Liverpool enriched the squad by recruiting Brighton's Mike Alister and RB Leipzig's Hungary international Dominique Sobosley, while Manchester United brought in Chelsea's Mason Mount. Tottenham Hotspur have completed a deal for Leicester City's James Madison, Newcastle United have begun preparations for their first Champions League in 20 years, and Sandro Tonali has completed the club's record £550,000 transfer. It's not just the Premier League, clubs prioritise this particular recruitment. The biggest transfer of the summer so far was Real Madrid, paying £880,000 for Borussia Dortmund's Bellingham, a deal that could end up being worth £1.14 million. This shows that the Spanish giants are determined to replace Manchester City as European champions.
All great teams rely on great midfielders – Manchester United's treble in 1999, Arsenal's 'invincible division' in 2004, Jose Mourinho's first Chelsea, Pep Guardiola's Barcelona trio in midfielder Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, and the royal ceremony trio of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro – which is why others are now trying to improve by strengthening their midfield.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wanted to start rebuilding his midfield 12 months ago. The addition of McAllister and Sobosley means Liverpool have now addressed the need to reduce their midfield age. James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all gone, but new faces, as well as seasoned veterans such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara, offer a more convincing set of options for Liverpool.
Arsenal will also be stronger and Rice is adding his power and energy to their midfield. Rice and Martin Odegaard, combined with the experience of Jorginho and Thomas Palte, give Arsenal the opportunity to ensure they are not overturned by Manchester City again this season.
United are looking to add a midfielder to Mount who will bring resilience to Eric Ten Hag's midfield. The England international has already made the team better just by coming here from Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City are still the team to beat, but their rivals have identified where they fall short in the gap to the championship and set out to address those shortcomings.