Worth a punt: The top Premier League bets to consider ahead of season kick-off

Thu, 12 Aug, 2021 - 20:07

Darren Norris

Jack Grealish to be PFA Player of the Year (8-1 Betfair)

Given the ease with which Manchester City won the Premier League last season, it’s no surprise Pep Guardiola’s men are hot favourites to retain their crown. However, their task may not be as straightforward as the odds suggest as Liverpool surely can’t be as unlucky on the injury front as they were last season while Chelsea look certain to get a good deal closer in Thomas Tuchel’s first full season at the helm, especially now that Romelu Lukaku has returned to the Bridge.

However, the brilliant Jack Grealish could prove the key signing of this transfer window and the £100m (€118m) City spent to sign him from Aston Villa may ultimately be viewed as money very well spent.

And with the PFA Player of the Year award invariably going to someone on a title-winning team, odds of 8-1 on Grealish, who proved he was far more than a big fish in a small pond by starring in the Euros, being crowned the league’s best player make plenty of appeal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to win the golden boot (25-1)

The market suggests the battle to be the Premier League’s leading marksman is a two-horse race between Harry Kane and Mo Salah, with Raheem Sterling next best at odds of 16-1. If Harry Kane gets his wish to join City and if he stays fit for the whole season, he’ll be almost impossible to stop but those are two big ifs given Daniel Levy’s stubbornness in the transfer market and the England captain’s injury history.

Salah looks a rock-solid option at 4-1 but, at 25-1, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks a massive price. The Arsenal captain shared the honours with Salah and Sadio Mane in the 2018-19 season before finding only Jamie Vardy too good 12 months later.

He was as short as 11-2 for this award before the start of last season but the campaign turned into a nightmare and he finished it having scored just 15 goals in 39 games in all competitions. However, there were mitigating reasons for a below-par campaign as Aubameyang’s mother was battling illness while he himself faced health challenges after contracting malaria while on international duty with Gabon.

Add in the fact Arsenal, especially in the first half of the season, weren’t creating many goalscoring chances and it’s easy to understand why their skipper struggled. He’s clearly way better than he looked last season and the fact Arsenal won’t be playing any European football this season could prove a blessing in disguise for the 32-year-old.

Ralph Hasenhuttl to be the first manager to leave his post (10-1 Betfair)

Watford went through four managers in one season on their most recent spell in the Premier League so it’s no surprise that Hornets boss Xisco Munoz heads the market to be first top flight gaffer to lose his job this season.

However, the Spaniard could be beaten to the dole queue by Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl. Only Fulham conceded more goals than the Saints last season and the loss of striker Danny Ings to Aston Villa is a huge blow. Add in the fact that Southampton’s first seven games include fixtures at home to Manchester United and away to Manchester City and Chelsea and the omens aren’t good for the Austrian coach.