🎙️ The Totally Football Show •August 20, 2026 •⏱️ 45 min

Premier League preview part 2: Who could surprise us?

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1. Executive Overview: Core Theses & Key Revelations

The eve of a new Premier League season traditionally brings a mixture of calculated optimism and procedural hyperbole. However, the preview conversation articulated on The Totally Football Show—featuring host James Richardson alongside analysts Daniel Storey, Jay Harris, and Duncan Alexander—offered a stark, unvarnished diagnostic of a top flight undergoing structural realignment. Far from a routine run-through of fixtures and transfers, the dialogue exposed systemic fractures across the division: from sovereign wealth recalibration at Newcastle United to high-stakes market overcompensation at Tottenham Hotspur, and severe empirical red flags threatening both promoted contenders and established mid-table institutions.

At the center of this watershed moment sits Tottenham Hotspur under newly appointed manager Roberto De Zerbi. Having endured consecutive 17th-place finishes—a reality beat reporter Jay Harris noted was entirely outside the brief promised when assigned to cover a perennial top-six contender—Spurs have initiated an aggressive, cash-drenched restructuring. By committing £100 million for Sandro Tonali and £80 million for Matias Fernandez, North London leadership has actively overpaid to bypass their lack of European football and secure elite talent. Yet, as Daniel Storey observed, this defensive and midfield blueprint faces an immediate crisis of structural asymmetry: a lavishly fortified foundation supporting an attack decimated by long-term injuries to Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Kudus, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons.

Simultaneously, the conversation illuminated a major geopolitical and financial pivot at Newcastle United. The departure of Eddie Howe—a manager worn down by relentless operational demands—coupled with a late-summer leadership vacuum, marks the end of Newcastle’s initial post-takeover expansion phase. With Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) redirecting focus toward internal player development, constrained by Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) alongside shifting domestic state priorities, the Magpies face an unprecedented period of fiscal discipline and identity realignment.

Across the rest of the league, the panel delineated clear analytical fault lines. Aston Villa, despite celebrating the end of their long trophy drought, face alarming structural erosion after liquidating key chance creators to satisfy UEFA financial regulations. In the bottom half, promoted sides present wildly divergent strategic models: Gary O'Neil’s Ipswich Town embracing pragmatic defensive rigidity, Frank Lampard’s Coventry City relying on emotional momentum despite acute defensive frailties, and Hull City entering the top flight carrying disastrous underlying expected metrics. This analysis dissects these core theses, examining the tactical, financial, and strategic dynamics destined to define the upcoming campaign.

2. Context & Background: The Landscape Leading to This Conversation

To fully appreciate the gravity of the perspectives shared by Richardson, Storey, Harris, and Alexander, one must evaluate the macroeconomic and regulatory environment governing modern English football. The current landscape is defined by the strict enforcement of Financial Fair Play (FFP) and PSR protocols, which have curtailed the era of unbridled, owner-financed deficit spending. Clubs that previously relied on capital injections to offset structural inefficiencies are now forced to operate within precise financial boundaries, creating severe operational friction for ambitious middle-tier sides and newly promoted outfits alike.

At Tottenham Hotspur, the context is one of acute institutional embarrassment turned into aggressive market intervention. Two years of finishing 17th transformed the club's narrative from top-four aspirers to bottom-half strugglers. The hiring of Roberto De Zerbi on a lucrative five-year contract represents an explicit attempt to break this cycle through tactical dogmatism and elite recruitment. However, operating without the financial windfall or prestige of Champions League participation required Tottenham to pay an explicit market premium—effectively front-loading cash transactions for Tonali and Fernandez to preempt rival suitors who possessed European football.

Conversely, Newcastle United’s situation illustrates the macro-shift governing sovereign wealth investments. Following their 2021 acquisition by PIF, initial expectations pointed to sustained, uncapped capital expenditure. Reality, however, has collided with regulatory guardrails. The enforcement of PSR, combined with broader strategic reallocations within the Saudi state's portfolio, has forced PIF to cap direct transfer injections. Howe’s resignation three weeks before the season opener was not merely a reaction to dugout fatigue, but the culmination of friction between managerial ambitions and strict corporate budgeting, leaving the club in organizational flux.

Meanwhile, the tier of promoted clubs reflects an escalating competitive gulf. Parachute payments have created a two-tier Championship, making organic promotion—such as Coventry City’s triumph under Frank Lampard—a rare feat achieved despite modest financial resources. However, historical data indicates that Championship attacking volume rarely translates to Premier League survival without substantial defensive consolidation. As clubs prepare for kickoff, the systemic friction between tactical ambition and financial reality forms the indispensable backdrop to this season's preview.

3. Deep-Dive Thematic Breakdown

The panel's discussion exposed six primary analytical pillars defining the tactical and structural trajectory of the Premier League. The following deep-dive examines each thematic node in technical detail.

3.1 Tottenham Hotspur: De Zerbi's Structural Overhaul and the Front-Line Deficit

Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer strategy represents one of the most aggressive squad overhauls in recent Premier League history. Having finished 17th in back-to-back campaigns, the board backed Roberto De Zerbi with a massive capital outlay, securing Sandro Tonali for £100 million and Matias Fernandez for £80 million. Supplemented by free-transfer acquisitions of Robertson and Marco Senesi, alongside Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke, Tottenham have fundamentally re-engineered their central axis. Retaining key defensive assets—including World Cup winner Pedro Porro, Mickey van de Ven, and emerging goalkeeper Anton Kinsky—provides De Zerbi with elite tactical flexibility out of possession.

However, Daniel Storey and Jay Harris identified a fundamental structural paradox: while the lower two-thirds of Tottenham’s tactical structure look immaculate, the attacking front-line suffers from severe personnel depletion. Top scorer Richarlison (11 goals last season) remains plagued by chronic fitness issues, while Dominic Solanke has managed starts in under 50 percent of league fixtures across two years due to persistent ankle, knee, and muscular ailments. With Kudus sidelined since January by a severe quad injury, and both Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons recovering from anterior cruciate ligament tears, De Zerbi enters opening weekend without a fully functional frontline.

"You'd say that the first two levels of the house look absolutely immaculate, but there's potentially no roof at the moment." — Jay Harris on Tottenham Hotspur's squad construction

This availability crisis forces severe tactical compromises. As Harris emphasized, De Zerbi may be compelled to deploy natural central midfielders like Conor Gallagher or Lucas Bergvall in wide roles against Brentford. Storey cautioned that Tottenham’s deliberate strategy of overpaying to lure marquee names without European football carries immense operational risk. If results falter during the early autumn fixtures, high-earning marquee signings could quickly question the project's viability, placing enormous pressure on De Zerbi to engineer rapid cohesion.

3.2 Newcastle United & Sovereign Wealth Recalibration: FFP, Strategy Shifts, and Howe's Exit

The managerial exit of Eddie Howe at Newcastle United marks a profound operational pivot for the club. Howe’s departure—occurring just three to four weeks before the season opener—was characterized by Storey as the inevitable outcome of mental exhaustion compounded by wretched executive leadership. Leaving a manager to navigate an intense pre-season before allowing an abrupt departure on the threshold of competitive action underlines an organizational governance breakdown inside St James' Park.

Beyond the dugout vacancy, Storey highlighted a fundamental shift in ownership philosophy. PIF’s strategy has visibly pivoted from aggressive squad acquisition toward player development and financial discipline. This realignment stems from two distinct pressures: the rigid boundaries enforced by Premier League PSR rules, and broader strategic reprioritization within PIF and the Saudi state. The era of unchecked market spending at Newcastle has officially given way to an era of organic asset development and fiscal restraint.

"PIF have seemingly pivoted to a strategy of player development rather than a heavy investment. Partly due to restrictions of financial rules and partly because there are other priorities within PIF and the Saudi state at the moment." — Daniel Storey on Newcastle United's operational strategy

This operational pivot creates immediate tactical and competitive headwinds. While rival clubs like Tottenham spend heavily to reshape their squads, Newcastle face squad stagnation and tactical recalibration under a new managerial setup. Duncan Alexander noted that underlying metrics from the previous campaign already flagged Newcastle’s vulnerability, placing them in danger of sliding into the bottom half—or even suffering relegation turbulence—if the strategic pivot fails to generate immediate developmental yields.

3.3 Aston Villa & Everton: Post-Peak Fragility, Regulatory Constraints, and Mid-Table Stagnation

Aston Villa’s outlook presents a classic case of post-peak structural regression. While supporters celebrated ending a multi-decade trophy drought, Storey issued an unsparing assessment of the squad's underlying trajectory, forecasting a bottom-half finish. Villa face the imminent loss of primary chance creators Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, having already shed six first-team regulars to comply with UEFA financial regulations. With Emiliano Buendia (six goals) standing as the highest-scoring retained player, Unai Emery’s squad has been stripped of its essential offensive engine.

Storey applauded the pragmatism of Villa supporters who acknowledge that conquering the cup mountain justified subsequent turbulence. Nevertheless, from an analytical standpoint, replacing proven elite performers with unproven additions under tight financial constraints creates acute exposure. The loss of positional cohesion and established goal output leaves Villa highly susceptible to prolonged winless runs during the opening months of the campaign.

Everton present a parallel narrative of operational stagnation. Despite securing political headlines through prime ministerial fandom, the club's sporting growth remains muted. Entering what Storey anticipates could be David Moyes’ final season before transitioning to international management, Everton have failed to resolve long-standing positional deficiencies—most notably a right-back void that has persisted for over five years. Although retaining Iliman Ndiaye and acquiring Brennan Johnson in a swap deal provides tactical functionality, Alexander noted that Everton’s late-season collapse last year lingers heavily, threatening a return to uninspiring mid-table drift.

3.4 The Promoted Triad: Tactical Divergence Between Coventry, Ipswich, and Leeds

The three promoted sides enter the Premier League utilizing contrasting tactical and financial methodologies:

  • Coventry City (Frank Lampard): Achieved promotion through emotional momentum and extraordinary late-game rescues. However, owner Doug King's refusal to match parachute-payment inflation leaves Coventry with an essentially Championship-caliber roster. While acquiring Taiwo Awoniyi from Nottingham Forest introduces proven Premier League physicality, Coventry’s permeable defensive record in the second tier portends severe vulnerability against top-flight transition attacks, underpinning Storey's 19th-place relegation prediction.
  • Ipswich Town (Gary O'Neil): Embraced radical tactical pragmatism. Storey selected Ipswich as his premier survival pick, attributing this outlook to the appointment of Gary O'Neil. Moving away from expansive, high-risk systems, O'Neil brings a structured, low-block defensive discipline designed specifically to accumulate points against middle-tier opponents. This shift provides Ipswich with a viable defensive floor.
  • Leeds United (Daniel Farke): Represents the most stable of the incoming sides. Following a mid-season formation change under Daniel Farke, Leeds recorded the seventh-best points total in the Premier League from mid-December onward. Supported by intelligent transfer business—including the additions of Harry Wilson, goalkeeper James Trafford, and a formidable central defender—Elland Road experiences a rare period of managerial and fan alignment.

3.5 Relegation Dynamics: Hull City's Expected Points Crisis and Sunderland's European Hangover

The relegation landscape features severe statistical red flags for Hull City. Beat reporter Jay Harris cited advanced metric data indicating that Hull ranked as the second-lowest team in the Championship last season for expected points (xP). Effectively, Hull’s promotion was powered by unsustainable conversion variance rather than structural superiority. Entering the Premier League with an underlying quality metric lower than almost every second-tier competitor positions them as primary candidates for rapid return to the Championship.

Sunderland and Crystal Palace face distinct structural challenges that threaten their top-flight status. Alexander highlighted Sunderland's precarious position, noting that their underlying numbers last season ranked among the bottom three in the top flight. Compounding this domestic fragility with the physical demands of European competition risks exposing their thin squad depth, making them vulnerable to a sudden downward spiral.

Crystal Palace were highlighted by Storey as an outsider candidate for relegation. Following managerial changes and squad turnover, Palace risk losing the defensive solidity that previously guaranteed mid-table security. Meanwhile, Fulham under newly appointed manager Arbeloa navigate their own transition following Marco Silva's departure. While Arbeloa’s Real Madrid connections facilitated promising acquisitions like Garcia and Palacios, the loss of core leaders creates tactical uncertainty that could draw them into the lower-table battle.

4. Speaker Perspectives & Analytical Contrast

The analytical strength of The Totally Football Show relies on the distinct, complementary methodologies brought by its panelists. Daniel Storey operates as the unsparing investigative pragmatist. Unmoved by romantic narratives or club reputation, Storey focuses on structural governance, managerial friction, and squad depth. His willingness to project Aston Villa into the bottom half and tip Ipswich Town for survival highlights an analytical framework grounded in cold operational realities rather than historic prestige.

Jay Harris provides insider context and granular data analytics. As a beat reporter, Harris translates off-field operational dynamics—such as Tottenham's two-year 17th-place finishes and contract negotiations—into concrete tactical evaluations. His integration of advanced statistical metrics, including player start percentages and expected points (xP) data for Hull City, injects empirical rigor into the discussion, ensuring that performance evaluations remain anchored in data.

Duncan Alexander functions as the historical context builder and statistical archivist. By connecting Tottenham’s current rebuilding effort to their late-1980s spending sprees under Gascoigne and Lineker, Alexander contextualizes modern squad construction within broader historical cycles. His focus on form continuation—such as Leeds United's mid-season resurgence and Everton's late-season decay—provides perspective on momentum dynamics. Host James Richardson seamlessly orchestrates these viewpoints, probing contradictions and drawing out strategic conclusions.

Panelist Primary Methodology Key Tactical / Relegation Prediction Core Risk Identified
Daniel Storey Structural & Governance Analysis Ipswich to survive; Villa bottom-half; Coventry 19th Spurs frontline injury crisis & Villa squad liquidation
Jay Harris Empirical Metrics & Beat Intelligence Hull City severe relegation risk based on xP Tottenham operational tension without Europe; Hull xP crash
Duncan Alexander Historical Trends & Advanced Data Sunderland & Palace relegation candidates European fixture congestion diluting thin rosters
James Richardson Editorial Synthesis & Directing Probes Facilitated narrative breakdown across all 20 clubs Managerial turnover destabilizing club identities

5. Strategic & Industry Implications

The insights generated throughout this preview panel illuminate several macro-level trends reshaping elite European football. Primary among these is the absolute enforcement of financial sustainability rules (PSR and UEFA FFP), which have fundamentally altered squad building strategies. Aston Villa’s forced sale of core starters despite ending their trophy drought demonstrates that sporting success no longer grants immunity from financial compliance. Clubs must now build squads with continuous liquidity in mind, accepting periodic asset liquidation to maintain structural stability.

A second major implication concerns the evolving deployment of sovereign wealth in sports portfolios. Newcastle United’s strategic pivot away from heavy transfer spending toward internal development indicates that nation-state owners are recalibrating their investments. Controlled by domestic state priorities and FFP caps, sovereign wealth funds are shifting focus toward long-term infrastructure and youth academy yield, ending the brief period of unrestrained market disruption.

Furthermore, Tottenham Hotspur's strategy illustrates the escalating financial penalty associated with missing European qualification. To attract elite talent like Tonali and Fernandez without Champions League football, Tottenham had to overpay both in transfer fees and wage structures. This strategy creates a high-stakes operational model: failure to achieve immediate top-four qualification risks triggering financial strain and player dissatisfaction, illustrating how missing out on European competition multiplies squad maintenance costs.

Finally, the managerial marketplace reflects a growing premium on tactical adaptability over established reputation. Appointments like Oliver Glasner at Nottingham Forest, Gary O'Neil at Ipswich Town, and Arbeloa at Fulham demonstrate that mid-tier and promoted clubs are prioritizing tactical systems tailored to specific roster constraints rather than hiring marquee figureheads. As the gap between top-tier resources and the rest widens, managerial competence in optimizing low-block efficiency and transition metrics has become the central determinant of Premier League survival.

6. Looking Ahead: Unresolved Questions & Key Milestones

As the Premier League season commences, several quantitative metrics and operational benchmarks will serve as early indicators of the panel’s theses. At Tottenham Hotspur, performance during the opening ten matchdays will hinge on De Zerbi’s ability to generate attacking output despite his depleted frontline. Key metrics to monitor include non-penalty expected goals (npxG) generated by improvised wide players like Gallagher and Bergvall, alongside the recovery timelines of Solanke and Kudus.

At Newcastle United, the immediate post-Howe era requires monitoring squad cohesion and defensive stability under new leadership. Analysts must track whether PIF’s developmental pivot yields first-team contributions from academy graduates, or if squad stagnation leads to a plummet in expected points. Concurrently, Aston Villa's early-season trajectory will depend on whether Unai Emery can reconstruct a functional attack following the departure of Konsa and Watkins, with particular attention paid to Buendia's creative burden.

In the relegation battle, the validity of advanced metrics will face an immediate test. Hull City’s performance against expected points models will demonstrate whether second-tier overperformance can withstand Premier League intensity, or if an immediate statistical crash occurs. Similarly, monitoring Ipswich Town’s defensive concession rates under Gary O'Neil will reveal whether tactical pragmatism can overcome financial limitations. The opening fixtures—beginning with Arsenal versus Coventry—will set the baseline for what promises to be an extraordinary campaign of structural realignment.

💬 Key Quotes & Speaker Breakdown

Newcastle United manager change

"Howe got very weary. I think it was the right time for him to leave, although the leadership that allows him to pick his own time and to do that three or four weeks before the start of the new season is pretty wretched."

— Daniel Storey

Newcastle United ownership strategy

"PIF have seemingly pivoted to a strategy of player development rather than a heavy investment. Partly due to restrictions of financial rules and partly because there are other priorities within PIF and the Saudi state at the moment."

— Daniel Storey

Tottenham Hotspur transfers

"They spent 100 million on Tonali. They spent 80 million on Fernandez because that was how they got to the front of the queue having finished 17th and having no European football."

— Daniel Storey

Aston Villa form

"I really rate the fact that Aston Villa fans seem to be going, 'Well, we ended the trophy drought. We conquered the mountain.' But as an outsider, there are red flags about that squad. I think they will finish bottom half."

— Daniel Storey

Tottenham Hotspur

"I've been covering Spurs for two years now. And they finished 17th on both occasions, which was not part of the bargain when the bosses said to me, 'You're going to cover a club competing for the top six every year.'"

— Jay Harris

Nottingham Forest manager

"Oliver Glasner is quite frankly the highest profile manager in terms of the recent success that Forest have appointed since Brian Clough."

— Daniel Storey

Hull City relegation prospects

"Hull were the second lowest team in the Championship last season for expected points. Effectively, based on the quality of their football, they were the second worst team in the division."

— Jay Harris

Ipswich Town survival

"I think Ipswich are going to stay up. That feels like a hot take, but I think getting Gary O'Neil in allows them to play a more pragmatic, defensive brand of football."

— Daniel Storey

Tottenham Hotspur squad analysis

"If you were to compare Spurs to a house, you'd say that the first two levels look absolutely immaculate, but there's potentially no roof at the moment."

— Jay Harris

Crystal Palace manager

"I've just got a feeling it's not going to work for [Piers] Sage at Palace. It just feels like a big move for him to come to a London club and try and keep that success going."

— Duncan Alexander

Journalism/Match coverage

"I think there's a slight chance I might do a hundred live games this season, which would be a first and would be fun."

— Daniel Storey
📜 View Full Episode Verbatim Transcript 49,159 characters
London Town. I just flew in to do some previewing of the brand new Premier League season on this totally football show. It's the second of our looks ahead and it looks like this. Today we're talking Spurs and Newcastle. Spurs players are exciting. Newcastle players are exiting. What will be happening to those two teams in the months ahead and what are the promoted sides? Coventry. Fresh up from the champs with super Frankie Lambs. Gary O'Neal. He has his detractors. How will he do with detractors and the Tigers? Are they set for the worst hull performance since the Titanic? Answers on the way in this totally football show. And hello there. Yeah, off we go with another of our preview shows. Once again, we're joined by Duncan Alexander. Hi, Duncan. Hi James. Nice to see you. Jay Harris. Hey, how are you? Yeah, it's been a while. Yeah, I was in Chicago in the summer. Will you guys run in sunny L.A. And now we're reunited. And it feels so good. It does want to hear all about your summer and so much more. And also the gentleman who joins on the big screen because literally there's no room in the studio. Daniel's story. Daniel. Welcome back me. Welcome back to you. Yeah. Are you missing that motel life? No, because I'm going on the road again this season. I think I said to my boss to the day, I think there's a slight chance I might do a hundred live games this season, which would be a first and would be fun. All right, where are you going to start? My match number four this season is going to be Arsenal versus Coventry on Friday night to open up this Premier League season. Of course, you've already got started and done three games. Well, the rest of us were off doing whatever ever it was we've been doing. Daniel, you will recall was all over the United States during the World Cup and we'll be performing a similarly thorough job on the football league season ahead and Premier League as well. Jay, what have you been up to since the World Cup? So I was in Chicago during the tournament and I was working on a TV show. And I know, well, listeners might not know that we're both big fans of the bear, but I have a confession. Not so much. I have a confession to make. I didn't realize until my final few days in Chicago that the original beef that the show is based on was a 10 minute walk from my apartment. No way. But my work commitments meant that I couldn't go. You never went. I never went. I feel quite, I feel quite bad about that. There's nothing I can say really to make you feel it. Duncan, you and I have already done a preview show. What was the highlight of that, would you say? Everyone deciding the Arsenal going to win the league. That was extremely great. It was really, really great. Yeah, no, but there was some surprises in there too. And I owed you to go and check it out if you haven't already listened. If you have, I hope you enjoyed it and you stuck around for this one. Well, that's nice. In the course of today's show, we're going to be speaking about promoted teams prospects. More of this crazy amount of new managers we've got in charge of Premier League sides. We'll also be answering some more of your questions. GH Trader says would be good to get thoughts on the transfer business of the promoted sides. All three have taken very different approaches. Well, definitely be touching on that. James says, I want to hear the thoughts on Ipswiches scored this time around compared to two seasons ago. Hold on, Jay will be coming to it. And TGF says, going down, question mark, hull, commentary, full of them. The sooner, says TGF, the Frank Lampard love in his over, the better. Wow. Well, as I say, the sides that have just come up will be coming up in the course of our conversation. We're going to be talking a lot with about Spurs. Jay, I was asking you before what you're looking forward to this season. And you said not covering a toxic Spurs. And I said, which club are you going to be covering then? And you said, no, you think Spurs are not going to be toxic with Thamaran. That's my hope for sure. I've been covering Spurs for two years now. And they finished 17th on both occasions, which was not part of the bargain when the boss is said to me, you know, we've enjoyed your work on Brentford. Now you're going to cover a club competing for the top six every year in the Champions League. It's not quite worked out. Right. Not top six, but toxic. Exactly. I must have misheard them. Very possibly. All right. Not 17th this time, Raoul. We'll be hearing the rationale behind that very shortly, but can I just quickly run through the fixtures? Because literally, this thing is about to kick off Friday night, Arsenal taking on Coventry. That's the opening game. Champs, the Lamps, Saturday, the lunchtime game is hardly against Man United. Everton, they're up against Crystal Palace. That's Piers Saint-Arge, sage, I'll call him. His first game in charge of the Eagles. Ipswich against Sunland at three. That's Gary O'Neill's first game in charge of the Tract Boys. Nottingham Forest against Leeds. Daniel, as you know, that's all of the Glastoners Premier League debut in charge of Forest. Then you've got Brentford against Spurs. The Jay Harris has covered us, Darby. There's more new managers of Hoy on Sunday with Man City taking on Bournemouth, both teams with Newman and the Dugout. Brighten against Asterville, also at two o'clock that day. Newcastle Liverpool a little bit later on on Sunday. Again, two new managers, but as Jassler or Jassler and Andoni in Iola. And then Monday, Fullham Chelsea, which as we mentioned in our first preview show, will be the last two managers of Real Madrid face to face in a West London Darby extraordinary. Anyway, what say we begin with Tottenham Hotspur? All right, then Jay, Tottenham Hotspur, New Bat line, you midfield, highest paid manager in the world. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I don't know if he is the highest paid manager in the world, but he's certainly on a lucrative five-year contract Roberto Deserbie. But it's been a complete different attitude we've seen from Spurs in the transfer market. Go back 12 months ago to last summer, they missed out on signing Antoine Cemento, Morgan Gibbs, White, Eber et Chezé, Brian and Bumo. They did sign Javi Simons, but that was, I think, the final few days of the window. It just felt like their recruitment was a bit scattered and then they suffered an ACL to James Madison. So it was just poor preparation for the new season. And this year, they've just come out and splashed cash, which we've never seen them doing this manner before. They're trying to record twice in the space of a week with Matthias Fernandez and Sandra Tanali. They're also signed Robertson, Marco Senessi on a free, I think, really intelligent deals, picked up Jan Paul Van Hecker from Brighton. And I think what's equally important, which we shouldn't overlook, is they got Antoine Kinski signed a new contract and Mickey Van Averne and Pedro Poro. And considering Poro's just won the World Cup with Spain and Spurs have been pretty bad for the last years. I don't think anybody would have blamed him for seeking a new challenge this summer, but clearly he's been impressed by what Deserb, he wants to do and decided that he should should stick around. They don't have any Europe. They don't have any Europe, no. But we obviously record this before the transfer window closes. The big question mark over what Spurs can achieve the season is all about what are they going to do in the final couple of weeks with that attack because at the moment, that is of a real concern. Right. So Roshanathan was top scorer last season, which speaks to the poor city of options. What do they need to do? What are they looking to do? So you're right. Roshanathan, I think, was top scorer with 11 goals last season. But he's never been fully fit over the last couple of years. So I think going into a season where he's your most consistently available striker is risky. I'm a huge fan of Dominic Selanke. I think he's a great footballer, but over the last 18 months, he struggled with ankle knee, muscle injuries, something has happened, whereas he was the epitome of consistency during his time at Bournemouth. I think across his last three seasons there, he only missed five league games during his two seasons with Spurs. He's only started 36 league games, so less than 50%. Sorry, I'm stealing on the stats today. So right now, we're looking at Saturday's game against Brentford. I don't really know who's going to start up front for them. Rachelis and Frida Middle, yes. Matisse Tell on the left. Well, Kudus has not played since January because of a quad injury, and he's not featured a tall in preseason, although I think he's back in training. I can't suddenly imagine him starting, maybe off the bench. Wilson Oderbeer's out with an ACL. Javi Simons is out with an ACL. Kudus Seski's not played in over a year because of a kneecap injury. So do you put Connagallegor on the right wing? Do you put Lucas Bergval out wide? I'm not really too sure. So I guess if you were to compare Spurs to a house, which for some reason I am, you'd say that the first two levels of the house look absolutely immaculate, but there's potentially no roof at the moment. Right. Okay. Which in the current weather is probably okay, but you want to get it sorted out before, say, I don't know, Daniel, what do you think? What should the architect be adding to this particular edifice? I mean, Jay is absolutely right about the attack, and I completely take the point about the investment in those players. There's two concerns I have. One is the sheer amount of change because it's not unthinkable that Spurs have start with a at some point start with a sense about combination of Sunessi and Van Hecker and a central midfield combination of Fernandes and Tanali who are all new as a huge amount of change to make work quickly. And the other thing, and Spurs has not like me saying this, but I'm not 100% sure why some of those players have joined, what the motivation was, and what I mean by that is I think Spurs have deliberately calculated that they needed to overpay to get the deals done quickly. So they spent 100 million on Tanali. They spent 80 million on Fernandes because that was how they got to the front of the queue having finished 17th and having no European football, which is great. And that's, you know, it's got those players in, but you then have to keep those players happy really quickly. Otherwise, they start to think, well, why did I move here again? So they need to hit the ground running. I think that's my point. Even October, they are 13th, 14th, 15th and the league. It just creates this sense of like, oh, we spend all that money, but what has actually changed to take us up? Let's face it, they want to be finishing 11, 10, 11 places higher this season. I need to see that to believe at first. Having said all that, they are tremendously exciting additions to the side, Duncan. Yeah, it feels like a long time since the clubs sort of completely reshape their team in summer. It feels like, I don't know, like early, late 80s, early 90s Tottenham, when they brought in players like Gascoyne and Linnaker and really sort of, you didn't really know what to expect and maybe they didn't achieve as much as they could have done with those players, but it was good time. Yeah, memorable time. I think it was so toxic it spurs at points last season. I mean, it's kind of sweet that Kinsky is now first choice, goalkeeper, because who would have predicted that after that Champions League game when it was just felt so sorry for him. So I do think there's obvious progress, but to Daniel's point, I think they do need a good start. More than most teams, I think they need a good start. Well, they were ruthless. Jay, when they take on Brentford this weekend, because Brentford made one or two interesting signings themselves, eh? Yeah, I think Brentford Summer has been very different to last year as well. A huge summer of change with Thomas Frank leaving, Christian Norgard and Boomo Vissa, and this has just been a bit more of a quiet summer just building upon the great work that Keith Andrews did in his first season at the club. Yes, Jordan Henderson has left, but they brought in Mamadu Sangari, club record signing, one of the best players in the French league earn last year. So I think hopes are really high for him. I think one of Brentford's biggest problems last year and is the main reason why they just missed out on Europe was if Tiago wasn't scoring, it was just a complete lack of alternative options going forward. I think their backup winger last year was Reese Nelson, who ended up with something like 188 minutes in the Premier League, something obscene because of injuries, et cetera. So bringing in Jaden Antony from Burnley, okay, it's not the most eye catching deal, but he had pretty solid numbers in the Premier League last season, bringing Canon Wilson from West Ham as an alternative Tiago. I think it's just really sensible, shrewd stuff. So I think there'll be a difficult proposition at the weekend, for suppose. Suppose you're currently bottom of the table, because it's half-bethical. And for the first time, is this right? I'm going to put the first time in the history of the Premier League. There are no teams with names beginning with W in the in the 20 or in the division. Yeah, I think it's technically true for all time, top flight. A few people have pointed out games gone, but I think Willick Arsenal counted a couple of seasons at the start of the 20th century. So yeah, for fans of letters, it really is a whole new bull game. The athletic has a hopometer. Is that that's what you're going with, hopometer? Yeah, George Corkin's been entrusted with that. He's currently chronically the optimism pessimism payoff between supporters of clubs up and down the Premier League. You won't be surprised to hear that spurs. Supporters are up near the top of the moment, although currently leads. Count as the most optimistic. This time last year was Chelsea. That worked out so well for them. The other end of things, the teams supporters with a dim view of their prospects. You look at Newcastle, Everton, Fullham and Liverpool, Liverpool bottom. I kind of expected to see Newcastle down there, Daniel, on account of the enormous changes that have been happening on time. So anyhow, leaving a short time before the start, the new season and three of their most important players out as well. Yeah, and reflective, I think, of a fairly chronic lack of leadership, not necessarily this summer, but certainly in the 18 months leading up to Eddie Howe leaving in, which basically supports his first kind of realise that he was the only thing keeping the ship afloat and better than that and taking Newcastle forward and then realise that when he started making mistakes, there was nothing really beneath him to stop the fall. I think Howe got very weary. I think it was the right time for him to leave, although again, the leadership that allows him to pick his own time and to do that three or four weeks before the start of the new season is pretty wretched and we have seen as a result that some of those key players rather like Spurs, I think. There has to be a reason for a player to want to stay at Newcastle and for a long time under how it was that morale and emotional buy-in that he felt and yes, that the the the very rich, the super rich owners allowed an ease of ambition. When that goes, there is very little reason to stay unfortunately and fans don't like me here saying that, but you've got someone like Sandra Tanani who says, well, quite fancy London thanks. You've got Bruno Gamara, she says, well, quite fancy winning a league title in my career thanks. You've got Anthony Gordon who says, well, I think I'm underappreciated, so I'm going to go abroad and a potential Champions League winner is going to sign me and at the same time, PIF have seemingly pivoted to a strategy of player development rather than a heavy investment. Partly, I think due to restrictions of financial rules and partly because I think how do I say this, I think there are other priorities within PIF and the Saudi state at the moment. So it's a really, really fascinating season for Newcastle. I think them and Villa are the two clubs where you could predict, as it stands now, there's such a vast range of finishing positions and I believe arguments on any of them. If that squad clicks, there is still enough talent there to finish in the top eight or nine under a really exciting manager. If the manager starts slowly and everybody who is still there thinks, ah, this was a summer, I should have got off the train as well. They can finish bottom five. They are the third highest spenders on players age under 21 in a single transfer window in Newcastle. I'm not sure what that stat really means, but it does suggest this pivot to prospects, which is true of the manager as well. My task, Yassler, Duncan. They've obviously got some filters on their software, the summer Newcastle, because when they saw Gimmer Rice to ask them, they were like, it's a record fee for a player in his position of his age. They've obviously very much know when and where they can shop for players, but yeah, I also think they're kit. You can't have a good season in a kit that ropey, so it's concerning. What I want to say about Newcastle is, and Daniel alluded to it a little bit, when teams decide to pivot and focus on signing people under the age of 23, 21, whatever it is, yes, I completely understand the theory behind it, but you can't take all of the leaders out of the squad. You need people to guide them, and that's clearly a lesson that Chelsea have finally learned with the editions of Henderson and Wellbeck. I hate to bang on the Brentford drum, but I remember speaking to someone from Brentford many years ago, and they said, there's no point putting two 20-year-old centre-backs together, right? You need to make sure that one of them's paired with a 30-year-old centre-back. Someone who's experienced who can help them guide them through mistakes, and I think the problem with Newcastle is that they just have almost an abundance of young talent at the moment, but who is going to be there to sort of hold their hand through difficult moments in the season? Throw in a manager who's experiencing the Premier League for the first time, and it does just feel like a recipe for the things going wrong. And I feel a little bit sorry for Yassler, who I think's conducted himself quite well in the first couple of weeks in his press conferences, and interviews and stuff. Baron and Mide, he's got come in at a time when things are going very wrong. He's remained quite calm, but I think the supporters are already growing frustrated with that overarching project, and I feel like if he does start slowly, not even necessarily because he's done anything wrong. The fans are just going to get restless, and St. James's Park is an amazing place to be when everyone's brought in, but if they're frustrated, then you're also going to sense that as well. And an opening, Game of Gids Liverpool, who for all of their are people over this summer to look a much stronger side in prospect. Very good. That's Newcastle. All loads more to talk about today. We're going to be touching on some of the other new managers taking charge. In fact, next up, let's see why not having on Forest fans are so positive about their prospects on Dole of a Glaston. Yeah, managerial move is all over the shop really. You can't move for wealth managers moving. All of a Glaston are in a nodding of forests. Who saw that coming? Not I. Palace replacing him with piercage, out of loss, full arm of replaced Marco Silva with Alvaro Arbeloa. Marco rose as in charge of Bournemouth. He says, Andoni hasn't left much room for improvement, which I think is a fair summary of the position there. That means by the players. Yeah. They didn't sell off all their best players though this time. True. Yeah. Well, possibly because Crupe is injured. All right. Forest though, Glastner, who has essentially swapped Crystal Palace for a team that finished a place below them last season. Why Daniel, does he fancy time off at Christmas or what do you think the reason is? It's a fair dig. I think you talked about the opometer and I think Forest were third or fourth in that on that list. I mean, 96% positive. I think that is a reflection of Glastner and nothing else. I think it's a reflection of I think most reasonable non-infatically pessimistic forest supporters so ruling myself out. See the chaos of last season is the new deal of that forest mania and that Oliver Glastner taking the job even is a symbol that that will end and that he can be the stable force. He is quite frankly the highest profile manager in terms of the recent success that Forest have appointed since Brian Club. Literally, if for the 50 odd years Forest have never managed to get someone, post someone that high. They've always gone for options that have built at Forest or have been slightly down on their luck. So it's a phenomenal appointment in that sense. It doesn't mean it will work but it's a phenomenal appointment. I also think they will keep hold of Morgan Gibbs White famous last words but I think he will give them one more season. Elliot Anderson has obviously left but they're going to rebuild them and feel the moment only Javier Slager to do that but you can expect another at least one more striker. You can expect another wing back and you can expect another central midfielder by the end of the window and also it's worth saying we're going to talk probably a lot about teams that don't have a European football or do have a European football and it really knackered Forest last season. So having between 14, 45 games is going to be a huge plus for Glastner because he experienced exactly the same things at Palace last season. So that'll help. Do you think he's a good fit for Forest, both in terms of the board remain also the playing staff? I think his acumen means that he is a necessary fit whatever else has happened. There are two caveats that one he tends to fall out with people and as you may have heard Forest Hover and owner who also can fall out with people and B Forest signed about 32 wingers last summer, most of which are quite expensive and Oliver Glazer doesn't play with wingers. So in terms of that fit, no. I think back where it sounds like it's going to leave, maybe to hold on low and Dan and Dois going to play as this kind of reserve number 10. We'll see how that goes. Hutchinson and Hudson and Doi goodness only knows but he will make it work. Everything you hear at the club is summaries that the players who are pretty disillusioned in March and April have come into preseason training needing to be impressed and the appointment of Glazer has done that. So that's why Maria is still there. That's why Nico Williams is still there. That's why Gibbs White is still there because Glazer is there. So they needed a statement and somehow Forest have managed to make one. An FA Cup and a Europa conference league trophy in his personal pal Maris from his time at Palace from whom Forest have managed to lure him away which I'm sure makes the deal even sweeter. He has managed in the Premier League before Palace's replacement for him, Piersage. Stone-wise as Julian Arons was a work to call him Julian, often full of praise for the lawns manager. Good to have a Premier League manager whose name is also in a roast dinner as well, it might help him settle. Him coming in at Palace, him like Matturcy Astler, not having had any Premier League experience, how do you think that's going to go Duncan? I think one of the managers that's not had Premier League experience is going to really struggle and that could be Jassler but Sarge is my guess. I've just got a feeling it's not going to work. You know Palace has had two amazing seasons and it just feels like it's a big move for him to come to a London club and try and keep that success going. And obviously they're in the Europa League now. They have got the dream of the perfect step from winning comfortably than in the Europa League, then in a Champions League. Go on. Roll Club Cup. Galactic, intergalactic mega tournaments but I fear they won't. And I think Inter Daniels went about four weeks, not having to play in Europe. Palace do. I think that's going to hamstring them as well. Yeah, it's born with the going to be in that Europa League as well. They've also got a manager who's not featured in the Premier League before. Marco Rosa, who's excited by Marco Rosa at the Vitality Stadium? I think it's a hospital pass but I think the ceiling was raised so high by Eriola that even it took some of the floor with it, right? So even a Bournemouth have a really bad season. I think a really bad season for Bournemouth. Same as Brentford is like 13th or 14th now, which is just a phenomenal thing to say about clubs of that traditional size. As he said a few minutes ago, they have kept most of the component parts. I would be really, if I was a Bournemouth fan, I would be desperate to wake up on September the 2nd and Alex Scott still be a Bournemouth player because I think that's game-changing in terms of how Rosa wants to run that midfield. And as a fan of a non-financially club, the thing about not selling players in June and July is that you worry that they're going to be sold in the second half of August and they will always be that worried. But the component parts are so good and so exciting. And so young in most places that I can't really see any huge issue. The club has also moved to do most of its business. I think other than probably a reserve goalkeeper Bournemouth had done. So he's had a decent preseason at it as well. And yeah, they're not a club that are going to, if they believe in Marco Rosa, they're not going to sack in the finishing 13th or 14th, but some other clubs might feel they have to do having finished in the top 8. So it's a really nice position to be in. I hope it works. I like him as a manager. I think following Eriola is really hard, but it's not the, it's not the kind of chaos of potential upheaval of palace and of fallen who I worry about far more than Bournemouth. And plus, it's the first ever European adventure. So the emphasis, the focus may well be on what they can get up to in the continent. There in Europe, nine Premier League sides are going to be having continental action of some sort or other, including Sunderland or in the Europa League too. And Brighton, who made it into the conference league out of all of these, the Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland, etc. Who do you think will actually make a rule go over in Europe? Maybe Brighton, because they've been in Europe before. Conversely, as well as been rich pickings for the Premier League sides. So that would be my tip. Although it has been reported today that they're going to be losing Carlos Beléber, he's on his way to, or potentially going to be on his way to Manchester United. Although Beléber didn't actually play that much much last season, I think he only started 23 times. He's formed sort of dropped off a little bit and Herzler brought him off at half time on four occasions. So actually maybe getting that money for him and reinvesting it in a different place is not the worst deal in the world. I think we're all doing a bit of sort of uning and ironing about all of these teams. And there's a really good reason for it, which is that last season, sixth in the Premier League, only one, four more games in West Ham, who went down. Right. So in fact, sixth, only one, three more games in West Ham, born with only one, three more games in West Ham. But all of the teams in that, sixth to eight teams, either one between 10 and 14 games. So it doesn't take a huge drop off because of Europe. So actually four, seven, eight, nine places. It makes it, I think, harder than ever with nine teams in Europe to pick how that's going to go. Because it's just a full of a cod like Sunderland. It doesn't only get 10 fewer points in your level with nothing in forest in 16. So that's what makes this really hard and basically impossible. And why I'm caveatting all predictions with we don't know what we're talking about. And what makes it even more dangerous is the fact that the side who've been locked into 17th place for two years now, and no longer going to be there. So that's what they're saying. Sorry, Duncan. Yeah. And to Daniel's point, I think, you know, we talked about it a lot last year. But this was the competitive top flight that a lot of people have been asking for for a long time. This is what used to happen a long time ago. You know, city, the only team in the 30s to win the league and then go down in the following season. What? I mean, that's not going to happen clearly. But it is that variation that we didn't see for a lot of the, the 2000s and 2010s. Right. And I like it. Me too. Who's going to be going down? What are the chances that the promoted sides can make a go of it and stick around? Let's discuss them next. Who are your promoted sides? They are, of course, convention city championship champions back up to 25 years. Ipswich, who will run us up, making an instant return, really, to the top flight. And Hull City, after 10 years away, who came in through the playoffs, aided perhaps by all that business with Southampton and that. I mentioned at the start, some of your questions about the transfer approaches of the various sides, GH Trader, would be good to get thoughts on them, very different approaches. How do we think each one's going to hold up? And the listener who was asking about Ipswich and whether they are better placed James, his name is. I'd love to hear the guys thoughts on Ipswich squad this time around. Compared to two seasons ago, consensus will go down, despite a totally different profile of player to the last time. Well, where do you want to start? Coventry, Ipswich and Hull. First of all, Jade, do you have strong thoughts? Hull, for example. Are they as doomed as everybody's making out? Brutally, personally, yes. And that's just because I've not been inspired by what they've done in the transfer business, whatsoever. I know they've signed Joe Gellhart and Matt Targett and a couple of guys who've got a Premier League experience, but not at the top level. I think they signed Morita from Sporting Lisman, a Japanese international. That is a deal that I'm quite intrigued by. And they picked up a centre-back from Rea Velocano, who finished 8th and that league last year. So there's a couple of things I'm intrigued by. Lucas Harrington. But he's 18, had a very rapid rise over the last six months year or so. Are we really expecting him to have a significant impact in this? First season in the Premier League? I'm not personally. And if he does, then full credit to him. I just don't think that they've... I mean, I can't say I watched a championship a lot, but my understanding is that Hull over-performed. Maybe he will expand on it. They over-performed in the championship. And the squad hasn't changed massively, and I've not seen a huge injection of quality into that squad. Well, they were tipped for relegation in the championship and ended up coming up. So who knows what similar predictions could mean for this campaign? So some people don't like underlying numbers and say, well, what actually counts is girls going in the net in real life. But I think over a long period of time, they do give you a guide to the strength of a team. And Hull were the second lowest team in the championship last season. I only share for Wednesday, obviously. For what? For XG performance, so looking, you know, expected points, have you want to cut it up? So effectively, based on the quality of their football, they were the second worst team in the division. And yet they've come up, which, as a huge fan of Derby, getting 11 points... I was just going to ask, as somebody who's personally invested every season in seeing if that... And you know how confident I am every year, it'll be fine. But this time? This time I'm worried. Worried about Derby's points total of 11. So I need a couple of early hole wins just to squeeze my concern. Is there not a part of you that thinks that the end of the season come made? We're going to be clipped up on Hull's social media channels. Like Sunderland did that last year, didn't they? Yeah, that's going to be us. I hope so. He said we'd get 11 points who actually got 12. And yeah, that's fine. May I help him? I'm pretty certain it was Sunderland who basically clipped up. Everybody who said they were going to go straight back down, etc. Made like a montage of it. Brilliant. That's going to be us. Yeah. Okay. I think Hull are going to go straight back down. Just need the exposure. Daniel, you'll take on Hull, please. I think Hull are going to go straight back down. I mean, I think they are in their defence. Last season was a lot to win. So, I mean, literally, they had no expectation of finishing, even in the playoffs, and they came up to the Premier League. That was probably 120 million pounds. I think the squad building they've done is sensible for a championship promotion bid, 27, 28. And that's to be honest, exactly how you should do it. There's no point having won the lottery. There's no point spending it all in the first year. So, yeah, I think good on them. I don't think going down needs to be a failure, and I think they will go down. All right. Who do you think is going to stay up then from the promoted sides? Well, the other two do it. I think Ipsirich are going to stay up. That's my, it feels like a hot take, because everybody's thinking the Premier Club should go, but I think getting Gary O'Neill in, although they didn't want to lose, McKenna. I think allows them to play a more pragmatic, defensive, brand of football, than I think McKenna would have done. It hasn't seemingly stopped the ambition of the club in the transfer market, nor their ability to get the players they wanted. There aren't many needle movers, but I think Issa Diopin and Sassalukic are a kind of dependable spine and Caesar was a really clever, signing my only issue. And Maedra? Yeah, Maedra as well. My worry is that I would like them to have a kind of physical, dependable, experienced striker to lean on. They've signed Emerson from to lose who is really raw, and I think he's got senior league goals in his career. So they're depending quite a lot on that. I worry whether goals are going to come from, but I think they will be kind of, I think they will be the hardest promoted club to beat. And that might be enough, but look, we're depending upon another wall happening, someone collapsing. I think the other thing with it, which is they've kind of copied Sunderland's approach by raiding France a lot, which obviously makes sense with O'Neill a bit being in charge, but they spent almost 200 of his league-on-experienced stress book, not for a long, obviously, but a bit. But they spent almost 200 million pounds, which... Are they fourth in Premier League net spend? I think so, as I've read that. Yeah, so my move since then, it's always changing at the moment, but that's a huge investment, and everyone... And they put a roof on their house. Well, it's their tractors, and it's more of a... Oh, that's so true. But it's a... It's a thatch roof. Can I ask a random question? Who's the best signing at the free-promoted teams? I'm always going to say Carl Rushworth, who the Coventry Goldie, who I think is actually exceptional when we're being Gleens Goldie in the next few years. Tell us more, Duncan. Well, I saw him online at Lincoln. He was Brighton Goldkeeper, playing Wickham, and he was the most outstanding keeper I've seen in league-on. He was at Coventry last year on loan, and was brilliant. His distribution's excellent. And I was really surprised. I was on holiday and saw a notification come up. It was like Coventry have spent 22 and a half million pounds on which, you know, to the 14-year-old me would have been a shocking thing. A Goldkeeper gains a Coventry City for 22 and a half million. But I think the fact they got him is, you know, really important. And I think he'll be really good this year. Amazing. Coventry, though, TGFs were saying, TGF you recall the listener mentioned back at the start, was saying, I'm not going to be really good this year, because Super Frank Lampard is not himself. A manager worthy of this level. Who would care to counter that argument? Daniel, he created last season the most phenomenal team spirit and will-to-will through late goals, through kind of fighting to the end, that I've, I think I've ever seen in the championship. Coventry were not amongst the top three favourites for the title at the start of the season, which is quite easy to forget when they waltzed to huge points' totals. But they did it effectively with a fairly championship-y squad. They'd spent well, but not heavily. They'd not, you know, they didn't have parachute payments. The owner, Doug King, is thoroughly invested, but is not going to spend 50 million in the championship, which some clubs are able to do now with the parachute money. That can be a determining factor in them staying up or going down. The caveat is that the defending last season, the championship was not brilliant. The defensive record wasn't great. They just scored a heck of a lot of goals. And you generally get punished more in the Premier League for those and have less fewer chances to score. I really like the signing of our knee from Forest. I think that's a kind of good getting Premier League experience in. I have them finishing 19th, so it's difficult to me to be wildly positive about it, but I think they'll give it a good go. I think they'll just fall short. The problem with all these promoter clubs is, have you signed enough players that makes you better for them in Crystal Palace and Sunland and Forest, and lead in all those clubs? It's really hard to do that. Okay. Well, let's get your bottom three predictions. And also, if you think anyone is going to survive, who are the established Premier League side, who are at risk of going down? You mentioned full of eyes. See a lot of people mentioning by the sound of it, some of us are even tempted by the notion of Newcastle being in that particular conversation. But your bottom three, Daniel, since you've given us one of them. Hostity, Coventry, and Crystal Palace is my outsider. All right, Duncan, are you thinking similar thoughts about Palace? Yeah, I'm worried about Palace. I would also concur about Fullham, Newcastle as well. I think Sunland as well, that if we're going to go down the underlying numbers, they were like 19th or 18th best team in the Premier League last year. Can they outperform again, maybe? But with Europe as well, I think it's going to be tricky. So I wouldn't be surprised to see a team from the Northeast go down, put it that way. Okay, would you like to give us a bottom three? Let's go how Sunland Coventry? I'm just going to be boring and go for free-promoted sides. Because just on Fullham, I have my concerns about Avara, Arbelo, but if he does badly, then he won't be in charge coming the end of the season, right? And I still think there's enough quality within that squad. Like Daniel just said, are the promoted teams going to buy enough players that are going to take them above the level of Fullham, who have Calvin Bassi, Alex Woobi, Yaki Manderson. Okay, yes, they've lost him and he has Wilson, and Marco Silva's gone and he did a tremendous job there for over five years. But I do think there's enough quality within that squad. And I do sort of wonder if, you know, bringing in some of that Arbelo, the benefits it has is his Ralford connections, right? Garcia and Palacios could turn out to be amazing signings and we're all sat here looking saying someone else should have bought them. So I do worry about them, but I also see enough evidence to think that even if things went badly under Arbelo, they'd be fine. And we're also all assuming things are going to go badly. They might do a pretty good job on them. Well, it's fair. Clip to that up as well. And then this time last year, not Jay to be fair, but everyone else is going, Keith Andrews, is it Brentford? You can't see that working. Any work. Do you know there's not been mention in any of this, except earlier on when I talked about which fans are the most optimistic? That's Leeds. Leeds have done some very Kenny transfer business. I would suggest Daniel is that right? And what is their threshold? Well, what their threshold is? But from mid-December to the end of the season, there was seventh best team in the Premier League in terms of the points they picked up. From almost exactly the point that Farca changed the formation, and it seemed to settle down the players, and then in turn settle down the fans. And for once at Leeds, it does feel quite calm. I think they need another striker. Ocarforn, Ametia, and Calvin Lewis scored 28 Premier League goals between the last season. And that was more than Salah Ezeka, Cateke, and Gatpo. I don't think that's going to happen again, so one more striker would be good. But they've signed a massive defender to replace Pascal Stroyk, who's gone to Brighton. They've just done some really clever smart under the radar business. And as I say, it's calm at Leeds, and that's always a good thing. It's when things start getting noisy at Leeds, that it starts cracking. So, yeah, for once, they have a manager. I think it's probably the first time that 90% plus fans of Leeds are happy with Daniel Farca, are happy with the manager and the squad. So, that can be really, really powerful, Alan Road. Harry Wilson came in there at Alan Road. James Trafford, as well. Do you know the centre-back who they signed? What's significant about him? Oh, I've just read it now. He was filed by Balagun, and who then got sent off, and triggered one of the maddest sequences and weeks in probably FIFA Walkup history. That's so true. So, I'm actually quite intrigued to see if he is a good football or not. And for him to sort of move away from just being forever linked to that incident. In all of our minds. He is forever going to be linked to that incident. Every time he appears on commentary next season, that incident is going to be referenced. That's so true. That's so true. Well, there you go. Have we mentioned your side? Possibly not. I don't think we've mentioned Villa. Villa, they crept into our contenders, title contenders, chat, sort of, for reasons that none of us are really clear on. But you earlier said that, like Newcastle, with the amount of upheaval, the churn that they've had, transfer wise, it's very hard to put a finger in exactly where they might end up. What's your take on Villa? But assuming that Conzer and Watkins go, it sounds like it might happen. They're going to have lost two of their top three chance creators from last season. They're going to have lost six that they're going to start as the new league final. And their remaining top goals go from last season is going to be Emmy Grande, who got six. It's just such a vast amount of change. I really rate the fact that Ashton Villa fans seem to be kind of going, well, we ended the trophy drought. We conquered the mountain. We've still got who I am really. So let's just see what happens. Let's not bother, worry about getting more panicky now. We lost our first, you know, we've got no points in the first five games last season. It's still always brilliant. So let's just see what happens. I really, really rate that. But as an outsider, it's there are red flags about that squad. I understand you might as well do the overall in one window if UEFA rulings mean that you have to shed a lot of money from the squad, but it's a huge amount of experience. I think they will finish bottom half. That's my kind of hot take this season. Daniel, there's one team we haven't mentioned, isn't there? There's a Toffees Everton. What should we have said about Everton? Well, I think there's, I think even Everton fans would accept that there's a reason. But the most notable thing about Everton is some is that one of their fans is now the Prime Minister, right? That's like the only thing that's happening. It just feels really quiet. They still not signed a right back despite needing one for about five and a half years. I think there is a route whereby this is David Moises last season. He goes to manage Scotland or something as his next job. It do all just feel a bit tired. And what they don't have is the newness of the Hildicinson and that as a kind of motivating force behind supporters. That's second season syndrome in a stadium, I think, is a thing. So, yeah, I'm interested. They need to do quite a lot of business, I think. They won't go down. It's just that you can see another 13th or 11th to 14th season, which doesn't inspire anyone. Which is why we forgot about them. Their third bottom on the Hopometer, which feels about right. Because there was a point after maybe three or four months of last season when it felt good at Everton, right? It felt like things were progressing. And Grelish was assisting goals. And, you know, Gillesbury Hall was playing really well. And it felt like they were really progressing to a new identity. And it just sort of fell away in the closing few months. And I do think the Hopometer is quite funny in the sense that a team that starts badly and then improves, at least, their top, a team like Everton, who actually started fine, but then fell away. It really lingers over a summer. And I think it can really impact the team in the following season. But for now, they've kept Illiman and Jai right. Which I think is huge. Their sign, Brennan Johnson, which... Yeah, it was a strange swap deal. And I really hope that he can get back to the form he showed when he was at his best for... For Nottingham Forest, to be honest. Yes, he scored a lot of goals, but I think he was at his flying best on the wing back when he was playing at Nottingham Forest. But, you know, Duncan said, it plays like Gillesbury Hall. There's still a good core there. It just might not be enough to take them to the next level that Everton fans have been desperate for for the last few years. And Tyler Dibbling might come good. I mean, I'd sort of forgotten he'd gone there. Yeah, but I remember when Dibbling first popped up in the Premier League with Sam Hampton. He looked like a really, really exciting young player. I think lots of teams wanted to get him. Am I right in thinking that he'd been at Chelsea originally than had gone back to Sam Hampton? So it had a slightly slightly strange development route. But yeah, be good to see him get more minutes and sort of show the potential that he first showed us all when he was at Sam Hampton. My word. My word. Well, I say what? It's enough material for clubs to be clipping up for now. Let's park it there because the season is going to get underway on Friday with Coventry against Arsenal. That's at the Emirates, I believe, is it not? Yes, it is. Sunday night will be running up the nine matches that will have taken place. In the first of our Sunday night live shows, do you join us for that on YouTube or catch it afterwards? Either on YouTube or your usual podcast provider. For now, Danny, it's great to see you again. Looking forward to you. Are you joining us on Sunday evening? I am indeed. Yay. Fantastic. Jay, looking forward to seeing you as the season progresses. And Duncan, you're back with us on Saturday, I think, for our first totally extra. And Sunday. And Sunday. Exactly, go ahead of me. Sorry. Yeah. All right. Listener, viewer. Thank you so much for being with us. No, you'll be with us. For those shows and others. There's another exciting footballing adventure. Gets underway for now. Thanks to Daniel, to Duncan, to Jay, and everybody in the production booth and you. And we'll be back with you Saturday. Do join us then. From all of us here in the meanwhile. Let's goodbye.