Summer of planned big spending means Manchester City are the early 2012/13 favourites

Hands up if you've recovered from the drama of Sunday's Premier League conclusion, because I know I haven't! Just when the pulse settles down and I can begin to believe it really was that dramatic, up pops Sergio Aguero on the tv again.

With the chaos at the Etihad Stadium, the Stadium of Light, Goodison Park, the Britannia Stadium, White Hart Lane and the Hawthorns, I found myself at Stamford Bridge almost oblivious to the drama unfolding at almost every other Premier League ground in the country.

But what an epic finale it was to one, if not the best, of Premier League seasons. And how fitting on its 20th anniversary too. Though fans of clubs such as Liverpool and Aston Villa may be more than grateful to see the back of the season, the withdrawal symptoms won't long have set in before it's pre-season time again. And it's the forthcoming season I want to look to in this week's column.

Already, Manchester City are 2.3411/8 favourites to retain their title next season https://sports.betfair.com/Index.do?mi=105629371&ex=1&origin=MRL&rfr=3013 - and with Roberto Mancini already talking of big-spending to rival Barcelona and Real Madrid, it could be a good idea to put some early money down.
In truth, City probably have just about enough top-quality players to scrape by, but with rumours of Eden Hazard joining from Lille and another raid on Arsenal - this time for this season's Premier League top goalscorer Robin Van Persie - they could be a seriously formidable force come August.

That is unless you don't like the thought of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United heading into the 2012/13 campaign with 'wounded animal syndrome'. This year's runners-up are currently at 3.613/5 to reclaim the Premier League title from their 'noisy neighbours', but if they want to compete on four fronts again, they'll need to make a fair few waves in the transfer market over the summer.

Veteran Paul Scholes has already committed to another year at Old Trafford after being brought out of retirement in January and the rumour mill is already in full-swing with Ferguson's side linked with everyone from Wesley Sneidjer (again!) to Leighton Baines and the in-demand Eden Hazard.

Also not to be written off are Chelsea, who will no doubt undergo a huge squad overhaul in the summer, possibly with a new manager at the helm too. They're an outside bet at 6.411/2, but a lot hinges on the outcome of their Champions League final on Saturday.

Should they win and qualify for next season's tournament, they'll find attracting top quality players a lot easier than if they have to advertise themselves as a Europa League team. Roberto Di Matteo's side area currently huge underdogs at 4.67/2 to lift the trophy, while Bayern Munich are at 1.855/6.

But if both Manchester United and Chelsea can strengthen across the park, we could be in for a title race even more exciting than the one we've just witnessed...if that's possible.