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Summary
Premier League 2024-25 set to get under way with Man Utd v Fulham on Friday (20:00 BST) & manager news conferences
Guardiola - 'Give Maresca time and it will work' & Maresca asks for time and patience
Arteta - 'We have great strikers already'
Slot - 'Our squad is really strong'
Team news: Rodri, Newcastle & Wilson, Bournemouth, Timber, Toney & Wissa, Franca, Neto, Daka & Vardy
Transfers: Ipswich sign Szmodics and Phillips, Spurs sign Odebert, Howe on Newcastle transfers, Iraola on Evanilson, Archer to Southampton
Get Involved: #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Live Reporting
Craig Nelson, Martin Dougan, Charlotte Coates & Holly Bacon
Thank you for joining us!published at 16:00 British Summer Time 16 August
16:00 BST 16 August
Our work here is done for another day but we've got plenty of Premier League news and information for you to recap on while you wait for Man United v Fulham tonight.
Take a look at the key points on this page to find out what Arne Slot had to say about Liverpool's lack of transfer business, Pep Guardiola's views on Sunday's opposite number Enzo Maresca and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna on their return to England's top flight.
Pick of the statspublished at 15:56 British Summer Time 16 August
15:56 BST 16 August
Man Utd v Fulham (20:00 BST)
- Twice before has a team scored the opening goal of aPremier League season and gone on to win the title in that campaign: Liverpoolin 2019/20 and Manchester City in 2023/24
- Fulham'swin in this exact fixture last season is one of only three victories in 43 awaygames versus Manchester United in all competitions (W3-D5-L35). The other twowere also in the top flight: 2-0 on 1 April 1963 and 3-1 on 25 October 2003.
- Thisis Manchester United's 100th top flight season. They are the fifth club toreach this landmark (tallies include 2024/25), after Everton (122), Aston Villa(111), Liverpool (110) and Arsenal (108).
- MarcoSilva is unbeaten in all six opening matchround fixtures as a manager inEnglish league football (W1-D5-L0).
Image source, Getty ImagesShearer on his desire for Newcastle to win a trophypublished at 15:52 British Summer Time 16 August
15:52 BST 16 August
Alan Shearer
Former England strikerAlan Shearer discusses whether Newcastle can finish in the top four or win a trophy.
I feel like last season's top three will be the same this time, although not necessarily in the same order. After that, there are going to be four or five teams challenging for fourth place.
I am pretty confident Newcastle will be one of them, although the dream is still for them to win a trophy. It's the same as every year in that I'd love to see them go deep in a domestic cup… and finally win one.
What cost Newcastle last season was their horrific injury list and they cannot afford for the same thing to happen again if they are going to do well, so fewer demands, in terms of playing once not twice a week, should help them.
'The next step is a trophy'published at 15:50 British Summer Time 16 August
15:50 BST 16 August
Arsenal v Wolves (Sat, 15:00 BST)
Ian Dennis
BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporterAhead of the new Premier League season. BBC 5 Live presenter Rick Edwards asked Ian, Is there pressure on Arsenal to win a trophy this year?
I think there’s always pressure for the top clubs to get the silverware. I think the way that theclub have progressed under Arteta. Hedid win the FA Cup in his first season but they have progressed since then andI think that has been the most encouraging aspect.
If you recall the toxicity that was around the Emirates fora period during his reign, he completely the whole environment now. So I think undoubtedly, the next step is a trophy.
'They know what we are capable of'published at 15:48 British Summer Time 16 August
15:48 BST 16 August
Man Utd v Fulham (20:00 BST)
Fulham boss Marco Silva accepts the club still have work to do in the transfer market but insists his side will be ready when they face Manchester United tonight.
He remains positive despite being "one of the only teams that is going to compete in the Premier League that has lost four senior players".
"We have to deal with it," he said. "We have a lot of work to do in the next two and a half weeks in the market because we need it. Now we have have to rebuild again like we did last season."
On their recent meetings with Manchester United he added: "There have been fine margins. The reality is we have been a match for them. I'm excited to be at Old Trafford and to start there - the environment is going to be very good. They will want to start on the front foot - but they know what we are capable of."
Image source, Getty Imagesget involved Get Involvedpublished at 15:45 British Summer Time 16 August
15:45 BST 16 August
#bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)
Luke Shaw shouldn't have accepted the England call-up well aware that he last played competitive football in February and needed to recover fully for the new season. After all, Manchester United are the one paying him, not the England national team.Nevertheless, United need to get rid of him at the end of this new Premier League campaign and either trust Harry Amass as a first-choice left-back or sign a proper left-back because Shaw, even without going to the Euros, was always going to be injured at some point, as we have seen over the years. He didn't deserve the new contract extension, either.
Charles, Kampala
'Manchester United need a much bigger improvement'published at 15:42 British Summer Time 16 August
15:42 BST 16 August
Alan Shearer
Former England strikerDespite activity in the transfer window, Alan Shearer is not convinced by Manchester United ahead of the Premier League starting.
Manchester United need a much bigger improvement if they are going to get closer, after finishing eighth last time.
Erik ten Hag's side played well in the Community Shield last week, just like they did when they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, but now they need to produce those performances on a regular basis.
If they are going to find the consistency they have been lacking then they need to show that kind of discipline and desire, as well as the quality we know they have. I am expecting them to be better, but I am not convinced by them yet.
'We have to deal with it'published at 15:40 British Summer Time 16 August
15:40 BST 16 August
Man Utd v Fulham (20:00 BST)
Manager Erik ten Hag said his team is "not ready but the league starts", ahead of their Premier League opener this evening.
"There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start," he added.
"We can't hide from it. We can't run away from it. We have to deal with it."
He added new arrivals Mattheus de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will be in the squad for the game.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe countdown to kick-offpublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 16 August
15:36 BST 16 August
Man Utd v Fulham (20:00 BST)
Well then, it all starts tonight at Old Trafford.
Last time the two sides met, Fulham were victorious with a dramatic 2-1 win in Manchester.
Calvin Bassey put the west London side ahead just after the hour mark before Harry Maguire equalised in the 89th minute. Up popped Alex Iwobi in stoppage time to stun Old Trafford and steal the points.
Could a repeat be on the cards tonight or will United get revenge?
Image source, Getty Images'I don't even know what the club is trying to do anymore'published at 15:32 British Summer Time 16 August
15:32 BST 16 August
Chelsea v Man City (Sun, 16:30 BST)
Several of Manchester City's stars won't play at all, because they only returned to training this week, but the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bernado Silva will be able to play more minutes after featuring as late substitutes in the Community Shield.
I have no idea what to expect from Chelsea, and I don't even know what the club is trying to do anymore.
Is their priority to build a team to win trophies, or is there some other business strategy going on?
Chelsea have got some talented players and Cole Palmer will have a say again against his former club, but I still think City will find a way to win it.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Kamada 'has to show he's closer to helping a team win a game'published at 15:27 British Summer Time 16 August
15:27 BST 16 August
Brentford v Crystal Palace (Sun, 14:00 BST)
Crystal Palace
More from Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner on summer signing Daichi Kamada: "We were looking for which players could help us and Daichi is a player who is creative, who can score goals, like he showed against Nantes.
“He knows how we want to play, so it made it a little bit easier to integrate him in the way of playing. From the first day, he understood it, because we worked together for two years. But for him, it's the same; he has to compete with all the others.
“We have a very competitive squad, and he has to be better than the other players in his position. He has to show that he's maybe closer to helping a team win a game. Then he will start, and if not, the other one [a teammate] will start.”
Southampton complete Archer signingpublished at 15:25 British Summer Time 16 August
15:25 BST 16 August
Southampton
Southampton have completed the signing of striker Cameron Archer from Aston Villa for £15 million.
Archer spent last season with Sheffield United and made 29 appearances but returned to Villa Park when the Blades were relegated to the Championship.
Image source, Getty ImagesAlvarez on why he decided to leave Man Citypublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 16 August
15:16 BST 16 August
Manchester City
Julian Alvarez explains why he left Manchester City to sign for La Liga side Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £81m.
The search for fantasy football glorypublished at 15:11 British Summer Time 16 August
15:11 BST 16 August
Andrew Bassett
BBC Sport Data AnalystIt's deadline day, time to finish tinkering and set your teams for Gameweek 1. Using Google Trends data we can get a view on which players people in the UK are searching for around the topic of Fantasy Premier League.
Jarell Quansah and Valentin Barco (priced at £4.0m) are two cheap options in defence proving popular today.
In midfield, the attacking threats of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers continue to appear in the most popular list.
Further up the pitch Niclas Fullkrug and Dominic Solanke are likely to lead the line for West Ham and Tottenham, making them popular and affordable strikers for fantasy teams.
For more player picks and a recap of the new rules in FPL this season, read Thomas Woods' FPL season preview.
Image source, Getty Images'I've heard referees were hiding behind the VAR'published at 15:05 British Summer Time 16 August
15:05 BST 16 August
Ex-referee Mark Clatternburg on whether the new VAR changes will improve standards on decision-making.
"They will make some improvements. The biggest message I got from thestatements Howard [Webb] and his team is they want the referees to go back and givethe decisions," he said.
"I've heard referees were hiding behind the VAR and if they madea decision inside the stadium it was the VAR's responsibility, that's not thecase. The referee is the sole judge of the law on the football field and VAR isthere to support and right the wrong decisions.
"What I found was the referees weren't making the split-second decisionslike they used to do and it was going to VAR and VAR was then saying thereisn't the line of intervention where I want to come in because the refereeisn't clearly wrong. So you get these inconsistencies and anger from the fans.
"Theclear message was let's get the referees refereeing again and get back to whenthey were making split-second decisions."
Image source, Getty ImagesTest your Premier League knowledgepublished at 14:58 British Summer Time 16 August
14:58 BST 16 August
Think you know the Premier League? Take our quiz ahead of the new season to test your knowledge on the 20 clubs.
You can share your results at the end to see how you compare.
'There are reasons to back both teams'published at 14:53 British Summer Time 16 August
14:53 BST 16 August
West Ham v Aston Villa (Sat, 17:30 BST)
I like what West Ham have done in the transfer market this summer and I am really excited about seeing Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug in the Premier League.
Fullkrug is an old-fashioned, throwback, type of striker but he can finish.
Style-wise, the Hammers will be back to the 'West Ham way' under new boss Julen Lopetegui, which is what their fans wanted. Expectations are high so let's see how they get on.
For Aston Villa, the question is whether they can hit the heights of last season again.
This is a difficult one to call because there are reasons to back both teams, so I am going to go with a draw.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Emery expects Mings to be back training with first team by Septemberpublished at 14:49 British Summer Time 16 August
14:49 BST 16 August
West Ham v Aston Villa (Sat, 17:30 BST)
Aston Villa
A final word from Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on the progress being made by England defender Tyrone Mings, who has not played since injuring his knee in the opening game of last season: "Previously the plan was for him to start training with us inthis month, in August. He’s not training with us yet, but hopefully by thebeginning of September he is joining in with us and being in the squad with us, thinking he is going to play.
"Hopefully, by then, come September and October, he will be completelytraining with us and available to play."
Carlos is completely with us - Emerypublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 16 August
14:45 BST 16 August
West Ham v Aston Villa (Sat, 17:30 BST)
Aston Villa
More from Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, who says that Brazil centre-back Diego Carlos is now likely to stay with the club, despite being linked with a move to Fulham: "Diego Carlos is completely with us now. He was thinking tomaybe leave from here in case he can have a good offer from another team. Ofcourse we were open, like with every player, to listen. But in this moment andtoday he is with us because we are happy with him. His performances last yearwere good for us and was really important in some moments for us to get what weachieved [a top-four finish].
"Of course, things can change, maybe, but it’s not in my mindto change something around him now, unless again there is an offer coming infor us that could be a good offer. But at this moment he is training with usagain and he is completely with us."
'It’s going to be absolutely buzzing tomorrow'published at 14:42 British Summer Time 16 August
14:42 BST 16 August
Ipswich v Liverpool (Sat, 12:30 BST)
Ipswich fan Maddie Reader, who has never seen her team play in the Premier League, is looking forward to all the top flight has to offer this season: "Fantasy Premier League, Match of the Day, having VAR. A couple of years ago we were in League One it’s all just so incredible.
How busy will Portman Road be tomorrow: "It’s going to be incredible. No one thought we were going to be promoted, we were the underdogs. It’s going to be absolutely buzzing tomorrow.
"People have been saying that Kieran McKenna has been our biggest signing. He has been the constant that got us promoted multiple times. You can see why Brighton and Man United were looking at him."What makes Ipswich special: "I think it’s the community aspect and how friendly it is."
On Ed Sheeran being so connected with the club: "He is just a normal fan like everyone else. But he has the title of being a world superstar. Last night he was on stage with Taylor Swift and everyone was like why is Ed Sheeran, our minority shareholder on stage with one of the biggest pop stars? What is our club?”
