Every Villa fan knows what money needs to be spent on in the January transfer window, and that’s a striker. There have been a lot of reports suggesting Villa’s interest in Ranger’s Alfredo Morelos and Hull’s Jarrod Bowen. I thought I’d look away from these two more obvious transfer targets and try and find other possibilities around Europe.

Habib Diallo- 8 Goals and 0 Assists in 13 League Games

The first striker that could possibly be worth a punt is Metz Senegalese international Habib Diallo. His value has soared this season after starting every game for the Ligue 1 outfit this season and picking up a decent return in goals. His 8 goals in 13 appearances works out to a very respectable 137 minutes per goal, his conversion rate is decent too standing at just over 23%. Unfortunately for Metz, they haven’t as a whole fared as well as Diallo has and sit just above the relegation zone in 17^th, so it may be hard to pry him away when he is clearly desperately needed. Transfermarkt values him at £5.4 million, however it would most likely take much more to secure his signature.

He fits the current transfer policy as he is 24 years old and so is young enough to go up in value. He also stands at 6ft1 meaning he would be relatively handy as a direct back up to Wesley. As with many Ligue 1 players however, he could be a gem or turn out to be a complete bust. But as a relatively inexpensive option, he could be worth a pop.

Loren Moron- 8 Goals and 1 Assist in 12 League Games

Moron has been one of the break out stars of La Liga this season, currently sitting as joint second top scorer with 8 goals. Real Betis, Moron’s team, are performing very badly much like Metz in Ligue 1, and are perilously close to the relegation zone. Betis have also only scored 15 goals this season with Moron contributing to 9 of these. This will yet again add value to the Spaniard and thus he could cost a fairly hefty sum if Villa wanted to sign him.

Moron has scored a goal every 109 minutes this season and has a high conversion rate of 40% so if the money was stumped up, Villa would get quality in return. A striker who takes his chances is what Villa need, and that’s what Moron is. He also stands at 6ft2 and so would fit into Smith’s system pretty well.

Jonathan David- 8 Goals and 4 Assists in 14 League Games

19-year-old David is a world class player in the making. His performances for the Canadian national team, along with other young star Alphonso Davies, have even managed to pry the eyes of Canada’s sports media away from Hockey and onto Football at times. 11 goals in 11 games for his country is impressive, but the standard of the opposition has been pretty dire. For his club, Gent, he has also been in scintillating form, contributing to 12 goals in 14 games with a goal every 130 minutes.

David would probably be a very expensive acquisition for the Villans, but the goals and profit in future could be worth every penny. In reality many of Europes top clubs will be sniffing around the youngster, but Villa could offer a place where he would be guaranteed game time. He could fit in very nicely in a number of roles at Villa Park, either supporting Wesley as a second nippy striker, in attacking midfield, or even up top on his own.

Jaroslaw Niezgoda- 9 Goals and 1 Assist in 13 League Games

Jaroslaw Niezgoda is a somewhat unknown option for Villa in January. His goals record speaks for itself however, as he has scored wherever he’s been. Overall in the Polish top flight he has contributed to 40 goals in 72 games. This season in the league he’s scored a goal every 81 minutes, and he’s only played 54% of the possible game time he could’ve played in. This shows he doesn’t have to have much time on the pitch to score goals, and thus could be a great impact sub off the bench. He also has some height, standing at 6ft2 and is 24 years old, yet again meaning he fits the current Villa transfer policy. He could be a cheaper possibility for the scouting team to look at.

Sam Cosgrove- 7 Goals and 0 Assists in 12 League Games

The Scottish Premiership isn’t exactly teeming with talent, but occasionally players (much like John Mcginn) can impress in other leagues. Cosgrove is a big lad who has scored at a reasonable rate for Aberdeen this season. Not only has he scored 7 in 12 in the league, he scored 6 in 6 in Europa League qualifying. At 22 years old he is likely to improve, and as a cheap option there is very little downside to signing him as a punt. His conversion rate is decent at nearly 32%, and his big frame would help him slip into the role that Wesley plays with ease. If Villa were to sign Cosgrove, another player would be needed in the same position in case the transfer didn’t work out.

In what was a very uninspired performance from the Villa against Wolves, a number of usually consistent performers failed to turn up. The injuries of Heaton, Engels and Grealish before kick off clearly hurt the chances of a win. However, that doesn’t excuse the lacklustre performance by the Villa, that was more of a Sherwood or Lambert ilk, than what we’ve come to expect from Dean Smith’s men. We can just hope that for the big games after the international break, the whole team puts in better performances, and gets the results that will be desperately needed.

I thought I’d look at each player and rate how they performed on this disappointing afternoon for the Villa faithful.

Orjan Nyland- 7

Despite my fears after Jed Steer got injured early on, Nyland put a solid performance in. He looked far from the shaky mess of a goalkeeper that many Villa fans were expecting, and claimed several balls into the box in an assured manner, and then distributed the ball as well as, if not better than Heaton. He also made a couple of decent enough saves. You can’t blame the goals on him as they were more caused by defensive incompetence than any Goalkeeping error.

Fred Guilbert- 5

Guilbert is fast becoming one of my favourite Villa players, with his bombing runs forward and hard tackling. Against Wolves on the other hand, he was poor, and was caught out of position many times. His balls forward left a lot to be desired as well, often being very aimless. This performance was a far cry from that which he put in against Liverpool, where he managed to keep Mane relatively quiet. Hopefully he’ll be back to those levels again after the international break.

Ezri Konsa- 6

A solid if very unspectacular debut from Konsa wasn’t helped by the horrific displays from the full backs on either side of him. He did very little wrong, and with a less open midfield and better full backs around him I can see him being a very good defender. He was able to fill large the gap left by the injury to Engels well, and his playing out from the back wasn’t quite as good as the Belgian, but was almost there.

Tyrone Mings- 6

Similarly to Konsa, Mings did very little wrong. The first goal could be seen as his fault, but I feel that would be harsh, as giving away a free kick doesn’t guarantee a goal, terrible marking does. I don’t know what Smith was doing in training if that was the way they prepared to defend set pieces. It’s a shame that the players around Mings have often let him down this season.

Matt Targett- 4

While Targett can be seen as a great attacking option at full back, he was ripped apart for the time he was on, by Adama Traore. On top of this, his play going forward was just as diabolical, with pointless hoofs forward coming straight back at the Villa defence. The only saving grace for Targett is that he didn’t play the full 90 minutes, and that Neil Taylor is a Sunday League standard defender.

Neil Taylor- 3

Matt Targett’s replacement Taylor had just as torrid a time against Traore. His consistent ability to misjudge long balls out to the right from the opposition, and watch them go sailing over his head is unbelievable. This happened several times in this match yet again. The left back for the Craggy Island over 80s team has more positional sense than Taylor. What makes it worse is that whenever the ball is played to him by a Villa player, you can kiss goodbye to any hope of an attack progressing any further.

Marvellous Nakamba- 3

An uncharacteristically bad performance by Nakamba was most likely caused by his early yellow card. This meant the defensive midfielder couldn’t sweep up like he usually does and get stuck in. This doesn’t excuse some of his awful passes though, that stopped a number of attacks and put unwanted pressure on the defence. The midfield looked non-existent in the first half due to the performances of Nakamba and Douglas Luis. We can only hope he’s back to his best for the Newcastle game.

Douglas Luis- 4

For the great majority of the first half I forgot Douglas was even on the pitch. He was lazy and spent most of his time on the left wing, leaving the midfield completely toothless and open as John McGinn had to try and do all the work himself. There was a slight improvement from the Brazilian in the second half when Villa were on the front foot, and he actually got on the ball in midfield. His feeble attempt to take down Adama Traore before the second goal sums up how his afternoon went.

John Mcginn- 5

By McGinn’s standard, this as an atrocious performance. He had to try and run the midfield on his own throughout most of the game due to Marvellous’ inability to tackle and Douglas poor work rate. Despite his unending energy levels, he was unable to do the work of three men, and overran the ball on several occasions. His passing was also sloppy, and he looked a frustrated figure at the end of the 90.

Henri Lansbury- 6

After coming on for Nakamba, Lansbury added a much-needed energy to the midfield, and did very little wrong. He drove the team forward on a few occasions, and looked a threat in the box with a couple of late runs. I would consider starting Lansbury against Newcastle, if he hasn’t injured himself in the meantime.

Trezeguet- 7

The best performer for Villa throughout the game was Trezeguet. He seemed the only player for the majority of the game that was a threat to the Wolves defence. He also tracked back well, and as a result, Wolves had much more joy down their right-hand side than the left. The Egyptian is slowly gaining in confidence, and looks to be getting better and better by the game. If anyone deserved a goal for the Villa, it was Trezeguet.

Anwar El Ghazi- 4

El Ghazi’s form runs very hot and very cold, there’s no in between. Against Wolves it was very cold. He tried to do too much when he had the ball, and lost it several times. His tracking back was awful, when Targett and Taylor needed the support more than ever. He is a very frustrating player to watch, as there is clearly bags of talent in there somewhere, but the desire and work rate seems to be lacking.

Wesley- 4

The weakest target man in the Premier League put in another lazy performance. It’s hard to watch at times as he throws himself to the floor under minimal contact. When will he learn that he has to be tougher? The referees haven’t given him a foul for the other hundred times he’s done it, so why does he think they will now? There are elements of his game that I like, his link up play is often good, and he showed that a couple of times against Wolves. However, his finishing and aerial ability just aren’t there, and time after time he loses out on aerial duels after not even bothering to jump. It’s a real shame that Kienan Davis is injured, because he works hard and throws his weight around a bit, unlike Wesley.

Nicolas Otamendi

If Otamendi wasn’t a Man City player, he wouldn’t be as highly thought of as he is. Simply put, he can’t defend. He’s showed this on a number of occasions this season, most notably against Norwich where he also demonstrated his lack of ability when playing it out from the back. The combination of Fernandinho, Stones and Otamendi is essentially the reason why Liverpool have been so far out in front so far this campaign.

Michael Keane

Another Centre back who has lost the ability to defend. Keane was, for about half a season, the future of the England defence. Then he showed that you become a much worse defender when you move from a Burnley system, where you sit back and defend as a unit for 90 minutes, and move to Everton, where you actually have to defend 1 on 1 quite often. Keane’s defensive abilities somehow still get him into the England squad, despite there being much better options, but haven’t exactly shone for Everton this season or last. Despite a win last weekend Everton are still very much underperforming this season and that is in part due to shocking defensive efforts by Keane. The less said about his recent outings for England the better.

Danny Rose

Keane’s compatriot Danny Rose is held in high esteem at Spurs, and I can’t see why. Defensively he has never been the best and going forward his crossing is erratic. Ben Davies is far superior to him in almost every way, but especially in terms of his delivery into the box. Spurs problems this season have only been added to by poor performances by Rose. It also seems that whenever he hasn’t got his way in the past, he’s threatened to leave, and thus can’t be a great influence to have around the club, if he’s that willing to throw in the towel when he’s not selected.

Roberto Pereyra

If you look up the word ‘missing’ in the dictionary, you may see a picture of Roberto Pereyra. The Argentine Midfielder has gone missing far too often for Watford this season. In the past he would pop up with a goal or a good performance every now and then to remind you he’s there. This season on the other hand, other than a penalty against Arsenal, I can’t think of a single thing he’s done. Not that many Watford players have done much this season. But, considering he is supposed to be Watford’s Marquee player, he doesn’t half drift out of games like a discount Mesut Ozil.

Adama Traore

Wolves fans are very over excitable when it seems like they have a half decent team on their hands. Adama Traore is a player that Wolves fans are constantly saying is ‘improving’, but I don’t see it. He still looks like the same player that was playing in both the awful Villa and Middlesbrough sides of a few years ago. Oh wow, he can run fast and scored that one really good goal or got that one assist. Being able to run fast and picking up your 1 or 2 goals a season doesn’t make you a good player. Traore’s end product is diabolical, but his quick feet seem to mesmorise fans into thinking there’s something more to him, there isn’t, this is as good as he’ll get. Most likely 7^th will be as good as Wolves get too.

David Luiz

It goes without saying that David Luiz is an overrated prima donna. He’s an absolute liability who doesn’t put effort in, pulls out of blocks and tackles, and is exactly what Arsenal don’t need in their defence. But Arsenal don’t seem willing to improve at the moment so it’s not surprising they bought him.

Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley must be blackmailing Gareth Southgate to get into the England squad time after time. In a word, Barkley is average, and that’s on the best of days. He can’t play the youngster card either now because he’s 25, this is the best anyone will get out of him. He warms the bench most of the time for Chelsea, and when he does get on the pitch he hasn’t contributed to a single goal. It says a lot that he’s been pushed out of the team by Mason Mount, a young player with desire who puts in 100% effort, and has been rewarded for it. Barkley has put in far too many Lethargic performances for both Chelsea and Everton to be considered an exciting player any more.

After what was a somewhat eventful international break, it was time to return to normality and Premier League football. Surely nothing could spoil the excitement of club football. Little were the onlooking spectators to know that VAR would spoil the party not just once, but on multiple occasions over the weekend. It would be very easy to blame these issues on the VAR system itself, but the system isn’t the issue. Yet again it is the Referees that are the problem. The way referees are using VAR is appallingly bad, and certainly not the way in which it is intended to be used. I thought I’d take a look at each of the three major issues from the weekend, and see how better use of VAR by referees could improve things.

The first issue is that of a penalty not given for Watford against Spurs. The referee initially gave the wrong decision of not giving a penalty, when it was clear on the replay that Jan Vertonghen had taken two swipes at Gerard Deulofeu whilst on the ground. This should be a simple example of a ‘clear and obvious error’ made by a referee, and the decision is objectively wrong. Despite this, after going to VAR the decision wasn’t overturned. This utter lunacy from John Brooks, the VAR, highlights one of the major problems with the way VAR is used. He refused to overturn a decision already made by a referee, but also, like in every other use of VAR, the referee didn’t actually look at it himself on the screen between the dugouts. This screen is supposed to be a key part of the VAR system, and it is just that, when it is used in any other footballing competition. Just when the whole affair couldn’t get any more ludicrous, a VAR check on Dele Alli’s goal came up as ‘No Goal’ on the big screen. This was after the referee had confirmed the goal. There’s ‘teething problems’ and then there’s that.

Next up is Villa vs Brighton. Brighton had gone 1-0 up from a Webster header from a free kick (that shouldn’t have been a free kick, but ah well) and Villa had seemingly equalised before half time, when Conor Hourihane fired home from the edge of the box. There seemed nothing wrong with the goal until the dreaded ‘VAR check’ image came up on the big screens round Villa Park. The goal was then disallowed for a ‘foul in the build-up’ despite no one in the stadium having any clue that a possible foul had even occurred. The foul was by Wesley when he jumped and challenged the Goalkeeper, Matt Ryan, for the ball. Wesley slightly laid his arm on Ryan and that was apparently what made Ryan flap at the ball and only palm it away. I have a suggestion as to why Ryan flapped at the ball, he’s only six-foot-tall and isn’t very good at claiming crosses. Yes, goalkeepers have to be protected from harm, but there was absolutely nothing in this aerial challenge. That certainly wasn’t a ‘clear and obvious error’ by the referee, even the Sky commentator said Ryan ‘certainly wasn’t fouled’ when the incident initially happened. Yet again, the referee didn’t go to the small screen to look at it himself, which begs the question ‘what’s the point in installing them at every Premier League ground?’. Alan Shearer, the most vehement defender of VAR to this point, other than the Premier League and referees, even had a rant on Match of the Day saying that VAR is being implemented incorrectly and the screens need to be used. To rub some salt in the wound the same VAR and Referee team of Coote and Atkinson decided to not overturn a goal in the Manchester United vs Liverpool match, for a similar innocuous foul. The inconsistency in both refereeing and the use of VAR is the most infuriating part of it, because there is a genuinely good system in there somewhere.

The final major example example is from Leicester vs Burnley. When Chris Wood scored for Burnley to make it 2-2 there seemed to be very little wrong with the goal, other than Johnny Evans theatrically throwing himself to the floor. However, Evans complaints lead to a VAR check. Even though there was minimal contact between Wood and Evans as the ball rolled over the line, and Evans wouldn’t have been able to clear the ball even if Wood hadn’t caught him, the goal was overturned. You can probably guess that once again, the referee didn’t look at the issue himself and so blindly went with what the VAR said happened. Burnley fans have every right to feel particularly aggrieved that they didn’t earn a valuable point. This is a huge example of where the screen for the referee should be used. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited however, is ‘pleased’ with how VAR has been implemented, a quite frankly astounding statement. They also told Referees to use the pitch side review areas ‘sparingly’, apparently sparingly actually means ‘under no circumstances’. Mike Riley also stated that the referees have to consider the flow of the game when deciding to use the screens. I would counter that by saying it takes long enough for the VAR to review it, so why not stop undermining the authority of the on-field referee and let him make the decision?

It was refreshing watching the Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals at the weekend, because there is a system that works. The flow of the game is hardly affected by the checks, and the on-field referee always has the final say on what happens. Most importantly, the right decision is made the great majority of the time. On top of this there is no shroud of secrecy as to why decisions have been made, everyone in the stadium can hear what’s going on. A far cry from the confusion in the Premier League. It may have taken a number of years to perfect the system, but I’m sure it has never been as much of a shambles as VAR is in the Premier League. Premier League referees need to stop being stubborn and drop the system all together until they can make it work in a less convoluted way.

Before the international break, a decision from Kevin Friend baffled football fans and pundits. He decided to book Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish for simulation in the box, despite the fact he didn’t appeal for a foul. On top of this, whilst falling he passed the ball to his fellow player who scored. Don’t worry though, VAR has been talked about enough this season, surely it would come in and right the wrong. Apparently not, and Aston Villa were robbed of a valuable point. Though this is only one blindingly obvious case of poor refereeing, it does show just how stubborn referees in England are. In such a key scenario, Kevin Friend should have had the presence of mind to check his dubious decision, but no, he was too proud to realise he could’ve been wrong.

Maybe it wasn’t pride even that meant that Kevin Friend could make such a huge blunder and not bother to ask for VAR intervention. It most likely was the fact that even in cases of huge mistakes, there is no real system of accountability for referees. The FA will always agree with their precious referees and protect them in scenarios where a better standard of officiating should be expected.

The decision by Friend was infuriating enough, particularly coming from the point of view of a Villa fan. What was more infuriating however, was not only how there has been no punishment for Friend, but how other referees and ex referees have rushed to defend him.

A day or so after the game Robert Madley was on Talksport and defended Friend stating that it was an ‘honest decision’. It may have been ‘honest’, but it certainly wasn’t the right one. He then went on to show just how clueless he is by stating that if you had 100 referees in a room, 50 would give it as a penalty and 50 as a dive. This completely misses the point all together and it’s a point that has been brought up by a few sources, most notably on Sky Sports. Grealish didn’t want a penalty as he didn’t appeal and tried to play on, so there isn’t a decision that needs to be made on whether a penalty should be given or not. Madley also defended VAR saying it isn’t going to be perfect, which I agree with, but it is convenient that he comes and vehemently defends poor use of VAR when his brother Andy was in the VAR room for the game. If this isn’t proof of a referee ‘boys club’ I don’t know what is. The fact that he used to referee professionally really gives you paws for thought.

I agree that the protection of referees is necessary to a degree as without protections there would be no respect for them whatsoever. But the number of times a manager has been fined for vaguely criticising the refereeing is astronomical. You just have to search ‘referee manager fine’ on google and a huge list of fines for managers comes up. As a small sample, from last season alone, Rafa Benitez was fined £60,000, Jurgen Klopp was fined £45,000, Mauricio Pochettino was fined and banned from the touchline and I could go on and on.

This isn’t a new issue either, Gordon Strachan said in 2004 ‘I’ve gone in after defeats as a manager and told the press: “We played badly. I picked the wrong players, the wrong tactics, made the wrong substitutions. We weren’t at our best.” So why shouldn’t I speak the truth about a referee as well?’ This couldn’t be truer, players and managers can lose their jobs due to decisions that referees make that influence how a game unfolds, so why are they so unable to take criticism. If someone goes into work and does an awful job in any profession they will be criticised, apart from if you’re a referee it seems. The punishment for bad performances by referees in the Premier League is being sent to referee a Championship game for a week, and then you’re back in the big time like nothing happened. The real cherry on the top of the cake in the Kevin Friend scenario is that Friend has been selected to referee Norwich vs Manchester City on the television, after the international break. The FA has decided to bury its head in the sand and ignore yet another refereeing mistake. Surely if referees were held accountable for their mistakes the standard of officiating would increase. Referees couldn’t just swan through games and make big decisions just to get a quick 5 minutes of fame.

If something doesn’t change around the FA protections for referees and the ‘boys club’ isn’t broken up, VAR will never be correctly implemented. It will be an expensive waste of time for everyone involved.

Now for the big one, my Premier League predictions. I will get everything badly wrong, but that’s expected. I’d at least like to think I can get 3 or 4 correct positions, however maybe that’s being overly ambitious, just like Wolves and West Ham fans. I’ll probably do better than Paul Merson, though someone picking at random would be more accurate than him.

20^th Sheffield United

Sheffield United fans’ last memory of the Premier League was being relegated on the last day of the season. They will also remember then Manager Neil Warnock, being football’s most bitter man as per, blaming it on West Ham’s Carlos Tevez for scoring goals. This season’s lasting memories will be better, but just because they won’t contain Neil Warnock. The squad has nowhere near enough quality in it and some of their signing are diabolical. Whoever pulled the trigger on the £10million deal for Lys Mousset needs to have their head checked.

19^th Newcastle

The Stewards at St James’s Park will have to be extra vigilant this season, because someone will be throwing a cabbage at Steve Bruce after Newcastle have a terrible start. Though the signing of Joelinton seems interesting, and he looks like a player Bruce could use to great effect, other signings I’m dubious of. Allain Saint-Maximin was an attacking player in a Nice side that scored a grand total of 30 goals in 38 games, that suggests that Nice’s attack was anything but sharp and Maximin played 34 of the 38 games. Expect a low scoring and high conceding Newcastle team under Brucie.

18^th Brighton

The hype around Graham Potter seemed to calm down after he guided a lacklustre Swansea side to a midtable Championship finish. But Brighton’s plan of attack was to sack Chris Hughton, who had done well as manager, and bring in Potter. Though arguments could be made that Hughton was becoming ‘stale’ and starting to regress, I don’t think that Potter will have the necessary impact to stop the slide that was seen at the end of last season. Brighton’s recruitment in recent times has questionable at best also, with strikers like Jurgen Locadia and Florin Andone providing as much goalscoring threat while on the bench as when on the pitch. Due to this I’m very sceptical of any signings from abroad that Brighton have made this Summer, though the late addition of Aaron Mooy is a quality one.

17^th Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace’s season will depend on whether Wilfried Zaha will be bothered at all, after the club turned down bid after bid after bid for the Ivory Coast international. The rest of the squad lacks a certain amount of quality and if they lose their primary goal threat, Zaha winning penalties and Milivojevic scoring them, then the goals will dry up for Palace even more than they already have. Gary Cahill adds some experience at the back and James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa are decent midfielders, but there’s still something missing. Even at £2million the permanent signing of Jordan Ayew seems a bit much considering he can’t finish his dinner, let alone score more than a couple of goals a season. The strike partnership of Ayew and Benteke is about as threatening as a baby with a plastic spoon. Goals will be the biggest issue of all for Palace.

16^th Norwich

Norwich were the real surprise package of the Championship last season, coming out of nowhere to win the league. I think they’ll have just enough to stay up. The only issue could be players not being able to step up to the Premier League level. If Teemu Pukki doesn’t make the jump and score like he did last campaign, the canaries could slip into some big trouble. The signing of Josip Drmic as Pukki’s back up is an odd one, as his last decent season was about six years ago and he’s been plagued by injuries ever since. Daniel Farke has a style of play that’s attractive and attacking, and I don’t see him wavering from that, which could cause big issues for them.

15^th Burnley

Just like Sean Dyche’s voice, Burnley will be just as rough and gritty when playing this season as in previous years. I think they’ll have enough to just stay afloat again. In Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes, they have two proven Premier League quality strikers, and the fact that they’ve kept together the centre back partnership of Mee and Tarkowski is crucial. Their recruitment has certainly been unspectacular with Danny Drinkwater providing an extra solid midfield option, but their other signings have been poor. Jay Rodriguez managed 22 goals last season in the Championship (mostly from the penalty spot or his hands), but I’d argue he hasn’t looked the same since getting injured at Southampton a number of years ago. The less I talk about Erik Pieters the better, he has all the attributes needed of a solid defender, other than the ability to defend.

14^th Watford

Watford have had a good few years in the Premier League now and have seemingly been consistently improving. However, I think that this season will be the start of a gradual decline for the Hornets. The very trigger-happy board will certainly think of sacking manager Javi Gracia if they get off to a bad start and I could see that happening. There’s only a certain number of times that Watford’s transfer policy, signing unknown foreign players, can work. They have signed two experienced English players this window but I don’t think Danny Welbeck and Craig Dawson are actually Premier League quality. This will be the start of the decline for Watford.

13^th Aston Villa

I’ve tried to be as unbiased as possible when predicting Villa’s position this season. I think Villa fans have a great number of reasons to be optimistic. The ‘doing a Fulham’ comparison is an easy and lazy one to make for those that are very much ill-informed. Yes, a lot of players have been brought in, but three were already on loan, others have played under Dean Smith before and others know members of the squad. The only concern regarding the squad that I have is will the strikers at Smith’s disposal score enough goals? Record signing Wesley wasn’t an out and out goal scorer in Belgium and Jonathan Kodjia has had a couple of poor seasons after a great first season in Claret and Blue. Douglas Luiz looks to be a steal at £15million, though Man City have a buy back clause, and Tom Heaton could be one of the best signing of the summer for any club at £8million. I’m expecting big things from the Villans in the next few years.

12^th Southampton

Southampton looked very poor for the majority of last season. Enter Ralph Hasenhuttl. The Austrian certainly got Saints playing when he joined at the back end of the last campaign, and he guided them to safety with a few games to spare. His attacking and exciting brand of football along with some astute additions should see Southampton shoot up the table. They have been in desperate need of new centre backs particularly, with the recent crop being anything but solid. So, the Saints faithful will have to hope that 20-year-old Kevin Danso will be the answer to their prayers. Defending leads will be the issue for them this season as ever, as if fit Danny Ings should be good for around 10-15 goals this season at least, so scoring shouldn’t be a problem.

11^th Bournemouth

Bournemouth have a dynamic attacking line-up, that they have managed to keep together through the transfer window. This attack and the talent of manager Eddie Howe will spur Bournemouth on throughout the season. The issue will be whether the Cherries defence will be as leaky as ever or be improved due to the signings of promising defenders Jack Stacey and Lloyd Kelly. Even if the defence doesn’t improve that much, I can still see them securing a comfortable 11^th placed finish because their attacking depth is so good. Even if they’ll be missing talented youngster David Brooks for the majority of the season.

10^th West Ham

West Ham fans probably have wildly unrealistic expectations of what their team can do this season, after signing Sebastian Haller for £36million. The reality of the matter is, they’re West Ham and Haller will most likely look a shadow of the player that he is while in a West Ham shirt. Just like most of the forwards they’ve signed over the last ten years. I don’t expect any European football to be played in front of the empty seats of the London Stadium next season as fans of the Hammers may expect. Only about 5 or 6 of their squad are actually good enough to push them into the European spots. Any team that has the possibility of having a midfield pairing of Carlos Sanchez and Mark Noble will never rise above mid table mediocrity.

9^th Wolves

The hangover for Wolves from their tremendous 2018/19 season starts now. Though I don’t expect this to cause that much of a drop off, I don’t think Wolves’ squad is quite deep enough to deal with European football and maintain a top 7 finish. That being said, there is a good amount of quality in the Wolves team and I believe they’ll comfortably sit in mid table, which should calm down some of their overexcited fans.

8^th Everton

Everton have splashed some cash on some shiny new players yet again this summer, in the vague hope that some gel with the rest of the team, and propel them into the top 6. This plan has yielded mixed results, and I think this will continue. I’m still not overly convinced Marco Silva knows what he’s doing, and neither are some Everton fans, after some barren spells in the last campaign. Despite this, I still expect Everton to be challenging for European football, even though their spending over the last few years suggests they should be higher.

7^th Chelsea

As I said in my Championship predictions, I wasn’t overly impressed with Frank Lampard at Derby last season, despite the media gushing about how he did a wonderful job. He took a team that should have finished in the Play-offs or higher, and just scraped into the Play-offs on the last day. I think he lacks a certain level of managerial ability and knowledge in how to cope when things go against him tactically. I think this will cause a slip down the table for Chelsea this season, especially when the transfer embargo is considered as well. There is still plenty of quality in the squad and Christian Pulisic should be able to take up a little of the slack after Eden Hazard’s departure, but probably not quite enough. Up front could be a big issue for Chelsea as Giroud is a good player but doesn’t score enough. On top of this, Tammy Abraham, in my opinion, lacks the necessary finishing ability to be prolific at the top level, despite scoring 25 goals in the Championship last season. A disappointing but almost respectable season for Chelsea awaits.

6^th Leicester

Leicester have one of the most exciting attacking line ups in the Premier League, and if Brendan Rodgers had joined them earlier last season, I think they would have challenged for the top 6. The loss of Harry Maguire will hurt them defensively but I think other players will be able to step in and fill the gap. Having a genuinely attack minded coach will really help the Foxes push on and I think a 6^th place finish is easily achievable for a team full of young and hungry players.

5^th Arsenal

Arsenal were crying out for an addition at Centre back this transfer window, and they signed one… and then immediately sent him out on loan. Then they signed another… and it was David Luiz. As if Arsenal fans needed more of the torture of seeing how good their team is going forward, only for all the attacking efforts to be destroyed by abysmal defending. Their attack alone should see them guarantee Europa League football again. I look forward to watching the horror show that will be a pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz.

4^th Manchester United

Maybe 4^th is a bit of an ambitious prediction for Man United, but I think they have enough to get there. Harry Maguire is a good, if hugely overpriced, signing and he fits with the young core that Solskjaer is trying to build at the club. The prospect of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial actually playing up front and not out wide should excite United fans, as this is where they perform best. If Chris Smalling stays out the starting line-up United will finish higher than they did last season, and Maguire’s presence will make that more of a possibility.

3^rd Tottenham

Spurs fans will be delighted to know I expect them to put plenty of pressure on Liverpool and City this season, which has become their specialty in recent years. They are the Leeds of the Premier League, choking when the going gets tough and not winning anything when they really should. Their awful performance in the Champions League final epitomised that. Spurs’ squad is now absolutely stacked with talent with a few good summer additions, but even a shiny new stadium can’t make you a big club that wins trophies, as West Ham fans know.

2^nd Liverpool

Liverpool have arguably the most formidable front three in the world, and the best defence in the league when all of its members are fit. However, there isn’t a great deal of outstanding quality when you look outside the first team. This lack of depth, particularly up front, could come back to bite Liverpool in the big games. I think they’ll run City close again, but will ultimately not have enough to win the league.

1^st Manchester City

Man City had a scary amount of squad depth as well as quality last season, with the only flaw in the squad being the lack of a replacement for Fernandinho. In the summer, City have somehow added to this depth and, more importantly, found a long-term replacement for Fernandinho in the form of Rodrigo from Atletico Madrid. This difference in depth between Man City and Liverpool is what I think will set City apart and help guide them to a third consecutive Premier League title.

Now for where it gets more exciting, the top half of the table. Again, I’ll probably get it horribly wrong, and Reading will storm the league and win it by 20 points, but I’ll try my best.

12^th Blackburn

Blackburn have added some Championship Journeymen in Stewart Downing and Bradley Johnson this transfer window, hardly electrifying. One player who is electrifying however is Bradley Dack, and keeping hold of him for Blackburn would be a huge success and I could see them having a comfortable season thanks to his goals and assists. The addition of Sam Gallagher from Southampton is also an interesting one, another target man. This provides competition for Danny Graham, who was arguably the focal point of the Blackburn attack last season and extra competition is always good.

11^th Preston

Alex Neil is a good Championship manager and I see Preston having a solid, if unspectacular, season. Selling Callum Robinson will hit them hard in the goals department but I don’t think it will affect their league position too greatly. Bringing in David Nugent is a good bit of business as he is a proven Championship scorer, even though he’s in the twilight of his career.

10^th Derby County

The Championships 2nd biggest bottlers Derby apparently had a good season last term with Frank Lampard at the helm. I think if anything they had a disappointing one, only just sneaking into the Play-offs. Lampard took a team that got to the Play-offs, spent some money, got some great loan players in from his mates at Chelsea and Liverpool, and nearly didn’t finish 6^th. Without the loan players like Wilson and Mount that they had last season, I can’t predict any improvement for Derby and I see them sinking into mid table obscurity.

9^th Bristol City

The smallest and whiniest man in the football league, Lee Johnson, will be disappointed with his sides 8^th place finish last season. He’ll be even more disappointed this season, with the squad that he had being ripped apart year after year. I have a feeling Bristol City’s best year are behind them, and a gradual slip down the table is inevitable.

8^th Stoke City

Unlike their ‘famous atmosphere’ the Potters’ signings this transfer window are anything but famous. They’ve added Championship experience but that’s about it. However, as long as Sam Vokes is leading the line ahead of Mame Biram Diouf, who’s about as good at goalscoring as Ryan Shawcross with a broken leg, then I think Stoke will improve on a poor 2018/19 season. I could even see them sneaking into the Play-offs.

7^th Middlesbrough

I’m sure there was a huge sigh of relief from Middlesbrough fans when Tony Pulis left at the end of last season. New, but also Old, man Jonathan Woodgate knows the club well, and his promise to change the style of play and identity of the club will sound very pleasing to the Boro faithful. I think the current squad is good enough to put up a fight for a Play-off place, but ultimately isn’t good enough. New signings won’t be plentiful either with owner Steve Gibson feeling aggrieved by the effect of financial fair play on his club.

6^th West Brom

Slaven Bilic was one of the oddest managerial appointments this summer, and I don’t think he’ll be taking the Baggies in the right direction. If he was in charge of recruitment during his time at West Ham then West Brom are in for an extremely mixed bag of signings. The capture of Semi Ajayi looks interesting. However, the signings of Krovinovic and Zohore won’t make up for the 40 plus goals lost from Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez.

5^th Brentford

Bold statement; Brentford have the best recruitment team in English football. They buy cheap players who turn out to be very solid Championship players or better. So, I’m sure that all the players they have signed in the summer window will fit seamlessly into their system and style of play. If they can also keep hold of Said Benrahma and Neal Maupay, though the latter looks less likely, they have a team that could certainly secure a Play-off spot. Brentford will be the big surprise of this Championship season.

4^th Huddersfield

Huddersfield were the whipping boys of last seasons Premier League, but I expect them to come back from it relatively well. Philip Billing will be sorely missed in midfield but Aaron Mooy should be back at his best at the Championship level. Steve Mounie and Karlan Grant could terrorise Championship defences and provide plenty of goals. A Play-off finish would be a good one for Jan Siewert’s men.

3^rd Leeds

The Championship’s biggest bottlers Leeds will most likely bottle it again this season, despite having kept manager Marcelo Bielsa and signing exciting players like Helder Costa. It seems like they’ll keep midfield star Kalvin Phillips and his top-knot as well. Despite all the positive signs, Leeds have a reputation to uphold, of choking when the going gets tough. They should get top 2, but they won’t. At least they’ll finish top in something this season, the attendance table.

2^nd Cardiff

I have a great dislike of Neil Warnock and his constant moaning, but the man is an insanely good Championship manager. Despite being a tactical dinosaur his ability to squeeze everything out of distinctly average players is incredible, and I see him doing exactly that again this season. I would be very surprised if Cardiff aren’t at least in the Play-off spots.

1^st Fulham

Alexander Mitrovic, Anthony Knockhaert, Tom Cairney, Ivan Cavaleiro, Alfie Mawson… The list of quality Championship players at Fulham’s disposal seems to be endless, or more accurately about 18 players long. If that team can’t win the Championship then Scott Parker clearly isn’t cut out for football management.