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With the 2019/20 Premier League campaign on the horizon, who will claim the title this time out?

Liverpool came ever-so-close last season, finishing second on 97 points, only beaten by the unique brilliance of Manchester City who tallied one point more.

Newly-promoted Aston Villa, Norwich City and Sheffield United will be optimistic of survival, but what beckons for the triplet?

Here are our predictions for the 2019/20 Premier League season below.

20. Brighton & Hove Albion

The Seagulls struggled throughout last season, but held onto Premier League status by a thread, finishing two points above the drop zone in 17th.

However, with the departure of Chris Hughton and the arrival of Graham Potter, I think Brighton have made a huge mistake.

Although a managerial change was required, the incorrect appointment has been made, and I question what Potter can do in the Premier League.

19. Burnley

Sean Dyche has done an excellent job for Burnley since their arrival to the top flight back in 2016.

Two seasons ago, they finished seventh and achieved Europa League football, which is an outstanding accomplishment. However, they struggled last season and only just reached 40 points.

There are no indications that they are going to improve on that points tally this season, and I think their stay in the Premier League will be over.

18. Sheffield United

The only newly-promoted side I have predicted to go straight back down.

The battle to avoid this spot will be extremely tight and there were a few clubs I considered for the spot, but Sheffield United’s lack of Premier League quality will backfire.

Gaining promotion last season was a massive over-achievement by the Blades and they will find it tough to tackle the quality of this league.

This could go right down to the wire, and home form will be crucial if they are to survive, but I am tipping them to be relegated.

17. Newcastle United

Rafa Benitez’s departure from the club is a huge blow for the Magpies.

From a next to nothing transfer kitty, the Spanish manager worked wonders with a sub-par Newcastle side, achieving a 13th placed finish last season.

It was hard to predict where they will finish this season as a manager is yet to be appointed, but there won’t be much money spent on transfers while Mike Ashley is in charge of the finances, so I think they will struggle but narrowly survive.

16. Crystal Palace

The departure of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United and Wilfried Zaha’s pending departure leaves the Eagles in quite a predicament.

They have consistently managed to avoid the drop over the past few years, and the club’s ambition and future looked on the up. However, potentially losing your two best players would inflict damage on any team, but more so for a club of Crystal Palace’s side.

Although they would have money to spend this window, I expect them to flirt with relegation and finish 16th.

15. Southampton

It is quite surprising that the Saints are still in the Premier League for the 2019/20 campaign. Last season they struggled, but ultimately survived thanks to the mid-season arrival of Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhüttl.

They were in the relegation zone for lengthy periods of last season, but a late flurry of results steered them clear of trouble, finishing five points above 18th placed Cardiff City.

This term will be a slight improvement on last year, but nothing special on the south coast.

14. Aston Villa

Aston Villa pushed late for promotion, and deservedly achieved it.

With the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn among their ranks, they have the experience mixed with youth and quality to survive comfortably.

Home form will be important, and I think they could surprise a few teams at Villa Park this season.

13. Norwich City

The Canaries endured a successful campaign in the Championship last season, finishing top of the pile with 94 points.

Daniel Farke has installed a winning mentality into the side, playing attacking, free-flowing football. They will have to take caution when taking the same approach as last season, or they could end up like Fulham, but I feel there is more structure to this side.

I predict a respectful 13th placed finish for the Canaries.

12. Watford

The Hornets sustained their most successful Premier League season last time out, finishing 11th and reaching the final of the FA Cup.

They have the quality to hurt teams, as they demonstrated last season, and that won’t change this time around.

I feel it will be a quieter season from Watford, though, finishing 12th.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer has hailed the impact that assistant manager John Kennedy has had on his development at the club, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s he said?

Ajer, who started his career as a midfielder at Norwegian club IK Start, has had a long road towards becoming a regular central defensive performer at Celtic but finally looks comfortable in the role.

Now the 21-year-old has paid tribute to the job that Kennedy has done on the training ground with him, a coach who of course once played as a Hoops defender before cruelly having his career cut short by injury.

How does Neil Lennon turn his doubters into believers? The answer lies in the video below…

As quoted by The Daily Record, the Norway international said:

“John has been fantastic from the minute I came in. We’ve been working really close together after every single session, working on the defensive part of my game.

“He’s been helping me every single day and he’s been fantastic for me.

“I’ve not seen clips of him as a player but he keeps telling me that he was fantastic!

“Every time I do something wrong he will show me and, to be fair, he has a great right foot so he shows me how it should be done. Then I try to learn from him.

“He hasn’t mentioned his performance in Barcelona yet but I know he was a great player who injured his knee which was sad.

“But the way he has been teaching me has been fantastic.”

How good can Ajer become?

Having made 45 appearances last term, the 2018/19 season was something of a breakthrough one for the youngster and, if he can continue getting regular action, chances are he will only get better.

Former Hoops defender Johan Mjallby claimed in April that the player could follow in the same footsteps of Virgil van Dijk, although he believes he needs to improve his leadership qualities before moving to a bigger league.

Watch Scottish Championship Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

That’s certainly a bold claim, but not one entirely without merit considering his composure and maturity at the age of just 21.

If he can continue getting the experience he needs domestically and Europe, the ceiling for the young Norwegian is very high.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

In Arsene Wenger’s final few years in charge at Arsenal, there appeared to be a very concerning theme emerging throughout the club. Not their well-known defensive frailties or the miserable end to their many years of consecutive top-four finishes, but the willingness of certain players to throw their toys out the pram in order to get what they want.

Sadly for the Gunners, a change in manager hasn’t exactly remedied that problem. As confirmed by the club’s official website, club captain Laurent Koscielny has refused to go on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA in an apparent attempt to force through a move back to his native France.

A deep-rooted cultural issue

The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez have run the Gunners around in circles in the past, leading them on wild goose chases before waving their Emirates goodbyes.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

It all speaks to a cultural problem that runs from top to bottom and is characterised by weak management and a failure to assert control. In the modern age of player power, the Gunners have bore the brunt of it.

Whether Koscielny deserves to be given his move to France is essentially irrelevant; he remains employed by the Gunners and is expected to carry out the duties of an Arsenal player. The fact that he took the decision to boycott the tour as captain reeks of an understanding that those at the Emirates feel they can get away with such actions.

The timing of the 33-year-old’s decision is even more damning of the overall state of affairs. The Gunners had just confirmed the appointment of their first-ever technical director in Edu and appeared to be getting things behind the scenes back in order after Ivan Gazidis jumped ship to Milan last year.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Instead, the rest of the summer window will be played out to the circus act of Koscielny’s inevitable departure and will leave the north London side’s already brittle defence even more in the mire.

Arsenal players have long had their mentality on the pitch questioned by pundits and fans alike; it’s about time they’re questioned for the kind of actions they take off the pitch too.

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Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have one of those famous footballing bromances, which shows in their non-stop social media activity and multitude of content they

/Bz-GSURIjA0/” data-lasso->post together.

To put it more simply, they basically do everything together and have seemingly turned out to be great friends ever since they became teammates at the Emirates Stadium.

Currently, though, the Gunners are on their 2019 pre-season summer tour and have recently won a big match against Bayern Munich. Both Aubameyang and Lacazette featured and, afterwards, they shared some snaps for the fans.

The Frenchman posted one showing him in mid-air, striking the ball with style, and of course, who else would immediately be in the comment sections other than Aubameyang.

The speedy Gabon international was clearly impressed by what he saw but also couldn’t miss a chance to rinse Lacazette just a bit.

He replied saying “what an incredible extension” and followed it with a laughing emoji.

Of course, this was a genuine remark with a tongue-in-cheek aspect thrown in.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is closing in on signing a new contract at the club before heading back to Sheffield United on loan.

What’s the word?

The report claims that negotiations over a new deal for the England U21 international are “well underway and have been positive”, and that part of the talks have revolved around Henderson being allowed to go out on loan once more.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It adds that United see the 22-year-old as a future number one at Old Trafford and are keen for him to get regular playing time in the Premier League – something he would get at Sheffield United having helped the Blades to promotion from the Championship last season.

It was initially indicated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that Henderson would link up with the United squad on the second part of their pre-season tour in Singapore, but the report claims that the goalkeeper has remained behind in England to find a resolution to his future.

Could this year have been his best chance?

Whilst there will be understandable excitement if Henderson does indeed put pen to paper on a new deal at United, the situation surrounding the man he will eventually be competing with at Old Trafford makes for bleak reading for the Englishman.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that David De Gea is inching closer to signing a new contract of his own, and whilst the premise of Henderson being seen as a future number one is admirable, just when will that future come?

De Gea will only turn 29 this November despite seemingly being around for ever, and in goalkeeper terms, he is still a relative baby, and could quite conceivably play for another decade – just ask 41 year-old Gianluigi Buffon.

De Gea’s rough year by his own standards last season should surely have warranted Henderson the chance to prove he could step in right away. In his entire Premier League career, De Gea has made just ten errors that have directly lead to a goal; last year he had four alone.

Henderson on the other hand came off the back of a stellar campaign with Sheffield United, as the second-placed Blades conceded just 41 goals in 46 games; the joint-best record in the division.

This summer felt like it could have been a watershed moment for Henderson’s potential career at Old Trafford; instead, he may well get lost in the wilderness of season-long loans for the entirety of De Gea’s stay.

[ad_pod ]In one of the more peculiar transfers of the summer window, Kieran Trippier left Tottenham to join La Liga giants Atletico Madrid for a reported £21.7m.The England international’s tendency for defensive mistakes certainly doesn’t make him the most typical of Diego Simeone signings, but the right-back now finds himself at the Wanda Metropolitano.Now, Trippier has suggested that “behind the scenes” issues caused him to leave to Spurs this summer and that it was time for him to “move on”.Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After hearing the 28-year-old’s comments, Tottenham fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the revelation and many were seemingly unimpressed by what Trippier had to say.

Many supporters of the north London side questioned how truthful the full-back was being, and suggested his departure had more to do with his lacklustre performances last season.

Indeed, some expressed the feeling that Trippier was coming across as bitter and urged him to take responsibility and just move on.

Check out some of the reaction of Spurs fans below:

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Many members of the Wolves fanbase don’t appear to be best pleased with the club’s latest decision as the transfer deadline rapidly approaches.

According to the Express and Star, Wolves have ended their pursuit of highly-rated Benfica centre-back Ruben Dias with both clubs reportedly far apart on their valuations of the player.

The 22-year-old has a £57m release clause at the Primeira Liga champions but the club are not prepared to fork out that amount on the player – Benfica do not necessarily have to sell either after claiming £113m from Atletico Madrid for forward Joao Felix.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Dias has transcended quite rapidly to European acclaim after cementing his name in both the Benfica and Portugal starting line-up – already at his young age.

Last season, he featured 55 times in all competitions as Benfica won the Portuguese league and he also played every single minute of Portugal’s Nations League triumph – making him quite an ideal target this summer in the eyes of some Wolves supporters.

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One fan blasted the club for having an awful transfer window, suggesting that manager Nuno Santo, Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves would all be off next summer whilst one labelled it a ‘pretty disappointing window.’

Others were rather worried about the squad incase injuries creeped in, especially with the extra number of games they are likely to play due to competing in the Europa League with one calling it a ‘dangerous game.’

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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[ad_pod ]The opening fixtures of the new 2019/20 Premier League season have not disappointed as we’ve seen some big and exciting results across the boards.But not all teams had a start of their dreams and this is simply the reality of football. Not everyone can win and sometimes, the beginnings can be the toughest.A similar thing could be said for Leicester City who struggled against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their curtain-raiser and only managed to secure a point in a goalless draw.Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

James Maddison was certainly not happy with the result and he quickly took to his social media and Twitter to send a motivational message to his fans.

Maddison confessed it was not really the result the team wanted but ensured the fans that the best is yet to come and that they will play much better in the upcoming fixtures.

Still, it was a great feeling being out there on the pitch and competing once again.

As for their next challenges, Leicester City will face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on August 18.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Sunderland forward Stephen Elliott believes the Black Cats will win League One if Aiden McGeady can stay fit.

What’s the word?

Jack Ross’ side ground out a tough three points at Rochdale on Tuesday evening, showing they may have finally discovered the ability to win ugly.

The performance was lacklustre and sloppy to say the least, but they came away from the Crown Oil Arena with all three points courtesy of goals from McGeady and Charlie Wyke.

Elliott, who played on Wearside between 2004 and 2007, reckons keeping the Irishman fit is key to the side’s ambitions this season.

He said: “If he stays fit Sunderland could very well win league. A different animal when he plays compared to when he is missing. He is on another planet compared to (the) rest.”

Spot on

It’s not clear if by “the rest” Elliott means the rest of the squad or the rest of the league as a whole, but either way his comments are hard to disagree with.

With the 33 year-old on the pitch, Ross’ side have an outlet on the wing capable of burning past his man and whipping crosses in, coming back inside and linking up play, or even just having a go himself, as he did against Rochdale.

He is electric in one-on-one situations and his speed and trickery is truly a level above the technical ability of most players in the division, now that the mercurial Lee Trundle isn’t around anymore of course.

The 93-cap Republic of Ireland international has already scored twice and set two goals up this season, per Transfermarkt, and Elliott may well have it spot on that he is the most integral figure to club’s hopes of lifting that league trophy this season.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Some of Leeds’ players have had rather indifferent starts to the new campaign despite their so far unbeaten run.

Patrick Bamford scored against Bristol City but then spurned six opportunities against Nottingham Forest but the inconsistency didn’t stop there.

Jack Harrison was another who netted in that match against the Robins but was particularly poor, despite showing glimpses, versus Forest.

The Whites ultimately drew that game 1-1 and therefore, improvement is needed.

On the chalkboard

Harrison, who can sign permanently next summer after arriving on another loan from Manchester City is a dangerous player on his day.

The fact he contributed to seven goals last season proves there is end product in there.

However, after threatening to start the season in tremendous form, he stalled against Forest. Marcelo Bielsa has indicated that his side will be the same this weekend so with that in mind, he must improve in order to vindicate the Argentine’s trust.

Last Saturday, the 22-year-old’s pass success rate was one of the most negative aspects of his game. He completed just 65.4%, being accurate with 17 of the 26 balls he attempted to play to his teammates.

The winger managed two key passes but there was a lack of drive and conviction to his performance which was summed up by the solitary dribble he managed.

Considering the 5 foot 9 midfielder only really burst forward once, it was particularly alarming that he was so careless in possession.

Over the time he was on the pitch, he was dispossessed three times, as well as having three unsuccessful touches before being replaced by Ezgjan Alioski.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After missing out against Salford, this is one aspect that he’ll have to particularly improve in as the Whites aim to bounce back from a draw against Sabri Lamouchi’s men.

Bielsa has shown trust by saying he’ll select the same team but Harrison must become more careful if Leeds want to achieve all three points.

Helder Costa is currently waiting in the wings and if the former New York City man throws in similar displays, it might not be too long before he is dislodged.

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