Blue moon rises but hardly the Damned United

Sunday was a sobering day for Manchester United and their fans. A defeat may not have been surprising given how poor we have been since Bolton (whilst Chelseawas hardly an awful performance, they were the better team and luck won us the day), a 6-1 thumping was beyond belief. There are, admittedly, some mitigating factors, Jonny Evans sending-off: which, by the way, does not make him a bad defender, he’s been excellent this season – but perhaps more significantly the United mentality. It would have been easy to sit back and accept a 3-1 defeat, hardly a disaster given we’d played nearly half the game with 10 men, but it’s not how we go about our business. We went for it and David Silva, the Premier League’s premium player by a distance, tore us to shreds, making it an embarrassing 6-1.

As Bob Dylan once sang, “The times they are a-changing”. United are no longer comfortable in Manchester, in fact, many would consider City league favourites now. On top of that, most, myself included, would put more City players than United in a Manchester XI (my team, for those who care, Hart, Richards, Vidic, Kompany, Evra, De Jong, Toure, Silva, Young, Rooney, Aguero). However, if English football has learned one thing about Manchester United, it is to never write them off.

It isn’t hard to find positives for United. So far this season United have played 7 of the top 10 – and another one being ourselves – whilst City still have Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and even Stoke away to go. By New Years, there is every chance we will have caught City up and possibly even overtaking and then we can buy a centre midfielder (let me dream, I know it won’t happen) – with Javi Martinez, Yann M’Vila and Danielle De Rossi all possibilities who could be registered for the later stages of the Champions League, assuming United get there which is by no means a certainty if we keep playing with the same complacency that has marked our games since Bolton. On top of this, we are currently 5 points behind City, a concerning margin. Yet last season, we were 6^thand 8 points behind – albeit with a game in hand. It is hardly the time to assume all is lost.

The main position of envy for United fans is City’s midfield. Their defence is no better than ours, the amount of goals conceded is more down to the shocking lack of cover from our midfield, with fans favourite Michael Carrick the only natural defensive midfielder in the squad who, by Sir Alex’s own admission, “doesn’t get going until later on in the season”. In between the sticks, Joe Hart is a better keeper than David De Gea at this point but by no means is it a massive gap. As for attack, Aguero and Rooney are their teams talismans up top, in the top 3 in the Prem with Arsenal’s brilliant Robin Van Persie, and City have startling options in the mercurial but brilliant Mario Balotelli and the inconsistent Edin Dzeko whose mood and confidence dictates whether he’s a Heskey or Drogba. However, in Welbeck, Chicharito, Berbatov and Owen, we aren’t exactly lacking ourselves. The midfields are, however, classes apart. This was a point emphatically proven when Samir Nasri trotted off the bench. A player who would start for United coming on as his team were walking over us 3-0. United are crying out for a Yaya Toure or a Nigel De Jong to cover our defence.

The sheer fact that Tom Cleverley has been missed as though he was Andres Iniesta tells a story in itself. “Chunks” is a fantastic talent, with massive potential but he’s not yet a world class player and in fact, if too much pressure is applied to him, it could end up seeing him not reach the levels he could. The other half of our midfield is our wingers, Nani and Ashley Young. Both are quality players who started brilliantly but have faded a tad, Young perhaps becoming predictable as he seems to forget how good his left foot is and instead always comes in onto his right. Nani, on his day, has the ability to be one of the world’s best. However, that day is all too rare. City, however, have Silva. A majestic player, currently the world’s third best (on form, I would still have him as fifth on ability, hardly a shame to be behind La Liga’s sensational foursome of Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi and Iniesta), he was given the freedom of Manchester and boy, did he take it. His pass for Edin Dzeko’s second was one of the most majestic you are likely to see, finding the Bosnian with laser precision on the half volley.

The question being asked now is how to go improving the midfield. There are those who advocate buying quick and some who think we shouldn’t, just to let Morrison, Pogba, Tunnicliffe and Cleverley advance. Whilst not wanting to get too much into it, the main danger is that, without investment, City could run away with Premier League titles, never mind European football. As the ever spot-on Samuel Luckhurst pointed out, United are no longer the third favourites in Europe, Bayern Munich overtaking them in that respect and that won’t change without quality in the centre of the park. Is it worth the risk to not buy and allow the youngsters the chance to shine when we don’t even know if they will be world class? The midfield one is the most pressing for United. Their manager, mentality and the quality they still possess mean United are still very much in the title race, if not the European one. But get the midfield question wrong and that might change. The Blue Moon may be Rising but the Damned United? Certainly not.

By Diarmaid Hill (Follow me on Twitter)

Manchester United vs Manchester City Big Match Preview

Introduction
The biggest match of the season so far takes place at Old Trafford on Sunday when Manchester City are the visitors. Both sides are unbeaten thus far with the "noisy neighbours" having accumulated two more points and are two better off in terms of goal difference.

The boss reported in his pre-match press conference that he has a clean bill of health in his squad which gives him numerous options with which to build his master plan to beat City. Mancini will have Balotelli back in the squad after he missed the midweek Champions League encounter while Owen Hargreaves could be included in the squad against his former club.

StatZone by Rahul Singh

It is the first time since 1968 that City and United have met while occupying first and second place in the league table.

Manchester City have only won once at Old Trafford since 1974,  2-1 win in 2008.

Manchester City have fired in more shots on target (65) than any other side in the Premier League.

In last 25 Premier League games United have dropped only 2 points at Old Trafford & have won the last 19 games.

Michael Owen has scored 7 goals in eight Premier League games against Manchester City, Rooney has netted in 5 against them.

In the last 8 matches, all competitions between United & City there have been FIVE 90th min or extra time goals scored.

The Opposition
Roberto Mancini had a busy summer recruiting the likes of Clichy, Nasri and Aguero amongst others to further bolster a squad high on talent. They have begun the season well having dropped just two points after an away draw at Fulham. They have scored at least two goals in every Premier League game thus far which helps to emphasise the task facing United on Sunday.

The signing of Aguero was seen as a masterstroke by the Italian as it not only meant he was a replacement for the mercenary Tevez but arguably an upgrade in terms of quality. Nine goals already prove that point perfectly and added to a team ethic that the sly Argentinian can only dream of, it looks like Mancini has struck gold.

Samir Nasri was recruited from Arsenal for a significant fee despite being in the last year of his contract and while not excelling to any significant level as yet will no doubt add class and subtlety to City's attacking intent.

Mancini has dealt well with the ongoing tedium that is the Tevez affair. It seems inconceivable that that he will play for the club again but this is City we are talking about and you could never fully rule this out. The Italian has adopted a more attacking style this season which has brought its reward with the points accumulated thus far. It will be interesting to see if he reverts to a more defensive mindset as the season progresses or maintains this early season style. You get the impression that he would accept a point from Sunday's game right now so his team selection will be telling as to his true intent.

United

With United's long-standing weakness in midfield, you would imagine that Ferguson's formation choice will involve any extra man to match up with the opponent's likely lineup. This can often lead to the front man becoming isolated but this should be less prevalent with the team playing at home where natural momentum should mean that support is quick to join in.

The manager arguably has the option to pick his first choice back five once more with the expected return of Vidic after injury and following the resting of Rio Ferdinand from this week's trip to Romania. Chris Smalling looks to be first choice at right back now after his recent injury lay off curtailed his impressive early season form. De Gea will get his first taste of the cauldron that is a Manchester derby after impressing in recent games following a difficult start. His confidence looks to be rising with each outing and he will be a key figure on Sunday with his famed ability with the ball at his feet and out of hand to get United on the attack.

My pick in the midfield is Carrick sitting deep with Anderson and Fletcher alongside slightly advanced looking to support the front men. It is a big game for the Brazilian whose early season promise has evaporated into some increasingly frustrating displays that echo previous campaigns. Much of the midfield creativity will be on his shoulders with the workmanlike Scotsman expected to play a pressing and harrying role. With Tom Cleverley expected to return very soon, Anderson will hope that they can rekindle their partnership rather than the ex Porto man being the one to make way. Carrick was excellent in midweek and once more covered more yards than any other player. He will have to be wary of the movement from the City wide players who tend to roam and have a habit of popping up in central areas.

Up front, it has to be Nani, Rooney and Young as the three players with most form in the early part of the season. Valencia's poor display on Tuesday all but rules him out as he looked bereft of confidence and lacklustre when it came to crossing. His confidence may be low after missing much of pre-season and it is hoped that this will return very shortly. For these reasons, Nani deserves to start as right wing in each game. It is unfair to shift our most creative outlet onto the other flank where he is frequently ineffectual. Ashley Young's early season promise has dipped somewhat recently but it is hoped that a bumper home crowd can inspire him to hit the heights once again. His defensive capabilities will be much needed to assist Evra at times while the pair will also need to find the time to double up on Richards when the game allows. Rooney will be restored to the league lineup after being omitted from the Anfield battle last weekend. He has a fine record against our local rivals and will look to emulate his iconic overhead kick from last season that I had the privilege to be right behind from high up in the North stand.

A slightly bolder selection would see a central midfielder drop out with either Welbeck or Hernández being asked to play as the main forward and Rooney dropping deep to supplement both the attack and midfield when required. It would be something similar to what was seen last weekend as he slipped into a much deeper role as United chased their vital equaliser. This would be a high risk strategy though could be used if we are once more chasing the game.

Score Prediction
This could prove to be a pivotal game in the destiny of the Premier League so I would envisage it being a cagey and tight affair. In my opinion, both managers may well accept a point with all things considered. However, with the remarkable home record they possess, I think United will nick this 2-1 with goals from Rooney and Fletcher. These three points will set the Reds up perfectly for the rest of the season with all their rivals having been played and coming through relatively unscathed.

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Who would you pick for the derby on Sunday? Would you go for a more standard 4-4-2? Please leave any comments below.

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2011 Summer Transfer Window Round-up

By Raees Mahmood

Introduction

It is beyond us, the muppet within us all can be put to rest and finally Harry Redknapp can leave his Summer internship at the BBC as one of the Transfer Gossip Columnists and get round to managing Spurs again.

It has been a fascinating window, one of those that has lived up to the hype and thoroughly changed the landscape of the footballing picture as we saw it. Peculiarly, it hasn’t been about last minute deals as such, although there are always a few mega deals which inevitably slip under the radar in time, but well planned out spending and done early, in order for the new players to settle into new surroundings and provide the recieving team with a new impetus with which to attack the new season with.

Whilst this article will be concerned primarily with the in’s and outs of the Premier League this summer, an eye will also be cast on the giants of Europe and how their transfers will impact on their fortunes this season ahead. El clasico for instance will be ram-packed full of new talent capable of adding new chapters to an already epic ever-changing narrative. Anyway, on to the English Premiership first and a roundup of the business conducted this summer..

Arsenal

Arrivals:  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton, £11m), Gervinho (Lille £10.7m), Chu Young Park (Monaco, £3m), Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m), Joel Campbell (Deportivo Sarpissa,undisclosed), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, undisclosed), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, loan), Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10m).

Departures:  Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m), Samir Nasri (Manchester City, £24m), Gael Clichy (Manchester City, £7m), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, £3m), Armand Traore (QPR, undisclosed), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich, undisclosed), Mark Randall (Chesterfield, free), Tom Cruise (released), Denilson (Sao Paulo, loan), Wellington (Levante, loan), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad, loan), Pedro Botelho (Rayo Vallecano, loan), Henri Lansbury (West Ham, loan), Joel Campbell (Lorient, loan), Nicklas Bendtner (Sunderland, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Arsene if he had any sense, would’ve stocked up on forwards and centre-backs this summer, Ramsey and Wilshere may be inexperienced, but I’ll be damned if they’re not as good as the United duo of Anderson & Cleveley, yet one midfield is sandwiched by a world class attack & defence and the other is left completely vulnerable with no experienced, result-getting heads around them. That said, on the last day of the window Wenger made some astute buys in Arteta and Benayoun, who should fill the midfield void left by the duo of Fabregas and Nasri, especially considering the  young legs of Wilshere and Ramsey alongside them… however I’m not entirely sure about Mertesacker although he can’t be worse than Koscielny & co. Gervinho will be a hit and I’m willing to bet on Chamberlain proving a better wide player than Walcott, who needs to move into a forward position or be shipped out.

Who they should’ve brought:  Gary Cahill, R. Lukaku, P. Jagielka, Sturridge (on loan)

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Without those last minute buys, things were looking incredibly perilous for this Gunner’s side, but I think their only genuine threat for that top 4 finish is Liverpool and it will be a close run thing. If Vermalean & Persie stay fit all year, I’d back them, but that just doesn’t look likely. The Trophy wait will continue.

Aston Villa

Arrivals:   Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan, £9.5m), Shay Given (Manchester City, £3.5m), Alan Hutton (Tottenham, undisclosed), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham, loan).

Departures:   Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m), Ashley Young (Manchester United, £16m), Luke Young (QPR, undisclosed), Jonathan Hogg (Watford, undisclosed), Brad Friedel (Tottenham, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), John Carew (West Ham, free), Robert Pires (released), Moustapha Salifou (released), Isaiah Osbourne (Hibernian, free), Andreas Weimann (Watford, loan), Jean Makoun (Olympiakos, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  After losing Barry, Milner and now Downing & Young… one can’t help but think, what should’ve been with this Villa side. A big wage bill consisting of mediocre talents, a squad which didn’t have enough of that quality  across the pitch to complement these proven performers. Out wide, they have N’Zogbia who is a big talent and a good signing to replace Downing, and with Young gone… Albrighton should step up and add some new elements to his game. Ireland will have to become more than a bit part player now to provide this industrious side with the flair it so badly lacks. Bannan, should also be given the patience to develop into the sides premier midfielder… however one can’t help but wonder, why on earth has Mcleish not looked to revamp the strikeforce? Heskey, Agbonlahor and the yet to bear fruition Delfounso… it looks lightweight, especially if Darren Bent is injured. I think they’re a Jon Carew-like striker short, as Heskey isn’t good enough.  Hutton is a decent signing for the RB position, but Jenas is Mr. Invisible, he’ll be fine but not anything special.

Who they should’ve signed:  Kenwyn Jones, W. Palacios

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think there are some good new talents for the Villa faithful to watch this year, especially if Bannan, N’Zogbia & Ireland get going, but the question remains … is Mcleish the one to bring the best out of these flair players? Solid but not spectacular season in store.

BlackBurn

Arrivals:  Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon, £2m), David Goodwillie (Dundee United, £2m), Myles Anderson (Aberdeen, undisclosed), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed), Bruno Ribiero (Gremio Prudente, free), Scott Dann (Birmingham, £6m), Yakubu (Everton, undisclosed).

Departures:  Phil Jones (Manchester United, £16.5m), Frank Fielding (Derby, undisclosed), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro, undisclosed), Jason Brown (Aberdeen, free), Aaron Doran (Inverness, free), Zurab Khizanishvili (Kayserispor, free), Benjani (Portsmouth, free), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC, free), Maceo Rigters (released), Keith Andrews (Ipswich, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Selling Jones and buying Dann as a replacement is astute business… buying a peak form Yakubu, would’ve been a terrific signing but as it stands, I can’t see it being a bad signing but it won’t be overly successful taking into light the guys injury problems. There’s quite a few exotic under the radar signings there, whether they’ll be a success I can’t really comment but Blackburn could do with some tricky players.

Who they should’ve brought:  M. Diouf, J. Carew

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Their squad doesn’t look great by any means and I reckon they could struggle this season unless those new signings prove hits. Bottom half, possible relegation dogfight.

Bolton

Arrivals:  Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint £3m), David Ngog (Liverpool, undisclosed), Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, free), Tuncay (Wolfsburg, loan), Dedryck Boyata (Man City, loan), Gael Kakuta (Chelsea, loan)

Departures: Ali Al Habsi (Wigan, £4m), Matt Taylor (West Ham, £2.2m), Danny Ward (Huddersfield, undisclosed), Johan Elmander (Galatasaray, free), Tamir Cohen (Maccabi Haifa, free), Joey O’Brien (West Ham, free), Jlloyd Samuel (released), Gavin McCann (retired).

Thoughts on their dealings:  I’m a big fan of Owen Coyle, a very smart manager who can smell a bargain and likes young mobile footballers. N’Gog and Kakuta, are good signings, who might take a while to bed in but once they do, they’ll be decent players for Bolton. Reo-Coker and Tuncay, are also solid talents, premiership quality players who if they can be motivated, could prove to be first team regulars. That said, am very surprised he let go of Elmander, who looked at home in the Premiership but Klasnic will do his best to fill his role and expect Mark Davies to keep catching the eye, very talented young footballer.

Who they should’ve brought:   G. Obertan

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they’ll do well, top ten. With Coyle there another year, I think they will soon start pushing even into top 8 but that depends on the competition too but he’d doing a fine job regardless.

Chelsea

Arrivals: Juan Mata (Valencia, £29m), Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht, £20m), Thibaud Courtois (Genk, £5m), Oriol Romeu (Barcelona, £4.4m), Lucas Piazon (Sao Paulo, undisclosed), Ulises
Davila (Chivas Guadalajara, undisclosed), Raul Meireles (Liverpool, undisclosed)

Departures:  Michael Mancienne (Hamburg, £3m), Slobodan Rajkovic (Hamburg, £1.8m), Yury Zhirkov (Anzhi, undisclosed), Nemanja Matic (Benfica, undisclosed), Fabio Borini (Parma, undisclosed), Michael Woods (released), Thibaud Courtois (Atletico Madrid, loan), Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburg, loan), Ulises Davila (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Patrick van Aanholt (Wigan, loan), Gael Kakuta (Bolton, loan), Yossi Benayoun (Arsenal, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  . Mata & Lukaku will be hits at the bridge, good signings imo but Modric was a key asset who Roman should’ve bust a bollock to acquire. Getting rid of some deadwood was smart by AVB but one can’t help alot of their first team contains players living off past glories.

Who they should’ve brought: Modric, Sneijder, Neymar, Doni

Thoughts on their season ahead:  So far so not so good on the Chelsea front, whilst Drogba on the sideline has looked like a break with the past, it is not enough and there is a stale stench about Chelsea in their few outings so far. They are still lifeless in central midfield and unless the likes of Sturridge and McEachren are integrated into the side, I can’t evisage a big season from the Chelsea lads.

Everton

Arrivals: Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, loan), Denis Stracqualursi (Tigre, loan), Royston Drenthe (Real Madrid, loan).

Departures: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal, £10m), Jermaine Beckford (Leicester, £4m), James Vaughan (Norwich, £2.5m), Iain Turner (Preston, free), Kieran Agard (Yeovil, free), Hope Akpan (Crawley, free), Nathan Craig (released), Shane Duffy (Scunthorpe, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Well one can’t really fault Everton’s dealings, as they’ve hardly done any. Losing Arteta and Beckford will significantly reduce their goal threat for the season ahead, but one could also argue that both players were not fantastic the season just gone. Ross Barkley will be a tremendous asset for them regardless and they’ll have to keep Saha fit for the entire season.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Long

Thoughts on their season ahead: They finished a respectable 7th last year, they’ll be round about there or below this season. Don’t expect big things, this season will beall about keeping the ship steady.

Fulham

Arrivals: Pajtim Kasami (Palermo, £4m), John Arne Riise (Roma, £2.4m), Marcel Gecov (Slovan Liberec, undisclosed), Dan Burn (Darlington, undisclosed), Csaba Somogyi (Rakospalotai, free), Zdenek Grygera (Juventus, free), Bryan Ruiz (Twente, £10.6m), Orlando Sa (Porto, free).

Departures: Jonathan Greening (Nottingham Forest, £670,000), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, undisclosed), Zoltan Gera (West Brom, free), Diomansy Kamara (Eskisehirspor, free), John Paintsil (Leicester, free), Eddie Johnson (released), Pascal Zuberbuhler (released). David Stockdale (Ipswich, loan), Lauri Dalla Valle (Dundee United, loan), Carlos Salcido (Tigres, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  The signings of Ruiz and Kasami, will go under the radar a tad but will prove to be good buys. Jol has got rid of alot of deadwood, but I do question getting rid of Panstil, one of the League’s more eye-catching right-backs. Overall a good summer for FFC fans, Riise will prove to be a solid acquisition too.

Who they should’ve brought:  G. Kakuta, D. Sturridge

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I reckon they’ll do pretty well, if not same as last season then a minor improvement for sure. I reckon Ruiz will use Fulham as a platform for a bigger move, similar to L. Saha, possibly to Spurs or a club of that ilk.

Liverpool

Arrivals: Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m), Jordan Henderson (Sunderland, £16m), Charlie Adam (£9m), Jose Enrique (Newcastle, £6m), Alexander Doni (Roma, free), Sebastian Coates (Nacional, undisclosed), Craig Bellamy (Manchester City, free), Villyan Bijev (California Odyssey, undisclosed).

Departures: Joe Cole (Lille, loan) Christian Poulsen (Evian, undisclosed) Alberto Aquilani (AC Milan, loan), Paul Konchesky (Leicester, £1.5m), Emiliano Insua (Sporting Lisbon, undisclosed), Daniel Ayala (Norwich, undisclosed), Milan Jovanovic (Anderlecht, free), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg, free), Tom Ince (Blackpool, free), Stephen Darby (Rochdale, loan), Daniel Pacheco (Atletico Madrid, loan), Christian Poulsen (Evian, undisclosed), David Ngog (Bolton, undisclosed), Raul Meireles (Chelsea, undisclosed), Villyan Bijev (Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan), Philipp Degen (released).

Thoughts on their dealings:  One of the criticisms of Benitez was that he spent alot of money on average players and the genuine nuggets, your Torres’ and Alonso’s were few and far between. Well the same could be said about Kenny, although fair play to him he’s also shifting players at a fast rate if they’re not up to it. Downing and Enrique already look very comfortable, capable of hurting big teams and Coates/Bellamy will provide abit of bite and aggression, not to mention quality in important area’s of the pitch. Its the duo of Henderson and Adam, I’m more concerned with.. they plug a gap in the midfield, both are they really of the quality of say Wilshere/Ramsey of Arsenal? well not really but I guess its the fact they’re managed by Dalglish which will prove the telling factor.

Who they should’ve brought:  N’Zogbia, Forlan, G. Cahill, E. Banega

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Challenging Arsenal for the top 4 position will be their one and only aim, the League is beyond them. One aim at a time seems to be Kenny’s way of doing things. I reckon they can do it as tactically, they’re a more superior team than the Gunners, despite not being as talented.

Manchester City

Arrivals: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, £38m), Samir Nasri (Arsenal, £24m), Gael Clichy (Arsenal, £7m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade, £6m), Costel Pantilimon (Poli Timisoara, undisclosed), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United, free).

Departures: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich, £10m), Shay Given (Aston Villa, £3.5m), Felipe Caicedo (Levante, £880,000), Jo (Internacional, undisclosed), Shaleum Logan (Brentford, free), Javan Vidal (released), Patrick Vieira (retired), Abdisalam Ibrahim (NEC Nijmegen, loan), Michael Johnson (Leicester, loan),  Ben Mee (Burnley, loan), Ryan McGivern (Bristol City, loan), Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham, loan), Dedryck Boyata (Bolton, loan), Roque Santa Cruz (Real Betis, loan), Vladimir Weiss (Espanyol, loan), John Guidetti (Feyenoord, loan), Shaun Wright-Phillips (QPR, undisclosed), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool, free).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Some serious heavyweight quality brought in, the likes of Aguero and Nasri will be excellent signings. Funnily enough, its at the back where I think they could be doing alot better… for a defence-minded manager, he doesn’t really sign quality defenders and Kompany remains their one quality defender across the back four.

Who they should’ve brought:  T. Vermalean, F. Contreaeo, Lucio, P. Jones

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they’ll end up in the CL semi’s if the draw goes easy on them, capable of a few upsets along the way too.. I reckon they’ll finish runners up, with the defence being revamped next season.

Manchester United

Arrivals: David De Gea (Atletico Madrid, £17.8m), Phil Jones (Blackburn, £16.5m), Ashley Young (Aston Villa, £16m).

Departures:  Gabriel Obertan (Newcastle, £3.25m), Wes Brown (Sunderland, £1m), John O’Shea (Sunderland, undisclosed), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester City, free), Paul Scholes (retired), Edwin van der Sar (retired), Bebe (Besiktas, loan), Ritchie de Laet (Norwich, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Well two of the signings have been instant hits, the goalkeeper is looking like a slow burner… although at this moment it is more Taibi than Van Der Sar. I think he’ll come good once he polishes his game technically. The lack of a midfielder is a gaping hole, which I’m still in disbelief they haven’t seeked to rectify, especially considering the injury prone nature of Anderson.

Who they should’ve brought:  Tiote, Kagawa, Modric

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think the Premiership is United’s to lose, they possess a fantastic defence and strikeforce.. but I think in the CL, unless the right players are fully fit, United could be found wanting. Semi-finalists or losin Finalists once again.

Newcastle

Arrivals: Davide Santon (Inter Milan £5m) Yohan Cabaye (Lille, £4.3m), Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United, £3.25m), Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), Mehdi Abeid (Lens, free), Demba Ba (West Ham, free).

Departures: Jose Enrique (Liverpool, £6m), Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Wayne Routledge (Swansea, undisclosed), Joey Barton (QPR, free), Ben Tozer (Northampton, free), Sol Campbell (released), Shefki Kuqi (Oldham, free), Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton, loan), Xisco (Deportivo La Coruna, loan), Fraser Forster (Celtic, loan), James Tavernier (Carlisle, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Santon and Obertan will prove very good buys, but the lack of an established striker and a rock-solid defence could come back to haunt them.

Who they should’ve brought:  B. Ruiz, M. Upson, J. Woodgate

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they will just about stay up, as they still remain a physically robust unit but that is as far as it goes.

Norwich

Arrivals:  Steve Morison (Millwall, £2.8m), James Vaughan (Everton, £2.5m), Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, £2m), Daniel Ayala (Liverpool, undisclosed), Elliott Bennett (Brighton, undisclosed), Bradley Johnson (Leeds, free), Ritchie De Laet (Manchester United, loan), Kyle Naughton (Tottenham, loan).

Departures: Owain Tudur Jones (Inverness, undisclosed), Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed), Luke Daley, Steven Smith (Preston, free), (Plymouth, free), Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free), Jens Berthel Askou (Vejle Kolding, free), Stephen Hughes (released), Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed).

Thoughts on their dealings: They’ve purchased some inexperienced players, who are not bad in terms of talent but not excellent enough to take Norwich out of the relegation dogfight.

Who they should’ve brought:  K.Macheda on loan, M. Diouf, Kyrgiakos.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they’ll be pretty decent to watch, but I can’t see them having enough to stay up.

Queens Park Rangers

Arrivals: DJ Campbell (Blackpool, £1.2m), Armand Traore (Arsenal, undisclosed), Danny Gabbidon (West Ham, free), Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff, free), Brian Murphy (Ipswich, free), Bruno Perone (Tombense, free), Joey Barton (Newcastle, free), Shaun Wright-Phillips (QPR, undisclosed), Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland, £3m

Departures:

Mikele Leigertwood, (Reading, undisclosed), Georgias Tofas (Anagennisi Dherynia, free), Josh Parker (Oldham, free), Joe Oastler (Torquay, free), Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers, free), Pascal Chimbonda (released), Gavin Mahon (Notts County, free), Romone Rose (Muangthong United, free), Peter Ramage (Crystal Palace, loan), Angelo Balanta (MK Dons, loan), Leon Clarke (Swindon, free), Kaspars Gorkss (Reading, loan), Michael Doughty (Crawley, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  In the midst of some dross, they’ve also unearthed some mid-table quality prem-proven gems, enough talent to keep them up. Barton, SWP, Bothroyd, D.J. Campbell, Ferdinand… they could prove to be key players in keeping QPR up.

Who they should’ve brought:  K. Macheda

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think they could survive, it’ll be a rough start but I reckon they’ll find a winning forumula if they can prevent the goals going in.

Stoke City

Arrivals: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham, free), Matthew Upson (West Ham, free), Cameron Jerome (Birmingham, £4m), Peter Crouch (Tottenham, £10m), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, £8m).

Departures: Carl Dickinson (Watford, undisclosed), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free), Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Ibrahima Sonko Ipswich, free), Andrew Davies (Crystal Palace, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings: You’ve got to hand it to Pulis, he’s beefed up his already not too bad strikeforce and strengthened one of the Prem’s tightest defences. He’s also attempted to add something to his midfield, although they arguably need more depth in that area of the pitch.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Ireland, J. Milner

Thoughts on their season ahead: The dual-pronged assault domestically and in Europe will take it’s toll, but the Stoke lads are so physical and Pulis such an astute hard as nails manager, they’ll fare better than most and he has got alot of depth in defence and up front.

Sunderland

Arrivals: Connor Wickham (Ipswich, £13m), Craig Gardner (Birmingham, £5m), Ahmed Elmohamady (ENPPI, £2m), Ji Dong-won (Chunnam Dragons, £2m), Wes Brown (Man United, £1m), James McClean (Derry City, £350,000), John O’Shea (Man United, undisclosed), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), David Vaughan (Blackpool, free), Keiren Westwood (Coventry, free), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, loan).

Departures: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, £16m), Steed Malbranque (St Etienne, undisclosed), Nathan Luscombe (Hartlepool, free), Michael Kay (Tranmere, free), Bolo Zenden (released), Cristian Riveros (Kayserispor, loan), George McCartney (West Ham, loan), Anton Ferdinand (QPR, £3m).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Some very smart dealings by Bruce this summer, got rid of some deadwood/overrated players and brought in some serious experience in the shape of Brown and O’Shea, amazing signings. Bendtner and Larrson are also quality buy’s, guaranteed to create and score goals. All in all a very good transfer window.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Ireland, W. Palacios

Thoughts on their season ahead: I predict a good season for the Black Cats, top ten for sure.

Swansea City

Arrivals: Michel Vorm (Utrecht, £1.5m), Danny Graham (Watford, £3.5m), Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough, £1.75m), Wayne Routledge (Newcastle, undisclosed), Jose Moreira (Benfica, undisclosed), Steven Caulker (Totteham, loan), Gerhard Tremmel (Red Bull Salzburg, free), Federico Bessone (Leeds, undisclosed), Darnel Situ (Lens, undisclosed).

Departures: Shuan MacDonald (Bournemouth, £80,000), Dorus de Vries (Wolves, free), Darren Pratley (Bolton, free), Albert Serran (AEK Larnaca, free), Kerry Morgan (Neath, free), Cedric van der Gun (released), Gorka Pintado (AEK Larnaca, free), Yves Ma-Makalamby (released), Scott Donnelly (Wycombe, loan),

Thoughts on their dealings: Vorm already looks a solid buy and the likes of Graham and Lita are decent buys, but one questions whether the side has the firepower which will keep them up, not to mention whether defensively they’re solid enough.

Who they should’ve brought: Woodgate

Thoughts on their season ahead: They’re a terrific ball-playing side with some serious talent and pace in the side. But they’re like a nice jam filling without the Hovis bread slices, short in defence and short up front. I think they’ll leave an impression but I’d be happily surprised if they were to stay up.

Tottenham Hotspur

Arrivals: Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, free), Cristian Ceballos (Barcelona, free), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed), Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City, loan), Yago Falque (Juventus, loan), Scott Parker (West Ham, £5m)

Departures: Peter Crouch (Stoke, £10m), Wilson Palacios, Stoke, £8m), Jamie O’Hara (Wolves, £5m), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy £1.8m), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Jonathan Woodgate (Stoke, free), Kyle Naughton (Norwich, loan), Steven Caulker (Swansea, loan), Bongani Khumalo (Reading, loan), Ryan Mason (Doncaster, loan), Jonathan Obika (Yeovil, loan), David Bentley (West Ham, loan), Jermaine Jenas (Aston Villa, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings: Spurs have got rid of some mediocre footballers, but in Parker.. they’ve got a decent footballer, but not anything to take them to the next level. Keeping Modric is probably their best dealing this summer and Friedel is a very astute signing.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Aguero, D. Forlan, G. Rossi, Chilleni, G. Cahill, P. Jagielka, S. Cattermole

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I just don’t see enough progression in this side to see them troubling the top four, they need a good january and some influx of serious talent.

West Bromwich Albion

Arrivals: Shane Long (Reading, £6.5m), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free), Marton Fulop (Ipswich, free), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan).

Departures: Scott Carson (Bursaspor, £2.1m), Ishmael Miller (Nottingham Forest £1.2m), Borja Valero (Villarreal, undisclosed), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Gianni Zuiverloon (Real Mallorca, free), Giles Barnes (Doncaster, free), Dean Kiely (retired), Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), Chris Wood (Birmingham, loan), James Hurst (Blackpool, loan), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), Pablo Ibanez (Birmingham, undisclosed).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Long looks a tremendous purchase thus far, Foster is very error prone and in front of a dodgy Baggies defence aerially, I can see him failing to hit the heights he did at Blues. I’m very surprised that the Albion didn’t look to sign another big strong forward and some quality defenders.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Dann, R. Johnson, C. Jerome.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Once again the Baggies will be heavily reliant on their midfield, if Olsson can stay fit for the entire season, they should have enough to stay up but if he’s injured, they will struggle at the back.

Wigan Athletic

Arrivals: Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), Shaun Maloney (Celtic, £1m), Albert Crusat (Almeria, undisclosed), David Jones (Wolves, free), Nouha Dicko (released, free), Patrick van Aanholt (Chelsea, loan).

Departures: Charles N’Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Antonio Amaya (Real Betis, undisclosed), Daniel de Ridder (Grasshopper Zurich, free), Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, loan), Steven Caldwell (Birmingham, free), Jason Koumas (released).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Nothing spectacular from Wigan apart from losing N’Zogbia and buying the lesser yet talented Maloney. Not enough defenders sought imo, but we’ll see.

Who they should’ve brought: R. Johnson, S. Dann

Thoughts on their season ahead: I can see them going down this season, but Martinez always seems to find a way of surviving and playing good footballing at the same time.

Wolves

Arrivals: Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m), Jamie O’Hara (Tottenham, £5m), Dorus De Vries (Swansea, free).

Departures:Greg Halford (Portsmouth, undisclosed), David Jones (Wigan, free), Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (Standard Liege, free), Marcus Hahnemann (released), Steven Mouyokolo (Sochaux, loan), Danny Batth (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Sheffield United, loan), David Davis (Inverness Caledonian Thistle, loan)

Thoughts on their dealings: O’Hara is a good buy and as for Johnson, impressive transfer coup by Wolves. Perhaps abit short upfront though.

Who they should’ve brought: S. Long

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think they’ll grind their way to survival once more.

Eye on Europe…

Barcelona

Arrivals: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, £35m) Alexis Sanchez (£26 m, Udinese)

Departures: Z. Ibrahimovic (Milan, £24m), B. Krkic (Roma, £12m), G. Milito (Released), J. Suarez (Sporting CP, £4m)

Thoughts on their dealings:  Some simple yet devastating signings by Barca this summer, Sanchez will take time to settle but Fabregas looks stunning at this moment in time, an almost telepathic partnership with Messi which will just get better.

Who they should’ve signed:  A. Young, L. Suarez

Thoughts on their season ahead: I wouldn’t be surprised if they sweep all before them once again.. history says otherwise though, every empire has a dramatic fall.

Real Madrid

Arrivals: N. Sahin (£10m, B. Dortmund), H. Altintop (Free), R. Varane (£10m, Lens), F. Contreao (£23m, Benfica), J. Callejon (£5m, Espanyol)

Departures: Dudek, Canales, Adebayor, Gago, Garay – all loaned out

Thoughts on their dealings: Some decent signings there by Madrid, Contreao and Sahin catch the eye, but one questions whether there is enough quality to defeat Barca. Not enough magic signings, too much industry and relying on Ozil for the silk.

Who they should’ve signed: S. Aguero, S. Nasri

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think once again they’re going to fall short of the behemoths of Barcelona, unless they spend again this January.

Bayern Munich

Arrivals: M. Neuer (Schalke), J. Boateng (£11m, Man City), Rafinha, Ukasami, N. Peterson

Departures: H. Altintop, M. Klose, T. Kraft

Thoughts on their dealings: Not enough effort made to sign a quality striker and some quality centre-backs. A shame really as Bayern possess some fantastic players but this half-arsed approach is what leaves them vulnerable against the likes of Barcelona in the CL.

Who they should’ve signed: T. Vermalean, R. V Persie.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Will battle hard with Dortmund for the championship but can’t see them winning the CL.

Inter Milan

Arrivals: L. Castiognos (Feyenoord, £4m), E. Viviano (£4m, Bologna), R. Alvarez (£11m, Velas Sarsfield), Jonathan (£5m, Santos), A. Poli (£1m, Sampdoria), D. Forlan (A. Madrid, £5m), M. Zarate (Loan)

Departures: S. Eto’o (£28m), G. Pandev, D. Santon (£6m, Newcastle)

Thoughts on their dealings: Replacing Eto’o with Forlan, isn’t as simple as it sounds… Forlan is 2 years older and he’ll only prove a short term solution. It’s hard to envisage Inter reaching anywhere near the level they were under Jose.

Who they should’ve signed: Nasri, Fabregas, S. Aguero

Thoughts on their season ahead: Once again they’ll prbably do well domestically, but will fall short in Europe.

Written by

Raees Mahmood (Follow me on Twitter)

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