Arsenal
In
Petr Cech – Chelsea, £10m
Out
Carl Jenkinson – West Ham, Loan
Wojciech Szczesny – Roma, Loan
Abou Diaby – Released
Lukas Podolski – Galatasaray, £1.8m
Ryo Myaichi – St Pauli, Undisclosed
Yaya Sanogo – Ajax, Loan
Best XI:
Cech
Bellerin Mertesacker Koscielny Monreal
Ramsey Wilshere
Walcott Ozil Alexis
Giroud
The Gunners ended last season strongly, with players such as Ozil, Walcott, Wilshere and Giroud in good form. Cech is an excellent signing, albeit the only one they’ve made so far. There is very little between them and the two Manchester sides at the moment, and if they can get off to a strong start there is no reason why they can’t finish as high as second, or even make a strong title challenge.
Aston Villa
In
Scott Sinclair – Man City, £2.5m
Micah Richards – Man City, Free
Jordan Amavi – Nice, £7m
Idrissa Gueye – Lille, £9m
Mark Bunn – Norwich, Free
Jordan Ayew – Lorient, £10m
Jose Angel Crespo – Cordoba, Undisclosed
Out
Christian Benteke – Liverpool, £32.5m
Fabian Delph – Man City, £8m
Shay Given – Stoke, Free
Darren Bent – Derby County, Free
Enda Stevens – Portsmouth, Free
Andreas Weimann – Derby County, Undisclosed
Matthew Lowton – Burnley, Undisclosed
Yacouba Sylla – Rennes, Undisclosed
Antonio Luna – Eibar, Undisclosed
Best XI:
Guzan
Richards Okore Clarke Amavi
Grealish Sanchez Veretout Sinclair
Ayew Gestede
Despite the renewed optimism at Villa Park since the arrival of Tim Sherwood, Villa only managed to finish 17th last season. They’ve made some intriguing signings this summer, but in losing Vlaar, Delph and Benteke, they’ve lost the entire spine of their team, and they go into this season with a lot of unknown quantities and youngsters. If the new foreign starlets can hit the ground running, and players like Sinclair and Richards rediscover their best form, they could push for a mid-table finish. It’s a big if, though.
Bournemouth
In
Tyrone Mings – Ipswich Town, £8m
Sylvain Distin – Everton, Free
Artur Boruc – Southampton, Free
Adam Federici – Reading, Free
Joshua King – Blackburn Rovers, Tribunal
Christian Atsu – Chelsea, Loan
Filippo Costa – Chievo, Loan
Out
Ian Harte – Released
Josh McQuoid – Luton, Free
Darryl Flavahan – Released
Mohamed Coulibaly – Released
Miles Addison – Released
Brett Pitman – Ipswich Town, Undisclosed
Best XI:
Boruc
Francis Cook Distin Mings
Ritchie Surman Arter Atsu
Wilson Kermorgant
Bournemouth were the story of last season, securing an improbably Championship title and Premier League football for the first time ever. Now however they face the biggest challenge in their club’s history to stay up. There’s a huge lack of top-flight experience in their squad, but momentum can be crucial, and they have plenty of that.
Chelsea
In
Radamel Falcao – AS Monaco, Loan
Asmir Begovic – Stoke, £8m
Nathan – Atletico Paranaense, £4.5m
Danilo Pantic – Partizan Belgrade, £1.25m
Out
Petr Cech – Arsenal, £10m
Patrick Bamford – Crystal Palace, Loan
Didier Drogba – Released
Filipe Luis – Atletico Madrid, £6m
Marco van Ginkel – Stoke, Loan
Danilo Pantic – Vitesse Arnhem, Loan
Christian Atsu – Bournemouth, Loan (subject to Premier League approval)
Josh McEachran – Brentford, Undisclosed
Tomas Kalas – Middlesbrough, Loan
Gael Kakuta – Sevilla, Undisclosed
Mario Pasalic – Monaco, Loan
Kenneth Omeruo – Kasimpasa, Loan
Andreas Christensen – Borussia Monchengladbach, Loan
Isaiah Brown – Vitesse Arnhem, Loan
Lewis Baker – Vitesse Arnhem, Loan
Best XI:
Courtois
Ivanovic Terry Zouma Azpilicueta
Matic Fabregas
Cuadrado Oscar Hazard
Costa
Chelsea are the strongest team in the country by some distance at the moment, and it would be a huge surprise if they were not to retain their crown. They’ve yet to properly improve their first eleven, bringing in only rotation options thus far, although the rumoured signing of Baba Rahman would be a good addition. Their main target this season has to be the Champions League, after last year’s disappointment.
Crystal Palace
In
Patrick Bamford – Chelsea, Loan
Yohan Cabaye – PSG, £13m
Alex McCarthy – QPR, £3.5m
Out
Jack Hunt – Sheffield Wednesday, Loan
Shola Ameobi – Released
Lewis Price – Sheffield Wednesday, Free
Owen Garvan – Released
Peter Ramage – Released
Stephen Dobbie – Released
Jerome Thomas – Released
Best XI:
Speroni
Kelly Mariappa Dann Souare
Cabaye Jedinak McArthur
Puncheon Bamford Bolasie
Palace have defied all expectations made for them and cemented themselves as a solid mid table side. In Yohan Cabaye they have made one of the signings of the summer, and their target now has to be pushing on to a top half finish. What they really lack is a prolific forward – could Patrick Bamford be that man?
Everton
In
Gerard Deulofeu – Barcelona, £4.25m
Tom Cleverley – Manchester United, Free
David Henen – Olympiakos, £0.2m
Out
Sylvain Distin – Bournemouth, Free
Luke Garbutt – Fulham, Loan
Antolin Alcaraz – Released
George Green – Oldham, Free
Best XI:
Howard
Coleman Stones Jagielka Baines
McCarthy Besic
Mirallas Naismith Deulofeu
Lukaku
Last season was bitterly disappointing for Everton, and Roberto Martinez simply must return to the top half if he is to keep his job. The return of Deulofeu is exciting, and Lukaku will want to improve on his solid if unspectacular first season as a permanent Everton player. Ross Barkley also has a point to prove after going off the boil, and keeping hold of John Stones is crucial. Top half should be the minimum requirement, and they seem well placed to achieve it without the distraction of the Europa League.
Leicester City
In
Robert Huth – Stoke, £3m
Shinji Okazaki – Mainz, £7.5m
Christian Fuchs – Schalke, Free
Out
Esteban Cambiasso – released
Anthony Knockaert – Standard Liege, free
Ben Hamer – Nottingham Forest, Loan
Paul Gallagher – Preston, Free
Chris Wood – Leeds, Undisclosed
Tom Hopper – Scunthorpe, Free
Adam Smith – Northampton, Free
Best XI:
Schmeichel
De Laet Huth Wasilewski Fuchs
Mahrez James Drinkwater Schlupp
Ulloa Kramaric/Okazaki
The future prospects of my club are shrouded in uncertainty. Nigel Pearson, idolised by Leicester fans and despised by everyone else, has finally gone after a fantastic spell in charge. Esteban Cambiasso has followed him out the door, along with fan favourite Anthony Knockaert. The Thailand sex scandal has done further dampened the club’s image after several bizarre incidents involving Pearson last season. And on the pitch, we have no idea what to expect. The great escape was simply a thrilling time to be a City fan, but for much of the season we looked totally out of our depth at this level. Claudio Ranieri is a big name, but it has been a good few years since he was an elite manager, and most fans would have liked to see more signings but this stage. N’Golo Kante seems set to be announced imminently, and he would go some way to filling a certain Argentine’s shoes, but the midfield still looks like a weak area, especially with Matty James facing several months out. The good news is we have plenty of strong attacking options, and have kept hold of Riyad Mahrez, our most creative player. This season could go one of two ways – we build on the brilliant end to the season, or all the turmoil and upheaval causes us to implode. Most likely it’ll be something inbetween.
Liverpool
In
Christian Benteke – Aston Villa, £32.5m
James Milner – Manchester City, Free
Danny Ings – Burnley, Tribunal
Roberto Firmino – Hoffenheim, £29m
Nathaniel Clyne – Southampton, £12.5m
Joe Gomez – Charlton, £3.5m
Adam Bogdan – Bolton, Free
Out
Raheem Sterling – Man City, £49m
Glen Johnson – Stoke, Free
Steven Gerrard – LA Galaxy, Free
Andre Wisdom – Norwich, Loan
Lloyd Jones – Blackpool, Loan
Jordan Williams – Swindon, Loan
Kevin Stewart – Swindon, Loan
Sebastian Coates – Sunderland, Undisclosed
Brad Jones – Released
Javi Manquillo – Atletico Madrid, Loan terminated
Best XI:
Mignolet
Can Skrtel Sakho
Clyne Henderson Milner Moreno
Firmino Coutinho
Sturridge/Benteke
The much-publicised departures of club icon Steven Gerrard, and Raheem Sterling for a huge fee have had much attention, but Liverpool have quietly made some very good signings. Nathaniel Clyne, Christian Benteke and James Milner are established Premier League players who would improve any team they played in, while Roberto Firmino has been one of the Bundesliga’s best players for the last few years. The gaps are narrowing between the top clubs, and the Reds have a great opportunity to make a return to the top four, after missing out last year.
Manchester City
In
Raheem Sterling – Liverpool, £49m
Patrick Roberts – Fulham, £12m
Fabian Delph – Aston Villa, £8m
Enes Unal – Bursaspor, £2m
David Faupala – Lens, Free
Out
Stevan Jovetic – Inter, loan
Edin Dzeko – Roma, £14m (pending)
James Milner – Liverpool, Free
Scott Sinclair – Aston Villa, Undisclosed
Micah Richards – Aston Villa, Free
John Guidetti – Celta Vigo, Free
Dedryck Boyata – Celtic, Undisclosed
Seko Fofana – Bastia, Loan
Best XI:
Hart
Zabaleta Kompany Mangala Kolarov
Sterling Toure Fernandinho Silva
Aguero Bony
City are looking a lot weaker going into this season than they have done for quite some time. Sergio Aguero remains the best player in the league, and can win games on his own, but there are a lot of questions about the rest of the team. Vincent Kompany is no longer the elite defender he was, and Mangala hardly made the best impression in his debut season. Yaya Toure is starting to show his age, and they have lost the always reliable Edin Dzeko, along with Stevan Jovetic, leaving their forward options depleted in the likely event of an Aguero injury. Raheem Sterling has arrived for a record sum, and has shown good form in pre-season, but this squad needs much more.
Manchester United
In
Morgan Schneiderlin – Southampton, £25m
Bastian Schweinsteiger – Bayern Munich, £14.4m
Memphis Depay – PSV Eindhoven, £31m
Matteo Darmian – Torino, £12.7m
Sergio Romero – Sampdoria, Free
Out
Robin van Persie – Fenerbahce, fee to be agreed
Nani – Fenerbahce, £4.5m
Tom Cleverley – Everton, Free
Reece James – Wigan, Undisclosed
Saidy Janko – Celtic, Compensation
Ben Amos – Bolton, Free
Tom Thorpe – Rotherham, Free
Will Keane – Preston, Loan
Angelo Henriquez – Dinamo Zagreb, Undisclosed
Best XI:
De Gea
Darmian Jones Rojo Shaw
Schneiderlin Schweinsteiger
Di Maria Mata Depay
Rooney
It looked touch-and-go at times, but Louis Van Gaal’s extremely expensive United side made their return to the top four after the horror show that was the David Moyes era. The spending has not stopped this summer, with the midfield issues being well addressed, and the additions of Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian are also highly impressive. Angel Di Maria seems set to leave for PSG, but going on last season’s performances, he won’t be a huge miss. The possible departure of David De Gea is another matter entirely – he would be very hard to replace. Another striker needs to come in, after the departures of Van Persie and Falcao left Wayne Rooney as the only established forward. A title challenge beckons.
Newcastle
In
Chancel Mbemba – Anderlecht, £8.5m
Aleksandar Mitrovic – Anderlecht, £13m
Georginio Wijnaldum – PSV, 14.5m
Out
Sammy Ameobi – Cardiff City, Loan
Jonas Gutierrez – Released
Ryan Taylor – Released
Adam Campbell – Notts County, Free
Remie Streete – Port Vale, Free
Best XI:
Krul
Janmaat Coloccini Taylor Haidara
Sissoko Tiote
Cabella Wijnaldum De Jong
Cisse
Newcastle fans finally got their wish for the departure of Alan Pardew, only to be saddled with the double inept Steve Carver, who did his very best to send them down the second tier. Steve McLaren now holds the reins, and he has made one very impressive signing in Georginio Wijnaldum. They probably won’t go down, but they’re a long way from making the top half.
Norwich
In
Graham Dorrans – West Brom, £3m
Youssuf Mulumbu – West Brom, Free
Andre Wisdom – Liverpool, Loan
Robbie Brady – Hull, £7m
Out
Javier Garrido – released
Mark Bunn – Aston Villa, Free
Carlton Morris – Hamilton, Loan
Cameron McGeehan – Luton Town, Undisclosed
Sam Kelly – Port Vale, Free
Remi Matthews – Burton, Loan
Best XI:
Ruddy
Martin Turner Bassong Olsson
Tettey Mulumbu Howson
Redmond Jerome Hoolahan
Norwich have bounced back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and their squad seems almost the same as the one that went down two years ago. A stable, if somewhat boring team, Norwich will probably be fighting off relegation for most of the season.
Southampton
In
Jordy Clasie – Feyenoord, £8m
Juanmi – Malaga, £5m
Cuco Martina – FC Twente, £1m
Cedric Soares – Sporting CP, £4.7m
Maarten Stekelenburg – Fulham, Loan
Steven Caulker – QPR, Loan
Out
Morgan Schneiderlin – Manchester United, £25m
Nathaniel Clyne – Liverpool, Undisclosed (fee understood to be £10m plus add-ons)
Artur Boruc – Bournemouth, Free
Jos Hooiveld – Released
Cody Cropper – MK Dons, Free
Omar Rowe – Released
Jake Sinclair – Released
Dani Osvaldo – Released
Best XI:
Forster
Soares Fonte Caulker Bertrand
Clasie Wanyama Ward-Prowse
Rodriguez Pelle Mane
Southampton were perhaps the most impressive side in the league last season, finishing a hugely credible 7th despite a host of big departures. They have lost two more important players in Clyne and Schneiderlin, but Ronaldo Koeman seems a hugely impressive manager who can cope with it. The Europa League will have some impact on their league form, but it will also raise their profile around Europe and allow them to attract better players. Another strong season beckons.
Stoke
In
Glen Johnson – Liverpool, Free
Phillipp Wollscheid – Bayer Leverkusen, £2.75m
Joselu – Hannover 96, £5.75m
Shay Given – Aston Villa, Free
Marko van Ginkel – Chelsea, Loan
Jakob Haugaard – FC Midtyjlland, £0.6m
Moha El Ouriachi – Barcelona, Undisclosed
Ibrahim Afellay – Barcelona, Free
Out
Asmir Begovic – Chelsea, Undisclosed
Steven Nzonzi – Sevilla, £7m
Robert Huth – Leicester City, Undisclosed
Jamie Ness – Scunthorpe, Free
Thomas Sorensen – Released
Wilson Palacios – Released
Andy Wilkinson – Released
Best XI:
Butland
Johnson Shawcross Muniesa Pieters
Arnautovic Whelan Van Ginkel Afellay
Bojan Diouf
Stoke continue to go under the radar despite two successive top half finishes. They have shed their ‘physical’ tag under Mark Hughes and are now attracting more skilful players such as Bojan and Ibrahim Afellay. Begovic and Nzonzi will be missed but they will endure as they always do.
Sunderland
In
Jeremain Lens – Dynamo Kiev, £8.5m
Younes Kaboul – Tottenham, £3m
Adam Matthews – Celtic, £2m
Sebastian Coates – Liverpool, £1.96m
Out
El-Hadji Ba – Charlton
Santiago Vergini – Getafe, Loan
Best XI:
Pantilimon
Matthews Coates Kaboul Van Aanholt
Larsson Giaccherini Gomez Cattermole Johnson
Defoe
The Black Cat’s nine lives are surely almost up. Sunderland always seem to get out of relegation, but no team can sustain that forever. Another long season beckons.
Swansea
In
Andre Ayew – Marseille, Free
Franck Tabanou – St Etienne, £3.5m
Eder – Braga, £5.2m
Kristoffer Nordfelt – Heerenveen, £0.6m
Oliver McBurnie – Bradford City, £0.25m
Out
Jazz Richards – Fulham, Undisclosed
David Cornell – Oldham, Free
Alan Tate – Released
Gerhard Tremmel – Released
Best XI:
Fabianski
Rangel Williams Fernandez Taylor
Ki Shelvey
Montero Sigurdsson Ayew
Gomis
Despite the loss of Wilfried Bony, Swansea continue to be one of the most upwardly mobile clubs in the league. Andre Ayew was one of the most in-demand free agents this summer, and Swansea did well to secure him. They will fancy their chances of claiming a Europa League spot.
Spurs
In
Toby Alderweireld – Atletico Madrid, £11.5m
Kevin Wimmer – Cologne, £4.3m
Kieran Trippier – Burnley, £3.5m
Out
Paulinho – Guangzhou Evergrande, £9.8m
Benjamin Stambouli – PSG, £6m
Etienne Capoue – Watford, Undisclosed (fee believed to be in the region of £6m)
Younes Kaboul – Sunderland, Undisclosed
Lewis Holtby – Hamburg
Best XI:
Lloris
Walker Alderweireld Vertonghen Rose
Dembele Mason
Lamela Eriksen Chadli
Kane
Spurs continue to float around in their zone of not good enough for the top four, too good to fall out of the top seven. The excellent Eriksen and Kane will provide goals, and Alderweireld is a solid defender to protect one of the league’s best keepers. Erik Lamela will surely come good eventually, and young midfielders Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb established themselves last season. Will it be enough for the top four? Probably not, but we’ll see.
Watford
In
Etienne Capoue – Tottenham, £6m
Valon Behrami – Hamburg, £3m
Jose Holebas – Roma, £1.8m
Miguel Britos – Napoli, Undisclosed
Jose Jurado – Spartak Moscow, Undisclosed
Matej Vydra – Udinese, £6m
Allan Nyom – Udinese, Undisclosed
Sebastian Prodl – Werder Bremen, Free
Giedrius Arlauskis – Steaua Bucharest, Free
Steven Berghuis – AZ Alkmaar, £4.6m
Out
Jonathan Bond – Reading, Undisclosed
Lewis McGugan – Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed
Juanfran – Deportivo La Coruna, Loan
Best XI:
Gomes
Britos Angella Ekstrand
Anya Abdi Capoue Jurado Holebas
Deeney Ighalo
Watford seem to be going down the QPR route of spending big and spending often in their quest for survival. Many players from Serie A have come in, thanks to their link with Udinese, and long serving players like Troy Deeney will be itching to show what they can do at the top level. They have huge depth to their squad, which could be crucial.
West Brom
In
James McClean – Wigan, £1.5m
James Chester – Hull, £8m
Rickie Lambert – Liverpool, Undisclosed
Out
Graham Dorrans – Norwich, Undisclosed
Youssuf Mulumbu – Norwich, Free
Chris Baird – Derby County, Free
Best XI:
Foster
Dawson Chester Lescott Pocognoli
McManaman Yacob Fletcher McLean
Berahino Lambert
West Brom were many people’s favourites to go down last season, but the appointment of Tony Pulis kept them up. With Pulis in charge, it’s hard to see them going down, but their first eleven is hardly the most inspiring. They will certainly be around the bottom three for most of the season.
West Ham
In
Angelo Ogbonna – Juventus, £7.9m
Dimitri Payet – Marseille, £10.7m
Carl Jenkinson – Arsenal, Loan
Pedro Obiang – Sampdoria, £4.3m
Manuel Lanzini – Al Jazira, Loan
Darren Randolph – Birmingham City, Free
Out
Stewart Downing – Middlesbrough, £5.5m
Dan Potts – Luton Town, Free
Paul McCallum – Leyton Orient, Free
Carlton Cole – Released
Guy Demel – Released
Jussi Jaaskelainen – Released
Nene – Released
Best XI:
Adrian
Jenkinson Tomkins Ogbonna Cresswell
Noble Obiang
Payet Zarate Jarvis
Sakho
West Ham had a decent season, but decided to part ways with Sam Allardyce in favour of Slaven Bilic. They pulled off quite the coup in luring Dimitri Payet, one of the best players in Europe last season, and they will hope to land a top half finish.
Table Prediction
1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester City
5. Liverpool
6. Tottenham
7. Swansea
8. Southampton.
9. Everton
10. Stoke
11. Crystal Palace
12. West Ham
13. Newcastle
14. Watford
15. West Brom
16. Aston Villa
17. Leicester
18. Norwich
19. Bournemouth
20. Sunderland
Championship Prediction
1. Middlesbrough
2. Derby
3. Ipswich
4. Brentford
5. Wolves
6. QPR
7. Hull
8. Birmingham
9. Burnley
10. Blackburn
11. Cardiff
12. Nottingham Forest
13. Bristol City
14. Sheffield Wednesday
15. Charlton
16. Bolton
17. Leeds
18. Fulham
19. Preston
20. Reading
21. Huddersfield
22. MK Dons
23. Brighton
24. Rotherham
It's a Knockaert 