Andy Clarke looks at the work being undertaken by Mark Hughes at Manchester City.
We look at how sides are gearing up for the new campaign
It's been another summer of change at Manchester City with Mark Hughes replacing Sven Goran Eriksson as manager and a shake-up in the boardroom, where Garry Cook has taken over as executive chairman.
Andy Clarke looks at how Hughes may look to shape his squad before the new season.
What's happened so far
With the focus on the appointment of Hughes and the pursuit of Ronaldinho, it's easy to overlook the fact that City have just smashed their transfer record with the signing of Brazilian striker Jo from CSKA Moscow for £18million.
The 21-year-old is expected to pep up a strike-force which has struggled desperately under previous managers Eriksson and Stuart Pearce, who both preferred a 4-5-1 formation.
Despite employing only one striker on a regular basis for the past three seasons, City have a glut of forwards on the books and moving some of them out is a priority, with Paul Dickov and Emile Mpenza released and Georgios Samaras expected to be sold to Celtic.
That still leaves Rolando Bianchi and Bernardo Corradi, who are both set to return to Italy on loan, as well as Benjani, Valeri Bojinov, Nery Castillo, Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans, while Darius Vassell can be added to the list despite playing in midfield for the bulk of his time at the club.
Following Dickov and Mpenza out of the Eastlands exit is utility man Sun Jihai after a somewhat bemusing six-year spell featuring 151 largely forgotten appearances, while midfielder Geovanni has gone to Hull, leaving supporters with the memory of his winning goal against United.
Goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson has moved on to PSV after some impressive performances for Sweden at Euro 2008 and City could also lose third choice Kasper Schmeichel.
Hughes has secured the future of captain Richard Dunne on a four-year contract and is working hard persuade Joe Hart to sign an improved deal, while Evans has signed a three-year contract and looks set to get a chance despite interest from half the Championship.
What they need
Hughes says the squad needs balance and we can take that to mean two things. Eriksson's staff was top-heavy with strikers, as mentioned above, and this position will almost certainly be addressed. A lack of pace in midfield and attack is the other area of imbalance, and the signing of Jo is the first positive step in solving this particular problem.
Starting at the back, with Isaksson gone and Schmeichel's future uncertain, Hughes will need to bring in an experienced back-up keeper to provide cover for Hart (providing Hart agrees a new contract).
In defence, the lack of cover in the centre was exposed late last season by injuries to both Micah Richards and Nedum Onuoha, so a central defender would be a welcome addition, particularly with the added pressure of Uefa Cup football.
At right back, Vedran Corluka is backed up by Onuoha and City have promising youngsters in Shaleum Logan and Kieran Trippier, while on the left the options are provided by Michael Ball and Javier Garrido.
Hughes may look to target a left-back who can combine the defensive solidity of Ball with the attacking adventure of Garrido - Martin Petrov was more of a threat in the early part of last season when linking with Garrido but the Spaniard was often caught out of position and lost his place to Ball as a result.
The new manager has two key questions to address in midfield, with a defensive midfielder and a right-sided player the priorities. Dietmar Hamann was arguably City's most consistent performer for the first six months of the last campaign, but his legs are no longer a match for his brain.
Gelson Fernandes showed great promise in the role, but expect Hughes to bring in an experienced - and more rugged - performer. On the right, Eriksson chose between Stephen Ireland and Vassell resulting in an imbalance compared to the pace and flair of Petrov on the left. Many fans would love to see the return of Shaun Wright-Phillips (there are plenty, too, who wouldn't) to fill a position which has been a problem ever since he departed.
Persuading Michael Johnson to stay and getting him to return to the form he showed before injuries and, reportedly, inflated ego took hold should sort out any issue in central midfield, although the post-Christmas form of Elano was a huge concern last season. Brilliant for three months, ordinary for six, fitting Elano in to a 4-4-2 formation is a problem and in that respect it would be no great surprise if he was a casualty of the new regime.
Up front, it is a question of who, if anyone, partners Jo? Hughes dabbled with a 4-5-1 formation towards the end of his time at Ewood Park so it is by no means certain that he will always select two out-and-out strikers.
Despite his work-rate and a goal against United, Benjani has failed to convince most supporters that he is anything more than a stop-gap. Castillo failed to handle the physical nature of the Premier League and Bojinov missed the whole of the season with a knee injury.
Diego Milito is rumoured to be a target and if the Real Zaragoza striker were to arrive it would most likely leave Benjani and the promising Sturridge to provide cover. A return to Italy is a possibility for Bojinov.
What they'll get
At least one defender, for starters. Chelsea reject Tal Ben Haim is set to sign a four-year contract for a fee estimated at £5m. Hughes has also been linked with a move for West Ham full-back Lucas Neill, a move which would seemingly be welcomed by Hammers fans who have not warmed to the Australian.
A goalkeeper, a defensive midfielder and a right-sided midfielder are surely the minimum requirements to bolster the rest of the squad, with Anthony Annan and David Bentley among the names most consistently linked for the latter roles.
Brad Friedel could be the goalkeeper - the veteran American is keen to leave Ewood Park, where he has only one year remaining on his contract. He could be the ideal candidate to tutor Hart.
If Hughes can clear the decks in attack, then another striker - possibly Milito - may also arrive.
