Two of the summer's most drawn out Transfer sagas appear to be nearing completion - God willing.

Liverpool have been told to show their cards with Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill telling Reds they have until the end of the transfer window to get a deal done with Barry.  And if anyone says that O'Neill is not one of the nicer guys in the game, they'll get an earful.  What other manager would sit down, set a deadline in agreement with his star player for a move, watch that deadline pass and then after meeting with the player again days later, tell him they will let him go if Liverpool meet the valuation by the end of August.  That's a classy guy.

Now if Liverpool have ANY class at all (and they're serious about Barry) they'll get this deal done ASAP and allow Villa the time to use the money to try to find a suitable replacement.  I tend to agree with what O'Neill has said in the past though - if Liverpool REALLY wanted Barry (and they had the cash) they'd have done the deal by now.  I guess we'll see where they're at in the coming week.

And if reports in Saturday's Telegraph are true, Cristiano Ronaldo is going to demand a move away from Manchester United as early as Tuesday.  The online report saying Ronaldo is due back that day and will meet with manager Sir Alex Ferguson and ask the club to sell him.

Other reports surfaced early Saturday where RM boss Bernd Schuster said the club were still working on a deal for the Portuguese winger.  United have apparently softened their view towards a sale and if Madrid cough up the 136m US being asked, the deal will get done.

It could finally be the move that sparks a bit of a domino effect.  The sale of Ronaldo would allow Real Madrid to send Robinho to Chelsea for 60m US - the deal already agreed to.  United would then use their cash to try and grab Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.  Those two teams also involved in an open dialogue with both trying to find a middle price between the 48m US United are offering and the 60m US Tottenham are asking.

It'd just be nice to have BOTH sagas come to an end so we could truly get on with things!

Agreed?

Last Season:  Finished 14th in the Premier League - 40pts.
Manager: Steve Bruce

INS:     
MF Olivier Kapo  - 5m US  
AMF Daniel de Ridder - FREE  
ST Amr Zaki - Loan   
LB Maynor Figeuroa - Loan Ext.
MF Lee Cattermole -  Undisclosed 

OUTS:
ST Julius Agahowa
CMF Josip Skoko
LMF Salomon Olembe
CB Andrew Webster
DF Andreas Granqvist

Possibles:
ST Andrew Johnson - Everton
LW Charles N`Zogbia - Newcastle
DMF Lee Cattermole - Middlesbrough
MF Dickson Ethuhu - Sunderland
ST Salvador Cabanas - Club America
ST Djibril Cisse - Marseille
MF Sebastian Larsson - Birmingham

What`s Left in the Kitty - 35m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 West Ham (A)
Aug 23 Chelsea (H)
Aug 30 Hull City (A)
Sep 13 Sunderland (H)
Sep 20 Tottenham (A)
Sep 27 Man City (H)
Oct 4 Middlesbrough (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Chris Kirkland
RB Mario Melchiot
CB Paul Scharner
CB Titus Bramble
LB Kevin Kilbane
RMF Daniel de Ridder
CMF Michael Brown
CMF Paul Scharner/Lee Cattermole
LMF Jason Koumas
FW Emile Heskey
FW Amr Zaki/Olivier Kapo

How They`ll Stack Up:
After seeing the holes in one sinking ship were easier to plug than the other (Birmingham), Steve Bruce came aboard and saved the Latics from the drop last season.  Now he looks to consolidate the club's place in the Premier League.  Bringing in Kapo, de Ridder & Zaki is a good start and he has been linked with a number of names that could help propel this side back into the top half of the table.  Losing ST Marcus Bent (loan returnee) is a big blow but he`s hoping Zaki can help fill the void.  One thing`s for sure, Wigan need someone to score goals.  Only Derby scored fewer goals last term.  Breaking the bank for  Johnson or Cisse could provide the finishing touch they need - but I can't see either of those players coming to the JJB.  Luckily, they have a pretty decent schedule to start the season meaning we should have a good idea of where Wigan are headed come mid-October.  I can't see them higher than 12th with what they've got right now.

Coming Up Sunday - Middlesbrough

Last Season - 15th in the Premier League - 39pts
Manager: Roy Keane

INS:
MF David Meyler - Undisclosed
AMF Steed Malbranque - Undisclosed
ST El-Hadji Diouf - Undisclosed
MF Teemu Tainio - Undisclosed
RB Pascal Chimbonda - Undisclosed

OUTS:
FW Andy Cole
LB Ian Harte
DF Stanislav Varga
DF Stephen Wright
DF Greg Halford

Possibles:
FW Andy Johnson - Everton
DF Dorin Goian - Steaua Bucharest
FW Darren Bent - Tottenham
DF Younes Kaboul - Tottenham
DF Taye Taiwo - Marseille
FW Louis Saha - Manchester United
FW James Beattie - Sheffield United
MF Darren Fletcher - Manchester United

What's Left in the Kitty - Unknown with string of 'undisclosed' deals - started with 90m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Liverpool (H)
Aug 23 Tottenham (A)
Aug 30 Man City (H)
Sep 13 Wigan (A)
Sep 20 Middlesbrough (H)
Sep 27 Aston Villa (A)
Oct 4 Arsenal (H)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Craig Gordon
RB Pascal Chimbonda
CB Paul McShane
CB Danny Higginbotham
LB Danny Collins
RMF Grant Leadbitter
CMF Teemu Tainio
CMF Steed Malbranque
LMF Andy Reid
FW Anthony Stokes/Michael Chopra/Dwight Yorke
FW El-Hadji Diouf/Kenwyne Jones

How They'll Stack Up:
When I sat down just over a week ago and started hashing out a Sunderland preview, it was pretty easy.  No moves in, some moves out and what looked to be a battle to stay near 15th spot - where they finished last year.  Now, Manager Roy Keane has had a string of players come in with more on the way and by the looks of it, they COULD get into the top half if everything goes according to plan (it's a 3-year plan by the way).  Keane got the RB he wanted in Chimbonda, the attacking guile in Malbranque and the versatility of Tainio (Keane just hopes he stays healthy!).  If they can bring in some help up front - Saha, Bent or Beattie - they should definitely get into the mid-table range and perhaps break the top ten.  Keane's no-nonsense style as a player has also been the attraction as a manager and I like what he's doing with Sunderland.  They have a bit of a tough beginning but if they can get 4-6pts in those first few games, they should be well on their way to a better finish than last term.

Coming Up Saturday - Wigan

Last Season: 16th in the Premier League - 37pts.
Manager: Gary Megson

INS:
MF Fabrice Muamba - 10m US
ST Johan Elmander - 22m US
AMF/FW Riga Mustapha - Undisclosed

OUTS:
DMF Andranik Teymourian
CB/DMF Ivan Campo
RW Stelios Giannakopoulos
FW El Hadji Diouf

Possibles:
AMF Simon Vukcevic - Sporting CP
ST Milan Baros - Lyon

What's Left in the Kitty - 8m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Stoke City (H)
Aug 23 Newcastle (A)
Aug 30 West Brom (H)
Sep 13 Fulham (A)
Sep 20 Arsenal (H)
Sep 27 Man Utd (A)
Oct 4 West Ham (A)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Jussi Jaaskelainen
RB Gretar Steinsson
CB Andy O'Brien
CB Gary Cahill
LB Ricardo Gardner
RMF Kevin Nolan
CMF Fabrice Muamba
CMF Gavin McCann
LMF Matt Taylor
FW Johan Elmander
FW Kevin Davies

How They'll Stack Up:
After barely escaping relegation last season, manager Gary Megson has not spent a lot of money so far and has seemingly shifted the focus from surviving to developing. The few signings he's made show he means business - it's just too bad they are not the kind of signings that would help them survive another relegation fight - at first glance anyways. Fan expectations will be high with Elmander filling the shooting boots of one Nicolas Anelka. He's being counted on to do little else in the 5th country he's played in. With the recent loss of Diouf, Megson will be looking to add a FW along with a CB or creative MF player - but money could be the biggest obstacle. They face a couple teams they could see in the relegation fight right off the bat - and those could be telling matches. I see maybe 6-7pts out of those first seven games - and they'd need to better that to stay out of danger. I just don't think Bolton have the quality to stay up this time.

Coming Up Friday - Sunderland

Last Season:  17th in the Premier League - 36pts (avoided relegation on goal difference)
Manager:  Roy Hodgson

INS:     
ST Bobby Zamora - 12.6m US  
RB John Pantsil - (fee with Zamora) 
DF Toni Kallio - FREE   
RMF Andranik Teymourian - FREE 
RMF Zoltan Gera - FREE   
GK Mark Schwarzer - FREE  
GK David Stockdale - Undisclosed
RB Fredrik Stoor - 4m US
 
OUTS:
ST Brian McBride
GK Tony Warner
GK Corrin Brooks-Meade
ST Jari Litmanen
CB Carlos Bocanegra
CB Philippe Christanval
DMF Simon Elliot
DF Ian Pearce
CMF Michael Timlin
ST Ismael Ehui
ST Bjorn Runstrom
ST Bradley Hudson-Odoi

Possibles:
ST Andrew Johnson - Everton
ST Vaclav Sverkos - FC Banik Ostrava
CB Josip Simunic - Hertha Berlin
DF Mariusz Lewandowski - Shakhtar Donetsk
RB Luke Young - Middlesbrough

What's Left in the Kitty:  13.4m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Hull (A)
Aug 23 Arsenal (H)
Aug 30 Man Utd (A)
Sep 13 Bolton (H)
Sep 20 Blackburn (A)
Sep 27 West Ham (H)
Oct 4 West Brom (A)

Possible Starting XI
GK Antti Niemi/Mark Schwarzer
RB Fredrik Stoor
CB Aaron Hughes
CB Toni Kallio
LB Paul Konchesky
RMF Zoltan Gera/Andranik Teymourian
CMF Danny Muprhy
CMF Jimmy Bullard
LMF Hameur Boazza
FW Clint Dempsey
FW Diomansy Kamara/Bobby Zamora

How They'll Stack Up:
Having survived relegation on goal difference last term, here was the action plan for the summer:
a) Spend some money replacing 36-year old Brian McBride - added Zamora - half-check.  He only scored once in 13-games for West Ham last term.
b) Sign Danny Murphy to a new deal - One year deal - check.
c) Sign a new GK - got Schwarzer AND Stockdale - check.  With the situation with Antti Niemi still unsettled, we're not sure whether Schwarzer has come in to be #1 or #2.

So as it stands now, things are looking up.  One thing is for sure - there is little doubt as to who's team this now is with Hodgson doing the job at ridding the side of a LOT of dead weight.  The team is still a little short of quality but Hodgson showed last term that he can get the most out of what he has and still win.  He added some skill at the back with Fredrik Stoor from Rosenborg Tuesday - now they need someone who can score.  They are close to signing Andy Johnson from Everton and if they can do that, they could be a team to survive relegation.  Then again, that may depend on which Andy Johnson shows up.....Aside from Arsenal and United in games #2 & #3, they should get off to a decent start - which will be good for the strong Fulham fan base on this side of the pond.

Coming Up Thursday - Bolton Wanderers