​The curtain lifts on the 2026-27 Premier League season on Friday and it is reigning champions Arsenal that kick it all off against newly promoted Coventry City.It has been a busy summer on and off the pitch for the Sky Blues as Frank Lampard and his side gear up for their first game in the top flight since 2001.Survival is inevitably the target, but after watching Sunderland and Leeds achieve that and more last season, there is perhaps more optimism around their chance of staying up going into this campaign.How does the Sky Blues’ transfer business compare to that of Sunderland and Leeds this time last year?[Getty Images]Coventry have spent more than £100mon eight new signings during a busy window for the Sky Blues so far.Last summer, Sunderland brought in 15 players, Leeds added 10 and Burnley – the only one of the three to be relegated – signed 13.All three clubs had a different approach; Sunderland looked to the European market for hidden gems, Leeds opted for a more physical profile of player and Burnley targeted younger talent alongside additions from other Premier League sides.But one thing was evident – they all had to make significant signings to take the next step.”Leeds United’s approach to the 2025 summer transfer window was to mould the squad into ‘Big Lads FC’ and to be strong in both boxes,” said BBC Radio Leeds reporter Adam Pope. “It was a gear shift when you consider the swagger – and the style – that had seen the team romp to the Championship title, scoring almost as many goals as the 100 points amassed, while conceding only 30 the previous season.”Manager Daniel Farke and the recruitment team adopted a pragmatic and calculated view that the team had to impose itself to survive.”In came a set of signings with genuine height and physicality. It worked superbly well.”Leeds also took a gamble on signing players who had struggled with their fitness in recent seasons such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha and James Justin.They did this because they “believed in their medical staff to monitor and rehabilitate better than their rivals”.Pope added: “Small margins in this area meant big gains. The rate of return to action of several squad members was comparatively quick following a spell on the sidelines.”Both Coventry and Leeds won their respective Championship titles by being ruthless in front of goal, but the Premier League inevitably brings a different challenge and newly promoted teams are without the ball more often than not. This is why Leeds’ strategy focused on physicality. They wanted to be a nuisance off the ball and a threat from set pieces, both offensively and defensively. Coventry’s incomings this summer reflects that of Leeds’: tall, strong and powerful.New signings Aurele Amenda, Taiwo Awoniyi, Caleb Yirenkyi and Gustavo Hamer are all physical in their own way, whether it be Amenda and Awoniyi’s height, Yirenkyi’s ball-winning mentality or Hamer’s work rate to track back.Lampard will want his team to show strength