The Debate: Which Premier League team will be this year's surprise package?

The new Premier League is here and excitement is bubbling for what is set to be another enthralling campaign.

Aston Villa were the Premier League's surprise package last term after Unai Emery guided them to a top-four finish and secured qualification to the Champions League.

But which team will exceed expectations and be the surprise package in 2024/25?

Members of the bet365 News team share their thoughts.

Bolstered by some shrewd additions, West Ham have the potential to be knocking on the door of a European berth.

Liam Williams

It cannot be disputed that David Moyes did a tremendous job at West Ham. Fans may have criticised the style of football at times or a perceived lack of progress, but Moyes delivered a first trophy for West Ham since 1980 and a first European trophy since 1965.

He did, however, likely take the Hammers as far as they could go, and the appointment of Julen Lopetegui is a step up.

The loss of Declan Rice was always going to be felt, but West Ham have finished sixth and seventh with worse squads than they have now. Last season, Mohammed Kudus wasn’t handed his first start of the season until the end of October, while, Lucas Paqueta who missed seven games through injury, can be a huge difference-maker.

The Hammers picked up 1.55 points per game with the Brazilian in the side, compared to just 0.43 in his absence.

The main area of concern for West Ham looked to be the lack of goals in the team with only Jarrod Bowen scoring more than eight, but that fear could be allayed by signing Championship Player of the Season Crysencio Summerville as well as Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund (seventh for goals/90 in the Bundesliga last season and topping the scoring charts the year before).

We only saw glimpses of Summerville in the Premier League with Leeds, but the nearly-23-year-old looks ready to make the step up while Fullkrug was a handful off the bench for Germany at the Euros.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka will hope to recapture his Crystal Palace form having moved to a club where there’s less onus on attacking and the highly rated Jean-Clair Todibo looks a real coup.

If West Ham can keep their key men fit and see their attackers click in the final third, another European campaign could be on the cards.

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In Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace have a manager capable of guiding them to unprecedented heights in the Premier League.

James Wilson

From Oliver Glasner’s appointment as Crystal Palace manager on 19th February, only Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City accrued more Premier League points than the Eagles in the Premier League.

Previously inspiring Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022, Glasner’s impact at Selhurst Park has been nothing short of sensational.

At the time of the Austrian’s hiring last term, Palace had won just six of 24 Premier League matches under Roy Hodgson and arguably represented one of the division’s least exciting teams to watch.

Step forward Glasner, with Palace’s new coach implementing a fresh 3-4-2-1 formation which revolves around an intense pressing game off the ball.

A number of talented Palace players have taken their game to a new level under the Austrian’s tutelage, with Adam Wharton’s shock England Euros call-up and Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Olympics heroics for France a testament to this fact.

Indeed these two players form part of an impressive Palace spine which also includes outstanding ball-playing centre-back Joachim Andersen and mesmeric attacking playmaker Ebere Eze.

Palace’s prospects ahead of the new season have been hit by the significant departure of Michael Olise, with Marc Guehi perhaps primed to join him, but the club have moved swiftly and diligently to replace them.

Ex-Watford livewire Ismaila Sarr and a former trusted lieutenant of Glasner in the form of ex-Frankfurt technician Daichi Kamada can help offset the loss of Olise going forward, whilst new Moroccan centre-back Chadi Riad also has impressive pedigree.

Under Glasner, Palace look a team confident of holding their own against anyone, and this attitude could see them continue to cause a stir in the Premier League this season.

Ipswich Town have already defied expectations once with Kieran McKenna and he can ensure they do it again.

Jaquob Crooke

As a fully-fledged member of the Kieran McKenna fan club, I’m backing Ipswich Town to defy the odds and make it a season to remember at Portman Road.

It might not necessarily be a groundbreaking campaign but I believe the Tractor Boys can make a nuisance of themselves and do just enough to stave off relegation from the Premier League.

Rightfully titled the Football League’s entertainers for the flamboyant manner in which they achieved successive promotions, Ipswich may not be rewarded for such bravery in the top flight but they demonstrated towards the back end of last season that they’re capable of digging deep and stifling opposition when necessary.

Ultimately, whether Ipswich are able to make a real good fist of the upcoming campaign hinges entirely on McKenna.

The Northern Irishman has exceeded expectations in Suffolk and extracted the maximum from his playing squad.

He’s forged a cohesive unit with individuals fully aware of their role in the team. When the going gets tough – which it most definitely will – this Ipswich side has the resolve to tackle daunting challenges and cruel setbacks.

Many will look to the ineptitude of the three promoted teams from last term. Sheffield United were significantly weakened before the season started, Luton Town failed to capitalise on a hatful of opportunities and Burnley’s survival hopes were compounded by the lack of a ‘Plan B’.

Yes, Ipswich played a similar front-foot, high-press style that Vincent Kompany implemented at Turf Moor, but I’d like to imagine McKenna is not naïve enough to persist with a method that doesn’t yield results.

There remains question marks over Ipswich’s defensive frailties, though they have navigated the transfer market with two crucial snippets of business.

Arijanet Muric was beginning to demonstrate the calibre of goalkeeping that had been tipped of him during his Manchester City days and Jacob Greaves was an outstanding talent in the Championship, ready to make the step to the next level.

Like Luton were previously, many have already written off Ipswich’s chances and they will revel in that underdog status.

If they can retain Portman Road’s fortress status and supporters make it an increasingly hostile venue to visit, they have every chance of keeping their heads above water and upsetting some of the big guns.

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