'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The summer transfer window for Premier League clubs shuts in little more than a week when the competition kicks off. Clubs are still scrambling to bring in players before August 9 (they can sell till August 31) to replace players or find different options for their team to play a certain way.
Manchester City and Arsenal have made their own big announcements, but Aston Villa have been by far the busiest Premier League club in terms of incoming transfers having confirmed 12 signings, albeit a couple of them are just confirmations on re-signing players from last season's campaign.
Chelsea, of course, serving a transfer ban this summer have not made any signings in the summer so far. Liverpool, however, have been quiet through the summer and seem likely to maintain that silence for the rest of the summer. Their only signings so far have been two 16-year-olds, Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott.
Though this summer hasn't really been a big-spending summer by usual Premier League standards, there have been some quality arrivals to the Premier League, enough to perhaps put together a full team of players.
For the consideration of this XI, I've left out players re-signed by clubs for the second season running, including the likes of Andre Gomes at Everton, and Youri Tielemans at Leicester City. Those who have been bought and loaned out (Arsenal's William Saliba, and Tottenham's Jack Clarke) have also been omitted from this XI.
Here we go, the players are in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Goalkeeper - Tom Heaton
The freshest of the signings, this one just got confirmed today. Tom Heaton's £8 million move from Burnley is significant as the Villains return to the top flight. Dean Smith's side will be looking to improve upon last season's defensive showing having conceded 61 goals in the promotion campaign. Only West Brom did worse (62) among the teams that finished top six in the Championship.
The other potential candidate for this position would have been Huddersfield's Jonas Lossl who's been drafted into Everton this season, but will most likely play second fiddle to Jordan Pickford in their goal.
Defenders - Aaron Wan Bissaka, Jesus Vallejo, Bjorn Engels, Matt Targett
The most high-profile defensive signing in the Premier League so far makes the cut - Aaron Wan-Bissaka slots in at right-back. His drawn out transfer saga ended with the highly rated youngster making the early switch to Manchester United for a cool £50 million. He's impressed in pre-season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side and is likely to continue his good form this season. Deputising for him is 25-year-old Sam Byram who made a switch from West Ham to Norwich.
Left-back was a tricky decision between another Villa signing Matt Targett and Manchester City's shiny new left-back Angelino whose buy-back clause the champions activated following his good season outing with PSV in the Dutch League. Targett will likely start more games as the promising player will compete with Neil Taylor for the spot. Angelino's spot may not be a given as he Benjamin Mendy and Zinchenko ahead of him in the pecking order.
The center-back positions see Wolves' new signing Jesus Vallejo partner up with another Villa newbie, Bjorn Engels. With Wolves set for a busy season that sees them compete in 4 competitions, expect Vallejo to get a lot of minutes for them. Engels on the other hand is a part of Villa's attempt at improving their defensive performance this season. If he's got Dean Smith, and John Terry's approval, he could be one to truly watch out for this season.
A couple of other notable moves in the centre-back position are Jagielka's emotional return to Sheffield United, where he may not be a regular starter, but will be immensely important with his Premier League experience. Bournemouth's new boy Lloyd Kelly is a diamond in the rough as well, his recent appearances for the England U21s indicate that Eddie Howe may be the right boss to turn him into a polished article.
Midfielders - Rodri, Tanguy Ndombele, Jota, Christian Pulisic, Dani Ceballos
The two in the pivot have been talked about for a while now, even preceding the summer, Manchester City's Rodri, and Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele. This would be a double pivot worthy of title winners with the right personnel ahead of them and behind them. They complement each other qualities as well, Ndombele being the more adventurous of the two would most likely be carrying the ball out of the back while Rodri manages the defensive side of the game.
Fabian Delph, who moved from Manchester City to Everton in search for more regular football may have made it if not for the ridiculous quality of the starters. The one joining him on the bench would be Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz - how they managed to pry him away from Manchester City, I'm not sure but this double pivot of ex-Manchester City men isn't half bad either.
Chelsea may not have been able to buy anyone in the summer, but a previous buy whose transfer came into effect this summer is Christian Pulisic. The highly-rated American takes his spot on the left-wing with expectations heavy on his young shoulders as he tries to fill the big Belgian hole in Chelsea's attack this season.
On the right flank, not to be confused with the Wolves forward is yet another Aston Villa signing, Jota. The winger racked up 3 goals and 11 assists for Birmingham last season and has previously played under Dean Smith at Brentford. He'll be raring to go in this new look Villa team.
Fresh off a Golden Ball performance at the European U21 Championships with winner Spain, Dani Ceballos will play in the hole for this XI as he is likely to do for Arsenal. The man comes from Real Madrid seeking regular football but has shown repeatedly that he is capable of special things when given the chance to do so. It appears that Emery is willing to grant him that opportunity.
The three players on the bench that could replace this trio are Manchester United's Daniel James, Leicester City's Ayoze Perez, and West Ham's Pablo Fornals. Both Fornals and James could just as easily have been in the first XI, but they're not guaranteed starters for their teams yet. West Ham especially have some staggering options in attack this season and it remains to be seen if Fornals will make his mark.
Forward - Sebastien Haller
West Ham are forming a new attack under Manuel Pellegrini, and at the very tip of that spear is Sebastian Haller. The French international joined West Ham from Eintracht Frankfurt where he partnered the now Real Madrid man, Luka Jovic in attack.
Haller can do both score goals as well as bring his team-mates into play with some great control up front. He's a good threat in the air as well as from distance. He's at his best with players making runs beyond him and creating space for him. he scored 20 goals and registered 9 assists for Frankfurt last season and it would be a phenomenal return if he could repeat that feat for West Ham.
A couple of other candidates for this postion would also be Newcastle's big newcomer Joelinton. Perhaps more versatile as a striker, Joelinton is a decent buy for Newcastle, but he has a tendency to blow hot and cold in games. Another candidate would be Wolves' Patrick Cutrone, but the young Italian is unlikely to start games in the Premier League for Nuno Espirito Santo.
