New season kicks off with Norwich's trip to Liverpool, live on Sky Sports Premier League on Friday night
Friday 9 August 2019 11:59, UK
It has been yet another hectic and action-packed transfer window - but which sides have done the best business and who has been left high and dry ahead of the new campaign? Former Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith is here to grade all 20 Premier League clubs on their summer's activity…
They brought in Kieran Tierney, which was their first port of call. And Nicolas Pepe is also an exciting addition. So Arsenal fans will quite rightly be very excited.
For Dean Smith, it is about getting the balance right, but he has bought some players with Premier League experience. They have spent heavily, but Tom Heaton is a great signing, he was excellent for Burnley last year, as are Matt Targett and Tyrone Mings.
They have kept their crown jewels in Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and David Brooks, but it has been quite a conservative window, although Harry Wilson looks like an exciting addition.
Scoring goals has been a long-term problem, and can Neal Maupay step up from the Championship? However, they have kept Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy, which is important. In many ways, though, it is not so much the team, but the manager you worry about - is Graham Potter going to be good enough to guide the players?
I thought they would have done more this summer, while Jay Rodriguez returns to his old haunt. If he can link up with Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood in attack, it will give them a launching pad. But it does not seem to me that they will be a significantly better outfit after the window, although they will be pleased to get the Danny Drinkwater loan done.
When it was a tight game last season, Eden Hazard stepped up, so who is going to do that for them this season? Is Olivier Giroud going to step up?
If they had lost Wilfried Zaha, they would have been up against it as he is their talisman. You do wonder who is going to get their goals though. They lost Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but have brought in the experienced Gary Cahill at the back.
They do need a striker, but can Moise Kean, who is only 19, fill that role? However, it has been a good window and they are definitely a stronger outfit for the additions of Kean, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Alex Iwobi and Djibril Sidibe.
Youri Tielemans is an excellent signing, Ayoze Perez could be, depending on which Perez you get. But it is more what they do at the back to fill the void left by Harry Maguire's departure. They have bought OK, but equally have lost their commanding centre-back.
They have such a high standard of player that it is difficult to add to it and if you cannot improve on the squad, then what is the point of buying for the sake of it? The fit-again Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana are like new signings.
They have brought in a couple of defensive-minded players in Rodri - who is a replacement for Fernandinho - and Joao Cancelo, who is a very good player and can play both right and left-back, so Pep Guardiola has got what he wanted. And they won the league last season, so you will not add furiously to that. But those two are important additions and if they settle in, it will prove to have been a good window.
The addition of Maguire is important to add some authority to that defence if he can produce what he has done for Leicester and Wan-Bissaka is a very good young player. But with Romelu Lukaku going, the question is: should they have brought in another striker to replace him? So I do not think they have done all that they wanted.
They have spent a fair bit of money, but where are the goals going to come from now that Perez and Salomon Rondon have left? So they will be hoping Joelinton hits the ground running.
It looked at one time that they were going to have to solely depend on the team that got them promoted last season. But the additions of Josip Drmic, Patrick Roberts and Sam Byram should prove useful.
They have spent a bit of money and got everybody they wanted, so it looks to be a decent window for them. They have clearly strengthened and it is good to get Phil Jagielka back with the Premier League experience he will bring to the dressing room.
Che Adams is a promising player, but they have not done too much business.
Their fans were probably dreading this window thinking they would not have too much money to spend. But they added some interesting players in Tanguy Ndombele, who strengthens their midfield, and Ryan Sessegnon. And they have also kept hold the likes of Danny Rose, Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld.
The key for them was keeping hold of the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, while getting Danny Welbeck on a free - if he stays fit, it is excellent business.
With Marko Arnautovic and Lucas Perez leaving, Sebastien Haller is the one and if he shows the form he did in Germany, I think he will transform the side. There is lots of talent in that squad, but it would make a huge difference if he could be a success. And if Haller is, then it will have been a great window.
They needed a bigger squad due to their Europa League commitments, but it has been a decent summer turning Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker's moves into permanent deals, while also bringing in Patrick Cutrone from Milan.
*Chelsea are currently under a transfer embargo, so have not been given a grade.
