The storylines which will define the new Premier League season

If out-and-out frontmen had fallen out of vogue – something Fantasy League managers will testify to – the top teams have addressed the balance this summer. No signing capturing the imagination more than Erling Haaland’s arrival at Manchester City.

The 22-year-old striker’s roughly goal-a-game record for previous clubs Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and the Norwegian national side may even be enough for Pep Guardiola to shelve his love of a false nine.

However, Haaland was upstaged by £85million signing Darwin Nunez in Liverpool’s 3-1 Community Shield win over City last weekend. Gabriel Jesus, who has made a flying start in pre-season with Arsenal, and Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling will look to prove Guardiola should have had more faith as their new clubs’ marquee signings.

Harry Kane, who City missed out on 12 months ago, looks totally committed to Tottenham and ready to hit the ground running this time around.

It may not be the best advert for a league that prides itself on being the most competitive in the world but it’s once again hard to look beyond City and Liverpool, particularly with their superstar signings. Nunez, the January capture of Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah’s bumper new contract should make Liverpool stronger – despite the loss of Sadio Mane.

City have signed Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega Moreno in addition to Haaland. They relied massively on Kevin De Bruyne last season and could Guardiola yet regret allowing Sterling, Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to leave?

City and Liverpool have occupied the top two places in three of the last four seasons and the best chances of breaking that stranglehold would appear to come from the capital.

Antonio Conte seems to have fallen in love with