The 2012/13 Premier League season is a matter of days away from the big kick off. Manchester City are of course looking to retain their title after their unbelievable last day theatrics in clinching their first Premier League title. Manchester United will be leading the charge yet again as they will be itching for revenge over their city rivals, whilst Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs will also be looking to improve on last season and make a claim for the top prize. The new teams in the league, Reading, Southampton and West Ham will have the obvious aim of avoiding being a first year drop team, as will perennial strugglers’ Wigan and West Brom. With teams trying to improve on the field, transfers are key to improving their squads. So here is the most important transfer for each Premier League team:
Arsenal – Lucas Podolski
The German striker has been prolific for his country, but wasn’t able to cement a place at Bayern Munich. He’ll have big shoes to fill in replacing Manchester United bound Robin Van Persie, and Arsene Wenger will be looking for an instant return to avoid a repeat of the first half of last season.
Aston Villa – Ron Vlaar
Paul Lambert signed the Dutch International defender for a modest fee of £3.2m, and he’ll be looking for Vlaar to spearhead his rebuilding process at Villa Park after a couple of bleak seasons.
Chelsea – Eden Hazard
Has anyone ever had a more bizarre season than Chelsea last year? They won the FA Cup and picked up the Champions League to boot. But their league form was sporadic at best, so in Roman Abromavich’s typical response he threw some cash about. Eden Hazard, coveted by most major clubs in Europe was the answer, and they’ll be looking for him to fill Didier Drogba’s considerable shoes.
Everton – Steven Pienaar
David Moyes has always had to be a shrewd business man, and the re-signing of Steven Pienaar is a brilliant bit of business for the Toffeemen. The South African has always performed well in the Mersey Blue and they’ll need him even more now Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell have departed for pastures new.
Fulham – Hugo Rodellega
Former Wigan man Hugo Rodellega will be spearheading Fulham’s new look attack this season. He’s always looked dangerous for Wigan and the Cottagers will hope he’ll be able to amp the performance levels up for them this season.
Liverpool – Joe Allen
Surprise, Surprise, Brendan Rodgers raided his former club to take the impressive Welsh midfielder to bolster his ranks at Liverpool. The £19m fee seems excessive at first glance, but only time will tell if its money well spent.
Manchester City – Jack Rodwell
The reigning champions have had a quiet summer, with the signing of young English star Jack Rodwell being their only business so far. Where he fits into their team is debatable, but it’s another young string in Roberto Mancini’s bow.
Manchester United – Robin Van Persie
Arguably the most shocking signing of the summer. Reigning player of the year Robin Van Persie upped sticks and departed for Old Trafford, being the latest player to jump the sinking ship at the Emirates. Van Persie and Rooney make a mouth-watering partnership and could be the ticket to bring title 20 to the red half of Manchester.
Newcastle United – Romain Amalfitano
The Toon Army may have had the most modest summer of all the Premier League teams, with young French midfielder Romain Amalfitano being the most impressive. He’s another young player to join Alan Pardews revolution in Newcastle and they’ll be looking to build on last seasons impressive total this year.
Norwich – Steven Whittaker
New Norwich manager Chris Hughton has been solidifying his squad that he inherited from Paul Lambert. Steven Whittaker has come in from Rangers on a free and the Scottish International will be looking to prove himself in the Premier League this season.
QPR – Ji Sung Park
Former Manchester United midfielder Ji Sung Park will be looking to add his experience to the QPR midfield as Mark Hughes revamps his squad. The signing of Junior Hoillett also gets a mention as he had previous coveted attention from some big clubs in Europe.
Reading – Adrian Mariappa
Reading return to the Premier League this season with hopes of avoiding an instant return, and they have been adding some solid pieces to their squad. Young winger Adrian Mariappa is possibly the most exciting as he looks to make the step up from the Championship.
Southampton – Jay Rodriguez
The Championship league winners Southampton have splashed the cash this summer on the Burnley born striker/winger Jay Rodriguez. They’ll be hoping that he can fire them up the league and avoid a relegation battle.
Stoke City – Michael Kightly
Stoke have had a quiet summer so far, but they are notoriously busy around the transfer deadline so I’d assume they’d be adding more at a later date. Former Wolves man Michael Kightly will be hoping for more success at the Potters than he got in Wolverhampton.
Sunderland – Carlos Cuellar
Martin O’Neill has had a quiet summer, only adding Carlos Cuellar from former club Aston Villa on a free transfer. O’Neill signed the Spanish defender for Villa so will be hoping he adds a bit of strength to the Sunderland defense.
Swansea – Michu
Brian Laudrups reign at Swansea started with him bringing in Spanish midfielder Michu from Rayo Vallecano. A goalscorer from midfield, Michu will add some goals to an already impressive Swansea team.
Tottenham – Jan Vertonghen
Much coveted Belgian defender signed from Ajax this summer as Spurs held off bids from other teams around Europe, including from their North London rivals Arsenal. New manager Andre Villas-Boas has been trimming the squad, so the addition of Vertonghen will be a welcome addition to an already title challenging team.
West Brom – Ben Foster
Technically Ben Foster only signed for West Brom this season, after spending last season on loan from Birmingham. The Former Manchester United and England goalkeeper is a big permanent addition to the Baggies and you can never underestimate the effect a good goalie can have on a team.
West Ham – Alou Diarra
The final promoted team, West Ham, have added the impressive French International midfielder to their squad to add some steel and experience in their bid to stay in the top flight.
Wigan – Arouna Cone
Roberto Martinez has added the Ivorian striker to fill the hole left by Hugo Rodallega in the Wigan attack. Kone has bounced around Europe a bit throughout his career, but Martinez will be hoping he adds some much-needed goals to the Wigan team.