Last Season:  Finished 9th in the Premier League - 55pts
Manager - Mark Hughes

INS:
ST Jo - 36m US
CB Tal Ben Haim - Undisclosed

OUTS:
ST Giorgios Samaras
ST Paul Dickov
MF Geovanni
ST Emile Mpenza
GK Andreas Isasksson
DF Sun Jihai
ST Ashley Grimes

Possibles:
ST Vagner Love - CSKA Moscow
ST Lukas Podolski - Bayern Munich
ST Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn
ST Obafemi Martins - Newcastle
MF Lassana Diarra - Portsmouth
MF Andrei Arshavin - Zenit St.Petersburg
FW Craig Bellamy - West Ham

What's Left in the Kitty - 60m US roughly

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Aston Villa (A)
Aug 23 West Ham (H)
Aug 30 Sunderland (A)
Sep 13 Chelsea (H)
Sep 20 Portsmouth (H)
Sep 27 Wigan (A)
Oct 4 Liverpool (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Joe Hart
RB Vedrun Corluka
CB Tal Ben Haim/Micah Richards
CB Richard Dunne
LB Michael Ball
RMF Stephen Ireland
CMF Elano/Michael Johnson
CMF Dietmar Hamann
LMF Martin Petrov
FW Jo
FW Valeri Bojinov/Darius Vassell

How They'll Stack Up:
With Sven now gone to Mexico, Mark Hughes has come in and promised to make City into a world class outfit.  Hughes with a distinct vision for City and has gone about adding what he feels are the right players in the right places - just two so far - while cutting the wage bill.  They did their best to chase down Ronaldinho but one had the sense Hughes wasn't that put off they didn't get him.  He likes this team and with some good youngsters expected to continue to progress this season, it is an exciting time for City fans.  The only thing is, they started gang-busters last term and ended up wetting the bed down the stretch - culminating in an 8-1 blitzkrieg at the hands of a Middlesbrough side with one of the league's worst attacks.  Hughes is said to still be searching for a CMF and a winger - but I like this team as it is.  I also like Hughes to get them up and keep them there pushing for a spot in the top 6.  There's no reason they shouldn't have 9pts when they hit Chelsea in September.  That will be the first true measuring stick for them.

Coming Up Friday - Portsmouth

Last Season - Finished 10th in the Premier League - 49pts
Manager - Alan Curbishley

INS:
DF Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson
MF Valon Behrami - 10m US
GK Jan Lastuvka - Loan
ST Balint Bajner - Undisclosed

OUTS:
FW Bobby Zamora
RB John Pantsil
FW Nolberto Solano
MF Fredrik Ljungberg

Possibles:
FW Eidur Gudjohnsen - Barcelona
LB Nicky Shorey - Reading
MF James Harper - Reading
MF Jimmy Bullard - Fulham
GK Neil Alexander - Rangers
CB Mikael Silvestre - Man Utd

What's Left in the Kitty - 10m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Wigan (H)
Aug 23 Man City (A)
Aug 30 Blackburn (H)
Sep 13 West Brom (A)
Sep 20  Newcastle (H)
Sep 27 Fulham (A)
Oct 4 Bolton (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Robert Green
RB Lucas Neill
CB Matthew Upson
CB Anton Ferdinand
LB George McCartney
RMF Valon Behrami/Lee Bowyer
CMF Hayden Mullins/Kieron Dyer
CMF Mark Noble/Scott Parker
LMF Matthew Etherington
FW Carlton Cole/Craig Bellamy
FW Dean Ashton

How They'll Stack Up:
Alan Curbishley added some decent faces to the line-up last season - but due to injury issues we didn't get a good look at Bellamy, Ljungberg, Parker and Dyer with Hammers.  Hopefully they can hold their fitness for most of the season this term - and if they do, look for West Ham to improve upon their finish last season.  This wasn't a bad team going into the off-season - the only true concern is those expensive experienced players.  If they continue to see more treatment than pitch time, perhaps it's time to move them on and invest in the youth.  Behrami has continued to develop for Lazio and should provide some stability and width at the back or on the wing.  Dean Ashton has looked good in the pre-season and much like Darren Bent at Tottenham, fans hope he's not scoring all his goals before it truly counts.  I don't see Hammers breaking the top five - but they could certainly get into the top-8 and perhaps make a deep Carling or FA Cup run.

Coming Up Thursday - Manchester City

Well folks, we've hit the halfway point of the previews and I just wanted to thank those of you who've posted comments and taken the time to go over things.  As you can tell, it is not an exact science - especially when you try to postulate a Starting XI for teams.  But I appreciate the help with corrections/omissions.  Keep'em coming!!

Last Season:  Finished 11th in the Premier League - 46pts.
Manager - Juande Ramos

INS:     
AMF Giovanni Dos Santos - 9.4m US 
MF Luka Modric - 32m US  
AMF John Bostock
GK Heurelho Gomes - 15.6m US
FW Paul-Jose Mpoku
RW David Bentley - 30m US

OUTS:
GK Radek Czerny
MF Joe Martin
CB Anthony Gardner
AMF Steed Malbranque
DF Pascal Chimbonda
GK Paul Robinson
MF Teemu Tainio
ST Simon Dawkins
GK Tommy Forecast
FW Robbie Keane

Possibles:
FW David Villa - Valencia
MF Andrei Arshavin - Zenit St.Petersburg
ST Nicolas Anelka - Chelsea
FW Oscar Cardozo - Benfica
GK Gomes - PSV
FW David Bentley - Blackburn
FW Diego Milito - Real Zaragoza

What`s Left in the Kitty - 17.5m US (not including money that has come in from sales)

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Middlesbrough (A)
Aug 23 Sunderland (H)
Aug 30 Chelsea (A)
Sep 13 Aston Villa (H)
Sep 20 Wigan (H)
Sep 27 Portsmouth (A)
Oct 4 Hull (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Heurelho Gomes
RB Alan Hutton
CB Ledley King
CB Jonathon Woodgate
LB Benoit Assou-Ekotto/Gilberto
RMF Luka Modric
CMF Didier Zokora
LMF Jermaine Jenas
RF Aaron Lennon/Darren Bent
CF Dimitar Berbatov
LF Giovanni Dos Santos

How They`ll Stack Up:
The talk from White Hart Lane all summer has been that this is a side that is ready to break up the top-four.  Well, if they`re going to do it, they certainly have the right manager in Juande Ramos.  His buys this summer have been smart, calculated and goal-driven.  He knows what he wants and he goes out and gets it.  Now the big question is can he (or has he already) find a replacement for Robbie Keane?  So far Darren bent has been the story of the pre-season (11-goals so far as I write this) but can he do it when it counts for points?  David Bentley, Luka Modric and Giovanni Dos Santos are 23-years or younger so this summer Ramos has added youth while letting go of some of his experience.  The six 'big' players he let go are all 27 or older - but has he let go of too much?  A lot of questions posed that will be answered - but I think Tottenham are in a good position to get into the top 4.  My concern is the backline- they let in 80-goals last season.  GK Heurelho Gomes will help reduce that number but he can't do it alone - and Spurs have a history of giving away points.  Starting from scratch this time, I think Ramos will have this team sharper at the start - but at the end I don`t think they`ll break through.  However there is no reason why this team can't be top-5 for sure - especially with the strong possibility of taking 18pts out of the first 21 available.

Coming up Wednesday - West Ham United

Last Season: Finished 12th in the Premier League - 43pts
Manager - Kevin Keegan

INS:                     
MF Danny Guthrie - Undisclosed     
MF Jonas Gutierrez - Undisclosed     

OUTS:
DF Lamine Diatta
CB David Rozenhal
MF Emre Belozoglu
DF Peter Ramage
LW James Troisi
RB Stephen Carr

Possibles:
MF Gokhan Inler - Udinese
MF Andrei Arshavin - Zenit St.Petersburg
FW Bafetimbi Gomis - St.Etienne
FW Aiden McGeady - Celtic
MF Shaun Wright-Phillips - Chelsea
DF Carlos Cuellar - Rangers
MF Aaron Lennon - Tottenham
FW Eidur Gudjohnsen - Barcelona
FW Diego Forlan - Atletico Madrid

What`s Left in the Kitty - Unknown with current deals - started summer with 60m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Manchester United (A)
Aug 23 Bolton (H)
Aug 30 Arsenal (A)
Sep 13 Hull City (H)
Sep 20 West Ham (A)
Sep 27 Blackburn (H)
Oct 4 Everton (A)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Shay Given
RB Habib Beye
CB Steven Taylor
CB Claudio Cacapa
LB Charles N'Zogbia
RMF Geremi/Jonas Gutierrez
CMF Nicky Butt/Danny Guthrie
CMF Alan Smith (Joey Barton??)
LMF Damien Duff
FW Michael Owen
FW Obafemi Martins

How They`ll Stack Up:
Manager Kevin Keegan gets his first full season with the side and he`ll start with a fresh slate and a team that is starting to take the shape he wants. Like Middlesbrough, Keegan dropped some of the dead weight - and owner Mike Ashley is keen to still keep cutting (and selling??). That`s why this season could be crucial for ST Michael Owen. He`s the highest earner on Tyneside and if he goes through another injury spell, that could be it come the end of his current contract. However, unless Keegan gets his hands on a top class ST, the club may have no choice but to keep Owen. He proved last term that he is still one of the purest goal-getters out there when healthy and he was a key part of Newcastle`s resurgence late in the campaign. Magpies have been linked to almost every available goal-scorer (I could only fit a fraction here) - let`s hope they can bring at least one of them aboard. They`ve got a tough start with away games to Man Utd and Arsenal by the end of August - but they should make hay after that. Whether or not Mike Ashley is looking to sell remains a hot rumor around the Premier League - lets hope it doesn`t affect the players once the season begins. I think they`ll find a decent body or two and that should help them climb into the top half this season.  Anything less could see the end of King Kev.

Coming Up Tuesday - Tottenham Hotspur

Last Season: Finished 13th in Premier League - 42 pts
Manager: Gareth Southgate

INS:
MF Didier Digard - 8m US
MF Marvin Emnes - 6.4m US
AMF Nathan Porritt - Sr. Contract

OUTS:
MF George Boateng
M F Gaizka Mendieta
DMF Fabio Rochemback
MF Jason Kennedy
FW Steve Thompson
ST Lee Dong-Gook
GK Mark Schwarzer
MF Lee Cattermole

Possibles:
ST Andrew Johnson - Everton
DMF Tom Huddlestone - Tottenham
MF James Harper - Reading
MF Michael Bradley - Heerenveen
MF Edu - Valencia
MF Jimmy Bullard - Fulham
FW Leroy Lita - Reading

What`s Left in the Kitty - 10m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Tottenham (H)
Aug 23 Liverpool (A)
Aug 30 Stoke City (H)
Sep 13 Portsmouth (A)
Sep 20 Sunderland (A)
Sep 27 West Brom (H)
Oct 4 Wigan (A)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Ross Turbull
RB Luke Young
CB David Wheater
CB Robert Huth
LB Emmanuel Pogatetz/Andy Taylor
RMF Gary O'Neil
CMF Didier Digard
CMF Julio Arca
LMF Stewart Downing
FW Afonso Alves/Mido
FW Tuncay Sanli/Jeremie Aliadiere

How They`ll Stack Up:
I`ll be honest, I wasn`t a fan of Gareth Southgate when he came in. Something about players just going directly into management at the top level seems wrong to me. However, Southgate has shown himself to be astute, level headed and fair - and he is deserving of the reputation he is developing as one of the top young managers in the game. This summer he has done a good job of dumping some of the wage bill and adding some quality youth to the squad. Midfield was the only area he was concerned with coming into the off-season and it is `mission accomplished` in addressing it. Despite their league position last season, this is a decent team that should have done better. What Southgate now needs to work on is keeping his team focused for 90-minutes - and get Afonso Alves starting the way he finished last term. Three of their first four games should tell the tale. Going into his 3rd season at the helm, safe to say this is the most crucial campaign of Southgate`s brief managerial career. They could use some experience at GK - Ross Turnbull hasn't looked Premier League calibre in the pre-season - but for the most part, Southgate has done what he felt he needed to do this summer. I don't think they'll break the top-7 but they should improve on last year's place by 1-2 spots.

Coming Up Monday - Newcastle United