Manchester City v West Ham United - Premier League
It doesn't look like Manchester City will be celebrating another title (Image: Getty)
So here we are again. The clock is ticking on another surreal 12 months in the Premier League, a year which kept us guessing, had fans behind sofas panicking about outcomes, and threw up the kind of drama that continues to see England’s top-flight lauded as the most exciting and exhilarating in the world.
Well, kind of. Manchester City won the title, again. Erling Haaland grabbed the golden boot, again. Ange Postecoglou frequently used the word ‘mate’, again. And as for all three promoted clubs? ‘We never saw it coming’……said absolutely no-one.
Even VAR settled down with more sensible procedures. But at least we head into 2025 with some mystique, most of it surrounding the City meltdown and Marcus Rashford, and for once the title race isn't as predictable as Russell Martin sticking to his philosophy.
Amid all that excitement and uncertainty though, Express Sport gives you 10 guarantees on things that WILL definitely (maybe) happen...
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Arsenal won’t win the title
It’s May 2025. Arsenal have just come from behind to beat already relegated Southampton on the final day, Kai Havertz has defied his doubters with a crisp finish for the winning goal, and Mikel Arteta is being applauded while thanking the travelling fans.
The three points wasn’t enough to land the Gunners the silverware on the final day, falling agonisingly short for the third successive season. But fear not, this is a young, progressive, ambitious coach who has established a team with an identity. The summer is nearly upon us too, and the club has big spending plans to make sure that next year, it will be their time.
Sound familiar? Probably, as with the exception of the venue, it depicts the exact scene we all witnessed for the finale to the 2023/24 season. Arsenal have undoubtedly taken steps forward under Arteta, but until a clinical front man is purchased, then fans can keep their posters of the Invincibles.
Arsenal FC v Everton FC - Premier League
Will it be another 'second place' speech from Mikel Arteta? (Image: Getty)
Pep will rise again
Ok, let’s enjoy it while it lasts. From that day when neutrals danced on the streets because Sergio Aguero had ended the dynasty of Manchester United, it’s City who are now the team everyone loves to hate. And their recent problems (results-wise, not the 115 off-field ones), have brought festive joy to many.
Pep Guardiola also looks a man in need of a sleep by the fire. But is the drop off that unfathomable? It’s almost as if the same group of players competing for four major trophies year in, year out, under a zealot known for his manic intensity, can take its toll once in a while.
City will not win the title this season, with Liverpool currently looking their most likely successors. A multi-million spending spree this summer will follow, as will the return of the seemingly irreplaceable Rodri, and normal business will resume in August and September.
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Nunez will nail title winner
Remember Michy Batshuayi winning Chelsea the title? No, you probably don’t, as by that point in the season you’d long switched off from Antonio Conte’s suffer-ball, but it was one of just eight Premier League goals he scored for the Blues in 48 appearances.
Which is the exact ratio Darwin Nunez is currently scoring at in the top flight, having bagged two in 12 this season. Although his tendency to charge around like a nutcase, subtly described by pundits as ‘threat’, along with regular attempts to shatter crossbars, make him a more prominent star than Batshuayi.
Nothing would be more Darwin than not getting his third until late on in the campaign. Nothing would also be more Darwin than said goal being an absolute screamer that lands Arne Slot the title and cements the Uruguayan in Anfield folklore for evermore.
Liverpool FC v Aston Villa FC - Premier League
Darwin Nunez always has a super strike in him. (Image: Getty)
Chris Wilder will leave Sheffield United
So the Championship season has finished, Sheffield United have bounced back at the first attempt, and Chris Wilder is about to have his third go at turning them into an established Premier League force. The previous two of course, ended in a pre-relegation resignation, and then just relegation.
Yes, there was the ninth-placed finish in that soulless Covid-19 campaign, but barring Mo Salah lending some superpowers to Rhian Brewster, the club don’t appear to have the playing squad or the resources to stay in the top flight. Ask Neil Warnock, some managers are just born to shine in the second tier, and don’t expect Wilder to hang around if things starts badly.
Rashford return will fall flat
Ok, so recent events suggest that Marcus Rashford may leave his boyhood club as early as January. But while this time seems different, speculation over his future is hardly a new revelation. Expect him to hold showdown talks with Ruben Amorim and come back rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to enjoy his football again with a smile on his face.
The excitement among United fans will reach fever pitch - unlocking the potential of one of their own could be Amorim’s springboard to elite level success. Of course that bit won’t happen. The ex-England man will show flashes, often flatter to deceive, and leave pundits wondering if a generational talent has been lost.
Henry Winter will keep his phone on.
Graham Potter will remain out of work
It’s December 2025, Ruud van Nistelrooy is under pressure at Leicester while West Ham have finally lost patience with Julien Lopetegui. They are two of a host of clubs to have reportedly made contact with former Brighton man Graham Potter, who, after much deliberation, goes precisely nowhere.
Potter’s initial reluctance to jump back into football after his Chelsea experience could be considered sensible. His ongoing exile now borders on bizarre. Whether the private terms of his payoff require him to remain in the background, or he’s waiting to see if Brazil do indeed target Carlo Ancelotti, his continued absence is doing more harm than good to his reputation.
Chelsea to sack Maresca
Enzo Maresca has worked wonders so far at Chelsea. From trimming a bloated squad, to exiling some big money signings, to propelling them into the title race - it’s the closest we’ve come to calm during Todd Boehly’s chaotic tenure. He might even end this season with a trophy or two, earning himself a long-term contract and a licence to mould his own team moving forward.
Absolutely no chance. This is Chelsea under Boehly, where progression gives way to poison and success must be scuppered by chaos. There will be a minor disagreement next summer, an order or two, and that will be that. Chairmen, like leopards, rarely change their spots.
The Premier League will announce games abroad
It will never happen. The fans will revolt. Gary Neville will lead a procession with pitchforks and placards. The game will lose its soul. Oh, actually, La Liga have embraced the concept of league matches abroad now, clubs are earning millions from it, and we’d like some of that to level the playing field please.
Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton FC - Premier League
Sean Dyche will smile again in May. (Image: Getty)
When an idea, no matter how much it betrays tradition, is continually floated around in football it essentially means it will one day be implemented. The global market is now such that once the ball gets rolling with this, English football will inevitably follow suit.
Everton will survive
This club survived being 2-0 down on the final day to Wimbledon, survived an FFP points deduction, they even survived appointing Mike Walker. So rivals mocking the prospect of Everton's new Stanley Park home spending it's grand opening in the Championship might as well face reality - somehow, someway, the Toffees will cling on again.
There has been murmurs of discontent over the style implemented by Sean Dyche and his failure to emotionally connect with the Everton fans. That's the equivalent of Robinson Crusoe complaining the bar on his rescue ship doesn't serve champagne.
Aston Villa FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will be kept waiting. (Image: Getty)
Manchester City’s case WON’T be settled
Oh yeah, depending on your outlook we left the biggest, or most boring, news until last. But expect Portsmouth and Swansea fans already planning for the visit of Manchester City in the Championship next season, and Citizens themselves keen to put the saga to bed, to be disappointed.
The verdict is not expected until around February, so make that April. Regardless of the outcome an appeal from either side is expected, which won’t be concluded until 2026 at the earliest. There is too much legal complexity involved for this to be settled while Thomas Tuchel is still in charge of England, so expect ’115’ jibes to continue a while yet.