
Joe Cole disagrees with Alan Shearer in Premier League prediction for all 20 teams
Alan Shearer and Joe Cole are both backing Liverpool to retain their Premier League title after a busy summer. However, the pair have very different expectations when it comes to the remainder of the top four and the relegated three.
Liverpool finished 10 points clear at the top last term and have strengthened with the additions of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and others. They aren't the only ones to bolster their squad, though.
Arsenal have added the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, Manchester City have recruited players including Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, and Chelsea have added Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to their front line. Those three teams rounded out the top four last term, and all will hope to challenge for top spot.
Shearer anticipates a repeat of last season, with Arsenal in second place ahead of City and Chelsea. Cole, however, expects City to be closest to Liverpool - followed by Chelsea and then Arsenal.
At the other end of the table, Shearer things promoted trio Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland will all go straight back down. Cole disagrees in his predictions for TNT Sports, though, believing Scott Parker will keep Burnley afloat at the expense of last season's 16th-place finishers Wolves.
All three promoted sides have spent big in an effort to stay afloat, but Burnley have also suffered a blow with James Trafford returning to Manchester City. The Clarets have added two new keepers to plug the gap, with veteran Martin Dubravka following young German stopper Max Weiss to Turf Moor.
Wolves' efforts to beat the drop may depend on how well they recover from losing Matheus Cunha to Manchester United. They have completed a permanent move for Jorgen Strand Larsen after a successful loan, and replaced Rayan Ait-Nouri with David Moller Wolfe after the left-back's Manchester City switch, but Vitor Pereira may have more work to do.
Neither Shearer nor Cole has Manchester United in the top five as Ruben Amorim prepares for a first full season in charge. Shearer puts them sixth, just below Newcastle, but Cole puts Amorim's side down in ninth.
Cole also has Newcastle in fifth spot - the same place they finished last season - despite a quiet summer. The Magpies have added just two senior players, missing out on a number of targets, and could yet lose Alexander Isak to Liverpool before the window shuts.
While there are still a few weeks remaining for teams to get deals done, the season will begin before deadline day. Liverpool get the season up and running at home to Bournemouth on August 15, with the champions having a chance to lay down a marker for their rivals.
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