Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will all be gunning for a place in Europe's elite competitions when the Premier League kicks off for the 2022-23 campaign but they may have some more competition. Aston Villa have got their summer transfer window off to a flying start and harbour ambitions of competing on the continent as well.
Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte booked their place in the Champions League by finishing third and fourth respectively while Mikel Arteta will have to settle for the Europa League. The Premier League's presence in European competitions is only growing stronger too with Liverpool ensuring there is an English representative in the biggest game of the season for a third time in four seasons.
But the traditional 'big six' could be shaken up in years to come. Newcastle pose an obvious threat after their takeover by Saudi Arabian PIF earlier this season but Villa should not be ignored either.
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Owned by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, both billionaires, the West Midlanders are one of the richest clubs in Europe and the signing of Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal shows their ambitions. Steven Gerrard is not resting on his laurels either with the club already confirming two impressive deals for next season.
Boubacar Kamara, one of Europe's most highly-rated defensive midfielders, will join from Marseille while this week saw confirmation of a deal to bring in centre-back Diego Carlos from Sevilla. The moves could well be seen as an extension of the warning sent to the top teams by Gerrard after he was announced as Dean Smith's replacement.
"Success in football is always about winning football matches," he told his first press conference as Villa boss back in November, via Birmingham Live. "Long term, the club would like to be back at the European level, but I don’t think it’s the right time now to put any date on that."
Could we see Villa pushing for a place in Europe next season? Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea may be looking tentatively over their shoulders.
