The 2024-25 Premiership season kicks off this Friday with a repeat of last season’s final between Bath and champions Northampton Saints at the Recreation Ground.

The league returns with 10 clubs again vying for the chance to be crowned champions next spring.

The new campaign starts weeks after a new financial deal was agreed that will see Premiership clubs paid £33m per season by the Rugby Football Union in a bid “to create world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues”.

BBC Sport looks at how each club might fare this season.

2023-24: Second – beaten finalists

Key signing: Guy Pepper, flanker

Dan Albutt, BBC Radio Bristol commentator:

The simple target will be going one better after just falling short against Northampton in last season’s final.

Growth has been consistent under head of rugby Johann van Graan who heads into his third year, and with star fly-half Finn Russell in blue, black and white for a second season, his chemistry with team-mates – especially captain Ben Spencer – should see Bath contend again.

As solid as Russell was, it was Springboks prop Thomas du Toit who arguably made the bigger impact last season. It will be interesting to see how new recruit Guy Pepper fits into a back row packed with stars including Sam Underhill, Ted Hill and Alfie Barbeary. But Bath see the former Falcon as another quality option.

Listen to The Scrum every Tuesday at 1800 on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Sounds.

2023-24: Fifth

Key signing: Viliame Mata, number eight

Dan Albutt, BBC Radio Bristol commentator:

Sale’s surprise win at Saracens on the final day saw Bristol miss out on a top-four finish by just two points. Fans will want every possible point this term and luckily the Bears way lends itself well to try-scoring bonus points.

Prop Ellis Genge will be hungry having missed England’s summer tour, and scrum-half Harry Randall’s sniping runs are sure to excite again.

Centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg was superb in his first season at the club, while Max Malins proved his versatility, including an impressive outing at fly-half.

Former London Irish prop Lovejoy Chawatama replaces the departed Kyle Sinckler, but it will be the arrival of Fijian back-row ‘Bill’ Mata that excites the fans, though he’ll miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury.

Listen to The Scrum every Tuesday at 1800 on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Sounds.

2023-24: Seventh

Key signing: Tamati Tua, centre

Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport:

If last season was the first campaign of Exeter 2.0, then Exeter version 2.1 will hope to make the play-offs this season.

Rob Baxter put faith in young players like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Greg Fisilau and Dafydd Jenkins last season and it almost paid off as the new-look side only missed out on a top-four place on the final day.

Ollie Devoto was the only established name to leave this summer, although he was dogged by injury in the latter part of his Chiefs stint.

Exeter will hope the likes of Henry Slade and Jenkins can return swiftly from post-tour surgeries and Wales forward Christ Tshiunza and exciting full-back Josh Hodge can have injury-free seasons.

2023-24: Ninth

Key signing: Tomos Williams, scrum-half

Andrew Pugh, BBC Radio Gloucestershire commentator:

Despite a revival in cup fortunes in 2023-24, Gloucester’s ninth place in the Premiership was not surprising.

For the new campaign, Welsh international signings Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe will give Gloucester a quality spine at half-back behind Zach Mercer at number eight.

Elsewhere there are few new additions, with George Skivington putting hope in his academy graduates and a more expansive strategy.

There’s flair in the backs from Argentine star Santi Carreras and Christian Wade, the one-cap England wing returning to the Premiership after stints in American football and the Top 14, but concerns remain that the squad lacks the forward bulk to dominate in poorer conditions.

The Kingsholm faithful’s hunger for league consistency and a top-four finish is palpable. But a poor start could result in questions being asked about Skivington’s future.

2023-24: Sixth

Key signing: Wyn Jones, prop

Andrew Rowley, BBC Radio London commentator:

It was difficult to sum up last season for Harlequins. Forging new records in Europe with a famous win in Bordeaux and a first-ever European Champions Cup semi-final, they fell away after those exertions to miss out on the Premiership play-offs again.

They have lost big players in Andre ‘the Giant’ Esterhuizen, Will Collier and Louis Lynagh and have vowed to invest in the talented youngsters coming through to give them a better shot at competing on two fronts.

Wales internationals Leigh Halfpenny and Wyn Jones provide experience alongside Titi Lamositele, and they have appointed Alex Dombrandt as captain.

What might be most intriguing is how the likes of Lennox Anyanwu, Will Joseph, Luke Northmore, Oscar Beard and Hayden Hyde combine in the centres to help Marcus Smith feed the speed out wide.

2023-24: Eighth

Key signing: Izaia Perese, centre

Adam Whitty, BBC Radio Leicester sports editor:

Cautious optimism might be the phrase to describe Leicester supporters’ feelings about this season despite another chaotic summer.

Head coach Dan McKellar is out after just one year, having overseen a disappointing eighth-place finish. In comes a rugby rock star in Michael Cheika.

We can guarantee some fiery press conferences. I was warned by ex-Tigers and Quins back Will Greenwood to wear oven gloves for my post-match interviews…

Expect Leicester to become a nasty team again, a tag they have relished in the past. Cheika knows how to win in club and international rugby, and he has hinted at a slightly more open game than we might expect from a Tigers team.

Leicester have also plugged a few big gaps. Izaia Perese looks frighteningly physical at outside centre, while Nicky Smith is a shrewd signing at loose-head.

Kyle Hatherell looks set to have the toughest task, the South African likely to be the replacement at number eight for departed compatriot Jasper Wiese, who Tigers had based their game around for the last few years.

Listen to the Leicester Tigers Rugby Show every Wednesday at 1800 on BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Sounds.

2023-24: 10th

Key signing: Cameron Neild, flanker

Dean Gray, BBC Radio Newcastle commentator:

Six seasons ago the Falcons finished fourth in the Premiership, but since then the club have been in upheaval, with four coaches succeeding Dean Richards and a host of experienced players leaving.

At the back end of last season Steve Diamond – a man known for squeezing the best out of small squads – took over coaching and recruitment. The club still finished bottom of the Premiership, winless and 27 points behind Gloucester in ninth.

Diamond has recruited players he’s worked with previously for this term, such as Cameron Neild, Jack Metcalf, Alex Hearle and Luan de Bruin, while Alan Dickens arrives as a senior coach.

But it’s a thin squad and the Falcons will need to target points from their home games to avoid a potential relegation play-off.

2023-24: First – champions

Key signing: Josh Kemeny, flanker

Graham McKechnie, BBC Radio Northampton commentator:

It’s been a summer of change for the reigning champions. The departures of Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam to France and retirement of Alex Waller mean Saints have lost a vast amount of experience.

Their leadership will be missed but there’s a strong sense of optimism around the club that younger players will step up to fill the void – the likes of new captain George Furbank, Fraser Dingwall and Alex Coles.

Phil Dowson has added some new names too – mostly in the pack, with flanker Josh Kemeny arriving from Australia and lock Callum Hunter-Hill and prop Tom West from Saracens.

But Saints’ hopes of defending their Premiership title rest with the core of young players who kept everyone at the Gardens so entertained last season.

Listen to The Saints Show every Wednesday at 1800 on BBC Radio Northampton and BBC Sounds.

2023-24: Third – semi-finalists

Key signing: Waisea Nayacalevu, centre

Robin Grey, BBC Radio Manchester:

A final defeat to Saracens and a semi-final play-off loss at Bath in the past two seasons show Sale Sharks are really not far away from winning the Premiership.

But how they react to losing Manu Tuilagi, Sam James and Cobus Wiese will be crucial.

Fiji centre Waisea Nayacalevu looks to be a Tuilagi replacement, while utility back Will Addison returns to the club where it all began for him.

Alex Sanderson’s side finished the season strongly, but it was on the back of a really poor mid-term spell after they topped the league at Christmas.

The hope is the youthful core that brought them this far have now developed further, with the likes of Tom Roebuck, Joe Carpenter and Gus Warr crucial in deciding whether this Sale side finish third or fourth or first or second.

2023-24: Fourth – semi-finalists

Key signing: Fergus Burke, fly-half

Andrew Rowley, BBC Radio London commentator:

It was difficult not to view the Premiership semi-final defeat away to eventual champions Northampton as the end of an era for Saracens.

Owen Farrell stood in disbelief at the final whistle – not the victorious farewell he wanted before heading across the Channel. The Vunipola brothers have also departed while the hugely experienced Sean Maitland and Alex Lewington have retired.

England captain Jamie George remains from the ‘Class of 2008’ and Maro Itoje has been named club captain, a role he seemed destined for since bursting on to the scene as a teenager. The coaching staff also have huge faith in the new leaders such as Ben Earl and Juan Martin Gonzalez.

There are two new 10s with the arrivals of Crusaders fly-half Fergus Burke and Louie Johnson from Newcastle, part of the new wave of players.

It felt like Saints were taking their mantle in English rugby last season. It will be interesting to see how a new-look Sarries attempt to return to the top.

Commentary of every Premiership game available on BBC local radio and via the BBC Sport website.