EPL Transfers: How the Big Transfers Will Affect 2011-2012 Premier League Season

The European Under-21 Championships are over and the Copa America is about to get underway, so a lot of English Premier League teams have been busy in the transfer window this week.

Manchester United finally have a replacement for the retired Edwin van der Sar, though they're still searching for one for Paul Scholes.

Sunderland have won the race to sign one England's next stars, and now that Chelsea's new boss Andre Villas-Boas has settled in, you can bet they'll soon become a big force in transfer window. 

So let's look ahead to next season. How will these transfers—and those still to come—affect the 2011-2012 Premier League season? 

Manchester City No Longer Interested in Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez of Udinese is one of the hottest names on the European transfer market this summer, but Manchester City have withdrawn their interest.

City reportedly tabled a £30 million offer for the Chilean winger, which was not enough for the Italian side. Roberto Mancini has now decided to abandon the chase. 

Apparently, there is a price too high for the "Billionaires in Blue." Even though the 22-year-old indicated to Mancini that he was interested in coming to Machester, it appears now that the Blues are no longer in the running.

Mancini also said he did not think either Carlos Tevez or Mario Balotelli would be leaving the club this summer despite Tevez's family problems and interest from AC Milan over Balotelli.

City have been mentioned in almost every big transfer rumor this summer so far, but they have yet to sign anyone, which is very unlike them. Could they possibly go the whole summer without making a marquee signing, and do they really need one?

City ended last season on a high, and if they can keep Tevez, arguably their most important player, who do they really need?

James Milner is reported to be on his way out after just one season at Eastlands, but the club have refuted that. Even so, he wouldn't be that important of a loss.  

Mancini is interested in bringing in a fourth striker, but given the way City ended last season, his team may just be approaching its peak. 

Manchester United Seal David De Gea Swoop

Manchester United have signed Atletico Madrid and Spain's young keeper David de Gea on a five-year deal. 

Sir Alex Ferguson first reported the deal before the Champions League Final last month, but it took until after the European U-21 Championships to get it done.

The 20-year-old keeper already has some big game experience under his belt, having helped Atletico win the Europa League in 2009-2010, but United will present an entirely new challenge. 

De Gea said he was happy that a club the size of United was interested in him and is keen to prove himself.

His fee was in the region of £17 million, and after his medical, de Gea became Ferguson's third signing this summer (and it's still only in June) in addition to Blackburn central defender Phil Jones and Aston Villa winger Ashley Young.

De Gea may be young, but he has proven himself a very talented keeper. He will also benefit from having more capable defenders in front of him, at least when Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand are on the pitch.

Losing two veterans (three including Gary Neville) and a poor showing against Barcelona should've hurt Manchester United, but so far, they don't look at all worse for wear. 

Sunderland Nab England Youngster Connor Wickham

Sunderland have won the race to sign promising England youngster Connor Wickham from Ipswich despite heavy interest from Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.

The initial fee for the 6'3", 18-year-old striker was £8 million, though it could rise to £12 million. He has signed a four-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland got £20 million from Liverpool for 20-year-old midfielder Jordan Henderson and a further £18 million from Aston Villa in January for striker Darren Bent, who was a very big loss for the Black Cats.

Steve Bruce, so far, hasn't put that money in the bank, and he could reap the rewards of this signing next season.

Wickham will pair with Ghana star Asamoah Gyan to lead the line for Sunderland, and the pair should be able to score a lot of goals.

Sunderland were in the top seven for much of the first half of last season, and this signing, as well the ones Bruce is still chasing, shows that he wants to end the next season there as well.

Sunderland could make a push for some European football next season.  

Would Selling Raul Meireles Be a Mistake by Liverpool?

Liverpool have signed Jordan Henderson from Sunderland and continue to be linked with many of the top names this summer, but one player rumored to be leaving Anfield is Raul Meireles.

Meireles came from Porto last summer under Roy Hodgson but failed to really perform until Kenny Dalglish arrived in January. He became a fan favorite thanks to a streak of four goals in five games, including the winner at Stamford Bridge, and was one of the club's top performers under Dalglish.

However, he battled some injuries toward the end of the season, and with midfielders King Kenny's primary targets, is Meireles on his way out of Anfield already?

Liverpool is reportedly very close to signing Charlie Adam from Blackpool, and Alberto Aquilani has also come back to the Reds after Juventus failed to meet his asking price, so the center of midfield is becoming very crowded.

Juventus and Inter Milan are both reportedly interested, but perhaps Kenny would be better off trying to sell Aquilani, who disappointed in his first season (though that wasn't entirely his fault).

Unfortunately, neither Meireles nor Aquilani can play on the wings, and Kenny likely wants to keep young Scouser Jay Spearing, so at least one of these players will not be with the team after the transfer window.

Would it be a mistake by Liverpool to sell the Portuguese attacking midfielder, especially considering the current optimism surrounding the club?

Plenty of Reds are fans of Aquilani, but if Juventus doesn't want him after a successful loan season, then why would they after the success Meireles had?

Andre Villas-Boas Takes Over Chelsea, but Can He Fix Them?

Now that Chelsea have their manager and assistant manager positions taken care of, they can really get serious in the transfer market.

The Blues are one of the top teams chasing Brazilian starlet Neymar, Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder, Tottenham's Luka Modric and Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero.

And with Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou reportedly on the way out, Chelsea could be an entirely different team next season—a younger team, to say the least.

One of Andre Villas-Boas' biggest jobs next season will be getting Fernando Torres back to the form that made Chelsea think £50 million was a worthy investment. 

And that means finding him a strike partner he can work with or building up the midfield and wings to support him because Torres is plenty capable of leading the line on his own.

Aguero spent one season with Torres at Atletico before the latter moved to Liverpool, and the thought of the two uniting at Chelsea is an imposing idea.  

Chelsea are also linked with Villas-Boas' former Porto striker Radamel Falcao, and Roman Abramovich buying both and selling off his older strikers cannot be ruled out.

Having Luka Modric, who declared he wanted a move to Chelsea last week, feeding him the ball would't hurt either.  

Chelsea were rather quiet last summer, but this one should be very different, and so could the subsequent season.

Arsenal and Bolton Open Talks Over Gary Cahill

It's no secret that Arsenal are in need of defensive reinforcements, and talks have reportedly opened with Bolton of central defender Gary Cahill.

The Gunners are also still trying to land Christopher Samba from Blackburn, and on the attacking side, are still trying to finalize a deal with Lille over striker Gervinho. 

Barcelona are still bidding for Cesc Fabregas, but if they refuse to meet Arsenal's price, we look set for that saga to pick up again next summer. Bids are also expected for Samir Nasri.

Arsenal ended last season on a very low point, but a few big splashes on the transfer market would turn everything around.

At the moment, they look set to keep Nasri and Fabregas in addition to signing Cahill as much-needed defensive help and another proven striker in Gervinho.

As a bonus, they look to be getting rid of Nicklas Bendtner. Things look very good for the Gunners.  

Gael Clichy is still trying to find his way out, which would mean Wenger needs to find another left-back, but Wenger has so far looked strong and willing this summer. 

Nonetheless, this could all turn on its head in one moment. The departure of either Nasri or especially Fabregas could immediately hurt the club going into next season. 

Arsenal's future hangs in the balance, but for now, they are looking strong for next season.