What lies ahead for Arsenal, Newcastle United and Chelsea | OneFootball

A break in the transfer window, before it had hardly got started, for Newcastle United it hasn’t, if you count only incomings.

There will have been lots of business going on behind the scenes though and Eddie Howe and his associates in recruitment will have been lining up their ducks for the reopening of summer business.

The usual suspects have been throwing money around again.

You expect it at Liverpool but Manchester City’s transfer dealings leave a bad taste in the mouth, considering their 115 charges for financial irregularities. They are even seemingly trying to unsettle one of our own fine young players.

After five trophyless years, it looks like Arsenal will finally sign a proper centre forward/striker. Someone that they hope can finally score the necessary amount of goals required at an elite team. Unfortunately, for the Gunners, it won’t be the one that they and their deluded fanbase wanted.

Chelsea are something else and it’s bound to come to a sticky end for Boehly and Co. These people are out and out chancers and if there was a man instead of a mouse-like Richard Masters as CEO of the Premier League, I’m sure Chelsea would have been stopped in their tracks before now.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has done a fine job since acquiring a minority shareholding and control of sporting operations at Manchester United. A fine job if you’re looking at it as one of their EPL rivals. I will reiterate what I have stated previously and that is Man Utd are a busted flush. They never learn their lessons of buying big and throwing ridiculous amounts about in wages.

Spurs are an interesting one at the moment. A new manager in Thomas Frank who I rate highly and Champions League football on offer for prospective signings. The managerial position at Spurs has proved to be a poisoned chalice for many aspiring managers and I’d think Frank has as good a chance of anyone of gaining success.

That’s the Septic Six more or less covered and I’m going to now focus on Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Like Newcastle United, these two clubs are having a proper go in trying to achieve long-term sustainability and success.

Villa had a disappointing end to the 2024/25 campaign. They were knocked out of the Champions League by the eventual winners PSG after two valiant performances. They were then hammered by Crystal Palace (eventual winners) in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

To make it a hat-trick of late season woe, Villa were pipped for the 5th and last Champions League place by Newcastle United, even though we lost our final game at St James’ Park. Nevertheless they have a fine manager in Unai Emery. They also have a PSR situation, similar to Newcastle’s twelve months ago, to navigate.

Forest have an ambitious owner in Evangelos Marinakis. They also have a very good manager/head coach in Nuno Espirito Santo.

After an incredible 2024/25 season in which they at one point looked certainties for Champions League qualification, Forest’s form dipped in the run-in. Regardless, I expect Nuno to keep most of of his first team squad intact. I don’t think Forest will be as successful in the EPL this coming season but I do think they are on the right path to become a mainstay within the Top 10.

Crystal Palace and Brighton are now established Premier League clubs, but you still never know what you’re going to get out on the pitch, I think both clubs will lose influential players this summer.

I must mention Everton, who along with Newcastle United and Aston Villa, are the biggest and most famous clubs outside the Septic Six.

I think that they will now become a solid club again, that will remain hard to beat. They will be active in the summer window no doubt, but I don’t see them challenging the top teams for many years to come.

Back to the Toon and I believe Eddie Howe is very close to bringing in top targets and there will be some high profile arrivals after June 30th.

Whatever you do in the meantime, don’t take any notice of the nonsense clickbait. Just enjoy what banter clubs Arsenal and Chelsea have to offer and chuckle away at every would-be mercenary the Salfords get linked with.