The line up for the Premier League next season was completed yesterday following Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Huddersfield in the Championship play off final which enabled them to join Fulham and Bournemouth in the top flight next season.
Now that they're all up, what questions will they be facing going into next season?
FULHAM
The Cottagers bounced straight back up at the first attempt following their relegation last season by winning the Championship itself. They were the highest goal scorers with 106 and won the title by a whopping 12 points in Marco Silva's first season in charge.
Will Aleksandar Mitrovic finally crack it in the Premier League?
Mitrovic broke the record for most goals in a Championship season with 43 this season as Fulham stormed their way towards the title. But he's yet to prove himself in the Premier League after a disappointing spell at Newcastle and a poor return last season during their relegation campaign where he scored just 3 times. He did score 11 times during the 2018/19 season but other than that he's never really proven himself in the top flight. HIs goal return this season will hopefully give him confidence because of the form he's been in and the players he's had around him.
Will Marco Silva learn his lessons from his last spell in the Premier League?
Marco Silva was criticized a lot during his last spell in the Premier League for being too open defensively as his teams did concede a lot of goals. His Everton side had a poor record at defending from set pieces during his time there and if he's to keep Fulham up in their first season back, he'll need to set his side up to be more difficult to beat. His team do have goals in them but if they play their expansive style against the likes of Liverpool and Man City, they could get severely punished.
Will they get their recruitment right?
Fulham's recruitment during their last two spells in the Premier League was rather poor and it played a major role in them going down both times. Recruitment is important for any side who gets promoted to the Premier League and if Fulham are to fare better this time round, they need to recruit the right kind of players suitable for the top level. They did recruit well this season but if they're to compete better at this level, they need to bring better quality players.
BOURNEMOUTH
The Cherries are back in the Premier League after a two year absence as they finished runners with the best defence in the league. Their strong start did fade away around November/December time where their promotion hopes were beginning to look doubtful but still had enough to get themselves over the line ad secure promotion. A good job done by Scott Parker in his first season in charge.
Will they be better defensively?
The Cherries let in over 60 goals in each season during their first spell in the Premier League yet they still managed to stay there for five seasons. The spotlight was always on them defensively during those five years and it eventually caught up with them as they were relegated in the 2019/20 season. Having the best defence in the Championship this season will give them confidence going into next season but with the league looking stronger next season, they need to be tighter at the back if they're to have a better chance of staying up. Having a strong defence is crucial to any side staying in the league.
Can Dominic Solanke prove himself in the Premier League?
Solanke scored 29 goals this season as the Charries got promoted but whether he can do that in the Premier League remains to be seen. He only netted 3 times during Bournemouth's relegation season in 2019/20 and the pressure will be on him going into next season to see if he can finally crack it after two clinical years in the Championship. His form this season will give him confidence going into next season and he'll certainly want to go into that season with a point to prove.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Forest are back in the big time after 23 years away with their play off final win over Huddersfield sealing their long awaited return. After being bottom of the league in September under Chris Hughton, Steve Cooper was later brought in and he instantly turned their season around. He turned them from relegation candidates to promotion hopefuls in a matter of months by getting them results and playing a good brand of football.
Will their FA Cup run give them confidence going into next season?
Forest showed that they can take on the big boys in the FA Cup where they beat Arsenal and Leicester before going on to give Liverpool a good game. This will hopefully give them some belief going into next season but they should still be aware of the challenge ahead with every team in the league more than likely to play their strongest team which wasn't the case for the teams they faced in the FA Cup. They will go into the season believing that they can take on the big teams but they may have to play against them in a slightly different way now they'll be in the same league as them.
Will they have enough Premier League experience to survive?
Having Premier League experience is your side is crucial to any newly promoted team and Forest will need some if they're to stay up as they don't have a lot in their current squad. Jack Colback and Steve Cook are the only players in their squad with any real experience with Colback getting his from his days at Sunderland and Newcastle and Cook getting his from his time at Bournemouth. This will be crucial for them going into next season but Steve Cooper will still need to recruit players with enough Premier League pedigree so his side have a good chance of staying up.
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