Predicting the Premier League top 6 next season

The Premier League is arguably the most exciting and entertaining top flight competition in Europe. It is renowned for its high-octane action and unpredictability. Premier League clubs are some of the most popular in the world and have a global fanbase as well.

Thanks to this level of popularity, clubs in the English top flight are also some of the richest in the world. As a result, they've been able to consistently rope in and field some of the best players in the world. Predictably, Premier League clubs have been some of the most active ones in this summer's transfer window.

The Premier League's traditional top six have all bolstered their ranks significantly this summer. It'll be interesting to see what the new signings will bring to the table in the upcoming season.

Without further ado, let's try to predict the Premier League top six in the 2022-23 season.

#6 Arsenal

Heading into the final few weeks of last season, Arsenal were well on course to finish inside the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. But they capitulated towards the business end of the campaign and ended up finishing fifth.

In recent times, Arsenal have shown a tendency to implode when the going gets tough. This has often been linked with a lack of leadership within the squad. The Gunners have recruited judiciously this summer. Gabriel Jesus' arrival from Manchester City is expected to allay their goalscoring woes to a large extent.

Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko and young midfielder Fabio Vieira are also quality additions. The Gunners are also being linked with moves for Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Leicester City's Youri Tielemans.

But there's a feeling that the rest of the Premier League top six have outperformed Arsenal in the summer transfer window. It feels like Mikel Arteta's project might need another season to come together and that's why we're expecting them to finish sixth in the Premier League next term.

#5 Manchester United

Manchester United are entering a new era under new manager Erik ten Hag. The early signs in pre-season have been promising and the club has also recruited responsibly in the summer. They're yet to land their primary transfer target, Frenkie de Jong. But the squad has been trimmed and some worthy additions have been made.

The club has let go of a number of high-profile stars like Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Juan Mata. Adding Christian Eriksen on a free transfer is great business and he will inject a great deal of creativity to the United midfield.

The versatile Lisandro Martinez has been roped in from Ajax on a deal worth £51.63 million. The Red Devils also hijacked Olympique Lyon's move for Tyrell Malacia and signed him from Feyenoord for £13.5 million.

Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have all featured heavily in pre-season and look to be in good shape. Erik ten Hag has a very promising set of players to work with and if he can execute his tactics and game plan like he did at Ajax, United could have a decent season.

But with Cristiano Ronaldo linked with an exit and the rest of the players infamous for their inconsistency, it might not exactly be smooth sailing this Premier League campaign.

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#4 Chelsea

Chelsea FC v Charlotte FC - Pre-Season Friendly

The summer transfer window has not exactly gone according to plan for Chelsea. They've had deals for Raphinha and Jules Kounde hijacked by Barcelona but the motto at Stamford Bridge seems to be 'In Tuchel we trust'. And why shouldn't they?

The German coach always finds a way and although their summer transfer activity has not been very reassuring, they are still one of the strongest sides in the league. The Blues suffered from inconsistency last term and will be looking to set that right this time around.

They've added the experienced Raheem Sterling to their attacking department on a deal worth £50.58 million. Kalidou Koulibaly is a great addition as well and he has joined from Napoli for a transfer fee of £34.2 million.

Conor Gallagher, who has returned from his loan spell at Crystal Palace, will bolster Chelsea's midfield. They wouldn't be too bothered about Romelu Lukaku's departure to Inter Milan on loan as the Belgium international had underperformed severely last term.

However, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving on free transfers will sting. Tuchel still has plenty of extremely talented players to work with and it's hard to see them finishing outside the top four in the upcoming season.

#3 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United - Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur were in dire straits in the league when Antonio Conte was appointed manager of the club. The Italian manager worked his magic for the Lilywhites and guided them to a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League to help them secure Champions League qualification.

He was also able to bring Harry Kane back to his best after the Tottenham Hotspur captain endured a difficult start to the 2021-22 season. Spurs already have a good system in place and some of their players have thrived under the tutelage of the Italian coach.

Spurs have made some quality additions to their squad over the course of the summer. They've bolstered their attacking department by roping in Richarlison from Everton for £52.2 million.

Spurs have also signed Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion (£26.28 million) and right-back Djed Spence (£13.23 million) from Middlesbrough. They've also added the experienced Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Clement Lenglet on free transfers.

Steven Bergwijn is the only notable sale they've made and Spurs look menacing heading into the 2022-23 season.

#2 Liverpool

Liverpool v Manchester United - Preseason Friendly

Liverpool came close to winning the quadruple last season. They won the FA Cup and the League Cup by beating Chelsea in the finals of both domestic competitions.

Jurgen Klopp's side kept themselves in the hunt for the Premier League title until the very last day of the season but eventually lost out to Manchester City by a single point. They also made it to the UEFA Champions League final where they fell to Real Madrid by a single goal.

It goes without saying that Liverpool are one of the strongest teams in Europe. But their summer transfer activities have not been entirely convincing. They let go of Sadio Mane, a pivotal figure in their exploits last term, to Bayern Munich on a deal worth £28.8 million.

Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino's departure means that they've lost a bit of depth in attack. It remains to be seen whether or not the £67.5 million they shelled out for Darwin Nunez will pay off the way they want.

They've not made any other high-profile signings with 19-year-old Fabio Carvalho and 18-year-old Calvin Ramsay being the other arrivals. Liverpool might just not be able to keep up with a strong Manchester City this time around.

#1 Manchester City

Bayern Munich v Manchester City - Pre-Season Friendly

Will Manchester City become the second Premier League side to win three league titles in a row after Manchester United? It certainly looks like a real possibility right now. The Cityzens pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title on the final day of last season.

Pep Guardiola's side were dominant in the league but the lack of a proven goalscorer did affect them at times. However, they've addressed that problem in the best way possible by roping in Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund on a deal worth £54 million.

Young Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez will be a good backup for Haaland. City have also strengthened their midfield department by signing Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United for £43.87 million.

Although they've let go of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, they have a strong and deep squad that can dominate the league.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith