Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and more: Ranking their chances of finishing in the top 4 in the Premier League
The Premier League top four race has been quite exciting in recent seasons. Manchester City and Liverpool have pulled away at the top. There is now a clear gulf in class between them and the rest of the teams in the top half of the Premier League table.
Teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are now having to play catch up. To make things even more interesting, the likes of West Ham United, Leicester City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all leveled up in recent seasons.
City and Liverpool are once again expected to be embroiled in the title race heading into the 2022-23 season. With just two more Champions League spots left to take up, things will get really exciting as far as the Premier League top four race is concerned.
Without further ado, let's rank the chances of the rest of the Premier League's top seven finishing in the top four this term.
#5 West Ham United
West Ham United's inconsistency led to them finishing seventh in the Premier League after a promising start to the season. The Hammers have signed centre-back Nayef Aguerd from Rennes for £31.5 million and young midfielder Flynn Downes from Swansea City for £9.59 milion.
West Ham haven't exactly bolstered their ranks massively this summer while the rest of the sides in the race for the top four have done so. As such, they currently run the risk of getting left behind and will need to back David Moyes in the transfer market so that he can keep up the good work.
#4 Arsenal
The addition of Gabriel Jesus for £47 million looks like a great piece of business for all parties involved. Arsenal have struggled for goals in recent seasons and were crying out loud for an out-and-out striker. Jesus looks like the kind of striker who could thrive under Mikel Arteta.
Attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira is another promising signing. He scored six goals and provided 14 assists in 27 league appearances for Porto last term. But they already have a player of a very similar profile in Martin Odegaard and as such, it remains to be seen just how Vieira will be used by Arteta.
The Gunners will also welcome William Saliba back to the fray after his successful loan spell at Marseille. They have a squad that has plenty of promise but it does look like they might suffer from a lack of leadership once again this season.
#3 Manchester United
Manchester United have done a commendable job in this summer's transfer window so far. They have signed Christian Eriksen on a free transfer. They're also roped in young left-back Tyrell Malacia and the technically gifted Argentinian centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.
The Red Devils have also reportedly agreed a deal with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong but the player is yet to greenlight the move. If they do land him, then it will be the cherry on top of what's been a very good summer.
They've also let go of players like Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, Andreas Pereira and Nemanja Matic. It's fair to say that the squad has undergone a cleansing of sorts. The players have shown signs of promise in their two pre-season outings against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory.
But Erik ten Hag's plans will take time to come to fruition and this Manchester United squad is full of players who can be extremely inconsistent and erratic. That's why they are not exactly favorites to finish in the top four this season.
🗣️ "Everyone gets criticised."
Manchester United's Scott McTominay says it's a clean slate under Erik ten Hag but they will have to accept any criticism that comes their way. https://t.co/Qw3TyZxQ8s
#2 Chelsea
The change in ownership has been a little tough to navigate as Chelsea have not exactly acted with the same force this summer that their fans are used to seeing. Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly are excellent signings though.
Conor Gallagher's return after his successful loan spell with Crystal Palace will further bolster Chelsea's attack. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will be missed, but it's good riddance as far as Romelu Lukaku and his loan move to Inter Milan are concerned.
Thomas Tuchel's men are a well-drilled unit and it's always hard to break them down and that's why they will once again be favorites to finish inside the top four.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Clement Lenglet and Fraser Forster this summer. That's quite an impressive list of incomings and they don't seem to be done. Spurs are also being heavily linked with a move for Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
They've offloaded Steven Bergwijn to Ajax for £28.13 million and are presently looking in great shape heading into the 2022-23 season. Harry Kane was in top form in the closing stages of last term. Son Heung-Min has looked as good as ever, sharing the 2021-22 Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah.
Spurs have a lot of quality in their ranks and Antonio Conte is a manager who has already shown that he can bring the best out of this set of players. They are currently the favorites to finish in the top four in the Premier League this term after Manchester City and Liverpool.
Antonio Conte is just getting started 👀 https://t.co/a8INLGp1c2