As the new Premier League season looms on the horizon, the battle for survival is already shaping up to be as fierce as ever. The clubs who are in danger of relegation know that their activity in the transfer market, both in and out, could be the difference between a season of struggle and a miraculous escape.

In this article, we examine how the sides favoured in the Premier League relegation odds have navigated the summer transfer window.

From new arrivals that have bolstered their squads significantly to departures that may have left them perilously exposed for the season ahead, we rank each club’s transfer activity to see who is best equipped for the survival fight.

Leicester City – 5

Unfortunately for Leicester City, a good or bad window might not be the deciding factor in whether they avoid relegation. The Foxes are set to be slapped with a hefty points deduction after being charged with breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.

That will leave them with an uphill task to climb out of the bottom three, never mind that they lost arguably their best player in Kieran Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea — who reunited with former boss Enzo Maresca for £30 million at Stamford Bridge.

Leicester have yet to replace their key marksman but have brought in Issahaku Fatawu, Caleb Okoli, and Michael Golding for roughly what they received for Dewsbury-Hall. Bobby De Cordova-Reid arrived for free from Fulham and brings experience.

Overall, it’s clear that King Power’s strategy this summer was to bring in young players relatively cheaply and develop them. However, their business this far doesn’t look good enough, and the lack of a striker is concerning with Kelechi Iheanacho released and Jamie Vardy in his twilight.

Ipswich Town – 8

The second most favoured side for relegation, according to the Premier League odds, Ipswich Town secured back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna to return to the top flight for the first time in 22 years.

The Tractor Boys will have their work cut right to the end of the season if they are to avoid the drop, but they look set to give it a good go — with owners Gamechanger 20 Ltd throwing money at the project in a bid to survive.

Over £70 million has already been spent on bringing Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves, Liam Delap, Arijanet Muric and Conor Townsend to Portman Road, while Ben Johnson arrived for free from West Ham United.

When you factor in that Ipswich have managed to keep their best player and strengthen with their new signings, it’s been a solid window for McKenna, who fended off interest from Manchester United and Chelsea to stay in Suffolk.

Southampton – 8

There’s a common theme in the pre-season relegation odds: the three newly promoted sides are often the most likely to go down. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Southampton — last year’s surprise play-off winners with a victory over Leeds United — feature.

The Saints have had an incredibly busy transfer window, with Russell Martin bringing in 12 players as of this writing. The 38-year-old found a balance in the market, though, using the free agency as well as bringing players in for fees.

Southampton’s scouting network must be working tirelessly as Kuryu Matsuki and Rento Takaoka arrive from Japan, while Juan and Welington come in from Sao Paulo. Free agents Charlie Taylor and Adam Lallana also add experience.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who spent last season on loan from Manchester City, is their most expensive purchase of the summer at £20m, followed by Flynn Downes, Ben Brereton Diaz, Yukinari Sugawara, Nathan Wood and Ronnie Edwards.

Che Adams, who joined Torino for free, is a massive loss. But Southampton’s business this summer appears to be strong in all departments.