Predictions time.

Transfer window now closed, it’s time to try ‘n’ predict how this season is gonna go.

As usual, I’d never do this piece until the transfer window closes due to the obvious fact that teams can either strengthen or get weakened by incoming & outgoing players.

There’s a bit of a ‘price of success’ theme for some clubs in this year’s piece…

Firstly, my predicted end-of-season league standings:

1^st        Manchester City

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2^nd       Arsenal

3^rd        Tottenham Hotspur

4^th        Liverpool

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5^th        Manyoo

6^th        Chelsea

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7^th        Newcastle United

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8^th        Brighton & Hove Albion

9^th        Aston Villa

10^th      Brentford

11^th      Fulham

12^th      West Ham United

13^th      AFC Bournemouth

14^th      Crystal Palace

15^th      Nottingham Forest

16^th      Wolverhampton Wanderers

17^th      Sheffield United

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18^th      Everton

19^th      Burnley

20^th      Luton Town

Notable points about that predicted, final table for the 2023/24 season with regards to us, initially:

Forgetting a certain Benjamin Mendy who hadn’t played for us for some considerable time before being released in the summer, we’ve seen four players leave who could be classed as ‘first teamers’ and have replaced them with the same number. When you chuck into the mix the fact that we’ve lost Kevin De Bruyne through injury for at least the first half of the season; with so many other teams having strengthened to various degrees in the transfer window just gone then on the face of it; that doesn’t look as though we’ve done enough to ‘keep ahead of the Joneses’ does it?

However, I honestly believe that we’ve improved the quality of our side with the incoming players we’ve acquired and, in fact, I’m going to repeat what I said in my last blog-posting, which is that I think this is perhaps the best squad we’ve ever had in terms of quality in ALL areas, with so many excellent options in EVERY department now as opposed to “just” most. In addition to that, I believe Pep will have a very strong desire to do what no other manager or club has ever achieved in this country, which is to win the ‘top flight’ title four times in a row. I think, possibly to the detriment of one of the domestic cups at least, the league will be his main priority-focus this season and I, personally, would love us to achieve that too.

As for some notable points about some of the others:

A still-very-strong, slightly improved Arsenal squad are now fully experienced and more ‘battle hardened’ in terms of what it’s like to be in a title scrap. That goes for their manager too. I can see them pushing us all the way just as we did when we chased them down and eventually overtook them last time around.

With no European entanglements, a new, well-respected manager and a brand of football that’s raising a few eyebrows and receiving some quiet applause already; I can envisage Spurs being quite a threat this season in the league. I can see them doing well in the domestic cups too. It’s all looking good once again for both North London sides.

Liverpool have managed to keep hold of most of their many attacking threats and have added FOUR experienced central midfielders to their ranks. They will fare better this season in my opinion and that will result in an improved finishing place. However, I think they still look a little flakey at the back and with Thursday night European football / Sunday Premier League games to consider; that might just see them wobble enough from time to time and climb just the one place from last season.

Manyoo still look like a massive cruise liner attempting to turn around 180-degrees in rough seas with a broken rudder. They’ve certainly got some decent players and have added what they very much needed, in a decent-looking, young striker in Rasmus Hojlund. They’ve got a good keeper too in Andre Onana. But they just look like a side full of individuals with a few troubled & unfocused souls mixed in. With fans still protesting about their owners, a player being hurried out of the club after a well-publicised court case was dropped, a player-manager spat being aired in public and now another player being embroiled in controversy that sees him suspended by his national team until the matter can be investigated further; I don’t think it bodes too well for the Trafford outfit this season. I think it says a lot when we see them now loaning players and bringing back a 35-year-old defender who last played for them in 2015. On top of all of that, they’ll be facing far tougher European opposition than they faced last season. I’m not saying they’ll have a terrible season but I can see all those factors having a bit of a negative impact in terms of their final league placing, which sees them slip two places in my predicted final table.

I might be wrong about Chelsea – like Tottenham, they too have no European adventures to ‘get in the way’ and have a good, new manager at the helm. Wow have they spent and brought in some numbers; with a nod to them-also offloading a coach full too. That’s a lot of change and I can see this being something of an adjustment season for them. They could do well in a cup and, in my predicted table, they will finish six places higher than they did last season. But with so many strong, more-stable clubs around them, a 6^th-place finish might have to be seen as ‘successful progress’ for them in this campaign.

I’ve got a feeling that Newcastle will find this season a little tougher than last, which appears to be the case already. I think they’ll still be a tough side to break down and will-also ‘blow teams away’ on occasions, as they’ve done already at home to Villa. But I’m guessing that they might find some of their many draws from last season turning into a few more defeats this time around; leaving them 3 places lower than they finished last season. They’re also in the ‘group of death’ in the Champions League, which could leave them licking their collective wounds.

Brighton & Villa will be strong and will ‘have their moments’ but might find themselves just outside of the European places after Game-number 38.

As for the bottom, I can’t imagine for one moment Luton Town staying up, sorry Hatters fans.

Burnley? I think Vinny has already quickly learned just how hard it is to manage in the best league in the world in comparison to both the Belgian top division and Championship. Of course, our ex-player & skipper knows how tough the Prem is as a player but I suppose being a manager is a completely different story.

What a mess of a club Everton are. A poor transfer window and STILL can’t score goals! To the delight of one-last promoted side I’ve yet to mention, I can honestly see The Toffees playing Championship football in their new stadium next season.

And, so, to Sheffield United. I can just see them surviving this season. Like Everton, they too struggled for goals the last time they were in the ‘top flight’ but have recently added to their ranks a young, hungry, England Under-21 striker, Cameron Archer, who scored in his one & only game, so far, AGAINST Everton. Re-signing our very own James McAtee on loan for another season is a good move for them also.

Every season for the last 3 or 4 in this very piece I keep putting Wolves down and every season they, often just about, prove me wrong. Like Everton (& Manyoo?), they too look like a club in a bit of a mess but I think what might save them this time, is the recent signing of their new Manager, Gary O’Neil. He has barley had time to involve himself with recruitment - as well as coaching etc. - and that could see them struggle for a time. However, I get the feeling that with time, and then another transfer window better prepared for, they’ll do enough to stay up…and possibly finish higher than I’ve suggested too.

The rest are the rest and will, I believe, battle it out for those middling, safe positions.

City and the cups?

Finally, here’s how I think we’ll do in the other three competitions:

League Cup                -           Quarter final.

F.A. Cup                      -           Quarter final.

Champions League     -           Final and, therefore, possible winners.

I just think that with, potentially, heavy focus on wanting a 4^th, Premier League title ‘on the trot’ together with, I believe, a strong showing in the Champions League once again – PLUS the price of success with us competing in the Club World Cup postponing a league fixture or two and congesting our fixtures in the second half of the season – will take its toll on our domestic cups. I could be wrong.

I could be wrong also in-suggesting that we’ll REACH the quarter final of the League Cup, seeing as we’ve drawn Newcastle away in the 3^rd round – a side who will be desperate for any silverware in their new-owner’s cabinet this season.

Will we be travelling to the Etihad of the South again on 1st June for the Champions League final?

To ‘sign off’…

I think it’ll be a crackin’ season. As for the league, I seem to say this every year - that it’ll be the best / toughest yet. I think that’ll be the case once again.

Would it be arrogant for me to suggest that Pep - and we as a club in general - keep setting the bar higher almost every season and that we see other sides reaching ever closer to that bar; only for us to nudge it ever-so-slightly higher just as they’re about to grab it? It could well be deemed a little conceited…but I think many non-Blues would agree with that idea, even if it was reluctantly.

One thing is for sure, that desire to knock us off our various perches sure does help to keep us on our toes!

Who came in, who left and ‘the books’.

It been a busy summer transfer window for a lot of clubs for sure. It’s been less busy for some club’s fans than they would have-perhaps hoped / thought they needed, incoming wise; for us I personally think it’s been an extremely productive and very shrewd one without doubt.

Let’s have a look then…

In
Name	Position	Cost
Spike Brits	Goalkeeper	Undisclosed – U’15
Mateo Kovacic	Midfielder - Centre	£25M +£5M add-ons
Josko Gvardiol	Defender – Left / Centre	£77.6M
Tyrese Noubissie	Midfielder	£1M
Jeremy Doku	Winger – Left / Right	£55.5M
Matheus Nunes	Midfielder – Centre	£53M

TOTAL SUMMER EXPENDITURE: £212.1M +add-ons (plus undisclosed fees)

Out
Name	Position	Cost
Terrell Agyemang	Defender – Right	Free / Released
Ilkay Gundogan	Midfielder – Centre	Free / Released
Benjamin Mendy	Defender / Winger – Left	Free / Released
Josh McNamara	Goalkeeper	Free / Released
Morgan Rogers	Winger – Left	Undisclosed
Cieran Slicker	Goalkeeper	Undisclosed
Herbie James	Forward	Free / Released
Rowan McDonald	Defender – Centre	Free / Released
Shea Charles	Midfielder – Centre	£10.5M +£4.5M add-ons
Yangel Herrera	Midfielder – Centre	Undisclosed
James Trafford	Goalkeeper	£15M +£4M add-ons
Riyad Mahrez	Winger – Right	£30M
Adedire Mebude	Winger / Forward – Left / Right / Centre	£1.75M
Carlos Borges	Winger – Left	£12M +£5.3M add-ons
Aymeric Laporte	Defender – Left / Centre	£23.6M
Cole Palmer	Midfielder / Winger – L / R / C	£40M +2.5M add-ons
Daniel Ogwuru	Striker – Centre	Free transfer

This summer, we also received around £9.5M from a sell-on clause included in Pedro Porro’s sale to Sporting CP; with the player now having signed for Spurs on a permanent basis, following an initial loan spell with the North London club. Additionally, we then received £11.6M from a sell-on clause that was inserted into Romeo Lavia’s sale to Southampton, when he then made this summer’s move from the south coast club to Chelsea.

TOTAL SUMMER INCOME: £153.95M, including sell-on clause activations received this summer from previous sales, PLUS add-ons to come in the future (plus undisclosed fees too).

BALANCE: A summer deficit of -£58.15M which, considering we’ve added four, very good players who should enhance our squad tremendously, I think is a good summer of business; especially when you see the price some of the other sides paid for certain players and squads collectively.

And, purely for your information…

…here's a list of players who have left on loan in the summer:

-       Liam Delap – Striker – Hull City

-       Kian Breckin – Midfielder – Wycombe Wanderers

-       Callum Doyle – Defender – Leicester City

-       Yan Couto – Defender – Girona (for an additional, second season running)

-       Issa Kabore – Defender – Luton Town

-       Josh Wilson-Esbrand – Defender – Reims

-       Finley Burns – Defender – Stevenage

-       Alex Robertson – Midfielder – Portsmouth

-       Filip Stevanovic – Winger – RKC Waalwijk

-       Maximo Perrone – Midfielder – Las Palmas

-       Tommy Doyle – Midfielder – Wolverhampton Wanderers

-       Jadel Katongo – Defender – Peterborough United

-       Luke Mbete – Defender – FC Den Bosch

-       TaylorHarwood-Bellis – Defender – Southampton

-       Joao Cancelo – Defender – Barcelona

-       James McAtee – Midfielder / Forward – Sheffield United

Total number of incoming players including youth signings: 6

Total number of permanent transfers out this summer: 17

Total number of departing players this summer including those on loan: 33

Thoughts on our first-team-bound, incoming players?

-       We’ve already seen Mateo Kovacic in plenty of action and I think most, if not all, City fans would agree that we’ve signed a more-than-solid, very experienced footballer…and for a today-bargain fee of “just” £25M +add-ons. A very steady player indeed who brings something to the defensive side of things; turn-overs and build-up play as well as carrying an attacking, creative threat too. I can only see the 29-year-old getting even better in his ‘prime years’ under Pep and his team’s guidance.

-       Despite his young age (21 last January), Josko Gvardiol looks confident beyond his years. Of course, he’s still getting used to our fluid defensive system but he already looks far from out of place. What a player we’ve signed for both now and the distant future.

-       We have seen Jeremy Doku in action as recently as Saturday just gone in his debut game and it wasn’t a bad one at all. He’s already filled both flanks of the attacking midfield in that same, first outing too. Pacy / tricky, as we knew he was, but also tracked back to help out deeper when needed – Pep will like that, I’m sure. We’ll have many more games to evaluate the just-turned 21-year-old after a game that was marred only by him-perhaps trying a little TOO hard to impress at times but, for me, this is exactly the type of player we needed; someone with genuine pace down the flanks to give us another dimension / option for when the tippy-tappy passing isn’t getting us through. There’s no reason we can’t use both at the same time, of course.

-       We haven’t yet seen Matheus Nunes in action in a City shirt but he looks to be a perfect Manchester City signing…and Pep’s made no secret of his admiration of the just-turned 25-year-old. One of the key elements for me – and has been for a long, long time – is a good attitude as well as ‘the skills’. Simply put, when I had finished watching his welcome interview on City’s website, I was left feeling very impressed indeed.

To sum up, I think the people in the back have done us very proud indeed this summer and continue to set the standard for all the other sides in country, if not the world. In fact, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that this is perhaps the best squad we’ve ever had in terms of quality in ALL areas, with so many excellent options in EVERY department now as opposed to “just” most.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to click on and read.