Arsenal
Arsenal’s summer so far has been a frustrating time of failing to sign a striker. They went from looking likely to sign Gonzalo Higuaín to missing out on the Argentinian who then joined Napoli. Then they chased Wayne Rooney but the transfer doesn’t look on. There latest target Luis Suárez is proving a struggle.
Into the first week of August and Arsenal’s only signing so far is a young French striker from Ligue 2 side AJ Auxerre. Finances have been freed up by selling a lot of dead wood this summer – Andrei Arshavin, Denílson, Vito Mannone, André Santos and Sebastian Squillaci are all off the wage bill now.
Arsenal finished the 2012-13 season in good form which included a stern defence as they pipped Tottenham to 4th spot and the final Champions League spot. Their North London rivals and Liverpool have been spending this summer, creating what has the potential to be six teams battling for four Champions League places.
Santi Cazorla had an impressive debut season, Theo Walcott had his most-productive so far and as well as these two, both Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud also reached double figures for goals in the Premier League. The Gunners are strong but could certainly do with a couple of signings this summer to bolster their chances of finishing in the top 4 again in 2013-14.
Transfers in: Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Theo Walcott (14 goals) – 16% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Santi Cazorla – The only player to feature in all 38 of Arsenal’s Premier League games last season (37 starts), Santi Cazorla recorded 12 goals and assisted a further 11. The Spaniard was a playmaker in the centre of midfield but went quiet in the odd game Wenger decided to play on the wing. Arsenal will looking for more of the same in 2013-14 and hoping they will have purchased a frequent goalscorer for Cazorla to supply.
Best Bet: Top 4 finish 4/6 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 23 – Lukas Podolski was substituted in 23 of the 25 Premier League games he started last season after signing from FC Köln. He was also substituted in 5 of his 6 Champions League matches for the Gunners.
Aston Villa
Heavily reliant on the goals from Christian Benteke last season and arguably still playing in the Premier League thanks to their Belgian striker. It was a good job they managed to renew his contract this summer after Benteke was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham.
On paper, there aren’t too many teams that look weak on paper heading into the Premier League this season. Therefore Paul Lambert’s side should be considered relegation contenders this season. They’re a young team and the inexperience showed in a couple of areas last season – mainly a poor defence and a lack of a leader on the pitch who wanted to take possession of the ball and grind out a result.
Half a dozen players have arrived at Villa Park this summer, all largely unknown to the English fan, making it difficult to judge how much of an impact these will have on the team.
Andreas Weimann, Matthew Lowton and Ashley Westwood all played well last season, whilst Gabby Agbonlahor started to score towards the end of the season. They lack an out-and-out playmaker, which Charles N’Zogbia has the potential to be if he ever gets a long run in the team.
Transfers in: Leandro Bacuna (FC Groningen), Nicklas Helenius (Aalorg BK), Antonio Luna (Sevilla), Jores Okore (FC Nordsjælland), Jed Steer (Norwich City) and Aleksandar Tonev (Lech Poznań)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Christian Benteke (19 goals) – 18% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Christian Benteke – With a large asking price, Aston Villa have seemingly won the battle to keep their top scorer from last season. The Belgian international striker has a lot of abilities – able to play the lone striker role, hold up the ball to bring his forwards and other team mates into play and able to put the ball in the back of the net.
Best Bet: To finish bottom half 1/2 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 69 – Only Reading and Wigan Athletic (73) conceded more goals than Aston Villa’s 69 in the Premier League last season. Both of those sides were relegated.
Cardiff City
The Premier League welcomes its 46th different team heading into its 22nd season and the second from Wales. Cardiff City were runaway winners of the English Championship last season under Malkay Mackay.
Their team lacks a great deal of Premier League experience with the exception of Craig Bellamy whom a lot of attention will be focussed on heading into the season and probably during the season.
Despite a very wealthy owner whose decision to change their kit from blue to red proved to be a good decision, the Bluebirds haven’t invested as much as I had been expecting during the summer.
Steven Caulker is their only acquisition to date with Premier League experience under his belt. John Brayford from Derby County was a good player in the second tier but does he have the defensive capabilities to make the grade in the Premier League? £7.5 million 20-year old striker Andreas Cornelius from FC Copenhagen is relatively unknown.
Transfers in: John Brayford (Derby County), Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur), Andreas Cornelius (FC Copenhagen) & Simon Moore (Brentford)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Heiðar Helguson & Peter Whittingham (8 goals each)
Key Player: Fraizer Campbell – Proved to be a great January signing, going on to score 7 goals in 12 Championship appearances to make sure Cardiff City crossed the line. Came through the Manchester United youth system and gained Premier League experience with Tottenham and Sunderland. His goal record in the top flight has been awful previously but his good form in 2013 with Cardiff may be the start Campbell needs to get his career going.
Best Bet: Top promoted team 10/11 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 18 – Cardiff City kept 18 clean sheets in the Championship last season – more than any other side.
Chelsea
Chelsea are the bookmakers favourites for the 2013-14 Premier League following the arrival of José Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge.
The Special One, or the Happy One as he announced himself at his opening press conference, has not made any significant signings since arriving for the second time. Wayne Rooney has been on Chelsea’s wanted list this summer.
The Blues finished 14 points behind champions Manchester United last season but a change in manager for all three clubs at the top has really shaken things up. United have gone from pre-season favourites in June to third favourites in August, switching with Chelsea.
Interesting that they haven’t signed another centre-back, suggesting John Terry feels he has the confidence to survive the whole season after picking up a few injuries in recent times. Chelsea have plenty of playmakers in their midfield and if they cannot acquire a striker this summer, Mourinho has Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku and Fernando Torres to get the best out of.
Transfers in: Isaiah Brown (West Bromwich Albion), Cristián Cuevas (O’Higgins), Stipe Perica (Zadar), André Schürrle (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) & Marco van Ginkel (Netherlands)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Frank Lampard (15 goals) – 19% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Juan Mata – The key to Chelsea’s success this season may be finding a striker who can score in their formation, but Juan Mata is certainly the player who made the team tick last season, narrowly missing out on the PFA Player of the Year award. A playmaker and a goalscorer, I refuse to believe the rumours he was offered to Manchester United. Has support from Eden Hazard and Oscar as other star playmakers in this Chelsea midfield.
Best Bet: Top 2 Finish 4/6 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 2 – Demba Ba scored 13 goals in 20 Premier League matches for Newcastle last season, but only 2 in 20 for Chelsea following his January transfer.
Crystal Palace
The winners of last season’s Championship playoff final, Crystal Palace will be appearing in the Premier League for a record fifth spell. Ian Holloway guided the Eagles to their success which included beating rivals Brighton & Hove Albion in the semi-finals before a 1-0 win over favourites Watford at Wembley.
A team that come up by surprise are always hot favourites to be relegated. The same happened to Ian Holloway’s Blackpool in 2010-11. Norwich City broke that run two seasons ago, but an extra hindrance for Palace is that they lost one of their stars of last season; Wilfried Zaha who moved to Manchester United.
A couple of tricky fixtures to start the season. Facing Tottenham, going to the Britannia Stadium and facing Manchester United in their opening four fixtures. Points on the road in November look achievable but Holloway will need to keep his team motivated should they make a bad start as expected.
A couple of players with Premier League experience have been brought in at Selhurst Park this summer – Stephen Dobbie, Kevin Phillips and Jerome Thomas. But it’s Dwight Gayle from Peterborough United they’ve invested heavily in.
Transfers in: José Campaña (Sevilla), Stephen Dobbie (Brighton & Hove Albion), Dwight Gayle (Peterborough United), Elliot Grandin (Free), Kevin Phillips (Blackpool) & Jerome Thomas (Free)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Glenn Murray (30 goals)
Key Player: Glenn Murray – Having a regular goalscorer is usually a good way to avoid relegation, albeit that wasn’t the case in 2004-05 when Andrew Johnson scored 21 goals and Crystal Palace were still relegated. Glenn Murray scored 30 goals last season on their way to promotion but does not have any previous Premier League experience. Kevin Phillips and Dwight Gayle are other options.
Best Bet: To be relegated 4/7 (Coral)
Interesting Stat: Crystal Palace have played in the Premier League in 4 previous seasons – they were relegated on each occasion.
Everton
David Moyes departed to Manchester United this summer whilst Roberto Martínez joined after taking Wigan Athletic out of the Premier League and winning the FA Cup.
A top 6 finish this season looks unrealistic but anything less than a top half finish will be a disappointment for the Toffees support.
So far this summer they have kept onto both Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini but with plenty of time left during the summer transfer window, money could be heading into Goodison Park in exchange for two of their top players.
Manager Martínez has brought in three players he worked with at Wigan last season which includes striker Arouna Koné. Nikica Jelavic struggled in his first full season in England after impressing following a January transfer in 2012. Victor Anichebe isn’t a regular scorer, whilst the Ivorian joining the ranks after scoring 11 in 34 games for relegated Wigan.
Transfers in: Antolín Alcaraz (Wigan Athletic), Arouna Koné (Wigan Athletic) & Joel Robles (Atlético Madrid)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Marouane Fellaini (11 goals) – 12% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Kevin Mirallas – A lot was expected of the Belgian forward when he joined last season and Kevin Mirallas certainly began producing by the end. Playing on the right side, Mirallas offers pace, trickery and an eye for goal. With a year under his belt, look for Mirallas to improve further this season.
Best Bet: Winner without big 6 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United & Tottenham Hotspur) 13/8 (Coral)
Interesting Stat: 25% – Only Chris Hutchings (17%) has a lower win percentage than Roberto Martínez amongst Wigan Athletic managers in the Premier League.
Fulham
Fulham had a terrible end to last season under Martin Jol, picking up just 4 points from their final nine games. Their form before that was key in making sure the Cottagers remained in the top flight.
A change of owner in the summer saw billionaire Shahid Khan take full control of Fulham Football Club. He looks to be keeping Jol in charge for the start of the 2013-14 season at least.
Relying heavily on goals from Dimitar Berbatov and finishing the season with a number of players on loan, the wealthy investment is good timing for Fulham who could with a few signings.
Maarten Stekelenburg replaces the experienced Mark Schwarzer in goal, Sascha Riether has signed permanently after impressing on loan last season but the other signings are largely unknown to the average English fan.
With ties up in the Northwest to start the season, away at Sunderland and Newcastle, as well as playing both Arsenal and Chelsea in their first five games, can Martin Jol avoid a poor start that may put his job up for grabs?
Transfers in: Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao), Derek Boateng (Dnipro Dnipopetrovsk), Ange-Freddy Plumain (RC Lens), Sascha Riether (FC Köln) & Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Dimitar Berbatov (15 goals) – 19% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Dimitar Berbatov – Fulham relied heavily on their Bulgarian striker for goals, particularly in the second half of the season. Strikers Mladen Petrić and Hugo Rodallega only chipped in with 5 and 3 goals respectively so feeding Berbatov will again be an important part of Fulham’s tactics this season.
Best Bet: Next manager to leave post: Martin Jol 8/1 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 5 – Fulham picked up just 5 points after falling behind in games last season.
Hull City
Hull City limped over the cross-line as Championship runners-up last season to book their second spell in the Premier League.
Steve Bruce was the man at the helm to guide a side into the Premier League for the third time having done so twice with Birmingham City.
Towards the end of last season it appeared that no one wanted to take that second spot but it was Hull City that eventually did. They didn’t have a regular goal scorer up front last season and their top scorer came from midfield. This summer so far, they’ve bought two strikers without Premier League experience and Danny Graham who had a shocker from January onwards at Sunderland.
The manager tends to build a strong defence to knick points and I wouldn’t expect any different from this Hull side who will be fighting for their lives in almost every game this season.
Transfers in: George Boyd (Peterborough United), Curtis Davies (Birmingham City), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan Althetic), Danny Graham (Sunderland – loan), Steve Harper (Newcastle United), Allan McGregor (Beşiktaş) & Yannick Sagbo (Evian TG)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Robert Koren (9 goals)
Key Player: Curtis Davies – Hull City have spent £2.3 million on the defender who has Premier League experience. Curtis Davies is the most expensive Englishman never to have played for the senior England national team, and whilst he has impressed in several seasons in the Championship, he failed to deliver in the Premier League with Aston Villa. He’s been highly-rated in the past and has experience at this level, with Hull City looking for a defensive mentality under Bruce, Davies may be the focus.
Best Bet: To be relegated 4/6 (SkyBet)
Interesting Stat: 61 – 13 teams scored more goals than the 61 Hull City put in the back of the net in the Championship last season, including relegated Peterborough United.
Liverpool
After their worst-ever Premier League finish under Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers has steadied the ship at Anfield. They ended the season very well with the January signings of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge impressing.
Liverpool fans have reason to ahead into this season optimistic, and whilst a top 4 finish may appear achievable, they need to sure up at the back and become more consistent if they are to do so.
Should Luis Suárez leave this summer it’s a huge loss for Liverpool, but there are playmakers in the team to help Daniel Sturridge record a few goals. They’ve spent a bit of money again this summer so expectations will once again be raised.
Jamie Carragher’s retirement will ask questions of the defence. Liverpool didn’t look so comfortable in games without him last season, on top of which Rodgers’ Swansea defence relied heavily on goalkeeper Michel Vorm in their first season. Simon Mignolet has been brought in as Pepe Reina departed.
Transfers in: Luis Alberto (Sevilla), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Simon Mignolet (Sunderland) & Kolo Touré (Manchester City)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Luis Suárez (23 goals) – 12% Conversion Rate
Key Player: If Luis Suárez leaves, I believe Philippe Coutinho will become the focal point of this Liverpool team. He pulls the strings in midfield and unlocks defences. Can play in the centre or on the left. The influence of Steven Gerrard remains in the middle and Daniel Sturridge was seeing plenty of opportunities in front of goal when he played, making an exciting attack unit.
Best Bet: Most assists: Philippe Coutinho 16/1 (Paddy Power)
Interesting Stat: 1,395 – Liverpool have picked up the most points in Premier League history amongst teams who have never won the title.
Manchester City
Roberto Mancini was out the door after finishing 11 points behind the champions last season as well as two disappointing Champions League campaigns. Manuel Pellegrini arrives without a European league title to his name but has overachieved with both Villarreal and Málaga in previous Champions League campaigns.
Manchester City have added exciting players in Jesús Navas and Stevan Jovetić as they have been the biggest spenders in England so far this summer.
Hurt by Mancini’s poor tactics in the Champions League and at times in the Premier League, Pellegrini has a bit more tactical nous about him and the signing of Jesús Navas gives them both some natural width on the right and pace in attack.
Without doubt they are rightfully amongst the favourites for the title – a wealth of money and talent in their squad, it will be down to how well Manuel Pellegrini settles into English football and how well he gets this team playing and gelled together as to how close they get to number 1 position.
Transfers in: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Stevan Jovetić (Fiorentina), Jesús Navas (Sevilla) & Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Edin Džeko (14 goals) – 15% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Sergio Agüero – Wasn’t at his best last season but still recorded 12 Premier League goals. He also missed a few games through injury. His mother tongue is the same as his manager’s this season, but faces competition from new signings Stevan Jovetić and Álvaro Negredo. Agüero has the skills and the eye for goal, look out for him to light up the Premier League again this season.
Best Bet: Top 2 Finish 4/6 (Ladbrokes)
Interesting Stat: 19 – Manchester City were the only team to score in every home game last season.
Manchester United
Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day after Manchester United secured their 13th Premier League title and record 20th top flight championship. The reigns have been handed over to former Everton boss David Moyes who has no experience in winning trophies during his 15 and a half years as a manger.
The top players from last season remain at the club – Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, although rumours have been alive all summer that Rooney may be on his way out. Paul Scholes has retired, whilst Wilfried Zaha and Guillermo Varela have been the only acquisitions to date.
David Moyes built a good reputation at Everton for his tactical knowledge. During his time at Goodison Park, which lasted more than a decade, he rebuilt his team and even changed his style of football. From previously been defence-minded, last season Everton were playing an exciting brand of football.
Moyes’ record with strikers at Everton hasn’t been particularly impressive, whilst midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini have top-scored for the club. Could Wayne Rooney play the Cahill/Fellaini role at Old Trafford?
Transfers in: Guillermo Varela (Peñarol) & Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Robin van Persie (26 goals) – 18% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Robin van Persie – The Dutchman’s goals last season aided Manchester United to their 13th Premier League title. Particular were those important goals at the start of the season from Robin van Persie that earned Manchester United 3 points in games they weren’t overly convincing. Should Rooney leave this summer, van Persie’s goals will be even more important.
Best bet: Top English goalscorer: Wayne Rooney 3/1 (Paddy Power)
Interesting stat: 3 – Manchester United dropped just 3 points against teams that finished in the bottom half last season (1-0 defeat at Norwich City).
Newcastle United
A lot of the off-season news this summer has focused around their sponsor than preparation for the 2013-14 season. Papiss Cissé is using it as an excuse to get out of St James’ Park, whilst Newcastle have been trying hard to bring at least one French striker to the club.
Alan Pardew heads into the season as one of the most under-pressure managers and the bookmakers favourite to lose his job first. A 5th-place in 2011-12 was followed by a 16th-place finish last season.
With a number of new signings from last season now expected to be bedded in, there can be no excuses for the manager not getting it right this season. Fans will be looking for a top-half finish and anything less could cost Pardew his job.
Transfers in: None
2012-13 Top Scorer: Demba Ba (13 goals) – 14% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Fabricio Coloccini – Newcastle were shipping goals freely in games when their Argentinian centre-back was absent. The never-say-die attitude of Fabricio Coloccini has certainly won over the Toon faithful even if he has previously wanted out.
Best bet: Top North East club (league position versus Hull City & Sunderland) 8/11 (BetFred)
Interesting stat: 21 – Newcastle had scored in all 21 Tyne-Wear Premier League derbies prior to last season’s 3-0 defeat versus Sunderland.
Norwich City
Norwich City exceeded a number of people’s expectations last season when they avoided relegation under Chris Hughton, finishing 11th – one place better than Paul Lambert achieved the precious season before heading to Aston Villa.
The Canaries kept hold of goalkeeper John Ruddy this summer after rejecting bids from Chelsea. The difference in performance of Norwich’s defence with and without John Ruddy was noticeable, with neither Mark Bunn or Lee Camp impressing.
This summer Norwich have sold Grant Holt the Championship as they bring in Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper to change their attack. Potentially a big risk, but both van Wolfswinkel and Hooper have proven their goalscoring abilities outside the Premier League.
Norwich have been ambitious in the transfer window this summer, as well as the aforementioned strikers, they have also brought in a few more players from big clubs, as well as Netherlands international Leroy Fer from FC Twente who was previously close to signing for Everton.
Transfers in: Leroy Fer (FC Twente), Javier Garrido (Lazio), Gary Hooper (Celtic), Carlo Nash (Stoke City), Martin Olsson (Blackburn Rovers), Nathan Redmond (Birmingham City) & Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Club of Portugal)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Grant Holt (8 goals) – 15% Conversion Rate
Key Player: John Ruddy – The Norwich City goalkeeper received a bid from Chelsea this summer and has previously earned a cap for the England national team whilst playing for Norwich City in the Premier League. The Canaries have brought in two left-backs and a holding midfielder this summer in an attempt to tighten up their defence, whilst Ruddy is solid between the sticks in keeping the goals out.
Best Bet: n/a
Interesting Stat: 6 – Norwich City scored the most goals against Manchester City in the Premier League last season.
Southampton
Despite a surprise change in manager mid-season, Southampton looked even more impressive under Mauricio Pochettino than they had under Nigel Adkins.
Just two summer arrivals to St Mary’s so far during this transfer window suggests that Pochettino may be sticking with the English duo of Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez up front.
Morgan Schneiderlin protects a defence that includes the highly-rated Luke Shaw, whilst Artur Boruc won the duties of being the number 1 goalkeeper before the end of season after three goalkeepers had made at least 9 Premier League appearances last season for the Saints.
Looks for more of the same from Southampton in 2013-14 – high energy, high pressing and their attacking midfielder’s setting up the target man up front. OK, they’re not quite Borussia Dortmund, but they do have some of the German side’s traits.
Transfers in: Dejan Lovren (Lyon) & Victor Wanyama (Celtic)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Rickie Lambert (15 goals) – 16% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Morgan Schneiderlin – Defensively Morgan Schneiderlin was one of the best in the Premier League last season. He intercepted the most passes amongst Premier League players last season, meaning that eh relieved the pressure off of his defence. Had been linked with moves away from St Mary’s but for now he remains a Saint. Victor Wanyama has been added to provide a defensive partner in midfield and more energy to the Southampton team.
Best Bet: Top 12 finish 8/11 (Stan James)
Interesting Stat: 1 – Southampton were the only side not to finish a game with 10 men last season. Every team received at least 1 red card in 2012-13, but Southampton’s two came in the same game, meaning they finished with 9.
Stoke City
After a dire second half of the season Tony Pulis was sacked and replaced by Mark Hughes over the off-season. An interesting change in manager considering Hughes set Queens Park Rangers up for relegation during his time there.
There has been talk out of the Stoke camp that they will changing their style of football this season. I’ll only believe that when I see it. Mark Hughes’ teams have never been one of entertain. And making such a drastic change would run a high risk of a negative effect and potential relegation.
Still, Stoke City have brought in a youngster from Barcelona and a Dutch international from PSV Eindhoven. Both are defenders though. So can we expect Steven N’Zonzi to play the Xavi role and Peter Crouch to be Lionel Messi?
Transfers in: Marc Muniesa (Barcelona) & Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Jonathan Walters (8 goals) – 14% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Robert Huth – A colossus in the air who defends any long ball and a number of corners as well as being a threat from attacking set pieces (despite only scoring 1 goal last season). Robert Huth gets stuck in and was a big part of the number of clean sheets Stoke City had up to Christmas last season.
Best Bet: Most yellow cards 11/2 (Paddy Power)
Interesting Stat: 78 – Stoke City received the most yellow cards in the Premier League last season.
Sunderland
Drifting towards relegation before a change in manager late in the season, Paolo Di Canio still has a lot of work to do to ensure Sunderland are a Premier League team at the end of his first full season in charge.
Sunderland have certainly helped their controversial manager by bringing in a number of players over the summer. However, the loss of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet may be a big blow unless his replacement can make an impact.
The Black Cats didn’t fair well in front of goal after Steven Fletcher went down injured last season, but the impotent Danny Graham has been loaned out, Jozy Altidore has been brought in, Ji Dong-Won returns from an impressive loan spell and Connor Wickham is a year older.
Paolo Di Canio cannot afford to lose the dressing room. He’d better make sure his strict policies and management style don’t have a negative effect on performance.
Transfers in: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), El-Hadji Ba (Le Havre), Cabral (FC Basel), Modibo Diakité (Lazio), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), David Moberg Karlsson (IFK Gothenburg), Vito Mannone (Arsenal), Valentin Roberge (Marítimo) & Duncan Watmore (Altrincham)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Steven Fletcher (11 goals) – 20% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Steven Fletcher – The striker was lethal in front of goal last season when his team mates created a chance for him and before he got injured for the last 2 months. Steven Fletcher has good movement and an eye for goal – if the midfield supply their striker with chances, Fletcher will find the back of the net.
Best Bet: First manager to be banished from dugout: Paolo Di Canio 6/1 (Paddy Power)
Interesting Stat: 3 – Sunderland received 3 red cards in the 7 games under Paolo Di Canio, compared to zero in the first 31 under Martin O’Neill last season.
Swansea City
Swansea City will be flying the flag for Wal… England in the Europa League this season. 8 players have already been brought in this summer to help manager Michael Laudrup cope with both the league and cup competitions after 9 different outfield players played at least 30 league games last season.
The signing of Wilfried Bony gives Swansea a striker with a goal threat – something that Danny Graham, Luke Moore or Itay Shechter didn’t offer last season. Michu was more effective playing the role behind the striker than as the striker himself.
The Swans have been poor in protecting shots on goal during their two seasons in the Premier League, so Laudrup has brought in defensive midfielder José Cañas and centre-back Jordi Amat in an attempt to resolve this.
An exciting team to watch, Laudrup continued the possession style and pacey wingers system that had been a success under previous managers and guided them to a 9th-place finish last season; two better than Brendan Rodgers in the previous term.
Transfers in: Jordi Amat (Espanyol), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse), José Cañas (Real Betis), Alex Gogic (Olympaicos), Jernade Meade (Arsenal), Alejandro Pozuelo (Real Betis), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool) & Gregor Zabret (NK Domžale)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Michu (18 goals) – 16% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Michu – A lethal left foot and good in the air, Michu had been linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium but Swansea could not let him go. Scoring 18 goals in his debut season was very impressive. The signing of Wilfried Bony will either see the Spaniard’s goals dry up a little as their striker finds the net, or continue the same should the Ivorian draw defenders out of position to free up space for Michu.
Bet Bet: Top Welsh team (league position versus Cardiff City) 4/9 (Will Hill)
Interesting Stat: 16 – Swansea City failed to score in 16 Premier League games last season – matched only by relegated Queens Park Rangers.
Tottenham Hotspur
An impressive first season under André Villas-Boas saw Tottenham narrowly miss out on Champions League football once again. However, they were largely reliant on Gareth Bale, someone they may not be able to rely on this season following strong suggestions he may be off to Real Madrid.
A striker was on the agenda for Tottenham this summer and after missing out on Christian Benteke, Roberto Soldado arrived at White Hart Lane from Valencia. The rest of the summer may now be spent trying to keep hold of Bale, and selling Emmanuel Adebayor.
The defence could do with an improvement – Tottenham kept fewer clean sheets than of the top 7 last season; exactly half as many as Manchester City. So far during the summer transfer window, Spurs have been busy bringing in attack-minded players.
Tottenham lost a few players for lengthy spells last season through injury. Should they keep their players fit this season and keep Gareth Bale as a Tottenham player, they will be pushing for a top 4 finish once again.
Transfers in: Nacer Chadli (FC Twente), Paulinho (Corinthians) & Roberto Soldado (Valencia)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Gareth Bale (21 goals) – 13% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Gareth Bale – At the heart of almost everything positive going forward for Tottenham last season, Gareth Bale has got better season after season at White Hart Lane. It’s a difficult ask to do better than the 21 goals he scored last season. The signing of left winger Nacer Chadli offers Tottenham a naturally wide left-sided player for when Bale is tucked in the centre.
Best Bet: To beat Crystal Palace in opening game 5/6 (Will Hill)
Interesting Stat: 72 – Tottenham’s tally of 72 points last season was the most by any side finishing outside the top 4 in a 38-game Premier League season.
West Bromwich Albion
After an impressive start to last season, West Brom faded out during the second half but still managed to finish in a Premier League-high 8th position.
Steve Clarke needs to get the spark back at the Hawthorns to get them off to a good start after winning only four games after Boxing Day. The signing of Nicolas Anelka will surely bring some excitement around West Brom.
West Brom have also brought in 2011 Copa América winner Diego Lugano from Paris Saint-Germain to improve a defence that kept just 8 clean sheets last season – the fewest amongst top half teams.
Transfers in: Nicolas Anelka (Shanghai Shenhua), Diego Lugano (Paris Saint-Germain) & Goran Popov (Dynamo Kiev)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Romelu Lukaku (17 goals) – 17% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Youssuf Mulumbu – Provided good protection in front of the back four alongside Claudio Yacob when the pair were fit and available. Youssuf Mulumbu provides a good link between defence and attack, taking possession of the ball and playing simply forward passes. He doesn’t get involved in many goals but he does a good job in preventing them and maintaining possession for his side.
Best Bet: n/a
Interesting Stat: Last season West Brom became only the second team in Premier League history to fight back from three goals behind to get a draw against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. They achieved this is the legendary manager’s final game.
West Ham United
Returning to the top flight last season, Sam Allardyce guided West Ham to a top half finish – the highest amongst the three promoted sides.
Andy Carroll, when fit was their biggest threat up front, and has been signed on a permanent basis from Liverpool this summer. Kevin Nolan top-score from midfield for the Hammers with help of a hat-trick on the final day of the season against Reading.
Last season saw Jussi Jääskeläinen back to his best between the sticks, but the West Ham defence needs to do a better job in protecting the 38-year old this season. They looked particularly vulnerable when James Collins was absent and so far this summer have not added a new centre-back.
There’s room for improvement on their travels as the Hammers only won 3 away games last season, but whilst Sam Allardyce remains in charge you’d expect a comfortable mid-table finish.
Transfers in: Adrián (Real Betis), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Răzvan Raț (Shakhtar Donetsk) & Danny Whitehead (Stockport county)
2012-13 Top Scorer: Kevin Nolan (10 goals) – 13% Conversion Rate
Key Player: Andy Carroll – West Ham smashed their record transfer fee to bring in the 6’3” striker from Liverpool. Scoring 7 goals in 24 games (22 starts) whilst on-loan, Carroll was about the only productive striker for West Ham last season. He was useful at heading the ball down to team mates to bring them into play.
Best Bet: Top London club (league position versus Crystal Palace & Fulham) 4/5 (Stan James)
Interesting Stat: 0 – West Ham failed to win back-to-back games last season.