Premier League 2024-25 season: All that you need to know
The Premier League 2024-25 season begins this weekend. Champions Manchester City will start as the favorites as they aim for a fifth successive honor. Manchester United host Fulham in the Premier League opener on Friday night. Ipswich Town, who were promoted from the Championship, host Liverpool on Saturday before Manchester City travel to Chelsea on Sunday. Ahead of the season, here are the details.
Here are the matches on Matchday 1 (IST timings)
Manchester United vs Fulham: 12:30am, Ipswich vs Liverpool: 5:30pm, Arsenal vs Wolves: 7:30pm, Everton vs Brighton: 7:30pm, Newcastle vs Southampton: 7:30pm, Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth: 7:30pm, West Ham vs Aston Villa: 10:00pm (Saturday). Brentford vs Crystal Palace: 6:30pm, Chelsea vs Man City: 9:00pm (Sunday). Leicester City vs Tottenham: 12:30am (Tuesday).
A look at the costliest signings in the summer window
Tottenham Hotspur splashed out £65m for the 26-year-old Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. Manchester United signed French defender Leny Yoro from Ligue 1 side Lille. Yoro joined in a deal worth £52.18m with a further £6.73m in add-ons. Chelsea completed the signing of winger Pedro Neto £54m (£51.4m plus £2.6m in add-ons). Aston Villa broke their transfer record to sign midfielder Amadou Onana for £50m.
Key outgoings from the Premier League
Manchester City sold Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for £81.5m. Spurs saw defender Emerson Royal leave for Serie A side AC Milan. Douglas Luiz left Aston Villa for Juventus. Michael Olise left Crystal Palace to join Bayern Munich. Fulham's Joao Palhinha moved to Bayern too.
Manchester United hit by injuries
Manchester United had a difficult 2023-24 season with a host of injuries and 2024-25 has started on a poor note. Yoro suffered a foot injury and is out for three months. Left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrel Malacia are recovering from injuries. Malacia didn't play a single game in 2023-24. Forward Rasmus Hojlund is injured too and will miss the starting matches.
Arsenal are the title rivals of Man City
Manchester City and Arsenal remain the favorites to bag the title. Arsenal came close in the last two seasons and are City's main title rivals. Under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners look solid. Last season Arsenal took it down to the final day, finishing two points behind City. Liverpool, who impressed in pre-season, start with a new manager in Arne Slot.
Can Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton survive?
Last season witnessed Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton go down. Notably, all three teams had gained promotion from the Championship. In 2024-25, the likes of Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton are the new sides. Will they face a similar fate like their predecessors?
New players to watch out for
Chelsea signed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester and the midfielder could be a vital asset for the Blues under Enzo Marseca. Manchester United signed defender Matthijs de Ligt. At 24, the former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern defender could thrive under ten Hag. Man City's Savinho, who arrived for £33.6m, is a promising player. West Ham availed the services of Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fullkrug for £27.5m.
Maresca, Slot and Hurzeler: Managers to watch out for
Former Man City assistant coach Maresca helped Leicester win the Championship title in his first season. He left the club to join Chelsea. His game is a lot like Pep Guardiola. Feyernoord's Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. He would be keen to showcase his mettle. 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history with his appointment at Brighton.
What are the changes this season?
As per BBC, attacking players blocking or obstructing opposition players at a set-piece will be penalized more strictly. A significant drop in stoppage time will be seen this season as there is a change in timing goal celebrations. Players' position of their arm or hand will be judged in relation to the movement of their body inside the box, resulting in lesser harsh penalties.
A tweak in VAR
VAR will only come to the picture when it sees without any doubt that the on-pitch official has made a clear mistake. Otherwise the initial decision of the referee will stand. This will result in fewer stoppages for marginal decisions to be repeatedly rewatched.
