Football hasn't stopped this summer, so to make sure you're up to speed with how every Premier League is shaping up ahead of the new season we've taken a look at their preparations for the new campaign. From new managers and new signings to pre-season form and emerging talents, here's the lowdown on how the top 20 are looking... A lot of Arsenal's transfer talk has surrounded Vinicius Junior and Bradley Barcola this summer, but has Christos Tzolis given Mikel Arteta a reason to think differently?
There was not a great deal of fanfare when the Greek winger moved for £34m from Club Brugge early in the window, but Tzolis has shown quite a lot of threat since arriving. July 25: Arsenal 3-0 MK Dons - Arsenal training ground August 1: Girona 1-4 Arsenal - Girona August 5: Arsenal 1-3 Real Betis - Dublin August 9: Arsenal 2-3 Borussia Dortmund - Emirates Stadium August 12: Arsenal 1-1 Como (4-3 pens) - Emirates Stadium August 16: Arsenal 3-0 Man City, Community Shield - Cardiff In six pre-season games, Tzolis has six assists and one goal - including making two in the Community Shield against Man City. He is by no means flashy - he completed none of his dribbles in the win in Cardiff, for example - but he is very effective.
That pre-season form mirrored his form last season - getting 51 goal contributions in 52 games for Club Brugge. A set-piece threat too; if he gets anything close to those numbers in the regular season, then Arsenal have found themselves a £34m bargain.Sam Blitz The doom and gloom mood of pre-season following the departures of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans was momentarily lifted with the performance of Aston Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final. New signing Joao Gomes and 17-year-old Brian Madjo have impressed in pre-season and stood out once again against PSG, despite the loss.
July 21: Walsall 0-5 Aston Villa - Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium July 25: Porto 2-1 Aston Villa - Estadio Do Dragao July 28: Aston Villa 2-4 Real Sociedad - Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium August 1: Indonesia All-Stars 1-3 Aston Villa - Jakarta August 4: BG Pathum United 1-3 Aston Villa - Pathum Thani August 7: Aston Villa 1-2 Bayern Munich, Hong Kong August 12: UEFA Super Cup - PSG 2-1 Aston Villa, Salzburg August 15: Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 Aston Villa - Borussia-Park However, Unai Emery was dealt another blow when reports emerged of injuries for both players as they approach the season opener against Brighton. They will now join both Amadou Onana and new signing Johan Manzambi on the sidelines. It has been a summer of change at Villa Park and navigating key player exits is difficult enough.
Injuries and the absence of any form of pre-season for Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins due to their extended World Cup breaks now mean both the line-up and performance itself could throw up a few surprises at the Amex Stadium.Pat Rowe After a free-scoring pre-season under new head coach Marco Rose there are hopes that life after Andoni Iraola can be just as bright for Bournemouth despite a first season in Europe to contend with. The Cherries' succession plan is as strong for players as it is for managers and Rose will tinker with rather than overhaul Iraola's work and getting their transfer business done early has helped his squad settle ahead of their most testing season. July 24: St Pauli 1-4 Bournemouth - Saalfelden July 30: Augsburg 2-5 Bournemouth - Saalfelden August 4: Bournemouth 10-1 Genoa - Bournemouth training ground (behind closed doors - 120 minutes) August 8: Real Betis 2-2 Bournemouth - Seville August 15: Mainz 2-1 Bournemouth - Mewa Arena An injury to Eli Kroupi Junior's foot injury will stop him from carrying on his superb form from last season for the foreseeable but there is already intrigue about the prospect of Alvaro Rodriguez, a summer arrival from Elche.
There are concerns over a lack of depth in central defence, especially with 22-year-old Antonio Silva expected to slot straight in to replace Marcos Senesi. But the ex-Benfica man has plenty of pedigree, making 20 appearances for Portugal already and 41 in the Champions League.Ron Walker Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Goal difference alone prevented the Bees from qualifying for Europe in May, but that's been forgotten now. They've spent over £60m this summer, breaking their transfer record to sign Mali international midfielder Mamadou Sangare from Lens, while also adding proven Premier League players Callum Wilson and Jaidon Anthony to bolster the attack.
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