Arsene Wenger’s team are one of the league’s biggest conundrums. Blessed with the best midfield, but just lacking everywhere else. Thomas Vermaelen’s arrival from Ajax will need to be a smooth one to bridge the gap left by Toure and not replacing Emmanuel Adebayor could be crucial - though both were good business for the club. Even Wenger must concede that Bendtner is not an adequate replacement, he will be looking for good seasons from the likes of Walcott, van Persie and Arshavin. For me, they will struggle to improve on last season if they don’t buy before the end of the window.

 Martin O’Neill has had a somewhat indifferent pre-season. Selling Gareth Barry was probably for the best and the arrival of Stewart Downing was a good move, even though he will miss most of the first half. O’Neill will be relying on kids - the likes of Mark Albrighton, Fabian Delph and Nathan Delfouneso to maybe turn them into the surprise package. I think they will be more than slightly fortunate to build on last season’s impressive finish, yet they may have more luck in Europe with the bigger squad that they are quietly assembling.

I don’t think anyone was surprised to see Alex McLeish’s side bounce straight back up with the wise investment of the Scot. Joe Hart is an excellent signing, behind a somewhat shaky defence - though it shouldn’t leak as many as last time. The midfield is strong and they will be tough in the centre with the likes of Barry Ferguson, Lee Carsley and Lee Bowyer putting the boot in. There’s a fair deal of talent up top too - the talented James McFadden and Christian Benitez. I think they have enough to stay in the league and not just by the skin of their teeth either.

  Big Sam is quetly turning Blackburn into a similar team to Mark Hughes’ classic ‘hard-as-nails’ side. Their defence is becoming solid, with some typical Allardyce-style beefcakes and Paul Robinson in goal could yet gate-crash the 2010 World Cup party. Up front some good signings and slight gambles (Kalinic and Di Santo respectively) have come in to join a good line-up. Just in the centre is where I see weakness, so we’ll see. They certainly won’t have the same problems as last season and should finish around the higher end of the bottom half of the table.

 A man not exactly worshipped by the fans, still Gary Megson has done a good job steadying the ship after Big Sam’s glory days. These days, I would say they may have more difficulty surviving. The team very much relies on Kevin Davies and losing Kevin Nolan didn’t help either. Johan Elmander will need to score more too. The defence is suspect in places, as too is the midfield. Injuries to the likes of Cahill, Davies and Jaaskelainen will see them severely tested. I think they could go down and I’d be very surprised if Megson lasts the season without some last-minute key buys.

  If there’s one safe job in the league, it’s surely the very loyal and talented Owen Coyle’s. He has done wonders to get them here and really elevate the status of the club. It’s possible they may surprise a few teams, which they proved more than capable of doing in last season’s cup runs. Steven Fletcher is a good signing and should get them goals, there is also talent throughout the midfield. I, like many, would love them to stay up, but with the clout and resources of their rivals, this is a big ask and maybe they will come back stronger in 2 years’ time.

 Unlike their Big Four rivals, Chelsea have not lost one superstar over the summer and have gained one in Carlo Ancelotti. A legacy at Milan, he has both the players and the knowledge to take on United this year. Yuri Zhirkov should find the Premier League just to his liking, Daniel Sturridge will continue to improve and Ross Turnbull will do a job if needed. There may still be another cheeky signing and holding onto Carvalho and Deco will pay its own dividends. Maybe even Sheva will find his form now. I fully expect Chelsea to be the consistent force they have been over past years and go one better this time.

  Everton surprised everyone last year, despite some indifferent early season form, they snatched 5th in convincing fashion. This year will be a lot harder and it will be interesting to see whether David Moyes has plucked two more unknown gems in Shkodran Mustafi and Anton Peterlin. Holding onto Joleon Lescott was smooth and Moyes has cleared much dead wood. They’ll never get fifth unless those signings explode but they do have a very capable squad and should enjoy another good season under one of the best managers in the league.

 Roy Hodgson was surely a candidate for Manager of the Season after Fulham’s exploits last term. There will be the usual suspects up front in AJ, Bobby Zamora and Erik Nevland. The defence is strong and holding onto Hangeland was a good move. In the centre they have added John Arne Riise’s brother, Bjorn and if Clint Dempsey and Danny Murphy can repeat their form - they will be laughing. Personally I don’t see them having anywhere near what they enjoyed last season and teams will be targeting Craven Cottage now due to their sensational home record. The distraction of Europa won’t help too much either.

  Many have predicted a season of struggle for Phil Brown’s Hull after last season’s losing mentality and I’d have to agree with that. Virtually all of the side that endured that on-pitch team talk are still there and the addition of “dozy” Jozy Altidore won’t change that. Keeping Michael Turner was smart but unless the other new signings can add an extra dimension, they may not be so lucky this time round. If that is the case, I can see PB on his way too as the club try to hang onto survival. They also won’t have the luxury of surprise they enjoyed last season, so I’d say it’s looking bleak.