A new Premier League season dawns at AFC Bournemouth, beginning tomorrow as the Cherries head to Anfield to take on champions Liverpool.

As with every new season, hopes are ripe and fans dream of what could be, which players are going to stand out, who might disappoint, and who might be a surprise package.

Here I am going to give my predictions of who I think will succeed, and who might not, under Andoni Iraola this season. It is slightly harder to predict these things with the squad not finalised yet, and it won’t be until the end of the month, but it’s worth a go anyway.

PREDICTED FINISH: 11TH

Some people may immediately look at this and think negatively, due to last seasons finish in the lofty heights of 9th and the push for European football. But I don’t think finishing 11th is bad at all. Teams in and around us have gotten stronger, Tottenham are not going to finish 17th again, and whilst Manchester United are still not all they once were and I’d be surprised if they finish in the top six, they have no European football and I would expect them to finish higher than 15th. That said, teams like Brentford have certainly gotten weaker on and off the pitch, Fulham haven’t improved and there are teams like Palace and Forest who might find the new workload of European competition + the league tough going. Bournemouth will not do as badly as others on the outside think, the replacements we have brought in so far seem great on paper and whilst I expect this to be a year of development for many where we don’t hit the heights of last season, I think we will surprise a few and pick up some scalps on the way. If we can improve against lower half teams and up our conversion rate, both problems last season, we might even do better, but I expect to see us in that 10th-13th range, which is not a problem, and a cup run alongside it would be nice too.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON: ANTOINE SEMENYO

H/M – Ryan Christie, Tyler Adams, Evanilson

This is it. The year Antoine Semenyo finally finds consistency throughout the campaign. His talent is undoubted and last season he raised his levels from the year before, scoring 11 goals and racking up five assists in the league. There is definitely a feeling that it could have, and maybe should have been more. But the way he has improved year on year since joining makes me think this is the year it is going to click for the whole season. Semenyo is so fun to watch, he is a match for any defender on the league with his strength and skill, and his ball-striking ability is like no other – with a new contract under his belt, likely on higher wages, my expectations for him are high.

I hope when fit, Ryan Christie will reach the same heights as last season, he is so integral to the way we play. Tyler Adams is another one who, if fit for the whole season, will be one of the first names on the team sheet and again is so crucial to how we play. I also feel with a full pre-season under his belt that Evanilson will kick on, but I’m thinking Semenyo will win the plaudits this year.

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON: ALEX SCOTT

H/M – James Hill, Julio Soler, Junior Kroupi

It’s hard to choose this sort of ‘award’, especially as it’s not one that actually exists at club level, and the results of this feel similar to my ‘surprise package’, which I would also expect to be one of the younger players. But for this I have chosen Alex Scott, who turns 22 this month. Like many other players in this squad, given his injury history, this depends on whether he can stay fit. We are yet to see the best of Scott in an AFCB shirt, but we have seen enough glimpses to get excited about. However, two years on from a £25M move from Bristol City, the time for ‘glimpses’ has gone – we need that quality week in week out. Having been a major part of the England U-21 European Championship success, and impressing so far in pre-season, there is no better time than now to hit a consistent level. It has been tough for Scott having never really strung a run of games together, either due to injury or because of the quality ahead of him, but I just get the feeling this is the year where he kicks on. His versatility across midfield will be key, although it would be nice for him to nail down a primary position. It’s time for him to show what he’s made of.

James Hill, if given a chance, could definitely make a case for this award. I would expect him to be lower down the pecking order, but again his versatility across the back-line could be vital for the squad this season, and he has had a very impressive pre-season. Julio Soler and Junior Kroupi will be squad players, but if their opportunity arises and they get a run in the team, they have the talent to be more than good enough for this team.

SURPRISE PACKAGE: DJORDJE PETROVIC

H/M – Marcos Senesi, Bafode Diakite, Adrien Truffert, Hamed Traore (?)

Plenty has been made of Bournemouth’s backline being decimated, but not much has been made of the quality that has been brought in to replace them. With that said, any of the three major signings could be in line for this award – but I haven’t heard much of a buzz from fans about the signing of Djordje Petrovic. Petrovic won Strasbourg’s player of the season as they finished 7th in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Conference League. He made no errors, had an exceptional save percentage and goals prevented stat, and is much more commanding of his area than many of his predecessors. He is a keeper of high class, as shown with his stint at Chelsea before being sent out on loan, and although he may not be as good on the ball as Kepa, I predict that he will have a brilliant season, which will lead to more talk about him than he is getting.

Hamed Traore is a potential shout if he stays and gets minutes, but there is no guarantee of him being here into September, and Marcos Senesi could once again show his true quality if given a run in the team, perhaps coming underrated due to the rise of Dean Huijsen last season. For what it’s worth, Luis Sinisterra would have been my choice for this, but he is now leaving on loan.

TOP SCORER – EVANILSON

Evanilson does not have many rivals for this award, only Justin Kluivert and Semenyo are likely to challenge him. Kluivert might not get as many penalties this season, and although I think Semenyo could really rival Evanilson for goals scored, I think the Brazilian will take a giant leap this season, scoring over 15. He has had a full pre-season, unlike last year, and is fully adapted to the league, the way we play, and the players must finally understand his game. Eva was guilty of missing a few clear cut chances last season, but if he bags a few early on in the season, big things are most certainly coming. He’s a must-have in my FPL team for a reason.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – JUSTIN KLUIVERT

I can already feel the raging comments at this decision. It’s not nice to think that anyone might be a disappointment this season, and I certainly hope choosing Kluivert leaves me with egg on my face, especially a player who has shown the levels he has. Kluivert had stunning numbers of 12 goals and six assists last season – however six of those goals were penalties, and another three came in the same game against Newcastle. That’s not to take away how difficult that is to do, but bar the penalties and sensational spell in January/February, there were some dry spells for Justin last season. If the penalties don’t get awarded, or converted, and he doesn’t fire from open play, the numbers will decrease. Kluivert’s decision making in the final third can be very frustrating at times, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a more underwhelming season. That is not to say he will be bad, or a flop, just could be disappointing compared to last.

Julian Araujo needs to massively up his levels, having had a disappointing campaign last time out, but unfortunately I don’t have much expectations for him, so I wouldn’t be able to call him the ‘biggest disappointment’ if he does not fire on all cylinders. Of course, like Araujo last season, any of the new signings could be up for this award if they do not adapt to English football.

My predictions are not the be all and end all, and they are likely to come back to bite me – but isn’t that what being a football fan is all about? Up the Cherries.