In this instalment of Transfer Window Preview we will cover: QPR, Southampton, Stoke and Sunderland.
QPR- Some will have been disappointed by QPR last season after the money they spent to catapult themselves back into the Premier League. They however underperformed and scraped a lucky late winner in the Play-off final after being dominated throughout the game. Though they have secured the all important promotion no matter how. They have not spent the same sums as the last time they were in the Premier League or even last summer but have brought in some decent players like Rio Ferdinand who could be key in leading the team away from relegation and Steven Caulker from Cardiff who is a young talent and can learn off Ferdinand and help with Ferdinand's lack of pace. Also they have got Mauricio Isla on loan from Juventus who could be a good winger for them this season. Also they have got back the players they loaned out like Loic Remy, Adel Taarabt and Julio Cesar who will be like new signings and Remy had a very good season at Newcastle bagging loads of goals. An area for improvement could be at full back as the current players they have look substandard for the Premiership. Good replacements could be West Ham's Guy Demel, though not one to get the fans excited who is full of experience at Premier League level and is solid defensively. Also Fulham's Sascha Riether could be a good player as he was one of Fulham's better players last season and could be dangerous getting forward.
Southampton- The Saints surpassed all expectations last season with their young squad of English talent, many of whom went to the World Cup. But this summer has been tough so far selling their big players last season to larger clubs who finished higher up the table. So this season could be a little disappointing for their fans as they could struggle with all the vacancies. Southampton's youth academy may have to produce a few more Adam Lallana's to get them anywhere near where they finished last season. Though they haven't lost so many players in defence they will need sure up the position as the depth there is not so strong with young Jack Stephens likely to have to fill in if any injuries occur. So some good targets would be Colombus Crew's Giancarlo Gonzalez who shone at the back for Costa Rica at the World Cup and good be a good and cheap addition to their squad. Also Lille's Marko Basa, The Montenegrin was a constant fixture in Lille's side last season and played his way into the Ligue 1 Team Of The Season and could be good at holding the line next season were Southampton to purchase the Montenegrin.
Stoke- Mark Hughes had a positive start to life at the Britannia last season and has added extra quality to their side so far this summer. Barcelona's Bojan was the highlight costing the Potters a mere £500,000 and he is likely to be hungry to prove his ability sensing this could be his last shot at impressing. Stoke though still have many players who were part of the Tony Pulis era and look more suited to long football. Stoke need more creativity in the middle of the park as they do not create enough chances for their strikers to score goals. A creative midfielder is definitely a priority now as the rest of the side looks solid. Anderlecht midfielder Dennis Praet is a young talent and can create chances as a player who can fill number 10 and central midfield alongside Charlie Adam or Steven N'Zonzi though given his age he is unlikely to come cheap and will take time to adapt into Premiership football quickly enough to be able to be a regular starter this season. Or Fulham centre midfielder Pajtim Kasami who played well last season scoring some important goals for Fulham and was a stand out performer in an all together disappointing side. He is still very young at only 22 and can develop into one of the Premier Leagues best play makers.
QPR- Some will have been disappointed by QPR last season after the money they spent to catapult themselves back into the Premier League. They however underperformed and scraped a lucky late winner in the Play-off final after being dominated throughout the game. Though they have secured the all important promotion no matter how. They have not spent the same sums as the last time they were in the Premier League or even last summer but have brought in some decent players like Rio Ferdinand who could be key in leading the team away from relegation and Steven Caulker from Cardiff who is a young talent and can learn off Ferdinand and help with Ferdinand's lack of pace. Also they have got Mauricio Isla on loan from Juventus who could be a good winger for them this season. Also they have got back the players they loaned out like Loic Remy, Adel Taarabt and Julio Cesar who will be like new signings and Remy had a very good season at Newcastle bagging loads of goals. An area for improvement could be at full back as the current players they have look substandard for the Premiership. Good replacements could be West Ham's Guy Demel, though not one to get the fans excited who is full of experience at Premier League level and is solid defensively. Also Fulham's Sascha Riether could be a good player as he was one of Fulham's better players last season and could be dangerous getting forward.
Southampton- The Saints surpassed all expectations last season with their young squad of English talent, many of whom went to the World Cup. But this summer has been tough so far selling their big players last season to larger clubs who finished higher up the table. So this season could be a little disappointing for their fans as they could struggle with all the vacancies. Southampton's youth academy may have to produce a few more Adam Lallana's to get them anywhere near where they finished last season. Though they haven't lost so many players in defence they will need sure up the position as the depth there is not so strong with young Jack Stephens likely to have to fill in if any injuries occur. So some good targets would be Colombus Crew's Giancarlo Gonzalez who shone at the back for Costa Rica at the World Cup and good be a good and cheap addition to their squad. Also Lille's Marko Basa, The Montenegrin was a constant fixture in Lille's side last season and played his way into the Ligue 1 Team Of The Season and could be good at holding the line next season were Southampton to purchase the Montenegrin.
Stoke- Mark Hughes had a positive start to life at the Britannia last season and has added extra quality to their side so far this summer. Barcelona's Bojan was the highlight costing the Potters a mere £500,000 and he is likely to be hungry to prove his ability sensing this could be his last shot at impressing. Stoke though still have many players who were part of the Tony Pulis era and look more suited to long football. Stoke need more creativity in the middle of the park as they do not create enough chances for their strikers to score goals. A creative midfielder is definitely a priority now as the rest of the side looks solid. Anderlecht midfielder Dennis Praet is a young talent and can create chances as a player who can fill number 10 and central midfield alongside Charlie Adam or Steven N'Zonzi though given his age he is unlikely to come cheap and will take time to adapt into Premiership football quickly enough to be able to be a regular starter this season. Or Fulham centre midfielder Pajtim Kasami who played well last season scoring some important goals for Fulham and was a stand out performer in an all together disappointing side. He is still very young at only 22 and can develop into one of the Premier Leagues best play makers.
Sunderland- After last seasons shambles Gus Poyet did exceedingly well to keep Sunderland above relegation last season. Sunderland failed to gel as a team until very late on in the season but when they did they became a match for any team getting a superb win against Chelsea and a hard earned draw at the Etihad against Manchester City. The lesson learnt from last season is not to make so many acquisitions and to try and keep the squad together so there is no period in which the team cannot click and lose points because of it. An area of weakness last season was scoring goals. The black cats were to reliant on Steven Fletcher and so when he sustained a long term injury their form took a turn for the worse, but late performances from young Englishman Connor Wickham, scoring 7 goals in 14 matches, 1 in 2, showed that he had potential to become a goal scorer. But even so Sunderland could still use somebody who can be relied upon to score goals if either of those to gets injured. Good targets would be Blackburn's Jordan Rhodes who has showed that he can score goals at League 1 and Championship level, scoring 25 goals last season, and could be ready to make the step up to the highest level. Also Watford's Troy Deeney would be a good acquisition. The Watford front man has seemed to slip through the radar when higher clubs are looking for a striker but hehas still scored a hat full of goals in both of the last two seasons and was instrumental in Watford's Play-off push two seasons ago.