The Premier League is back, and the 2019/20 season is set to be the best one yet after a fascinating transfer window. But which London club do you think fared best when it comes to summer business? Who's your bet on to finish top of the pile in London this year? Let's take a look at the comings and goings from the five clubs based in the capital ready for this brand new season.
Arsenal
It was a surprise to everyone given Arsenal's transfer window history, but the Gunners had a successful - even exciting - summer. Not only did Unai Emery bring in dynamic attacking options, but after a long time of fans calling for it, fresh legs have been added in the defence.
A big bonus of this window for Arsenal is that Kieran Tierney and Nicolas Pépé are 22 and 24 respectively and therefore both at the perfect age to build for the future. While new Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was happy to sell David Luiz as he wasn't going to factor in his starting 11, Emery has worked with Luiz before at PSG.
Main signings:
- Nicolas Pépé - Lille, £72m
- William Saliba - St‑Étienne, £27m
- Kieran Tierney - Celtic, £25m
- David Luiz - Chelsea, £8m
- Gabriel Martinelli - Ituano, £6m
- Dani Ceballos - Real Madrid, loan
Tottenham Hotspur
Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs did some late business by bringing in Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso on the summer deadline day. However, fans are still showing some concern for the defensive strength of the squad. This season will definitely be about aiming for trophies after a third-place finish in the league and reaching the Champions League final.
Main signings:
- Tanguy Ndombele - Lyon, £55.5m
- Jack Clarke - Leeds, £10m
- Giovani Lo Celso - Real Betis, loan
- Ryan Sessegnon - Fulham, £25m.
Crystal Palace
After a 16th place finish in the league for the 2018/19 campaign, Palace and Roy Hodgson will be aiming for much more from this season. The main challenge for Hodgson, however, will be utilising Wilfried Zaha and reintroducing him to the squad after making his desire to leave quite plain. Palace have made some strong signings to bolster the squad, and bringing in Gary Cahill for free from Chelsea is a great move. The central defender still has a lot to offer and will be an asset.
Main signings:
- Jordan Ayew - Swansea, £3m
- James McCarthy - Everton, £3m
- Gary Cahill - Chelsea, free
- Victor Camarasa - Real Betis, loan
- Stephen Henderson, free.
Chelsea
Frank Lampard is going to have a bit of a challenge on his hands thanks to Chelsea's transfer ban. However, owing to a loophole in that two-window transfer suspension (it’s a registration ban technically), the Blues managed to sign both Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic. Most of their summer business came from outgoing players for sale, on loan and released. The most high-profile of those being Eden Hazard to Real Madrid for £88.5m - it's just a shame they can't spend the money from that big sale for a while.
Main signings:
- Mateo Kovacic - Real Madrid, £40.2m
- Christian Pulisic - Borussia Dortmund, £58m
West Ham
The Hammers are another club where the defence seems to be the main concern. The Hammers have done good business in the summer, though, with a lot of outgoing players and they also broke their transfer record. Sébastien Haller and Albian Ajeti are both young, exciting and dynamic strikers - Manuel Pellegrini will hope they both light up the London Stadium and paper over the cracks of their defensive worries.
Main signings:
- Sébastien Haller - Eintracht Frankfurt £40.7m
- Pablo Fornals - Villarreal, £24m
- Albian Ajeti - Basel, £8m
- Gonçalo Cardoso - Boavista, undiscl
So, who won the window?
It's hard to look past Arsenal's summer business, mainly because we're used to seeing no transfer window activity at the Emirates - but this feels like a new era. Spurs have also done some top quality business and Chelsea did the best they could considering their ban. But it will certainly be interesting to see what the Gunners can do after injecting some additional talent into their squad this season.