Can Arsenal retain their Premier League title? Have your say
Can Arsenal retain their Premier League title? Have your say
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There we have it then. Yellow ties back in the drawer for another four months as the summer window finally closes.
And to say it was a busy one would be an understatement. Premier League clubs smashed the previous record for spending with £3.49billion dished out on new players.
Manchester City were the biggest spenders, backing new manager Enzo Maresca to the tune of £458m. Most of that was on midfielders, with Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and then Enzo Fernandez all arriving in blockbuster transfers.
Maresca needed a quick start after replacing Pep Guardiola and has that after recording wins over Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.
For reigning champions Arsenal, it was a case of evolution rather than revolution. Bruno Guimaraes, Ezri Konsa and Christos Tzolis all look wise purchases, but they failed to land the big transfer that would revolutionise their attack.
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Nevertheless, their defence has started perfectly after beating Coventry City on the opening night and navigating a tricky away day vs Aston Villa on Monday night.
Twelve months after overhauling their attacking options, Manchester United did the same to their midfield. Although the early returns didn’t look promising in their opening day defeat to Hull City.
Tottenham and Chelsea also spent big as they look to close the gap after missing out on the European places last season. It’s been contrasting starts to the season though, with Xabi Alonso winning his first two, while Spurs have that familiar sinking feeling after picking up zero points.
Savio signs for Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have spent big, but have suffered back-to-back defeats to start the season(Image: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock)
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Alonso’s former side Liverpool have managed two draws from their opening pair of games under Andoni Iraola and have looked defensively frail. But the £123m signing of Bradley Barcola should help to fill the Mohamed Salah-sized void in their attack.
Aston Villa were surprise title contenders for portions of last season and ended their campaign in the top four AND with a European trophy for the first time since 1982. But they have had a tumultuous summer losing a chunk of the squad that has performed so well under Unai Emery.
And at the other end of the table, the three promoted clubs will be hoping they've done enough business to avoid being yet another side returning to the Championship after one season. Hull City were the team most tipped to struggle, but have won both of their opening two games, including a win over Manchester United.
So with the window SLAMMED (it always slams) shut, all 20 Premier League clubs know what they have to work with until January at least.
Now onto the proper stuff. The actual football. And with squads to be set in stone this week, it’s the perfect time to give us your real predictions for the 26/27 season.
With our interactive tool, you can predict the finishing position for every Premier League club, generate a table and keep it as an image when you get one more correct that your mate
Give it a go in the tool above….and good luck.
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