As the first weekend of the Premier League comes to an end, let's take a look at the five teams that can be our surprise package this season. New Delhi: Almost every season, we come across at least one team that catches the eye of all fans and ultimately leaves them in awe of their performances and their league finish. The biggest example of this is Leicester City’s famous 2015 title win, rightly dubbed as the greatest underdog story in Premier League history.
Apart from Leicester’s historic run, there have been many occasions where teams have pushed above their weight and finished higher than what was expected of them. Such teams are then categorized as the surprise package of the season. Aston Villa were last season’s surprise package as they dazzled their way to a fourth-place finish, ensuring a spot in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Newcastle did the same the previous season, while Brighton also surprised everyone by finishing sixth that season. Sheffield United also surprised everyone in the 2019/20 season as the newly promoted team finished ninth in the league table when most of the fans and pundits were expecting a relegation scramble from them. Keeping these feats in mind, let’s take a look at the five options that could provide us with such pleasant surprises over the course of this Premier League season.
5) Ipswich Town Kieran McKenna acknowledges the fans after the defeat to Liverpool during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road on August 17, 2024, in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) It might be surprising to see the name of a newly promoted Premier League team on this list but Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town could very well do the unthinkable this season. The Tractor Boys have been given harsh opening fixtures, facing Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two games but their fortunes could pick up following these games.
They had a great showing against Liverpool in the first game and only lost out narrowly to the Reds and their display showcased their quality. McKenna knows this bunch of players well and some of the signings they’ve made in the window can help them punch above their weight this season. Making Omari Hutchinson’s loan move permanent was a masterstroke whereas adding Liam Delap and last season’s Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics gives them a lot of firepower in front of goal.
Moves for Kalvin Phillips, Ben Johnson, and Arijanet Muric add a lot of Premier League experience to this squad. McKenna has already masterminded back-to-back promotions and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him overachieve expectations for the third year running. 4) AFC Bournemouth Antoine Semenyo celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and AFC Bournemouth at City Ground on August 17, 2024 (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) AFC Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola have looked like a completely different team.
The Spaniard took charge of the Cherries and changed the morale and the playstyle of the team altogether. He helped them to a comfortable 12th-place finish last season and could very well build on that platform this year. They started the season with a draw, showing great resilience to equalize late into the game and that will give them confidence for their upcoming fixtures.
Bournemouth have had a busy transfer window which started with them making the loan moves of Enes Unal and Luis Sinisterra permanent. Their headline move this window was the sale of last season’s top-scorer Dominic Solanke, using that money to bring in prolific Brazilian forward Evanilson from Porto for £40.2 million.
Apart from their attacking upgrades, the Cherries have also managed to bring in two exciting defensive prospects, Dean Huijsen from Juventus and Barcelona’s Julian Araujo. Irola has had a great transfer window and has all the tools at his disposal to push for a European spot this season. 3) Chelsea Chelsea Head Coach / Manager Enzo Maresca reacts during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and FC Internazionale at Stamford Bridge on August 11, 2024 in London, England.
(Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Little over three years ago they were the Champions of Europe and now they’re being touted as a potential surprise package this season. It feels weird to mention a giant like Chelsea in such a list but that is the situation the club finds themselves in currently. The Blues head into yet another season with a new manager at the helm, with Enzo Maresca taking charge in the summer but the Italian has already tasted defeat in the first game of the season.
There are a lot of question marks over the Italian’s ability to guide a club like Chelsea but his exploits in the Championship with Leicester City have a lot to be excited for. He guided the Foxes to the Championship title, doing so by playing beautiful football and if he can implement his style well enough at Stamford Bridge, a top-four finish could be on the cards for the Blues. There is enough quality in the squad if everyone gels well and the additions of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Pedro Neto and the potential arrivals of Joao Felix and Victor Osimhen can help Maresca achieve his goals.
2) Brighton and Hove Albion Danny Welbeck celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Joao Pedro during the Premier League match with Everton FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) Brighton have established themselves as a Premier League club, playing their eighth consecutive season in the top-flight and will now be looking for a return to European football next season. The club finished sixth last-to-last season before falling outside the top 10 last season.
This year they could once again challenge for European football, despite losing their manager. The Seagulls appointed the highly-promising Fabian Hürzeler as their new head coach and he has them sitting at the top of the Premier League table after a 3-0 win over Everton. The Premier League’s youngest-ever permanent manager displayed his tactics in the opening fixture, outclassing his opponents to an easy victory.
They’ve made some shrewd moves in the transfer market, getting in Yankuba Minteh and Mats Weifer, both of whom played together at Feyenoord last season. They even managed to get their top target in Brajan Gruda from Mainz, which adds a lot of potential goals to their attack. Brighton have stuck to the motto of buying young and if this gamble pays off for them, Hürzeler could guide them to another season of European football.
1) West Ham United West Ham United’s Crysencio Summerville (centre) and Niclas Fullkrug (right) warm up on the pitch during halt time of the Premier League match at the London Stadium.. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images) West Ham United have the potential to be the biggest surprise package of the season and are capable of repeating what Aston Villa and Newcastle United did in the previous two campaigns.
The Hammers’ season didn’t get off to the best of starts, losing Julen Lopetegui’s debut at home to Aston Villa but they have the quality in their ranks to dust off this loss and focus on the future. They finished ninth last season and are capable of finishing even higher in the 2024/25 season. They’ve arguably had the best transfer window for a Premier League club, bringing in the likes of Niklas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville, Guido Rodriguez, Aaron Wan Bissaka, Max Kilman, and Jean Claire-Todibo.
These signings provide a great balance of attack and defense for Lopetegui’s side and West Ham have confirmed their intent of going for a Champions League finish. A top-six finish should be the bare minimum the Hammers should target and Champions League qualification shouldn’t be outside the realms of possibility..
