Guardian writers’ predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 1st (Championship) Prospects “We are back”, as the banners proudly state. It is 25 years since, after relegation was confirmed, Match of the Day cameras lingered on a message held aloft by … Read more
Contenders How did it come to this, that a club crowned Premier League champions a decade ago are down in the third tier? Chronic mismanagement across the board has been Leicester’s problem for too long and they need to reset under Russell Martin. Many of the top earners have been shipped out and not much … Read more
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 8th Prospects Last season’s final day in May featured Brighton fans and players united in celebrating qualification for the Europa Conference League despite losing 3-0 to Manchester United. Considering West Ham and … Read more
Contenders Salford meekly lost the playoff final and that was the end of days for Karl Robinson as he was sacked. Peter Cklamovski was not the obvious replacement, but the Australian left behind the Malaysia national side for a crack at League Two with the rebranded Ammies, who are back in their traditional orange. Macaulay … Read more
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 6th Prospects It was the day after the final game of last season at Bournemouth’s secluded, swish training base and, before clearing his belongings on his last day in the building, the … Read more
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 1st (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’ prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 1st Prospects Even losing on penalties in the Champions League final could not take any of the gloss off last season as Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to be crowned Premier League … Read more
A new era is underway at Anfield again. After Arne Slot’s two-year reign was ended following a miserable campaign with 19 defeats in all competitions, Andoni Iraola has been charged with reinstalling the attacking identity demanded by Reds fans. Iraola’s Bournemouth certainly displayed that quality. The Basque manager delivered an aggressive, progressive style, utilising quick, … Read more
Compared with their promotion in 2024, Ipswich return to the Premier League stronger in some ways, but weaker in others. Pound-for-pound, the Tractor Boys should be a closer match for this level. They’ve got a stronger squad on paper, as well as the banked revenue that increases their spending capacity. However, in terms of cohesion … Read more
Last term’s Premier League table shows Fulham in the bottom half. Yet with one more goal against an already-relegated Wolves in their penultimate match, the Cottagers would have qualified for the Europa League in seventh, so you’d think they are in a good position to push on. Instead, Marco Silva has left for Benfica. Alvaro … Read more
Championship title winners with room to spare, Coventry City are back in the Premier League after a quarter of a century away. Frank Lampard’s leadership attracted the spotlight, as the former England midfielder steered his team through an immediate response to defeat in the 2024-25 play-offs. While his first full season at the helm wasn’t … Read more