The other contenders for 5th - Everton, Villa, Spurs...

Taking it as a given that we'll need to better last season's tenth place finish, but bearing in mind that 'breaking' the top four might not be quite as easy as some think, i thought it might be an idea to look at the sides who could rival us for fifth, or possibly higher, over the coming season.

My initial thoughts are that we might have three main rivals, sort of a 'big-ish four' behind the established title contenders, consisting of us, Villa, Everton and Spurs. Of those clubs, we obviously have the strongest squad, but we don't have the experience of top six finishes, and perhaps have the least-proven manager of the lot.

We'll probably go into the campaign as most folks favourites for fifth, maybe rightly so given the players who have arrived, but i don't think we should assume that this summer's events should suddenly catapult us above these teams. Our squad, as things stand, is still top-heavy, and might take a bit of time to gel. I fancy us for fifth, but these three sides have all either been there and done it, or at least had a decent crack in recent seasons.

Everton have finished four of the last five campaigns in the top six, they're going to take some shifting. In my opinion they have pound-for-pound the best manager in the division. They perhaps don't have the strongest of squads, though when fit, Mikel Arteta, in my opinion, is one of the very best players in the country, but a set of players who constantly perform above themselves and get results.

They do look like they'll continue to be a side who rely on a strong squad ethic, and average-to-good players performing well above levels they might do elsewhere, and i think that's something to be admired. Whether they can either stay tight at the back without the injured Phil Jagielka, or really push on without investment, i'm not sure, but even with no major signings this summer i'd fancy them to be solid both at home and on the road.

Villa seem to be a lot of people's tip to perhaps not fare as well as last season, and Martin O'Neill's recent comments might've been seen as him making excuses early, but i don't see any logical reason why they won't be at least as strong as last year. They have lost two very good players; Martin Laursen to retirement, and Gareth Barry to us. They do, though, already have two in Carlos Cuellar and Steve Sidwell who i think could step into those two roles.

With O'Neill you can never really be sure to what effect the players at his disposal might have on where they could finish. Similar to Moyes in a sense that his man-management skills are absolutely undoubted, i'd see no reason for key departures meaning his squad must be weaker. Whatever players he puts out are going to fight for him, and they'll fancy their chances for a repeat of last season. Downing's a bit of a funny signing, both in the sense that he's injured, and shares position with their best player. Delph should prove a good buy, but perhaps not right away. Habib Beye looked very competent at Newcastle, and should prove a canny one. I fancy they might be strong, but could perhaps do with another couple of incomings to pad out the squad over the season.

Since taking over from Juande Ramos last October, Harry Redknapp, for all his faults, did an admirable job. Their points return under him applied over the season's duration would have seen them finish fifth. Their squad is very decent, and their terrible form early last season can be swept well under the carpet. Even their poorer players during that time, particularly 'keeper Gomes, improved considerably, and they went on to be both solid at the back, and handy going forward.

If they can keep their best players fit i think they might be provide our toughest challenge. It's a big if, really, the season's not underway yet and their injury list is already several long. The likes of King, Woodgate, Lennon, Keane & Defoe are all seasoned, Modric really came into his own in the latter half of the season, and Palacios is already proving a good addition. They'll be there or thereabouts.

There could even be other challengers. Roy Hodgson's Fulham are, although this sort of term always seems a bit disrespectful, a well-drilled outfit. They're organised at the back, play to their strengths, are very disciplined and especially at home can give anyone a game. They were superb last year, and even as a fan of a side that was rivalling them for UEFA Cup qualification i was sort of happy to see them achieve it. They're not suddenly going to turn into a poor side from the terrific passing one we've seen over this last year, but Europe may prove a distraction.

Sunderland, too, could surprise. Bruce is a very good manager, and one who can organise his teams as well as make some astute buys. With their recent changes at board level, and the new money that seems to be available, they have an outside chance. They've always struck me as being a club where everything is just waiting for that spark, and i think the Elephant Man could provide it. Lorik Cana's a very good signing, and Darren Bent will always score goals.

My personal opinion is that our aim for this season should be to finish top of this group. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and we shouldn't be in too much of a rush after already waiting so long. We should, after spending £200m in a year, expect to finish at least fifth, but not doing so wouldn't necessarily mean us not making progress. Everton, Villa and Spurs have tried doing what we've done before, albeit not with the figures involved, and all, barring one season, have failed. Our new-found wealth puts us in a terrific position, but let's not run before we can walk.