A club-by-club guide to the ins and outs of the transfer window so far

Arsenal

Laurent Koscielny and Marouane Chamakh have arrived to bolster defence and attack. Arsène Wenger still needs a goalkeeper as he remains unconvinced by the current No1, Manuel Almunia. Mark Schwarzer is favourite but Manchester City’s Shay Given may interest the manager, who has up to £15m to spend

Who they have signed

Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, £9.7m), Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, free)

Who they still want

Mark Schwarzer (Fulham), Shay Given (Manchester City)

Aston Villa

It is difficult to see much activity at Villa Park unless a permanent manager is appointed before the window closes. With Stephen Ireland arriving as part of the James Milner deal and several promising youngsters emerging, Villa’s squad looks reasonably strong, although a prolific goalscorer would be a welcome addition

Who they have signed

Stephen Ireland (Manchester City, part-exchange)

Who they still want

No targets at present

Birmingham City

Alex McLeish has endured plenty of frustration since making a couple of early signings. The arrival of Matt Derbyshire has increased McLeish’s attacking options but the Birmingham manager still feels his squad lacks depth and quality. A left-winger, such as Charles N’Zogbia, remains high on his list

Who they have signed

Ben Foster (Man Utd, £6m), Nikola Zigic (Valencia, £6m), Enric Valles (NAC Breda, free), Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos, loan)

Who they still want

Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan)

Blackburn Rovers

A prospective new owner is talking up a £100m war chest for Sam Allardyce and, alarmingly, the prospect of bringing David Beckham to Ewood Park. Back in the real world, Allardyce is continuing his exhaustive search for an inexpensive striker to rectify last season’s glaring weakness

Who they have signed

Hugo Fernández (Unión Deportiva Cornellà, nominal), Mame Biram Diouf (Man Utd, loan)

Who they still want

Ivelin Popov (Litex Lovech), Benjani Mwaruwari (free agent)

Blackpool

A chaotic summer has now seen Blackpool’s chairman, Karl Oyston, step down, leaving Ian Holloway and his players with little inkling of what the future holds. A £10,000 a week wage ceiling makes recruitment tricky

Who they have signed

Craig Cathcart (Man Utd, £500k), Chris Basham (Bolton, £500k), Marlon Harewood (free agent), Elliot Grandin (CSKA Sofia, undisc), Ludovic Sylvestre (Mlada Boleslav, undisc), Malaury Martin (Monaco, free)

Who they still want

Anyone Holloway can get his hands on

Bolton Wanderers

Owen Coyle hopes mainly to trim his squad, with Danny Shittu and Jlloyd Samuel among those available, but he will explore the loan market towards the end of the window. The priority is a passer in midfield after recruiting Jack Wilshere on loan from Arsenal last season

Who they have signed

Marcos Alonso (Real Madrid, £1.6m), Tom Eaves (Oldham, £350,000), Robbie Blake (Burnley, free), Ivan Klasnic (Nantes, free), Martin Petrov (Man City, free)

Who they still want

Tom Cleverley (Man Utd)

Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti began the summer wanting to bolster his midfield and attack, and following Ricardo Carvalho’s departure for Real Madrid he now appears light in central defence, although he says he will not be strengthening that area. If he can add the Brazil forward Neymar he will be content

Who they have signed

Ramires (Benfica £16.3m), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m), Matej Delac (Zapresic, £2.7m), Tomas Kalac (Sigma, undisc)

Who they still want

Neymar (Santos)

Everton

Ideally, David Moyes would love to add a top goalscorer and a quick right-midfielder to his squad. The reality is that he has no money to spend unless he sells Yakubu Ayegbeni, Joseph Yobo and, more reluctantly, Steven Pienaar. The approach to Craig Bellamy shows Moyes has not given up hope of a late solution

Who they have signed

Magaye Gueye (Strasbourg, £900k), João Silva (Aves, £500k), Jermaine Beckford (Leeds, free), Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw, free)

Who they still want

Marat Izmailov (Sporting Lisbon)

Fulham

Mark Hughes’s squad is light on fresh faces and, if Mark Schwarzer moves to Arsenal, he will need a goalkeeper. A central defender is also a requirement due to Philippe Senderos’s six-month layoff with an achilles injury. Hughes’s budget extends to around £12m

Who they have signed

Moussa Dembélé (AZ Alkmaar, £5m), Jonathan Greening (West Brom, free), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal, free)

Who they still want

Shay Given (Man City), Paul Robinson (Blackburn), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa)

Liverpool

Roy Hodgson has confirmed he will not be seeking marquee names if a takeover does materialise very soon. “We are looking to add one or two players,” he said this week. Priorities are a striker and a left-back are the priorities

Who they have signed

Christian Poulsen (Juventus, £5m), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough, £2.3m), Danny Wilson (Rangers, £2m), Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton £1.7m), Joe Cole (Chelsea, free), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liège, free)

Who they still want

Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Nacho Monreal (Osasuna), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven)

Manchester City

Roberto Mancini has said City’s summer spending – six players at a total cost of £126m – is now finished and there is no reason to disbelieve him but the club’s financial position means they will always be in the market if a top player suddenly becomes available. Saturday’s draw at Tottenham demonstrated there are still areas of the team that need improvement, particularly in defence but also the need for a target man in attack Who they have signed

David Silva (Valencia, £26m), James Milner (Aston Villa, £26m), Yaya Touré (Barcelona, £24.5m), Mario Balotelli (Inter, £22.5m), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, £16.5m), Jérôme Boateng (Hamburg, £10.5m)

Who they still want

David Luiz (Benfica) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona) are possible targets

Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has spent around £25m this summer and it is difficult to imagine the Glazers releasing any more transfer funds given the club’s financial position. United are the best in the business, though, when it comes to pulling off under-the-radar deals, so it cannot be completely ruled out. Mesut Ozil was a genuine target until it became clear he favoured Real Madrid

Who they have signed

Chris Smalling (Fulham, £10m), Bébé (Vitória, £7.4m), Javier Hernández (Chivas, £6m)

Who they still want

Raúl Meireles (Porto) is a possible target

Newcastle United

Chris Hughton has been constrained by the general policy directive – breached in Sol Campbell’s case – to sign promising under-25s as cheaply as possible on salaries lower than £25,000 a week. Lack of cover in defence and a shortage of creativity needs addressing

Who they have signed

James Perch (Nottm Forest, £1.4m), Sol Campbell (free agent), Dan Gosling (Everton, free)

Who they still want

Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Victor Anichebe (Everton), cover at left-back

Stoke City

Tony Pulis was linked with a bid for the Wigan Athletic striker Hugo Rodallega, but news that Kenwyne Jones’s injury is as not as serious as first feared means that the deal is unlikely. Pulis’s main task for the remainder of the transfer window is to offload several fringe players who are contributing little beyond adding to the wage bill

Who they have signed

Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland, £8m), Florent Cuvelier (Portsmouth, undisc)

Who they still want

Nobody

Sunderland

Recruiting a physically imposing target man to replace Kenwyne Jones is Steve Bruce’s priority, although Charles N’Zogbia is also very much wanted on Wearside

Who they have signed

Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes, £2m), Simon Mignolet (Sint Truidense, £2m), Titus Bramble (Wigan, £1m), Cristian Riveros (Toluca, free), Nedum Onuoha (Man City, loan), Danny Welbeck (Man Utd, loan)

Who they still want

Charles N’Zogbia (Wigan), Asamoah Gyan (Rennes), Roque Santa Cruz (Man City)

West Bromwich Albion

The flaws in Roberto Di Matteo’s squad were exposed in the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea. The manager is keen to bring in a defender, central midfielder, winger and centre-forward

Who they have signed

Nicky Shorey (Aston Villa, £1.5m), Boaz Myhill (Hull, £1.5m), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre, £800k), Pablo Ibáñez (Atletico Madrid, free)

Who they still want

Marc Wilson (Portsmouth), Cheick Tioté (FC Twente), Peter Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Tottenham Hotspur

Harry Redknapp is ready to ship out Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas to accommodate new personnel. With Ledley King a perennial injury concern and Jonathan Woodgate’s season in doubt, he would like to sign a central defender. He was also keen on Craig Bellamy, suggesting he wants a forward

Who they have signed

Sandro (Internacional, £6m)

Who they still want

William Gallas (free agent), Brede Hangeland (Fulham), Loïc Rémy (Nice), Scott Parker (West Ham)

West Ham United

Avram Grant has bought in bulk but is still in the market for a right-back and is keen to sign a 15-goal-a-season man. Kieron Dyer made yet another comeback in the reserves recently so may give the squad a welcome boost

Who they have signed

Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM, £4m), Winston Reid (Midtjylland, £3m), Frédéric Piquionne (Lyon, £1m), Thomas Hitzlsperger (Lazio, free), Tal Ben Haim (Portsmouth, loan)

Who they still want

Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City)

Wigan Athletic

The loss of Titus Bramble has destabilised the defence and manager Roberto Martínez desperately needs to replace him. Keeping the likes of Hugo Rodallega and Charles N’Zogbia is also crucial

Who they have signed

Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, £6.5m), Ronnie Stam (FC Twente, £3m), James McArthur (Hamilton, £500k), Antolín Alcaraz (Brugge, free), Ali al-Habsi (Bolton, loan)

Who they still want

Franco Di Santo (Chelsea, loan), Steven Caldwell (free agent)

Transfer windowArsenalAston VillaBirmingham CityBlackburn RoversBlackpoolBolton WanderersChelseaEvertonFulhamLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedStoke CitySunderlandTottenham HotspurWest BromWest Ham UnitedWigan AthleticWolverhampton Wanderersguardian.co.uk

James Milner turned jeers into cheers as he scored in what could be his last game for Aston Villa and gave caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald the perfect start to the new season.

The Villa midfielder started the match even though he is expected to join Manchester City this week, and his name was greeted with boos when it was read out before kick-off.

He scored Villa’s third goal after 66 minutes, after first-half efforts from Stewart Downing and Stiliyan Petrov had put the home side in control, but he barely celebrated in front of the Holte End. However, the goal was just reward for a vibrant display from Villa, who shrugged off the exit of ex-manager Martin O’Neill in style.

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green was also jeered following his World Cup howler. Green made an uncertain start, too, as Villa applied early pressure and he was forced to tip the ball over the bar after an attempted punch clearance went straight up in the air. Villa forced three corners in as many minutes and almost took the lead when Richard Dunne beat Green to Downing’s cross but the powerful header flew over the bar.

West Ham’s defence fell asleep after the debutant Winston Reid conceded a free-kick and Downing was allowed time and space to stand up a cross for John Carew, who planted his header just wide. West Ham’s defending was comically bad at times and Carew should have put Villa ahead when he latched onto a dreadful back-pass from James Tomkins.

Carew’s poor first touch gave Green time to race off his line but his deflection crashed off Tomkins and on to the post before West Ham could clear.

A Villa goal seemed inevitable and it duly came after 15 minutes. Green parried Ashley Young’s fierce cross out to Marc Albrighton, who volleyed the rebound goalwards and forced the West Ham keeper into a diving save. But Green could only push the ball to Downing who scored from the six-yard line.

Young almost doubled Villa’s advantage when he escaped the West Ham defence but Green produced an excellent finger-tip save to push his shot over the bar. Reid was struggling on his Premier League debut and was even penalised for a foul throw as West Ham failed to relieve the almost constant pressure. Carlton Cole made one powerful run into the Villa box but he had no-one in support and his shot was dragged across the face of goal.

Villa continued to dominate and they went further ahead five minutes before the break. Albrighton got the better of Herita Ilunga before pulling the ball back to Young, who picked out Stiliyan Petrov’s driving run into the box and the Bulgarian headed home. Villa’s keeper Brad Friedel was called into serious action only once in the half and he was equal to Luis Boa Morte’s shot after the former Portugal international had made space inside the box.

The West Ham manager Avram Grant switched West Ham’s formation to 4-4-2 at the interval and sent on Barrera and Piquionne for Radoslav Kovac and Boa Morte, who had looked off the pace. Barrera’s first real contribution was to concede a free-kick, which Downing curled towards the top corner and Green was relieved to see it dip just over the bar.

The thunder and lightning that cracked overhead seemed to spark West Ham into action and Tomkins rose well to meet Mark Noble’s cross but his header back across the face of goal flew wide of Friedel’s right-hand post. Villa wrapped up the game through Milner soon after following another bustling run from Albrighton. The 20-year-old forced his way past Tomkins and pulled it back to Milner, who lashed a first-time shot past Green.

Premier LeagueAston VillaWest Ham Unitedguardian.co.uk

The hopes, fears and expectations for all the teams this season

Arsenal

Having been so spoilt by success at the start of Arsène’s tenure, it’s understandable that so many Gooners struggle to come to terms with reality. Aside from throwing us the occasional bone, with the likes of Arshavin, Wenger continues to unearth bargains, unable or unwilling to compete with the big spenders. Competition for a Champions League berth is tougher than ever so treading water is definitely no longer an option. Our young team needs to show they’ve matured and compete in the big games. However, without a match-winning goalie it’s going to be tough to improve on last season’s finish. Last season 3rd Prediction 3rd

The new boys The arrival of Chamakh and Koscielny was hardly the sort of statement of intent that most Gooners were hoping for. Wenger apparently admitted the limitations of our timid keepers, so why hasn’t he broken the bank to install an imposing personality between the sticks?

Men to watch If he spends half as much time on the training pitch as he appears to spend styling his sticky-up barnet, Chamakh could prove to be a big hit. Samir Nasri has looked sharp in pre-season and, having watched events in South Africa on the box, perhaps he and Theo Walcott will benefit from the fact that they’re both fresh and feel they have something to prove.

Best youngsters From Jack Wilshere, to JET (Jay Emmanuel-Thomas) and Emmanuel Frimpong, we wait with bated breath for our homegrown stars to prove their first XI credentials.

Target for the boo-boys Almunia and Fabianski are the most likely targets.

Hate figure Cashley Cole, Greedybayor and Harry Redknapp.

Title winner Chelsea

Going down Blackpool, West Brom, Wigan

Bernard Azulay, GoonersDiary.Blogspot.com

Aston Villa

O’Neill has always left much of his transfer activity until just before the deadline but, given so much is required, to have done nothing by the start of August is alarming. The manager’s lengthy honeymoon is definitely over. The Villa Park crowd is sometimes a little overdemanding, but the football has been very uninspiring at home of late and the squad he refuses to rotate is of his own creation. A poor start to the season could easily see these murmurings of discontent get much louder. We need 100% focus on the cups, including the Europa League, and I’d be delighted with a semi, a bit of a European tour and some real gung-ho tactics against the big clubs at home. Last season 6th Prediction 8th

The new boys We should crack on and sell Milner: £24m is way over the top and, while I respect the club’s stance in holding out for more, we shouldn’t be so principled that we miss out on a crazy offer. One side issue: our scouting system must be awful. During O’Neill’s reign, we’ve made just one major signing from a non-UK club.

Men to watch Ashley Young is top-class, while if we play to Gabby’s strengths then he can star. We need big seasons from Dunne, Collins and Friedel again.

Best youngsters The manager seems to have soft spots for Delfouneso and Albrighton, but Barry Bannan in midfield and Ciaran Clark at the back could come through this season.

Target for the boo-boys For me, Downing is absolutely hopeless. Totally overrated, limp in the challenge and shuts his eyes when he heads it.

Hate figure Blues and their feral fans have always been a source of amusement and animosity. Arsène Wenger seems to delight in winding us up.

Title winner Chelsea

Going down Blackpool, Newcastle, Wigan

Jonathan Pritchard, Observer reader

Birmingham City

There’s a feeling of restrained optimism as we approach the opening game – the feelgood factor is balanced by the weight of history and the knowledge that last season’s ninth place, although deserved, was well above expectation. The core of the team remains and, given that Big Eck is not one for radical changes, expect more of the same this season. We’ll be hard to beat – especially at home – but to make progress, we need to improve in front of goal (only 38 goals last season). We need to break with more pace, show more guile in our approach play and better composure in finishing. We’re better than more than half the teams so there should be no need to worry about matters at the bottom of the table. Last season 9th Prediction 12th

The new boys McLeish acted quickly to replace two departing loan players: Foster in for Hart and Zigic in for Benítez. The only other signing to date is Vallés. Everyone – fans, management, board – agrees we need to strengthen the squad: some pace up front and out wide. And a left-back.

Men to watch Barry Ferguson was superb last season and will be again this year. I’d expect Foster to show the kind of form that will see him push for a place in the England squad.

Best youngsters Jordon Mutch is the most likely to feature on the periphery of the first team; Fraser Kerr made the pre-season tour to China.

Target for the boo-boys More moaners than boo-boys really. But I won’t name somebody before the start of the season. I’ll keep an open mind until at least half-time on the opening day.

Hate figure A couple of players managed to con referees and get soft penalties last year – I’m sure they’ll be deservedly reminded of that.

Title winner Chelsea

Going down Blackpool, West Brom, Wigan

Kevin Cummins, Observer reader

Blackburn Rovers

I am expecting another season of progress, but nothing too earth-shattering with the budget as it is. A good cup run similar to last year’s Carling Cup adventure would be a bonus. We haven’t had the best of summers so there’s no reason to go overboard about our chances of making an impact, but I’m not too worried as we have a young, vibrant and underrated squad. Last season 10th Prediction 10th

The new boys We’ve done nothing of note other than release Steven “hospital patient” Reid to WBA. We haven’t signed anyone, we haven’t really threatened to sign anyone and we have very little money. We badly need a new striker, mainly as we have only two recognised hit