This article is part of our Transfer Talk series.
Incredibly, the 2015-16 Premier League season is already only a month away! With England's top 20 teams about to embark on their preseason training programs, some new faces will be welcomed to camps across the league.
As a continuation of this summer's installment of Transfer Talk articles, let's examine how recently confirmed deals at Arsenal and Liverpool could impact the decision-making of fantasy owners in the upcoming campaign.
Status Cech
First and foremost, Arsenal completed the capture of former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech last week. In signing Cech, the Gunners added a world-class shot-stopper whose career achievements include four Premier League titles, three Premier League Golden Glove awards and three UEFA Best Goalkeeper honors.
At 33 years old, Cech has plenty of mileage left in the tank, but the emerging presence of Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea relegated him to a reserve position last season. While Courtois would displace virtually any goalkeeper for the No. 1 designation, Cech should reassume a starting role at Arsenal, where Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina split time between the sticks last term.
Despite beginning the campaign with numerous defensive issues that preceded a mid-season switch at goalkeeper, Arsenal still finished with the third-fewest goals allowed last season. Moreover, the Gunners' mark of 36 conceded was their best since the 2007/08 season.
Enter Cech, whose 162 career clean sheets are just nine shy of a Premier League record, and Arsenal's future defensive prospects appear even brighter. With an established unit in front of him and something to prove following last year's demotion, Cech should enjoy a resurgent 2015/16 season and place among the Premier League's elite goalkeepers once again.
Liverpool's Latest Additions
While Cech should help solidify Arsenal's backline, Liverpool has spent this summer updating their full squad.
Most notably, the Reds splashed a reported £29 million for Brazilian attacking midfielder Roberto Firmino. With such a hefty price tag, Firmino potentially represents a replacement for Raheem Sterling, who could make his Anfield exit before the upcoming season.
Regardless of Sterling's situation, Firmino brings another dynamic talent to Liverpool's offensive setup and is versatile enough to play centrally or as a left-sided attacker. That flexibility figures to blend well with new teammate Philippe Coutinho, giving Liverpool a pair of Brazilians to spark their forays into the final third.
Although he joined Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim as a 19-year-old in 2011, Firmino really made his name over the past two seasons, when his 138 chances created from open play led all players in Germany. Firmino also tallied 23 goals and 21 assists over that span, evidencing his strong impact despite playing for a mid-table team.
While he'll surely face an adjustment period coming to England, Firmino's constant activity level figures to help his transition to the Premier League's frantic pace of play. To that point, he impressively averaged around four completed dribbles and over two tackles per game since breaking through at Hoffenheim.
Overall, the big money Brazilian seems a great fit for Liverpool and his well-rounded skill set could result in him approaching Sterling-like numbers during his first English season.
Along with Firmino, Liverpool has also acquired the services of Englishmen James Milner, Danny Ings and Nathaniel Clyne in recent weeks.
While each member of that trio is a known commodity to fantasy Premier League owners, they all await differing Anfield expectations.
For Milner, downsizing from Manchester City to Liverpool should allow him more steady minutes, thus improving his fantasy outlook. Formidable at most midfield posts, Milner is a scheme-versatile player that manager Brendan Rodgers should relish having at his disposal. After all, Rodgers toyed with countless formations last season.
No matter where he lines up, Milner's passing prowess has fueled his fantasy stock for some time. In fact, across his five seasons at City and prior two at Aston Villa, Milner totaled 45 Premier League assists, nearly double his 24 goals over the same span. However, since then, Milner's high-mark in each category came during his final season at Villa, when he managed seven goals and 12 assists as a wide attacker.
Should he be similarly featured in his first season at Liverpool, Milner's upside could entail flirting with around 15 combined goals and assists.
Milner's final totals will likely rely upon the finishing of Liverpool's strikers, a unit that added the 22-year-old Ings from relegated side Burnley this summer.
In his first Premier League campaign last season, Ings mustered 11 goals and four assists for the Clarets, which followed a 21-goal and five-assist 2013/14 campaign in the Championship. Clearly, Ings possesses an eye for goal, but it remains to be seen where he'll factor into Liverpool's pecking order at striker.
The oft-injured Daniel Sturridge is undoubtedly the Reds' top frontman when healthy, but besides Ings, boss Brendan Rodgers could elect to bring in another forward yet this summer.
In that situation, Ings would face far stiffer competition for playing time than he did at Burnley, but he could also benefit from having superior players providing service around him. With that in mind, it might be best to monitor Ings' early-season opportunities before making a further judgment on his fantasy value.
Unlike Ings, former Southampton defender Clyne should slot straight into Liverpool's starting lineup at his right back position.
In his first season as a full-time starter, the now 24-year-old Clyne turned up with a stellar 13 clean sheets as Southampton surprisingly finished with the Premier League's second-best defensive record last season. The offensively adept Clyne also scored two goals, with his first coming in the Saints' season-opener at Anfield.
At his new stomping ground, Clyne's fantasy stock should remain in the upper-echelon of defenders. Despite their inconsistency, Liverpool's defense actually gathered 14 clean sheets last season, trailing only Chelsea, West Brom and Southampton in the category. As a result, Clyne's change of scenery should not really change fantasy owners' opinion of him entering the upcoming season.
