Arsenal
In: Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre, Free).
Out: Gervinho (Roma, £8m), Vito Mannone (Sunderland, £1.5m), Martin Angha (FC Nuremburg, Undisclosed), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, Free), Denilson (Sao Paulo, Free), Craig Eastmond (Colchester, Free), Kyle Ebecilio (FC Twente, Free), Elton Monteiro (Club Brugge, Free) , Sanchez Watt (Colchester, Free), Jordan Wynter (Bristol City, Free), Francis Coquelin (Frieburg, Loan), Johan Djourou (Hamburg, Loan), Reice Charles-Cook (Bury, Free), Andre Santos (Flamengo, Undisclosed), Ignasi Miquel (Leicester, Loan), Daniel Boateng, Sébastien Squillaci.
Key man: Jack Wilshere
After missing so much action over recent years, the young midfielder should be raring to go. And it says a lot about the make-up of Arsenal’s team that Wilshere is their leader, the player team-mates look to when things aren’t going well. He might not be captain but that does not matter. This feisty, cocky but supremely gifted individual – still only 21-years old – is absolutely crucial to Arsenal’s cause.
Prediction: Arsenal are starting to look like a more complete team with their defence not as fragile as in recent years, Laurent Koscielny has been solid and they have a competent left-back in Monreal. If Wilshere can reach full fitness for the beginning of the season then his partnership with Arteta could be key in creating chances and keeping the ball. Striker Giroud is also expected to do better in his second season in the Premier League.
4th
Aston Villa
In: Jores Okore (Nordsjaelland, £4m), Leandro Bacuna (Groningen £3m), Aleksander Tonev (Lech Poznan, £2.5m), Antonio Luna (Sevilla, £2m), Nicklas Helenius (Aalborg, £1.2m rising to £2m), Liam Prynn (Torquay, £50,000), Jed Steer (Norwich, Free).
Out: Courtney Cameron (Torquay, Free), Brett Holman (Al Nasr, Free), Eric Lichaj (Nottm Fst, Free), Jean Makoun (Rennes, Free), Derrick Williams (Bristol City, Free), Richard Dunne (QPR, Free), Graham Burke (Shrewsbury, Loan).
Retired: Stiliyan Petrov.
Key man: Christian Benteke
Having worked wonders to talk his striker around and persuade him to sign another contract, Paul Lambert must be praying Benteke will be the same player he was last season. Preferably even better, because the 22 year-old can certainly move on from the rampaging forward who contributed 23 of Aston Villa’s goals in a campaign sadly short of quality. For the club to improve, they will need their star man.
Prediction: A young Villa team finished 15th last season. Their main problem last season was their unreliable defence so reinforcements, Jores Okore and Antonio Luna have been brought in. There have also been additions to the midfield, Leandro Bacuna and Aleksandar Tonev to have more strength in depth and to replace Petrov. However, the quality of their opponents should be too much for them to survive relegation this season.
18th
Cardiff
In: Steven Caulker (Tottenham, £8m), Andreas Cornelius (FC Copenhagen, £7.5m), John Brayford (Derby County, £1.5m)
Out: Jese Darko, Nat Jarvis, Stephen McPhail, Elliott Parish.
Retired: Heidar Helguson.
Key man: Craig Bellamy
Nobody at Cardiff knows the Premier League better, so nobody is more qualified when it comes to giving advice. But it is the Welshman’s effectiveness on the pitch that matters just as much. If he can keep himself fit and on the right side of referees, his experience and talent will help those around, especially in the early months when everything is new.
Prediction: The best equipped team promoted and ready since a few years to be in the Premier League. There are very few Cardiff players that have Premier League experience but some of them seem more than capable of competing in England’s top-flight.
11th
Chelsea
In: André Schürrle (Bayer Leverkusen, £18m), Marco van Ginkel (Vitesse Arnhem, £9m), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, Free), Cristián Cuevas (O’Higgins, £3m), Stipe Perica (NK Zadar, Undisclosed).
Out: Jeffrey Bruma (PSV Eindhoven, £2.5m), Amine Aflane (Energie Cottbus, Free), Ben Gordon (Ross County, Free), Rohan Ince (Brighton, Free), Ross Turnbull (Doncaster Rovers, Free), Patrick Bamford (MK Dons, Loan), Thibaut Courtois (Atlético Madrid, Loan), Todd Kane (Blackburn, Loan), Marko Marin (Sevilla, Loan), Oriol Romeu (Valencia, Loan), George Saville (Brentford, Loan), Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Daniel Pappoe (Colchester, Loan), Milan Lalkovic (Walsall, Loan), Florent Malouda (Trabzonspor, Free), Sam Walker (Colchester, Loan), Cristian Cuevas (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Yossi Benayoun, Hilario.
Retired: Paulo Ferreira.
Key man: Eden Hazard
It sounds like Jose Mourinho is taking the Belgian under his wing to turn a “top talent into a top player”. That means reminding the lad of his defensive responsibilities, getting him to work just as hard without the ball as with it. Keep your eye on the talented Belgian under Mourinho.
Predictions: He’s back and it was perfect timing considering that his rival, Sir Alex Ferguson, has just retired. This will be the perfect chance for “The Special One” to make a special return to Stamford Bridge with unbelievable attacking options, Their defence is looking better with Luiz more consistent with the ever-dominant, Ivanovic and Azpilicueta becoming a better defender, Mourinho will be working hard to get a perfect defence. Chelsea have a fine pick of players from Hazard, Oscar, Mata, Moses, Schurrle. If Lukaka starts and plays like he did for West Brom then this could be an amazing season for Chelsea. Chelsea look very strong this season and will want to take advantage where the others will be weak.
1st
Crystal Palace
In: Dwight Gayle (Peterborough, £6m), Stephen Dobbie (Brighton, £850,000), Jerome Thomas (West Brom, Free), Kevin Phillips (Blackpool, Free), Elliot Grandin (Blackpool, Free), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal, Loan)
Out: Alex Marrow (Blackburn, Undisclosed), Jermaine Easter (Millwall, Free), Andre Moritz (Bolton, Free), Dale Banton (MK Dons, Loan).
Key man: Dwight Gayle
The 22-year-old only turned professional a year ago but since then he has moved on quickly to earn this chance. It is, admittedly, a bit of a gamble given the huge step up in class but Gayle plays with a hunger missing in many. If he can banish the nerves to also play without fear, Palace might have a secret weapon on their hands.
Prediction: Palace haven’t really invested and they really should, their main striker who scored 30 goals last season, Glenn Murray will be injured until Christmas and Zaha is gone.
20th
Everton
In: Arouna Koné (Wigan, £6m), Joel Robles (Atlético Madrid, £2m), Antolín Alcaraz (Wigan, Free), Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona, Loan).
Out: Jake Bidwell (Brentford, Undisclosed), Jasper Johns (Sheffield United, Free), Johan Hammer, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Sam Kelly, Jan Mucha.
Retired: Phil Neville.
Key man: Arouna Koné
In a struggling Wigan side, the Ivory Coast international, 29, proved himself a very dangerous striker. You would imagine, therefore, that he can do even more impressively at Goodison Park alongside better players creating more chances. Granted, he might need some help in the form of Nikica Jelavic, disappointing last term, but Koné is good enough to hold his own.
Prediction: Everton have a talented team that are capable of pushing into the top four. However, new coach Roberto Martinez should bring his inconsistency to the club.
7th
Fulham
In: Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma, £4.76m), Sasha Riether (Cologne, £1.27m), Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao, Free), Derek Boateng (Dnipro, Free), Ange-Freddy Plumain (Lens, Free), Adel Taarabt (QPR, Loan).
Out: Mark Schwarzer (Chelsea, Free), Alex Smith (Swindon, Free), Dan Burn (Birmingham, Loan), Ryan Williams (Oxford, Loan), Giorgos Karagounis.
Key man: Dimitar Berbatov
No matter who Martin Jol signs this summer, none will compare with the enigmatic Bulgarian who plays the game at his own pace. It was an inspired piece of business to prise him from Manchester United and Fulham immediately benefited from Berbatov’s presence. Team-mates felt compelled to pass to their languid talisman who quite often did something special with the ball. If he has the same effect this year, Jol can rest easy.
Prediction: It would be harsh to say that Fulham relied on Berbatov last season, but they did. His 15 goals in the league ensured that Fulham weren’t relegated to the Championship with an unusual end to the season for Fulham, from whom we normally expect to finish in the top-half.
14th
Hull
In: Curtis Davies (Birmingham, £2.25m), Ahmed Elmohamady (Sunderland, £2m), Allan McGregor (Besiktas, £1.8m), George Boyd (Peterborough, Free), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan, Free), Steve Harper (Newcastle United, Free), Yannick Sagbo (Evian, Undisclosed), Danny Graham (Sunderland, Loan)
Out: Corry Evans (Blackburn Rovers, Undisclosed), Sonny Bradley (Portsmouth, Free), Mark Cullen (Luton, Free), Andy Dawson (Scunthorpe, Free), Danny East (Portsmouth, Free), Mark Oxley (Oldham, Loan), Jack Hobbs (Nottingham Forest, Loan), Jamie Devitt (Chesterfield, Free), Tom Cairney (Blackburn, Loan), Seyi Olofinjana, Jay Simpson.
Key man: Danny Graham
The centre-forward proved at Swansea he can do well in the Premier League before going on to raise doubts with his Sudnerland displays.
Prediction: Steve Bruce has made sure that his defence is solid first of all, after that their attack was pretty poor with their top-scorer scoring only 9 goals in the Championship. Last season the Championship didn’t seem like it was up to the same standards as years before so these teams were promoted after a poor year performance wise for the top teams in the Championship, so I can see this side also struggling like Palace.
19th
Liverpool
In: Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, £9m), Simon Mignolet (Sunderland, £9m), Luis Alberto (Sevilla, £6.8m), Kolo Touré (Manchester City, Free).
Out: Andy Carroll (West Ham, £15m), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea, £5m rising to £6m), Jay Spearing (Bolton, Undisclosed), Peter Gulasci (Red Bull Salzburg, Free), Jamie Stephens (Newport, Free), Danny Wilson (Hearts, Free), Michael Ngoo (Yeovil, Loan), Suso (Almeria, Loan), Henoc Mukendi (Partick Thistle, Loan), Jack Robinson, (Blackpool, Loan), Pepe Reina (Napoli, Loan).
Retired: Jamie Carragher.
Key man: Philippe Coutinho
Coutinho has extremely quickly become a firm terrace favourite through his technical brilliance and has already had some sections of the clubs’ fan base calling for future teams to be built around him – some statement considering the boy is just 21. Coutinho is clever enough in that he allows Liverpool to go quickly on the counter or break down a sitting defence, and has the added motivation of pushing for a spot in Brazil’s World Cup squad.
Prediction: A fourth season without Champions League football has had its inevitable impact at Anfield. Leading transfer targets have been missed and only young potential have arrived.
The pre-season record reads played seven, won six, scored 17, conceded two and counts for precious little but the fitness levels after a summer Gerrard described as his toughest at the club have been marked. That was always Rodgers’ intention. The manager spoke in May of the need to “start flying” this season and, with eight of the opening nine home games against teams who finished below Liverpool last term, the fixture list provides an opportunity to build momentum. There is also no European workload with Europa League.
5th
Manchester City
In: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, £30m), Jésus Navas (Sevilla, £17m rising to £22.9m), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla, £16,4m rising to £20.6m), Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, £22m).
Out: Carlos Tévez (Juventus, £10m rising to £12m), Jeremy Helan (Sheffield Wednesday, Undisclosed), Wayne Bridge (Reading, Free), Ryan McGivern (Hibs, Free), Roque Santa Cruz (Malaga, Free), Kolo Touré (Liverpool, Free), Maicon (Roma, Undisclosed), Reece Wabara (Doncaster, Loan), Filippo Mancini.
Key man: Yaya Toure
Negredo and Jovetic are the exciting replacements and City fans will be hoping to see goals galore after a frustrating season that lacked flair up front. Perhaps the most lip smacking acquisition was Fernandinho. The talented playmaker will be linking up with City power house Yaya Toure in the centre of midfield. The duo will certainly prove hard to deal with and Fernandinho’s arrival will allow Toure to have a more liberated role on the field.
Prediction: A highly praised manager, a squad full of talent and no more controversial characters, surely this is all City ever wanted. Man City have got rid off Tevez, Balotelli and Mancini so this should be the year where City could do better and get some silverware. Pellegrini’s main job right now is to steady the ship and get the top players back to their best and from what’s been said he is the man to do so. With a new look strike force of Negredo and Jovetic along with old faces Aguero and Dzeko, this City team should thrive.
2nd
Manchester United
In: Guillermo Varela (Penarol, £2.4m).
Out: Sean McGinty (Sheffield United, Free), Reece James (Carlisle United, Loan), Frederic Veseli (Ipswich, Free), John Cofie (Barnsley, Free), Reece Brown (Watford, Free), Ryan Tunnicliffe (Ipswich Town, Loan).
Retired: Paul Scholes.
Key man: Robin van Persie
With David Moyes struggling to add to his squad and with Wayne Rooney looking to get away, the Dutchman becomes incredibly important. If he can replicate his debut season at United by leading the line intelligently and scoring plenty of goals, that gives the team a great boost. If, however, Van Persie were to lose form or suffer from injury, momentum takes a heavy hit.
Prediction: David Moyes has yet to make any marquee signings but has shown intentions of signing Maroune Fellaini. Zaha is the only signing that is really exciting the United fans and him starting is not guaranteed. Their ageing defenders like Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra could prove costly but in the mean-time, Evans and Rafael are showing great potential and already proving themselves as good players in the Premier League. There is no doubt that Moyes will have a tough season and mainly a tough start with Swansea, Chelsea, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Man City all in their first 5 games. Moyes won’t be a failure at Manchester United, but he’ll need time and this season they won’t win the Premier League.
4th
Newcastle
In: Olivier Kemen (Metz, Undisclosed), Loic Remy (QPR, Loan).
Out: James Perch (Wigan, £750,000), Danny Simpson (QPR, Free), Steve Harper (Hull City, Free), Shane Ferguson (Birmingham, loan)
Key man: Hatem Ben Arfa
Ben Arfa is an important part of Newcastle’s plans. He is the one player in the Magpies squad with the natural ability to turn a game and Pardew is adamant that he wants to see more from him this season.
Prediction: They haven’t been too active in the transfer market, although they have brought French international Loic Remy on loan from QPR. Their defence isn’t the best but with leader Fabricio Coloccini they can defend against top teams when on form.
12th
Norwich
In: Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Lisbon, £8.5m), Martin Olsson (Blackburn, £2.5m), Nathan Redmond (Birmingham, £2.2m rising to £3.2m), Javier Garrido (Lazio, £1.275m), Carlo Nash (Stoke, Free), Leroy Fer (FC Twente, undisclosed), Gary Hooper (Celtic, £5m).
Out: Leon Barnett (Wigan, Undisclosed), Grant Holt (Wigan, £2m), James Vaughan (Huddersfield, £1m), Tom Adeyemi (Birmingham, Free), Olumide Durojaiye (Falkirk, Free), George Francomb (AFC Wimbledon), Chris Martin (Derby, Free), Korey Smith (Oldham, Free), Jed Steer (Aston Villa, Free), Marc Tierney (Bolton, Free), Elliott Ward (Bournemouth, Free), Declan Rudd (Preston, Loan).
Key man: Leroy Fer
The Under-21 tournament in Israel showcased the talents of this Dutch midfielder. Fer can get up and down, he can shoot with both feet and he might just turn into a hero at Carrow Road. Chris Hughton needed someone like this too – a dynamic presence in the middle of the park to back up his strikers. After nearly joining Everton in January, Norwich look set to reap the benefits.
Prediction: With their fearful second season over, Chris Hughton can concentrate on building his team now, with a bit of money to spend which he has done on Leroy Fer, Gary Hooper and Van Wolfswinkel they can try and push on without players who would prefer to play a long-ball system like Holt and Morrison. It will be tough for them to progress immensely and they could be involved in a relegation scrap.
16th
Southampton
In: Victor Wanyama (Celtic, £12.5m), Dejan Lovren (Lyon, £8.5m).
Out: Sam Hoskins (Yeovil, Free), Ben Reeves (MK Dons, Free), Richard Chaplow (Millwall, Free), Dan Seaborne (Yeovil, Free), Steve de Ridder (Utrecht, Free), Frazer Richardson (Middlesbrough, Free).
Key man: Morgan Schneiderlin
The Frenchman was Southampton’s best player last term, what with his keen eye for danger and tackling ability. No reason either why he can’t shine again given the lessons he would have learned. Backed up in midfield by new boy Victor Wanyama, Schneiderlin can repeat last season’s success.
Prediction: Not liked for having replaced the loved Nigel Adkins but after only a few months coach Mauricio Pochettino has proved that he can make any match that Southampton participate in exciting. With their high-pressure game, they beat teams like Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool. Southampton have a lot of good players like the new signings Dejan Lovren and Wanyama and the old faces Shaw, Clyne, Schneiderlin, Rodrigues, Llanna, Rodriguez, Ramirez and of course Lambert. They have good strength in depth and could be the surprise of the season
9th
Stoke
In: Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven, £3m), Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution, Undisclosed [January 1]), Alex Grant (Portsmouth, Free), Marc Muniesa (Barcelona, Free).
Out: Matthew Lund (Rochdale, Free), Carlo Nash (Norwich, Free), Matthew Upson (Brighton, Free), Dean Whitehead (Middlesbrough, Free), Rory Delap (Burton Albion, Free), Jermaine Pennant.
Retired: Michael Owen.
Key man: Charlie Adam
It did not quite happen for the Scot last season, as he struggled to adapt to a more advanced role. He is talented, though, and a new manager might be enough to trigger a revival. Mark Hughes is looking to alter Stoke’s style, with a passing game on his hit list. This should suit Adam. We may see the player Liverpool bought from Blackpool.
Prediction: Mark Hughes is back and he has got yet another point to prove after failing miserably with QPR. Now he has to take on a Stoke side who will still be tempted to revert to old tactics. Stoke haven’t invested a lot and this has got another Mark Hughes failure written all over it. They are tipped to survive relegation narrowly.
17th
Sunderland
In: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar, £6.5m), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus, £6.5m), Vito Mannone (Arsenal, £1.5m), David Moberg Karlsson (IFK Gothenburg, £1.5m), El-Hadji Ba (Le Havre, £380,000), Duncan Whatmore (Altrincham, Undisclosed), Cabral (Basel, Free), Modibo Diakité (Lazio, Free), Valentin Roberge (Maritimo, Free), Jordan Pickford (Burton Albion, Loan).
Out: Simon Mignolet (Liverpool, £9m), Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull, £2m), James McClean (Wigan, Undisclosed), Matt Kilgallon (Blackburn, Free), Adam Reed (Burton, Free), Ryan Noble (Burnley, Free), Danny Graham (Hull City, Loan), Alfred N’Diaye (Eskisehirspor, Loan), Titus Bramble.
Key man: Emanuele Giaccherini
Paolo Di Canio did ever so well to acquire the Juventus man, a winger originally before switching to a central midfield role from where he likes to raid forward. A regular for Italy these days, Giaccherini is capable of adding some genuine class to an area badly lacking that commodity in recent years.
Prediction: It’s hard to know what will happen to Sunderland this year with a lot of new players and the famously unpredictable Paolo Di Canio. He isn’t really that proven as a coach and his attitude will probably not be appreciated by most players. They should do enough to steer clear of relegation.
13th
Swansea
In: Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem, £12m), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool, £5m rising to £6m), Jordi Amat (Espanyol, £2.5m), Alejandro Pozuelo (Real Betis, £425,000), Gregor Zabret (NK Domzale, Undisclosed), José Cañas (Real Betis, Free), Alex Gogic (Olympiakos, Free), Jonathan de Guzman (Villareal, Loan), Jernade Meade (Unattached, Free).
Out: Kemy Agustien (Brighton, Free), David Cornell (St Mirren, Free), Mark Gower (Charlton, Free), Kyle Bartley (Birmingham, Loan), Gwion Edwards (St Johnstone, Loan), Alan Tate (Yeovil, Loan)
Key man: Wilfried Bony
The £12m Michael Laudrup paid for this prolific striker could turn into a steal. Bony, after all, looks capable of settling very quickly judging by his recent brace in the Europa League. The added bonus is the signing allows Michu to drop back a little deeper to where he prefers. And if Bony can click with the Spaniard, Swansea will boast a proper strike force.
Prediction: A great season for Swansea and now they have a South Wales derby to look forward to. Laudrup will want to continue the way they play and luckily for Swansea they can because they’ve got the same players as last season with no clubs coming in to take their players and the manager has stayed put so obviously they all believe that this could be the start of something special.
8th
Tottenham
In: Roberto Soldado (Valencia, £26m), Paulinho (Corinthians, £17m), Nacer Chadli (FC Twente, £7m).
Out: Steven Caulker (Cardiff City, £7m), John Bostock (Royal Antwerp, Free), Jack Bartram, Nathan Byrne (both Swindon, Free), Grant Hall, Massimo Luongo, Alex Pritchard, Ryan Mason (all Swindon, Loan), Tomislav Gomelt (Royal Antwerp, Loan), Adam Smith (Derby, Loan), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, Undisclosed), David Bentley, William Gallas.
Key man: Roberto Soldado
Spurs, we all knew, badly needed a striker and now they must hope their capture can quickly adjust to the Premier League. If he can, and by that I mean get fairly close to the thirty goals he scored for Valencia last season, Andre Villas-Boas boasts a much stronger attack than the one previously stymied by Emmanuel Adebayor’s lethargy.
Prediction: Spurs have bought good players like Paulinho who proved himself in the Confederations Cup and Roberto Soldado which should really be the finishing touches to a good team. However, they look likely to lose the best player in the Premier League and should again fall short of Champions League football.
West Brom
In: Nicolas Anelka (Shanghai Shenhua, Free), Diego Lugano (Paris Saint-Germain, Free), Goran Popov (Dynamo Kiev, Loan).
Out: Marc-Antoine Fortuné (Wigan, Free), James Hurst (Valur, Free), Gonzalo Jara Reyes (Nottingham Forest, Free), Jerome Thomas (Crystal Palace, Free), Romaine Sawyers (Walsall, Free), Scott Allan (Birmingham, Loan), Zoltan Gera.
Key man: Nicolas Anelka
A blow for the Baggies came when powerful Belgian striker Lukaku rejoined parent club Chelsea. That means West Brom will need to look elsewhere for goals and they’ve turned to one of the most enigmatic strikers in the business to score for them, as 34-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Anelka returns to the Premier League following a brief spell in Chinese football at Shanghai Shenhua. Anelka could well prove the key player for the club. Often characterised as a brooding, sullen striker, what the enigmatic Anelka lacks in the goals-per-game department he more than makes up for with a superb football mind. If Anelka can lay on the goals for fellow strikers Shane Long and Markus Rosenberg and the likes of Dorrans and Odemwingie, then West Brom should prove capable of reprising their 2012/13 exploits.
Prediction: West Brom want to continue their great season but they don’t have Lukaku any more so more goals need to come from everyone. It will be tough for them to finish in the top 10 again.
15th
West Ham
In: Andy Carroll (Liverpool, £15m), Danny Whitehead (Stockport, Undisclosed), Adrián (Real Betis, Free), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk, Free), Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £5m).
Out: Robert Hall (Bolton, Compensation), Jake Larkins (Leyton Orient, Free), Carlton Cole.
Key man: Andy Carroll
The big question is, can he stay fit long enough to reach the levels that make him such an uncomfortable customer for any centre-half? If he can, then West Ham’s sizeable investment might just be worth it, particularly if the forward adds more goals to his game. But the jury is out. Carroll must still be classed as an unknown quantity.
Prediction: This West Ham team looks like the most complete of the mid-table teams, they have consistent wingers who can do the job, two hard grafting centre-midfielders (Diame and Noble), a centre-forward made for the Allardyce system (Carroll), a persistent captain playing the “No 10″ (Nolan) and a reasonably solid defence who have good chemistry.
10th