As the 2016/17 Premier League season edges ever closer, The National’s team of sports writers, editors and contributors provide their predictions, including which club they expect to win the title, the top goalscorer and player of the season. Click on the arrow to reach the next set of predictions or simply swipe the image if using a mobile device.
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STEVE LUCKINGS, SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Champions: Manchester City. Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, is in charge of an already world-class squad with money to spend. Enough said.
Top four: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal
Relegated: Hull City, Sunderland, Burnley
Surprise team: Middlesbrough. The only promoted club that look capable of securing top-flight status was only enhanced with the signing of a top-calibre forward in Alvaro Negredo.
Underachievers: West Ham. Slaven Bilic's side will struggle to replicate the stardust of last season and the Croatian has a history in club management of not kicking on in his second seasons.
Player of the year: Sergio Aguero. The league's most lethal finisher has arguably been the victim of missing out on this award on multiple occasions through prolonged and far-too-frequent absences through injury during his four years in England. Stay fit, score goals and deliver the title, and he should win the top player award too.
Player to watch: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Manchester United lacked punch, penetration and panache last season under the regimented football of Louis van Gaal. New manager Jose Mourinho has immediately addressed that with the acquisition of the Armenian schemer.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. Chased Harry Kane all the way last season. Again, keeping the Argentine striker is key to City's hopes: if he's on the pitch, goals are guaranteed.
ANDY MITTEN, EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT
Champions: Manchester United. United will improve on last season, but I don't see a standout side this year. It'll be a tough league to win, with sides more level. The new television deal means the smaller clubs no longer need to sell their best players.
Top four: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, Middlesbrough
Surprise team: Sunderland. David Moyes can help them not just fight relegation but comfortably stay up. A huge club from a football mad area, but they've changed managers too often to enjoy stability.
Underachievers: Arsenal. Fans think their side should be competing for titles. They’ve been slow in the transfer market and have tougher competition this season. Could finish outside the top four for the first time since 1996.
Player of the year: Sergio Aguero. The best striker in the league. If Guardiola can bring a degree of harmony to the changing room, Aguero could be his best player. If he can't, then he will have failed to get the most from one of the best players in the world.
Player to watch: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Players' player of the season in the Bundesliga, Mkhitaryan looks the finished product at 27. Jose Mourinho praised his skill, poise, vision and strength. United will hope he proves more successful than Shinji Kagawa, another No 10 who moved from Dortmund.
Top scorer: Harry Kane. So disappointing at Euro 2016, Kane is after a third exceptional season, but will he rise to or fail the challenge of Uefa Champions League football to go with domestic pressures?
RICHARD JOLLY, ENGLISH FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT
Champions: Manchester City. Based partly on Guardiola's brilliant record, the sense of unfulfilled potential in the squad and that even when underachieving they still came fourth, plus winning a trophy and reaching the Champions League semi-finals. They have so much talent that there is scope to get better under a high-class coach.
Top four: Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, Bournemouth
Surprise team: Middlesbrough. Have invested heavily, but they have brought in quality and boast a well-drilled defence. There is the potential for them to stay up comfortably.
Underachievers: Leicester City. Losing N'Golo Kante is a huge blow, and it remains to be seen how they will cope with Champions League football. With standards likely to be raised by many of the superpowers they embarrassed, they could play well and finish several places lower.
Player of the year: Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian might have won the award — and won City the title — last year but for an ill-timed injury. Guardiola was an admirer when De Bruyne excelled in the Bundesliga and he might take his game to another level.
Player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It will be fascinating to see how he copes with English football, if, in his 35th year, he is in decline and if he can transform United.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. He won the Golden Boot in 2014/15 and surely would have done again last year if he had played as many games as Kane and Jamie Vardy, despite City's mixed form. The key is keeping him fit.
THOMAS WOODS, SPORTS EDITOR
Champions: Manchester United. Mourinho has made impressive signings and has the tactical experience to help United take points away from their encounters with title rivals. In what could be a four or five-horse title race, the Special One will be the difference.
Top four: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal
Relegated: West Bromwich Albion, Hull City, Sunderland
Surprise team: Crystal Palace. Finished 15th last season, but have a squad full of talent. Add the signing of Andros Townsend and there is a team with the ability to finish in the top 10, probably higher.
Underachievers: Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs missed their chance last season. They have a quality team, but all their rivals will improve and the weight of a Champions League campaign will see them miss out on Europe next season, especially with Liverpool in the mix too.
Player of the year: Eden Hazard. Had a woeful 2015/16 but his displays at Euro 2016 showed that he is one of football's most incisive players. With Antonio Conte's team built around him, he'll lead Chelsea to a title challenge
Player to watch: Jordan Ibe. Has bags of talent and the kind of fantasy dribbling ability that Hazard has. Having left Liverpool and the obvious comparisons with Raheem Sterling behind, regular football at Bournemouth will see him step up.
Top scorer: Daniel Sturridge. The key here is fitness because Sturridge can rival Aguero and Kane for the title of the league's best finisher. Jurgen Klopp's 4-3-3 formation will lead to plenty of chances for Sturridge to show of his ability.
GRAHAM CAYGILL, DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
Champions: Manchester United. Excellent defensively for much of last season, and no reason that should not continue. Add the new signings and the Mourinho factor and they have a great chance of a first title since 2013.
Top four: Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion
Surprise team: Crystal Palace. A poor second half of season undid the first half, but the run to FA Cup final was a reminder of how good Pardew's side can be. Have made some good acquisitions and no reason they cannot be top eight.
Underachievers: Southampton. Sixth, and only three points off fourth, last season, and seventh and eighth the previous years show the club's consistency. Losing Ronald Koeman is a blow, as is the departure of striker Graziano Pelle, and it is hard to see them maintaining that form.
Player of the year: Kevin De Bruyne. City were considerably more impressive when the Belgian was fit, and the prospect of him playing in a Guardiola system is an exciting one.
Player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. His class is undoubted, and he fits in with United's forward line. How his new teammates fit around him will be fascinating.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. Remains the best striker in the league, and in a title contending team at City he should, fitness providing, get more than 20 goals again.
STEPHEN NELMES, WEB EDITOR
Champions: Manchester City. Guardiola will be an instant success, taking advantage of a fairly open race. The signings look solid and good value for money. Tottenham will challenge again, United rebuilding and Arsenal settling for fourth.
Top four: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal
Relegated: Hull City, Sunderland, Burnley
Surprise team: Middlesbrough. Have the tools to survive a relegation battle. Goals from loan acquisition Alvaro Negredo and Jordan Rhodes should offset defensive question marks.
Underachievers: Leicester City. The only way is down for the champions, it is a question of how far. Will still have designs on the top 10, but will likely be scrapping to a 12-14th place finish.
Player of the year: Kevin De Bruyne. A fully fit and firing Belgian with goals and creating chances for his colleagues will be the vital cog in City's push for the title.
Player to watch: Eric Bailly. Will the Ivorian defender, with just 40 first team appearances under his belt, be worth his £30 million price tag that United paid for?
Top scorer: Harry Kane. It will be a close run contest between the Tottenham forward and City's Aguero again.
JONATHAN RAYMOND, SPORTS WEB EDITOR
Champions: Tottenham Hotspur. Finished third last season with a young group of top talent who should improve as they continue to grow together and who will have learnt from last season's missteps. They've got a little bit of window before the Guardiolas and Mourinhos and Contes start shaping their new clubs into superpowers.
Top four: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Manchester City, Southampton
Relegated: Burnley, Bournemouth, Hull City
Surprise team: Watford. They've done some good work to bolster a shaky defence, brought in a manager with attacking vision and the talent to mould something interesting.
Underachievers: Arsenal. It's not a question of talent. There is plenty of that, enough to let their supporters dream of a title. But it felt for the first time last year like Wenger lost his grip on things, and it's not evident he knows how to turn it around at this point.
Player of the year: Toby Alderweireld. Been a while since it has been a defender, but if Spurs do win the title, their defence will be key, and Alderweireld has shown from Atletico Madrid to Southampton and now to Tottenham that he's world class.
Player to watch: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Is it OK to pick Kelechi Iheanacho again? I generally prefer young relative unknowns for this honour, and in the young Danish Bayern Munich import Southampton have an exceptional talent who has both command for his defensive duties and a knack for the amazing with his creative skill.
Who will be top scorer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Manchester, welcome to Zlatan.
JON TURNER, SPORTS WEB EDITOR
Winners: Chelsea. Last season's disaster makes it easy to underestimate how talented a squad Chelsea have. New manager Antonio Conte should adapt comfortably to the Premier League, and the lack of European football will only work in their favour, just as it did for Leicester.
Top four: Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United
Relegated: Burnley, Hull City, Sunderland
Surprise team: Everton. Disappointing last season and rather inactive in the transfer market, Everton's chances have been largely written off. Yet, there remains a decent squad and new manager Koeman can guide his side to a top eight finish.
Underachievers: Manchester United. Have appointed one of the world's best managers, recruited some top talent, and are expected to break the transfer record for Paul Pogba. Anything less than a firm title challenge will be underachieving. However, the squad remains unbalanced and a top four spot is the best United can hope for.
Player of the year: Sergio Aguero. The best player in the league, now playing under the best manager in the world. If Aguero stays fit he should claim all the season-ending individual honours.
Player to watch: Sadio Mane. Liverpool's marquee summer signing, Mane's talent is unquestionable, although consistency was sometimes an issue at Southampton. If he catches fire for Klopp then he can help Liverpool challenge the top four.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. As mentioned above, the best player and finisher in the league. A goal-a-game player, if he plays 25-plus games, he'll win the Golden Boot.
GREG LEA, PREMIER LEAGUE CORRESPONDENT
Winners: Manchester City. Despite only finishing fourth, City had the best squad in the Premier League last time out and have strengthened it further with the acquisitions of Nolito and Ilkay Gundogan this summer. Pep Guardiola is one of the world's leading managers and will take the club to another level in the next few years.
Top four: Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal.
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, Watford
Surprise team: West Ham could make another push for the top four: There is a real feel-good factor surrounding the club at present, with the move to the Olympic Stadium providing another boost after last term's seventh-place finish.
Underachievers: Ronald Koeman did an excellent job at Southampton but it could take him at least a year to lift Everton further up the table.
Player of the year: Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian playmaker was terrific for much of last season and is only likely to get better under Guardiola's guidance. If City have a successful year, De Bruyne will probably have played a major part.
Player to watch: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Southampton midfielder was highly rated by many at Bayern Munich and has the natural ability to excel in the Premier League.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. The best finisher in the division will surely scoop the Golden Boot if he is able to stay fit for the majority of the campaign.
JOHN MCAULEY, STAFF REPORTER
Winners: Chelsea. Antonio Conte, a rebounding Eden Hazard, a squad still stacked with talent despite last season's farce, money to spend on an elite-level striker, no European football. Oh, and N'Golo Kante. N'Golo. Kante.
Top four: Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, Swansea City
Surprise team: Middlesbrough. Had best defence last season in top four leagues so can build on that base, even with step up in class. Recruited well, too, with Alvaro Negredo and Viktor Fischer two of the most intriguing.
Underachievers: Arsenal. Second place last season was an improvement; fourth this time the very least their fans expect. They'll fall outside Champions League places for the first time in 19 years, possibly to 6th, and Wenger will fall on his sword.
Player of the year: Kevin De Bruyne. The league's best attacking midfielder alongside Hazard, imagine what he will do if he stays injury free. Also, think how Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben excelled with Guardiola at Bayern Munich. An exciting partnership.
Player to watch: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (ably supported by the superb Henrikh Mkhitaryan). No other explanation required.
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero. The most talented striker in the division. Keep him fit and he'll score for fun. Aguero and De Bruyne still not enough for the league title, though.