The next season of the English Premier League begins on August 15 and BetUS has posted odds on who will win the premiership. Additionally, an option is open for who will take out the title without the Big 4 teams (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal).

I can’t imagine how I’m going to last another month and a half before the 2009-10 season kicks off, but at least the transfer sagas are keeping me sane. Spanish giants Real Madrid have reclaimed their famous president Florentino Pérez and he wasted no time in signing Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for a cool £80 million. Now the question is what will Sir Alex Ferguson do with all of that cash? His superiors have granted him leave to spend as much of it on players as he wishes, even though United are submerged in multi-million dollar debt. And with Carlos Tevez walking out the door, Fergie really needs to capture some experienced forwards before preseason training begins in July.

Liverpool recently spent £17.5 million to bring Portsmouth defender Glen Johnson to the Merseyside club, but Manchester City look to be the biggest spenders over the summer. They’ve already signed Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers and are set to have their eyes on the Argentine, Carlos Tevez, as are Chelsea.

Newcomers to the Premier League Burnley will need to invest heavily in the offseason if they are to have any hope of competing in the highest tier of English football. Hull City proved last season that intelligent summer spending can pay off, as they held onto 17th place in the EPL by the skin of their teeth.

Speaking of Hull, they are said to be in talks with injury-prone striker Michael Owen, who will be leaving the newly-relegated Newcastle United before next season. I have to say that if Hull manage to pull off an incredible coup in bring Owen to the Tigers, I’ll be proud to see him in the number 10 jersey come match day one.

For now, I think that the BetUS Futures are fascinating. I’d have to say that if Manchester City can mesh their army of talent into a strong football outfit they might just be the team to beat. Likewise, I see Liverpool as strong favourites heading into 09-10 with five Spanish internationals as their backbone.

I suppose speculation is the only thing I can do during the transfer season, however BetUS has made the wait a bit more entertaining with their Futures odds. Check them out; you might be surprised to see Manchester City at +2500, or up-and-coming Everton at +15000.

Dr’s note: My pick is still for the greatest team in the world, Hull City. At +150000 to win the premiership, what’s not to like?