Premier League: Who are the contenders to break into the top six?

BIG CAMPAIGN: West Ham United's Declan Rice.

IT took until the final day, but by the time the campaign had finally played out, the established big six had lived up to billing and asserted their status in the Premier League.

West Ham’s failure to beat Brighton meant Manchester United clung on to the final Europa League place despite losing at Crystal Palace. It was hardly convincing and United’s frailties in particular gave hope to those clubs hoping to break up the leading group over the course of the coming months.

Twelve months earlier, Leicester and West Ham had taken advantage of the failure of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal to keep pace to finish in fifth and sixth place respectively.

David Moyes’s Hammers have shown over the last two seasons they are capable of competing with the leading sides. But they are likely to be joined in challenging the top four by a revived Newcastle United whose fortunes have been transformed following the Saudi Arabian-led takeover last October.

The bid to restore success to St James’s Park began last January when Eddie Howe benefitted from the club’s newly acquired financial strength and made a number of significant signings including Kieran Trippier and the influential Bruno Guimaeres.

A run of six wins in the final eight league games ensured the Magpies ended the campaign in 11th spot after having taken until late January to register their second win of the season.

The mood has been transformed on Tyneside and expectations levels have soared.

And that has partly been driven by the sense that, despite the obvious wealth of the new owners, the club is being developed in a considered way.

The recruitment of technical director Dan Ashworth from Brighton was a sign transfers would carefully targeted and that there would be no trolley dash to sweep up high-profile cast offs from Europe’s biggest clubs.

Instead, the signings that have been made appear to have complemented or improved on the existing squad.

Centre-back Sven Botman arrived from Lille for £35 million to strengthen the defence with England keeper Nick Pope coming in from Burnley.

More signings are likely to come in before the end of the month and if Howe’s side can maintain the momentum they built at the end of last season, they will be among the leading club chasing down the top six.

West Ham’s season held so much promise last term before ending in the disappointment of defeat in the Europa League semi-final and the failure to secure a return to the competition.

Instead, they will compete in the Europa Conference League which will again stretch Moyes’s resources. And they have suffered an early setback with £30 million former Rennes centre-back Nayef Aguerd requiring ankle surgery.

The £35m arrival of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo, however, finally gives Moyes options up front where Michail Antonio has too often been forced to labour alone and if the Italian settles in quickly, he will help shake off any hangover from last year.

Right now it’s hard to view Leicester as contenders for the top six. Brendan Rodgers’s side struggled at times last season and have so far failed to make any new signings.

Add to that the departure of Kasper Schmeichel to Nice, Chelsea’s strong interest in Wesley Fofana and Newcastle eyeing James Maddison, and it’s easy to understand the concern that the club will do well to match last season’s eighth place finish.

Wolves are also a club in transition having slipped down to tenth place last season after a poor run-in. Defensively they continue to look strong but a lack of goals could again hinder prospects of progress.

And for all they impressed in securing a best ever ninth-placed finish last season, Brighton’s hopes of climbing higher remain limited while the Graham Potter’s side remains without a consistent goalscorer.