How will Wigan Athletic fare in League One?

Accrington Stanley – Adam Lord, Lancashire Telegraph

Storyline of the summer: Stanley owner Andy Holt was vocal, largely on Twitter, about shutting down the season. The whole club essentially went into hibernation with the playing squad and management also placed on furlough. Holt painted a bleak picture about what could happen financially with Covid and behind closed doors football but with the salary cap also in place, he’s steered the club through a tricky few months.

Transfer business: The Reds knew key man Jordan Clark would be off and he’s got a Championship move with Luton. As usual for Coleman he’ll have to get the best out of some untried talent with four loanees coming. They include Chelsea prospect Tariq Uwakwe who scored a hat-trick in the EFL Trophy hammering of Leeds’ kids on his debut.

Predicted finish: 12th.

AFC Wimbledon – Daniel Marsh

Storyline of the summer: Wimbledon's brand new stadium, back at their spiritual home of Plough Lane, is now finally close to completion. That's really been the focus of the entire club this summer and in general since its reincarnation.

Transfer business: The Dons have seen a relatively high turnover of players, mainly due to the combination of COVID and player contracts expiring. Veteran midfield duo Scott Wagstaff and Anthony Wordsworth were probably the most notable departures, with Glyn Hodges utilising the loan market and free agents to rebuild the squad.

Predicted finish: They'll have enough to maintain their third tier status again this year.

Blackpool – Matt Scrafton, Blackpool Gazette

Storyline of the summer: Blackpool, like all clubs at this level, have had a tough time of it in recent months but, thanks to the financial backing of owner Simon Sadler, they’ve remained pretty stable and look to be in a strong position heading into the new season. It doesn’t bear thinking about what position the club would now be in if the Oystons were still in charge.

Transfer business: The Seasiders have been one of the most active clubs in the transfer market, bringing in 11 players and moving on 17 at the time of writing (and they’re not done yet, either). All of the new arrivals fit into the 20-25 age bracket, with the club looking to add young and hungry players who have performed well at this level or the division below.

Predicted finish: I’ll go with fourth.

Bristol Rovers – Sam Frost, Bristol Post

Storyline of the summer: Since the Gas last played a League One game, there have been two significant developments which will tee the club up for future success. First, the club made the surprise announcement its long-awaited new training ground will open for this season, with the playing operation to move across in October. Two weeks later a change in ownership structure saw club president Wael Al-Qadi take a controlling stake in the club and close to £20million in debt effectively written off. These were two pieces in the enigma to unlock Rovers’ full potential. Focus now turns to finding a site for a new stadium – an issue which has plagued the club for decades.

Transfer business: Ben Garner, as expected, has carried out a significant overhaul of his squad. Senior pros Tony Craig and Liam Sercombe have been allowed to leave, while out-of-contract club captain Ollie Clarke opted to drop a level to reunite with former boss Graham Coughlan at Mansfield Town. Rovers, for the most part, of recruited well so far.

Predicted finish: 10th

Burton Albion – Colston Crawford, Burton Mail

Storyline of the summer: The obvious big news from Burton Albion was Nigel Clough standing down as manager. While much was made of him doing so to aid the financial position, it seems likely that he would have moved on had the season reached a natural conclusion anyway, with Jake Buxton having been groomed to be his successor.

Transfer business: The new manager has been able to retain a significant number of last season's squad and freshen it with experienced players. It will still be a small squad but most would fancy that the club are in a stronger position in terms of playing strength.

Predicted finish: I would predict upper mid-table again but, importantly, that supporters will be happier with that than they have been previously.

Charlton Athletic – Richard Cawley, South London Press

Storyline of the summer: I don't know where you really start or end with what can politely be described as the shenanigans at Charlton Athletic. There is a court battle over the ownership of the club, not to mention an EFL transfer embargo which has hugely impacted on them being able to replace a host of first-teamers leaving - including talismanic striker Lyle Taylor.

Transfer business: Three deals in with Alex Gilbey looking a quality addition from MK Dons. Conor Washington has been added to the frontline and Bowyer has tended to draw the best out of frontmen he's worked with. Manchester United youngster Dylan Levitt, 19, is an unknown proposition. But there have been notable exits. Squad badly needs beefing up.

Predicted finish: Charlton should be in the top-six mix but, without adding to their squad, they probably lack the depth to be players near the top.

Crewe Alexandra – Dave Powell, Chester Chronicle

Storyline of the summer: A pretty big summer after the season was ended as the points per game method meant that it was promotion to League One for the Alex - and deservedly so. Transfer business has been a driving force all summer and additions and the return of Luke Murphy after seven years away probably the headline act.

Transfer business: Crewe released some of the old guard, but Offrande Zanzala, Mikael Mandron, Murphy, Donervon Daniels and Omar Beckles bring undoubted quality. The side definitely stronger, but whether that is strong enough to make an impact on League Two remains to be seen.

Predicted finish: I predict comfortable survival and a 14th placed finish.

Doncaster Rovers – Liam Hoden, Doncaster Free Press

Storyline of the summer: Like many clubs at League One level it's been about navigating through the financial impact of the pandemic to ensure survival. That has involved a reduced playing budget and, unfortunately, redundancies at the club to help them get back on more solid footing.

Transfer business: Rovers make good use of the loan market each season so it does leave them with plenty of work to do in the summer. It's hard to say whether Rovers will be in a stronger position because there is still work to be done but it feels like Darren Moore has made his biggest impression on the squad so far.

Predicted finish: A play-off place would not surprise me at all.

Fleetwood Town – Tom Sandells, Blackpool Gazette

Storyline of the summer: Since the season was ended early Fleetwood have had the play-offs! They were lucky that their season wasn't entirely over but it didn't exactly go to plan. An eventful first leg did all the damage really but it was another step for Barton's side and certainly something to build on.

Transfer business: It's been quite slow so far for Fleetwood's standards but that won't last forever. So far they've probably broken even on their strength from last season but there is still time and they will likely only get stronger.

Predicted finish: I'll go 5th.

Gillingham – Luke Caldwell, Kent Online

Storyline of the summer: It's been a rebuild at the Gills this summer, losing several players including captain Max Ehmer, as the club refused to hand out any contracts until a date for the new season was known.

Transfer business: Signings are in double figures but that's purely because they had so few to start with. Eighteen were named in the EFL Trophy match at the weekend and there were none in reserve.

Predicted finish: I'll go for seventh, with a fighting chance for sixth and sneaking into the play-offs.

Hull City – Philip Buckingham, Hull Live

Storyline of the summer: Grant McCann has attempted to regroup and has made no secret of his target to win promotion at the first attempt. To do so he will have to chase away the demons of 2020 and inject new belief into a squad that has forgotten how to win.

Transfer business: The high earners all moved on. Every player signed so far has experience of the level Hull City are joining. Richie Smallwood, Josh Emmanuel, Lewie Coyle and Greg Docherty have all enjoyed success in League One but, predictably, it is hard to make a case for this squad being stronger than last season.

Predicted finish: I’ll go with eighth.

Ipswich Town – Stuart Watson, East Anglian Daily Times

Storyline of the summer: Will Flynn Downes go? The homegrown midfielder was Ipswich's standout player last season, but he has handed in a transfer request after the club turned down two offers from Premier League club Crystal Palace. Speculation that James Norwood, who scored 11 goals last season, could be allowed to leave isn't going away either.

Transfer business: It's been a far smaller turnover of players compared to others in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Left-sided specialist Luke Garbutt, who scored six goals on loan from Everton last season, has been the only significant departure so far. He's been replaced by veteran Republic of Ireland international Stephen Ward.

Predicted finish: A big part of me thinks Lambert's 'tough love' approach with the squad this summer could quickly end in tears. But it's also hard to not to be excited by the thought of Kane Vincent-Young, Teddy Bishop, Jack Lankester and Norwood staying fit, plus the likes of Andre Dozzell, Alan Judge, Freddie Sears and Emyr Huws kicking on.

Predicted finish: 4th

Lincoln City – Mark Whiley, Lincolnshire Echo

Storyline of the summer: As expected, there’s been a complete overhaul from manager Michael Appleton with the older, higher-earning and out-of-contract players leaving and 11 new signings coming in. There are now just a couple of players left from the Cowley era. It’s younger squad but with an experienced spine.

Transfer business: New players have arrived in all positions and there’s no doubt the squad is stronger than before the shutdown. It’s not the biggest squad but there’s competition in all positions while Appleton hasn’t been afraid to bring teenagers through from the first-team.

Predicted finish: I’ll go for 11th.

MK Dons – Toby Lock, Milton Keynes Citizen

Storyline of the summer: When Dons started to turn things around under Russell Martin, the summer storyline should have been how to progress from there. But with the surprising sales of Player of the Year Alex Gilbey to Charlton and top-scorer Rhys Healey to Toulouse, it's now a case of how to replace them.

Transfer business: The ins have been pretty positive, recapturing a few of the players who really made them tick last season, while bringing in some much-needed defensive nous and experience. But the sales of Healey and Gilbey will prove difficult to replace, and like-for-likes won't be common.

Predicted finish: Finishing towards the top of the bottom half would be a great turnaround.

Northampton Town – James Heneghen, Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Storyline of the summer: For a long time supporters were riding the crest of a wave following Northampton's exhilarating play-off victory at the end of June. However, that positivity has been somewhat tempered by the loss of big players and a mixed pre-season campaign as reality begins to set in about the challenges of League One.

Transfer business: It's hard to judge whether Northampton are in a better or worse position than last season due to the amount of movement in the transfer market. Nine players have joined the club and while they are largely unknown or unproven at this level.

Predicted finish: 15th place.

Oxford United – James Roberts, Oxford Mail

Storyline of the summer: It's scarcely believable that the vote to end the season was only three months ago, as it feels like a lifetime. United's play-off final defeat to Wycombe was extra painful as they shot themselves in the foot somewhat, but the noises coming out of the club suggests they have put that behind them.

Transfer business: Supporters were ecstatic to see striker Matty Taylor, who scored 17 goals on loan last season, return on a permanent deal. The only major departure is centre back Rob Dickie to QPR, but United had braced themselves for that. You still feel they need a back-up striker, another left winger and a reserve left back, but it has been a good window so far.

Predicted finish: 6th

Peterborough United – Alan Swann, Peterborough Telegraph

Storyline of the summer: Posh co-owner Darragh MacAnthony has dubbed this season 'Operation Vengeance' after the coronavirus and EFL dithering scuppered the 2019-20 campaign. However his Vengeance Tour is a dangerous outlook for a team who haven't even reached the play-offs in any of the last six seasons and could well come back to bite him.

Transfer business: Losing Ivan Toney leaves a huge hole which the club are hoping Jonson Clarke-Harris will mostly fill, but the multi-million pound sale also financed the return of Sammie Szmodics which is massive. 10 of the team who finished last season so well are back again, but the one that's missing was the key to the post-January success.

Predicted finish: They must make the top six this time surely?

Plymouth Argyle – Chris Errington, Plymouth Herald

Storyline of the summer: Argyle were promoted from League Two in third place on a points-per-game basis. The club has been protected from the worst of the financial fall-out caused by COVID-19 by a £3.5 million cash injection from club owner and chairman Simon Hallett. That means that, in the circumstances, Argyle are relatively stable at the moment.

Transfer business: Ryan Lowe has made eight summer signings, with striker Ryan Hardie and left wing-back/midfielder George Cooper both returning after successful loan spells in 2019/20.

Predicted finish: A solid mid-table finish would be a good achievement.

Portsmouth – Neil Allen, The News

Storyline of the summer: Fiercely against the salary cap, Pompey’s £4million playing budget must now be crammed into £2.5million, while the necessity to meet squad size criteria left them with two available slots in the transfer window. The summer has been one of frustration and disillusionment.

Transfer business: Pompey’s lack of recruitment this summer has been hugely disappointing. Sean Raggett’s loan from Norwich was made permanent, while in the last fortnight Cameron Pring has come on loan from Bristol City and Callum Johnson arrived from Accrington.

Predicted finish: Play-offs.

Rochdale – …Mike Minay, BBC Radio Manchester

Storyline of the summer: Their big story came from the transfer stories – letting eight first team players go at the end of their contracts, including Ian Henderson who was three goals away from levelling the all-time record at the club.

Transfer business: They are arguably weaker and will want to make some more signings before Deadline Day. They have brought in Alex Newby from Chorley who has started brightly at the Crown Oil Arena, plus a couple of season-long loans from Manchester City’s increasingly successful academy.

Predicted finish: I’ll say 18th.

Shrewsbury Town – Lewis Cox, Express & Star

Storyline of the summer: The storyline for Town has very much been centred on how to make the team more attacking, front-footed, easy on the eye and crucially score more goals. The likelihood is they will be more open and concede more goals.

Transfer business: As it stands there have been five additions. In the other direction have gone Josh Laurent to Reading, which was a blow. Long-serving defender Omar Beckles has departed for League One new-boys Crewe.

Predicted finish: 15th.

Sunderland – James Hunter, Chronicle Live

Storyline of the summer: Once the controversial decision was taken to curtail the season, Sunderland fans turned their attention to owner Stewart Donald and his attempts to sell the club. The latest update is that a deal could be finalised by the end of September, but fans are treating it with a mixture of scepticism and concern.

Transfer business: Half-a-dozen senior players were out of contract and left the club, while youngster Bali Mumba was sold to Norwich City. And Parkinson has brought in a similar number of replacements. It’s early days, but the squad looks slightly stronger going into this season than it did last term.

Predicted finish: To fail a third time would be a crisis.

Swindon Town – Jonathan Leighfield, Swindon Advertiser

Storyline of the summer: Town were awarded the League Two title via the PPG system – something that both delighted and frustrated many at the County Ground. On the one hand, it was widely believed that Richie Wellens’ squad would have gone on to complete the job anyway. On the other, it was sad not to be able to lift the trophy.

Transfer business: Several members of last season’s title-winning squad departed for pastures new, including Eoin Doyle. Most left the club with good wishes, however it has left Wellens with another considerable rebuilding job. A handful more signings will be needed to compete at the right end of the table.

Predicted finish: Mid-table.

Wigan Athletic – Paul Kendrick, Wigan Today

Storyline of the summer: I'm sure it doesn't need me to explain what's been going on at Wigan over the summer. It's been a story that would have been thrown out of Hollywood for being too far-fetched - and there's no sign of it ending any time soon. Heartbreaking stuff.

Transfer business: As bad as it gets. Pretty much every player worth anything has been moved on, with their places in the squad being filled from the club's Academy. There's no lack of quality in the youth ranks, but they're being thrown in at the deep end. Experienced back-up needs to arrive ASAP.

Predicted finish: It's impossible to say, while the ownership of the club is still up in the air. But at the moment - and after seeing what's happened to Bolton in the last year - staying in League One would probably represent real success.