Club by club guide to the 2011 Premier League season (all transfer fees are listed in pounds):
MANCHESTER UNITED
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Last season: Premier League winners, FA Cup semi-finals, League Cup quarter-finals, Champions League runners-up
In: David De Gea (Atletico Madrid) £18.3 million, Ashley Young (Aston Villa) £17m, Phil Jones (Blackburn) £16.5m, Pierluigi Gollini (Fiorentina) free transfer
Out: John O'Shea and Wes Brown (Sunderland) £6m joint fee, Nicky Ajose (Peterborough) £300,000, Joe Dudgeon (Hull) £300,000, Ritchie de Laet (Norwich) season-loan, Bebe (Besiktas) season-loan, Robbie Brady (Hull) six-month loan, Ryan Tunnicliffe (Peterborough) six-month loan, Scott Wootton (Peterborough) six-month loan, Owen Hargreaves (released), Paul Scholes (retired), Edwin van der Sar (retired)
Outlook: As Sir Alex Ferguson slumped into his seat on the touchline towards the end of Manchester United's Champions League final defeat against Barcelona, the Scot wore the resigned look of a beaten man.
It didn't last long. That Wembley loss has only served to strengthen Ferguson's appetite for success. United may have secured a record 19th league title, but Ferguson is determined to meet the challenge thrown down by Barca's brilliance and has embarked on a rebuilding programme that he hopes will pay dividends in the Premier League and Europe.
For once Ferguson's philosophy appears to be revolution not evolution after a busy close-season at Old Trafford. The retirements of Edwin Van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville left major holes that Ferguson has been quick to fill with the potential of David De Gea, Ashley Young and Phil Jones.
That £52 million spending spree looks like a wise investment in United's future, however Ferguson still wants an experienced signing in midfield and would love to lure Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder away from Inter Milan. Even if that deal doesn't happen, United look set fair for another season of domestic dominance at least.
Manager: Andre Villas-Boas
Last season: 2nd in Premier League, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Champions League quarter-finals
In: Thibaut Courtois (Genk) £7.9m
Out: Michael Mancienne (Hamburg) £3m, Jack Cork (Southampton) £750,000, Jacopo Sala (Hamburg) undisclosed fee, Gokhan Tore (Hamburg) undisclosed, Danny Philliskirk (Sheffield Utd) free, Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburg) season-loan, Sam Walker (Northampton) season-loan, Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) season-loan
Outlook: Villas-Boas has to prove that age isn't everything as the Premier League's youngest manager tries to dethrone Manchester United with one of the top flight's oldest squads.
When Roman Abramovich found that not even his power and influence could prise Guus Hiddink from his role as Turkey coach, the Chelsea owner responded by taking the biggest gamble of his reign at Stamford Bridge by appointing Villas-Boas after the 33-year-old's record-breaking success at Porto.
Villas-Boas has been a boss for just two full seasons and has never managed in the Champions League or outside Portugal. Yet Abramovich has charged him with rebuilding an ageing squad that includes nine players over 30 and looked to have lost its hunger last season.
Judging from his track record to date, Villas-Boas - a former protege of Jose Mourinho - seems made of the right stuff, but out-witting the likes of Ferguson under the glare of the world's media will test his mettle to the full.
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Last season: 3rd in Premier League, FA Cup winners, League Cup 3rd round, Europa League last 16
In: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid) £38m, Gael Clichy (Arsenal) £7m, Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade) £6m
Out: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich) £10m, Shay Given (Aston Villa) £3.5m, Felipe Caicedo (Levante) £880,000, Jo (Internacional) undisclosed, Donal McDermott (Huddersfield) undisclosed, Scott Kay (Macclesfield) free, Andrew Tutte (Rochdale) free, Shaleum Logan (Brentford) free), Patrick Vieira (retired), Michael Johnson (Leicester) season-loan, Ben Mee (Burnley) season-loan, Kieran Trippier (Burnley) season-loan
Outlook: When Manchester City's players took the acclaim of their ectastic fans after their FA Cup final victory over Stoke, it was hard to escape the feeling that this was only the start for a club on the rise.
Even Carlos Tevez's desire to quit Eastlands for family reasons is unlikely to derail City after their Abu Dhabi-based owners responded by giving Mancini the funds to sign Aguero.
Tevez's future remains uncertain but while money can't guarantee success, it certainly goes a long way when spent wisely - as both Blackburn in the 1990s and Chelsea under Mourinho can testify - and Mancini's squad looks strong enough to challenge for the title.
Even Ferguson is now willing to acknowledge the threat posed by City, describing the club as a potential "thorn in our side", where once he dismissed them as noisy neighbours.
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Last season: 4th in Premier League, FA Cup quarter-finals, League Cup runners-up, Champions League last 16
In: Gervinho (Lille) £10m, Carl Jenkinson (Charlton) undisclosed, Jon Toral (Barcelona) undisclosed, Hector Bellerin (Barcelona) undisclosed
Out: Gael Clichy (Man City) £7m, Jay-Emmanuel Thomas (Ipswich) £1.5m, Roarie Deacon (Sunderland) free, Mark Randall (Chesterfield) free, Tom Cruise (released), Denilson (Sao Paulo) season-loan
Outlook: Once an unthinkable prospect, it now seems increasingly plausible that the Wenger era at Arsenal could be approaching an unsatisfactory conclusion as the Frenchman struggles to keep his club among the Premier League elite.
Wenger goes into the new season under serious pressure for the first time in his 15 years with the Gunners due to a barren run of six years without a trophy that is becoming a major embarrassment which new majority shareholder Stan Kroenke may not tolerate for long.
Wenger's squad suffered a spectacular meltdown under the pressure of trying to end that drought last season and little has changed in the subsequent months to suggest anything else but more woe at the Emirates Stadium this term.
The sense of a club in decline is reinforced by the sight of Clichy jumping ship to Manchester City, while captain Cesc Fabregas and midfielder Samir Nasri have both made it clear they would prefer to leave. And it doesn't help that Wenger is so cautious in the transfer market when a robust defender and a ball-winning midfielder remain essential purchases.
Manager: Harry Redknapp
Last season: 5th in Premier League, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round, Champions League quarter-finals
In: Souleymane Coulibaly (AC Siena) undisclosed, Brad Friedel (Aston Villa) free, Cristian Ceballos (Barcelona) free
Out: Jamie O'Hara (Wolves) £5m, Paul-Jose M'Poku (Standard Liege) undisclosed, Steven Caulker (Swansea) season-loan, Kyle Naughton (Norwich) season-loan, Bongani Khumalo (Reading) season-loan, Ryan Mason (Doncaster) season-loan, Jonathan Woodgate (Stoke) free
Outlook: Redknapp has rightly been lauded for transforming Tottenham into serious players on the domestic and European stages over the last two years, but even his powers of motivation may not be enough to keep the team on an upward curve after a close-season of discontent in north London.
After missing out on Champions League qualification last season it was inevitable that bigger clubs would come calling for Redknapp's star players, yet even he might not have appreciated just how destablising Chelsea's pursuit of Luka Modric would turn out to be.
Modric wants to make the move across London to improve his salary and increase his chances of winning silverware, but Spurs are determined to keep their prize asset and their decision to reject two bids from Chelsea prompted a furious response from the Croatian midfielder when he met with chairman Daniel Levy.
Even if Spurs do manage to keep Modric they will have alienated their most influential player and, although Redknapp has plenty of other talent at his disposal, the negative vibes from the transfer saga seem certain to take a toll.
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
Last season: 6th in Premier League, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round, Europa League last 16
In: Stewart Downing (Aston Villa) £20m, Jordan Henderson (Sunderland) £16m, Charlie Adam (Blackpool) £8m, Alexander Doni (Roma) free
Out: Paul Konchesky (Leicester) £1.5m, Chris Mavinga (Rennes) undisclosed, Gerado Bruna (Blackpool) undisclosed, Dean Bouzanis (Melbourne Victory) free, Peter Gulacsi (Hull) season-loan, Stephen Darby (Rochdale) season-loan
Outlook: When Ferguson announced his arrival at Manchester United in 1986 with bold talk of "knocking Liverpool off their perch", it was Reds manager Dalglish who was in the Scot's sights.
Now it is Dalglish's turn to try to unseat Ferguson's United from their position as English football's pre-eminent force as the Liverpool legend enters the first full season of his second coming at Anfield.
The sight of United clinching a record 19th league title was especially painful for Liverpool because it was their previous high tally that was eclipsed and Dalglish knows a serious challenge in the Premier League is essential after two seasons of underachievement.
If Steven Gerrard can stay fit, then the signs are they can do just that after the club's American owner John W Henry sanctioned significant spending on a trio of proven Premier League performers in Downing, Henderson and Adam.
Manager: David Moyes
Last season: 7th in Premier League, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 3rd round
In: Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon) season-loan
Out: James Vaughan (Norwich) £2.5m, Kieran Agard (Yeovil) free, Hope Akpan (Crawley) free, John Nolan (Stockport) free, Gerard Kinsella (released), Iain Turner (released)
Outlook: Not for the first time, Moyes has endured a frustrating close-season as the Everton manager tries to compensate for his club's lack of financial muscle.
If the noises coming out of Goodison Park are to be believed, Moyes is growing frustrated at Everton's inability to compete for the top-class players he needs to turn his side from nearly-men into serious contenders.
Even so, the Scot - who is yet to make a significant signing this off-season - has kept Everton at the right end of the table year after year despite minimal spending and already has enough talent at his disposal to repeat the trick.
Manager: Martin Jol
Last season: 8th in Premier League, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup 3rd round
In: Marcel Gecov (Slovan Liberec) £700,000, Pajtim Kasami (Palermo) undisclosed, John Arne Riise (Roma) undisclosed, Dan Burn (Darlington) undisclosed, Csaba Somogyi (Rakospalotai EAC) undisclosed,
Out: Jonathan Greening (Nottingham Forest) £600,000, Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace) £300,000, Diomansy Kamara (Eskisehirspor) free, Pascal Zuberbuhler (released), Eddie Johnson (released), Zoltan Gera (released), John Pantsil (released)
Outlook: A new era is underway at Craven Cottage as new manager Jol returns to the Premier League and the Fulham faithful will hope the Dutchman shows more loyalty than his predecessor.
From the moment Mark Hughes arrived at Fulham there was a sense that he would rather be in charge of a more glamourous club and it was little surprise that he departed at the end of the season following a fall-out with the board over transfer funds.
Jol, working with the same financial restrictions, made an astute purchase when he landed versatile Norway defender Riise from Roma and will be confident of at least emulating last season's top-half finish.
Manager: Alex McLeish
Last season: 9th in Premier League, FA Cup 5th round, League Cup quarter-finals, Europa League play-off round
In: Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan) £9.5m, Shay Given (Man City) £3.5m,
Out: Stewart Downing (Liverpool) £20m, Ashley Young (Man Utd) £17m, Brad Friedel (Tottenham) free, Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton) free, Robert Pires (released), John Carew (released), Isiash Osbourne (released), Moustapha Salifou (released)
Outlook: If McLeish had any doubts about the the size of the task facing him this season, the new Villa manager must have got the message when fans daubed 'Bluenose scum not welcome!' on a wall at the club's training ground.
It would be hard enough for McLeish if he only had to find a way to revitalise a squad that struggled badly for much of last season and has since been weakened by the sales of England internationals Young and Downing.
But on top of that he has to win over a fanbase furious with owner Randy Lerner's decision to appoint a man who was twice relegated from the top-flight during his time at Villa's arch rivals Birmingham.
Manager: Steve Bruce
Last season: 10th in Premier League, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 3rd round
In: Connor Wickham (Ipswich) £8m, Wes Brown and John O'Shea (Manchester United £6m joint fee, undisclosed, Craig Gardner (Birmingham) £6m, Ahmed Elmohamady (ENPPI) £2m, Ji Wong-Don (Chunnam Dragons) £2m, David Vaughan (Blackpool) free, Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham) free, Keiren Westwood (Coventry) free, Roarie Deacon (Arsenal) free)
Out: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) £16m, David Healy (Rangers) free, Nathan Luscombe (Hartlepool) free, Robbie Weir (Tranmere) free, Michael Kay (Tranmere) free, Jean-Yves M'Voto (Oldham) free, Cristian Riveros (Kayserispor) season-loan, Liam Noble (Carlisle) six-month loan,
Outlook: With money to burn after the departure of Henderson and the January sale of Darren Bent, Bruce has hit the transfer market with the enthusiasm of a lottery winner let loose in Harrods.
Deprived of his star striker after Bent's acrimonious move to Villa, Bruce still managed to keep the Black Cats away from the bottom three despite a miserable run of nine games without a win in the second half of last season and he should be able to aim higher this term after some solid signings.
Young English striker Wickham has bags of potential, Larsson adds energy on the right flank, while former Manchester United duo Brown and O'Shea will shore up a sometimes porous defence.
Manager: Roy Hodgson
Last season: 11th in Premier League, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup quarter-finals
In: Gareth McAuley (Ipswich) free, Billy Jones (Preston) free, Ben Foster (Birmingham) season-loan
Out: Scott Carson (Bursaspor) £2m, Gianni Zuiverloon (Real Mallorca) undisclosed, Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon) free, Ryan Allsop (Millwall) free, Giles Barnes (released), Boaz Myhill (Birmingham) season-loan
Outlook: For so long the definition of a yo-yo club, Albion should enjoy a rather more stable existence under the astute guidance of Hodgson.
When Hodgson's brief reign at Liverpool came to an end in January, it took just 37 days for the former Fulham boss to find new employment as he took over from Roberto Di Matteo at the Hawthorns.
He arrived to find the Baggies firmly mired in the relegation battle but he swiftly lifted them towards mid-table with the kind of meticulous planning that so impressed at Fulham. Of course it helped that Peter Odemwingie was in inspired form and keeping the Nigerian striker is essential for a repeat.
Manager: Alan Pardew
Last season: 12th in Premier League, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 4th round
In: Yohan Cabaye (Lille) £4.3m, Demba Ba (West Ham) undisclosed, Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes) free, Mehdi Abeid (Lens) free
Out: Kevin Nolan (West Ham) £3m, Kazenga LuaLua (Brighton) six-month loan, Ben Tozer (Northampton) free, Daniel Leadbitter (Torquay) free, Sol Campbell (released), Shefki Kuqi (released)
Outlook: With survival achieved in relatively comfortable fashion last season, Newcastle fans could be forgiven for dreaming of a push for the European places over the next nine months.
Yet few clubs have mastered the art of crumbling into chaos quite so often as Newcastle, so for once the Toon Army's expectations are more likely to centre around cementing their place in the top-flight.
If that goal seems rather too mundane for a club which once revelled in its' reputation as the Premier League's great entertainers, then think again.
Andy Carroll has yet to be replaced after his January move to Liverpool and the close-season departure of captain Kevin Nolan was also a significant loss, sparking murmurs of dissent from team-mates Joey Barton and Jose Enrique. Barton has since been effectively fired as he has been handed a free transfer a year ahead of his contract finishing.
Manager: Tony Pulis
Last season: 13th in Premier League, FA Cup runners-up, League Cup 4th round
In: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham) free
Out: Carl Dickinson (Watford) £600,000, Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham) free, Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens) free, Ibrahima Sonko (released)
Outlook: Although Manchester City's Yaya Toure denied Stoke their first FA Cup triumph back in May, Pulis and his players could rightly reflect on another season of over-achievement as they drove away from Wembley.
Reaching the Cup final was yet a further sign of Stoke's relentless rise under the canny Pulis, who may not please the purists with his commitment to the long-ball but undoubtedly deserves praise for turning a downtrodden lower-league club into Premier League perennials.
Pulis's battlers pride themselves on being able to rough up any opponent no matter how famous the names in their line-up and the raucous Britannia Stadium will turn the volume up to 11 if Stoke qualify for the Europa League group stages.
Manager: Owen Coyle
Last season: 14th in Premier League, FA Cup semi-finals, League Cup 3rd round
In: Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley) £3m joint fee, Darren Pratley (Swansea) free, Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa) free,
Out: Ali Al Habsi (Wigan) £4m, Matt Taylor (West Ham) undisclosed, Danny Ward (Huddersfield) undisclosed, Johan Elmander (Galatasaray) free, Andrew Burns (Bradford) free, Ricardo Gardner (released), Jlloyd Samuel (released), Joey O'Brien (released), Tamir Cohen (released),
Outlook: The trauma of losing 5-0 to Stoke in the FA Cup semi-finals inevitably took its toll in the final weeks of Bolton's campaign and Coyle has spent the close-season purging the bitter memories of that Wembley meltdown.
Bolton's response to missing out on a first FA Cup final appearance since 1958 was to dissolve into a sea of recriminations and five defeats in their last six matches.
Coyle has enough about him to ensure the hangover ends there, but the loss of South Korea midfielder Lee Chung-Yong with a broken leg in pre-season was a cruel blow to a boss who must also find a way to keep England defender Gary Cahill out of the top clubs' clutches.
Manager: Steve Kean
Last season: 15th in Premier League, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 3rd round
In: Myles Anderson (Aberdeen) free,
Out: Phil Jones (Man Utd) £16.5m, Frank Fielding (Derby) undisclosed, Zurab Khizanishvili (Kayserispor), Jason Brown (Aberdeen), Benjani Mwaruwari (released), Maceo Rigters (released),
Outlook: Climbing away from the relegation zone into the safety of mid-table would be more than enough to satisfy Blackburn fans after last season's flirtation with the drop, but the club's ambitious Indian owners may not see it that way.
Going into the last day of the season, Rovers were still in danger of going down but victory at Wolves ensured survival and probably saved Kean from the sack.
The jury is still out on Kean however and he may not be so lucky this season if Blackburn are struggling again. Venky's - the poultry firm that bought Rovers last season - were quick to axe his predecessor Sam Allardyce and the departure of talented young defender Jones hardly augurs well for the future.
Manager: Roberto Martinez
Last season: 16th in Premier League, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup quarter-finals
In: Ali Al-Habsi (Bolton) £4m,
Out: Charles N'Zogbia (Aston Villa) £9.5m, Antonio Amaya (Real Betis) undisclosed, Steven Caldwell (Birmingham) free, Daniel de Ridder (released), Jason Koumas (released)
Outlook: Keeping Wigan away from the relegation zone will once again be the main aim for Martinez after he bravely opted to reject an approach from Aston Villa in favour of staying at the DW Stadium.
Although Martinez's loyalty is commendable, the engaging Spaniard may yet come to regret his decision. N'Zogbia has been sold and the vultures are circling around striker Hugo Rodallega.
Without that duo, Martinez would be far less confident of repeating last season's great escape, which saw Wigan beat the drop with N'Zogbia and Rodallega-inspired victories over West Ham and Stoke in their final two games.
Manager: Mick McCarthy
Last season: 17th in Premier League, FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round
In: Roger Johnson (Birmingham) £7m, Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham) £5m, Dorus de Vries (Swansea) free,
Out: Greg Halford (Portsmouth) undisclosed, Steven Mouyokolo (Sochaux) season-loan, Scott Malone (Bournemouth) six-month loan, Danny Batth (Sheffield Wednesday) six-month loan
Outlook: At any other time of the season a 3-2 home defeat against Blackburn would have prompted cries of anguish from the Wolves faithful, but on the final day of last season that result was enough to prompt scenes of unbridled joy at Molineux.
When the half-time whistle blew on the fateful day, Wolves trailed 3-0 to fellow strugglers Rovers and looked destined for the drop, yet on loan mid-fielder O'Hara's goal and an 87th minute strike by Stephen Hunt lifted them out of the relegation zone before Birmingham's defeat at Tottenham confirmed their safety.
Now they must build on survival. Wins over Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool emphasised Wolves' top-flight credentials and O'Hara and Johnson have been signed to add much-needed steel to the team's spine.
Manager: Neil Warnock
Last season: Championship winners, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 1st round
In: Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff) free, Kieron Dyer (West Ham) free, Danny Gabbidon (West Ham) free,
Out: Mikele Leigertwood (Reading) free, Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers) free, Pascal Chimbonda (released), Gavin Mahon (released),
Outlook: Rarely have two such contrasting talents as Warnock and Adel Taarabt come together to such remarkable effect as that duo managed at QPR last season.
Warnock, a combative manager with a penchant for building dour but effective teams, somehow found a way to accomodate the capricious skills of Moroccan midfielder Taarabt and in tandem they led the west London club back to the top-flight for the first time in 15 years.
Yet it would be little surprise if at least one, and possibly both, have departed by the end of the season. Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, QPR's mega-rich power-brokers, have so far vowed not to sell Taarabt, but Warnock's position has already been linked with more glamourous names.
Warnock also won't have taken kindly to a recent public statement from Briatore and Ecclestone that warned him not to express such strong views on the club's curious transfer policy, which has so far yielded just three free transfer signings despite the wealth of the owners.
However, he may not have to deal with them for much longer as Malaysian Tony Fernandes has expressed an interest in taking over the club.
Manager: Paul Lambert
Last season: Championship runners-up, FA Cup 3rd round, League Cup 2nd round
In: Steve Morison (Millwall) £2.8m, James Vaughan (Everton) £2.5m, Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield) £2m, Elliott Bennett (Brighton) £1.5m, Bradley Johnson (Leeds) free, Ritchie de Laet (Man Utd) season-loan, Kyle Naughton (Tottenham) season-loan
Out: Luke Daley (Plymouth) undisclosed, Owain Tudur Jones (Inverness CT) undisclosed, Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers) free, Jens Berthel Askou (released)
Outlook: Lambert's greatest moment as a player came when he helped Borussia Dortmund to a shock win over the Juventus of Zinedine Zidane and Didier Deschamps in the 1997 Champions League final.
It's safe to say Lambert will never emulate that feat as Norwich boss but keeping the Canaries in the Premier League after back to back promotions would be an equally impressive addition to the highly-rated Scot's CV.
Few at Norwich are under any illusions about the size of the task facing them, but Lambert has invested with the future in mind and even if Norwich do go back down, the club will remain on a sound footing.
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Last season: 3rd in Championship (promoted via play-offs), FA Cup 4th round, League Cup 4th round
In: Danny Graham (Watford) £3.5m, Steven Caulker (Tottenham) season-loan, Jose Moreira (Benfica) undisclosed,
Out: Darren Pratley (Bolton) free, Dorus de Vries (Wolves) free, Albert Serran (AEK Larnaca) free, Kerry Morgan (Neath) free, Scott Donnelly (Wycombe) season-loan, Cedric van der Gun (released), Yves Ma-Kalambay (released),
Outlook: When Swansea last played in the top-flight back in 1983 the world had just been introduced to mobile phones, Microsoft Word and McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.
Fast forward 28 years and the south Wales club has finally returned from the wilderness, only to find the landscape of English football altered considerably in that time.
Back then John Toshack's Swansea needed little major investment to hold their own against Liverpool, Manchester United and company. Now money talks in a big way and that could count against the Swans, despite their eye-catching football and the talents of winger Scott Sinclair.