.
Canadian content: Fulham’s Luc de Fougerolles
Luc de Fougerolles earned his first call-up to the Canadian national team in 2023 before making his international debut last year as a late substitute in Les Rouges’ Copa America playoff against Trinidad and Tobago. In the summer, the defender made his first start for Canada in its penalty shootout loss to Uruguay in the third-place match at the Copa America. Although born in England, he qualifies to play for Canada through his Canadian-born father.
Now de Fougerolles, 18, is looking to make a similar splash in the Premier League with Fulham. The youngster came up through the Cottagers’ academy and has played for the London-based at youth level, while also making his senior team debut in an EFL Cup victory over Ipswich town. But he’s yet to earn a taste of Premier League action — he was on the bench for Fulham as an unused substitute five times last season.
A centre back who can also play on the left side of the defence, de Fougerolles is considered one of Fulham’s brightest prospects, noted for his one-on-one defending and on-field decision making. So, it’ll be interesting to see if he can break through this season for the Cottagers under Portuguese coach Marco Silva.
Newcomer to keep an eye on: Man United’s Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester United confirmed this week the signing of Matthijs de Ligt via transfer from Bayern Munich. The Dutch centre back joins the Red Devils on a deal that ties him to the club through the 2028-29 season.
De Ligt, 25, has already won the league title in three countries with Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich, and this move reunites him with United manager Erik ten Hag, who previously coached him at Ajax.
The Dutch international is expected to become United’s defensive leader following the departure of Raphaël Varane (now with Serie A club Como) and strengthen a back line that leaked 58 goals during the 2023-24 campaign. This move is also a chance for de Ligt to get his career back on track after suffering through injuries and losing his place as a starter for Bayern last season.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 25 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.