With the Premier League season having just kicked off, there has been as much interest in what has happened off the field as what is happening on it.

The transfer window is still open and there will be a lot of clubs doing late business, but as things stand now, this is my prediction for the upcoming season.

Arsenal: Last season second
Prediction fourth

Perennial Champions League qualifiers, Arsenal fans are crying out for a big name striker to come in. They have been linked to a number with Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette being most likely to make his way to the Emirates. The situation at centre back is also cause for concern with no one fit to start the season.

Granit Xhaka will add some class and steel to midfield but they cannot rely on Olivier Giroud to get the goals to fire them to glory.

Bournemouth: Last season 16th
Prediction 16th

The fairy tale continued for Bournemouth last season as they consolidated their place at the top of English football. They did in spite of losing three key players to cruciate injuries, including record signing Tyrone Mears.

They have been busy this summer, most notably brining in Jordan Ibe from Liverpool for £15 million. I think they will have just enough to stay up but it will be close

Burnley: Last season Championship champions
Prediction: 19th

Sean Dyche gets another crack at the big time. His first attempt with Burnley produced some epic results against both Manchester clubs but ultimately ended in relegation. He would have learnt from that and be ready for what will they will come up against.

They have the Championship’s top scorer in Andre Gray and it will be very interesting to see how he goes at the highest level.

Jon Flanagan has been brought in from Liverpool to help shore up the defence but they are a little bit short on quality throughout the squad so would expect them to struggle.

Chelsea: Last season 10th
Prediction third

The other surprise packet of last season, but for all the wrong reasons. Although currently quiet in the transfer market, I don’t expect them to stay that way.

The most significant signing they have made is bringing in master tactician Antonio Conte from Italy. His teams work hard and he is a man that gets the best out of what he has got, and what he has got isn’t bad at Chelsea.

If Eden Hazard turns up this season, he will almost be like a new signing. Some reinforcements at the back are needed but they will be much better this season

Crystal Palace: Last season 15th
Prediction 10th

This prediction is very much based on them signing a top striker. They have been heavily linked with Christian Benteke and if he does come in then he may be the difference between ninth and 15th again.

Andros Townsend has been a good signing and Steve Mandanda is a huge coup for the Eagles. After such a disappointing second half of the campaign they will be determined to start well, if they do then this squad has the capabilities and players of something very exciting.

Everton: Last season 11th
Prediction seventh

A team that had so much promise but severely under-performed last season. Roberto Martinez paid the price for that and Ronald Koeman is the man entrusted to bring glory back to Goodison.

With Farhad Moshiri’s takeover complete, Everton now have the financial clout to compete with anyone. John Stones has been replaced by Ashely Williams (and a fair chunk of money), which in my view makes them steadier at the back, and Romelu Lukaku may well stay. If he does then they could be the best of the rest.

Hull City: Last season play-off winners
Prediction: 20th

What a car crash of a pre-season this has been for Hull. Rumoured to only have 13 fit senior players, no manager and only one signing from AFC Wimbledon, I can’t see much hope for them.

Teams that win the play-offs start on the back foot as it is with player signings and Hull have made a tough task almost impossible.

Leicester City: Last season champions
Prediction 12th

What a story it was. Claudio Ranieri, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante. All were great stories in themselves, then throw them all together and the impossible happened.

This season, Kante has gone to Chelsea, Mahrez is being linked with a move away but Vardy is still there. Foxes fans will hope that Nampalys Mendy will do as good a job as Kante last season but that is a tough ask. Throw in the added games/travel of the Champions League and I think that their squad is slightly too small to cope.

Liverpool: Last season eighth
Prediction sixth

Jurgen Klopp is moulding is team to what he wants. He inherited a lot of players that didn’t fit his high-energy footballing philosophy. In Sadio Mane the annual raid of Southampton has once again born fruit and a lot of players have been shown the door.

This is an important season for both Liverpool and Klopp, with the fans allowing him last year to get his feet under the desk but this year they will be expecting some silverware. With the strength of other squads, I think Liverpool have a bit still to do but wouldn’t be surprised to see them challenging the top four.

Manchester City: Last season fourth
Prediction winners

The Pep Guardiola era begins. One of the most decorated coaches in world football is now plying his trade in Manchester. Backed by City’s millions Pep has wasted no time in bringing in players that he wants and feels will help City challenge for European honours.

This will be his greatest challenge yet. His Barcelona team were superb and his Bayern team just as dominant. He takes over a City side that were very disappointing last season, seemingly very fragile should things not go their way.

That being said, the squad that was already there before the additions was one of the strongest in the league and will strike fear into most opponents

Manchester United: Last season fifth
Prediction second

Another club that have made a huge acquisition in the dugout. The ‘Special One’ has taken up the reigns at Old Trafford and unsurprisingly hasn’t done so quietly.

They have broken the transfer record bringing in Paul Pogba from Juventus and also the walking ego that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With the emergence of some exciting young talent going forward, and what was a very tight defence, United will be a force this season, it may be a season too soon but they won’t be far off and are another that wouldn’t surprise me if they win it.

Middlesbrough: Last season Championship runners up
Prediction 13th

The final of the newly promoted sides, Middlesbrough have some superb business this summer. Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes bring with them a wealth of experience and quality and Viktor Fischer from Ajax has the potential to be one of the buys of the summer.

Aitor Karanka has used his contacts to assemble a squad more than capable of staying in the league, there will be some big names falling at the Riverside this season.

Southampton: Last season sixth
Prediction ninth

The Southampton revolving door continued this summer. Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and Graziano Pelle all found themselves new homes. Of course the Saints made huge money from the moves but it is a tough ask to continuously replace important first team players.

Another huge loss was their manager, Ronald Koeman, who moved to Everton. Highly rated Claude Puel has been brought in to succeed him and as usual the Saints have one some good business in the shape of Nathan Redmond and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

After a very poor start, they turned it around last season, but with a manager that doesn’t know the league and a few changes once again in personnel, it may be a season of transition on the south coast.

Stoke City: Last season ninth
Prediction 11th

Mark Hughes has successfully changed the footballing philosophy that Tony Pulis installed in his years in the Potteries. Flair players such as Bojan, Xeridan Shaquiri and Marco Arnautovic can get people off of their seats.

A team that can finish anywhere from sixth to 12th, Stoke need their big players to find consistency to be a threat all season. Without a genuine 20-goal-a-season striker, they are another team that may find that their Achilles Heel.

Sunderland: Last season 17th
Prediction 14th

Start badly, look certain for relegation, sack manager, get new manager, stay up, repeat. That has been Sunderland’s mantra it seems for the past three seasons.

This time their manager has left early and in David Moyes they have got a man that knows how to squeeze the most out of his squad.

With Jermaine Defoe showing he is still one of the best goal scorers in the Premier League last season, they will certainly be confident of having a better year. There will be huge question marks though about the defence that can ship goals for fun but I think under Moyes they will have enough

Swansea City: Last season 12th
Prediction 15th

There will be a lot of pressure on Fernando Llorente and Borja Baston to hit the ground running for the Swans. Andre Ayew’s departure to West Ham will leave a huge attacking void. If Gylfi Sigurdsson can start the season how he ended the last then they will have a player capable of playing in any team in the division.

The recent departure of Ashley Williams will be the most concerning. A colossus at the back for them, he will be very hard to replace but be replaced he must or this will be a very long season.

Tottenham Hotspur: Last season third
Prediction fifth

Last season was a case of so near, yet so far for Spurs. They were challenging for the title right until the death then crumbled to not only hand the title to Leicester but even fall behind arch rivals Arsenal.

A young, talented squad has been enhanced by Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen’s arrivals but with a lot of these players playing a lot of football, I think Spurs fans would want to see one or two more added.

At least they have a backup should the unthinkable happen and Harry Kane have to miss a game. With the other big teams strengthening and strengthening well, Spurs may be left behind a little.

Watford: Last season 13th
Prediction 18th

In one of the more bizarre decisions, last season’s manager Quique Sanches Flores was given his marching orders after brilliantly keeping Watford up. Walter Mazzari is the latest man in the hot seat at Vicarage Road and will have his work cut out this season.

Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney’s superb seasons were the main reason for the superb finish but with the Pozzo family in control you have no idea what players will come through the door. Teams would have worked Watford out from last year and unless a couple more players have stand out seasons this could be the end of their brief stay in the Premiership.

West Bromwich Albion: Last season 14th
Prediction 17th

Tony Pulis has the enviable record of never having been relegated from the Premier League. The way he sets his teams up may not be the most pleasing on the eye but it works.

This season though you have to worry for West Brom. The Saido Berahino saga has dragged on again and with no other striker through the door, the Baggies once again look like they may struggle to score goals.

They need points early on in the season or it could be a very uncomfortable place for Pulis and I wouldn’t be surprised if they slipped through the trap door.

West Ham United: Last season seventh
Prediction eighth

West Ham will be calling the Olympic Stadium home for the foreseeable future and are desperate to grace it with European Football.

Slaven Bilic has proven himself to be as good a manager at club level as he was at international level and we all know what happened with Dimitri Payet. A lot of players have come through the door, sometimes that is a good thing but I think West Ham only needed a couple to push on with what they already have. This will be a close run thing between teams six and eight and any of the teams there can make the top six.