Premier League: ‘Signatures could open title race’ – Alan Shearer predicts new season

Alan Shearer joins Gary Linker and Ian Wright on the BBC One and BBC Sport website on Saturday 22:20 BST for highlights of four Premier League games. You can also listen to Shearer preview from the new season 12: 00-12: 25 BBC Radio 5 Live on Saturday, followed by a live broadcast of Crystal Palace v Southampton at 15:00, the first of its 140 Premier League commentaries in 2020-21.

The FA Cup final is only 42 days away, so it didn’t really feel like we were away, but we were out again with the first game of the season on Saturday – I can’t wait.

It’s the start of an exciting few months, and the Premier League title will be much closer than it was last time, when Liverpool were stitched by Christmas.

I have gone City of Manchester This time it should be champions, but it is very difficult to predict now what will happen as the transfer window will not be closed until October 5th.

If anyone needs any proof of what a big difference a signing or two can make, they should look no further than Bruno Fernandez Manchester United.

When he joined United at the end of January, they were embarrassed after losing to Burnley at Old Trafford – the fourth defeat in seven matches. If I had said that United would run 17 games unbeaten, I would have laughed out of the studio.

But Fernandes’ arrival changed the whole team, not only because of his own talent and ability to find a killer pass, but because his presence seemed to add 10% extra to other United players.

That’s the kind of impact every team wants from the signatures they’ve already made this summer – or they believe they’re still coming.

‘There are still questions about the security of the city’

I thought Liverpool The signing team has already been very active, but there is still time for that to happen, as well as strong talk about getting Bayern Munich midfielder Diego Alcondara.

He will buy a better one. It will take some players to join Liverpool and go straight to their starting XI team and improve them, but he would love if they could get him.

When I talk about game-changing transfers, nothing compares to how special it would have been to see Lionel Messi in the Premier League.

It is a real shame that he did not come to Manchester City for any reason. Instead, explode the firepower of Pep Cardiola, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, and it will be hard for him!

Seriously, though, I expect a big reaction from City when they try to win the title again.

The big question on Cardiola’s side is still about their safety and will have to wait to see if they have it right. They simply need to improve there, but I expect they to spend more money to do that.

Aymeric Laporte, who missed most of last season, is fit again, Nathan AK is a good signature – but I can understand why they are still being combined with more reinforcements in the field.

Can Chelsea or Man Utd even challenge?

City are not the only team that thinks they are capable of closing the gap at Liverpool. Chelsea They have already spent $ 200 million, so it is clear what their intentions are.

Frank Lampard was in charge in the first season, the club was subject to a transfer ban, but now that they have splattered the money, the expectation level is changing.

Suddenly his goal goes from being hoping to get to the top four, to the demand that they challenge the title. You don’t have to spend that kind of money otherwise, but, I am sure they will improve and I think winning the league will be beyond them.

United, too, will be looking for the table after the best run to get to third, but improving that result will be much harder for them when things stand.

I expect one or two more signatures to go with Tony Van de Peek, but I can understand if Jadan Sancho is one of them and their fans start to get excited.

It would be nice to see United not get Sancho, but I’m very interested to see how their goalkeeping situation works because we were able to see a real battle between David de Gea and Dean Henderson for the top spot.

Is it the last in Newcastle?

1. Man City	2. Liverpool	3. Chelsea	4. Man UTD

The title match is actually between Liverpool and City, but the fight for the top four will be interesting. A lot of teams will imagine it.

Leicester And Wolves Will be there again, I did not discount Tottenham, One. They will be better organized than last season, and with Matt Doherty and Pierre-Emile Hodgeberg, Jose Mourinho has made two very brilliant signatures, though not necessarily glamorous to buy.

Arsenal Another team that seems to be going places, you can not help but by the things he has done since Michael Arteta took charge at the end of last year.

He has won the FA Cup and now the Community Armor, and when you look at his side you can see that they are very tight and the perfect unit when they face the best teams.

It’s not just the signatures that can change the whole mood of a club. Having a player would be huge, and what’s important to the Gunners and where they’re going from here is what happens next to their star striker Pierre-Emerick Abameyang.

Arsenal fans are sitting and waiting, and Abameyang is eager to sign his new contract. I know he has one year left on his contract, but it will be a huge boost if he dedicates his future to the club.

As for my old team In Newcastle, We’m not going to be in the mix for Champions League places, but there are some signs that things will be last.

The signings Steve Bruce has made so far are certainly encouraging – we desperately need a goalie, but the purchase of Callum Wilson has shut it down. He was a player I think very much, and he scored goals to get us out of another expulsion battle.

Our highest league scorer last season was a midfielder, Jonjo Shelvi, with six goals, so it was clear that our attack needed to progress somewhere. Ryan Fraser will help at that point as well.

Period 28 and a proven Premier League goal scorer – a few years ago he was worth about $ 30-40 million, but in Newcastle he has received 20 million m, which is a theft. If he hits the form, he could return to the England squad as well – I hope so anyway.

He contacted me before he joined to ask about the club and the area. As you can imagine, I was very positive about it.

In fact, I would have given him a lift to St. James Park to sign his contract, if he wanted to!

Alan Shearer was talking to Chris Bevan of BBC Sport.