Arsenal

Great expectations
If Arsène Wenger has an ambitious transfer target, it may be Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender who supported Arsenal as a boy. Yaya Touré, of Barcelona, has been mentioned to replace Mathieu Flamini as the holding midfield player, but when has Wenger resigned a player he released?

Reality check
Wenger is more likely to promote Alexandre Song to third-choice centre back than buy an expensive defender. Samir Nasri, the attacking midfield player, is expected to join from Marseilles for £12.8 million. He follows Francis Coquelin, 17, a midfield player, who joined from Laval on a free transfer. Wenger is monitoring Blaise Matuidi, the St-Etienne midfield player, and has watched Dani Güiza, the Real Mallorca forward, who was top scorer in La Liga last season.

On their way out
Nasri’s arrival indicates that Alexander Hleb will be allowed to leave. Gilberto Silva, 31, the midfield player, has a year left on his contract and could depart.

Preseason matches
July 19: Barnet (a).
July 30: VfB Stuttgart (a).
Aug 2: Juventus (h).
Aug 3: Real Madrid (h).
Aug 6: Huddersfield Town (a).

Aston Villa

Great expectations
Thierry Henry may get more of a regular game at Villa Park than at the Nou Camp. Joe Hart, Wayne Hennessey, Carlo Cudicini, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ben Foster – and that’s just the goalkeepers.

Reality check
Steve Sidwell and Shaun Wright-Phillips could be enticed from Chelsea and James Milner could return from Newcastle United. If Foster is not available on loan from Manchester United, Brad Guzan, the United States goalkeeper, is still a target. Villa’s new right back may be Giourkas Seitaridis, of Atlético Madrid, or Hugo Campagnaro, of Sampdoria. Tom Huddlestone and Aaron Lennon, of Tottenham Hotspur, Habib Habibou, of Charleroi, and Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant, of Liverpool, are also targets.

On their way out
Marlon Harewood is wanted by Stoke City and Fulham while Shaun Maloney could join Sunderland. Olof Mellberg has left for Juventus and Patrik Berger has rejoined Sparta Prague. Gareth Barry?

Preseason matches
July 19-20: Intertoto Cup third qualifying round, first leg.
July 26-27: Second leg: opposition to be confirmed.

Blackburn Rovers

Great expectations
Would like to break into the top four and the Champions League, and win a cup. First, need to keep Mark Hughes as manager, fending off the apparent attentions of Chelsea.

Reality check
They narrowly missed out on qualification for the Uefa Cup and Intertoto Cup last season, but could reach a Uefa competition if they can improve their consistency and finish higher than seventh in the league.

On their way out
Stéphane Henchoz, Bruno Berner and Peter Enckelman have been released. Maceo Rigters, the striker, is available while André Ooijer, the Holland defender, is frustrated at a lack of a regular first-team place.

Preseason matches
July 25: Benfica.
July 27: Sporting Lisbon (both at Vila Real, St António, Portugal).
Aug 2: Wolves (a).

Bolton Wanderers

Great expectations
Gary Megson, the manager, will revive his interest in Johan Elmander but is unlikely to be able to match Toulouse’s £16 million asking price for the forward. Sporting Lisbon are asking a similar fee for Miguel Veloso, the midfield player.

Reality check
Zoltan Gera, the West Bromwich Albion midfield player, is considering an offer from the club after becoming a free agent while Brian Howard, the Barnsley midfield player rated at £4 million, ranks high on Megson’s list of targets.

On their way out
El-Hadji Diouf is attracting interest from Marseilles and Manchester City and will be allowed to follow Iván Campo, Stelios Giannakopoulos and Andranik Teymourian out of the club if an offer of about £3 million is made for the Senegal player.

Preseason matches
July 25: Rochdale (a).
July 29: Tranmere Rovers (a).
Aug 1: Doncaster Rovers (a).

Chelsea

Great expectations
Roman Abramovich sees the light and José Mourinho has a last-minute change of heart and returns to Stamford Bridge, followed by Kaká, Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres.

Reality check
There is about £50 million for the new manager to spend. David Villa, the Valencia forward, is keen to move to London and Rafael van der Vaart, Karim Benzema, Dimitar Berbatov and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been linked with the club.

On their way out
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Claude Makelele. Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Steve Sidwell are expected to leave and there are question marks over the futures of Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda, Tal Ben-Haim, Claudio Pizarro and Juliano Belletti.

Preseason matches
July 23: Guangzhou Pharmaceutical (a).
July 29: Malaysian XI (Kuala Lumpur).

Everton

Great expectations
The main priority of David Moyes, the manager, is to bring in a creative midfield player. Xabi Alonso would fit the bill perfectly but the prospect of the £16 million-rated Spaniard moving across the city is just about nil.

Reality check
Moyes has watched Michael Bradley, the United States midfield player who plies his trade in the Netherlands for Heerenveen, on numerous occasions and is also keen to bring Michael Johnson, the Manchester City midfield player, to Goodison Park.

On their way out
Thomas Gravesen has already returned to Celtic after his loan stint at Goodison while Moyes is also keen to offload Andy van der Meyde, the Dutch midfield player, who has a year left on his contract.

Preseason matches
July 19: Cambridge United (a).
July 22: Preston North End (a).
July 25: Nottingham Forest (a).
July 30: Chicago Fire (a).
Aug 3: Colorado Rapids (a).

Fulham

Great expectations
Louis Saha returns to Craven Cottage from Manchester United, Steve Finnan comes back from Liverpool and brings Harry Kewell with him, George Boateng follows Mark Schwarzer from Middlesbrough on a free transfer and West Ham United cut their losses and return Luis Boa Morte to sender.

Reality check
Some obscure Scandinavian players who turn out to be half-decent and Marlon Harewood – if Roy Hodgson can convince the Aston Villa striker to swap the West Midlands for West London.

On their way out
Ten players have been released, while Kasey Keller, the goalkeeper, Chris Baird, Moritz Volz, Gabriel Zakuani, Dejan Stefanovic, the defenders, Steven Davis, Lee Cook, Alexei Smertin, the midfield players, and Diomansy Kamara, Seol Ki Hyeon, Collins John and Hameur Bouazza, the forwards, are all available.

Preseason matches
July 19: Celtic (h).

July 23: FC Seoul (a).
July 26: Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i FC (a).
Aug 2: Birmingham City (a).

Hull City

Great expectations
None at all, really. Probably still surprised to be members of the most exclusive club in the world. Survival would be a memorable achievement, on a par with gaining promotion.

Reality check
A season of struggle lies ahead for Phil Brown, the manager, and his players, but they are unlikely to be as poor as Derby County. No one can be that bad again, surely.

On their way out
Brown should get one more campaign out of Dean Windass, the veteran striker, but the future of Craig Fagan is unclear. The forward spent the last three months of last season on loan from Derby. Mark Tyler and Simon Walton will leave.

Preseason matches
To be arranged.

Liverpool

Great expectations
Rafael BenÍtez, the manager, wants to bring in a world-class striker to complement Fernando Torres, who enjoyed an outstanding first season in the Premier League. Dimitar Berbatov, of Tottenham Hotspur, is likely to favour Manchester United ahead of Anfield.

Reality check
Having angered Martin O’Neill, the Aston Villa manager, by making public his admiration of Gareth Barry, the England midfield player, BenÍtez can expect to seal Barry’s signature before the start of the new season.

On their way out
Juventus have not been put off by the £16 million price tag for Xabi Alonso, while Peter Crouch, the forward, is moving closer to completing a move to Portsmouth. John Arne Riise, Jermaine Pennant and Scott Carson are also likely to be surplus to requirements.

Preseason matches
July 26: Rangers (a – tbc).
July 30: Villarreal (a).

Manchester City

Great expectations
Until Ronaldinho moves somewhere else, Thaksin Shinawatra, the owner, will hope to lure the Barcelona player and would also like to sign another Brazilian, Jô, from CSKA Moscow.

Reality check
All depends on who is in charge, but City could end up looking at the likes of Tal Ben-Haim, Steve Sidwell and Claudio Pizarro, of Chelsea, or El-Hadji Diouf, of Bolton Wanderers.

On their way out
Micah Richards, Joe Hart and Michael Johnson are all likely to be sought after, while Richard Dunne is definitely leaving along with a host of fringe players such as Sun Jihai, Emile Mpenza, Andreas Isaksson and Georgios Samaras.

Preseason matches
July 17 and 31: Uefa Cup first qualifying round.

Manchester United

Great expectations
Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender, may prove an optimistic target, with City loath to sell to their great rivals. Prising Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur may also be a costly exercise.

Reality check
Aaron Ramsey, the Cardiff City midfield player, could arrive as “one for the future”, but Daniel Alves, the Seville defender, and his teammate, LuÍs Fabiano, the forward, are top targets, despite expensive price tags.

On their way out
Bordeaux are ready to sign Mikaël Silvestre, the defender, while Louis Saha, the forward, is expected to go. Fringe players such as Chris Eagles and Jonny Evans are likely to follow Gerard Piqué, who has returned to Barcelona, out of the club.

Preseason matches
July 12: Aberdeen (a).
July 19: Kaizer Chiefs (Cape Town).
July 22: Orlando Pirates (Durban).
July 26: Winners of Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates (Pretoria).
Aug 2: Espanyol (h).
Aug 10: FA Community Shield: Portsmouth (Wembley).

Middlesbrough

Great expectations
Wage restraint is a theme at the Riverside Stadium, so ambitious targets such as Steve Sidwell, of Chelsea, may not materialise, but the club are focusing on the team ethic rather than hiring illustrious names for the sake of it.

Reality check
Should Gary O’Neil be sold, James Milner, of Newcastle United, will be targeted, while Zoltan Gera, of West Bromwich Albion, is available on a free transfer. Midfield is the priority.

On their way out
Mark Schwarzer, the long-serving goalkeeper, has joined Fulham, while Gaizka Mendieta, Fabio Rochemback and Lee Dong Gook have been released. George Boateng has been told he can leave, while O’Neil is unsettled on Teesside.

Preseason matches
July 18: York City (a).
July 22: Celtic (Algarve Stadium).
July 24: Vitória Guimarães (Algarve Stadium).
July 29: Carlisle United (a).
Aug 2: Hibernian (a).
Aug 5: Darlington (a).

Newcastle United

Great expectations
As always, high. Kevin Keegan wants three or four players to “light the place up”, but expenditure is likely to be limited to £20 million and directors are determined to reduce the wage bill. That rules out any nonsense regarding Thierry Henry.

Reality check
The manager fancies the proven experience of Richard Dunne, of Manchester City, and John Arne Riise, of Liverpool, but Newcastle cannot offer European football and face stiff competition. Dennis Wise’s scouting team are keen to sign young foreign players with a potential sell-on value.

On their way out
Stephen Carr, James Troisi, Lamine Diatta and Peter Ramage have been released. Emre Belözoglu has joined Fenerbahçe, Shola Ameobi is expected to leave and Charles N’Zogbia may follow.

Preseason matches
Aug 9: Valencia (h).

Portsmouth

Great expectations
Harry Redknapp has denied that there has been any contact with Liverpool about Peter Crouch, but the manager has admitted that Richard Dunne, of Manchester City, is a target. But so are Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge, of Chelsea, Sidney Govou, of Lyons, John Mensah, of Rennes. And Crouch, of course.

Reality check
Younès Kaboul has not impressed at Tottenham Hotspur but is a long-time target for Redknapp. Nathan Dyer (Southampton), Danny Haynes (Ipswich Town), Jonás Gutiérrez (Real Mallorca), Edu (Valencia) and Achille Emana (Toulouse) are also on his list. Reports in Israel suggest that Ben Sahar, the Chelsea and Israel forward, will spend the season on loan at Fratton Park.

On their way out
Redknapp does not have to sell, but David Nugent is surplus to requirements. Sean Davis may look elsewhere for first-team chances.

Preseason matches
July 16: Exeter City (a).
July 18: Swindon Town (a).
July 21 or 22: Bournemouth (a).
July 23 or 24: Manchester United (National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria).
Aug 10: FA Community Shield, Manchester United (Wembley).

Stoke City

Great expectations
Kevin Phillips, out of contract at West Bromwich Albion, and Marlon Harewood, a £4 million substitute at Aston Villa, would constitute a reasonable front pairing for a newly promoted club. Middlesbrough want to keep Chris Riggott.

Reality check
Jay Bothroyd is available from Wolverhampton Wanderers after finishing last season on loan with Stoke. Guirane Ndaw, a midfield player with Sochaux, is also on Tony Pulis’s radar.

On their way out
Marlon Broomes, Russell Hoult and Dominic Matteo have been released, while the loan signings that Pulis made late last season, Stephen Pearson and Shola Ameobi, may have served their purpose in bringing the best out of other players in the squad.

Preseason matches
July 18: Newcastle Town (a).
July 29: Notts County (a).
Aug 2: Shrewsbury Town (a).

Sunderland

Great expectations
Roy Keane has talked about needing £50 million, but he wants quality ahead of stellar individuals. Persuading Sir Alex Ferguson to sell Jonny Evans, the Manchester United defender, would be regarded as a coup.

Reality check
Stephen Hunt, of Reading, and Julio Arca, of Middlesbrough, are realistic possibilities and the calibre of player Sunderland hope to attract now they have proved themselves in the top flight. Finding a nimble partner for Kenwyne Jones would help.

On their way out
Only Craig Gordon and Jones are “untouchable”, Keane says, and departures are expected to reach double figures. Ian Harte, Stanislav Varga, Stephen Wright and Andrew Cole have been released.

Preseason matches
July 20: Sporting Lisbon (a).
July 23: Vitória Setúbal (a).
July 30: Nottingham Forest (a).
Aug 3: Ajax (h).
Aug 7: Athlone Town (a).
Aug 9: Shamrock Rovers (a).

Tottenham Hotspur

Great expectations
Flirting with big-name players has frequently ended in failure, so perhaps it was wise of Gustavo Poyet, the first-team coach, to dampen speculation of a move for Samuel Eto’o. That has not stopped the club being linked with several top players in Spain. David Bentley, the Blackburn Rovers winger, would be expensive to purchase.

Reality check
If Barcelona let Giovani dos Santos move to White Hart Lane, how good can the attacking midfield player be? The search for a left winger continues, with Adam Johnson, of Middlesbrough, and Diego Capel, of Seville, mentioned. Richard Dunne, the Manchester City defender, could follow the arrival of Luka Modric and John Bostock.

On their way out
Lee Young Pyo should be the first of many to leave. He is likely to return to PSV Eindhoven, but Ricardo Rocha’s salary could be a stumbling block to the defender’s return to Benfica. Few takers so far for Benoît Assou-Ekotto, Darren Bent or Younès Kaboul.

Preseason matches
July 28: Norwich City (a).
July 30: Leyton Orient (a).
Aug 1: Celtic (Rotterdam),
Aug 3: Borussia Dortmund (Rotterdam).

West Bromwich Albion

Great expectations
Keeping Kevin Phillips and Zoltan Gera is high on the fans’ wish list. Seyi Olofinjana, of Wolverhampton Wanderers, is a target while Alexandre Song, Arsenal’s Cameroon midfield player, may join on a season’s loan.

Reality check
Paul McShane could return after a disappointing time with Sunderland. Several loan players are staying on: Roman Bednar (Heart of Midlothian, £2.5 million after loan), Luke Moore (Aston Villa, £3 million), Kim Do Heon (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, £550,000) and Michal Danek (Viktoria Plzen, loan extended).

On their way out
Bostjan Cesar (Marseilles, after loan), Luke Steele (Barnsley, free). Gera and Phillips look set to chase a pound.

Preseason matches
July 22: Shrewsbury Town (a).
July 23: Cheltenham Town (a).
July 26: Ipswich Town (a).
July 29: Northampton Town (a).
Aug 1: Hereford United (a).
Aug 5: Walsall (a).

West Ham United

Great expectations
Ambitions do not extend much farther than a couple of full backs and some young players. Marco Zambelli, the Brescia right back, may be too expensive, but Dean Ashton should sign a new contract this week.

Reality check
So far, the targets seem to be escaping. Davide Lanzafame, the forward, has moved to Palermo from Juventus, Richard Dunne, the Manchester City defender, is wanted by Tottenham Hotspur and there has been no move for Nicky Shorey, of Reading.

On their way out
Nolberto Solano is unlikely to be offered a new contract, despite being one of the most creative players last season. Available for transfer are Nigel Quashie, Danny Gabbidon, John Pantsil, Carlton Cole, James Collins, Calum Davenport, Lee Bowyer, Luis Boa Morte, Richard Wright, Fredrik Ljungberg and Anton Ferdinand.

Preseason matches
July 20: Columbus Crew (a).
July 24: MLS All-Star team (Toronto).
Aug 1: Southampton (a).

Wigan Athletic

Great expectations
Steady progress has been made since Steve Bruce arrived at the JJB Stadium and the team could push for an Intertoto Cup place. Mid-table would be creditable.

Reality check
Probably be scrambling around near the foot of the table for most of the campaign, although they should be good enough to stay out of the bottom three. Like last season, should survive with a few games to spare.

On their way out
Josip Skoko, Salomon Olembe, Julius Aghahowa, Peter Moore and Russell Saunders have been released. Futures of Henri Camara, Andreas Granqvist, Carlo Nash and David Cotterill to be clarified.

Preseason matches
July 19: FC St Veit (a).
July 22: Eintracht Frankfurt (Austria).
July 25: Hannover 96 (Austria).
July 29: Barnsley (a).
Aug 2: Sheffield Wednesday (a).
Aug 5: Hibernian (a).
Aug 10: Utrecht (a).