1<\/p>\n
Nwaneri out of Arsenal picture<\/p>\n
While Myles Lewis-Skelly looks likely to remain at the Emirates<\/a>, the same can\u2019t be said for Ethan Nwaneri. The 19-year-old was outstanding in his breakthrough season for Arsenal in 2024-25 but barely featured last season and was sent on loan to Marseille. That didn\u2019t really work out and Arsenal are now exploring another temporary move to ensure Nwaneri gets regular football this season. Milan, RB Leipzig, Dortmund and Fulham are all thought to be interested, with Nwaneri unlikely to feature on the bench for Friday\u2019s opener against Coventry as a result. Whether Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are available remains to be seen as Arsenal attempt to find suitors for the Brazil duo. Ed Aarons<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n New United pair down for Tigers test<\/p>\n Manchester United\u2019s summer transfer business has focused on recruiting in central midfield. It will be interesting to see who Michael Carrick selects in two key roles for the first game of the season. Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have been present for more of pre-season than Kobbie Mainoo, who did not play a minute for England at the World Cup and was a late returner to Carrington after a holiday. Carlos Baleba surely will not have arrived in time to start at Hull. Mainoo is in the best position in the long term but if Carrick decides to ease him into the season, it would be intriguing to see how Santos and Tielemans team up, the stress test for a new partnership that could provide the perfect balance of defensive awareness and ability to move the team up the pitch. Will Unwin<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Swapped pair face former clubs<\/p>\n Neither Everton nor Crystal Palace have enjoyed a particularly scintillating summer of transfer activity but combined to make headlines with a swap deal between Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson. The pair will face one another \u2013 and their former clubs – on the first weekend of the season, eager to prove what their worth to their new teams. McNeil was rarely a regular on Merseyside but had a positive second half to last season, ironically after a move to Crystal Palace fell through at the last minute. Johnson did not settle at Selhurst Park, unable to crack the code that would get him into the starting lineup on a weekly basis, after moving from Spurs. A fresh start should reinvigorate the duo and there is no better way to further boost the mood than beating a former employer. WU<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Can Ipswich copy Black Cats\u2019 success?<\/p>\n Ipswich clearly learned a lot from what Sunderland did a year ago, as they went out and bought a lot of players. The Black Cats quickly moulded their 19 acquisitions into a successful unit but at least they had the positive of a head coach in R\u00e9gis Le Bris who had his feet under the table. Gary O\u2019Neil is the new man at Portman Road and he has 12 signings \u2013 at time of writing \u2013 to potentially use for the opener. The record arrival, Emersonn, who has moved to Portman Road from Toulouse, is the most eye-catching of those who have been acquired. The Brazilian has an underwhelming career goalscoring record and a few question marks hanging over his head. Even though it is their first game, Ipswich need to pick up points at home, and to do so require a striker who can cause problems for defenders. How quickly Emersonn adapts will be critical for the Tractor Boys\u2019 success this year. WU<\/p>\n Emersonn is one of a number of big-money signings made by promoted Ipswich this summer. Photograph: Keeran Marquis\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Glasner\u2019s tough Diomande ready for debut<\/p>\n August is the season for debuts and no one will be more satisfied than Oliver Glasner when Ousmane Diomande steps over the white line at the City Ground. Glasner wanted the Ivorian centre-back to replace Marc Gu\u00e9hi at Crystal Palace, six months before the England defender departed for Manchester City<\/a>. Diomande, a \u00a334m buy from Sporting, is expected to line up in a back three for Nottingham Forest against Leeds, when the Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager, who played for Glasner at Wolfsburg, could also make his Forest bow. Diomande is a quick and physical defender but another aspect of his appeal is his aerial power at set pieces. \u201cThey\u2019ve both played Champions League football and they are used to competing for titles,\u201d said Glasner. \u201cThey can add this winning mentality.\u201d Ben Fisher<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Serene Senesi can bring calm to Spurs<\/p>\n Cristian Romero has taken his maverick brand of defending to Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, upsetting neutral Premier League<\/a> watchers. His compatriot Marcos Senesi has arrived to shore up things at the back as Roberto De Zerbi desperately tries to steer Spurs away from a third straight season of battling relegation. The all-action Romero had his qualities as a leader and defender but never felt dependable, which is what most want from a centre-back and captain. Senesi impressed during his time at Bournemouth, rarely making headlines but proving himself a calm presence at the back. The Argentinian is good on the ball and will be more adventurous in possession than his countryman. He is yet to be sent off in three seasons as a Premier League player \u2013 Romero was dismissed twice in 2025-26 alone, not to mention a one-match ban and a fine for his behaviour towards a referee. His calmness will improve Spurs. WU<\/p>\n Brentford v Tottenham, Saturday 5.30pm<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Villa head south besieged by problems<\/p>\n It is surely not how Unai Emery envisaged the countdown to Aston Villa\u2019s season-opener at Brighton on Sunday \u2013 and certainly not as he enjoyed the afterglow from the club\u2019s Europa League triumph over Freiburg in May. The manager has an extraordinary number of problems. Take the midfield where the new signings Jo\u00e3o Gomes and Johan Manzambi are injury doubts. Note: Amadou Onana is a long-term casualty while Youri Tielemans has been sold. It goes on. Emery is about to lose Ezri Konsa to Arsenal \u2013 in a summer where Villa have also sold Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne. They are trying to move on Emi Mart\u00ednez, while the future of Ollie Watkins is uncertain, with Al-Hilal circling. For the cherry on top, the rampaging 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo is a fitness concern. Emery\u2019s teamsheet will be very interesting. Will he pitch the new goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki, who only signed on Wednesday, straight in? David Hytner<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Maresca must win to silence City noise<\/p>\n Is Enzo Maresca already under pressure after Manchester City\u2019s 3-0 schooling by Arsenal<\/a> in the Community Shield? Maybe not, but if the Italian\u2019s new team go down at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, you do not have to be a soothsayer to picture the scrutiny that will follow. Maresca and City are enduring a difficult transfer window, with Rodri\u2019s departure to Barcelona the headline, a dizzying blow that has to be shaken off. The new Bournemouth coach, Marco Rose, has faced City six times in the Champions League with Leipzig and M\u00f6nchengladbach, and is sure to order his visitors to go for the jugular at the Etihad. City are vulnerable but Maresca can remedy this with a win of any sort. This, after all, is the job many felt he was the obvious choice for. Jamie Jackson<\/p>\n Anything but a win for Manchester City at home to Bournemouth will increase scrutiny on Enzo Maresca. Photograph: Dimitris Legakis\/EPA<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n King Kev remembered at Newcastle<\/p>\n Kevin Keegan was supposed to have been the guest of honour at St James\u2019 Park on Sunday, but his death from cancer in July means this meeting of two of his old clubs will turn into a tribute to one of English football\u2019s enduring heroes<\/a>. Keegan\u2019s family will be present to witness an outpouring of love for the former Liverpool and Newcastle forward and (twice) Magpies manager. Once the game kicks off, all eyes will be on Alexander Isak, a St James\u2019 Park old boy whose decision to force a \u00a3125m move to Anfield last summer did not go down well on Tyneside. The Sweden striker, making his first return to Newcastle, has much to prove at Liverpool, and now has a new head coach to impress in Andoni Iraola. Newcastle too have a new face in the home dugout, where Matthias Jaissle will occupy the technical area for so long inhabited by Eddie Howe. Louise Taylor<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Former Madrid managers meet in capital<\/p>\n