La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1: Who will win titles?
By Andy Brassell
European football expert
From managerial changes at some of the continent's biggest clubs to long-running transfer sagas, it has been a hectic summer of activity across Europe.
The season has already begun in France, Germany kick off their league campaign this weekend, while Spain and Italy start the following week.
So what has changed? Who are the new faces to watch out for and, crucially, what does it all mean for the title races in Europe's major leagues?
Spain
What has changed since last season?
Very little at the home of the champions - Barcelona's recent presidential elections saw Josep Bartomeu retain power. Luis Enrique stays as coach but, after last season's stunning treble win, would have done no matter who had won the election. The Fifa transfer ban still affecting the club means the stellar cast on the pitch will remain almost identical.
The same cannot be said of Real Madrid, with Rafael Benitez returning to the club where he cut his teeth as both a player and coach with reserve team Castilla. President Florentino Perez's decision to remove Carlo Ancelotti from the post was a controversial one and though the squad that starts this season will be similar to the one that ended the last, we can expect tactical tweaks. Gareth Bale has been tried in the number 10 role during pre-season, for example.
There is optimism that the clubs below the top two could continue their recent strides in closing the gap. Atletico Madrid's retention of Diego Simeone as their coach means they harbour legitimate hopes of challenging to regain the title they won in 2014. Europa League winners Sevilla arguably have a stronger squad than last year, while Valencia aim to make it a full complement of five Spanish teams in the Champions League in their August play-off.
Who have been the major signings?
Jackson Martinez of Atletico Madrid
Atletico fans are eager to see Jackson Martinez (centre) in action after the striker arrived from Porto in a £24.8m deal
The most striking aspect of La Liga's window is that two of the biggest movers cannot play for the first half of the season. Barcelona's transfer ban means Arda Turan (signing from Atletico Madrid) and Aleix Vidal (from Sevilla) cannot be registered as players until 1 January. This means that Luis Enrique will have two deluxe reinforcements already acclimatised to the Nou Camp for the second half of the season.
The goalkeeping situation at Real Madrid is a concern, with everything on hold for the anticipated arrival of David De Gea. Kiko Casilla , signed from Espanyol, does not look to be the world-class number one they need. The arrival of accomplished right-back Danilo from Porto, however, is a boost for the defence.
Atletico have considerable firepower at their disposal, having added the prolific Jackson Martinez (from Porto) to replace Mario Mandzukic, while Argentine wonderkid Luciano Vietto (Villarreal) and tricky Belgian winger Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco (Monaco) add to a mouth-watering attack.
After a couple of lean years, Sevilla's long-serving sporting director Monchi is hitting it out of the park again, signing coveted Ukraine winger Yevhen Konoplyanka in the face of stiff Premier League competition, and landing midfield enforcer Steven Nzonzi from Stoke. David Moyes has got some eye-catching attacking options in at Real Sociedad with Brazilian hitman Jonathas (Elche) and pacy winger Bruma (loan from Galatasaray).
Who will win the title?
Barcelona. After a turbulent few years at the Nou Camp, stability now reigns. Perversely, the transfer ban is a huge part of that. It's debatable, meanwhile, whether Real under Benitez will be as strong as last season, never mind better.
