Liverpool have been busy in the transfer window, but have they done the best business…
SEE ALSO: All the Premier League done deals so far.
20) Aston Villa
Paul Lambert has brought in defensive reinforcements in the shape of former Liverpool loanee Aly Cissokho, ex-Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos and Fulham veteran Kieran Richardson, while they will be hoping that Joe Cole still has a few moments of magic in him.
There has been nothing major in terms of departures, with a series of loans for some of the club’s younger players the only notable movement. The club has been on a steady downward spiral over the last few years, and could struggle once again.
19) Crystal Palace
Tony Pulis was able to pick up Cardiff City striker Frazier Campbell, Blackburn defender Scott Dann and Fulham centre-back Brede Hangeland – all of whom have been relegated from the Premier League in previous seasons.
Palace also had a clear-out of a lot of their squad players left over from the Ian Holloway era. However, the dramatic departure of Pulis just before the start of the club’s new campaign could see them struggle to survive for a second season in a row.
18) Burnley
The Premier League new boys were always going to struggle to compete financially, but manager Sean Dyche has made some smart moves – picking up experienced duo Steven Reid and Matthew Taylor, as well as Michael Kightly, Marvin Sordell and Lukas Jutkiewicz.
Burnley have managed to hang on to all the major names from their promotion season, including strike duo Sam Vokes and Danny Ings, who will be hoping to fire the club to survival this season.
17) West Bromwich Albion
Alan Irvine has admitted that he has not done as well in the transfer window as he would have liked. Up front is where lies the club’s major concerns, as there will now be a lot of pressure on new club record signing Brown Ideye to deliver. Joleon Lescott and Andre Wisdom should shore them up defensively, while Craig Gardner is a nice addition in midfield.
Again, there have been no major players leave the Hawthorns this summer, but the huge questions over the club’s strike force have not been answered, and could come back to haunt them.
16) Queens Park Rangers
Harry Redknapp has spent big on his defence, bringing in Steven Caulker, Rio Ferdinand and Mauricio Isla to offer a line-up that certainly boasts plenty of experience. Ravel Morrison and Jordon Mutch are also useful additions.
Redknapp has successfully cleared out several of the club’s fringe players, but will still have concerns over the depth of his squad in terms of Premier League quality. It could be another difficult season for Rangers.
15) Sunderland
Jack Rodwell is the standout buy for Gus Poyet at Sunderland, with the Manchester City man costing the Black Cats £10m. If they can convince Fabio Borini to complete a permanent switch from Liverpool, it could turn an average summer into a good one.
Sunderland fans will be a little disappointed to see the departures of Phil Bardsley, Jack Colback and Craig Gardner, but will otherwise be impressed with the rebuilding work going on at the Stadium of Light. They should be set for a mid-table finish.
14) Hull City
Steve Bruce has recruited Tom Ince from Blackpool, turned Jake Livermore’s loan move from Tottenham into a permanent one, and spent big on Robert Snodgrass from Norwich. He has also picked up two exciting young prospects in Harry Maguire and Andrew Robertson, from Sheffield United and Dundee United respectively.
The loss of Shane Long to Southampton will come as a huge blow to Hull, but the £12m in the bank will come as nice compensation. The Tigers needs to find an adequate replacement with European football ahead of them on top of their Premier League duties.
13) Tottenham Hotspur
Last summer’s spending has clearly restricted the financial power of new manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has picked up Swansea pair Ben Davies and Michel Vorm, as well as Sporting Lisbon’s Eric Dier – none of whom are automatic starters.
Gylfi Sigurdsson is the biggest name to depart the club as part of the Swansea deal. Spurs fans will now be hoping that last season’s flops – such as Lamela, Soldado etc. come good.
12) Leicester City
Last season’s Championship winners have spent smartly, and within their means, bringing in Marc Albrighton, Jack Barmby, Ben Hamer, Leonardo Ulloa and Matthew Upson.
Outside of that, manager Nigel Pearson is likely to keep faith with the squad that earned him promotion, which is nice to see and should serve him well.
11) West Ham United
West Ham have recruited well thus far, filling their striking void with Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia. Diego Poyet is an exciting prospect, while Carl Jenkinson will be desperate to grab this chance to impress employers Arsenal.
Sam Allardyce has not lost any of his big names, but the latest injury to Andy Carroll undoubtedly came as a huge blow. He will have to start well to avoid being the first Premier League manager to be sacked.
10) Swansea City
Swansea drove a hard bargain over the departures of Ben Davies and Michel Vorm, gaining former loan star Gylfi Sigurdsson in part exchange.
Lukasz Fabianski and Bafetimbi Gomis are also excellent signings on paper, and will soften the blow of losing Chico and Michu. They must now ensure that they keep hold of Wilfried Bony.
9) Stoke City
Mark Hughes has put together an exciting new strike partnership of former Barcelona starlet Bojan and ex-Manchester United forward Mame Biram Diouf. Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley are also solid signings.
Michael Kightly is the only major name to leave the club this summer, making his loan move to Burnley permanent. Expect Stoke to be enjoying another season of mid-table success.
8) Newcastle United
Alan Pardew has Newcastle United fans back on side with a huge player overhaul – bringing in Remy Cabella, Jack Colback, Daryl Janmaat, Siem de Jong and Emmanuel Riviere, among others.
They made a respectable £12m out of the sale of Mathieu Debuchy and have cleared out several other squad players. If the new team can learn to play together quickly, they should be in for a successful season.
7) Southampton
New manager Ronald Koeman has recruited well, bringing in England duo Ryan Bertrand and Fraser Foster, as well as Shane Long, Graziano Pelle, Dusan Tadic and Saphir Taider.
Those additions will go some way to replace the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and Dejan Lovren – who all left the club this summer. If Koeman can lead the Saints to comfortable survival he will have had an excellent season bearing in mind the player turnover.
6) Manchester City
Manuel Pellegrini has added Willy Caballero, Fernando, Eliaquim Mangala and Bacary Sagna to his title winning squad, and has now achieved his ambition of having two internationals for every position.
The question is now, whether he can keep all of those players happy. Javi Garcia is the latest player to leave the club in a comprehensive summer clear-out.
5) Manchester United
Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will definitely improve United’s squad, but their fans wer undoubtedly hoping for more. If they can poach Marcos Rojo and Arturo Vidal before the end of the window then it will have been a near perfect effort from Louis van Gaal and co.
Van Gaal has begun a major cleanup of United’s squad, and expect more names to be on their way out of Old Trafford before the end of the window.
4) Everton
Everton fans will be delighted to have seen Roberto Martinez tie up permanent deals for Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku, with both players having impressed while on loan last season. Throw in Christian Atsu and Muhamed Besic and it has been an excellent summer for the Toffees.
Unlike in previous transfer windows, Everton have also managed to keep all of their big name players – including star midfielder Ross Barkley, who has signed a new contract.
3) Liverpool
Liverpool are perhaps two players short of the perfect summer. They are still yet to fully fill the striker void left by the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, while they remain desperate to seal a move for a new left-back, likely to be Sevilla’s Alberto Moreno.
However, they have done well to strengthen their squad ahead of their return to Champions League football with the additions of Emre Can, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Javi Manquillo and Lazar Markovic – while Liverpool fans will also have an eye on the progress of Divock Origi, back with Lille for a season-long loan spell.
2) Arsenal
Arsenal have recruited well, filling the gaps in an already strong squad. Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and David Ospina will all have a role to play next season. However, they still want a defensive midfielder and a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen.
As always, a whole host of young players have been loaned out, and the likes of Benik Afobe and Chuba Akpom will be hoping to impress Arsenal scouts next season.
1) Chelsea
Having lacked a striker last season, Jose Mourinho seems to have found the missing piece of the puzzle with the signing of Diego Costa. Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis are also superb additions, and the Blues new trio could well lead the club to glory.
The Stamford Bridge side may have spent big, but they have also sold big, with almost £70m banked from the departures of fringe players David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku. Throw in the fact that the big-time wages of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are no longer on their books, and it has been a very successful summer for the London club.
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