20 in 20: Aston Villa

Manager: Paul Lambert
Captain: Ron Vlaar
Star player: Christian Benteke
One to watch: Nathan Baker
Notable additions: Antonio Luna (Sevilla), Aleksander Tonev (Lech Poznan), Nicklas Helenius (Aalborg BK) 
Notable subtractions: Eric Lichaj (Notts. Forest), Brett Holman (Released)

Last Season: Truth be told, its a minor miricle we're still talking about Aston Villa as a premier club after an injury riddled season that saw the over exposure of a number of young players some how not come back to bite them team, and take them down. Due to owner Randy Lerner's tightened purestrings and willingness to cash in Villa have lost the likes of Ashley Young, James Milner and Gareth Barry and with them their status as a top eight club that on more than one occasion almost gate crashed the top four. Still though, to see a Premiership lifer like Villa fighting off relegation with the leagues youngest squad so clearly unready for the task at hand was at times sad. The excellent decision from new manager Paul Lambert to replace veteran Shay Given with Brad Guzan in goal combined with the goals of bargain buy Christian Benteke kept the club alive, in the end buy 5 points due to the late fall off of their basement rivals.

This Summer: The problem with having such a young squad at a club that isnt fighting at the top of the division is that, even if you manage to generate some level of success with them, the bigger boys will always come sniffing around for the best of the bunch. Villa had to deal with this early in the summer when last years surprise star Christian Benteke put in a transfer request, sparking interest from Spurs. Villa out weighted the Belgian and in the end re-signed him to a four year contract. Aside from that manager Lambert has gone about the task of turning the squad more into his own, six in and six out so far has seen experienced heads like Richard Dunne aloud to leave, to be replaced by little known younger talent from around Europe. After the excellent additions of Vlaar and Benteke last summer though, you have to trust Lambert and his scouting staff that this is the way to go. Villa may well be done in this transfer market having re-signed their top scorer and bolstered their defense, midfield and forward options, however should Given move on in search of first team football, an extra goalkeeper would assumably be an option, recently released Chelsea man Ross Turnbull as possibility.

Prediction: A lot of premier league teams had disappointing

 2012/13 seasons and will be desperatly trying to improve this upcoming year. It would be hard to see the likes of Newcastle, who finished below Villa, strugeling as such again. Sunderland the only other team who finished below Lamberts side but survived the drop, have signed well so far this summer, and a full season under new manager Paulo Di Canio could see them improve. All in all its difficult to see too many teams you'd bank on Villa to finish above this term, unless an unlikely team falls into things, perhaps Everton or Stoke should they react badly to their managerial changes. Villa themselves though are a project, one that looked like it was in its earliest and weakest stage last season, if they survived that, i struggle to see them not seeing off the challenge of this seasons three new boys, even if they fail to beat anyone else in the standings, i think they will beat them and stay in the division. 17th.

20 in 20: Arsenal

Manager: Arsene Wenger
Captain: Thomas Vermaelen
Star Player: Santi Cazorla
One to watch: Jack Wilshere
Notable Additions: Yaya Sanogo (Auxerre)
Notable Subtractions: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg)

Last Season: Same old, same old for the Gunners last year who completed theyre 8th consecutive season without a trophy, a drought that now stretches half of manager Arsene Wenger's reign at the club, and a salvage job that eventually saw them claim fourth place away from arch rivals Spurs which nowaday seems like an achievement in itself. in an attempt to make up for the loss of Robin Van Persie, Olivier Giroud scored a mere 11 goals in all competitions, only Theo Walcott top scoring with 14 helped hide that deficiency in the Arsenal that has left them searching for a new striker this summer. Also of note were the resigning of Carl Jenkinon, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Keiron Gibbs, the so named "British core" and the more publicised Theo Walcott giving the side a decent key group to build around. 

This Summer: After taking care of some house cleaning by allowing the likes of Sebastian Squilachi, Vito Mannone, Andrei Arshavin and Johan Djourou to leave on various loan and permanent deals, the club have been able to attempt to address their number one need, a goal scorer to spear head their intricate build up play. The main target so far, inexplicably in my opinion, has been Liverpool's baggage laden front man Luis Suarez, but since Arsenal have been unable to land the likes of Gonzalo Higuin, and have sat back and watched Alvaro Negrado, Stefan Jovetic, Radamel Falcao and Edison Cavani all find new clubs they are beginning to run out of options. Surely an attempt to get involved in the Wayne Rooney situation may suit them better, but it is a sad but true realisation that they may have an inside track over Chelsea for the United man, as David Moyes would perhaps be more willing to move Rooney on to a club not really viewed as a title threat. Away from that Arsenal need to address there situation at the back with quality rather than quantity, Schalke's Benedikt Howedes or PSG's Mamamodou Sakho my personal suggestions. With Liverpool's Pepe Reina apparently on his way to Napoli, Arsenal have also been linked with QPR's Julio Cesar, suggesting faith is hard to come by in Polish number one Wojciech Szczesny.

Prediction: It's becoming all too simple to predict Arsenal's seasons these days. Up and down start, awful patch in the middle of the season leading to calls for Wengers head before a succession of ex Gunners praise they're former boss and blame the players for not being good enough, before the Frenchman is hailed as a genius for somehow dragging this shabble to a Champions League place, and that it may be one of his "finest achievements at the club". If im an Arsenal fan in getting pretty bored of it but its what theyve become. Ultimately with Spurs so far un able to make a major splash in the transfer market, just hoping to hold onto Gareth Bale. Everton have changed manager and Liverpool still appear a year or two away Arsenal should fairly comfortably slide into fourth. Should they be able to capture a Surez or Rooney type striker, maybe add a genuine class centre halve who improves theyre defense instantly, then its not out of the question they could take advantage of the managerial changes ahead of them and sneak into the title picture, but as it is, I for one, cant see it. 4th