Paul Merson's 5 bold predictions for the 2021-22 Premier League season
As we edge closer to the 2021-22 edition of the Premier League, I strongly believe this could be one of the tightest ones in recent memory. Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea can all win the title - that's a four-way battle for the Premier League crown and I don't expect any of them to run away with it by a margin of double-digit points.
In my opinion, Chelsea need a forward. I don't know what the deal is with Erling Haaland, but they need someone who can score 20 Premier League goals a season. Timo Werner is a different kind of player - he's a willing runner who works hard for the team and is very unselfish. However, he doesn't strike me as someone who can score 20 goals a season, so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.
Manchester United have already signed Jadon Sancho, but they could do with another midfielder. Regardless of what happens in the transfer market, as I said before, I expect a really close Premier League title race.
Another important thing to keep an eye on is when the big players return to their respective sides after their international commitments. Many Premier League stars represented their countries at Euro 2020 and Copa America this summer, so they could well miss a few games at the start of the new season.
It's still early doors and a lot could change between now and the start of the season, but here are some bold predictions ahead of what promises to be an intriguing Premier League campaign.
#5 Manchester City to win the Premier League title
Some might say Manchester City winning the Premier League title isn't exactly a bold prediction, but as I said earlier, four teams could win it and it's almost impossible to predict the outcome at this point in time.
There's a big gulf of class between the top four sides in the Premier League and the rest, so the title race could boil down to who wins the mini-league between Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. There is another mini-league involving Arsenal, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton that could decide the rest of the European spots.
I can't see any of the bottom half teams getting points from the top four in the 2021-22 Premier League season - I'd be really shocked if that were to be the case. We could witness one of the closest title races in ages, but I expect Manchester City to come out on top this season.
#4 James Maddison could be one of the surprise stars of the season
James Maddison wasn't called up by Gareth Southgate to represent England at Euro 2020, so he will be fresh and raring to go ahead of the 2021-22 Premier League season. Before his unfortunate injury last season, he was absolutely flying for Leicester City and I got the feeling that he came back a bit too early.
I like Maddison and I think he can make a real impact this season. He can really rip it up and will have an advantage over those who had international commitments earlier this summer, as those players may not start the forthcoming season for their respective clubs.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Update on Manchester United's transfer plans, Barca's plan for Antoine Griezmann and more