London: It has been a relatively lean summer for the Premier League in terms of new arrivals but though short on quantity there is no doubting the quality.
Unsurprisingly it is Chelsea who have lured the two biggest names in the form of Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko and Germany midfielder Michael Ballack.
Both men captain their countries and look to have completed owner Roman Abramovich's transformation of the west London club from fashionable also-rans to the most powerful team in the world.
A third successive Premier League seems almost a foregone conclusion and Abramovich and coach Jose Mourinho only have eyes for Europe.
That they have failed to reach the Champions League final in the last two campaigns was in part due to the absence of a truly world class striker.
Now Shevchenko is in town, there are no more excuses. The man lured from AC Milan for an estimated 30 million pounds ($56 million) can and has scored every type of goal but is also a talented all round forward who can also create for others.
At 29 he boasts more European Cup goals than anyone in the competition's history (52) and he has scored them consistently over 10 years with Dynamo Kiev, and then Milan.
He will arrive though with something to prove having failed to sparkle in the World Cup as he struggled for full match sharpness after a knee injury and was too often an isolated figure in a Ukraine side short on midfield providers.
That certainly will not be a problem at Chelsea as Ballack, the arch-playmaker, joins Ghanaian Michael Essien, England duo Frank Lampard and Joe Cole and Frenchman Claude Makelele in a truly formidable line-up.
Ballack bestrode the Bundesliga like a king in the last six years, his seemingly arrogant style on the ball merely a red rag to the opposition.
He is a truly commanding presence on the pitch and like Lampard has the uncanny knack of driving forward at just the right moment to score match-winning goals.
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Used to being top dog, however, it will be interesting to see how he operates in the uber-kennel of Stamford Bridge where Mourinho will be quick to remind him that one king-sized ego is enough.
Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov, a former Bayer Leverkusen team mate of Ballack, has also moved to London after joining Tottenham Hotspur for almost 11 million.
Berbatov, 25, scored 21 goals in the Bundesliga last season, has an impressive 31 in 50 internationals and should contribute to Tottenham Hotspur's improvement under Dutch coach Martin Jol, who has also spent eight million pounds on midfielder Didier Zokora, an impressive World Cup performer for Ivory Coast.
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With Arsenal ploughing most of their money into their new stadium, manager Arsene Wenger has had little to spend but, as ever, he appears to have invested his limited funds wisely in Czech Tomas Rosicky.
The midfielder has been an international for six years but at 26 still retains a youthful exuberance and appetite for work that made him a fan favourite at Borussia Dortmund and should quickly endear him to his new audience.
A few repeat doses of the stunning 25-metre goal he scored against the United States in the World Cup would also be welcomed by Wenger, whose midfield has lacked attacking flair since the demise of Robert Pires and departure of Patrick Vieira and Sylvain Wiltord.
Another new face could be unleashed this season as Theo Walcott, international man of mystery, must surely make his Arsenal debut.
The 17-year-old was bought from Southampton in a 12 million pounds deal in January, failed to play a single minute for his new club but still made the England World Cup squad, where he remained similarly unemployed throughout the tournament.
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