Arsenal fans just want to finish above Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City fancy the title, Cardiff and Palace eye survival
Arsenal – Bernard Azulay, GoonersDiary.blogspot.com
'Silent' Stan Kroenke made a rare appearance for the Emirates Cup: hopefully he brought along the key to our much vaunted war chest. Although it's a relief to have off-loaded plenty of deadwood and to be kicking off the season with a settled squad, I'd have preferred to have any major transfer business long since done and dusted. The suspicion is that, with the Gunners' liquidity being common knowledge, Arsène Wenger's fixation on "value for money" has our manager waiting for the likes of Liverpool to blink first rather than being forced to pay over the odds for Luis Suárez. But the fear is that the top shelves will end up bare yet again. Perhaps this is Le Prof's cunning masterplan to pacify the masses, by pointing to his "tried and failed" efforts to secure marquee players. But after witnessing the inability of Yaya Sanogo, our one and only addition, to impact on proceedings, there are bound to be terrace tantrums if Le Gaffer fails to pull off a single transfer coup.
Key player Until further notice our key players remain the same: Wilshere, Cazorla and Koscielny. With his performances on tour, Giroud appears to have responded well to the threat of competition and similarly the 16-year-old Gedion Zelalem might well be a star in the making.
Weak links Our squad's defensive inadequacies remain obvious, with Sagna still covering at centre-back and Miquel a fish out of water at full-back.
Headline generator Hopefully Luis Suárez.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… Tony Adams – we've been crying out for a leader for as long as I can remember.
Prediction Above Spurs
Aston Villa – Jonathan Pritchard, Observer reader
Getting all our best young players to sign new contracts is a massive coup for the club, especially, of course, last season's star Christian Benteke. The new signings are in line with last year's strategy of being young and promising but largely unknown, and only one or two of our new signings will start at Arsenal, so we've a good idea what to expect on day one. If we carry on the form from March and April we'll have more good days than bad this season, but home performances will be the key to what we can or cannot achieve: we've won only nine games in two years at Villa Park and that must improve.
Key player A dangerous number of our players could catch second-seasonitis, so it's vital that the likes of Lowton, Westwood, Sylla and Benteke continue to progress. Gabby thrived as senior pro at the end of last year and he could easily outperform his younger team-mates. There's a lot of hype surrounding Jack Grealish (born in the season we last won silverware), so let's hope that he can live up to it.
Weak links We lack confidence at the back but Lambert's two highest-profile signings – the Danish international Jores Okore and the Spaniard Antonio Luna – should help there.
Headline generator The headlines will be back page not front page as the current lot look depressingly clean-cut. Lowton could be the one to break through at international level.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… Easy. Paul McGrath, aka God
Prediction 11th
Cardiff – Michael Morris, Observer reader
The summer so far has been mixed. Off the field we've made some huge signings, repeatedly breaking our transfer record. But on the pitch we've just managed to beat Forest Green, draw with Cheltenham and lose to Brentford after being two up. Malky Mackay is a superb manager, though, and I'm confident he will organise this club to be a success at the top level.
Key player Steven Caulker could be a huge influence for us and the South Korean midfielder Kim Bo-kyung, signed from Cerezo Osaka, could be a Premier League star.
Weak links With new players still arriving I would hope that by the time the season starts there are no obvious weak links in the line-up. If I had been asked before the Caulker signing I would have said our defence looked suspect and was likely to struggle – but now that situation has changed dramatically.
Headline generator Our owner, Vincent Tan. His eccentricity and obsession with the colour red means he's seen as a figure of fun by many. You never know what he will do next. Rebrand the club. Spend millions. Clear the debt. Wear silly clothes …
If you could sign one player from the club's past… John Charles. What team wouldn't want Il Gigante Buono. Charles saw his career out at Cardiff but the Charles who starred for Leeds and Juventus would play for any team in the world.
Prediction 14th
Chelsea – Trizia Fiorellino, Chelsea Supporters Group
Once all the grandstanding is over I do believe that Wayne Rooney will be a Chelsea player – whether that's a good or a bad thing is difficult to say. I am an admirer but United probably had the best of him. The other signings look decent but we do seem to have an abundance of riches in midfield while there are issues elsewhere. That said, given the overall quality and the fact that Mourinho is at the helm, I can see this being a very successful season.
Key player I think Hazard will really come into his own – we saw flashes last season but he was often overshadowed by Mata. And Lukaku is back from a successful loan at West Brom and seems a more accomplished player.
Weak links I don't think we have any. It would be easy to say Torres but I (maybe foolishly) still think that he could do a job for us. He works hard and, given José's intense tutelage, he could finally realise his true worth.
Headline generator It has to be Mourinho – he has been very humble since he has been back at the Bridge, but José wouldn't be José unless he was declaring war with all and sundry and formulating that siege mentality that he has made his own.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… It would have to be Hernán Crespo. He was an absolutely stunning player: I was gutted we didn't have him longer. His footballing brain was probably too advanced for the team we had at the time – but he would really be in his element now.
Prediction Champions
Crystal Palace – Chris Waters, palacetrust.org.uk
We've had three weeks fewer to prepare than everyone else due to the play-offs, so we are already playing catch-up. Dwight Gayle and Jose Campaña are good, promising signings – young and with bags of potential, but we need more Premier League experience. It's going to be a very tough campaign. Chamakh looks like an intriguing signing: early goals would give him the confidence he needs to settle and be a success. We are also in the market for a centre-back, a winger, and cover at centre-back/right-back – there is a lot of shopping to do…
Key player Mile Jedinak, player of the year last season, will be key in midfield. I expect Speroni will see a lot of action in goal, while Campaña has had a cracking pre-season, as has Stephen Dobbie. Jonny Williams, meanwhile, will hopefully be the next academy player to make it big.
Weak links A lack of pace in central defence could cost us dearly, while Zaha and the injured Murray are massive losses. Without Murray we lack a hard grafting goal scorer, something Lambert and Holt provided to Southampton and Norwich when they went up. And Zaha's value speaks for itself.
Headline generator Ian Holloway: a journalist's dream.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… I'd want Matt Jansen. One of the most naturally gifted players I have ever seen; he made his debut for us in the Premier League in 1998 and was superb.
Prediction Above Brighton
Everton – Steve Jones, bluekipper.com
Like most Evertonians, I'm really looking forward to the new season. Roberto Martínez, the new manager of The People's Club, definitely talks a good game, so let's hope he delivers on the pitch. Having had a few easy pre-season games Everton stepped it up with a win against Juventus and a narrow defeat by Real Madrid. Young winger Gerard Deulofeu, signed on a season-long loan from Barcelona, is an exciting prospect, although Antolín Alcaraz, who followed the manager here from Wigan, is injured already.
Key player Kevin Mirallas is the key figure. He showed some real quality last season, but it was a campaign badly disrupted by injuries. If he can stay fit he can score plenty of goals in this side. Two youngsters to watch out for are the former Barnsley defender John Stones, who I'm tipping as a future England international, and talented academy product Ross Barkley, who I hope will finally become a regular in the side.
Weak links There is decent cover all over the squad although we could still do with a goalscorer. Nikica Jelavic and Arouna Koné may not get enough goals between them.
Headline generator Let's hope Leighton Baines makes the headlines for staying and winning player of the season again, rather than moving to Manchester United.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… Alan Ball. A world-class player. Great vision, scored goals and could run all day. A winner and Evertonian. Nothing else needed.
Prediction Top six
Fulham – David Lloyd, toofif.co.uk
We were quick out of the blocks this summer to sign Fernando Amorebieta, Maarten Stekelenburg and Derek Boateng, and the purchase of Sascha Riether following his excellent displays while on loan last season is great business. And yet it's all gone quiet since. The calm before the storm perhaps? What we really need is creativity/dynamism in the middle of the park and a foil for Berbatov (below). Taarabt has joined on loan, but is he the answer? A couple of potent signings will make all the difference.
Key player If we can maintain a smile on Berba's face, via a decent supply of the ball and support up front, then things will be going well. Watch out for Noe Baba and a lad called Moussa Dembélé (yes, really) from the U-18s and, wait for it, Buomesca Tue Na Bangna from the U-21s, who is hoping to oust some of the OAPs.
Weak links The squad's attitude was very poor at times last season. QPR away, say, was unforgivable, and the apparent lack of interest once we'd hit 40 points was unprofessional and almost cost us dear.
Headline generator Jol will deserve praise if he can forge a united, never-say-die (and winning) team. The jury's still out on that one – as will Jol be if new owner Shahid Khan isn't impressed.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… Tosh Chamberlain – he'd be guaranteed to bring along best mate and our maestro, Johnny Haynes.
Prediction An optimistic 10th
Hull – Rick Skelton, @HullCityLive
We've done as well as could be expected with our signings. We probably always needed a few more than other clubs, given that we lacked our own goalkeeper and had key players on loan last season. Getting Ahmed Elmohamady permanently was important, Allan McGregor and Steve Harper are two great keepers and Maynor Figueroa for free looks good business. But I'm gutted about the "Hull Tigers" nonsense. Apparently 109 years of history doesn't mean anything when it comes to chasing the few pennies left after Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have cornered the Asian football market.
Key player Sone Aluko was the best player in the Championship last season until he got injured. He could light up the Premier League. Neutral fans will love him.
Weak links No one individual, but it's no secret that we don't score enough goals – so Danny Graham and Yannick Sagbo have a lot of work to do. We also don't have much Premier League experience in the squad. I'm sure we'll have a really good go at it this season, but in all honesty, I don't see three weaker squads on paper.
Headline generator A pretty quiet bunch though owner Assem Allam is definitely eccentric. He'll probably announce we're moving to Cairo or something.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… We need goals so Chris Chilton, Ken Wagstaff or Dean Windass. Can we have all three, please?
Prediction 18th
Liverpool – Steph Jones, Observer reader
On the pitch it all seems OK. We won three cups in pre-season – or was it four …? Off the pitch, though, there's been the odd distraction, which we could well do without. Iago Aspas has looked good up front, and hopefully he will settle in fast. Mignolet proved his worth at Sunderland, and if he can handle the pressure that comes with playing for LFC, we should have a good keeper for the future. I was sad to see Pepe Reina go – the end of the end of an era. Overall it will be a tough season again for us, I think. We're still dealing with the fallout from the Hicks and Gillette era, and we will be for a while yet.
Key player Coutinho could be crucial. We saw at the end of last season what he can do. Lucas, with luck, will be back to his best finally after injury, and the skipper … he can still cut it. At the back, Agger will star, while the new kid in midfield, Luis Alberto, looks to have all the tricks. It will be good to see him bed in.
Weak links We're light in defence – we need another centre-back even with Touré. We could also do with an attacking midfielder/winger, and a goalscorer.
Headline generator The manager talks a good game. The owners need to be more vociferous in their plans for the club, the stadium and appointing someone to take charge. The players will make headlines on the pitch, ideally.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… John Barnes.
Prediction Champions. If not, 6th
Manchester City – Lloyd Scragg, @lloyd_scragg
I'm delighted with our summer business: Fernandinho, the big signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, brings dynamism to our one-paced midfield; Navas, from Sevilla, is the genuine winger the fans have long yearned for; Negredo, also from Sevilla, will provide a real physical striking presence whilst Jovetic, undeniably the most exciting summer acquisition when he arrived from Fiorentina, will ease the creative responsibilities currently burdening David Silva with his intelligent movement.
Key player Our signings have significantly strengthened the squad in important areas. However, without the imperious Vincent Kompany we often struggle to retain defensive organisation and structure. He is integral to our success.
Weak links Our weakest positional area is definitely central defence, hence Pellegrini's attempts to sign an experienced Champions League defender. After the sale of Kolo Touré we are noticeably short in that department.
Headline generator Mark my words, Sergio Agüero will re-establish himself as one of the world's best forwards this season, liberated by Pellegrini's more direct style of football. As for off-the-pitch dramas, hopefully the departures of Tevez and Balotelli will spell an end to all those stories of dressing-room disharmony.
If you could sign one player from the club's past… Ali Benarbia, our 2001 signing from Paris Saint-Germain. His vision and movement was sensational.
Prediction Champions
via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/10/premier-league-fans-part-one
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