The January transfer window comes to a close, but it’s full steam ahead in the Premier League as a flurry of new stars potentially begin their careers in Matchweek 22.
Grosvenor Sport ambassador Jamie O’Hara previews Chelsea v Fulham and two other key fixtures this weekend in Everton v Arsenal and Tottenham v Manchester City.
Chelsea v Fulham – Friday 20:00 BST
Score prediction: Chelsea 2 – 1 Fulham 7/1
Anytime goalscorer: Mykhailo Mudryk 10/3
This is a massive game for Chelsea. They have spent an absolute fortune in January, something like £320 million. Are we going to see the new signings? Are they going to go straight into the team? I think they need to!
Chelsea still look soft. Sign who you want, but until they bed this team together and it really starts gelling, I can’t see them doing anything special. This season is a write-off.
Forget trophies, forget top four, they will be lucky if they even get into Europe. Next season they could be a force once the team has worked itself out, but Fulham are a good side. They have been playing really well and I’ve been impressed with Marco Silva and Aleksandar Mitrovic up front as well as their players off the bench. Tom Cairney is also back involved and scoring goals again.
I think Fulham could finish above Chelsea; there is no reason why they shouldn’t or couldn’t, they are playing great football, the fans are behind them the players they have signed are really good. If they keep Mitrovic fit, then they will.
Chelsea should come good with the team they have put together. It’s outrageous. They have signed some talent, but talent has to gel. We have seen it with teams in the past, that go out and spend a fortune and don’t get the right characters and don’t have the right manager or bond in the dressing room.
This Fulham team is a good side, it’s hard to pick one, I’ll go with Chelsea 2-1, just because I feel like they have to get a result because otherwise, there is going to be serious pressure on Graham Potter. The Chelsea fans are going to want success now, they have got the players, and they aren’t going to want to wait until next season. 2-1 to Chelsea and Mykhailo Mudryk to score. He looked sharp on his debut.
Everton v Arsenal, Saturday 12:30 BST
Score prediction: Everton 0 – 2 Arsenal 5/1
Anytime goalscorer: Bukayo Saka 41/20
Sean Dyche is the man for Everton, I think it is a great appointment. They are in dire straits at the moment. They’ve been such a fantastic club for so many years in the Premier League, but they are having an absolute disaster. They’ve spent money on bad players, the recruitment has been shocking, and now they are paying the price for it. I couldn’t believe they didn’t buy anyone in the transfer window. They are completely relying on Dyche’s skills of getting them out of trouble.
I think he can do it. If the players are on board the fans are going to get behind him without a doubt. They will make Goodison Park like a Champions League stadium and the players will buy into it. 4-4-2 it will probably be, at the opposition hard, in their faces. He has a better squad than he had at Burnley, this Everton team is better. I think he can do it, but the confidence is low. The self-esteem is low in the camp, and he has to build that quickly, but it’s not going to happen against Arsenal.
It will be a better performance, but in terms of beating Arsenal, I can’t see it. This is not the game, Arsenal are too good, they have too many good players at the moment, they are at it and fighting for the title and I can’t see Everton standing in their way. I’d love to see it, but it’s not going to happen, not this one.
I’m going to go with 2-0 Arsenal, I just can’t see Everton scoring. It’s hard to predict with Dyche coming in and setting up a new side, but Arsenal are too good. A 2-0 win with another Bukayo Saka goal.
Tottenham v Manchester City, Sunday 16:30 BST
Score prediction: Tottenham 2 – 2 Manchester City 12/1
Anytime goalscorer: Harry Kane 39/29
This is a huge game, with Tottenham fighting for the top four and City fighting for the title. In the past, Spurs have been a bogey team for Manchester City, going 2-0 up in the last game but then losing 4-2. It’s one of them, we don’t want to do any favours to Arsenal, but we also need to win the game and get into the Champions League.
Spurs will go at it, I’d like to see Pedro Porro go straight into the team that will be a big bonus for Spurs. Then it’s just about trying to get a result. Spurs should be okay in this one, I don’t think they will win the game but they won’t roll over. It will be 2-2, a great end-to-end classic with both teams going at it.
They are always great games against City, and I don’t think this one will be any different, it will be a top one to watch.
This will be a shootout between Harry Kane and Erling Haalnd. They are both awesome, Kane has been in top form this season, scoring goals week in and week out, but Haaland has been on another planet. He is going to break all the records, the hat-trick record, the record in a single season.
Kane can win the all-time Premier League record if he stays in England because he doesn’t stop. Keep doing that for another five seasons, and he’s got it. He doesn’t need pace because he’s such a good finisher, he can play like Ibrahimovich. He has half a yard on defenders just with his brain. He’ll be banging them in for years to come.
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