MY ACCOUNT
The new year is nearly upon us and 2023 is set to be as unpredictable as ever in the Premier League.
Manchester City have won in four of the last five seasons, yet commentators still brand every title race a script you simply could not write.
We have decided to do the seemingly impossible and predict what could be in store for fans in the year ahead.
January
Arsenal swoop for Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk and Liverpool land World Cup hero Cody Gakpo, while Tottenham fans argue over whether Djed Spence should replace Emerson Royal at right wing-back in Antonio Conte’s XI.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa announce a new transfer policy which focuses on younger, emerging talents as they replace Philippe Coutinho with an injury-hit Eden Hazard.
Nottingham Forest’s run without a goal away from home extends to eight games, prompting them to sign German World Cup target man Niclas Fullkrug alongside 10 other bodies on deadline day.
February
Chelsea lose at home to London rivals Fulham but Graham Potter hangs on to his job as favoured replacement Roberto De Zerbi decides remaining at Brighton might be the better option.
Gakpo makes his first Liverpool appearance after since injuring himself in his first training session and scores the winner in the Merseyside derby, only to be sidelined for another two months in the celebrations as Jurgen Klopp demands the use of 11 substitutions to be allowed.
Erling Haaland scores his seventh goal against Forest this season in a 6-0 win — matching Darwin Nunez’s tally for the whole campaign.
March
Miguel Almiron scores his 14th goal of the season in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City after dispossessing Jack Grealish in his own half — and celebrates by giving the £100million man a big hug.
Frank Lampard is sacked by Everton as Sean Dyche is overlooked by the board in favour of loud-mouthed Canada boss and Durham native John Herdman, who loses 2-0 to Brentford in his first game.
Emiliano Martinez saves a Gabriel Jesus penalty before recreating his World Cup dance in front of the Arsenal supporters at Villa Park.
The Gunners get the last laugh as a late deflected Mohamed Elneny strike sees their title charge continue.
April
The wheels come off on Arsenal’s title bid after losing to Liverpool, West Ham, Man City and Chelsea as they crash out of the Europa League in the quarter-finals to Mudryk’s former side Shakhtar Donetsk.
Defeat at home to Brighton proves the final straw for Potter at Chelsea as Todd Boehly places himself in charge at Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season.
Haaland scores his 40th goal of the campaign from an unmarked header at a corner against Leicester as commentators announce they may have actually run out of superlatives for the Norwegian hitman.
May
The most unpredictable league in the world rears its head again as City win the Premier League and Liverpool finish second.
Arsenal cling onto third while Manchester United pip Tottenham to fourth as Boehly spearheads Chelsea to sixth despite losing their final two games.
Wins over Wolves and Bournemouth see Everton escape the drop, with Forest joining the beaten pair in the bottom three.
June
Attention turns to the transfer window as United announce the signings of Ajax trio Edson Alvarez, Mohamed Kudus and Dusan Tadic ahead of their return to the Champions League.
Antonio Conte leaves Spurs as Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son do a joint interview to reveal they also want to depart.
Daniel Levy blocks the moves but sanctions Dejan Kulusevski’s switch to Liverpool.
Dyche finally arrives at Everton as Herdman decides he prefers Montreal to Merseyside.
July
Christopher Nkunku and Youssoufa Moukoko arrive at Stamford Bridge but new manager Carlo Ancelotti presses ahead in Chelsea’s never-ending pursuit of a traditional No9 and earmarks Karim Benzema as their prime choice.
Beaten Champions League finalists City sign Jude Bellingham to leave Jordan Henderson devastated, before he quickly perks up after remembering it means he will stay as a regular starter at Liverpool in 2023-24.
August
Burnley win their first game back in the Premier League against Arsenal on Friday Night Football as manager Vincent Kompany shares a laugh with former team-mate Micah Richards on the Turf Moor touchlines in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Roy Keane brands the celebrations disrespectful.
Sarina Wiegman leads the Lionesses to another tournament triumph at the World Cup as those calling for the next England men’s manager to be foreign are dealt another blow.
September
Morocco star Sofyan Amrabat joins Tottenham on deadline day following a quiet second half of the season for Fiorentina — Spurs fans rejoice in the signing of a player they previously campaigned against arriving.
Arsenal put their opening-day defeat behind them with a run of five straight victories against teams in the bottom half. Supporters declare it their year once again.
Play-off winners Blackburn are heralded as a “real breath of fresh air” after Stoke-born Chilean Ben Brereton Diaz scores five goals during a run of three wins from their first six games back in the top flight.
October
Promoted Norwich finally face Fulham in the Premier League after the Cottagers managed to avoid relegation in their first season.
A drab 0-0 draw at Carrow Road leads many pundits to admit they “fear” for both sides.
The pressure piles on Eddie Howe at Newcastle after a gruelling Europa League campaign affects their Premier League form. Maurico Pochettino emerges as the early favourite to replace him.
November
Sacking season is in full swing as Brendan Rodgers finally leaves Leicester and Nathan Jones is axed at Southampton.
Rafa Benitez publicly declares interest in the Foxes post but ends up at St Mary’s, while Kompany makes a mid-season switch to the King Power Stadium from Burnley.
Title contenders United hit their first bump in the road after Erik ten Hag’s men are dismantled 4-1 by rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.
Gary Neville calls for the Glazers to finally sell the club despite the Red Devils still sitting comfortably in third.
December
Haaland breaks Lionel Messi’s record for goals in a calendar year with his 92nd strike of 2023 on New Year’s Eve.
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish announces his first single as a DJ as he teams up with Stormzy to push for Christmas No1 — but the pair are soundly beaten as LadBaby claim their sixth crown.
