Manchester United and Chelsea each acquired new managers over the summer, and the transfer window gave the opportunity to make changes after getting used to their new teams. How have they used it? 

Manchester United have further improved their attack by signing Juan Mata in a move recalling the acquisition of Robin Van Persie, rather than address weakness in midfield.

Sir Alex Ferguson retired after a collecting a Premier League title win in his final season, while the outstanding Dutch international gained individual awards. He had support however from wingers Luis Valencia, Nani and Ashley Young, who Ferguson successfully rotated to keep them in the form required to break into opponents halves on transitions.

But their defensive partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic got older while the younger Jonny Evans Chris Smalling have not formed a settled partnership in their place. And in midfield, the inability of Anderson and the ill Darren Fletcher to successfully partner Michael Carrick left the burden on an under-fire Tom Cleverley or an out of position Phil Jones.

Marouane Fellaini was the remedy chosen in the summer. Though he did not show sufficient technical prowess to install himself in the side before being ruled out through injury, it could prove the right decision to give him the chance to recover before assessing whether a move for another established midfielder is needed.

And United wouldn’t have won a bidding war with Paris Saint Germain for Yohan Cabaye anyway. 

In selling Mata and using the money to rebuild, Chelsea however have addressed a weakness in signing Nemanja Matic to act as their anchor man. Mourinho has been clear in his attempt to threaten on transitions through agile and pacey attackers such as Hazard, Willian, Schurrle, and now left-footed Mohamed Salah.

Selling Juan Mata and allowing Oscar to take centre-stage confirmed that his playmaker, should he use one at all, would be defensively conscientious and help the team resist long spells of pressure that could be relieved through a quick break from an attacker.

However I see the 6’4’’ midfielder as an upgrade on Jon Obi Mikel that will allow the Blues more control in midfield against the top sides, and can grant his attackers more freedom through his greater defensive presence to halt opponents’ counter-attacks.

His proactive approach to defensive pressing and greater defensive presence will limit opponents’ ability to retain possession, and while Mikel displays his passing ability conservatively and from deep, Matic adds an ability to carry the ball up the pitch before picking a pass to a more creative player.

While they lack a blue chip striker like an Edinson Cavani or a Wayne Rooney (buy in the summer with money raised from selling David Luiz?), I think the Blues would have proved a match for Manchester City even had Fernandinho remained fit.

Swansea and Fulham have each replaced their manager by now after poor results saw them fighting relegation rather than contenting for European places. The transfer window gave a chance to refresh their squads, but will they improve?

Swansea chose not to exercise their option to recall Ki Sung-Yueng from his loan at Sunderland, having opted to sign the more direct Jonjo Shelvey over the summer. At the time I expected this was a precursor to the sale of Michu, yet Shelvey replaced the departed South Korea international and the team need the Spain international back.

This season their plan A of dominance in possession hasn’t worked so well. That’s partly because of the tiring Europa League and the loss of Michu, who struggled for fitness even before he was ruled out due to injury. He offered everything in attack in their League Cup winning season, providing energy for pressing, an aerial threat, and composure to both finish and produce a final ball in attacking situations.

Without him Swansea have the power and finishing of Wilfried Bony and the pace of Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer in attack. But the Swans have struggled to make use of their possession and link their attack to midfield in the absence of Michu, who dropped back to link up play regularly.

Shelvey as their attacking hub brings a range of long passing and can shoot powerfully from range, but the nimble Routledge and Dyer could create more one-on-ones and more space to make use of their touch and agility, compensating for their slight frames, if they had Ki as a more technically adept pivot to combine with than the less patient Shelvey.

The smaller attackers need quick movement of the ball between teammates to thrive, and I think the neat touch and close control of Ki would offer more in tandem with Jonathan De Guzman than the Englishman, and I’m surprised they let him stay at table-climbing Sunderland.

The late additions of two Championship attackers who struggled to impress in the Premier League, in Marvin Emnes (does he have the finishing to make use of his pace?) and David N’Gog (does he have talent as well as athleticism?) gave an impression of panic even before the sacking of Michael Laudrup. Hopefully Michu will be back soon enough to halt the Swans’ descent.

Fulham have allowed Dimitar Berbatov to leave, replacing a player with just six months on his contract – an obvious incentive to ‘play for himself’ – with Kostas Mitroglou, a marquee signing who has already impressed in the Champions league with Olympiakos. He comes with great pedigree but the team has looked anything but healthy earlier in the season, which will make it harder to adapt.

The decay of Fulham from Europa League runners-up to bottom of the table has been slow, but coincides with a rising average age of their squad. A desire to rein in spending, perhaps linked to Mohamed Al-Fayed’s plans to sell the club, meant that spending on transfer fees with commensurately long contracts for established players has been minimal.

Instead it has been loans and shorter-term deals for older players, with the team yet to reap the rewards of promising youth team under Huw Jennings. Summer arrival Fernando Amorebieta has looked error prone amid the fast pace of the Premier League without talisman Brede Hangeland, injured for much of the season. Johnny Heitinga, if fit, will at least bring more agility to a centre-back partnership, while the emergence of Dan Burn represents hope.

However, it’s in midfield that the Cottages of looked most toothless. If tenacious pair Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker or the gifted Giorgos Karagounis were younger, I would expect them to control matches through their traditionally high energy levels, but Fulham are often penned back into their own half with no outlet. Their pacey attackers (Dejagah, Rodallega, Bent) have been out of favour and the team have lacked players capable of threatening at transitions.

Despite their respective goal threat from in the box and from distance respectively, Clint Dempsey and Pajtim Kasami won’t help them in this respect, while talented Alex Kacaniklic and new signing Larnell Cole lack experience. Unless Rene Meulensteen gets Dejagah, Kacaniklic, or Cole working the flanks like Damien Duff once could, I feel their hopes are pinned on Lewis Holtby giving the commanding performances seen for Schalke.

As a Tottenham fan, I hoped for this transfer as soon as rumours spread that he (and Etienne Capoue, who I also hoped would go to Fulham), were out of favour. William Kvist did well to help Denmark qualify for Euro 2012 but could not do the same for World Cup 2014, while Stuttgart have fallen to 13^th in the Bundesliga. Ryan Tunnicliffe is yet to make a Premier League appearance.

But Holtby offers the energy in both attack and defence that could help his side win and keep the ball high up the pitch and supply Mitroglou. And you expect he would retain a much even temper than their previous target Ravel Morrison.