Exclusive: Bacary Sagna makes intriguing Aston Villa and Wolves point in bold Premier League prediction

Bacary Sagna has got in nice and early to predict that next campaign will be far more competitive than 2024/25 with more dark horses to break through.

The ex-Arsenal and Manchester City man believes teams previously known as ‘selling clubs’ are beginning to keep hold of their key players more often. Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth have upset the apple cart this term, Newcastle United and Aston Villa did in the two previous campaigns, and now Sagna reckons there’ll be more sides entering the fray come next season.

“With the way the Premier League is developing, and you’re starting to see that this season with what teams like Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are producing, it’s becoming more and more competitive across the board,” Sagna told BirminghamWorld, via Great Offshore Sportsbooks.

“Every club is getting better, and every club can attract top players now. You don't have a big four or a big five anymore. Every club can beat every other club; there are good players in every single team now.

“Next season, I don't think the Premier League will be dominated by Arsenal and Liverpool. Some of the teams are going to get better. City will buy in the summer and will get stronger.

“I also think it’s interesting that players like Matheus Cunha and Ollie Watkins – players that were linked to bigger clubs in January – stayed where they are,” Sagna concluded.

It’s an intriguing point Sagna makes at the end there, with Wolverhampton Wanderers able to keep hold of Cunha at a vital time when they previously may have cashed in. The likes of Matheus Nunes, Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Max Kilman and Diogo Jota have all departed for significant fees in recent seasons but Cunha has stayed put.

Wolves’ talisman may not stay beyond the summer with a £62.5 million release clause inserted into his new contract but it’s a step in the right direction that the club managed to convince him to remain at Molineux throughout a relegation battle.

In the case of Villa, sales have only really been made recently to ensure they remain in line with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz were are the most prominent examples as the pair were sold for a combined £94 million last summer.

Jhon Duran’s departure could somewhat contradict Sagna’s point of keeping hold of key players but the Colombian didn’t see eye-to-eye with Unai Emery anyway. It was also such a difficult fee to turn down (£65 million plus add-ons) considering Watkins is the first-choice striker.

Villa also spent some of the Duran money in emphatic fashion, signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United and Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain. Both players - acquired on a dramatic deadline day - are on loan initially but there’s a £40 million option to buy Rashford and Asensio will be considered for a permanent transfer.

In other news, Villa have made an official approach to Olympiacos over the possibility of signing two Greek wonderkids.