The Premier League season kicks off with a bang on Friday evening as last year’s champions Liverpool welcome Bournemouth to Anfield to start their title defence.
The Reds have lavished over £250million and counting on a blockbuster summer spending spree in a bid to sharpen their already impressive side ahead of Arne Slot’s second season in charge.
Although the Merseyside club failed to see an immediate return on their investments after they were defeated in last weekend’s Community Shield – few could argue that they’ve had a disappointing pre-season.
But how does their summer compare to their Premier League peers?
Here, Daily Mail Sport’s experts review every club in the top flight’s pre-season travails, and single out who has made the most of their time before the restart – and whose fans might be watching the first match of their campaign hiding behind their hands.
We’ve ranked them from worst to strongest – read on to see if your club made the bottom-half of the pack.
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Newcastle have struggled with the confusion over striker Alexander Isak’s future
20. Newcastle
Pre-season record: 0-2 v Atletico Madrid (H), 2-2 v Espanyol (H), 1-1 v Tottenham (N), 0-1 v K-League XI (A), 2-3 v Arsenal, 0-4 v Celtic (A), 4-0 vs Carlisle (H)
How has it gone? It could have been better is putting it mildly! Put to one side the on-the-pitch return, which failed to yield a win, it is off the pitch where Newcastle’s summer has been turbulent, to say to the least.
Daily Mail Sport broke the story of Alexander Isak wanting to leave last month, and ever since then the club’s dealings have been played out to the watching world on a daily basis. A series of targets have come and gone and, while there has been progress on incomings of late, the issue of Isak remains unresolved.
He does not want to play for the club but Newcastle, having tried, are unable to find a replacement. He is stuck, and so are Newcastle. They need to start playing some football, scoring some goals and winning some matches – only then will the narrative change.
Stand-out performer: Anthony Gordon. He seems to have his hunger back and knows, after an indifferent season last time around, he owes it to himself and his club to rediscover his very best. He looks like he’s ready to achieve the level of consistency that won him elevation to the England squad last year.
Craig Hope
19. Wolves
Pre-season record: 1-1 v Burnley (A), 1-1 v Stoke (A), 1-3 v Lens (N), 1-2 v Girona (A), 0-1 v Celta Vigo (H)
How has it gone? A scroll through the Wolves social media community is not for the faint-hearted. Supporters have seen key players Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo leave and performances during pre-season have done nothing to ease their concern. Vitor Pereira’s men have looked laboured during their outings so far and they are in desperate need of reinforcements.
Among those to catch the eye, Fer Lopez, the £20m capture from Celta, looks to be made of the right stuff for a Premier League campaign. Despite registering only seven senior starts before he moved to Molineux, Wolves staff are encouraged that Lopez will be able to adapt quickly. He will certainly need to.
Stand-out performer: Fer Lopez
Tom Collomosse
Losing standouts like Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha has been taking its toll on Wolves
18. Nottingham Forest
Pre-season record: 0-0 v Chesterfield (A), 0-0 v Monaco (H), 1-3 v Fulham (N), 0-0 v Estoril Praia (A), 0-1 v Birmingham (A), 0-0 v Fiorentina (H), 0-0 v Al-Qadsiah (H)
How has it gone? Anyone who was endured all Forest’s pre-season fixtures probably deserves a medal. Only five goals have been scored in the seven fixtures, and just one of them by Forest. Coach Nuno Espirito Santo and the supporters will hope Forest are saving all their attacking verve for when the proper stuff starts, as they have looked toothless throughout the summer fixtures.
Nuno has been attempting to tweak Forest’s style so they do not rely solely on the counter-attack and to give him his due, his starting XI when the window closes is likely to look very different from the one that began pre-season. Elliot Anderson has provided a note of optimism with some impressive displays.
Stand-out performer: Elliot Anderson
Tom Collomosse
Elliot Anderson is a brighter spot in an otherwise troubling pre-season tune-up for Forest
17. Brentford
Pre-season record: 1-1 v Gil Vicente (A), 1-0 v QPR (A), 2-2 v Borussia Monchengladbach (H), 1-2 v Borussia Monchengladbach (H)
How has it gone: Well, it’s certainly different. No Thomas Frank, no Bryan Mbeumo, no captain Christian Norgaard. Soon to be no Yoane Wissa if Newcastle get their way. Suddenly, Brentford are an unknown quantity. Pre-season performances have settled a few concerns, the back two thirds have looked strong, helped by the arrival of goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool and midfielder Antoni Milambo.
Jordan Henderson has looked accomplished, too, but their display at the Gtech Stadium against Borussia Monchengladbach made it clear new manager Keith Andrews is yet to find a way to replace Mbeumo and Wissa, should the latter also go. You can’t just rustle nearly 40 Premier League goals from last season out of thin air.
Stand-out performer: Antoni Milambo
James Sharpe
Jordan Henderson’s arrival at Brentford intrigues but the Bees have been subject to a raft of departures in west London
16. Leeds
Pre-season record: 0-0 vs Manchester United (N), 1-4 v SC Verl (A), 2-3 v SC Paderborn (A), 1-1 v Villarreal (N), 1-1 v AC Milan (N)
How has it gone? Either side of Leeds’ pre-season training camp in Germany, Daniel Farke’s side have held their own against top-flight opposition from England, Spain and Italy. Physicality has been a focus in the transfer window with all seven signings so far at least 5ft 11in tall as they look to battle on their return to the top-flight.
Worryingly, they have failed to bring in a major attacking signing though Dominic Calvert-Lewin now looks set to join from Everton. Just last weekend, Farke admitted their attack had not improved from the Championship and that his squad wasn’t prepared for the Premier League season yet.
Stand-out performer: Anton Stach
Aadam Patel
Head coach Daniel Farke knows his side will have to adjust to the Premier League very quickly
15. Everton
Pre-season record: 1-1 v Accrington Stanley (A), 0-1 v Blackburn Rovers (A), 0-3 v Bournemouth (N), 1-2 v West Ham (N), 2-2 v Manchester United (N), v 0-1 Roma (H)
How has it gone? This was always going to be a difficult summer, with a huge amount of change taking place. Recruitment didn’t go as anticipated early on and David Moyes has been frustrated with a lack of quality in certain areas and his comment that ‘we are well short’ after losing to West Ham reverberated far and wide.
The addition of Jack Grealish, though, is a potential fork in the road and Moyes will get the bodies in that he needs to herald a new era in Hill Dickinson Stadium. Crucially, he will also set a tone that is realistic. Everton need a season of stability and steady progress. It’s very much a case of walking before running.
Stand-out performer: Under the radar, James Garner and Jake O’Brien have caught the eye. Both are exactly the kind of individuals whom Moyes will coax improvement from and their best years are ahead of them. It’s important to have solid foundations before trying to move forward.
Dominic King
Adding Jack Grealish to David Moyes’ pack at the Hill Dickinson has ramped up excitement ahead of the new campaign
14. Bournemouth
Pre-season record: 2-1 v Hibernian (H), 0-0 v Bristol (H), 3-0 v Everton (A), 1-4 v Man United (A), 0-2 v West Ham (H), 0-0 v Real Sociedad (H)
How has it gone? Uncertainty lingers among Cherries fans ahead of the new season following the high-profile sales of three key defenders. While the departures of Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, and Illia Zabarnyi are expected to generate a hefty £150million, the bigger question is how effectively their replacements can step up to fill their boots.
Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has shown early signs of promise, and new left-back Adrien Truffert – brought in to fill Kerkez’s role – has impressed since arriving from Rennes. But the most pressing concern lies in the fitness of Justin Kluivert, Ryan Christie, and Luis Sinisterra.
Kluivert sustained an injury in the opening pre-season fixture, while Christie and Sinisterra failed to feature in this summer’s friendlies at all, and there are growing fears that the Cherries could head into the campaign undercooked.
Stand-out performer: Dango Ouattara
Tara Anson-Walsh
Following the departure of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Bournemouth have secured another Chelsea goalkeeper in the form of Djordje Petrovic
13. Tottenham Hostpur
Pre-season record: 2-0 v Reading (A), 2-2 v Wycombe (H), 0-0 v Luton (A), 1-0 v Arsenal (N), 1-1 v Newcastle (N), 0-4 v Bayern (A), PSG Super Cup (N)
How has it gone? Underwhelming. It is another new dawn under Thomas Frank and Spurs seem perhaps predictably stronger at the back (despite four conceded in Munich) and more diligent at set pieces. The squad is still lacking in areas though, and they are ow on creative forces with Son Heung-min sold and both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski injured. There’s also no reliable cover for Dominic Solanke. Mohammed Kudus has flickered with promise without yet hitting top form. Some targets have escaped them and the old pre-Postecoglou problem of balance is back in play.
Can Spurs be fun to watch and defensively solid? Fans are unimpressed and planning to protest about ticket prices and recruitment strategy, which they dub ‘a summer of failure’ before the Premier League opener against Burnley.
Stand-out performer: Pape Matar Sarr
Matt Barlow
Coming heartbreakingly close to winning the Super Cup will not have filled Tottenham with confidence ahead of their opener against Burnley
12. Sunderland
Pre-season record: 1-1 v Sevilla (N), 0-1 v Sporting Lisbon (N), 0-3 v Hearts (A), 1-2 v Hull City (A), 0-1 v Real Betis (H), 1-0 v Augsburg (A), 0-3 v Rayo Vallecano (H)
How has it gone: Manager Regis Le Bris purposefully selected difficult opposition for Sunderland to test themselves ahead of their top-flight return. He’ll be hoping results toughen up his play-off winners plus 10 new signings rather than deflating them.
Beating Augsburg away was the exception to other defeats and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Le Bris bases his line-up against West Ham on Saturday on those who did well in Germany.
They include new Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs who saved a penalty, midfield general Granit Xhaka and match winner Habib Diarra, a Senegal international who cost a club record £30million from Strasbourg.
Worryingly, when Le Bris then rotated against Vallecano, Sunderland were miles off it. That lack of strength in depth will be a concern.
Stand-out performer: Simon Adingra
Joe Bernstein
Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka has taken up the captain’s armband shortly after signing
Marco Silva oversaw an impressive run of pre-season results but will fear Fulham’s passivity in the transfer market
11. Fulham
Pre-season record: 3-1 v Nottingham Forest (A), 4-2 v Al-Ittihad (H), 1-0 v Eintracht Frankfurt (H).
How has it gone? After achieving their highest-ever Premier League points tally last season, hopes were high that Fulham would use the summer to consolidate and push on – but a frustratingly quiet transfer window has dampened the mood. The only addition so far is 34-year-old goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, signed from Montpellier to deputise for Bernd Leno, and the lack of any outfield reinforcements has left fans questioning the club’s ambition.
While the core squad remains strong and pre-season results were largely positive, the absence of fresh faces – especially with rivals strengthening – raises concerns that Marco Silva’s side may struggle to keep pace.
Stand-out performer: Josh King
Tara Anson-Walsh
