Around the league: Transfer window round-up part 1.

Arsenal’s business so far

It’s a big year for Arsenal. Not only have they changed their manager for the first time since the pre-Blair years, they’ve also finally shipped out the embodiment of being overrated, Jack Wilshere. They’ve been relatively busy, bringing in five players so far – the headline player being Lucas Torreira to shore up the midfield – and with their existing squad and new manager, they look an intriguing prospect for the new season. Now all they need to do is tie down Ramsey to a new deal and ensure they build the team around him.

How will Cardiff fare against the Gunners?

Arsenal has always hated playing against teams full of bastards. And we have enough bastards to ruffle their feathers. It remains to be seen whether Emery will bring a steely edge to Arsenal but they are one of the first games for us a the CCS. A sell-out crowd, all of us on their backs, could see us do a number on them. I fancy a Bamba header from a corner, while Gunnar crowds out their new keeper who spends too long moaning at the ref. At the Emirates? They’ll beat us 3-1.

Bournemouth’s business so far

Little old Bournemouth who overcame all the odds to get promoted whilst only having the help of a mega-rich Russian oligarch. Lovely little Bournemouth who’s dreamboat manager is the housewives favourite. They’ve been a bit sleepy this summer, bringing in David Brooks from Sheffield United and Diego Rico from Leganes. They are one of those clubs who never seem to be in danger but simultaneously are only a few losses away from the bottom three. They probably need a striker who’s going to get them 10-15 goals and with two weeks left of the transfer window, their fans will be hoping Howe can pull someone out the bag.

How will Cardiff fare against the Cherries?

Our first game back in the Prem is a summer away trip down to Bournemouth. It’s a pretty dreamy scenario. Bag of cans. Taps aff. A lot of puce. And it’s a great way for us to test our mettle back with the big boys. I don’t see why can’t go there and nick a win. We won’t be risking much on the first day of the season so we’ll be keeping it tight defensively and our patience could pay off. At the CCS? We’ll beat them 3-1.

Brighton’s business so far

The boys from the coast have been pretty bloody busy. No less than 10 players have come in including a club-record fee for Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Their business does have a certain Football-Manager-manager-looking-at-pre-contracts-in-January feel to it as they have signed three goalies despite already having a couple of good ones. Bernardo coming in from Leipzig also represents something of a coup. They also seem to have kept the core of their team together from last year, as well. Hughton is an astute manager – oh what could have been – and I can only see them improving on last year’s 15th place finish.

How will Cardiff fare against the Seagulls?

We have to wait until November to welcome Brighton to Cardiff and by that point, we should have a good idea of just how we measure up in the best league in the world. Brighton always feels like an eminently winnable game and it always felt like we drew against them in the Championship. A November could be pressure city and I can see the team digging in and getting a result at home. A 2-0 win, please drive. And at the AMEX? Brighton win 3-1.

Burnley’s business so far?

Um, Scott Arfield has left them so that’s a bit rubbish. They probably do need to do something considering they could be playing in Europe this year. So Dyche, if you’re reading, buy a player or two.

How will Cardiff fare against The Clarets?

We haven’t played Burnley for a couple of years and the last time we did play, it was a pair of draws. Burnley really is the model for clubs like us as they’ve gone from success to success without ever spending huge amounts of money and it’ll be interesting how we do against them. They visit the CCS at the end of September and I can’t see it being anything other than a 1-1 draw. At the business end of the season, we visit Turf Moor in April. 3-1 Cardiff.

Chelsea’s business so far

Chelsea is probably the banter club of the summer. Despite it being plain as day that Conte wasn’t wanted anymore, he started pre-season in Charge of the club. Now they’ve finally shipped him out and shipped in Sarri from Napoli, they’ve kickstarted their transfer business. Jorginho came in like a 2-for-1 deal with Sarri and he’s obviously a good signing. They’ve since added 38-year-old Robert Green in a box-ticking exercise. They need to pull their fingers out with two weeks to go – Morata, Hazard, Willian, and Courtois could all be on the way out of Stamford Bridge and they will need to replace them.

How will Cardiff fare against the Blues?

Sarri is the manager least known to me in this division – he smokes a lot and he could be a bit of a bastard. If Chelsea lose three of four new players, they could be on a bit of a rebuild mission and that could cause them struggle early on. A mid September trip to Stamford Bridge could deliver a shock – the last two times we have played up there, we took the lead and I quite fancy us to do the same this season. The March game at the CCS? 3-1 Cardiff.

Crystal Palace’s business so far

Another club having a quiet summer so far. Roy Hodgson is a relatively studious coach and I can’t imagine his approach to the transfer window is anything different. Their sole bit of inbound business has been Vicente Guaita, a goalie from Getafe. They’ve lost a couple players too – most noticeably Yohan Cabaye – and their is a big old question mark of Zaha’s future in SE25. If they sell Zaha for the big bucks, expect a flurry of activity to ensure they have tried to replace him – and supplement the replacement with more players.

How will Cardiff fare against The Eagles?

With Zaha, I wouldn’t fancy our chances. Without him? We are far more equal. Hodgson did a wonderful job at Palace last year and with the right signings, he could take them to the next level. I think we can frustrate them and I think we have enough in our side to cause them some problems. We don’t face them until Boxing Day and Selhurst Park is a lively place to go so I’d hope we can sneak a draw away. Then they are our last home game of the season. We’ll need a 3-1 win to stay up.

Everton’s business so far

Everton has continued the trend of spending ridiculous amounts of money on players who are good but not that good. Their big piece of business this year involved getting Marco Silva in instead of Sam ‘Pints of Wine, guv’ Allardyce and hot on the heels of Silva was Richarlison who came in from Watford for anything between 35m and 50m, depending on where you read it. They’ve got rid of some of the dead wood and misjudged signings of recent years – such as Funes Mori and Davy Klaassen – so you’d assume their business isn’t finished yet. A new striker, a new defender, are probably necessary and Silva has two weeks to do it.

How will Cardiff fare against The Toffees?

Silva plays nice football and did a decent job at Watford before trying to force through a move to Everton. They were pretty turgid under Big Sam and their fans will be hopeful of a change in philosophy under Silva. Everton is one of my favourite Premier League clubs and I wouldn’t mind losing to them. We play then late November at Goodison (where I can’t see us winning) and then we play them in February at home in a rare midweeker. That rarity will see a Cardiff team winning 3-1.

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