Leicester City
Manager Brendan Rodgers
What has changed in 12 weeks?
Optimism surrounds the FA Cup winners, who have strengthened again under Brendan Rodgers. Likely to avoid any major summer sales. Loss of Wesley Fofana to injury is a huge blow.
Who has it all to prove?
It has to be James Maddison (right). Had injury problems and struggled for consistency.
Most exciting prospect
High hopes for £20 million Patson Daka – compared to Jamie Vardy.
Success would be… Returning to the Champions League.
Failure would be… Missing out again!
Managerial axe rating
1/5. Rodgers has improved the team year-on-year. Not under threat.
Player of the year will be…
Wilfred Ndidi. Protects his defence, strong in the tackle, reads the game well and uses the ball intelligently.
Major ins
Patson Daka (RB Salzburg, £20m), Boubakary Soumare (Lille, £30m), Ryan Bertrand (free, Southampton).
Major outs
Wes Morgan (retirement), Christian Fuchs (Charlotte FC, free).
injuries, which is a huge shame for the academy prospect, but Jamal Lewis (below), who arrived from Norwich City last summer, has all the attributes of a high-class wing-back who can defend in a five-man back line or spring forward and support attacks.
Newcastle have landed a bargain.
Success would be...
Another mid-table finish and no relegation worries.
Failure would be...
Newcastle have a bottomhalf-of-the-table squad, making relegation a risk.
Managerial axe rating…
3/5. Bruce will be in the firing line if results go badly. The question is, who would do a better job and whether they would be willing to
come to Newcastle.
Player of the season will be…
Callum Wilson will be their main goal threat and, when he is fit, he has an excellent track record of finding the net from just a few chances. He has been given the iconic No9 shirt once worn by Alan Shearer and will be hoping to make himself a hero to the returning fans.
Major ins Joe Willock (£20 million, Arsenal).
Major outs Andy Carroll (released), Florian Lejeune (Alves, undisclosed), Yoshinori Muto (Vissel Kobe, free).
What’s changed in 12 weeks?
Southampton have lost their best player, Danny Ings, to a club in Aston Villa who they would have considered to be a direct rival. It leaves a major question mark over whether there are sufficient goals in the team, although Adam Armstrong, a reliable scorer in the Championship these past two seasons, has arrived as a replacement from Blackburn Rovers.
Who has it all to prove?
Moussa Djenepo is a huge talent and, with uncertainty about the team’s creative potential, they could do with a big season from him in support of Armstrong, Theo Walcott, Nathan Redmond and Che Adams.
Most exciting prospect
Southampton have signed the Chelsea wing-back Tino Livramento on a five-year deal. He is an England Under-19 defender and his arrival for £5 million is something of a coup. Livramento had been at Chelsea since the under-9s and, although there was an all-round acceptance that he would have struggled for first-team football in the near future, they have included a £25 million buy-back clause.
Success would be... Staying in the Premier League and resolving the club’s ownership uncertainty. The Chinese Gao family are showing no inclination to invest heavily and the club have been running at a worryingly high wage-to-revenue ratio.
Failure would be...
Relegation. Southampton must wisely utilise inbuilt financial advantages over promoted clubs and hope
that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl can again deliver on the training ground.
Managerial axe rating
2/5. Southampton have shown they will sack managers if they think their Premier League place is threatened, but have found stability in Hasenhuttl and would be loath to part company unless it was deemed absolutely necessary. Chief executive
Martin Semmens regards Hasenhuttl as one of the club’s main assets, and his contract lasts until 2024.
Player of the year will be...
James Ward-prowse is going into his 10th season as a Premier League regular and remains an all-round model of consistency. His influence will again be critical, and he does still seem to be improving. Kyle Walker-peters is also emerging among the best right-backs.
Major ins
Adam Armstrong (Blackburn, £15m), Tino Livramento (Chelsea, £5m), Romain Perraud (Stade Brest, £10.3m), Theo Walcott
(Everton, free transfer).
Major outs
Danny Ings (Aston Villa £25m), Ryan Bertrand (Leicester City, free transfer).
Most exciting prospect
Full-back Ben Johnson, 21, has been with the club since the age of seven and impressed in his 13 Premier League appearances last season.
Success would be…
Qualifying for European football. It would be unrealistic to expect West Ham to push so close to the top four again, but another season in Europe would show that the last campaign was no fluke.
Failure would be…
Losing momentum and sliding down into mid-table obscurity or worse.
Managerial axe rating
2/5. After last season, Moyes is not going to be fired any time soon. If anything, the bigger danger is that he chooses to leave for a different project.
Player of the year will be…
Declan Rice enjoyed a brilliant European Championship with England, underlining his status as one of the continent’s most dynamic midfielders. He might need some time to get back up to speed, but he is West Ham’s most important player.
Major ins
Alphonse Areola (PSG, loan).
Major outs
Felipe Anderson (Lazio, £3m), Fabian Balbuena (Dynamo Moscow, free).
What has changed in 12 weeks?
Nuno Espirito Santo’s four-year journey ended last season, with his final campaign a disappointment after such a successful period before. Bruno Lage was appointed swiftly and has been recruited to deliver entertainment and goals, which were his trademark during his time in charge of Benfica. Only Rui Patricio has left, for Roma, while the rest of the first-team squad have stayed together. Raul Jimenez is also returning from his serious head injury to lead their attack again.
Who has it all to prove?
Lage is the obvious choice, as he prepares for his first season in English football. He has not worked in management for more than a year and, admittedly, has to ensure the departure of Nuno was for the benefit of Wolves. Does he carry on with the methods and style of Nuno which have served the club so well? Ripping everything up and starting again is a huge risk and opponents will sense weakness.
Most exciting prospect
Francisco Trincao (right) has been highly regarded in
Europe for some time and joined from Barcelona on loan. The winger has the potential to prove a brilliant signing, especially in the free-flowing, attacking football for which Lage was renowned at Benfica.
Success would be…
Wolves were dour for most of last season and Lage is expected to spark the club back into life. A top-10 finish and some stability would be an impressive achievement.
Failure would be…
Wolves have not flirted with relegation since returning to the top flight and it would be a huge test of their squad if they were to be sucked into trouble. It should be very unlikely.
Managerial axe rating
3/5. Lage will be under pressure to hit the ground running and show that he was the right choice to take the club forward. The first few months for a new manager will be the most vulnerable, and he is no different.
Player of the season will be…
Conor Coady. His leadership will be needed during a time of transition for the club. The captain showed his qualities during the summer without kicking a ball. He was a squad player for England at the Euros, but showed his commitment by putting maximum effort into every training session when a starting place looked unlikely.
Major ins
Francisco Trincao (Barcelona, loan), Jose Sa (Olympiakos, £6.8m), Rayan Ait-nouri (Angers, £9.5m).
Major outs
Rui Patricio (£10.2m, Roma).