Premier League predictions: Who will win, which teams will be relegated, best new signing and Golden Boot winner

The Independent sports team make their predictions ahead of the new seaon

Will Chelsea triumph in the league again? (Getty)

Premier League winner

Miguel Delaney (Chief Football Writer): Manchester City. A lot still depends on the business to be done, and Chelsea's perspective could change if they add to their squad, but City so far seem to have most enhanced a squad that also had the most potential to grow.

Ben Burrows (Sports News Editor): Manchester City have the strongest starting XI and the deepest squad and, for my money, the best manager too. I have my reservations about their centre backs and an awful lot will depend on how long Vincent Kompany can keep his injury-prone body off the treatment table for but at their best City are the best and for that reason they’re my pick.

Jack Pitt-Brooke (Football Correspondent): Manchester City. They should really have won the title last season but now that they have all the right pieces in place it is hard to see past them for the title. They have strengthened far better than any of their rivals and things would have to go very badly wrong from here to deny them the crown.

Ed Malyon (Sports Editor): Manchester City are big-time favourites with the bookmakers and they're my tip but they appear to be a centre-back short. Fortunately for them, Chelsea have failed to adequately build on last season and will face a lot more trouble this year. Manchester United should put together a title challenge but probably won't, Liverpool haven't fixed their defence yet but look scary when their attack is fit and neither north London team looks to have enough to rival Pep Guardiola's expensively-assembled but fairly loaded squad.

Mark Critchley (Northern Football Correspondent): Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side are shaping up to be really quite devastating, though the squad depth in defence and midfield could do with some attention. A lot could depend on goalkeeper Ederson, as City actually conceded the fewest shots on goal of any team last season. If only Claudio Bravo could have stopped them.

Jack Austin (Sports Reporter): Manchester City have recruited well, yes, but simple maths will tell you that Jose Mourinho + second season = title. So I’m going for Manchester United. There is an air of confidence and a new swagger around Old Trafford that hasn’t been there for a number of years.

Samuel Lovett (Sports Reporter): Manchester City. It’s taken a season of disappointment, followed by a summer of wild spending, but finally Pep Guardiola’s starting XI is starting to take form. Doubts remain over the backline and fitness of Vincent Kompany, but City have brought in the right players to strengthen and deepen their squad.men

Jack de Menezes (Deputy Sports Editor): Manchester City. Under Pep Guardiola, City should have been far closer to the title challenge than they were last season. Their defence let them down, and as such Guardiola has moved swiftly, decisively and effectively to strengthen their weakest areas. The prospect of playing Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero together is an exciting one if Guardiola can fit them both in, while the midfield looks even stronger with the arrival of Bernardo Silva – if that was possible beforehand.

Evan Bartlett(Sports Reporter): Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has had a full year to impose his philosophy on the club and with new additions at the back City now look to have the type and calibre of player their Catalan manager demands. City showed flashes of brilliance last season but should be able to extend that this term now they are equipped with the strongest squad in the league.

Luke Brown (Sports Reporter): Manchester City, at a canter. For all of the reasons above.

Top Four

MD: Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur - this could change if Liverpool have been doing the business they've been threatening to, and it is likely to be extremely tight anyway, but Tottenham's youth and existing cohesion means they have the capacity to keep growing even without signings.

BB: United have, for me, done the best business and in Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic in particular have signed two players who will improve them immeasurably. How Tottenham adjust to life at Wembley will define their season but continuity is in their favour and should start well will be right in the mix at the sharp end again. Chelsea have had a dreadful summer but people are underestimating just how good Antonio Conte is at what he does – he’ll get them back in the Champions League.

JPB: Chelsea may struggle this year if they do not meet Antonio Conte’s demands and bring in reinforcements. They should still finish in the top four, but it may be one of the lower places. Spurs will be settled and another second-place finish may be on the cards. I expect Liverpool to struggle with their return to football, and not convinced that Arsenal are over the demons of last season, so the last place goes to Manchester United.

EM: City obviously. Chelsea should be good enough to re-establish themselves as a Champions League side. Liverpool would have been in here with the two additions Klopp so craved but after missing out, I think Man United surely will return to the top four and Tottenham, one of the most consistently effective teams in the Premier League since Mauricio Pochettino took over, still look better than neighbours Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho saw first-hand the difference between the Champions League and Europa League holders (Getty)

MC: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool. It is easier to explain reasons for leaving out the other two, so here goes: Tottenham are an excellent side but the squad is shallow and I expect Wembley problems; Arsenal have not addressed their main weaknesses, namely in defence and midfield.

JA: Manchester United, obviously, but I think they will be run close by Manchester City, who I’m tipping for second. Chelsea should be good enough to make the top four and I think Arsenal will get back amongst it. Liverpool haven’t strengthen their defence enough and Spurs have a weaker squad than last year.

SL: Behind Manchester City, I expect Chelsea to finish in second – assuming Antonio Conte’s relationship with the club and his players doesn’t deteriorate as Jose Mourinho’s did after lifting the title in 2015. Tottenham will take third, if Danny Rose's recent admissions don't disrupt the dynamics of the Spurs squad, while United will take fourth.

JDM: Chelsea may struggle this year if they do not meet Antonio Conte’s demands and bring in reinforcements. They should still finish in the top four, but it may be one of the lower places. Spurs will be settled and another second-place finish may be on the cards. I expect Liverpool to struggle with their return to football, and not convinced that Arsenal are over the demons of last season, so the last place goes to Manchester United.

EB: As with Guardiola at City, Mourinho has had another year to impart his style on United. The Portuguese manager has won the title in his second season at every club he’s managed but his United squad still looks just short of their cross-town rivals. If Spurs can get over their Wembley hoodoo then there’s no reason for them to drop off much this year but a lack of new signings mean a real title push should be just beyond them. Chelsea, meanwhile, will find it difficult to match last year’s domestic excellence having not added depth to their squad. With European football to worry about and Antonio Conte seemingly at odds with the club’s hierarchy, there is a risk they could face a fall from grace. Liverpool and Arsenal will be hot on their heels.

Terry spent 22 years at Chelsea (Getty)

LB: Arsenal will benefit from not having to play their first team in European competition, and finish as runners-up for the second time in the last three seasons. Chelsea to come third, with Manchester United once again flattering to deceive, and finishing fourth.

Bottom Three

MD: Huddersfield, Brighton, Burnley - there's probably not enough to either Huddersfield or Brighton yet to weather a first season in the Premier League, and Burnley suddenly look the weakest of the existing sides.

BB: The three promoted clubs never go straight back down all together but I’ve a feeling it could finally happen this time around. For Brighton and Huddersfield immediate demotion wouldn’t be the worst thing, such are the rock solid business models both are run with. For Newcastle, who are always on the edge of another crisis, it would be a nightmare. Lose Rafa at any point and it’ll be a reality.

JPB: Huddersfield Town: They have at least pushed the boat out with some of their summer signings but the lack of Premier League experience runs throughout the club and it will surely eventually cost them. Swansea City: Impressive survival job last season by Paul Clement but that does not always translate to success the following season. Their squad is thin and if Gylfi Sigurdsson goes then they will lose by far their best player. They will need to buy very well but the evidence of the last few years is that they do not always do that. Brighton and Hove Albion: A very well run club but their players and even their admirable manager himself are more Championship level than Premier League. Without additions it is hard to see how they manage to get to 40 points.

EM: Dare I say Newcastle haven't done enough? Rafa Benitez is rightly fuming about transfer inactivity and looking at his squad you can see why. If the club don't back him then you can't assume they are safe, as so many seem to be doing. That said, they still have a little more quality than Burnley, who have lost Andre Gray and could lose Sean Dyche this season, you feel. Brighton have bought well but need more goals and have to start well. Stoke could find themselves in that mix with Mark Hughes' side having a poor 2017 thus far and Crystal Palace will likely be in the drop conversation at some point but Huddersfield, unfortunately, are likely to find this a step too far on their first Premier League appearance. They will set themselves up well for a return though.

MC: Stoke, Burnley, Huddersfield. It would be nice to see Huddersfield stay Burnley regressed in the second half of last season and their squad seems to have only become weaker. Stoke need a shake up or risk of things becoming stale. I think Brighton, like Burnley last year, could be solid enough at home to escape.

JA: Newcastle could struggle and keeping Rafa Benitez for the whole season could be the difference in survival. I feel Premier League debutants Huddersfield and Brighton will go back down, with Burnley also dropping down having sold Michael Keane and Andre Gray. Swansea will be close too.

SL: Despite their best efforts, Huddersfield will end the season bottom of the table. With Newcastle failing to strengthen as desired, and Rafa Benitez’s future at the club far from certain, the Magpies will join their former Championship rivals in the drop. Swansea will complete the trio, but expect another close relegation scrap for that final spot in the bottom three.

JDM: Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion look a little short on quality and might be in for a swift return to the Championship. It’s unlikely that all three promoted teams will go straight back down, although if Newcastle don’t strengthen in the next few weeks they will be in trouble. However, Swansea’s time could be up following last season’s near-miss, and with a lack of eye-catching arrivals this summer, the curtain could be about to come down on their top-flight stay.

EB: Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League is one of the great recent rags-to-riches tales of English football but sadly their squad just screams ‘Championship’. A lack of big spending in the transfer window suggests they will use this season to consolidate financially and make another push for promotion next year. Huddersfield could go the same way as Blackpool in 2010/11 – becoming the neutral’s favourite for their attractive style of football but falling just short in terms of results. With David Wagner seemingly destined for a bigger job, let’s just hope the club doesn’t go the same way as the Tangerines and subsequently fall down the football league. In losing Michael Keane and Andre Grey, Burnley have had perhaps the worst transfer window of the clubs in the lower echelons of the league. Picked up just seven points on the road last term and teams will travel to Turf Moor this time with a better plan for how to break them down. If Sean Dyche picks up another job early on, it could be a fatal blow for the Clarets.

Benitez's future has been called into question at times this summer (Getty)

LB: Newcastle haven’t spent enough and I think they could lose out to Brighton in the battle to avoid the drop. Burnley were terrible away from home last season and have failed to strengthen. And Huddersfield’s squad is too thin. Ps. Stoke will shock the lot of yas and improve on last year's 13th-place finish.

Golden Boot

MC: Harry Kane. Feels like he's already been prolific years, even though he wasn't even in England's 2014 World Cup squad. That says it all, as well as a lot for his potential to get even better.

BB: Other pretenders have come and gone but Harry Kane remains the king. Lukaku will run him close as will Sergio Aguero – if he stays fit – but my money is on Tottenham’s main man to repeat the feat.

JPB: Romelu Lukaku. Already has a remarkable goal-scoring record for a 24 year old who has only ever played for West Brom and Everton. Now he knows his game and will be playing for a better team who creates more chances. He may look a bit rudimentary but that does not matter: he is a goal machine, and will be operating in optimum conditions now.

EM: Harry Kane is rightly favourite and Romelu Lukaku should bag a load but I am going to go left-field and back Gabriel Jesus. If the Brazilian plays a whole season then he has everything needed to shock the league and emerge as the top scorer. He will be playing in the league's most exciting attack with an enviable cast of creators supplying the bullets.

MC: Harry Kane. Even if Tottenham miss out on the top four, Kane is reliable enough to stay consistent in front of goal, putting both the minnows and the bigger beasts to the sword.

Kane is gunning for a third successive Golden Boot (Getty)

JA: Harry Kane has proved he is not a one-season wonder, a two-season wonder or a three-season wonder. I’m backing him to not be a four-season wonder either.

SL: Harry Kane has undoubtedly proved that he’s the real deal and can expect to enjoy another prolific season in front of the goal. But if Gabriel Jesus can avoid any long-term injuries this time round, it’ll be the Brazilian who takes home the prestigious award in 10 months’ time. The 20-year-old barely blinked an eye upon his arrival in January, impressing with his confidence and raw talent, and if he picks up from where he left off, Jesus looks set to shine.

JDM: Twice I have looked beyond Harry Kane and twice I have been wrong, so this time around the England striker gets my vote. It takes something special to win the Golden Boot three years in a row as Thierry Henry showed, but Kane has that touch of class that combined with his finishing prowess should carry him clear of the opposition once again. The fact that he faces little competition in the Spurs line-up only helps him.

EB: Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian forward has been there or thereabouts for this award in four of the past five seasons – made all the more impressive by the fact the winner has come from one of the top three clubs while he has been playing in mid-table. With better service expected from a United side who should be challenging for the title, expect the 24-year-old to cash in.

LB: Last season Harry Kane won the Golden Boot despite missing several weeks through injury. So you have to back him to win it again.

Best Signing

MD: Bernardo Silva. Dazzled the Champions League and should do the same for the Premier League.

BB: Not the most glamorous of choices but his manager really did sum it up best: Nemanja Matic is a Jose Mourinho player and looks readymade to slot in and make the whole United system run a lot more smoothly. Nods too to Will Hughes at Watford and Andrew Robertson at Liverpool who both look tremendous value in an otherwise bananas summer.

JPB: Mohamed Salah. Forget his brief spell at Chelsea, Salah has been a superstar for every other team he has played for. No matter what happens with Philippe Coutinho this summer, Salah will help to carry the creative burden for Liverpool this season, and will play with the zip and incision Jurgen Klopp demands from his players.

EM: If he can provide end product to go with his roadrunner-style dribbling, Mohamed Salah is going to devastate Premier League defences. Him and Mané on either flank is a frightening proposition. Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross will be known be everyone by the end of the season.

Mohamed Salah is looking to improve on his time at Chelsea (Getty)

MC: Mohamed Salah. If we see the levels of production he showed in Serie A, Salah will be a snip at £36.9m.

JA: Nemanja Matic. I’d hate to jump on the bandwagon with this one but it’s just for the freedom he will allow Paul Pogba. And also for how his signing has not only strengthened Manchester United but also weakened a title rival.

SL: Nathan Ake. Other signings will provide more glitz and glamour but for the sheer value he brings to Bournemouth, I’m going with the Dutch defender. At £20m, in this current economic climate, the 22-year-old represents something of a bargain while the Cherries have also done very well to secure his permanent capture from a club famed for loaning out their young-guns. Ake proved last season he’s capable of providing goals, too, and as a player who already knows the landscape at Dean Court, I expect him to slip back seamlessly into Eddie Howe’s starting XI.

EB: Benjamin Mendy. Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar may have all caught the eye as Monaco’s young attacking talents last season but Mendy’s role on the left flank was crucial. An expensive acquisition at over £50m but he is exactly the kind of player Guardiola needed to fill that left-back slot. Powerful, quick and comfortable on the ball, but unlike so many modern full-backs, Mendy’s game is as good defensively as it is going forwards. Nemanja Matic also looks to be a good fit for Mourinho’s United.

LB: Kyle Walker. Or. Benjamin Mendy. Or Danilo. Take your pick. Athletic full-backs who are as comfortable getting forward as they are defending are essential to Guardiola’s high-risk philosophy. These three signings will help City to win the league.

Flop of the Season

MD: Alexandre Lacazette. This is probably a little harsh given he's a good player, but there's a reason Arsenal were so unchallenged signing him and that he's only been on the fringes of the French squad. He doesn't look lile the big increase on goals they need.

BB: On his day Marko Arnautovic is a worldbeater, but when was the last time West Ham managed to get the best out of a forward consistently? He’ll show flashes but at a club record £24m the Hammers will (rightly) expect more.

JPB: Alvaro Morata. Always looks intelligent and technically tidy, but Diego Costa had real x-factor and for Morata to successfully replace him, he will have to show an edge and drive that have not always been evident in his game so far. Conte may be wishing he signed Lukaku instead.

Morata became Chelsea's record-signing (Getty)

EM: Marko Arnautovic. Too much money for someone of his age and inconsistency, though Mark Hughes didn't exactly help the Austrian. I've got a small feeling Jermain Defoe might not be worth his big-money deal too.

MC: Alvaro Morata. It’s not that I don’t rate Chelsea’s new striker, just that I don’t see a goal return worth £58m forthcoming.

JA: I don’t like saying this, not least because he’s in my fantasy football team, but I have a feeling Javier Hernandez won’t bring the goals West Ham are hoping for. Either that or he scores 20 goals and is signing of the season. One of the other, no middle ground.

SL: Victor Lindelof. The Swede has already set alarm bells ringing among the United faithful with a series of mediocre performances in the off-season. Dodgy decision-making and careless mistakes have raised questions over his suitability and point to a defender out of his depth. In the fast-paced, unforgiving environment of the Premier League, this signing looks set to sink fast.

EB: Alvaro Morata. Shielded slightly by the fact that Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku have gone for bigger fees in the past 12 months but the Spaniard’s £60m price tag could well weigh him down at Stamford Bridge. His goalscoring record in Spain and Italy was decent but not all that impressive (27 goals in 93 games for Juventus) and it could well take him a season to settle in the Premier League.

LB: Jermain Defoe’s career renaissance will surely come to an end this season. He is already a doubt for the opening game of the season with a groin strain and, about to turn 35, will surely struggle to score 15 goals for the third league season in a row. Mohamed Salah has flopped before in the Premier League and will probably do so again.

Player of the Year

MD: Kevin De Bruyne. So often over the past two seasons there have been signs he is about to really rev it up. It feels like that time has come, especially if City rev it up.

BB: Kevin De Bruyne. My favourite player in the Premier League to watch and with the array of talent that has been assembled around him this could very well be the year he makes that jump to the very top of the world game. He has it all and if City are going to win it then it’ll be KDB who takes them there.

JPB: Kevin de Bruyne. The most complete player in the Premier League, he has had many great games for City but not yet put together a full season of brilliance. This is his chance to marry that chessboard vision of the pitch with his physical power and technical execution over 38 games, and if he does that, he will win the lot.

De Bruyne needs to step up this season to deliver City the title (Getty)

EM: If Gabriel Jesus has the season I predicted above then it will likely be him but I'm going for Kevin De Bruyne. He might just be the best player and most important player in the team that should win the league.

MC: Kevin de Bruyne. If City take the title, it will be thanks to their chief creator. At this point, barring Ederson, he seems to be their only certain starter too.

JA: I feel it’s Paul Pogba’s year. He no longer has the pressure of being the world’s most expensive player, he has Nemanja Matic behind him to give him more freedom and he has a great understanding with his close friend Romelu Lukaku ahead of him. His form will dictate United’s this season.

SL: Gabriel Jesus - for all of the reasons above. Top goal-scorer and player of the year. I’m expecting a big season from the Brazilian.

JDM: Leroy Sane. With stronger full-backs behind him, Sane will be given free rein to charge forward and with another year’s experience under his belt, the German could really come to the fore this season. He single-handedly tore Arsenal’s defence apart last term, and if he can do that on a regular basis, he could be the surprise of the season as well as the best performer.

EB: Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian seemed to enjoy a relatively quiet year last season but still finished well clear in the Premier League assists table. The 26-year-old adds a more direct approach than teammate David Silva and more precision than the likes of Raheem Sterling. If City hit their stride as they should, expect De Bruyne to be among the league’s most destructive players.

LB: No player has won three successive Golden Boots since Thierry Henry, in 2006. If Harry Kane manages to match that feat, he deserves to be named Player of the Year.