Club record signings, a number of managerial changes and the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) – the new Premier League season is almost upon us.
Will Manchester City become the first team since Manchester United in 2009 to win the title three years in a row?
Will European champions Liverpool be crowned champions of England for the first time since 1990 after going so close last season?
Chelsea have a new manager – as well as a transfer ban – while newly promoted Norwich City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa are looking to establish themselves.
Here, BBC Sport assesses each side’s preparations…
Arsenal
2018-19 Premier League finish: 5th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Quarter-finals
Europa League: Runners-up
Players in: Nicolas Pepe (Lille, £72m), Gabriel Martinelli (Ituano, undisclosed), Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid, loan), William Saliba (Saint-Etienne, £27m*).
Players out: David Ospina (Napoli, £3.1m*), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus, free), Petr Cech (retired), Danny Welbeck (released), Stephan Lichtsteiner (released), Charlie Gilmour (Norwich, free), Julio Pleguezuelo (FC Twente, free), Jordi Osei-Tutu (Bochum, loan), Daniel Ballard (Swindon, loan), Vontae Daley-Campbell (Leicester, undisclosed), Ben Sheaf (Doncaster, loan), Cohen Bramall (released), Xavier Amaechi (Hamburg, £2.25m*). Krystian Bielik (Derby, undisclosed).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
- Captain Laurent Koscielny refuses to travel on club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
- Sixteen prominent supporters’ groups and bloggers sign a letter calling on owner Stan Kroenke to “reinvigorate” the club.
- Gunners break transfer record to sign £72m Nicolas Pepe.
Key fixtures:
- Liverpool (away), Tottenham (home) and Manchester United (away) in opening seven games.
- North London derbies against Tottenham are: home on 1 September (16:30 BST); away on 25 April (15:00).
Aston Villa
2018-19 finish: 5th in Championship – promoted via the play-offs
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Second round
Players in: Wesley (Club Bruges, £22m*), Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth, £20m), Matt Targett (Southampton, £15m*), Ezri Konsa (Brentford, £12m*), Bjorn Engels (Stade Reims, £9m*), Trezeguet (Kasimpasa, £8.75m), Tom Heaton (Burnley, £8m), Anwar El Ghazi (Lille, £8m*), Jota (Birmingham City, £4m*), Kortney Hause (Wolves, £3m*), Douglas Luiz (Manchester City, £15m*), Marvelous Nakamba (Club Bruges, undisclosed).
Players out: Gary Gardner (Birmingham, undisclosed), Tommy Elphick (Huddersfield, free), Matija Sarkic (Livingston, loan), Albert Adomah (Nottingham Forest, released), Mark Bunn (released), Ritchie de Laet (released), Alan Hutton (released), Mile Jedinak (released), Ross McCormack (released), Micah Richards (released), Glenn Whelan (released), Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (Tranmere, loan), Andre Green (Preston, loan), Jake Doyle-Hales (Cheltenham, loan), Jordan Layden (Swindon, free).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
- Villa mark their Premier League return by spending £100m-plus on new players.
- New signings include Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz from Manchester City for £15m.
- Boss Dean Smith promises his side will still play with a winning mentality in the top flight.
Key fixtures:
- Seven games in December including Manchester United (away) and Chelsea (away).
- Start and finish the season in London – Tottenham on 10 August (17:30) and West Ham on 17 May.
Bournemouth
2018-19 Premier League finish: 14th
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Quarter-finals
Players in: Lloyd Kelly (Bristol City, £13m), Jack Stacey (Luton Town, £4m), Philip Billing (Huddersfield, £15m*), Arnaut Danjuma (Club Bruges, £13.7m)
Players out: Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa, £20m), Lys Mousset (Sheffield United, £10m), Connor Mahoney (Millwall, undisclosed), Marc Pugh (QPR, free), Mikael Ndjoli (Gillingham, loan), Emerson Hyndman (Atlanta United, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Tough December including games against Liverpool (home), Chelsea (away) and Arsenal (home).
- Host newly promoted Sheffield United on the opening Saturday (15:00).
Brighton
2018-19 Premier League finish: 17th
FA Cup: Semi-finals
Carabao Cup: Second round
Players in: Adam Webster (Bristol City, £20m), Leandro Trossard (Genk, £18m*), Matt Clarke (Portsmouth, £5m*), Taylor Richards (Man City, £2.5m*), Lewis Freestone (unattached, free), Neal Maupay (Brentford, £20m*).
Players out: Bruno (retired), Ales Mateju (Brescia, undisclosed), Will Collar (Hamilton, undisclosed), Anthony Knockaert (Fulham, loan), Markus Suttner (Fortuna Dusseldorf, undisclosed), Alexis MacAllister (Boca Juniors, loan), Ben White (Leeds United, loan), Leo Ostigard (St Pauli, loan), Christian Walton (Blackburn, loan), Jayson Molumby (Millwall, loan), Robert Sanchez (Rochdale, loan), Jan Mlakar (QPR, loan), Viktor Gyokeres (St Pauli, loan), Percy Tau (Club Bruges, loan), Matt Clarke (Derby, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- New boss Graham Potter’s first game in charge is at Watford on 10 August (15:00).
- April includes home games against Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Burnley
2018-19 Premier League finish: 15th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Third round
Europa League: Play-off round
Players in: Jay Rodriguez (West Brom, £10m*), Erik Pieters (Stoke City, £3m*), Joel Senior (Curzon Ashton, undisclosed), Ryan Cooney (Bury, undisclosed), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Leeds United, £2.5m).
Players out: Peter Crouch (retired), Jon Walters (retired), Stephen Ward (Stoke, free), Anders Lindegaard (Helsingborg, free), Mark Howarth (released).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Start and end the season at Turf Moor against Southampton and Brighton respectively.
- Away to Chelsea and Manchester United in January.
Chelsea
2018-19 Premier League finish: 3rd
FA Cup: Fifth round
Carabao Cup: Runners-up
Europa League: Winners
Players in: Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid, £40m*).
Players out: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid, £88m*), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid, £58m*), Ola Aina (Torino, £8.9m*), Tomas Kalas (Bristol City, £8m*), Jay Dasilva (Bristol City, £2m*), Gary Cahill (released), Fankaty Dabo (Coventry City, free), Rob Green (retired), Todd Kane (QPR, free), Nathan Baxter (Ross County, loan), Richard Nartey (Burton Albion, loan), Eduardo (released), Kyle Scott (released), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta, loan), Charly Musonda (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Nathan (Atletico Mineiro, loan), Daishawn Redan (Hertha Berlin, loan), Ethan Ampadu (RB Leipzig, loan), Jake Clarke-Salter (Birmingham, loan), Matt Miazga (Reading, loan), Lewis Baker (Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan), Conor Gallagher (Charlton, loan), Kasey Palmer (Bristol City, undisclosed), Dujon Sterling (Wigan, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Lampard’s first match in charge is away to Manchester United on 11 August (16:30).
- Face Arsenal away on 28 December before entertaining the Gunners on Wednesday, 22 January.
Crystal Palace
2018-19 Premier League finish: 12th
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carabao Cup: Fourth round
Players in: Stephen Henderson (free), Jordan Ayew (Swansea, £2.5m*), Gary Cahill (free).
Players out: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United, £50m), Jason Puncheon (released), Julian Speroni (released), Bakary Sako (Denizlispor, free), Levi Lumeka (Varzim, undisclosed), Ollie O’Dwyer (Aldershot, free), Joseph Hungbo (released), Tyler Brown (released), Alexander Sorloth (Trabzonspor, loan)
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Start at home to Everton – who are interested in signing Zaha.
- Two of the final three games are at home to Manchester United and Tottenham.
Everton
2018-19 Premier League finish: 8th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Third round
Players in: Moise Kean (Juventus, undisclosed), Andre Gomes (Barcelona, £22m), Fabian Delph (Man City, £8.5m*), Jonas Lossl (Huddersfield Town, free).
Players out: Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow, £14m), Ademola Lookman (RB Leipzig, £22.5m*), Idrissa Gueye (Paris St-Germain, £30m*), Phil Jagielka (Sheffield Utd, free), Brendan Galloway (Luton Town, free), Antonee Robinson (Wigan, undisclosed), Jonjoe Kenny (Schalke, loan), Sandro Ramirez (Real Valladolid, loan), Korede Adedoyin (Hamilton, loan), Kieran Dowell (Derby, loan), Joao Virginia (Reading, loan), Luke Garbutt (Ipswich, loan), Josh Bowler (Hull, loan), Ashley Williams (released), Harry Charsley (released), Boris Mathis (released), Mateusz Hewelt (released), Shayne Lavery (released), Jack Kiersey (released), Danny Bramall (released), Joe Hilton (released), Chris Renshaw (released), Nathan Broadhead (Burton, loan), Joe Williams (Wigan, undisclosed).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
- Toffees release designs for new £500m ground.
- Club confirm bid – reported to be £52m – for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.
- Midfielder Fabian Delph signs from Manchester City for a fee of up to £10m.
Key fixtures:
- Away to Liverpool on Wednesday, 4 December before hosting the Merseyside derby on 14 March.
- December includes Liverpool (away), Chelsea (home), Manchester United (away) and Arsenal (home).
Leicester City
2018-19 Premier League finish: 9th
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Quarter-finals
Players in: Youri Tielemans (Monaco, £40m*), Ayoze Perez (Newcastle United, £30m), James Justin (Luton Town, undisclosed), Vontae Daley-Campbell (Arsenal, undisclosed), George Hirst (OH Leuvens, undisclosed), Ali Reghba (Bohemians, undisclosed), Mitchell Clark (Aston Villa, free).
Players out: Shinji Okazaki (Malaga, free), Danny Simpson (released) Daniel Iversen (Rotherham United, loan), Josh Knight (Peterborough, loan), Ryan Loft (Carlisle, loan), Elliott Moore (Oxford, undisclosed), Harry Maguire (Man Utd, £80m)
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Last two games of the season are at Tottenham on 9 May and at home to Manchester United on 17 May.
- Host Champions League winners Liverpool on 26 December.
Liverpool
2018-19 Premier League finish: 2nd
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Third round
Champions League: Winners
Players in: Sepp van den Berg (PEC Zwolle, £1.3m), Harvey Elliott (Fulham, undisclosed), Adrian (West Ham, free).
Players out: Danny Ings (Southampton, £20m), Alberto Moreno (Villarreal, free), Rafael Camacho (Sporting Lisbon, £5m), Sheyi Ojo (Rangers, loan), Marko Grujic (Hertha BSC, loan), Allan Rodrigues de Souza (Fluminense, loan), Kamil Grabara (Huddersfield Town loan), Daniel Sturridge (released), Connor Randall (released), Adam Bogdan (released), Rhys Williams (Kidderminster Harriers, loan), Ben Woodburn (Oxford, loan), Simon Mignolet (Club Bruges, £6.4m).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Host champions Manchester City on 9 November and visit Etihad Stadium on 4 April.
- Entertain Tottenham on 26 October – the first meeting between the two clubs since the Champions League final.
Manchester City
2018-19 Premier League finish: 1st
FA Cup: Winners
Carabao Cup: Winners
Champions League: Quarter-finals
Players in: Rodri (Atletico Madrid, £62.8m), Angelino (PSV Eindhoven, £5.3m), Zack Steffan (Columbus Crew, £7.2m).
Players out: Fabian Delph (Everton, £8.5m*), Taylor Richards (Brighton, £2.5m*), Vincent Kompany (Anderlecht, free), Patrick Roberts (Norwich City, loan), Jack Harrison (Leeds United, loan), Aro Muric (Nottingham Forest, loan), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan), Philippe Sandler (Anderlecht, loan), Tom Dele-Bashiru (released), Aaron Nemane (released), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa, £15m*), Yangel Herrera (Granada, loan), Tosin Adrbioyo (Blackburn, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
- Spain midfielder Rodri joins from Atletico Madrid for a club record £62.8m.
- Pep Guardiola hopes winger Leroy Sane stays at the club amid interest from Bayern Munich.
- Former Bayern and Barcelona boss Guardiola describes midfielder Phil Foden as the “most talented player” he has seen.
Key fixtures:
- Launch the defence of their Premier League title at West Ham on 10 August (12:30).
- Host Manchester United on 7 December and visit Old Trafford on 7 March.
Manchester United
2018-19 Premier League finish: 6th
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carabao Cup: Third round
Champions League: Quarter-finals
Players in: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace, £50m*), Daniel James (Swansea City, £15m), Harry Maguire (Leicester, £80m).
Players out: Ander Herrera (Paris St-Germain, free), Kieran O’Hara (Burton Albion, loan), Antonio Valencia (released), Matthew Olosunde (released), James Wilson (released), Regan Poole (released), Dean Henderson (Sheffield United, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Host rivals Liverpool on 19 October and visit Anfield on 18 January.
- Manchester derby dates: away v City (7 December), home (7 March).
Newcastle United
2018-19 Premier League finish: 13th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Second round
Players in: Joelinton (Hoffenheim, £40m), Kyle Scott (unattached, free), Jake Turner (Bolton Wanderers, undisclosed), Jetro Williams (Eintracht Frankfurt, loan), Allan Saint-Maximin (Nice, undisclosed),.
Players out: Ayoze Perez (Leicester City, £30m), Joselu (Alaves, undisclosed), Dan Barlaser (Rotherham United, loan), Liam Gibson (Grimsby Town, loan), Mohamed Diame (released), Cal Roberts (released), Josef Yarney (released), Tyrique Bartlett (released), Freddie Woodman (Swansea, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Bruce’s first league match in charge is at home to Arsenal on 11 August (14:00).
- Host Liverpool on the final day of the season on 17 May.
Norwich City
2018-19 finish: 1st in Championship – promoted as champions
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Fourth round
Players in: Sam Byram (West Ham, £750,000), Aidan Fitzpatrick (Partick Thistle, £350,000*), Daniel Adshead (Rochdale, £300,000*), Rocky Bushiri (KV Oostende, £100,000), Archie Mair (Aberdeen, undisclosed), Rob Nizet (Anderlecht, undisclosed), Josip Drmic (Borussia Monchengladbach, free), Charlie Gilmour (Arsenal, free), Patrick Roberts (Man City, loan), Ralf Fahrmann (Schalke, loan), Reece McAlear (Motherwell, undisclosed).
Players out: Steven Naismith (Hearts, free), Marcel Franke (Hannover 96, undisclosed), Nelson Oliveira (AEK Athens, free*), Carlton Morris (Rotherham United, loan), Mason Bloomfield (Crawley Town, loan), Ciaren Jones (Eastbourne Borough, loan), Josh Coley (Dunfermline Athletic, loan), Sean Raggett (Portsmouth, loan), Savvas Mourgos (Dordrecht, loan), James Husband (Blackpool, loan), Ben Marshall (released), Diallang Jaiyesimi (Swindon, loan), Rocky Bushiri (Blackpool, loan), Tristan Abrahams (Newport, free).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Mark their return to the Premier League with a match at Liverpool on 9 August (20:00).
- Last match of the season is at defending champions Manchester City on 17 May.
Sheffield United
2018-19 finish: 2nd in Championship – promoted
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: First round
Players in: Lys Mousset (Bournemouth, £10m), Callum Robinson (Preston, £6m*), Luke Freeman (QPR, £5m*), Phil Jagielka (Everton, free), Ravel Morrison (unattached, free), Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Dean Henderson (Manchester United, loan), Oli McBurnie (Swansea, £17.5m)
Players out: Paul Coutts (released), Martin Cranie (released), Conor Washington (released), Daniel Lafferty (released), Caolan Lavery (released) Nathan Thomas (Gillingham, loan), Rhys Norrington-Davies (Rochdale, loan), Jake Eastwood (Scunthorpe, loan), Oliver Greaves (Barrow, loan), Tyler Smith (Bristol Rovers, loan), Nathan Thomas (Carlisle, loan), Regan Slater (Scunthorpe, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- January includes Liverpool (away), Arsenal (away) and Manchester City (home).
- Mark their return to the Premier League at Bournemouth on 10 August (15:00).
Southampton
2018-19 finish: 16th
FA Cup: Third round
Carabao Cup: Fourth round
Players in: Danny Ings (Liverpool, £20m), Che Adams (Birmingham City, £15m), Moussa Djenepo (Standard Liege, £14m*).
Players out: Matt Targett (Aston Villa, £11.5m*), Jordy Clasie (AZ Alkmaar, undisclosed), Steven Davis (Rangers, free), Alfie Jones (Gillingham, loan), Jack Rose (Walsall, loan), Kingsley Latham (Havant and Waterlooville, loan), Alex Cull (Totton, loan), Harry Hamblin (Bath City, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Entertain Liverpool and Manchester United in their first two home games.
- Away to Chelsea on 26 December and entertain Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
Tottenham
2018-19 finish: 4th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Semi-finals
Champions League: Runners-up
Players in: Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon, £53.8m), Jack Clarke (Leeds, £8.5m*), Kion Etete (Notts County, £200,000*).
Players out: Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid, £20m), Vincent Janssen (Monterrey, £6.3m*), Jack Clarke (Leeds, loan), Luke Amos (QPR, loan), Michel Vorm (released), Dylan Duncan (released), Charlie Freeman (released), Tom Glover (released), Connor Ogilvie (released), Jamie Reynolds (released).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- North London derbies against Arsenal are: away on 1 September (16:30 BST); home on 25 April (15:00).
- Meet Liverpool for the first time since the Champions League final on 26 October at Anfield.
Watford
2018-19 finish: 11th
FA Cup: Runners-up
Carabao Cup: Third round
Players in: Craig Dawson (West Brom, £5.5m*), Bayli Spencer-Adams (Arsenal, free), Tom Dele-Bashiru (Man City, free).
Players out: Obbi Oulare (Standard Liege, undisclosed), Jerome Sinclair (Venlo, loan), Marc Navarro (Leganes, loan), Ben Wilmot (Swansea, loan), Michael Folivi (Wimbledon, loan), Alex Jakubiak (Gillingham, loan), Miguel Britos (released), Tommie Hoban (released), Dodi Lukebakio (Hertha Berlin, undisclosed).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Away at Arsenal on the final day of the season.
- Two of their three games in September are: Arsenal (home) and Manchester City away).
West Ham
2018-19 finish: 10th
FA Cup: Fourth round
Carabao Cup: Fourth round
Players in: Sebastien Haller (Eintracht Frankfurt, £45m*), Pablo Fornals (Villarreal, £24m*), Roberto (Espanyol, free), David Martin (Millwall, free).
Players out: Marko Arnautovic (Shanghai SIPG, £22.4m), Lucas Perez (Alaves, £2.21m*), Pedro Obiang (Sassuolo, £8m), Sam Byram (Norwich City, £750,000), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz, undisclosed), Reece Oxford (Augsburg, undisclosed), Marcus Browne (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Josh Pask (Coventry City, free), Jordan Hugill (QPR, loan), Adrian (Liverpool, free), Andy Carroll (released), Samir Nasri (released), Toni Martinez (released), Moses Makasi (released), Noha Sylvestre (released), Vashon Neufville (released), Nathan Trott (Wimbledon, loan), Martin Samuelsen (FK Haugesund, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
- Hammers sign striker Sebastien Haller in a club record deal worth up to £45m.
- Forward Marko Arnautovic completes move to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG for £22.4m.
- Midfielder Robert Snodgrass signs a new one-year extension.
Key fixtures:
- Host champions Manchester City on opening Saturday of the season (12:30).
- Face Chelsea away on 30 November before entertaining the Blues on 4 April.
Wolves
2018-19 finish: 7th
FA Cup: Semi-finals
Carabao Cup: Third round
Players in: Raul Jimenez (Benfica, £30m), Patrick Cutrone (AC Milan, £16m), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht, £12m*), Hong (Yeovil Town, undisclosed), Raphael Nya (Paris St-Germain, undisclosed), Tsun Dai (Oxford United, undisclosed), Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid, loan).
Players out: Kortney Hause (Aston Villa, £3m*), Ethan Ebanks-Landell (Shrewsbury, undisclosed), Pedro Goncalves (FC Famalicao, undisclosed), Joao Dias (FC Famalicao, undisclosed), Ryan Leak (Burgos, undisclosed), Helder Costa (Leeds, loan), Christian Herc (Viktoria Plzen, loan), Ryan Giles (Shrewsbury, loan), Ivan Cavaleiro (Fulham, loan), Rafa Mir (Nottingham Forest, loan), Michal Zyro (released), Carlos Heredia (released), Ben Goodliffe (released), Aaron Hayden (Carlisle free), Diego Lattie (released) Enzo Sauvage (released), Niall Ennis (Doncaster, loan), Cameron John (Doncaster, loan), Will Norris (Ipswich, loan).
*Reported cost of player. Officially undisclosed fee.
Summer so far:
Key fixtures:
- Face Tottenham (home), Manchester City (home) and Liverpool (away) in December.
- End the season at Chelsea on 17 May.
