1
Seagulls go on a transfer spree
It was interesting to hear Fabian Hürzeler's views on the make-up of his team with so much transfer activity at Brighton in recent days. Hot on his heels by Georgino Rutter and Brajan GrudaFerdi Kadioglu and Matt O'Riley, who could make their debuts against Manchester United on Saturday, are the next two potential signings for the Amex Stadium, according to reports. But there is a doubt over whether Billy Gilmour will remain part of the squad amid interest from Antonio Conte's Napoli, despite assurances to the contrary from Hürzeler. “There are things I can't influence,” he said. “If a player doesn't have the feeling he can do it here, of course he has to find another way. The only thing I can say is that the players know how we plan with them, and then it's up to them.” Ed Aarons
2
Villa and Arsenal considering attacking options
Aston Villa could hand Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljkovic their home debuts against Arsenal, but their next move in the transfer market promises to be interesting. Unai Emery wanted to sign João Félix to play behind Ollie Watkins, but now the former midfielder has been forced to leave the club. He has decided to return to ChelseaIt remains to be seen whether Emery is still looking for a versatile striker who can play as a shadow striker. Raheem Sterling has been talked about for a loan. with Villa making an approachKai Havertz will likely lead Arsenal’s attacking line, with Gabriel Jesus another attacking option. Felix was undoubtedly Emery’s number one target. But with Eddie Nketiah departing – Nottingham Forest are negotiating a £30m move – Arsenal could also sign another title-chasing striker. The fact that both teams are diving into a notoriously tricky market could have a lasting impact on their bold aims for the season. Ben Fisher
3
Dyche cannot afford another slow start
Everton's opening league game against Brighton went as badly as it could have. Ashley Young's red card capped the a 3-0 home defeat Sean Dyche described the game as “awful”. The Everton manager also compared the performance to performances at the start of last season when his side conceded easy goals in defeats he described as “disturbing”. Dyche will have to find the root of the problem before visiting Tottenham or the tentative optimism of this summer could be replaced by fear of another relegation battle. Everton have struggled to stay in the top flight in each of the last three seasons and do not want to make it a fourth amid so much uncertainty off the field. As for Tottenham, they have something to prove after failing to convert their early dominance into more goals. in the 1-1 draw at Leicester on Mondays. Sarah Rendell
4
Homecomings everywhere in Manchester
After Ipswich lost 2-0 to Liverpool on their own turf in their first Premier League game in 22 years, how about a first away trip to visit the champions of the last four seasons? Oh, and Manchester City City have just signed their treble-winning captain Ilkay Gündogan on a free transfer from Barcelona. The German's return to Pep Guardiola's side is the latest smart late-summer acquisition, following a tradition that includes Jérémy Doku and Manuel Akanji. In May, former United assistant Kieran McKenna was tipped as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. On Saturday, the Ipswich number one will be looking to show why. Jamie Jackson
5
The saints want to prove that 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 rhythm against Nottingham Forest in their first home game of the season. Russell Martin expects the atmosphere at St Mary's to be “brilliant”, saying: “We've got to harness the anger, frustration and disappointment[at the defeat to Newcastle]that feeling of loss, and keep the courage, confidence and belief that they will have gained[from the performance]. We've got the chance to make it[Saturday]a really special day.” Dealing an early blow in a meeting between two teams many expect to be locked in a relegation battle would be a victory in itself, and would give Martin a tangible reward to go along with the impressive effort in last week's defeat. MR
6
Wolves are short on cash despite sales
It's not exactly a feast against famine, but Chelsea The Molineux signing raises questions about the direction Wolves will take. Having sold Pedro Neto, who could face his former club, and Maximilian Kilman for a combined £94m, a year after recouping more than £100m from the sales of Matheus Nunes, Rúben Neves and Nathan Collins, they find themselves in a familiar waiting situation. Wolves want a goalkeeper, a centre-back and a winger before the transfer window closes next Friday and Gary O'Neil knows he will not be getting a wave of big names. They are interested in Aaron Ramsdale but, given the finances involved, will struggle to negotiate a permanent deal, which is what Arsenal favour. Burnley's Dara O'Shea is on their wish list of defenders. “The budget doesn't look much different to last season,” said O'Neil. “It's a cutthroat league and we've got the chance to be really clever and do some things, so the next two weeks are important for us. “Last summer you took £100m, this summer you take £100m, you can't just stand still.” BF
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7
The palace struggles to repair the defense
Will Steve Parish regret saying a few weeks ago that he “couldn't imagine a situation where we lost both our centre-backs”? Agreeing with Fulham on a fee that could rise to £30m for Joachim Andersen may have taken some time Crystal Palace Newcastle are still pursuing Marc Guéhi but his departure from Selhurst Park remains a very strong possibility. Palace have moved quickly to try and sign a replacement for Andersen, having submitted an offer to Wolfsburg for Frenchman Maxence Lacroix and have 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 imminent 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 are looking for a cutting-edge player
A standout moment for Fulham during their defeat at Old Trafford. Andreas Pereira burst through the middle during the second half, with ample space to attack, but his attempted pass to Alex Iwobi was blocked by Harry Maguire. The counter-attack failed, Manchester United scored a late winner and Fulham were left to rue a lack of ruthlessness that they will need to eradicate when they host their own team. Leicester CityMarco Silva, who is adjusting to the loss of João Palhinha's power in midfield, has an entertaining and creative team, but Fulham's decision-making and waste of resources can prove frustrating, especially when it undermines their impeccable build-up play. Pereira is not the only one who needs to be more effective. Adama Traoré and Iwobi also failed to make the most of promising positions against United. It is no surprise that Fulham have been trying to sign Rayan Cherki from Lyon. Jacob Steinberg
9
Quansah feels the force of the new Slot era
One Premier League The 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 suffering 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 in Liverpool's favour. However, the head coach's admission that the 21-year-old defender was dropped because “Jarell lost every duel, and too many of us lost too many duels”, marked a significant change from his predecessor's tendency to protect his players and inflate their confidence through the public arena. Quansah found out that times have changed in the hard way. The lesson will not have been lost on the rest of the Liverpool squad. His weakness in first-half contests at Ipswich may not have escaped the attention of Thomas Frank either, as the Brentford boss considers whether to recall Al-Ahli transfer target Ivan Toney to Anfield. Andy hunter
10
Howe's happy return to Bournemouth
Not many managers are keen to visit their former clubs, but Eddie Howe can expect another warm welcome at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday. Howe played for Bournemouth at two separate stages in his career before two highly successful spells as a manager, taking the club from the fourth tier all the way to the Premier League. He received plaudits from all sides of the pitch during Newcastle’s two visits in 2023 but failed to come away 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 opposition manager. This time, he will hope the applause from Bournemouth fans is reserved for his post-match lap of honour. MR
