Seven points the difference between the league champions Chelsea and second placed Tottenham Hotspurs last season, where we saw the title decided two weeks prior to the season's conclusion. Conte led Chelsea with an impeccable defence and few teams could compete with the consistency of the London side. The summer transfer season of 2017, however, has been like no other, an incredible £898,739,000 has been already spent on 178 arrivals while more high profile Transfers are expected to take place. The high valuation of players being switched between English clubs has resulted in transfers such as the £75M paid for Romelu Lukaku moving from Everton to Manchester United or the £50M Manchester City paid to Tottenham for the transfer of Kyle Walker.
All this activity and the resulting talent-filled squads have all but guaranteed a roller coaster season up ahead and predicting a winner or a top four has never been tougher. We take a look at some of these teams and their strengths and weaknesses.
Chelsea FC - Predicted Finish - Second
The league champions have managed to retain their star squad with the exception of a Nemanja Matic, and a possible imminent departure of Diego Costa. Alvaro Morata has already been brought in for £55.25M from Real Madrid along with a £34M signing of 22-year-old defensive midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko from Monaco. Following a season which saw no Chelsea player in the Premier League receive a red card, the London side is strongly outfitted in defence again and reinforced in attack, they are surely the strong favourites to lift the title again.
Tottenham Hotspurs - Predicted Finish - Sixth
Last season, Tottenham had one of their best seasons ever in the Premier League amassing a record number of points and giving Chelsea the only challenge for the title. Boasting one of the league's best keepers and defensive pairs, Spurs are built strong from the back and are led by the league's top scorer in Harry Kane with the young player of the season Dele Alli just behind.
The problem for Tottenham, however, rests in their over-dependence on Harry Kane, by April last season, Kane had already scored 19 goals which was 43% of the total goals Tottenham had scored. With a transfer season of no significant signings, Spurs must rely heavily on Kane to stay fit and fire again if they are to entertain any title hopes.
Manchester City FC - Predicted Finish - CHAMPIONS
The Manchester club has spent £204.43M this summer alone on making sure they have a team strong enough to compete with the best. The arrival of two high profile full-backs and a new possible first choice goalkeeper in Ederson could help Guardiola fix problems he encountered in his first season at the club. Manchester City in the first season of Pep Guardiola suffered from a lack of consistency but with the raft of transfer arrivals and a more settled Guardiola, expect the Citizens to come out firing and aim for the top position.
Liverpool FC - Predicted Finish - Third
Liverpool's struggle against smaller oppositions has been well documented, Jürgen Klopp's side has faced a consistent struggle against teams choosing to sit back and counter attack.
With the signing of Mohamed Salah, Liverpool now boast one of the best wing pairs in the Premier League as Salah partners Sadio Mane, however the problem for Liverpool has been a highly inconsistent and unsure defence, and the situation seems to have not changed as Liverpool have failed to agree on a deal for transfer target Virgin van Dijk. With Adam Lallana out for four months, Klopp's season ambitions might very well depend on their activity in the remainder of the transfer market or on a hope for an injury-free season for many of his superstars.
Manchester United FC - Predicted Finish - Fourth
Talking about record money and Manchester City, the other club from Manchester has been giving City a run for its money in the transfer market these past few seasons.
This year has been no different, United have spent £139.74M on just three signings with the league's second highest top scorer last season Romelu Lukaku joining the club for £75M, United also signed Nemanja Matic from title rivals Chelsea for £38.00M. Jose Mourinho's first season saw an obvious goal scoring problem and the fans must expect the star arrivals to turn that around and lead United to the top.
Arsenal FC - Predicted Finish - Fifth
Arsenal has addressed their goal scoring problems by signing long time transfer target in Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for £45M. The problem for Arsenal in recent times has been the lack of a leader on the field when things start to go wrong and the atmosphere becomes too static for the team. While a big positive for Arsenal this season has been retaining Alexis Sanchez, a season out of the Champions League after almost 20 years could also help motivate the team to a strong campaign.
