Premier League / Mike Norman / 06 July 2008 / 1 Comments

Mike Norman rates the latest spate of signings to the Premier League gravy train...

A few weeks back I promised to keep Betting.Betfair readers up to date with the new Premiership signings and how this would impact on the clubs they have joined. The likes of Giovani, Modric and Boswinga I spoke about last time, but what's happened since then? Quite a lot actually - the summer transfer market seems to have gone into overdrive now that Euro 08 is done and dusted and it seems like every club is starting to show the colour of their money.

It's certainly not the biggest signing of the summer in terms of cash by any means, but in terms of significance then the arrival of Deco at Chelsea is massive as it suggests England's Frank Lampard will play his football elsewhere next season.

Lampard has been one of the most influential midfielders in the Premiership for years now and his goalscoring record is second to none. For Deco to come in and have a similar impact will take an effort of gigantic proportions. His La Liga record with Barcelona reads just 13 goals in 112 appearances and though I'd never suggest that Lampard and Michael Ballack in the same midfield were a huge success, I can see the combination of Deco and Ballack being far less effective. Deco himself is an excellent player, creative and a great passer - but so is Ballack, and I just don't think they will complement each other in the same midfield. I could be wrong - please let me know if you think I am.

I'm really unsure of Chelsea's chances of winning the Premiership, and at [3.2] I wouldn't be a backer myself at this stage. You will get similar odds six weeks into the season, and at that point you will have had a chance to assess how the upheaval of arrivals, departures and a new manager has affected the club.

Perhaps the most eye-catching transfer of the summer so far is the acquisition of Jo (real name Joao Alves de Assis Silva) by Manchester City for a record undisclosed fee, rumoured to be around £18m.

City had a decent season last term but were undone by not having a top class goalscorer in their squad, despite the signings of Felipe Caicedo and Benjani (just three league goals between them in the second half of the season). If Jo can bring his CSKA Moscow form to the Premiership (30 league goals in 53 appearances) then this Brazilian international will doubtless prove to be a great signing. However, at CSKA he had at least another five Brazilians to keep him company and my only worry is this young South American not settling in England.

There's more than a tinge of excitement around the City of Manchester Stadium at the moment, and if Thaksin Shinawatra's cash can help bring Ronaldhino to the club then the current odds of [15.5] for Man City to finish in the top four will soon evaporate. Odds of [3.35] for a top six finish are probably more realistic, however.

The one area in which Bolton were desperate to strengthen was in attack, and they've done that by securing the services of Johan Elmander for a fee of £10m. This tall, powerful, old fashioned centre forward has plenty of experience at club and international level and I'm sure he has what it takes to fill the void left by Nicolas Anelka. Bolton can be backed at [4.7] to be relegated from the Premiership or at [21.0] to reach the dizzy heights of the top six.

The North East has seen some transfer activity in the last week with both Newcastle and Middlesbrough adding to their squads. The Magpies have signed Jonas Gutierrez from Real Mallorca for an undisclosed fee, whilst Boro have brought Marvin Emnes (£3.2m) and Didier Digard (£4m) to the Riverside.

Newcastle have been a bit hit and miss when signing flamboyant left wingers in the past (David Ginola - hit, Albert Luque - miss) and Gutierrez, also known as Spiderman because of his elaborate goal celebrations, will need to hit the ground running if he is to win over the passionate and demanding Geordie faithful. Kevin Keegan's men can be backed at [5.7] to finish the 2008/09 Premiership in the top six or at [14.5] in the 'Winner w/o Big 4' market.

Gareth Southgate has been chasing Digard all summer and this promising French midfielder looks to be exactly what Boro need with reports that George Boateng is set to join Hull City. Marvin Emnes can play anywhere across the front and will add even more strength to a solid looking Middlesbrough attack. I've let my heart rule my head regarding the club I support and at [15.5] for them to finish in the top six my money is down.

Tags: Bolton, Chelsea, Deco, Didier Digard, Frank Lampard, Jo, Johan Elmander, Jonas Gutierrez, Manchester City, Marvin Emnes, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Ronaldhino