Tony Davies 
After what can only be described as a horrific campaign for Manchester United last season, there is now fresh optimism after the club introduced Louis van Gaal as the new manager for next season. He is currently managing the Netherlands at the World Cup and will have full attention on his new job after the tournament is over. What will he bring to United?
While every newspaper, website and journalist reports the news of players coming into clubs, very rarely do you get a piece which says where these players will actually fit in. I remember seeing one publication try to put Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Edinson Cavani, Adnan Januzaj, Antonio Valencia and Juan Mata into one side. Sometimes it makes you wonder if it is possible.
Chelsea have all but confirmed the signing of Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid. This adds to the two strikers they already have at the club in the shape of Demba Ba and Fernando Torres. Some might say that is a fantastic amount of depth, as all have proved they are capable of scoring goals on a regular occasion. The slightly more sceptical will argue that Ba and Torres have been out-of-form for a couple of seasons and should be sold to make funds for someone who is firing right now.
The Gunners will certainly be trying to bolster their entire squad as they look to improve upon their position in the league and continue to win trophies. It has started with a departure of a key player who goes by the name of Bacary Sagna. Lukasz Fabianski and Emiliano Viviano have also left the club. All that remains is for the rest of the ‘deadwood’ to go and for Arsene Wenger to bring in some quality players.
With news coming through of another transfer blow to Manchester United in the form of a rejected offer for Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera, it seems as though the Red Devils can’t find a transfer avenue to pursue. However, it hasn’t deterred their search for other players to bring in.
Arsenal have been linked with many different strikers already this summer, including Karim Benzema, Lorenzo Insigne and, of course, Mario Balotelli. Any of these could be feasible, although some publications have reported that Real Madrid star Benzema has stated he feels at home in the Spanish capital and so is unlikely to move away from the Bernabeau. Insigne was impressive last season for Napoli and seems like a decent young player, whilst Mario Balotelli is one of the most talked about players at any time of the season. Now is no different, with the Italy international being heavily linked with the Gunners.
With two lacklustre performances by young Belgium and Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku at this year’s World Cup, could his Chelsea career be over before it even really began? This World Cup was a chance for Lukaku to show the world what he can do and possibly cement his place in the Chelsea team next season. This was a particularly good opporunity for him due to the fact that Belgium’s other main striker, Christian Benteke, was ruled out of the tournament with an injury.
Patrice Evra has been a Manchester United stalwart for a number of seasons now and was a crucial member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team as he was approaching his final years. He is a consistent and talented left-back that has become a fan favourite. This means that whoever Louis van Gaal brings in as a long-term replacement for Evra should have all the features that the Frenchman possesses in his game.