The Ultimate 2024/25 Season Preview
Some of Substack's best football writers give you their thoughts on the upcoming season
Storylines to Watch
With fresh signings, Manchester United is a popular pick to climb back up the Premier League table. However, I’m not as optimistic. United had several injuries during their pre-season, including Rasmus Hojlund (six weeks) and their prized new signing Leny Yoro (three months). If key pieces miss time, Manchester United could struggle out of the gate and pressure could ramp up once again on Erik ten Hag.
Best Transfer
Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappé without paying a transfer is probably the best signing. Other than that, I have to say Manchester City’s signing of Sávio from Troyes for £30.8m might be the next best.
I expect Sávio to play a similar role as Doku did last season in terms of starts and minutes. He will eventually be a great player for City, but his bigger impact right now is on the ownership’s pocketbook.
Since Troyes is owned by the City Football Group, it’s almost as if they paid themselves for the transfer. However sketchy you think it is, City found a way to skirt the rules to get their target player to the blue side of Manchester.
Bold Prediction
I’ll travel out of the Premier League to La Liga for this one. With the signing of Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid is stacked with star talent, especially in the attacking third of the field. My prediction is that I expect at least one young star to become unhappy and request a transfer by the season's end.
Arda Güler, who had a fantastic Euro 2024, has shown frustration with a lack of playing time in the past. Recently, Carlo Ancelotti was asked where Güler fits tactically. While giving Güler praise, Ancelotti also used the words, “in the future” while discussing the possibility of him playing in the midfield.
Breakout Star
I’ll take an unconventional approach and instead of choosing a player, I'll select a manager. With Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s future up in the air, I believe Arne Slot will become a beloved Liverpool manager as he embraces the spirit of Anfield.
I think Liverpool will do better than most are predicting, but they will likely have some rough patches along the way. In this case, Salah and van Dijk will be scapegoated while Slot earns the trust and respect of a star manager navigating a team in transition.
Premier League: Arsenal
La Liga: Real Madrid
Serie A: Juventus
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Champions League: Manchester City
Anthony Thomas The Full International
Storylines To Watch
I cannot see beyond the never-ending Manchester United saga as the main storyline to watch in the Premier League. After all the talk of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team re-shaping how the club operates, it was quite funny to see them not only stick with Erik ten Hag, but bring in players he knows from his Ajax days; Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
There will be immense pressure on him, but the stars could be aligning for ten Hag - Leny Yoro is an astute signing, while Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, and Rasmus Højlund are still improving. United will not be expected to catch Manchester City or Arsenal this term, but Liverpool and Chelsea are somewhat unpredictable under their new managers and there are question marks over whether Tottenham Hotspur can bounce back after a poor second half last season. Aston Villa and Newcastle United cannot be discounted, but Champions League football should be staring Manchester United in the face.
As someone who writes about international football, I will be keeping a close eye on Brazil for the next few months. After a disappointing Copa América with much criticism from former stars and missing out on Carlo Ancelotti taking over as manager, they return to World Cup qualification lying sixth after six matches, with just two wins, and are at risk of missing out on the World Cup for the first time. Any more slip-ups in the September and October international breaks will put enormous pressure on their meeting with Uruguay in November, before a huge double-header with Argentina and Colombia in March.
Best Transfer
The signing I’m looking forward to seeing the most is Michael Olise at Bayern Munich. As a Reading fan, I’m well and truly biased and it is exciting to see “one of our own” make it to such a big club, but his performances for Crystal Palace and for France at the Olympics have been a joy for anyone to behold. Seeing how he adapts at one of football’s elite teams, under pressure to win trophies after last season’s failures with the eyebrow-raising appointment of Vincent Kompany as manager will certainly be interesting. Hopefully, his post-match interviews in German will be as insightful as his English ones!
Bold Prediction
Ipswich Town to survive. Not only did the football Ipswich play even better than Burnley in the Championship in the previous season, but they also didn’t throw money at untried players. They have kept the faith in the players that got them to the Premier League and they will run through brick walls for manager Kieran McKenna, whose decision to stick around has been a huge boost.
Breakout Team
Como. The money is certainly talking for the Serie A new boys, who now have Cesc Fàbregas as manager. Alberto Dossena, Andrea Belotti, and Raphaël Varane are just a few of the big-name signings. They could finish anywhere between 4th and 20th.
Premier League: Arsenal
La Liga: Real Madrid
Serie A: Internazionale
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Champions League: Internazionale
Storylines To Watch
New managers are always a focus when a new season rolls around. This season, In particular, I am paying attention to Arne Slot at Liverpool and Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich. Slot has massive shoes to fill and as a result there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Liverpool. He will constantly be compared to Klopp while dealing with an aging Salah and Van Dijk and balancing young players breaking into the team. Talent wise Liverpool is always one of the best in the league. Will Slot be able to manage this talent effectively and continue what Jurgen Klopp started?
Kompany comes into a team where the standard is success, anything short of that can get you sacked. The 2023/24 campaign marked the first time since 2012 that Bayern failed to win a single trophy. After Kompany getting Burnley relegated last year he will be coming into one of the most highly coveted jobs in the world and the stakes couldn’t be higher. If he does well and wins silverware he could look to cement himself as a great European manager. Otherwise, he could be gone before the new year.
Breakout Player/Team
Alejandro Garnacho. With 7 goals and 4 assists in the Premier League last season the winger certainly did not struggle. Not to mention he won the Premier League goal of the season. However, I think he could take a huge step forward this year. With Hojlund set to miss six weeks and Rashford and Anthony struggling the United attack needs someone to step up. If United are to have a good season Garnacho will be crucial. After scoring in the FA Cup Final before winning the Copa America with Argentina, Garnacho should be in good spirits and ready to go.
In terms of a breakout team, I would say Crystal Palace. With Euro contributors like Guehi and Eze it’s clear this team has star power. The loss of Olise will certainly hurt but they have the pieces to be solid defensively and explosive going forward. Oliver Glasner taking the reigns last February is a chance for a new beginning in a sense. Crystal Palace always seems to be just a mid-table side. Is the the year they finally take a step forward.?
Best Transfer
Onana to Villa. Endrick to Madrid or Calafiori to Arsenal are also good shouts. However, at 22 Onana has become a star in a struggling Everton side and is now moving to a club with Champions League football. He will have big shoes to fill with Douglas Luiz leaving for Juventus. However, the Belgian has been excellent for Everton in the few years he has been there and everything shows he should be up to the challenge. He now is surrounded by better players and could be in for a stellar season and future with Villa.
Bold Prediction
All three promoted teams to stay up in the Premier League this year. This is as bold as it gets with all three going straight back down last year. With the experience of Leicester and Southampton and the drive and hunger of Ipswich I think it will somehow happen.
Premier League: Arsenal
La Liga: Barcelona
Serie A: Inter Milan
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Champions League: Bayern Munich
Daily Talk Football Daily Talk Football
Storylines to Watch
I am looking forward to how some of the overachievers from last season fare in the Champions League. There is a team from each of the top 5 leagues who have broken into the Champions League this season, either after a long absence or for the first time. Aston Villa (first time since 1982-83), Bologna (first time since 1964-65), Girona (first time ever), Brest (first time ever), VfB Stuttgart (first time since 2009-10) have all qualified for this seasons Champions League after brilliant league seasons saw them break into the qualification places in their respective leagues. With the new format it will be interesting to see how they are able to get on as many teams have often struggled with both the quality of opposition and the added intensity in their schedules. Newcastle are a perfect example of this, finishing 7th in the league and getting 4th in their UCL group. RC Lens is another example, getting 7th in the league and 3rd in their UCL group. There will now be 8 games for each in the Champions League first-round stage. It should be fascinating and I am looking forward to seeing how these 5 sides in particular fare and if any can progress whilst maintaining good form in their league.
Best Transfer
Michael Olise to Bayern Munich. Olise has been one of my favorite players to watch over the last few years, from his breakthrough at Reading to establishing himself as a key player at Crystal Palace. His left foot has the quality to score and assist from many positions on the pitch and combining with Kane up front could make a prolific Bayern attack. The swagger he possesses on the pitch will stand him in good stead as he makes the step up to the biggest side in Germany and in the Champions League also.
Bold Prediction
Chelsea to struggle for the top half. Every time I see Chelsea in the news this summer I am just confused. Firstly their Pochettino decision. Whilst I could understand at first due to their poor form throughout the season in which their run-in greatly improved their outlook, I thought they would opt for someone with a proven track record to finally get improved results. However, in Enzo Maresca they have appointed another manager with a distinct style of play, starting from scratch yet again. Tuchel to Potter to Pochettino to Maresca in less than two years where each manager has a different style of play… is it any surprise things haven’t worked so far? I have seen Maresca’s football in person in the Championship and when it works it is brilliant, but even Leicester fans got frustrated last season when things got stale and they started dropping points after Christmas. They were coasting to the title before things dropped off and it felt as though they were just trying to pull themselves over the line. Chelsea has been busy in the window signing an influx of players with no clear strategy. It is hard to see where these new signings will fit into the side. There could be issues to come off the field and on it they do not look a better side.
Breakout Star/Team
Player - Ethan Nwaneri - Arsenal. Ethan Nwaneri was the youngest person to ever play in the Premier League when he made his debut in 2022 at age 15 years and 181 days. Now still just 17 years old this could be a breakout season for the Arsenal youngster. Nwaneri is a big talent from the academy who has impressed in pre-season and looking at Arsenal’s transfer window there have been no attacking signings yet, meaning there could well be a chance for Nwaneri to feature more often. Nwaneri is an attacking midfielder who can play out wide and further forward so provides depth in multiple positions for Arteta this season. With Emile Smith-Rowe departing this summer to Fulham, there is a gap for Nwaneri to step into.
Premier League: Manchester City
La Liga: Real Madrid
Serie A: Inter Milan
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Storylines to Watch
I feel that people are underestimating how big a departure the new format of the Champions League is going to be from what everyone is used to. Not only will there no longer be the simple four-team groups but even the fixture list will undergo a radical change. There should be more games where big teams face each other (nice one to keep TV execs paying more money) and this is undoubtedly the closest we’re going to get to a Super League without teams breaking away from UEFA. Which is precisely the reason behind this change. Of course, that’s not the official reason. That claims that this format will reduce the number of games with no bearing on the final outcome – and in theory that is a claim that holds up – yet the reduced chances of one of the big teams going out of the competition at the group stage is probably an added bonus.
Best Transfer
There will undoubtedly be much bigger transfers this summer but the €8.9m signing of Assan Ouédraogo by RB Leipzig has all the hallmarks of the kind of deal which sees them make a huge profit in a couple of years. One of the beneficiaries of Schalke's relegation, at 17 years and 80 days old, Ouédraogo became Schalke’s youngest-ever player and scorer, making an immediate impact by scoring and assisting in his debut match. Despite a 5-3 loss to HSV on the opening day of the season, Ouédraogo's performance was impressive. He secured a starting spot before a hamstring injury in November sidelined him until March. Still, he notched seventeen appearances for Schalke, an impressive tally for someone so young. Standing 6ft 3, Ouédraogo combines physicality and technical skills, drawing comparisons to Paul Pogba. His ability to drive through defenses and his aerial threat make him a promising talent. Leipzig coach Marco Rose has been impressed. “He's a star in the making. A player with a physical presence, great technical finesse, and who is dynamic. We'll give him the time required for him to get used to us. But we do assure that he's very well-developed and integrated. I have no worries when it comes to that, after my first impression of him. We're convinced we signed a super player.”
Bold Prediction
There were quite a few surprise Champions League qualifiers from all across Europe last season and it would have been nice to see how those sides would have fared in the Champions League. Unfortunately, for teams like this such results tend to be curses just as much as they are blessings because bigger clubs promptly pounce on their stars. Teams like Girona, Bologna, Stuttgart, and Atalanta are quintessential examples of this. That leaves Aston Villa as the only side really in contention. Their qualification was as much a surprise as any of those teams but, whilst they did lose Douglas Luiz to Juventus, they have ably replaced him with Amadou Onana. Beyond that, they’ve strengthened the depth of their squad with the arrival of an exciting mix of experience and youth. It will be hard to balance both the Premier League and the new UCL format but Villa seems more than capable of doing so. To top it all off Unai Emery has vast experience of excelling in Europe.
Premier League: Manchester City
La Liga: Real Madrid
Breakout Star:
I’ll have Yankuba Minteh, who just arrived at Brighton for €35M. Minteh scored ten goals and had six assists on loan at Feyenoord last season from Newcastle, where he played for now-Liverpool manager Arne Slot. That kind of production would have likely gotten Minteh into Newcastle’s first team if not for their PSR issues forcing sales early this summer, including Minteh to Brighton.
Minteh’s speed is his best asset, and it makes me more confident that his game will translate to the Premier League than some other recent Eredivisie products. He popped up in Josh Williams’s excellent series scouting Europe’s top forwards because he takes players on the dribble often and very successfully, perhaps not unlike a certain Kaoru Mitoma, who’ll likely feature opposite him.
Plus, he is a young player at Brighton, so it would be more surprising if he didn’t break out this year and land a transfer to a big six club for about 3x what Brighton bought him for.
Best Transfer:
Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal is great business for a team that should be competing for the Premier League and Champions League this season. The Gunners brought in Calafiori to play left back and provide cover for Gabriel as a left-sided center back.
I can easily see Calafiori playing a similar role to the one Joskvo Gvardiol thrived for Manchester City last year. In systems like Pep’s at City and Arteta’s at Arsenal, big fullbacks who can play progressive passes while also being able to lock down the top wingers (Palmer, Mbappe, etc.) that these teams will face is essential. Calafiori will provide center-back-level solidity in defense while keeping Arteta-ball on-time and in rhythm.
For more on Calafiori, check out Billy Carpenter’s incredibly in-depth scouting report.
Bold Prediction:
Chelsea will finish third this season, behind Arsenal and Manchester City.
If you can step away from the narratives around Chelsea - the evil hedge fund owners, the small army of teenage South Americans bought to go on loan, the manager carousel spinning at light speed - you see a team with tons of talent and a manager capable of harnessing it.
I don’t know if Maresca-ball will be ready out of the box, and the defense will be under pressure from the jump against Man City this Sunday, but I believe it will come together much faster than people expect. Maresca has a hell of a football mind, one worthy of the comparisons to Guardiola. He also has a bona fide star in Cole Palmer and players like Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez, and Moises Caicedo, who could easily be some of the best players in the league in their positions this season. Behind them is so much depth that there should be ample cover for the injuries that plagued this team for the past few years, as well as alternatives for those players slower picking up Maresca’s intricate system.
Granted, Chelsea has been more like a circus than a football team lately, and there is a chance that things will go wrong and Maresca will be gone by November. But the coverage around the team has become so negative that if Chelsea just plays to their ability, they will surprise people and finish well.
Premier League: Arsenal
La Liga: Real Madrid
Serie A: Inter Milan
Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Champions League: Manchester City
Storylines to watch
Todd Boehly obviously had nothing to do with Enzo Fernández deciding to join in a racist anti-French singalong after Argentina won the Copa America, but it seems oddly reflective of the chaos that is Clearlake Capital-era Chelsea. The Boehly approach to clearing up that mess appears to be simply reducing the chances of Fernández bumping into any of his rightly furious teammates by further bloating an already full-to-bursting squad. Fascinated to see how a manager who despite studying under Pep has only managed in Serie B and the Championship copes with what is surely the most chaotic squad in Europe. Elsewhere, I’ve got my eye on a couple of Germans. I desperately want West Ham’s Niclas Füllkrug experiment to go well and I will be keeping an eye on Hansi Flick at Barcelona.
Best transfer
Hardly a hot take, but I think Julian Alvaraz to Atletico Madrid is a wonderful bit of business. Sure, it’s a huge fee but it doesn’t seem inflated. Alvarez has been playing at the best club in Europe under one of history’s greatest coaches and he’s won everything already, including a World Cup playing alongside Messi. If it weren’t for City’s big Scandi lab-baby striker, Julian would be leading that line. Honorable mention for Connor Gallagher too, just because I love when English players go abroad. It’s classy.
Bold prediction
Vincent Kompany to be sacked by Christmas. Yes, he was highly rated in the Championship but Burnley was abysmal last year. There’s a fine balance between sticking to your principles and condemning yourself to relegation. Bayern would have been better off getting Rob Edwards, at least Luton got relegated with some dignity.
Breakout Star
He’s already broken out, I guess, but I think this is the season Harvey Elliot goes up a level and breaks into the England squad.
Premier League: Manchester City
La Liga: Atletico Madrid
Serie A: Napoli
Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen
Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain
Champions League: Liverpool
Premier League
Storylines to watch: How will City’s rules breach hearing impact their season? Will United become a contender? Can Arsenal finally win the title, especially with the potential turmoil around them?
Best transfer: Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal - The Gunners only need to find a jigsaw piece as opposed to a wholesale puzzle.
Bold prediction: Man United to finish in the top 4 - Erik ten Hag has been backed, both in the transfer market and backroom staff. If it gels, they could be a force, if not ten Hag could be out by Christmas.
Top 5:
Arsenal
Manchester City
Manchester UTD
Liverpool
Tottenham
Breakout star/team: Riccardo Calafiori (Brighton) - This young striker has immense potential and could explode onto the scene this season.
La Liga
Storylines to watch: Can Barcelona challenge Real Madrid’s dominance? How will Mbappe and Endrick fit into Real Madrid's frontline? Will Atletico Madrid be back in the title race?
Best transfer: Dani Olmo to Barcelona - The star of Euro 2024 might just be the guy to help Barca move on from Messi.
Bold prediction: Real Madrid to win the league by more than ten points.
Top 5:
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
Villarreal
Girona
Breakout star/team: Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid) - He’ll want to impress and get plenty of game time to do so at a club he wants to play for.
Serie A
Storylines to watch: Can Inter Milan be anywhere near as dominant as last year? Will Juventus be back in contention?
Best transfer: Douglas Luiz to Juventus - very good acquisition to a new look midfield.
Bold prediction: Napoli to bounce back after finishing a disappointing 10th. Conte to make them contenders again.
Top 5:
Inter Milan
Juventus
Atalanta
Napoli
AC Milan
Breakout star/team: Kephren Thuram (Juventus) - The brother to Inter’s Marcus could have a great time alongside Douglas Luiz.
Bundesliga
Storylines to watch: Can Bayer Leverkusen retain their title? Can Borussia Dortmund return to form? How soon will Vincent Kompany get sacked?
Best transfer: Aleix Garcia to Bayer Leverkusen - Snapped up from surprise third-place Girona in La Liga, Xabi Alonso might see something of himself in Garcia.
Bold prediction: Vincent Kompany to be sacked before Christmas?
Top 5:
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
RB Leipzig
VFB Stuttgart
Breakout star/team: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich) - If he gets some game time, he’ll do well.
Ligue 1
Storylines to watch: How will PSG fare after Mbappe's departure? Will any team challenge PSG's dominance? Any additional league financial issues?
Best transfer: Willian Pacho to PSG - Slotted straight in at the back for Frankfurt and was wanted by Liverpool..
Bold prediction: Marseille to do well under Roberto de Zerbi with an overhauled side and Mason Greenwood up front.
Top 5:
PSG
Marseille
Monaco
Lens
Lille
Breakout star/team: Mason Greenwood (Marseille) - Besides the controversy surrounding him is an exceptional forward who could do very well in France.
UCL Winners: Real Madrid
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Awesome read! Thank you all for compiling!