In my view, 2014-15 was pretty dull. Very dull, in fact. I know we shouldn’t say such things about ‘the best league in the world’, but it’s fine. The TV hype has moved on and we can all stop pretending. This time around though, things should be a little better.

Where last time the trophy could have been handed to Chelsea in September, this season gives us four genuine-but-flawed contenders, with no one team standing out from the start. The champions make obvious favourites, but they will not be offered such easy passage this time around.

Roman Abramovich seems to have left his wallet in his other jeans this summer, giving rise to one of the quietest transfer windows Stamford Bridge has seen in years. Indeed, with Asmir Begovic replacing Petr Cech and the mystifying Radamel Falcao filling a Didier Drogba-sized hole, there is even an argument that their squad has weakened since May.

Pre-season has not been pretty, failing to provide a single win in five games, and whatever Jose Mourinho would have us believe about last weekend’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, the better side did not lose. They remain the team to beat, of course, but their season lies at the mercy of too many variables for comfort: will Diego Costa’s infamous hamstrings hold out? Will John Terry continue to defy his age? Will Eden Hazard be as reliably magical again? All of those questions must be answered positively for them to retain their crown.

Should Chelsea fail, it could, finally, be Arsenal’s year. Signing Cech has solved their biggest long-term problem and, after a summer being talked up as real contenders, the Community Shield win was telling. Beating Chelsea does not make them the better team, but losing would have deflated the balloon and suggested business as usual.

Consider too that they won at Wembley while their best player was away on a beach in Chile, and it is clear that this is now a serious team. Gone are the days of Denilson, Nicklas Bendtner and Andre Santos; Arsenal, arguably, now have the most talented squad of the lot and they were Chelsea’s equals for three quarters of last season, even without Cech.

And yet, the questions persist. You can’t help feeling that, even with so much in their favour, they will still find a way to ‘Arsenal’ it all up. Can they cut out the inexplicably dire performances which crop up and have so often been their undoing? They are their own biggest obstacle to the title, and that will likely be sufficient to deny them again.

The Manchester pair are wild card entries into this season’s title race. City’s ageing players must improve drastically on last season, although Raheem Sterling, while ludicrously overpriced, does provide them with some of the pace, energy and youthfulness that they were lacking. Add him to Vincent Kompany, Yaya Touré, David Silva and Sergio Agüero and you have a team which will always have a good chance, but last season’s decline raised too many doubts to be certain.

United’s chances are equally unquantifiable. Their’s has been a barmy summer of shedding old faces and bringing in all sorts of new ones who could do anything. In the Netherlands there was a suggestion that Memphis Depay, while unquestionably talented, was a player for the YouTube highlights reel, but he now needs to provide a consistent threat.

If Morgan Schneiderlin can beat the curse affecting players leaving Southampton and Bastian Schweinsteiger can even get close to the player of two years ago, then United’s midfield will be as good as any; but is Wayne Rooney enough up front? And why is the issue of their defence still largely unaddressed?

Below that, Liverpool’s circus act goes on, but in such a way that they might pose a threat to the top four. Spurs, seemingly tired of being everyone’s favourite comedy club, have been oddly quiet and sensible this summer — and where they have spent, they have done so well — but lack the star quality to break into the Champions League spots.

There is a feeling, too, that Harry Kane cannot possibly repeat last season, in which case they might struggle. But keep an eye on Alex Pritchard who was excellent on loan last season as tiny Brentford came within touching distance of reaching the Premier League. Given the chance, he could be this year’s surprise package.

Stoke continued their transformation into being as un-Stoke-like as possible by adding Ibrahim Afellay to last summer’s most unlikely signing, Bojan Krkic. Expect to see them finish in the top half, while Southampton could possibly have pushed on from last year by quietly pulling off the transfer of the summer in Jordy Clasie.

Newcastle, too, are finally showing some ambition and may even enjoy an uncharacteristically drama-less season as a result. Aston Villa have a tough time ahead of them and look the biggest name in real danger of relegation alongside all the usual candidates.

But who on earth really knows any of this? All we can safely say is that 2015/16 is finally here, so let’s just sit back and enjoy.

Note: Hugo Saye is an English journalist who spent nine months in Jamaica shadowing 2012-2013 National Premier League champions Harbour View FC, where he spoke openly with stars of both sport and politics and discovered the importance of football in the Caribbean island, which formed the background of his book, Of Garrisons and Goalscorers.