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By Nathan Salt Published: 01: 31 AEST, 16 August 2024 | Updated: 02: 31 AEST, 16 August 2024 13 View comments The Premier League's return is just one day away and it's fair to say that excitement amongst supporters couldn't be any higher. Manchester United and Fulham will kick-start the 2024-25 campaign on Friday night, as the Red Devils play host to Marco Silva's side for the curtain raiser. And over the next four days, all 20 Premier League sides will be in action as they put their hard work from over the summer to the test in gameweek one of the campaign. Debate about who can win the league, who will go down and who will be the surprise package have been rife in the build-up to the opening day. So, here, Mail Sport's NATHAN SALT provides his club-by-club guide for the new Premier League campaign. The upcoming 2024-25 Premier League campaign is set to get underway on Friday night Pre-season preparations will be put to the test, with every league side in action this weekend Manchester United will welcome Fulham to Old Trafford for the top-flight's curtain raiser LAST SEASON: 2nd. MANAGER: Mikel Arteta. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Bukayo Saka (16). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna, £42million). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Mikel Arteta’s wacky methods in the off-season included hiring pickpockets to steal from his players in a lesson on the importance of staying alert at all times. The addition of defender Riccardo Calafiori is shrewd business and they will be many people’s favourite to win it all. Arteta’s men must be primed and ready to take advantage if Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City falter. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: First loser (again). 2nd. TITLE ODDS: 13-8. Arsenal will be hoping to go one further than last season and clinch the Premier League title LAST SEASON: 4th. MANAGER: Unai Emery. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Ollie Watkins (19). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Amadou Onana (Everton, £50m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: One of the league’s big spenders, Villa are not sitting on their hands after qualifying for the Champions League. Onana, Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer are strong additions to Unai Emery’s squad… but Newcastle fans can attest to how hard it is to juggle a push for the top four with trying to make a mark in Europe’s premier competition. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Champions League hangover pending. 5th. TITLE ODDS: 50-1. There are plenty of expectations on Aston Villa after their impressive displays last season LAST SEASON: 12th. MANAGER: Andoni Iraola. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Dominic Solanke (19). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Luis Sinisterra (Leeds, £20m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Some fans are focused on survival and others are convinced they can get into Europe. Andoni Iraola has been a revelation on the south coast and only a Solanke exit could sour what has been a positive off-season for the Cherries. He has scored 27 per cent of his side’s goals since they were promoted to the top flight and his departure leaves a big hole in their forward line. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: In Iraola they trust. 10th. TITLE ODDS: 500-1. Some Bournemouth fans are focused on survival and others are focused on reaching Europe LAST SEASON: 16th. MANAGER: Thomas Frank. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Yoane Wissa (12) MOST EXPENSIVE SIGNING: Igor Thiago (Club Brugge, £30m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Season one: overachieved. Season two: underachieved. Season three? Another difficult campaign awaits. Ivan Toney has not had the offers he anticipated to leave and even with his return — having missed a lot of last season due to a betting ban — this squad lacks goals. New signing Thiago has already been ruled out for a significant chunk of the season through injury. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Scrappy survival on the cards. 17th. TITLE ODDS: 500-1. Mail Sport predicts that Brentford will struggle this season but narrowly avoid relegation LAST SEASON: 11th. MANAGER: Fabian Hurzeler. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Joao Pedro (9). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Yankuba Minteh (Newcastle, £25m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Introducing the Premier League’s youngest manager: Fabian Hurzeler. The 31-year-old guided St Pauli to promotion last year but moving away from Roberto De Zerbi means there’s a sense of uncertainty on the south coast. Much will hinge on the form of the returning Kaoru Mitoma, who missed the final three months of last season with a back issue. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Short-term pain, long-term gain. 14th. TITLE ODDS: 150-1. German coach Fabian Hurzeler is preparing for his first campaign as Seagulls boss LAST SEASON: 6th. MANAGER: Enzo Maresca. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Cole Palmer (22). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Pedro Neto (£54m, Wolves). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Things looked to be improving under Mauricio Pochettino… so what do Chelsea do? Dismiss Pochettino. Now Enzo Maresca is keen to eradicate all traces of his predecessor’s philosophy and do things his way. A scattergun transfer policy in recent years means he has a disjointed squad that frequently loses its way. What could possibly go wrong? MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Very little faith in Maresca. 6th. TITLE ODDS: 16-1. Chelsea have endured a chaotic summer ahead of the 2024-25 campaign getting underway LAST SEASON: 10th. MANAGER: Oliver Glasner. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Jean-Philippe Mateta (16). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Chadi Riad (Barcelona, £14m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Losing Michael Olise is a blow; losing Marc Guehi to Newcastle would be equally disappointing and interest in Eberechi Eze isn’t going away either. Oliver Glasner’s football caught the eye at the end of last season but the Austrian will only be able to build on that if his star names stick around. Ismaila Sarr is a promising addition, mind you. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Work to do. 11th. TITLE ODDS: 250-1. Crystal Palace will be looking to build on a promising end to last season under Oliver Glasner LAST SEASON: 15th. MANAGER: Sean Dyche. 2023-24 TOP SCORERS: Abdoulaye Doucoure & Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Iliman Ndiaye (Marseille, £15m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Every season they seem to make moves that just don’t make them that much better. Sean Dyche will hope the attention is on the football this season — and not the balance sheet — and he’s tried to bolster his side with Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom. How much difference they make remains to be seen. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Is their squad in better shape than last year? 16th. TITLE ODDS: 750-1. Everton will hope the attention is on their football this season — and not the balance sheet LAST SEASON: 13th. MANAGER: Marco Silva. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Rodrigo Muniz (9). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal, £34m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Losing Joao Palhinha — far and away their best player — to Bayern Munich stings, but Fulham fans are optimistic of landing a flew blows on their bigger rivals this season with Emile Smith Rowe arriving and Ryan Sessegnon returning after an injury-riddled spell with Tottenham. Likely to be looking up, rather than down, this time around. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Cautiously optimistic. 12th. TITLE ODDS: 500-1. Former Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe could prove to be a crucial signing for Fulham LAST SEASON: Promoted in 2nd. MANAGER: Kieran Mc Kenna. 2023-24 TOP SCORERS: Nathan Broadhead & Conor Chaplin (13). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea, £20m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: One of football’s great fairytales of recent seasons was seeing Ipswich go back-to-back from League One to the Premier League. All signs this time point to a fun but frustrating campaign for Mc Kenna’s side. Ipswich’s signings are encouraging but lack Premier League knowhow. They are in for a steep learning curve. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Lacking Premier League experience. 19th. TITLE ODDS: 1500-1. Mail Sport predicts that Ipswich will be heading back down to the Championship next year LAST SEASON: Promoted as champions. MANAGER: Steve Cooper. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Jamie Vardy (18). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Abdul Fatawu (Sporting, £17m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking but they are now trying to bat away a potential points deduction for an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules. Abdul Fatawu shone in the Championship and is their most notable summer signing after joining permanently, but new boss Steve Cooper faces an uphill battle. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Long season ahead. 20th. TITLE ODDS: 1500-1. Steve Cooper is ready to undertake a new challenge as the Leicester manager for 2024-25 LAST SEASON: 3rd. MANAGER: Arne Slot. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Mohamed Salah (18). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: None. MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool may be one of football’s trickiest jobs — so buckle up, Arne Slot. But all the evidence in pre-season has Liverpool fans confident, and with good reason. Their new boss could do with some quality signings to help close the gap on Manchester City and Arsenal, though. Harvey Elliott is thriving and could have a breakout year. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Arne will Slot right in. 3rd. TITLE ODDS: 7-1. Arne Slot will be hoping to fill the shoes of Jurgen Klopp after the German's Liverpool exit LAST SEASON: 1st. MANAGER: Pep Guardiola. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Erling Haaland (27). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Savinho (Troyes, £33. 6m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Betting against Pep Guardiola’s side to win the Premier League title? Don’t be foolish. Everyone seems to be waiting for title fatigue to kick in, only for City to retool with Savinho and elevate a rising star in Oscar Bobb. It looks like Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne will both be sticking around too after some interest from abroad. Erling Haaland will win another Golden Boot, too. Inevitable. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Five in a row. 1st. TITLE ODDS: 11-8. Betting against Pep Guardiola’s side to win the Premier League title would be foolish LAST SEASON: 8th. MANAGER: Erik ten Hag. 2023-24 TOP SCORERS: Bruno Fernandes & Rasmus Hojlund (10). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Leny Yoro (Lille, £58. 9m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: After the will-he-stay-will-he-go saga surrounding boss Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman has been backed in the transfer market… only for Leny Yoro, his £58. 9m star defender, to immediately get injured and sidelined for three months. Imperative that United hit the ground running or Ten Hag’s future will again be in sharp focus. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Back in the Champions League. 4th. TITLE ODDS: 28-1. Man United will look to drastically improve on their 8th place finish in the league last season LAST SEASON: 7th. MANAGER: Eddie Howe. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Alexander Isak (21). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Lewis Hall (Chelsea, £28m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: No continental football should help — although none of their supporters were thinking that way when they were chanting about Europe on the final day at Brentford, only for Manchester United to ruin it by winning the FA Cup. The futures of Anthony Gordon and boss Eddie Howe are among the many subplots that make Newcastle one to watch. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Pushing for Europe. 8th. TITLE ODDS: 33-1. Despite an impressive season last year, Mail Sport predicts Newcastle will drop down one spot LAST SEASON: 17th. MANAGER: Nuno Espirito Santo. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Chris Wood (14). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Elliot Anderson (Newcastle, £35m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: This will probably be a positive season if they just don’t see the letters PSR appear anywhere around the City Ground. Financial irregularities and points deductions have overshadowed the work of Nuno Espirito Santo and his coaching staff. They’ve taken a big swing on Elliot Anderson and need that move to pay off. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: An obvious ceiling on their potential. 15th. TITLE ODDS: 1000-1. Nottingham Forest will look to build on their positive season during the 2023-24 campaign LAST SEASON: Promoted in play-offs. MANAGER: Russell Martin. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Adam Armstrong (21). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Man City, £20m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Russell Martin has tried to keep hold of as many promotion heroes as possible and was delighted to see Flynn Downes and Taylor Harwood-Bellis join permanently this summer from West Ham and Manchester City respectively. The Saints are perhaps the best equipped of the promoted sides to survive… and yet they still won’t have quite enough. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Straight back down. 18th. TITLE ODDS: 1500-1. Southampton secured their place in the Premier League after a play-off final victory last year LAST SEASON: 5th. MANAGER: Ange Postecoglou. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Son Heung-min (17). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth, £65m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Ange Postecoglou publicly called out Tottenham and their supporters for a ‘fragile’ mentality at the back end of last season and the need to win a trophy only becomes of greater importance after such a barb from the boss. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both aged 18, are stars of the future but Tottenham need to strengthen with a view to winning now. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Something feels off. 7th. TITLE ODDS: 22-1. Tottenham have endured a mixed bag of results during their pre-season preparations LAST SEASON: 9th. MANAGER: Julen Lopetegui. 2023-24 TOP SCORER: Jarrod Bowen (16). MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMER SIGNING: Max Kilman (Wolves, £40m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Been aggressive in pursuit of their targets and done well to bolster their side to create one of the most exciting attacks in the league with Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville arriving. French centre back Jean-Clair Todibo is an impressive coup, too. As a result, the pressure is on Julen Lopetegui to guide this group back into Europe. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Flirting with Europe. 9th. TITLE ODDS: 150-1. Jarrod Bowen is preparing to undertake the role as West Ham captain for the very first time LAST SEASON: 14th. MANAGER: Gary O’Neil. 2023-24 TOP SCORERS: Hwang Hee-chan & Matheus Cunha (12). BIGGEST SUMMER SIGNING: Rodrigo Gomes (Braga, £12. 7m). MAIL SPORT VERDICT: Solid, if a tad unspectacular, under Gary O’Neil, Wolves will again be a nightmare to play against. Made some astute signings in the window but not many are expected to move the needle much from the outset. Will again be very reliant on Hwang Hee-chan for goals. MAIL SPORT PREDICTS: Stubborn and difficult to beat. 13th. TITLE ODDS: 750-1. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group