1
Seagulls go into transfer frenzy
It was intriguing to hear Fabian Hürzeler’s thoughts on the composition of his squad with so much transfer activity at Brighton in the last few days. Hot on the heels of Georgino Rutter and Brajan Gruda, who could both make their debuts against Manchester United on Saturday, Ferdi Kadioglu and Matt O’Riley are the next two potential arrivals at the Amex Stadium if reports are to be believed. But there is a question mark over whether Billy Gilmour will still be part of the squad amid interest from Antonio Conte’s Napoli, despite Hürzeler’s assurances to the contrary. “There are things I can’t influence,” he said. “If a player doesn’t have the feeling that they can do it here, of course, he has to look for another way. The only thing I can say is the players know how we plan with them, and then it’s up to them.” Ed Aarons
2
Villa and Arsenal consider forward options
Aston Villa could hand home debuts to Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljkovic against Arsenal but their next move in the transfer window promises to be interesting. Unai Emery wanted to sign João Félix to play behind Ollie Watkins but now the former has decided to return to Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether Emery scrolls down his wishlist in pursuit of a versatile forward who can operate as a shadow striker. Raheem Sterling has been touted for a loan move, with Villa making an approach. Kai Havertz will probably lead the line for Arsenal, with Gabriel Jesus another attacking option. Félix was undoubtedly Emery’s No 1 target. But with Eddie Nketiah allowed to depart – Nottingham Forest are in talks over a £30m move – Arsenal may also move for another forward in pursuit of the title. Whether both teams dip into a notoriously tricky market could have a lasting impact on their bold aims for the season. Ben Fisher
3
Dyche can’t afford another slow start
Everton’s league opener against Brighton went about as badly as it could have. Ashley Young’s red card capped a 3-0 home defeat described as a “horrible” by Sean Dyche. The Everton manager also likened the performance to displays at the start of last season, with his side conceding soft goals in defeats he called “head scratchers”. Dyche will need to find the root of the problem before they visit Tottenham away or this summer’s tentative optimism could be replaced by fear of another relegation battle. Everton have fought for top-flight survival in each of the last three seasons and don’t want to make it a fourth amid so much off-field uncertainty. As for Tottenham, they have a point to prove after failing to turn their early dominance into more goals in the 1-1 draw at Leicester on Monday. Sarah Rendell
4
Homecomings all round in Manchester
After Ipswich went down 2-0 to Liverpool on home turf in their first game back in the Premier League big time for 22 years, how about an opening away trip to the champions of the past four seasons? Oh, and Manchester City have just re-signed their treble-winning captain, Ilkay Gündogan, on a free from Barcelona. The German’s return to Pep Guardiola’s imperious side is the latest clever late summer City acquisition, following a lineage that includes Jérémy Doku and Manuel Akanji. In May, Kieran McKenna, a former United assistant, was considered as a potential Erik ten Hag replacement across town at Old Trafford. On Saturday the Ipswich No 1 will look to show why. Jamie Jackson
5
Saints aim to show they belong
Southampton’s return to the Premier League stalled against 10-man Newcastle last weekend, but this Saturday represents a chance to find their groove against Nottingham Forest in their first home match of the season. Russell Martin expects the atmosphere at St Mary’s to be “brilliant”, saying: “We have to use the anger and frustration and disappointment [from the Newcastle defeat], that feeling of loss, and stick with the courage, confidence and belief they will have taken from [the performance]. We have a chance to really make [Saturday] a special day.” To land an early blow in a meeting of two teams many expect to be locked in the relegation battle would be a victory in itself, and give Martin some tangible reward to go with the impressive effort in defeat last week. SR
6
Money tight for Wolves despite sales
Not quite feast versus famine but Chelsea at Molineux throws up questions about where Wolves are heading. After selling Pedro Neto, who could line up against his former club, and Maximilian Kilman for a combined £94m, a year on from recouping more than £100m from the sales of Matheus Nunes, Rúben Neves and Nathan Collins, they find themselves in a familiar holding pattern. Wolves want a goalkeeper, centre-back and winger before the window closes next Friday and Gary O’Neil knows he will not be getting a flurry of household names. They are interested in Aaron Ramsdale but, given the finances involved, will struggle to broker a permanent deal, which Arsenal favour. Burnley’s Dara O’Shea is on their wishlist of defenders. “The budget doesn’t seem too different to last season,” O’Neil said. “It’s a ruthless league and we have an opportunity to be really clever and get some stuff done so the next two weeks is big for us. You take £100m last summer, you take £100m this summer, you can’t stand still.” BF
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7
Palace scramble to repair defence
Will Steve Parish come to regret saying that he “can’t imagine a situation where we lose both of our centre-halves” a few weeks ago? Agreeing a fee that could rise to £30m for Joachim Andersen with Fulham may have taken some Crystal Palace supporters by surprise but Marc Guéhi leaving Selhurst Park remains a strong possibility as Newcastle continue to circle the England international. Palace have acted quickly to try to bring in a replacement for Andersen having lodged a bid with Wolfsburg for the Frenchman Maxence Lacroix and been linked with moves for Benfica’s Tomás Araújo, Bayer Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou, Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah and Galatasaray’s Victor Nelsson. But the immediate beneficiary of Andersen’s impending departure could be Chadi Riad, who joined earlier in the summer and came through Barcelona’s La Masia academy. He could make his debut against West Ham as Palace attempt to bounce back from their opening defeat to Brentford, when Riad was an unused substitute. EA
8
Fulham seek a cutting edge
One moment stood out for Fulham during their defeat at Old Trafford. Andreas Pereira burst through the middle during the second half, with vast space to attack, only to see his attempted pass to Alex Iwobi blocked by Harry Maguire. The counterattack fizzled out, Manchester United scored a late winner and Fulham were left to rue a lack of ruthlessness they will need to eradicate when they host Leicester City. Marco Silva, adjusting to losing the power of João Palhinha in midfield, has an entertaining, creative-minded team but Fulham’s decision-making and wastefulness can frustrate, especially when it undermines their neat buildup play. Pereira is not alone in needing to be more clinical. Adama Traoré and Iwobi also failed to make the most of promising positions against United. No wonder Fulham have been trying to sign Lyon’s Rayan Cherki. Jacob Steinberg
9
Quansah feels force of Slot’s new era
One Premier League game was enough for Arne Slot to show Liverpool’s players that he will not be slow to make changes or publicly criticise their performances when he sees fit, with Jarell Quansah on the receiving end at Ipswich last weekend. First things first: Slot’s decision to replace Quansah with Ibrahima Konaté at half-time at Portman Road was not only decisive but effective in turning the contest Liverpool’s way. However, the head coach’s admission that the 21-year-old defender was hauled off because “Jarell lost every duel, and many of us lost too many duels”, marked a significant departure from his predecessor’s tendency to protect his players and inflate their confidence via the public arena. Quansah discovered that times have changed the hard way. The lesson will not have been lost on the rest of the Liverpool squad. Their weakness in the duels in the first half at Ipswich may not have escaped Thomas Frank’s notice either, as the Brentford manager ponders whether to recall Ivan Toney, a transfer target for Al-Ahli, at Anfield. Andy Hunter
10
Howe’s happy(ish) return to Bournemouth
Not many managers look forward to visiting their former clubs, but Eddie Howe can expect to receive another warm welcome at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday. Howe played for Bournemouth in two separate spells in his career before two highly successful stints as manager, leading the club from the fourth tier to the Premier League. He received applause from all sides of the ground during Newcastle’s two visits in 2023, but didn’t leave with three points on either occasion, drawing 1-1 in February and losing 2-0 in November. The last time Newcastle beat Bournemouth in the league was in 2020, when Howe was still the opposing manager. This time, he will hope any cheers from Bournemouth fans are reserved for his post-match lap of honour. SR