English Premier League Preview

(CNN) -- CNN.com's Football Fan Zone looks ahead to the new season in the English Premier League, which kicks off August 16.

The Champions

The "will he, won't he" Real Madrid transfer saga regarding Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have been the only topic of conversation around Old Trafford this summer.

The news that Ronaldo is staying in England for at least one more season is a welcome relief for all connected with Manchester United.

By United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's own admission, he is perfectly happy with the squad that secured the Premier League/Champions League double.

The only area of concern appears to be in attack, where a target man is needed to compliment Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Ferguson has earmarked Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov for that role, but any impending transfer looks to be on the backburner after Tottenham expressed anger at United's attempts to sign the Bulgarian.

Whether or not Berbatov joins, I still expect a striker to arrive before the close of the transfer window, adding further strength to a squad that will once again be the ones to beat both domestically and in Europe.

The Challengers

Chelsea have undergone the biggest change during the summer as Avram Grant's failure to bring silverware to Stamford Bridge resulted in his inevitable dismissal.

After weeks of conjecture and speculation, Luis Felipe "Big Phil" Scolari, tempted by a reported $10m a year salary, opted to swap the sunshine of Portugal for the pressure-cooker atmosphere of Stamford Bridge.

Scolari has already signed playmaker Deco, who joins fellow Portuguese Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Jose Bosingwa in a dressing room that should make the Brazilian-born star feel instantly at home.

An overladen squad has had to be trimmed with Steve Sidwell, Khalid Boulharouz and veteran midfielder Claude Makelele all departing, with others likely to follow. However, Frank Lampard appears to have settled on seeing out the final year of his contract before his expected move to Inter Milan next summer.

The club have already declared their interest in signing Real Madrid attacker Robinho and his arrival will further enhance the "Galactico" status of the Blues squad, but the speculation regarding Didier Drogba's future continues to cast a shadow over pre-season preparations.

It's been a busy summer at Arsenal with Jens Lehmann, Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb and Gilberto Silva all leaving the club. French international Samir Nasri appears to be a direct replacement for Hleb while manager Arsene Wenger's reputation for giving young players a chance saw him win the race to sign teenage Welsh sensation Aaron Ramsey.

Wenger has confirmed Arsenal still need a central midfielder to dovetail with playmaker Cesc Fabregas but don't be surprised if the Frenchman again ignores big names and sticks to his policy of recruiting unknown but talented individuals.

The Emmanuel Adebayor transfer saga had been as fervent and long-running as Ronaldo's. The Togo striker has not endeared himself to the Gunners fans for apparently trying to engineer a move to first AC Milan and now Barcelona.

However, Adebayor's declaration that he is signing a new contract with the club allieviates Wenger's need to replace his top scorer from last season.

Liverpool have again shuffled their pack as they attempt to mirror their European successes on the domestic front.

The aerial threat of Peter Crouch has been sacrificed with ex-Tottenham forward Robbie Keane -- seen by manager Rafael Benitez as the perfect foil for star striker Fernando Torres -- arriving in his place.

Winger Harry Kewell and Norwegian fullback John-Arne Riise have also left Anfield with two new overlapping fullbacks -- Andrea Dossena and Phillip Degen -- indicating Benitez wants more attacking threat from those areas.

In a summer of transfer sagas, none has been as long-running and apparently vitriolic as Liverpool's pursuit of England midfielder Gareth Barry.

Aston Villa have doggedly held out for a $36 million fee which Liverpool appear unable to afford, leaving the player contemplating the collapse of a move he has publicly craved.

Point to prove

Liverpool have not won the league title for 18 years now, a remarkable statistic when you consider how utterly dominant the club where at home and in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s, and manager Rafael Benitez is aware another season of domestic failure could well be his last at Anfield.

With not as much money to spend as previous summers, Benitez has been forced to wheel-and-deal. The arrival of Keane to partner Torres in attack appears to be a shrewd piece of business as the Irishman's work rate and attitude should be a major boost.

However, the club's failure to clinch the signing of midfielder Barry appears to underline the limited budget Benitez is working with in relation to previous seasons, as the collapse of Xabi Alonso's move to Juventus looks to have permanently stalled the Barry transfer.

Benitez continues to hold the support of the passionate Liverpool fans for two reasons. Firstly, he has led them to a succession of glorious seasons in Europe, winning the Champions League in 2005 and going close in both 2007 and 2008.

Secondly, the Spaniard is seen as an unfortunate pawn in the ongoing boardroom dispute between American co-owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks.

Despite this, supporters demand success, and another season spent fighting off city rivals Everton for fourth place in the Premier League might not be enough to prevent Benitez from seeking pastures new.

New Boys

West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City are the three teams promoted to the Premier League this season -- and recent history dictates that all three will face a tough time in trying to preserve their status.

However, despite the gloomy outlook, it is rare that all three teams drop straight back down. Of the equivalent trio last season, Birmingham and Derby made instant returns to the Championship, but Sunderland managed to escape the drop with relative comfort.

West Brom appear the best equipped to survive and recent statistics seem to back up their claims. Promoted to the Premier League in 2004, relegated in 2006 and promoted again in 2008, it would be no surprise to see the Baggies survive at least next season, especially with England goalkeeper Scott Carson now among their ranks.

Hull are celebrating their first-ever season in the Premier League, in the process spoiling a football quiz favorite, namely, "Which is the biggest European city to have never had a top flight league club?"

The playoff winners have been busy adding to their squad with the likes of Geovanni, George Boateng and Bernard Mendy, but a general lack of quality is likely to be their undoing.

Stoke have already smashed their transfer record with the signing of Reading striker Dave Kitson for $10 million and have followed that up by recruiting highly-rated Nigerian midfielder Seyi Olofinjana for another $6 million, making them the biggest spenders of the promoted clubs.

Manger Tony Pulis advocates a high-pressure intense brand of football, and although they may lack quality, Stoke's fight and power could well surprise people this season.

Hello

Luis Felipe Scolari has already pulled a rabbit out of his hat with the surprise revelation that he can not only speak English but is also very good at communicating in his new adopted tongue. Scolari's first press conference as Chelsea manager had the assorted gathered media hanging on his every entertaining word in a throwback to Jose Mourinho's "Special One" days at Stamford Bridge.

The Big Brazilian is obviously his own man and it will be interesting to see how he takes any possible interference from above in a Chelsea management structure that continues to be fraught with possible pitfalls from Roman Abramovich down.

Tottenham were first out of the starting blocks this summer with their audacious swoop for the highly-coveted Croatian midfielder Luka Modric.

The 22-year former Dinamo Zagreb playmaker was on the radar of every major club in Europe, yet Tottenham nipped in before the summer had even started to secure his services on a six-year deal for a club record $33 million.

Modric went on to enhance his reputation even further at Euro 2008 with a starring role as his nation reached the quarterfinals.

Samir Nasri joins a long list of Frenchman to follow Arsene Wenger to Arsenal and when it became apparent that Alexander Hleb wanted to leave the Emirates, Wenger knew where to turn.

Although he didn't get a chance to shine in France's dismal Euro 2008 campaign, Nasri is a star in the making. The former France Young Player of the Year is barely 21, but his excellent close control and neat skills are seen as ideally suited to Wenger's philosophy.

Goodbye

Avram Grant's last act as Chelsea manager was to collect his Champions League loser's medal on a rain-soaked miserable night in Moscow.

In the end, second place was not enough for the Chelsea powers-that-be. Second in Europe, runners-up in the Premier League, runners-up in the League Cup and a shock FA Cup exit to Championship side Barnsley sealed the Israeli's fate.

The Israeli's hang-dog expression and dour personality never won over the Stamford Bridge fans still yearning for the excitement of the Mourinho era -- and that dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat by Manchester United proved the final nail in his coffin.

In 2004, Arsenal became the "Invincibles," winning the league title without losing a single game. Now, just four years later, the sale of Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva to Panathinaikos and goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's return to his native Germany means only Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure remains from that memorable side.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is one of the best exponents of the transfer market in Britain and last summer's purchase of Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari from Udinese for a then club record $14 million proved another astute piece of business.

The midfielder was outstanding all season, scoring some memorable goals including a spectacular long-range double in a win at Aston Villa and the winning penalty as Portsmouth knocked out champions Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Fittingly, Muntari's last match for Portsmouth proved to be the Wembley win over Cardiff as Inter Milan came knocking to take the 23-year-old back to Serie A after just one successful season, for a profit of $10 million.

Swapping shirts

Portsmouth's signing of Peter Crouch from Liverpool means the FA Cup winners can now boast three current England international striker's in their ranks.

The giant Crouch returns to Fratton Park, after a previous spell there earlier in his career, to link-up with poacher Jermain Defoe in what looks a potent strikeforce.

The little-and-large attack of Crouch and Defoe could well see Portsmouth challenging the top four for a Champions League place come the end of the season.

Even reserve striker David Nugent, with one goal in one game for his country, is a full international, which further highlights the progress Pompey have made in recent seasons.

The fact goalkeeper Paul Robinson left Tottenham this summer was no surprise -- and in Blackburn he has joined a club hoping to revive memories of their title triumph 13 years ago under the direction of new manager Paul Ince.

However, Ince appears to have picked up a real bargain, signing the 28-year-old -- who has 41 caps to his name and played for England in the 2006 World Cup finals -- for a mere $7 million.

The fee reflects the way Robinson's stock has dropped after a dismal season for club and country, resulting in him losing his first team place on both fronts. However, a new club might well give the Yorkshireman a new lease of life, with the possibility that Ince's first signing as Blackburn manager could well be his best.