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The Premier League is never short of drama, with winners, relegations and top four battles going down to the wire. Many elements have combined to make the Premier League the most exciting domestic league to watch this summer.
Many big-name signings have moved to the Premier League, and this season's title race will be as close as it gets. All eyes will be on the big clubs as they battle for top honors.
Relegation battle in the Premier League is often exciting
While the top dogs fight it out for Premier League glory, the English top-flight is equally thrilling at the other end of the table.
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Over the years, the league has witnessed some memorable relegation battles, with teams fighting to stay in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe.
Who wouldn't want to continue being a part of the most exciting and most-watched league in the world? The financial aspect of it isn't too bad either.
As the teams prepare for the new season, we profile five teams who could be in the mix for a relegation in the Premier League this term:
#5 Newcastle United
After a slow start to their campaign, Newcastle United finished 12th in the Premier League last season. Steve Bruce guided them to yet another season of survival with a mid-table finish.
For years now, the Magpies have been a team that's content with lower-half finishes and is just happy to stay in the Premier League for another season. They haven't been involved in many relegation battles lately, but this season could spell danger at St. James' Park.
Newcastle are heavily reliant on the likes of Callum Wilson and the electric Allan Saint-Maximin, with the duo shouldering all the goal-scoring responsibility.
Barring the potential addition of Joe Willock, who single-handedly ensured a strong finish to last season, there hasn't been any noise in the transfer window for the Magpies either.
The club from Tyneside are one injury away from turning themselves into relegation contenders fighting for survival. There's already turmoil at the club off the field, with Newcastle fans raging at club owner Mike Ashley.
Steve Bruce, who's not known for playing an attractive brand of football, has a tough job on his hands if Newcastle want to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
#4 Burnley
Burnley are a team that epitomizes old-school English football, with their same old 4-4-2 and route one football. Nothing much has changed at Burnley, which is the exact cause for concern.
Sean Dyche did his part by keeping Burnley in the top-flight for yet another season, finishing just off the relegation zone in 17th. The Clarets will have to look to go beyond their usual long ball style of play if they are to avoid getting into the relegation mess again.
It remains to be seen if Dyche will make his conservative Burnley side play a more expansive brand of football. The manager will still be looking up to the board for financial backing in the transfer market.
With big teams strengthening their already world-class squads, Burnley will have an uphill battle competing against them with the usual low block.
The Clarets will have to shake things up massively if they want to compete, otherwise the relegation threat looms large.
#3 Norwich City
Norwich City suffered relegation after a disastrous season in the Premier League, but made a quick recovery and were the first team to secure automatic promotion last season.
But if their latest stint in the Premier League is anything to go by, this looks like yet another back-and-forth season for the Canaries. Norwich amassed just 21 points during the 2019-20 campaign and were the first team to be relegated.
Defense was a huge problem for manager Daniel Farke back then, but he seems to have worked on it a bit in the Championship.
As they look to sort out their defense for a tough Premier League season, their attack could also prove an issue this time. Norwich have already lost their chief creator Emi Buendia and are now heavily reliant on the aging Teemu Pukki as a goal threat.
Their young stars Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons will have to shoulder the responsibility to carry this team away from relegation. But despite having Premier League experience, it remains to be seen if they can do it on their own.
Farke would surely have learned from his past mistakes in the Premier League but Norwich may still have to grind hard if they are to avoid a relegation scrap.
#2 Brentford
Newly promoted Brentford will be featuring for the first time in the Premier League after what has been a long and hard road for them.
After so many close calls and losing in the Championship play-offs final two seasons ago, Brentford have finally made it to the top-flight.
But the task at hand only gets tougher from here on in the 38-game season. The Bees are completely inexperienced when it comes to the Premier League and will have to pull a rabbit out of their hat to avoid relegation.
The most likely to provide that spark for them is their hitman Ivan Toney. The Englishman is coming off a big season in the Championship after directly contributing 43 goals for the Bees last term.
The Brentford faithful will be hoping he carries this momentum into the new Premier League season and helps them survive the threat of relegation.
Activities in the transfer market have been rather low-profile as well, and with their inexperience, you would think they could use Premier League proven talent.
Brentford have worked extremely hard to come this far and they will certainly not go down without a fight.
#1 Watford
Watford were one of three Premier League teams to face relegation at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. But they bagged automatic promotion to the top-tier by finishing second in the Championship last season.
It's not an easy feat to achieve promotion just one year after your relegation, but the underlying statistics are concerning for the Hornets. Their attack could fail to live up to Premier League standards. And hence it remains a cause of concern for manager Xisco Muñoz, who steadied the Watford ship after a flurry of managerial sackings in 2020.
Ismalia Sarr finished as their top scorer with just 13 goals, just ahead of young striker Joao Pedro with nine goals last season.
Club captain Troy Deeney is aging and is a shadow of his former self. Meanwhile, the addition of Joshua King, Emmanuel Dennis and Cucho Hernandez adds to an already bloated but inconsistent attack, which also includes Andre Gray and Isaac Success.
The Hornets will need to strengthen in other key areas and must have a strong start that gives them momentum in the league. Otherwise, they could be involved in yet another season of battling relegation.
