It is less than three months since Pep Guardiola celebrated his first Premier League title as Manchester City swept away everything before them, but a new season is already on the starting block.
For the first time since the league's inception in 1992, the transfer window has closed before a ball has been kicked in anger which means managers will not be able to retool their squads at least until January.
Conversely, however, European clubs could still lure players away from the Premier League as the transfer window for other European league shuts at the end of the month.
While that adds a layer of intrigue to the remainder of the summer, it is unlikely to bother City, who have had a relatively subdued summer for their standards. The defending champions have signed Riyad Mahrez for a club record fee $77.4 million but were pipped to the post by Chelsea in the race to sign Jorginho, which leaves Guardiola perhaps one midfielder short of where he would like his team to be.
However, City have a squad bursting with talent and are odds-on favorite to become only the third team in history after Manchester United and Chelsea to retain the Premier League. According to Oddschecker, odds on Guardiola's men to win a second consecutive title fluctuate between 4/6 (-150.00 in moneyline terms) and 8/15 (-187.50).
Across Manchester, meanwhile, odds on United winning the league for the first time since 2013 fluctuate between 7/1 and 12/1 – their longest odds since 1991. Jose Mourinho has added Brazilian midfielder Fred, young Portuguese right-back Diogo Dalot and former Stoke City goalkeeper Lee Grant to his squad but he feels frustrated with a lack of further reinforcements. United finished second last season but a whopping 19 points behind City and don't look to have done anywhere near enough to bridge the gap.
Liverpool are second-favorite to win the title but at a considerable distance. The Reds are 4/1 to win their first league title since 1990 but after a summer of lavish spending saw them sign Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xerdan Shaqiri, expectations are high on the red half of Merseyside.
Despite the new signings, Liverpool's hopes of success will largely rest on Mohamed Salah's shoulders yet again. The Egyptian is 5/1 to be this season's Premier League top scorer, after scoring 32 goals last season.
England captain Harry Kane scored just two goals less than Salah last season and after winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup is 2/1 to be this season's top scorer in the Premier League. His chances of winning the league, however, are considerably slimmer, with Tottenham Hotspur fifth-favorite at 16/1 and as long as 20/1 with some bookmakers.
On the other side of the north London divide, meanwhile, Arsenal's odds to win the league for the first time since 2004 stand at 25/1. For the first time in 22 seasons, Arsene Wenger will not be leading the Gunners into a Premier League campaign and new manager Unai Emery has his work cut out.
The Spaniard's main target is to restore Arsenal into the top four after two seasons, with the Gunners 2/1 to clinch a Champions League spot.
Across London, Chelsea have also appointed a new manager in Maurizio Sarri and the Blues are 4/6 to finish in the top four, while their odds to win the league fluctuate between 12/1 and 20/1. Sarri has precious little time to assess his squad after being appointed in late July and the Blues could struggle to hit the ground running.
At the other end of the table, Cardiff, Huddersfield and Watford are the favorites to be relegated, with odds of 4/6, 11/10 and 2/1 respectively.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
Newsletter
