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Arsenal look ready to replicate last season ahead of their upcoming campaign and with some big name reinforcements, they look stronger than ever. If they can keep all their star players fit, then there is no stopping Arsene Wenger and his men.

The English Premier League will start in due course but the Gunners will first get a warm up match with current champions Manchester City in the Charity Shield today.

So, with that in mind, here are SIX things to expect from Arsenal this season.

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A Top Four Finish

Arsenal have always been part of the top four and this season will be no different. With Arsene Wenger going through yet another spending spree following last season’s huge splash on Mesut Ozil, the Gunners are looking even stronger.

Whether first, second, third, or fourth, Wenger will at least have to guarantee a place in the UEFA Champions League in their upcoming campaign. Anything lower than that, then a change in management may need to be considered. Straight back to training they go!

New Signings Will Shine

Matheiu Debuchy and Calum Chambers will be expected to shine as the pair will already have Premier League experience, but expectations will be even higher for their £35 million signing Alexis Sanchez. Despite the former Barcelona star not having any experience in England, his time with the La Liga giants should have already prepared him for what’s to come.

Debuchy will most probably become the club’s first choice right back, so expect him to replicate his Newcastle form from day one. Arsene Wenger has shown a lot of trust in Calum Chambers, and with the young Englishman expected to start in place of Per Mertesacker in the heart of defence, there is no room for error.

More Silverware

Arsenal recently ended their nine year trophy drought after beating Hull City 3-2 to be crowned FA Cup champions, so everyone should be expecting them to add more silverware to their cabinet. What better way to start their campaign than to come out victorious in the upcoming Charity Shield match versus the current Premier League champions Manchester City.

Whether it’s another FA Cup repeat, the Carling cup, the Premier League, or even the UEFA Champions League, Arsene Wenger will surely be targeting to win at least one of their many upcoming tournaments.

Serious Title Contenders

During the first half of last season, Arsenal were actually title favourites after starting the campaign on a very high note. However, with injuries holding back the squad, they began the second half of their Premier League run with a slow decline in form and not enough adequate cover in various positions.

This time around, with a few important additions to the squad, Arsene Wenger will surely not allow any more mishaps in this back line. Expect a title push from the Gunners in the upcoming campaign as squad depth looks to not become a problem anymore.

Ozil Will Be Back to His Best

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Last season, during the tight match schedule in December, Mesut Ozil looked tired as he was not used to the busy Premier League campaign. However, with an entire season to get used to the game, we expect the German play-maker to score even more as well as create even more.

Last season we saw him net six and provide 10 in 26 league matches, but more will be expected of him as he is the main link up between the midfield and the attacks. The addition of Alexis Sanchez will give him yet another attacking outlet he can provide a killer pass to.

Competition for Places Between the Sticks

The acquisition of David Ospina means that Wojciech Szczesny’s place between the stick is no longer safe. Any mistakes or howlers that he causes could pretty much be his last appearance. With Ospina performing brilliantly for his national side, his quality is there; all he needs now is a chance to prove himself to Arsene Wenger.

This can also mean that the goalkeeping pair may be rotated between league games and cup matches as Wenger will finally have to decide on who will be his new number one. The plus side to this is that both of them will be on top of their game in hopes of retaining a spot in the Gunners starting line-up.

Had it not been for a good run of form during the second half of last season, it’s likely Sam Allardyce would have been moved on from his post as West Ham manager. But for now, the club have (perhaps reluctantly) stuck by the manager but made clear their desire for something a little more interesting in the way of attacking football.

The club have, however, done some positive transfer business this summer, with Enner Valencia looking the most promising of the forward signings. But the transfer activity shouldn’t end there, as the club are short of quality at centre-forward and could do with a creative option in the centre of midfield.

With a little under a month left in the transfer window, here are FIVE players who could contribute to West Ham’s attacking play next season…

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Wilfried Zaha

With players coming into form, and their transfer business unlikely to be over, Manchester United suddenly look to have plenty of options in attack, which means Wilfried Zaha may have to look for a move away to secure regular first-team football.

The winger is said to be a target for West Ham and would prove to be an exciting signing for the club, having shown plenty of promise for Crystal Palace.

With Sam Allardyce needing to bring in players who can offer a little more imagination in the final third, a move for Zaha would make a lot of sense. Having already picked up an England cap, the youngster has an exciting future ahead of him.

Scott Sinclair

Scott Sinclair would have enjoyed a quiet past two years sitting on the sidelines at Manchester City, but if the winger is serious about kick starting his career, he’d be wise to seek a move away this summer.

Sinclair was part of an attacking Swansea side that won promotion to the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers. Despite his career stagnating at the Etihad stadium, Sinclair can be effective in the final third, both with goals and assists.

It shouldn’t take too much to prise him from Manchester City, but Sinclair, provided he can rediscover his best form, would be of great use to West Ham this coming season.

Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch may be coming to the end of his career, but at 33 he still has something to offer in the Premier League and would help to ease the loss of Andy Carroll to injury.

Stoke are said to want £3 million for the former England international, which may prove problematic for West Ham, but Crouch, despite his target man tag, was part of a Tottenham team who played good, attacking football in the recent past.

For the right price, Crouch would prove to be a good short-term investment for Sam Allardyce.

Lewis Holtby

Lewis Holtby may be looking to restart his Tottenham career under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, but considering the midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham, there may be a possibility of landing him this summer, especially of Daniel Levy makes a late move in the market.

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Holtby would act as the hub of West Ham’s midfield in the team’s bid for a more attractive brand of football. He’s already played as a No.10 at a high level for Schalke and should link up well with the club’s newest arrivals.

The signing of Holtby, whether permanent or on loan, would prove to be a coup for Allardyce this summer.

Samuel Eto’o

Rumours linking Samuel Eto’o with a move to West Ham have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean the striker still wouldn’t be a good signing for Sam Allardyce’s side.

The Cameron forward knows the Premier League well and would help to play a more attractive brand of football, able to play just behind the striker or as the furthest forward.

Eto’o may have slowed down from his days at Barcelona and Inter Milan, but he’d still be of great use to West Ham, who need someone with the striker’s inspiration to provide the goals.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has stated that although Balotelli hasn’t performed to his potential, Liverpool have much bigger problems, Express reports.

The two sides will meet in Tuesday’s Champions League clash at the Santiago Bernabeu and while Real are firing on all cylinders after 11 straight victories, the Reds have already lost four out of six away games.

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And many have pinned Mario Balotelli as the scapegoat for Liverpool’s disappointing performances, but Ancelotti claims Brendan Rodgers shouldn’t focus on the Italian’s form as much as the club’s other weaknesses.

“Balotelli is spoken of a lot, maybe too much, he has quality,” said Ancelotti. “He is at a side where they’re not playing well having lost Luis Suarez who scored a lot.

“They need another solution, but I don’t think all of Liverpool’s problems are Balotelli. He needs to do his work for the side. That’s all that can be asked of him.”

Meanwhile, Ancelotti has a fine dilemma to solve with the return of Gareth Bale, who could replace Isco on the left side of the Los Blancos midfield.

“Gareth Bale is ready to play and is back from injury, but I don’t know if he will play from the off or be on the bench,” said Ancelotti, whose side have plundered 46 goals in 11 straight victories in all competitions.

“The side is fine and right now the football is intense. The side are fine now, we have things to improve and rotation is important to help prevent problems and injuries.

“The side fills me with confidence because we’re playing well, especially in big games. The players know better than me that all games are an examination and we can improve or take a step back.

“We have been on a good run and that helps us, we have a serious side and I don’t think that we will lose. The team’s professionalism is total.”

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In an incredible career, with two spells at Anfield spanning the course of 15 years, Ian Rush still remains Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer. The Welshman terrified defences for the Reds in the 80s and early 90s, and he went onto score an unrivalled 346 goals in 660 games.

At present, Liverpool are going through somewhat of a crisis. The influential Luis Suarez packed his bags in the summer to head for Barcelona. His replacement Mario Balotelli has yet to score a league goal. Daniel Sturridge has been out for most of the season – and worst of all, last years runners-up currently sit in 11th place in the Barclays Premier League with just 21 points from 16 games.

We caught up with the Liverpool great Ian Rush – speaking on behalf of 888Sport.com, who are putting betting at the heart of football debate by asking punters to have the #LastWord over their mates by backing their banter with a bet – to get his thoughts on the current striker crisis, whether Raheem Sterling should get a run in the side as the main striker, if Brendan Rodgers’ current criticism is warranted and what his thoughts are ahead of the Liverpool v Arsenal showdown at Anfield on Sunday.

Lets make no mistake about it, Liverpool are massively underachieving this season. Despite an excellent 3-1 win and performance in the Capital One Cup over Bournemouth on Wednesday, Liverpool have picked up just seven league points from their last 21 available, and the Reds’ have made their worst start to a league campaign for 50 years.

But there’s only really one place to start – Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan international scored a phenomenal 31 goals in all competitions for the Reds last term, before earning a £75m move to Barcelona in the summer;

Just how much are Liverpool missing Luis Suarez?

Any team would miss Luis Suarez. Him and Daniel Sturridge were fantastic in attack last season, and any team in the world would miss Luis Suarez.

Do you think Mario Balotelli was the right man to replace Luis Suarez?

Well I don’t think Mario Balotelli was a replacement for Luis Suarez. I think Liverpool were just really unfortunate to have Daniel Sturridge injured. I’m now looking forward to when Sturridge, Balotelli and Sterling are all fit. The only time they have all played together – was when we played Tottenham and won 3-0. They all seemed to blend together, so that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing again. You can’t replace Luis Suarez with just one other player – as he’s so good. The first time I saw Sturridge, Sterling and Balotelli together was at Tottenham – which was our best win – and that’s what I’m looking forward too.

How vital is Sturridge going to be when he returns in the second half of the season?

Well you never know. But him and Luis Suarez were fantastic last season – they probably got 80% of our goals. So when Sturridge does come back, it will be like having a new player. It will be like having a January signing, but what we’ve got to do is keep him fit. He will be hungry because he hasn’t played for such a long time – he will be desperate to get back, and I think he will do very well. It’s just a matter of him settling back into what he done last year. So really what were looking at there is Daniel Sturridge being like our new signing in January, and hopefully he will stay fit.

Are you surprised by Liverpool’s plight this season, after going so close last term?

I think we over achieved last season, everything just fell into place for us. We had that little bit of luck, we didn’t have many injuries and we wasn’t in the Champions League. So we’ve had our bit of luck and you have to be realistic. It’s been an indifferent start to the season for us. We’ve had new players in that have taken time to gel together at the start of the season. Obviously we’ve got to stop leaking goals, I wouldn’t concentrate on scoring goals because I think we can do that, we’ve just got to stop letting goals in. Last season, we were letting goals in, but if we let two in we would score three – this season that hasn’t happened. We haven’t had the luck, we haven’t had the rub of the green this time, we’ve had injuries, we’ve also had the Champions League – so little things like that are the difference from last season to this season.

Raheem Sterling was superb against Bournemouth on Wednesday, do you think he should be given a run as the main striker?

Yeah I think he should, against Manchester United he could have had a hat-trick, and he obviously scored the two against Bournemouth. When you look at it before the Manchester United game, we wasn’t creating any clear-cut chances. Although Sterling missed a few, I’m happy that we are creating chances. With Sterling down the middle with Daniel Sturridge, that’s a good option. He’s very quick down the wings, but when it does click down the middle – and he goes past you – he’s clear on the goalkeeper for a scoring chance. I’ve seen players who like it down the middle as well, and he can do that. With him in the middle, I feel we are creating chances now, whereas in the games against Stoke and Sunderland, we didn’t really create the chances that we needed.

As for Brendan Rodgers, do you feel like the pressure on him is warranted at the moment, and do you believe he’s the right man for Liverpool going forward?

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Yeah he’s the right man for the job, he done well last season. We’ve got to stick with him, give him a chance. He’s got a squad there that needs time to gel and that’s what we’re looking to do. He just needs time to come good, and I think we will.

Lastly, what’s your thoughts on the big clash between Liverpool and Arsenal on Sunday?

Well it’s always a good game when we play each other – there’s always goals in it. Last time, we hit Arsenal very early – we were a couple of goals ahead before they realised what hit them. That’s the difference, last season we were starting off early – we scored a lot goals in the first 30 minutes – but this season it’s been a big change. But Arsenal are a quality side, they always did know how to play football, and I think it will be a good test because they always do well. But when they play the top teams they try to keep the ball and fail, but they will be looking to press Liverpool to try and change that – and if they beat Liverpool they will be looking at one step ahead. As for Liverpool, our job is to stay in contention. I think there will be goals in it, and I think if we can get a result against Arsenal, it will put us back on track.

Ian Rush is an 888sport #LastWord ambassador. Join the debate on Twitter @888sport, share your opinion on Facebook.com/888sportfans 

and read the best analysis on the betting brand’s dedicated blog. Sign-up now and claim £88 of free bets at888sport.com. Liverpool are 15/8 to beat Arsenal with 888sport.com.

QPR boss Harry Redknapp believes there is a mole inside the club deliberately undermining him, after reports emerged he could face the sack at Loftus Road, according to the Daily Express.

The 67-year-old says he does not know whether reports regarding his future are true, but the fact a story was leaked suggesting he would be fired if QPR do not get a result against Manchester United today are evidence there is an ‘insider’ at the club looking to force him out.

Owner Tony Fernandes has given no indication on Redknapp’s future, but the former West Ham and Tottenham boss was as open and honest as ever in his pre-match press conference.

“I have had a great time and I want to carry on doing it,” he said. “But if the chairman decides otherwise because someone, somewhere has tried to cause me a problem by talking to someone at a paper, I know what the score is.

“I’m not silly, I’m very streetwise. Someone has tried to cause me a problem. I wasn’t born yesterday. Journalists get it from somewhere. Someone has said something. Obviously someone has.

“I don’t wonder who it is. I might look silly, but I’m not. There is always someone trying to put a spoke in.

“It is an ‘insider’. Who is this ‘insider’? They should check everyone’s phones and find out. That’s the best way. It’s easy. Get all their phones and see who has rung the journalist in question.”

Redknapp also poked fun at the suggestion he had to beat Manchester United in order to save his job.

“‘You’ve got to beat Manchester United’? They could have picked an easier one!” he said.

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“I have got a great relationship with the owners and the shareholders and if they want to make a change and feel they want to go in a different direction, that is up to them.

“I have loved every minute of my time here but if they decide otherwise, that is their decision. They are entitled to do that.

“I cannot lose any sleep over it. Whatever they do, they do. I would not be leaving home at 5.30am if I did not have the hunger. I would have turned over and gone back to sleep.”

Last week, fans across England were surprised when Hull City’s Tom Ince turned down the opportunity to play for the England U21 team.

The U21’s manager Gareth Southgate revealed that the winger, who is currently on loan at Derby County, had told him he was not interested in being considered for this summer’s European Championships. Southgate admitted his “disappointment” with Ince and many fans believe he has just blown his career. However, according to father, Paul Ince, it was the right decision to make. So has Tom Ince’s decision damaged his career?

Tom Ince hasn’t got the best reputation amongst fans across the country from various incidents in the past and many believe his ego precedes him and he isn’t the only player to have snubbed the England U21’s. Wilfried Zaha was accused of bad attitude two years ago when Stuart Pearce was in charge. Zaha gave the impression it was a chore to be away with England and since then he has struggled to be even considered when it comes to the national team.

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So might it backfire on Ince? The 23-year-old now has a mark next to his name – anyone who turns down England no matter what the level must realise it could be held against them in years to come. Maybe Ince has misplaced his priorities – him and his father have always been careful to make sure Ince Junior gets the right deal even it means upsetting people to get there. Whilst manager at Blackpool, Paul Ince was accused of abandoning his team to help get his son the right move and the opinions of Tom have not changed since then.

Ince is already receiving a “pitchfork” treatment on social media with fans accusing him of having an over inflated ego. Ince Junior believes that his career has stalled and chose to turn down the England team to concentrate on his club football and making sure he gets the right training he needs to be fully prepared for next season. This is admirable in itself because it shows he is trying to make the best for himself but the idea could backfire on him. He is unsure as to where he will be next season and while it makes sense he wants to concentrate on his club surely going and showing his best football playing for England would improve his chances of a good transfer?

It is well known that Hodgson holds national loyalty extremely highly when it comes to picking his team. When he first took over he insisted that every member of the squad would sing the national anthem before the matches. Crouch once turned down the England U21s and Hodgson didn’t pick him for three years after that so it could be a similar situation for Ince?

The winger has certainly put himself at a disadvantage not just with the people who choose the England squad but also with fans. Football fans have good memories and this is not something which is going to be forgotten easily. Boos echoed around the pitch at Molineux last weekend and I suspect it will be the first of many. Fans across the country are not impressed by the national snub. Ince may have dented his career when he thinks he has made the decision to save it.

Interestingly, his father, who told the Daily Mail he thought Tom had made the right decision, was once quoted, “If you get called up, you should make sure you’re there.” Obviously this doesn’t count when it comes to your own child!

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Former Manchester United star Ray Wilkins believes that his old club will “look elsewhere” when it comes to deciding whether or not to keep on-loan striker Radamel Falcao at the end of the season.

The Colombian forward arrived at Old Trafford at the end of last summer to a great fanfare following a successful few years in European football with Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco.

Falcao was prolific with the first two clubs mentioned, but a serious ACL injury limited his playing time during his one full year in Ligue 1.

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United, though, gambled on his fitness, paying a figure of around £6m to loan him, his £200k+-per-week salary and agreeing to a potential future deal worth around £43.5m.

And, so far, the risk has not been met with reward, as Falcao has only found the back of the net on four occasions, while appearing off the pace in Louis van Gaal’s side.

Wilkins, who made over 150 appearances for United, believes that his career with the Premier League giants is as good as over and that the club will look at other forwards this summer instead of keeping him on:

“Falcao has been struggling for goals,” he told talkSPORT. “He hasn’t shown any type of form that we expected when he arrived at Manchester United.

“His form has been very poor in fact, we haven’t seen anything like the player who destroyed Chelsea with Atletico Madrid a few years ago.

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“They have already paid a huge loan fee and his wages are extremely expensive. To take him on would require a big fee, I would think they will look elsewhere.”

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At yesterday’s press conference ahead of the weekend’s action, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers made the sizeable claim that he was the best man to lead the Anfield club back to the glory days.

Over the space of the Northern Irishman’s eventful tenure at the Merseyside outfit’s helm there have examples to suggest that his comments are accurate, while other instances that prove the contrary.

With the Reds set to complete this term trophyless and more than likely without Champions League qualification, the powers that be at the Anfield club will be assessing the best avenue of progressing Liverpool to the next level.

As there are arguments to suggest both options could serve Liverpool well, is it time for the Reds to part company with Brendan Rodgers?

Yes

Despite Rodgers having the first team playing some good football in the second half of the season, in a results-driven business the manager has failed to deliver this season.

Semi-final defeats in both cup competitions show a lack of mental grit at the club, with the elimination at the hands of a modest Aston Villa outfit in the FA Cup of particular frustration for the Kop.

Add to this the fact that the team’s chances of finishing in the top four were completely derailed by losses to fellow Champions League hopefuls Manchester United and Arsenal, and a lack of big-game mentality is also evident.

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In Europe this term the Reds were poor in the Champions League, while an exit from the Europa League against Besiktas was another low point.

Since Rodgers has been at the club Liverpool have spent big in the transfer market, but with the exceptions of Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge and Emre Can, the new additions have not added anything to the collective.

With someone like Jurgen Klopp currently available and fitting the desirable outline of a man able to take a club from a historic lull back into contention, Liverpool may well be better served with a new face in the dugout in 2015-16.

No

Looking at it retrospectively, Liverpool have played some of the best football in the club’s recent memory under Rodgers.

The team’s showings in the second half of last season captivated the wider football audience and were unlucky not to deliver the title, while a winning streak this year was also impressive.

The Reds were in a state of flux before the former Swansea man arrived and in the couple of years he has been at the club Liverpool have progressed both on and off the pitch.

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Rodgers has got the best out of certain players, while his bravery to switch to a three-man defence also have heralded results.

Bringing a new head coach to Anfield would represent a fresh start, with a step back likely before any positive movements can be measured.

With continuity and long-term thinking in mind, showing loyalty to Rodgers could well see the progression of recent years continue, especially if quality can be added in the transfer market this summer.

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So the league season is done and dusted. We know that Chelsea are Champions that Hull and Burnley will be playing Championship football next season and that Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules will hang like a black cloud over QPR this summer ready to burst with rain at any moment.

We also know that Bournemouth will be playing Premier League football for the first time next season, and that they’ll be joined by Watford and Norwich.

So let’s ask the question – can any – or all three – stay up?

The age-old adage is: take the three promoted clubs, put the names into a hat and pull one out – that name will stay up. That’s how difficult it is for a newly promoted team to stay in the division, and even then ‘second season syndrome’ is prevalent among those overstaying their welcome.

Of the class of 2014-15, only Leicester managed to stay up, and in doing so probably performed the greatest of great escapes, winning seven of their last nine games.

So how did Leicester do it?

Togetherness is a big factor. Nigel Pearson protected his players superbly this season, keeping the media glare firmly fixed on the manager than the players. He gave them the space they needed to get on with their jobs, and they really really came good in the end.

Another factor was probably the money they spent. They brought in big-name signing Esteban Cambiasso and broke their club record transfer twice – for Leonardo Ulloa in the summer and then beat it in January to capture Croatian hot-prospect Andrej Kramaric.

They say you have to spend money to make money. The Premier League is the ultimate in this philosophy. Every other club has millions to spend, so if you don’t do it you can find yourself a long way behind – and promoted clubs have Championship squads to begin with.

Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, lamented the fact that his club have been ‘priced out’ of the Premier League this season. It’s hard to disagree with him there – their record signing, George Boyd, cost the Clarets £3m. A player earning that per year in wages certainly wouldn’t be considered a high-earner in the Premier League.

The flip side of the coin is spending too much money, though. I mentioned QPR’s financial troubles. They could be hit with a £58m fine on their return to the Championship for their breaches of FFP rules. It’s always struck me as being an insane punishment – ‘Hey! You’ve spent way too much money. Your punishment is to pay even more money!’ But that’s the rule everyone knows before the start of play. So even if it’s a strange rule, it’s not an unjust one.

In this regard, QPR is perhaps unique. But relegated clubs have other financial woes. Once the parachute money dries up, the wages of high-earners – even if they have relegation clauses – will still be high, and the sheer difference in TV money is probably enough to make club accountants gasp for breath.

Overspending is a dangerous game in the Premier League, especially for newly promoted clubs who are trying to compete. Bournemouth are the team with the lowest budget to begin with, so they’ll need to be extra careful here.

Maybe Burnley – despite their relegation and despite their inability to compete financially – are the model to follow here.

They broke their club record signing too, but they didn’t go mad. They brought in players they thought could add to the squad they already had and who might stay even if they were relegated. Burnley’s strategy was to build. Perhaps they got to the Premier League a season too soon, maybe they’d have benefitted from another year in the Championship with some new additions and a better squad before a bigger assault on the Premier League. But the fact is they were never comprehensively beaten this season. They weren’t far from safety.

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They didn’t gamble much, they nearly stayed up, but relegation means little to them financially – they’d planned for it. And the money that they’ve spent on the Premier League season is still more than they’d have spent in the Championship. So they’ve really just given their progression a boost, relegation or not.

And that’s the balancing act that these three new Premier League outfits need to master. Do they go for broke and try to stay up, or do they soberly plan for another season in the Championship? Do they back the manager long-term with the task of putting together a squad that can come straight back up and compete in a few seasons’ time or do they task the man in charge with survival and back him with cash?

One thing’s for sure, staying up can be a lottery – but at least these three clubs are in the draw.

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Manchester United stopper David De Gea appears to be featuring in this summer’s biggest transfer saga.

The Spain international has been linked with a move back to his homeland with Real Madrid for months now, and the Daily Star are reporting that the 24-year-old has agreed personal terms with the La Liga giants.

Meanwhile, United are eying up Real Madrid centre-half Sergio Ramos. Mail Online say that Louis Van Gaal is weighing up a second bid for the Spaniard having already had a £28.3million bid rejected by Real.

It’s surprising that there hasn’t been any talk of a possible swap deal involving Ramos and De Gea, but it did get us wondering whether such transfers would benefit the two sides.

So we booted up our copy of Football Manager 2015 to see what would happen if De Gea was at Real Madrid and Ramos was plying his trade in the red half of Manchester United.

The results? Both sets of fans would be pretty happy with this…

David De Gea at Real Madrid

David De Gea returns to the Spanish capital and is immediately handed the club’s No.1 jersey. The 24-year-old is already under pressure to succeed, but the fans meet his arrival with optimism and fanfare.

And as debut seasons go, you don’t get much better than this. Despite selling Sergio Ramos to Man United as part of the deal to bring De Gea to the Bernabeu, Real are still odds on favourites to win everything.

They sign Mateo Musacchio from Villarreal to fill the void left by Ramos, and then just crack on with the task in hand.

By the end of the campaign, David De Gea had won the double. Despite losing to arch rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, De Gea played a huge role in his side lifting the Copa Del Rey and La Liga. Real ran away with the league, winning by an impressive eight points. Barcelona only manage third spot.

De Gea kept a huge 17 clean sheets in the league and 28 in all competitions…

So it’s fair to say Real Madrid would benefit hugely from De Gea’s arrival and the youngster appears to be the ideal replacement for Iker Casillas.

But would Man United miss him?

Sergio Ramos at Man United

Sergio Ramos is just one of several new faces at Old Trafford that summer, with Louis Van Gaal also bringing in the likes of Marek Hamsik from Napoli, Adriano of Barcelona and Marseille’s Nicolas Nkoulou.

Ramos slots nicely in the the centre of Van Gaal’s defence, but not for long. A sprained ankle picked up in training mid-way through August keeps him sidelined for five weeks and then in November he’s forced to miss a month because of a hernia. Shortly after returning to full fitness he tears a hamstring in a 4-2 FA Cup fourth round victory over Cardiff and he’s ruled out for three months. Nightmare.

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Still, the Spaniard ends the season with a Capital One Cup winners’ medal, despite missing the final through injury. Overall he made 24 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice and providing two assists.

Man United didn’t win the league, but they finished runners-up behind Arsenal, just five points short of pipping their London-based rivals to the title.

So although Sergio Ramos had an injury riddled debut season in England, it still turned out to be a good campaign for United. Life after De Gea was certainly better than expected, and Victor Valdes was trusted with the gloves, though he only managed to keep eight clean sheets in all competitions.

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