Key events
Before Bournemouth welcome Wolves to the Vitality Stadium tomorrow, Andoni Iraola has suggested Ryan Christie is in the mix to play after a long layoff owing to groin surgery. “Ryan has been training pretty normally this week. I hope he trains without any problems today and he can get involved tomorrow. He comes without months of playing, but I am seeing him at a good level.”
While Eze’s move is still to be announced officially, David Raya, the Arsenal goalkeeper, has been talking about how he and his teammates have helped the club’s new signings settle in. “We know the team has been strengthened and we signed quality players that are going to be massive for the success of this club. I’m very happy with everyone and I think it’s very easy to integrate into this dressing room.
“We have welcomed them with open arms. We try to be as a group and try to welcome the players as well as possible, to settle in as quickly as possible, so that they can just focus on football and helping the team.”
Guardiola was asked about incomings and outgoings in the transfer market, but didn’t give much away. “I don’t know,” he said, when asked about reports that Manuel Akanji and Savinho might move on. “They are our players and we will see what happens. A few things are going to happen and we will see.”
My turn again, is it? It certainly looks that way. Guardiola has also confirmed that Ederson is available to face Spurs, but he is yet to decide whether the Brazilian or James Trafford will start. “We will decide tomorrow or tonight after dinner. I am happy with [Trafford], the new players always bring a new energy and James brings his youth and desire to play for the club he grew up at.
“I said many times it was just his first game [against Wolves], we just have to be consistent and we have to be better and improve.”
More from Pep on its way. But now it’s time to hand you back to Will Magee. Enjoy your afternoon.
Rodri and Foden fit again for City
Pep Guardiola is speaking to the press and has some positive teams news ahead of Manchester City’s home game with Tottenham on Saturday. Rodri and Phil Foden both missed the opening 4-0 win against Wolves at Molineux but they’re ready for the visit of Spurs, says Pep.
Rodri and Phil were out last game, but for just the reason of lack of training and rhythm they didn’t travel to Palermo. They were not ready for 90 minutes against Wolves, but they are ready for tomorrow.
I just want consistent Rodri. That’s all. I don’t have any doubts about his potential and quality. He’s still the best player in the world until we elect a new one in a few months. I have no doubts. Consistency in training, games, and after everything will be fine.
Uefa is facing pressure to push back its deadline for separating ownership structures after a turbulent summer in which a handful of clubs, including Crystal Palace, were denied access to European competitions due to multi-club ownership rule-breaches. Matt Hughes and Nick Ames with this report.
A few more stats ahead of tonight’s 8pm kick-off.
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Chelsea have won five of their previous seven Premier League encounters with West Ham (D1 L1).
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The Blues have 32 wins in the competition against West Ham, a record they can only better against Tottenham (37 wins).
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West Ham have a decent recent record in home encounters with Chelsea, winning four, drawing two, and losing two of the last eight.
Computer says woe. West Ham are only given a 22% of beating Chelsea tonight according to the Opta supercomputer. The Hammers have collected just nine points from as many home games played under Graham Potter so that looks fair.
Fulham fans worried about a shortage of signings can breathe a sigh of relief. Then again, even a lengthy rummage through the outer margins of Transfermarkt may struggle to find Alex Dilling. Erm, that’s because he’s a chef.
From Fulham’s Insta: “Introducing our incredible line-up of chefs on rotation in The Gourmet restaurant for the 25/26 season.”
That’s the grub sorted then. Now for a few new players maybe.
Thanks Yara. Before we hear from that trio, here’s a couple of lines from Arne Slot yesterday. Liverpool have been leaking goals – two in both the Community Shield and their opening Premier League game – so he’s glad to have Ryan Gravenberch back from suspension.
If he is the same player as he was last season, that could help us a lot. If you just simply look at the second goal we conceded [against Bournemouth], they could just go from one side from the 18-yard box to the other side without being attacked, which was smart because Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] needed to go back because it was a four-versus-two situation.
I think if you look back at last season and every single time he played, Ryan would have been in that position and for him not being there and us playing with very good players but very attack-minded players, that hurt us in that goal, for example, and that wasn’t the first time where we lacked a player in that position on a counter-attack for the other team. Normally, if he brings his normal level, it would definitely help us to have him back again.
We need to find the right balance by not being too open. But that balance will be better with Ryan. Unfortunately, if you want to judge me or us, we now have to play Newcastle and Arsenal, who are normally teams that are going to be above Bournemouth in the league, so it’s even harder to play against them.
But with Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] being back, with Ryan in his normal position, I expect us to be even better prepared for the counter-attack than we were in this 2-2 moment, because I’ve watched the game twice back and I don’t think – apart from the two goals, especially the second one as a counter-attack – there were many other counter-attacks from Bournemouth. But if it leads to a goal, it’s of course a big story. For us conceding two, that’s too much in a home game, that’s too open.
We have some press conferences from Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim and Mikel Arteta coming up. Here is David Tindall to steer you through the next hour.
Earlier we confirmed Ipswich’s signing of Kasey McAteer. Here is what he had to say upon joining the club:
I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait.
It’s a very attractive project which is being built here and I want to add myself to that. I’ve been to Ipswich as an away player and I know how good the support is. As soon as I heard Ipswich were interested it was the only move I wanted to make.
The aim is to get promoted again and that’s what we will push for every day. I want to be a part of that and I aspire to be the best version of myself, which is something I will be looking to bring to the squad.
I’m excited to get to work with the boys and the staff and I can’t wait to meet the fans.
Graham Potter will lead West Ham against his former side Chelsea tonight and says his team are “a work in progress”.
The Hammers lost their opening Premier League match to Sunderland and it will be a tough task to bounce back against Enzo Maresca’s team.
We know we have to do more in terms of results and improve our performance. The players were gutted after the [Sunderland] game, and there was optimism and positivity, and now it is up to us to react.
We have to get more out of the squad that we have. We also look to improve, we will do that together, as a club, we will do that collectively and try to find the best solution.
It’s great when you’ve had a bad result, everyone thinks the silver bullet will come from outside and save us all. History would suggest it doesn’t work like that.
It’s about being a team and accepting the criticism when a bad result comes but to get on with your work and accept responsibility.
Last night Nottingham Forest confirmed the signing of Douglas Luiz from Juventus on a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to make the deal permanent next summer.
The 27-year-old midfielder left Aston Villa last year to join the Serie A side for £42.35m on a five-year contract.
I am really happy to be here, it’s a big club and I decided to come here because I can see the ambition the club has. I am so excited to start with the team and give my best for the shirt and the fans.
Lots of rumours of Chelsea looking at possible defensive reinforcements after Levi Colwill’s injury and Wesley Fofana reportedly not being happy at the club but Enzo Maresca put those rumours to rest in his press conference last night ahead of tonight’s game at West Ham. The manager said the club were looking at “internal solutions” and reiterated as much when pressed about possible signings.
We are trying to find internal solutions. I repeat again. Maybe I need to improve my English.
On Fofana’s mood at the club and abuse he faced from fans after removing mentions of Chelsea on his social media:
I speak with Wes every day, he is very happy, especially because he is back from injury. He is joining all the sessions and is very happy.
Wes is happy, we are happy and there is nothing to add. If there is abuse on Instagram that’s never good – not good for Wes or any player but is something that we unfortunately cannot control.
Ben Fisher
The Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas is close to agreeing a loan move to Championship promotion hopefuls Birmingham City. The 19-year-old Wales forward spent last season on loan in the division with Stoke City, where he scored six goals in 49 appearances in all competitions.
Ipswich agree deal to sign McAteer from Leicester
Ben Fisher
Ipswich have signed Kasey McAteer from Championship rivals Leicester in a deal worth about £12m. The Republic of Ireland winger is a graduate of Leicester’s academy and previously spent time on loan at AFC Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers.
McAteer represents Ipswich’s seventh summer signing, with Chuba Akpom, on loan from Ajax, and Ashley Young high-profile arrivals. Ipswich, who visit Preston on Saturday, have so far failed in their attempts to sign Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League.
Leeds head to Arsenal tomorrow and Daniel Farke has promised his side will not “sell our DNA” to get the win.
We won’t sell out our DNA and park the bus. If you just try to defend you have no chance to survive there. We will try to be there with many periods with the ball. Will try to create chances to scare them. There will be periods where we suffer and we have to be well structured
The Leeds manager was also asked if Dominic Calvert-Lewin was any closer to making his debut for the club.
We’ll see. Each and every training session with the team is important for him. He had a long summer break, followed by a few weeks of individual training, where his general endurance was at a really good level. However, what he has missed is team training, and for that reason, each session is crucial.
He has made a decent impression, already well integrated, and you can see from day to day that he is growing. When we will use him for the first time, we’ll decide spontaneously. From a fitness point of view, he’s in good shape.
Wrexham will hope to get their first league win of the season tomorrow against Sheffield Wednesday and their 43-year wait for a win in English football’s second tier.
The ambitious Championship new boys have made a splash in the transfer market since sealing a stunning third straight promotion last term with 10 summer arrivals.
“We have had disappointing results,” said Conor Coady, who signed from Leicester earlier in the summer.
We’ve come away from the games thinking we should have won at least one of them, especially the Southampton one where we were 1-0 up so late.
But are we improving. Have we showed we can play? Yeah, of course but we need to get them wins on the board. We’re there to win games. It’s as simple as that.
We’ll keep trying, we’ll keep learning, we’ll keep getting better and hopefully it’ll come soon.
Howe has also been asked about the atmosphere at St James’ Park, which might be extra hostile given the circumstances:
The first home game is always going to be electric. I love experience those nights with the energy that the crowd bring us and I have no doubt that this will be a really passionate display from the home support. We need to harness that and use it but not be reckless with it, we need to concentrate on the game and not get too emotional.
Eddie Howe was asked specifically about Alexander Isak’s social media post claiming promises from Newcastle were broken:
There is always two sides to every story. My job is to support him and care for him, and we will see where we are in a week’s time. I hope I can work with him again and get him back to his best.
At the moment [reintegration into the squad] is not an option for us so rather than talk hypotheticals, I’d rather talk when we get to that point and try to get the best for Alex and get the best for the team. Until the point, we are better off focusing on the players we have available for the team.
Alex is an outstanding player and a very good person and a good character. He wants to succeed in his career and this has been a really difficult situation for him and for the players that we have to see us without him. If Alex decided to come back and play for us the players would welcome him back.
Without Isak, Newcastle will probably play Anthony Gordon as a No 9. The 24-year-old primarily plays as a winger but Howe believes he is more than capable of leading the line.
He has done it enough to be able to do the job really well for the team. I have played him there a number of times both as a starter and as a substitute. He plays it differently to other strikers but that can be a positive in the respect that he has devastating pace and a strong work ethic.
Of course he’s scored goals historically from wide areas but also from central areas and I think you can over play the change of position and I think he enjoys the role and he played really well last week. He had a lot of chances and a lot of shots so I thought it was a good display from him.
Thanks Will and hello everyone! Lots to be expected from these final 10 days of the window. Let’s see what else Howe has said on Isak and the game against Liverpool on Monday.
Having steered you through the early morning slot, it’s time for me to hand over to Yara El-Shaboury for the next few hours. Who’s going to get the official Eze announcement? It could be Yara! Scenes if so.
Dias signs new deal with Manchester City
Jamie Jackson
Rúben Dias has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City that keeps him at the club until 2029.
The defender is intent on helping Pep Guardiola’s team claim more silverware after last season’s barren campaign.
The 28-year-old said: “My job now is to be the best I can be for the duration of this contract, so that I can play my part in helping us challenge for more silverware.
“I want to thank my teammates, Pep, Hugo [Viana], the coaching staff and everyone at the club. This is such a special place, and I am grateful every single day for the support I receive. Now the hard work begins, and I want to promise the fans that I will give everything to win more trophies and bring more success to City.”
The Portuguese centre-back has won 10 trophies in five years at City, making 223 appearances in all competitions.
Asked how he is dealing with the Isak transfer saga on a personal level, Howe adds: “I think these situations are far from ideal, talking press-wise, and a lot of the attention has gone on to that rather than the team and our preparation.
“But as soon as I leave here I’m back with the team, I’m back preparing training, taking training, delivering meetings, speaking to individual players and trying to get the group in the best frame of mind possible. So the job never changes, but the outside perception is one that’s of course totally different to normal.”
Howe says ‘no change’ in Isak impasse
Eddie Howe is speaking to the media ahead of Newcastle’s game against Liverpool on Monday evening and, unsurprisingly, everyone seems to be asking about Alexander Isak. The Newcastle manager concedes “there’s been no change” in the impasse between the club and the striker, who is pushing hard for a move to Anfield, and that he won’t be part of the squad when Arne Slot’s side visit St James’ Park.
“He’s contracted to us, he’s our player,” Howe says. “My wish is that he would be playing on Monday night with us, but he won’t be, and that’s regrettable at this moment. But 100% I want to see him back in a Newcastle shirt.”
Is anyone on Eze watch outside the Emirates at the moment? Perhaps with a handmade welcome sign on A4 paper and cardboard? Feel free to email in with any updates if so. Some Eze-themed street art has already popped up in the local area, while the latest is that his medical is imminent (or possibly already under way).
Sheffield Wednesday fans in revolt against Chansiri
Will Unwin
Sheffield Wednesday supporters are planning a protest outside the Thai embassy against the club’s owner, Dejphon Chansiri, over his running of the club. London-based fans will be joined by those travelling down from South Yorkshire to show their upset with the running of the club.
Owls fans will also boycott the team’s match against Leeds at Hillsborough on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup. Supporters will instead be encouraged to watch the game on a big screen outside the local working men’s club.
Supporters want Chansiri to sell the club but movement on a takeover has been slow, to say the least. They have previously held protests at their opening match against Leicester, when fans did not take their seats for the first five minutes and had a plane fly overhead with an anti-Chansiri message. That was followed by a whistle protest in the first home game of the season against Stoke.
“The London Owls are planning a protest against Dejphon Chansiri’s ownership of our wonderful football club,” a fan statement read.
“We might be 160-plus miles from Hillsborough but our members feel just as strongly as those thousands closer to S6 that ‘Enough is Enough’ and unless Chansiri sells up soon then the club faces the prospect of financial ruin.”
Preamble
It’s Friday morning and rather than choosing life, choosing a job, choosing a career or choosing a family, we’re about to choose another weekend of Premier League football.
Round two of the 2025-26 season – still feels a bit weird to write that, the sands of time are slipping away at a terrifying rate aren’t they? – begins with Chelsea’s visit to West Ham this evening, but there will be a full slate of press conferences and team news to come.
There’s also the small matter of Eberechi Eze completing his move to Arsenal which, given the reaction it has already elicited online, is bound to make it a difficult day for Tottenham fans on social media. What better way to shut out the noise than joining us here?
As for the neutrals in that particular transfer wrangle, there will also be plenty of tidbits from the transfer market, EFL, Scottish Premiership and European football.
So grab yourself a brew, open a sneaky extra tab at work and let’s settle in for a day of minimum productivity and maximum Beautiful Game. Here are a couple of things to get you started:
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