The summer is far from over and we haven’t even got close to seeing the end to the transfers for the Premiership, but who are the early favourites for the league title next season?

Manchester United have certainly lost one of their major assets in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo which would appear to make them a weaker proposition for next season, however they have signed Valencia who may turn out to be a good player for the club and add a good shape to the team and most importantly they have signed Michael Owen. Owen is not a man I would have expected to see in a Manchester United shirt but he looks like he could do a job for them. He is one of the most natural goalscorers in the league and the benefit of being at a club like Man Utd is that you don’t need to play every week so hopefully he can stay fit. Man Utd still look weak in the centre of the park especially with the news that Hargreaves has suffered another setback, but I still see the potential for another signing if the right player becomes available.

Liverpool were a much improved team last season and were possibly the most dangerous team on their day. Liverpool have signed Glen Johnson who is a good player though maybe not quite worth the money they paid. It would appear that Liverpool at present don’t have a huge amount of money to play with so we have potentially seen the last major signing from them however with Alonso tipped to leave that could free up some cash, however the major downside is that they would be losing arguably there best player. If Alonso goes it is big boots to fill and if they are not filled well then Liverpool won’t be able to take that final step and be crowned champions again.

Arsenal have been linked with a huge number of players this summer but so far have only signed a defender, which in fairness is a position they need to strengthen. Adebayor and it looks like Toure are both leaving which gives Wenger a good pool to spend from. Arsenal have the potential to challenge for the title but in my opinion only if they recruit a couple of players. Adebayor and Toure are little loss as far as I am concerned and the team can play better without them but the team are still screaming out for a defensive midfielder, although Song progressed well last season but a player with more experience could be useful, and another central defender. A striker is not an essential purchase for Arsenal as a number of players are flexible and Eduardo is back but a top class striker would add some bite to the attack.

Manchester City have spent a lot of money this summer and should in theory be up there contesting the title, however they need to improve their central defence in my opinion if they are to stand any chance of breaking into the top four. Tevez, Santa Cruz and Adebayor on paper is a very exciting prospect not to mention the other strikers at the club so if the team can gel together quickly then they are in with an excellent shout of being there or there abouts.

Chelsea under the control of Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t fill me with excitement, I have never been a fan of the manager, however from all account the team seem to be playing nice football in pre-season and they are quietly going about their business. The key to Chelsea is if they can get the likes of Drogba playing to his full potential again and if they can then you Chelsea will be right up there come the end of the season. I still feel Chelsea has a signing or two to come and I think are my early favourites for the title as they haven’t lost or indeed look like potentially losing any of their top players and I think they will strengthen further before the close of the window.

There are sure to be a lot of twists and turns both before and during the season but one thing we know for certain is that we will be in for another hard fought Premiership season with a very good possibility there could be at least 5 if not 7 or 8 teams all competing for the top 4 positions in the league.

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who writes about football news and football shirts.