With the Premier League awash in television contract money, the transfer market has not been quiet this summer. Plenty of new recruits have landed in advance of the new season, and there is no doubt that much more trading will take place before the transfer window shuts on Sept. 1. For now, in advance of the big kickoff on Aug.13, let's look at a key signing for each club and speculate how he will fit into his new environment:
Arsenal | Granit Xhaka | Midfield
Signed from: Borussia Monchengladbach
The amount of time Mathieu Flamini spent playing in Arsenal's midfield last season (1089 minutes) was a stark indication that reinforcements were needed. With Mikel Arteta also departing, this time into retirement, the signing of Xhaka brings relative youth and added energy into the centre of the team. He's a high-volume passer, having averaged around 70 passes per game for the last two seasons, but he also has a bit of bite: his tackle and interception rate has been over five per game. To be critical, his four fouls conceded per game is a touch high and he may have to learn to rein that in, but otherwise the Switzerland international, who turns 24 in September, looks a solid recruit.
AFC Bournemouth | Jordon Ibe | Winger
Signed from: Liverpool
Survival in the form of 16th position represented a solid return for newly promoted Bournemouth, but one thing they lacked was pace on the flanks. Step forward 20-year-old Ibe, fresh from 1100+ minutes in Liverpool's first team and a graduate of their academy. Certain questions surround why Liverpool would sell Ibe if they felt he was close to fulfilling promise, but his outputs were light in 2014-15, with only one goal and two assists. On the plus side, his pace enabled him to complete over 4.5 take-ons per game and he does offer a different style to this team. He's young enough to gamble on but will need to improve his goal threat to succeed in the Premier League.
Burnley | Johann Berg Gudmundsson | Midfield
Signed from: Charlton Athletic
Last year's Championship winners have been cautious so far in the market; their only current outfield signing is a player from a team relegated from that league. However, Gudmundsson had quietly shown himself an effective and talented performer last year for Charlton and used that season as a springboard to being a part of the Icelandic team that captured hearts so impressively at Euro 2016. Burnley haven't bought him based on his performances there, though -- his 2015-16 season was statistically strong. He averaged over 2.5 shots per game from midfield and his 11 assists led the league, his team's struggles his team. Now he gets his shot in the Premier League.
Chelsea | Michy Batshuayi | Striker
Signed from: Olympique de Marseille
With new manager Antonio Conte a possible advocate for a two-striker system, Chelsea needed to reinforce their front line, and Batshuayi has arrived from France for a fee around £33m. An out and out striker, he managed 17 goals and nine assists for a mid-table Marseille side with a high per-game goal contribution rate of 0.7, which kept pace with an expected calculation. That was his first full season after a promising series of cameos in 2014-15, and at 22 years old, he looks to have a serious future.
Crystal Palace | Steve Mandanda | Goalkeeper
Signed from: Olympique de Marseille
Another ex-Marseille import, Mandanda looks a significant upgrade in a what was a problem position for Crystal Palace last season. Perennially behind Tottenham's Hugo Lloris in the French national team pecking order, he has nonetheless figured on 22 occasions and has also been voted the French league's goalkeeper of the year on four occasions, including the last two seasons. With James Tomkins signed to play in central defence, Palace appear to be addressing issues in the spine of their team. Having lost 18 times last season and only avoided relegation by five points after a huge post-Christmas slump, experience and quality are two assets they needed. Mandanda offers both.
Everton | Maarten Stekelenburg | Goalkeeper
Signed from: Fulham
With USMNT legend Tim Howard finally heading back across the Atlantic to join the Colorado Rapids at the back end of last season, a goalkeeping vacancy arrived at Everton. New manager Ronald Koeman wasted little time in acquiring fellow Dutchman Maarten Stekelenburg for the third time in his career. But is he the answer? Last season, due to injury, he shared minutes with Fraser Forster and his save rate, though a notoriously noisy metric, was significantly lower (62.7% compared to 76.4% for Forster). Koeman may trust him, but seeing that Stekelenburg has not played more than half a season in the last four years, it has to be in doubt whether he is still capable of the strong form that built his reputation.
Hull City | Nobody
Days before the season starts, the club most plainly in crisis is Hull. Having gained promotion in May, they have failed to sign a single senior player and now lack a manager with Steve Bruce having left during the summer. Season preparation could hardly be going any worse, and the uncertainty surrounding the club has only enhanced the perception that they will be one of the three teams to lose their place in the league this year.
Leicester City | Nampalys Mendy | Central Midfield
Signed from: Nice
The task of replacing all-action central midfielder N'Golo Kante is virtually impossible -- no player combined defensive tenacity with an ability to create attacks as effectively as he did in the league last year, and his style was unique. That said, Leicester certainly needed to recruit someone to take on a defensive responsibility in the midfield, and the rumoured £16m spent on Nice man Mendy will go some way in mitigating their loss. Mendy is almost entirely defensive-minded -- his attacking outputs are close to zero -- but he pivoted effectively for Nice in their run to Ligue 1's top four last year as his pass usage almost doubled up to around 70 per game. This suggests he will be capable of keeping the ball flowing in Leicester's midfield and supply much needed protection for their back four.
Liverpool | Sadio Mane | Winger
Signed from: Southampton
With Jurgen Klopp's tactics requiring high energy levels to keep up a hard press, Mane is an obvious fit for Liverpool. A reliable performer across two seasons at Southampton after previously thriving under another progressive German coach in Roger Schmidt at RB Salzburg, Mane is fast, direct and league-adjusted. More a shooter than a creator, he averaged 2.7 shots per game last season, up from 2.3 the season before, and at 24 years old, he's clearly progressing toward his peak. He has also managed over 10 league goals in each of his last four seasons and could form part of a formidable front four alongside Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge.
Manchester City | Ilkay Gundogan | Central Midfield
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Yaya Toure has been a force in Manchester City's midfield for six seasons but appears to be in decline at age 33. While he's still well capable of dictating play with incisive passing, Toure has struggled with defensive work over the last couple of years, and this is not a problem City had properly addressed. Until now. Ilkay Gundogan arrives from Borussia Dortmund with a playmaking role earmarked for him once he recovers from a knee injury. He's increased his pass volume in each of the last five seasons, and under Thomas Tuchel's direction he became the key central passer for Dortmund, completing nearly 80 per game. Manager Pep Guardiola is sure to want his chief midfielder to control possession, and Gundogan has all the attributes to excel in that role.
Manchester United | Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Attacking Midfield
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Bereft of attacking sparkle throughout Louis van Gaal's two-year tenure, the signing of Mkhitaryan adds distinct creative nous to Manchester United's forward unit. An explosive 2015-16 for Borussia Dortmund saw him finish with 11 league goals and 15 assists, and United will hope that he can settle quickly and translate this elite form to the Premier League. At 27, he's right on peak age, and United should get the very best of him, but manager Jose Mourinho might need to empower him. That last season at Dortmund was a step ahead of previous years, and he thrived under Thomas Tuchel's coaching. From a central attacking midfield role, Mkhitaryan can be a decisive player, but he'll need to be allowed a degree of creative freedom.
Middlesbrough | Marten de Roon | Central Midfield
Signed from: Atalanta
A familiar problem for clubs promoted to the Premier League is upgrading their squad effectively without disrupting the balance of the team that provided prior success. For Middlesbrough, reinforcing central midfield with de Roon seems a smart move, but a high fee and potential lack of versatility tempers enthusiasm. Signed for around £12m after one season in Serie A with Atalanta, he offers some defensive bite in midfield, but with his foul rate almost matching his successful tackle rate (78 to 92) it's a concern that the one pronounced strength in his game -- defensive work -- could be undermined by a slight lack of discipline. The general pace of play in the Premier League is faster than that of Serie A, and he will need to settle and acclimate quickly.
Southampton | Nathan Redmond | Attacking Midfield
Signed from: Norwich City
With Sadio Mane sold for a big fee to Liverpool, Southampton needed a similar type of player to fill the gap. They've enabled former Norwich man Redmond to continue to ply his trade in the Premier League. It's a typical play from Southampton, who have developed a reputation as one of the shrewdest traders in the league; sell first-teamers high and replace with promising, younger talent.
Redmond struggled at times last year as part of a weak Norwich attack but still contributed six goals and three assists. He is well capable of contributing from a variety of forward roles both from wide and centrally, and this versatility should see him become a key contributor for Southampton this year.
Stoke City | Joe Allen | Central Midfield
Signed from: Liverpool
One of the simple warnings about transfers is to be wary of signing players off the back of good performances in summer international tournaments. Allen arrives at Stoke from Liverpool having been a pivotal member of the Welsh side that reached the semifinals of Euro 2016, but perhaps we can forgive that line of thinking given that Stoke manager Mark Hughes is Welsh himself and sure to be well-acquainted with the qualities Allen possesses. Unable to find regular football under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Allen is nonetheless a capable passer in central midfield and rarely gives the ball away cheaply, completing 83% of his passes last season. Stoke's evolution toward an attractive passing game continues apace, and Allen will fit well into that mold this coming year.
Sunderland | Papy Djilobodji | Centre Back
Signed from: Chelsea
At 6-foot-4, Djilobodji certainly has the stature to be the answer to a team's defensive problems, and he finally became Sunderland's -- and new manager David Moyes' -- first summer signing on Aug. 5. A solid performer during 2014-15 in France for Nantes, he was a surprise signing for Chelsea last summer, but appeared only once before being farmed out to Werder Bremen on loan. Moyes is known to have good knowledge of the transfer market, so it can be hoped that Djilobodji is a player that he has had his eye on for some time and can transition effectively into Sunderland's team, in a position where they do require depth.
Swansea City | Fernando Llorente | Striker
Signed from: Sevilla
Having seen their last remaining striker, Bafetimbi Gomis, depart on loan for Olympique de Marseille, the need for a new one became essential for Swansea. Step forward the veteran Spaniard Llorente. Much-coveted prior to a move to Juventus in 2013, he arrives having struggled for goals across the last two seasons, with only 11 in 54 appearances. Also concerning from a form perspective is that his shot rate over that period has dropped from over three per game to around two, and at 31 years of age, it is quite possible that his best days are behind him. Talk of Spaniard Borja Baston arriving as another forward recruit may well be the longer-term solution.
Tottenham | Vincent Janssen | Striker
Signed from: AZ Alkmaar
Having spent the entirety of 2015-16 with Harry Kane as the sole striking option, the signing of Janssen as an alternative or complement was clearly overdue. His career somewhat mirrors that of Kane, having had to work hard to gain favour and a chance in his native Holland. Finally settling at AZ Alkmaar, he rewarded their faith with a blistering season that saw him notch 27 league goals and end the year as Holland's first-choice striker. Kane has followed a similar trajectory for Tottenham and England, and it will be fascinating to see how far Janssen can progress. He will not have arrived with a desire to sit on the bench and could well push Kane for a starting slot.
Watford | Isaac Success | Forward
Signed from: Granada
Spending a club record fee (£12.5m) on a relatively untested 20-year-old forward from your former sister club certainly seems like a slight gamble, but that's what Watford have done in signing the Nigerian Success. Two shots per game is on the low side yet forgivable for a young player, but his decision-making needs improving given he only completed one-third of his 199 attempted take-ons. However, the attempt rate of over seven per game is on the high side and could be what attracted Watford, as speed and agility are always in demand. He has clear talent and the Premier League will be a good test of his progression.
West Bromwich Albion | Matt Phillips | Winger
Signed from: Queens Park Rangers
The only senior signing so far for West Brom has been a solid contributor for QPR in recent seasons, and probably deserves a chance to prosper in the top league once more. One of the few successes in QPR's doomed 2014-15 Premier League season, Phillips contributed three goals and eight assists that year, and continued this form during last season in the Championship with eight goals and five assists. At 25, he is on the edge of his peak playing years and at £5.5m, he represents a cheap gamble for manager Tony Pulis. With over 40 percent of Phillips' passes registering as crosses, and Pulis' teams known to favor this kind of delivery to create chances, he looks a clear fit for the Midlands club and their style of play.
West Ham United | Andre Ayew | Forward
Signed from: Swansea
West Ham appear to have spent most of the summer attempting to entice elite attackers to the club and look to have finally settled on the former Swansea player Ayew. A £20m fee will represent great business for the Welsh club who signed him on a free transfer last summer, but there has to be a question mark over whether that represents good value, as Ayew's numbers suggest he is short of top-class. Again we see a player under the two shot per-game mark, which is low for a forward, and he over shot a goal expectation of nine by recording 12 goals. A season of overperformance followed by a transfer is rarely a recipe for success, and Swansea may well have got the best end of this deal.
James Yorke covers football from an analytics perspective for StatsBomb and can be found on Twitter @jair1970.