These are the Premier League sides that figure to have a comfortable, but unexciting season.
In the next tier are the teams that SHOULD figure to be comfortable survivors this season, but probably won’t have enough to challenge the top Premier League sides for a European spot.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth has been a really impressive organization. Despite having relatively limited resources compared to some of the bigger clubs, they’ve done a fantastic job of building a team that can stay in the Premier League every season. That’s because they have a manager who has a clear philosophy guiding things.
It’s been a relatively busy summer for the club. They sold Tyrone Mings to Aston Villa, but were able to bring in winger Arnaut Danjuma, midfielder Patrick Billing, and defender Lloyd Kelly into the fold. They also got one of the most exciting young talents in England on loan in winger Harry Wilson.
In terms of talent, Bournemouth possess an abundance of it in nearly every position on the pitch. Their midfield, when healthy, can rival almost any in the Premier League with incredible options in Lewis Cook, David Brooks and Jefferson Lerma. They have an embarrassment of riches in the forward spots as well, with Callum Wilson, Josh King, and Ryan Fraser all being elite options.
The two things that could hold them back are their injuries in midfield and their back-line. Bournemouth has, thus far, been able to prevent themselves from leaking a ton of goals against the best in the league.
If they can shore up their defense, and get their midfield back to health, they should survive comfortably this season. This team possesses too much talent to be near the bottom of the table.
Watford
Watford is another team that has impressed on a season-to-season basis. Every time it seems like they’re vulnerable, they seem to find a way to exceed expectations and compete for a top ten spot in the table.
In the transfer market, they weren’t big spenders, but did get some noteworthy talents. They brought in Danny Welbeck on a free transfer, as well as City youth product Tom Dele-Bashiru. Their big money signing was winger Ismaila Sarr, a promising young talent, but they also signed Craig Dawson at center back, a decent veteran defender.
Similar to Bournemouth, Watford may boast the most talent in their midfield where Abdoulaye Doucoure, Wil Hughes, Etienne Capoue, Roberto Pereyra, and Nathaniel Chalobah all present good options. Their forward line also rivals the top six, especially on the wing where Gerard Deulofeu and Sarr should be great options.
The big question for them, like Bournemouth, is whether their defense can do enough. Their talent in the back is considerably weaker than many of the other clubs around them. If anything can derail their season, it’s the defending.
Regardless of that concern, though, Watford should be good enough elsewhere to stay well-above the drop.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves were one of the pleasant surprises of last season. Though they spent a ton of money in the transfer market, few would have expected them to qualify for the UEFA Europa League in their first season back in the league.
This summer has seen Wolves continue to be aggressive on rounding-out the rest of their squad. Wolves spent most of their summer budget improving their front-line. They bought strikers Raul Jimenez, and Patrick Cutrone, both of who could be elite goal scorers.
They also secured a permanent move for Leander Dendoncker, someone who can man the back-line or play in midfield.
Wolves possess virtually no weaknesses in their side other than their defense. Even there, their options are considerably better than what Bournemouth or Watford have to offer. They should be good enough on the back-line to be at least a middle-of-the-pack defense.
The reason Wolves feature here is that, if they qualify for the Europa League Group stage, they could find themselves struggling to cope with the rigors of that and trying to excel in the League. Even seasoned teams have had trouble doing that.
If they drop out before that, Wolves would deserve to be featured a tier higher. This is a very promising and talented team. Don’t be surprised if they win the Carabao Cup or FA Cup this season.