My predictions for Europe's top six leagues:
Premier League - Arsenal: An uninspiring start to the season, but I doubt it will take long for Rice, Havertz, Timber and Raya to make a difference. More options in midfield and defence will definitely help with some of their problems from last season. I don't feel too confident about this, though, with City as good as ever, and Liverpool not far behind...
La Liga - Real Madrid: Even without Mbappe, I think they are far better than Barca or Atleti at the moment. Bellingham is off to an incredible start, Arda Guler looks exciting, and Kepa is a decent Courtois replacement. With Mbappe, they might have just already won the UCL, but I do worry that Carvajal and Kroos aren't what they used to be...
Bundesliga - Bayern Munich: Not very creative, I know, but Bayern's biggest problem last season was proving an actual thread up front, and Kane alone will help with that. Throw in Kim, Guerriero and Laimer, and I don't think anywhere else comes close. Musiala has such a future, too. RB Leipzig do look scary though, and I worry for Ulreich and Mazraoui (if Pavard leaves).
Serie A - AC Milan: The Rossoneri are the highest spenders of any Italian club this window, they clearly want to build on what was a decent, but ultimately trophyless, 2022/23 season. Reijnders and Chukwueze are somewhat exciting signings, and they still have Leao, Giroud, Hernandez and Maignan (the latter two being top three in the world in their position, in my opinion).
Ligue 1 - Paris Saint-Germain: A very boring choice, but not really up for debate. You could argue that, without Neymar and Messi, they have actually become stronger, building a side that is no longer reliant on few superstars turning up, and instead plays as an actual team. Hernandez, Skriniar, Dembele, Asensio, Parades, Lee and Ugarte, under Luis Enrique, look incredible.
Eredivisie - PSV Eindhoven: I love Feyenoord, but can't see them defending the title with Kokcu and Symanski gone (and Geertruida and Bijlow look as though they might follow). PSV, on the other hand, have made far better signings and sold far less notable players (except Simons), and their season is off to a far better start.
And here are my predictions for the three European competitions, not factoring in clubs that will get demoted from other competition's Group Stages, and with the closest contenders in brackets.
Champions League - Bayern Munich (Real Madrid and Manchester City)
Europa League - Brighton and Hove Albion (Roma and Bayer Leverkusen)
Europa Conference League - Aston Villa (Eintracht Frankfurt and Fiorentina)
