Metro’s Premier League Hot Takes: Chelsea title charge? Michael Carrick gone by Christmas?

After a long summer (it’s been a whole 32 days since Spain’s World Cup victory), football – and more importantly – the Premier League is back and raring to go.

Following three successive second-place finishes, Mikel Arteta finally guided Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years last season.

And after laying down an early marker in the Community Shield, the Gunners will begin their title defence this evening against newly-promoted Coventry City.

But who will challenge Arsenal for the title, and who could be in trouble after a summer of record turnover that saw nine clubs change their manager ahead of the new season.

To mark the return of the action, Metro Sport’s writers have dished out their boldest (and perhaps daft) predictions for what to expect over the course of the season.

Chelsea to win the Premier League

The last time Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League they responded by winning the thing the following season. A decade on from that triumph, they might quietly fancy their chances of doing it again.

Chelsea have chewed up and spat out five head coaches during the BlueCo era. But in Xabi Alonso they have a leader who is already well-versed in overseeing miraculous transformations. The former Liverpool midfielder guided Bayer Leverkusen to Bundesliga glory in his first full season in charge having taken over with the club in the relegation zone 18 months earlier.

With no European football on the menu at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea can make that work to their advantage and few players will benefit more than Cole Palmer after his injury troubles last term.

With his pal Morgan Rogers alongside him, Chelsea’s attack boasts real power and invention led by a proven goal scorer in Joao Pedro. Levi Colwill’s return cannot be understated after recovering from his ACL injury and his presence can provide the calm consistency the backline so often lacked during last season’s malaise.

Arsenal will start as favourites but their biggest challenge could come from across town.

Tony Mogan, Live Sports Editor

Manchester City wave goodbye to the Champions League

In 10 seasons, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City never failed to finish outside the top three. In fact, you have to go back to 2010 for the last time the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Is that bubble set to burst? In one summer, City have lost their manager, captain Bernardo Silva, star midfielder Rodri and veteran defender John Stones. Sure, they’ve signed £116million Elliot Anderson but the Community Shield humiliation demonstrated Enzo Maresca has a lot of work to do.

As shown at Chelsea and Leicester City, Maresca’s teams start the season well, only for form to decline rapidly around Christmas. Failure to begin this campaign with a bang could leave the Citizens with too much ground to make up.

And if rivals Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool get their rebuilds right, the Etihad may have to settle for Thursday nights in the Europa League.

It took years for Arsenal to recover post-Arsene Wenger. Manchester United have been mostly a mess since Sir Alex Ferguson left. City fans could be set for an uncomfortable ride ahead.

Callum McAvoy, sports reporter

From European winners to relegation candidates – Crystal Palace to go down

Crystal Palace fans have had the time of their lives over the past 18 months, watching their team win the FA Cup and Community Shield before lifting their first European trophy in the Conference League. Given that success, it is easy to forget they flirted with relegation for much of last season, eventually finishing just six points above the drop zone.

Losing Oliver Glasner, the club’s most successful manager, was a major blow even before he decided to take a seemingly sideways step and join Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest. And the appointment of Pierre Sage as Glasner’s replacement looks risky. He worked wonders at Ligue 1 runners-up Lens but is still yet to manage 100 matches at professional level.

Selling Maxence Lacroix just six months after Marc Guehi’s departure leaves Palace’s defence almost unrecognisable from the one that started the 2025-26 campaign. The outgoings might not be finished just yet, either, with Daniel Munoz a target for clubs in Saudi Arabia and uncertainty over the future of both Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr.

Only two teams scored fewer goals than Crystal Palace in the Premier League last term so there’s significant pressure on Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has hit double digits for the past three seasons, and unlikely club-record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen. 

Louis Sealey, Deputy Sports Editor

Eddie Howe drafted in to replace Michael Carrick by New Year’s Day

Michael Carrick fully deserved the permanent Manchester United job after picking up more league points than any other side since his arrival at Old Trafford in mid-January.

But the steady one-game-a-week diet that Carrick enjoyed last term has been well and truly ripped up as the Red Devils prepare for a season back in the Champions League.

United have moved shrewdly to bolster their central midfield, but this is a squad still lacking in depth in several key areas. Can Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez be relied upon as Matthijs de Ligt’s injury woes continue? Can Luke Shaw seriously be expected to play 38 league games again this season with no like-for-like backup? What about Benjamin Sesko, who did not feature at all in pre-season?

While the points tally was impressive last season, Carrick’s side also vastly outperformed their underlying data. If the schedule begins to take its toll and results start to falter, the United boss could find himself under early scrutiny. Tough games away at Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal await over the early festive period, which could prove decisive.

And should United make the change, then out-of-a-job Eddie Howe should expect a call. Wouldn’t that be a nice early Chistmas present for the former Newcastle United boss.

Ben Fleming, sports reporter

Coventry to survive, but it’s by-bye Fulham

With nine clubs under new management there should be a lot of uncertainty surrounding the new season, and yet the Premier League feels a fairly easy competition to predict.

Given three of Arsenal’s biggest rivals (Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea) are among those to change bosses, it’s hard to make a case against the Gunners winning the title.

Likewise anyone to deny Erling Haaland a fourth golden boot. Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs to be much improved? Not that bold. The three promoted teams to go down? A tepid take if ever there was one. So let’s challenge that last theory and back Coventry to stay up.

Frank Lampard is a better manager than he is given credit for and the Championship title winners have bought well both before and since promotion – look out for goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi. The Sky Blues are also deadly from set-pieces, which will be handy. So, if Cov stay up then an established top-flight club will have to go.

My money is on Fulham. New boss Alvaro Arbeloa could work out well and former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia is an exciting addition. But Marco Silva was a huge part of the Cottagers’ success in his five years in charge and a pivot towards youth under a rookie manager looks a recipe for a relegation fight.

Gavin Brown, Assistant Sports Editor

Bournemouth relegated as Marco Rose first to be sacked

Marco Rose has colossal shoes to fill in replacing Andoni Iraola. That’s not up for debate.

Whether the German is able to forge a path of his own remains to be seen, but in Bournemouth he has joined a club with just about the finest succession model in the division. That alone will not save him, though.

By securing European football before his departure, Iraola may just have handed down a poisoned chalice that could bring about Rose’s downfall.

There are serious questions to be asked surrounding the squad’s capacity to deal with that extra workload, especially if any of Alex Scott, Junior Kroupi or Rayan have their heads turned by bright lights elsewhere.

How the Cherries coped with the loss of Antoine Semenyo, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez proved Iraola’s genius beyond doubt last season. There is nothing to suggest from Rose’s underwhelming spells with Dortmund and Leipzig that he is in the same class as his predecessor.

With City, Liverpool, Chelsea and United all falling in Bournemouth’s opening eight fixtures, the 49-year-old finds himself up against it early on – and the Europa League’s return next month will push the squad to the limit.

It all screams: long season ahead for Bournemouth and potentially a very short one for their new manager.

Tom Olver, Assistant Sports Editor

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