In the next of our season reviews, we look at the fortunes of Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Wolves, West Ham and Bournemouth – who made up the upper half of the bottom ten teams in the Premier League.
The emotions among supporters of these clubs ranged from relief, despair, frustration and joy, with Chelsea’s almost inconceivable 12th placed finish following a transfer spend of more than £600m undoubtedly proving to be the biggest shock of the season.
West Ham also endured a disappointing domestic campaign having finished in the European places in the past two seasons, while Wolves failed to meet expectations having battled relegation for much of the season.
But Crystal Palace and Bournemouth secured their Premier League safety much to the relief and joy of their supporters, with the Cherries in particular widely expected to go down following their early season 9-0 thrashing at Liverpool.
Here’s how we rated each of these sides, and what needs to happen next…
Crystal Palace
REVIEW OF 22/23 – A season of change at Selhurst Park saw Patrick Vieira depart in January when Crystal Palace were the only side in Europe’s top five divisions without a league win in 2023, and Roy Hodgson return to guide the Eagles to safety. The positive end to the season provides a nucleus on which to build upon and Palace must use this momentum to ensure they have no such concerns next term.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – Naturally, Wilfried Zaha’s talismanic status again was evident, despite murmurs that this could be his last season at Palace. However, several younger stars showed promise that they could continue to evolve even without Zaha’s presence. None more so than Eberechi Eze, whose sensational end of season form saw him called up to Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
Embed from Getty ImagesFLOP OF THE SEASON – A lot was expected of Naouirou Ahamada when he joined Palace in January but the Frenchman failed to make a single start and was frozen out of the squad completely seven times. When asked about Ahamada’s lack of game time, Hodgson explained that he hadn’t been given enough of a reason to drop one of his more regular squad players in favour of the 21-year-old.
WHAT NEXT? – Another summer expected to be dominated by rumours of Zaha’s future and Palace will do well to retain the long-serving forward for another term, with the wide man yet to sign a new deal with the club and his current one due to expire soon. If Zaha does leave then it’s vital that other important figures like Marc Guehi don’t follow suit – with the need to bolster numbers with sufficient quality equally as important.
CHELSEA
REVIEW OF 22/23 – Where to begin? A car crash of a first season under the new ownership with extortionate amounts spent on new players with very little in return. Managerial appointments which failed miserably and fans left with genuine concerns about where their club is heading. Mauricio Pochettino will inherit a chaotic squad but under the impression that things cannot possibly get worse for Chelsea next season…
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – A genuinely difficult decision for all the wrong reasons. There were flashes of quality here and there from a few of Chelsea’s exciting young stars but without the old head of Thiago Silva marshalling the madness, things could have spiralled completely out of control. The 38-year-old proved once again why he is hailed as one of the greatest defenders in world football.
FLOP OF THE SEASON – Once again far too many to chose from. It would be completely irrational to solely blame the players on this mess of a season but so many did underperform. The signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang particularly stands out though and acts as a symbol of the disastrous decision making of Todd Boehly, who drafted in Aubameyang to work under his former manager Thomas Tuchel, to then sack Tuchel less than a week later.
Embed from Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? – Time for reflection on the horrors that unfolded at Stamford Bridge and plenty for Boehly to consider. The inexperience of his Chelsea ownership will begin to lessen and in Pochettino, Chelsea have a manager more than capable of restructuring and developing this current squad of players. More money will be spent in the summer and Chelsea fans will be hoping lessons have been learnt so that the recruitment becomes a talking point for all the right reasons at the end of next season.
READ MORE: Best player, biggest flop and what’s next? Assessing the Premier League’s 6th-10th
WOLVES
REVIEW OF 22/23 – A strange season unfolded at Molineux as Julen Lopetegui presided over Wolves’ eventual clamber to safety but not without the odd thrashing thrown in. There are no doubts Wolves improved under the Spaniard but there were certainly plenty of question marks – particularly defensively. The main aim when the 56-year-old was drafted in was to preserve their Premier League status and now the challenge is to keep Lopetegui onside with astute recruitment.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – It’s little wonder that Ruben Neves remains so highly sought after given his consistent, top-level performances at the heart of the Wolves midfield. The kisses and waves delivered to all four sides of Molineux following Wolves’ last home game suggest a parting of ways and finding a suitable replacement could prove to be the biggest challenge of the summer for those involved.
Embed from Getty ImagesFLOP OF THE SEASON – The acquisition of Portuguese forward Goncalo Guedes for nearly £30m last summer raised a few eyebrows and it proved to be a decision that backfired. A string of injuries and just 13 Premier League appearances later, Guedes was shipped back to Benfica on loan in January, where he failed to score a single goal in a season to forget for the 26-year-old.
WHAT NEXT? – If Wolves can persuade Lopetegui to buy into the long-term project at Molineux then there is great expectation for improvement next season. Keeping hold of Neves will be crucial and showing enough ambition in their recruitment of new players will be determining factors behind the Spaniard’s decision. If their summer business goes to plan then you’d expect Wolves to be looking upwards next term rather than glancing nervously towards the bottom three.
WEST HAM
REVIEW OF 22/23 – David Moyes had admitted earlier this season that West Ham’s tremendous run to the Europa Conference League final had kept “players’ heads above water”, as the Hammers struggled for consistency domestically. A lowly 14th place finish was far from good enough but the chance of European glory could yet turn this season into one of the most special in the club’s history.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – It’s incredible to think that Declan Rice is still only 24 but the West Ham captain has matured into one of the finest central midfielders in European football. The chance to lift a trophy for his boyhood club would be the perfect ending, with the England international expected to be on the move this summer.
Embed from Getty ImagesFLOP OF THE SEASON – West Ham pounced to snatch up Maxwel Cornet from relegated Burnley last summer and it seemed smart business at the time. However, the Ivorian has struggled to stay fit and his 21 appearances across all competitions failed to produce a single goal. There’s a good chance West Ham may cash in on the forward this summer as they reshape their squad in preparation for a more successful season domestically.
WHAT NEXT? – An underwhelming Premier League season is something David Moyes can ill afford a repeat of next term but another sensational European campaign has kept him in favour. Moyes may yet emerge from this season with a place in West Ham’s history books but he knows full well any flirtation with relegation next season could see him replaced. Losing Rice is almost inevitable and it’s essential those funds are spent wisely to ensure development continues.
READ MORE: Best player, biggest flop and what’s next? Assessing the Premier League’s top five
BOURNEMOUTH
REVIEW OF 22/23 – A tremendous effort from Gary O’Neil to preserve Bournemouth’s Premier League status with many tipping them to slip straight back to the Championship. A 9-0 drubbing at Anfield was the end for Scott Parker and the way O’Neil galvanised and rallied his troops since has been particularly impressive. Rightly, O’Neil was given plenty of plaudits and was considered an outside bet for Manager of the Season.
Embed from Getty ImagesPLAYER OF THE SEASON – Plenty of notable performers during O’Neil’s tenure but the consistency of Jefferson Lerma in central midfield was vital in helping Bournemouth beat the drop. The club record signing announced he would be leaving the club this month with Crystal Palace agreeing a deal in principle to bring him to Selhurst Park, a big blow to the Cherries.
FLOP OF THE SEASON – A difficult couple of months for central defender IIIya Zabarnyi who joined Bournemouth in January for £24m. The young Ukrainian struggled to stay fit and made just five appearances at the back end of the season as Bournemouth secured safety.
WHAT NEXT? – The challenge for Bournemouth now is to build on their fantastic achievement but they will need heavy backing to ensure they become a consistent Premier League team. O’Neil overachieved given the position they were in when he took charge and will need full support from the board to build on his success too date.
