To round off the Friday blog’s comeback special, we are going to round it off in the usual way, with the Fiver. Thanks for reading today.
Andy Hunter spoke to the Liverpool goalkeeper Allison ahead of the new season.
Here’s our story on that Joe Willock transfer deal.
The War of the Roses resumes at Old Trafford tomorrow lunchtime.
Done deal: Joe Willock completes Newcastle move from Arsenal
Howay the lad. Now to see if Steve Bruce can add anyone different from last season’s team.
It's time...
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 13, 2021
⚫️ 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀 𝙊𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙈𝘼𝙂𝙂𝙄𝙀𝙎 ⚪️#WillockAnnounced pic.twitter.com/M4pgfO7tTy
Nick Ames reports on Romelu’s return to Chelsea. If ever there was a jigsaw lacking a final piece then this Chelsea team looks like it.
Whoever loses this game may well be the first target of “boo boys” this season. Two managers under pressure, one of them in his first game in charge. Oh Rafa.
That said about Raphina, here’s a story from PA Media on the subject of international release for South American player.
European clubs refusing to release South American players for the extended international breaks in September and October will have the support of their leagues.
The European Leagues umbrella group - which represents more than 900 clubs in 32 professional leagues, including the Premier League - has endorsed a statement from the World Leagues Forum (WLF) criticising the changes to the calendar.
FIFA announced last week that the September and October windows in South America would now be ‘triple headers’ to accommodate World Cup qualifying matches postponed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The South American international window in September runs a day later than the European window, to September 9, with the October window now extending to October 14, two days longer than the European equivalent.
The WLF says the changes will prevent players from fulfilling commitments at club and country level, and force them to make a choice. “If South American players join with their national team in September and October (which by FIFA regulations they are obliged to) they will miss games with their clubs, either because of the calendar amendments, or because of a potential quarantine,” the statement said. “And if they don’t want to miss games with their clubs, they cannot go play with their national team.”
The decision to change the calendar is understood to have been based on a request from South American football’s governing body Conmebol.
Following in the fine tradition of Roque Junior.
Joking aside, Raphina really was very good for Leeds last season so he’s good for a call-up for the Brazilian national team.
🇧🇷 Congrats Raphinha! The #LUFC winger has been named in Tite's Brazil squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Chile, Argentina and Peru
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 13, 2021
On Brentford v Arsenal later tonight, the word is that both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be missing with illness. Who plays up front? Eddie Nketiah, a player who would probably be sold on should a buyer be found, seems likely to lead the line.
Positive vibes from Sir Marcus, whose shoulder problem will keep him out of Manchester United’s Saturday lunchtime match with Leeds.
Sun’s shining! Happy Friday! ♥️
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) August 13, 2021
Pep talk, starting with a look back to last season before setting out the stall for the coming season.
It was unbelievable, it was great, it was an exceptional season. We were disappointed, of course, to lose the final but after one or two days, when you are more calm, you can say, ‘Wow’ and how good it was.
It was an exceptional season, one of the best I have lived in my life, by far. We won two titles, arrived in the final of the Champions League, the semi-final of the FA Cup. It was really good for many reasons. Yesterday I congratulated the team - it was the first time we were all together - for what we have done last season. It will be in our memories forever.
Every season since I arrived five years ago I have had the feeling every season is tougher, it is stronger, better teams. Every season when you begin it is a new challenge. We celebrated our title. Now it is in our cabinet, in our memories and we start again.
PEP 💬 Everyone is ready. The important thing is when they come back they have good energy, the right energy. We need more time but it is what it is. We travel to London to get a good result.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 13, 2021
Updated
Some telling comments from Nuno on why Tanguy Ndombele will be absent when Tottenham face Manchester City.
There’s always a reason in all the decisions we make. There’s always a why because we think, we talk and then we decide. We believe that Tanguy didn’t perform in the pre-season matches because we consider that it’s not the right moment for him to be with the group in terms of competition.
It is about us to decide the right moment to use the players we have available and when we decide we consider many aspects, not only what we want, but what we think the players we should do. Like many players in our squad it is not easy to adapt to a new idea, a new philosophy, but we keep on insisting and believing that this is the right way and the right moment will come when we believe when it should be.
From the Daily Mail’s sports news correspondent, who makes a good point. There will be those who are still reluctant to attend matches. Many places are not as full as their proprietors would like them to be after the lifting of restrictions.
Had local radio on earlier and heard an advert for tickets for City's home opener with Norwich. Will be interesting to see if there's any impact from Covid on attendances across the Premier League & EFL this season.
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) August 13, 2021
Let’s face it, Arsenal cannot be Arsenal without a surfeit of willowy playmakers, and just the presence of Emile Smith Rowe is not going to be enough to sustain the tradition of Özil, Rosicky, Hleb, Arshavin and Cazorla. And there’s probably more you can name.
The Premier League previews are in. With more to follow.
Nuno spoke about Harry Kane, and here’s the video evidence to prove it.
Afternoon, all. Well, here we are on the brink of a new season of the Premier League, and we are all very excited, aren’t we?
That’s all from me. Thanks for your time and your company, and have a great weekend. I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of John Brewin.
Everton: Rafael Benitez has been asked about what kind of reception he expects to receive from fans who were less than thrilled by his appointment as the club’s new manager when Goodison Park throws open its doors for their game against Southampton tomorrow.
“I think they have seen during these weeks what we can try to do,” he said. “And the point is that after 17 months I think they will be desperate to see the team on the pitch, to cheer the players, to support the team.
“I think they are quite clever and they know the main thing for us is to be sure we are strong at home. They can be a major part of our success, and I’m sure they will be supporting the team in the way they did all the time.”
Benitez incurred the wrath of Everton fans for describing the Gopodison Park outfit as “a small club” during his time as Liverpool manager, an insult many of them have not forgotten. One suspects they might forgive him if he can forge a winning mentality as this most inconsistent of clubs.
Raphael Varane not a Man United player ... yet
The Champions League and World Cup-winning defender will not be available for Manchester United’s game against Leeds tomorrow, as he has not yet signed a contract with the club.
“He’s not trained with us yet,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “Things happen and things take time and unfortunately with the isolation that delayed these things.
“It’s not 100 per cent done yet ... I can’t say that he will be involved tomorrow, I can probably say he won’t be because he’s not trained with us. It always happens that there’s little things in there but he big hold up was the isolation and the quarantine, of course. He’s been in Manchester now. It’ll be done soon.”
Updated
Manchester City: Pep Guardiola has refused to discuss Manchester City’s interest in Harry Kane during his latest press conference, despite having already addressed their attempts to sign the striker from Tottenham, who they play on Sunday.
“I answered this question the previous press conference,” he said. “He’s a player from Tottenham, I’m not going to talk about him. I made an exception last time, usually I don’t talk about transfers.”
Plymouth Argyle: Plymouth have expressed their condolences to those affected by the shooting spree in the Keyham area yesterday evening, in which a gunman shot five people before turning his weapon on himself. The League One club have announced they will stage a minute’s silence ahead of their opening home fixture of the season against Gillingham tomorrow.
Plymouth’s match at Home Park will go ahead as scheduled the club have said they will undertake a period of silence on social media and have changed their plans ahead of what was set to be a day of celebration, with the return of fans without restrictions.
“Plymouth Argyle Football club is deeply shocked and saddened by last night’s tragic events in our City,” said a club statement. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected. We would also like to thank the emergency services for their quick and brave actions in responding to this terrible incident.
“Our flags at Home Park Stadium are flying at half-mast and we will be making some changes to our scheduled program ahead of tomorrow’s match with Gillingham.
“We will no longer hold a minutes applause pre-match as planned, instead a minute’s silence will be held and our planned celebratory pitch walk with Gary Sawyer and Luke McCormick will now take place at a later date.
“We feel that posting ticketing, retail or any other promotional social media posts ahead of tomorrow’s game would not be appropriate, so the club will take a period of silence on its social media channels until midday tomorrow, when game specific information will begin.”
Crystal Palace: Patrick Vieira has been chatting with the press ahead of Crystal Palace’s trip to Stamford Bridge tomorrow. It’s a tough opening assignment for the new manager, who has promoted Shaun Derry from the Under-23s to join his first team coaching staff.
“Of course the players need time and as a manager [I need time] to put my ideas in place,” he said. “It may take longer but we are ambitious and want to compete. We are in a positive way, the fact we started pre-season in a good way, with the way we played those games and the wins, it give us confidence but we know it will be equally challenging.”
Tottenham Hotspur Nuno addresses the Kane conundrum
Harry Kane trained with his team-mates for the first time this morning after a spell in self-isolation after his summer holiday. Following the session, his manager Nuno Espirito Santo faced the press and it’s no surprise that the thorny issue of the striker’s future – and whether or not he is available for selection against his suitors Manchester City - was the first item on the agenda.
“He joined the group today, he trained, we had a talk,” said Nuno. “Of course it is a private conversation, but everything is OK. He is preparing himself. We still have the session of tomorrow to decide. We have to think and we have tomorrow to make the decision.”
Asked if Kane would be in the right frame of mind to play against a team is eager to leave Spurs for, Nuno played a straight bat. “I don’t have any concerns about trying to convince players to play for Tottenham,” he said. “It’s such a huge club, it’s such a fantastic club. We should be proud of being here.”
Everton: Rafael Benitez has been telling the press what he expects from his players under his watch as Everton’s new manager. “A winning mentality and to give everything on the pitch,” he said. “They used to do it. I have seen a lot of teams struggle to get points here so we have to try to do that. At the same time we have to play well. I used to have teams that play well and were well organised and don’t concede too many so we will try to do that. We have to agree the plan before the game and then put this into practice in all the games.”
Coming up: Bruno Lage (Wolves), Patrick Vieira (Crystal Palace), Nuno Espirito Santo (Tottenham Hotspur) and Rafael Benitez (Everton) are all hosting press conferences at their respective new clubs. One suspects Nuno, more so than the other three, is not looking to his grilling with much enthusiasm considering the main topic of discussion is likely to be the future of Harry Kane, a subject he has little or no say in.
Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp spoke to the press earlier today and expressed his delight at the news that Virgil van Dijk has pledged his future to the club by signing a new five-year deal.
Premier League preview No20: Wolverhampton Wanderers
The long wait is over for Wolves fans, who know their place in the alphabetical pecking order and have been drumming their fingers impatiently for the past fortnight. Having come last in our series of previews, where do Guardian writers think they will finish in the actual Premier League table?
Elis James: Our resident Swansea City fanatic, comedian, broadcaster, podcaster, content-provider and self-contained media node attended his first football match in 16 months this week, an ... er, mouthwatering Carabao Cup tie between his beloved Swans and Reading. Read on to find out how he fared in the away end at the Madejski Stadium ...
Updated
Burnley: Sean Dyche is looking forward to the return of fans to Turf Moor for what could be a difficult season for what looks a fairly thin Burnley squad.
“We’re in good shape,” he said. “I think we’re in good mental shape and physical shape. So we look forward to it and our own fans being in, the feeling that fans give players.
“It will be interesting as well with the bigger picture in football, the idea of home fans in stadiums, how we all spoke last season about the differential between away form, et cetera. So that will be interesting in the bigger picture.
“Then in our picture, we obviously want to make sure our home form goes back to where it has been, because it has been strong over many seasons.”
Odegaard to return to Arsenal?
Arsenal: The Gunners and Real Madrid are in talks over an Emirates Stadium return for playmaker Martin Odegaard, according to PA Sport. The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates, becoming a firm fan favourite in the process.
Newcastle United: The deadline for registering Joe Willock in time for their Sunday appointment with West Ham has passed and we have yet to hear if the midfielder has completed his move from Arsenal.
One man who will be lining up for Newcastle at St James’s Park is goalkeeper Freddie Woodman will make his Premier League debut in the absence of the injured Martin Dubravka. Karl Darlow is also working his way back to fitness after illness, so Woodman will deputise following his successful loan spell at Swansea City last season. The 24-year-old won the Championship “Golden Gloves” award.
Southampton: Despite losing his star striker Danny Ings to Aston Villa and with defensive linchpin Jannik Vestergaard close to completing his move to Leicester City, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is sounding upbeat ahead of his team’s season-opener at Everton tomorrow. Adam Armstrong has been signed from Blackburn to help provide cover up front, while Armando Broja, 19, also arrived on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
“We lost Ings, a very good goalscorer,” said Hassenhuttl. “Some people were saying he was our insurance, but in the end, we also played a few games without him and scored goals. So it is now on the shoulders of the other players to lift us as a club, to give us the goals we need to score to reach our targets for this season.
“I am not scared that we don’t have enough players that can score goals and deliver what we want them to do. They will work hard for the club and will show that they have the qualities. I don’t expect anyone to score 25 goals for us next season, but when I have four players that score 10 goals, I will also be happy.”
Southampton started last season with much promise, only to again drift back down the table, despite reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
“A top-10 ranking is always the target we aim for and, after the main target is staying in the league, (this is) the bigger target for the players and us as a club,” Hasenhuttl said. “When we scored the amount of goals we scored last year and concede less in the second half of last season, it is definitely possible for us.
“But we need to have a very good start and a very good commitment in the group and the new players immediately having a good impact on the team.”
Having played every minute of every Premier League game for Southampton last season, James Ward-Prowse is expected to be in the squad for the Everton game after returning to training from a knee problem. The England midfielder has again found himself subject of transfer speculation during the summer window, but Hasenhuttl continues to take such talk with a large pinch of salt.
“It is normal that Prowsey is a guy that everyone wants to have, but I don’t see a scenario for him not to be with us for the next years,” he said. “He knows he is the captain here, he knows how important he is for our club. He feels good here and we feel good with him. He has a four-year contract here, so the situation with him is a different one.”
The Joy of Six: Leeds v Man Utd matches
Ahead of tomorrow’s mouthwatering fixture between Manchester United and Leeds United at Old Trafford, Scott Murray and Rob Smyth pick over the bones of six classic encounters between the two bitter rivals.
Liverpool: Asked if he had any plans to sign a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, who has left the club for Paris Saint-Germain, Jurgen Klopp posed a question of his own in return.
“You tell me which player we need,” he said. “I’m really interested. What type of player would you like to sign? Should he score more goals than Gini? Should he defend better than Fabinho? Be more creative than Naby, Curtis, Ox and Harvey?”
Arsenal in for Barcelona goalkeeper Neto
Arsenal are considering a move for the Barcelona goalkeeper Neto as they hunt competition for this season’s No 1 spot, writes Nick Ames. Neto has moved up the list of targets after an agreement could not be reached with Sheffield United over Aaron Ramsdale. The Blades wanted £30m plus add-ons for the 23-year-old, a figure Arsenal were not willing to approach, so they are looking elsewhere for a keeper who can compete with Bernd Leno.
Newcastle: There is no further news yet from Newcastle’s training ground, where Joe Willock is undergoing a medical ahead of signing what is expected to be a six-year deal with the club. He needs to be registered by the Toon by noon to be eligible for their Sunday afternoon game against West Ham.
Jurgen Klopp speaks ...
The Liverpool boss is talking ahead of his side’s match against Norwich City at Carrow Road tomorrow.
On Virgil van Dijk’s new deal: “It’s great news,” he says. “We are really happy that he is happy here. It’s absolutelty great news. Imagine if we had to buy this boy now! Thankfully we only have to give him a new contract.”
On the return of fans: “The intensity will be different, but we have to be ready for that.”
On the state of his squad: “All our players are here. I have the situation I want to have. We have no major injuries apart from Robbo [Andy Robertson]. Curtis [Jones] is fit again [after suffering a concussion], but it is protocol and we must respect that.”
On the summer signings of other teams: “We all know the situation of Chelsea and City and PSG. What United are doing, I don’t know how they did it. We have our own way to do it. We are allowed to spend the money we earn. This year we spent before we earned money by buying Konate. It’s not about me being surprised [by rival spending], I’ve been here long enough to know they always find a solution to these things.”
Liverpool: Huge news from Merseyside, where Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is giving his first press conference of the new season and is not wearing spectacles. Has he misplaced them? Is he wearing contact lenses? Has he had off-season laser surgery? More news as we get it ... assuming somebody asks him these very important questions.
Brentford: Marcus Bean, former Brentford midfielder and friend of the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, is excited about tonight’s Premier League curtain-raiser between his former club and Arsenal at the Brentford Community Stadium. He’s not the only one - I’m looking forward to it too and fully expect Brentford to win. A newly-promoted side playing in front of a full house in their new(ish) stadium for the very first time - it’s exactly the kind of fixture in which you can imagine Arsenal tripping over their own feet.
The day is finally here 😁. Tonight is going to be special! Good luck to all the staff and players @BrentfordFC. and anybody who played their part in getting the team to PL. We are not here to make up the numbers! COYB 🐝❤
— Marcus Bean (@MarcusBean) August 13, 2021
Norwich, Watford and Brentford: The three promoted sides go into the new Premier League season with one objective: to survive. Will they do it? Ben McAleer reads the runes ...
Leo Messi: While Paris Saint-Germain’s acquisition of Leo Messi was so low key you may have missed it earlier this week, the Argentinian is currently taking part in his first training session with his new team-mates as Mauricio Pochettino, his coaching staff and an army of photographers and journalists look on.
The media will be turfed out after 15 minutes when the rondos are completed and the serious business of the session gets under way. PSG host Strasbourg tomorrow but Messi will not feature as he was still on holidays after his Copa America exertions until this day last week and hasn’t had a pre-season.
Updated
Jonathan Liew on the return of the Premier League: “It will thrill us and move us, bore us and break our hearts. Premier League, we hate you. We’ve missed you. We’re glad you were gone. We’re glad you’re back.” Read on ...
Newcastle United: While Joe Willock was conducting the final formalities ahead of his move from Arsenal to Newcastle, Steve Bruce was talking to the media in another part of Newcastle’s training ground.
“He’s having a medical as we speak, so we hope that comes through okay and he’ll be able to train with us this afternoon,” said Bruce. “We knew that we’d have to be patient. From the very last game of the season, we’d made it pretty obvious that if Joe was going to become available, then we would try to secure him.
“To start with, I knew Mikel [Arteta] would want to have a look at him in pre-season - that’s only normal, to have a look at your young players - so we knew we had to be patient.
“Obviously we explored the loan situation to begin with - because I think that would have suited certainly Joe and it certainly suited us - but when that wasn’t possible with Arsenal, then we’ve had to go and buy him, which is great for us.
“There were times when I didn’t think it was going to happen, but fair play to [managing director] Lee [Charnley] and everybody concerned, we’ve managed to get it over the line.”
Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa wasn’t the only man to put pen to paper yesterday. On a busy day for the club HR department, Illan Meslier signed a new five-year contract.
The French goalkeeper joined Leeds on a permanent deal last summer after impressing on loan from Lorient, establishing himself as Marcelo Bielsa’s number one.
Aston Villa: Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has been ruminating on Aston Villa’s pre-emptive transfer strikes ahead of Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City. The arrival of Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, Emi Buendia, Ashley Young and Axel Tuanzebe has added more depth to his squad and helped ease the pain of losing their star player.
“It was important that we strengthened the squad depth this season,” he said. “We felt we had an 11 that could compete against anybody including the top teams - now we’ve got more variation, more adaptability, and more depth and that’s really important.
“Obviously Jack going was a big loss - we wanted to keep him but we would have added more creativity and have added more creativity with Buendia whether Jack stayed or not. I think we’re in a good place.”
Brighton: Graham Potter takes his troops to Turf Moor for their season-opener against Burnley tomorrow and has been talking up new signing Enock Mwepu ahead of the game.
“He’s got the capability, there’s no doubt about that,” said Potter of the 20-year-old Zambia international midfielder, who arrived for a fee of around £20m from RB Salzburg.
“He’s settled in well. It helps that he is the personality that he is: very, very likeable, mature, a humble guy, a team player, gets on with everybody, intelligent. He’s made a real impression on everybody, I think.
“And then on the pitch he brings a little bit of difference in terms of his qualities, his attributes. He’s scored already [in pre-season], can add goals from midfield; things to improve, of course, like everybody. But we’re happy with him and I think he’ll get better the longer he is with us.”
Virgil van Dijk signs new Liverpool deal: Here’s the latest from Andy Hunter, our football correrspondent on the Merseyside beat.
Virgil van Dijk: It has been confirmed that Van Dijk’s new and improved contract will keep him at the club until 2025. Since joining Liverpool he has represented them 130 times, scoring 13 goals, helping them win the Premier League, Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup. He is currently approaching full fitness after missing most of last season with a serious knee injury.
Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk has signed a contract extension
In tremendous news for their fans, Liverpool have announced that the giant Dutch rock at the heart of their defence has confirmed his loyalty to the club by putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal, the duratioon of which is unspecified.
“Amazing,” said Van Dijk in an interview with Liverpool’s website. “It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.
“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.”
Newcastle United: Joe Willock has rocked up at Newcastle’s training ground to do a medical ahead of his transfer from Arsenal. Newcastle need to complete the signing and register the 21-year-old by noon today for Willock to be eligible for their match against West Ham on Sunday afternoon.
Leeds United: Famously a man of his word, there was little doubt Marcelo Bielsa was going to ink a new deal with Leeds ahead of the new season because he’d said he would. However, any last-minute jitters Leeds fans might have been suffering were finally allayed yesterday when the Argentinian finally signed a new one-year contract.
Leicester City: Sky Sports News are reportiong that Roma are considering a bid for Leciester striker Kelechi Iheanacho if they fail to land Tammy Abraham from Chelsea. The Serie A side have agreed a fee with Chelsea but Abraham is believed to be angling for a move to Arsenal, or elsewhere in the Premier League.
Newcastle United: The early bird famously gets the worm and it also gets to hear Steve Bruce answering questions from football reporters in the north east. The Newcastle manager is scheduled to face the press right about now and we’ll bring you news from his briefing ahead of what promises to be another challenging season just as soon as we get it.
MK Dons: The League One side have announced the appointment of Liam Manning as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin to Swansea City. A former coach at the academies of Ipswich, West Ham and New York City, the 35 year old spent last season in charge of Belgian First Division B side Lommel SK.
“This is an ambitious Football Club that believes in playing a certain way - a way that the fans are used to and demand and one that I believe in too,” said Manning. “We also have a squad full of quality and exciting players, who I can’t wait to get to work with.
“Me and my family are going to move here to live within half an hour of the area so that we can integrate ourselves into the community. That is important to me because, as we learnt last season, football is for the fans.”
West Ham: Following last season’s unexpected heroics, how will David Moyes’s West Ham cope with the rigours of fighting on the European, as well as the domestic front. John Brewin gazes into his crystal ball in our penultimate pre-season guide ...
Pre-match pressers: Plenty of top flight managers are scheduled to address the ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate at various times throughout the day but it is Tottenham’s Nuno Espirito Santo who will be the focus of the most attention when he fronts up at 1.30pm ahead of his side’s match against the champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Expect the question of Harry Kane and his future to be top of the agenda as City continue with their efforts to bring him to the Etihad. Tottenham chief executive Daniel Levy has held out so far, despite the striker having made it clear that he wishes to leave Spurs.
And we're back ...
Today’s the day. The players of Arsenal and Brentford will get the Premier League treadmill moving for another campaign tonight, when they contest the first of 380 top flight matches to be played this season. It’s a milestone occasion for Brentford, who are back in the English top flight for the first time in 74 years and we’ll look ahead to their maiden Premier League excursion, while keeping an eye on all the other news and build-up ahead of the weekend’s action.
