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Andoni Iraola and Milos Kerkez of Liverpool Photograph: Becky Oliver/LFC/Liverpool FC/Getty ImagesAndoni Iraola has his hands full – replacing Mo Salah and restoring faith at Anfield – and will hope big name investors bring stability not disharmonyGuardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Andoni Iraola did not have to be sold on Liverpool when they came calling for a coach courted also by Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace after his sterling work at Bournemouth. This is just as well as the sales pitch did not come with bells and whistles attached. “When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect,” the new head coach revealed at his unveiling. “They said we would have some challenges, we would have to replace important players leaving, we have some injuries, but we are here to solve these kind of problems.” Validating last summer’s expensive recruitment strategy, restoring the faith of the Anfield crowd and rebuilding in an impatient environment can be added to that list.Liverpool were enticed by Iraola’s style of play, but his ability to step back and problem-solve – taking Bournemouth into Europe last season despite losing most of his defence in the summer and Antoine Semenyo in January, for example – will have also appealed. Arne Slot was assailed by unprecedented challenges last season, including the death of Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah’s attempts to undermine his manager in public, and lost his way as a result. How much of last season’s regression can be pinned on the former head coach will become apparent in the months ahead.Similarly to Slot in 2024, Iraola has been bequeathed a rich inheritance in terms of individual talent. Unlike his predecessor, however, he is starting from a lower base in terms of constructing a team. With Salah gone and no replacement installed, as yet, responsibility has increased on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to produce after their underwhelming debut seasons. Wirtz has been deployed just behind Isak in pre-season and the early signs have been promising. Central midfield options are strong and Dominik Szoboszlai’s new five-year contract removes one distraction. Questions remain over Liverpool’s threat from out wide, their defensive resources and leadership within the team, but having worked towards this moment throughout his coaching career Iraola will be confident of finding answers.In contrast to last summer there has been more upheaval behind the scenes with a change of head coach, Michael Edwards departing as chief executive of football for the owners, Fenway Sports Group, and the sporting director, Richard Hughes, expected to follow suit once the transfer window closes. But one issue dominates: the arrival of the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, as part of a consortium that has bought 30% of Liverpool for £1.65bn. That several of the world’s richest people have bought into Liverpool underlines the attractiveness of the club, commercially and otherwise, but beyond Bhatia becoming vice-chairman on an expanded board it remains to be seen what the deal truly means for the club and its fans.FSG’s habit of annoying and then appeasing the Liverpool fanbase returned last season when it abandoned plans to lock in ticket prices rises over a three-year period. The owners were thanked for engaging with supporters, after widespread protests , but there are now weightier conversations to be had in light of their deal with the 1892 Holdings consortium. As the supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, asked in an open letter: “Is this part of a planned wider sale, or a one-off? What due diligence is being done on the potential investors/owners? This is about their plans, reasons for purchase and involvement in sports or business elsewhere.” FSG insist the deal is not an exit strategy from a club they purchased for £300m in 2010 but will increase global business, technology and investment opportunities.After sacking Slot it was no surprise Liverpool turned to a coach who promises the kind of aggressive, front-foot style Anfield openly pined for last season. Iraola, who was lured from Rayo Vallecano by Hughes when the Liverpool sporting director worked for Bournemouth, was the only candidate Liverpool spoke to in their quick transition from the Slot era. The 44-year-old Basque has no silverware, or even European experience on his CV, but his record of consistently improving attractive teams, which resulted in Bournemouth qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history last season, made him one of the most coveted coaches available this summer.Liverpool had a weird, erratic campaign in 2025-26. Only Aston Villa and Manchester City had a longer run of Premier League wins yet only four teams (including Chelsea and Tottenham) had a worse losing streak. Their four-draw stretch in January was only topped by Bournemouth and Brentford. Iraola was unbeaten in his final 18 league matches last season and will need to bring similar consistency to Liverpool.Liverpool would love the answer to be Bradley Barcola (and for Paris Saint-Germain to lower their asking price for the France international) but as that pursuit continues it is another arrival from Ligue 1 who could prove their most important recruit so far, Jérémy Jacquet. A £55m deal rising to £60m was completed with Rennes in February, just days before the 21-year-old sustained a shoulder injury that ended his season, after Liverpool had been in the market for a young central defender with vast potential for some time. Jacquet’s recovery has affected his first pre-season at Anfield, but he is considered an immediate, if inexperienced, solution to a problem position and impressed on his first outing against Como.There may be more opportunities for Rio Ngumoha depending on how Liverpool’s winger chase goes, but, of all the young talents on display this summer, no one pushed their claims further than Trey Nyoni. Nyoni and Ngumoha were part of Slot’s stretched first team squad last season, but the former’s involvement was limited to six substitute appearances in the Premier League plus eight cup outings. The 19-year-old looked immediately at ease in pre-season with Iraola’s instructions for quick, forward passes from his central midfielders and embraced responsibility. Nyoni faces fierce competition to establish himself, but appears ready to make the step up.The first pre-season is hugely important to a new coach, but post-World Cup holidays deprived Iraola of eight players when Liverpool reported back. He will have had a full squad together for three weeks by the time the season starts at Newcastle, injuries excluded. The tournament brought deflating exits for several Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Florian Wirtz, but also a welcome reminder of Alexis Mac Allister’s talents as the midfielder helped Argentina reach a second successive final. Mac Allister was not alone in struggling last season, but showed this summer just how influential he can be.

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Our cartoonist on the nine fresh faces in club dugouts and their potential impact as they begin workBuy a cartoon | Some of David’s favourite worksAnd his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

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Amazon Prime captures strain of manager’s final seasonClub chair says Spaniard threatened to leave ‘100 times’Pep Guardiola clashed with his captain and almost broke down in tears as he railed at players during his worst run as Manchester City manager.The Spaniard stood down at the end of last season after winning 20 trophies in a glorious 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium. One of the lowest point of his glittering reign came during a testing run in the autumn of 2024, when City lost nine times and won just once in the space of 13 games. Guardiola outwardly showed signs of strain, notably when he scratched his face after City surrendered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League.Behind closed doors he was also angry and upset with his players, as shown in a new fly-on-the-wall Amazon Prime documentary, A Beautiful Obsession.At one point he argued in the dressing room with then captain Kyle Walker, who felt he was being unfairly singled out.“You keep saying my name in every meeting,” complained Walker after a defeat at Liverpool. “Every fucking meeting it’s my name. You’ve somehow brought my name into it.”Walker, who had been voted captain by his team-mates, also claimed Guardiola did not want him to be skipper.Guardiola responded by saying Walker was taking the issue too personally but also showed signs of emotion as he explained why he had extended his contract despite their poor run.“If I am a problem you have to tell me,” said Guardiola in a broken voice. “I won’t stay here for the money or just for the fact of staying. I extended my contract because I want to be with you. I want to fight. I don’t want you to feel like I’m leaving or running away.”Another extraordinary outburst came in November 2025 after a dismal 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Guardiola, whose decision to make 10 changes had backfired, threatened to quit in the dressing room afterwards.He said: “It’s unacceptable this lack of courage, passion and love and desire to win and do it better. I work for you. I leave my life, my divorce and my family is away, and everything for all of you. And what do you give back? The fucking performance you have done. It’s a disgrace guys. I’m really fucking tired. When I see that I’m exhausted, I’m drained. I want to quit.”Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the Manchester City chairman, recently said Guardiola must have threatened to leave “100 times” during his tenure but he too had his concerns after the Leverkusen game.In a remarkable release of voice notes between Khaldoon and chief executive Ferran Soriano, the chairman said he was “so angry” after “probably one of the lowest points we’ve had”.Soriano said the response should not be “too negative or aggressive” but “not too kind or accommodating either”.The four-part series, which covers the past two seasons, also includes some frank boardroom discussions about transfer policy and the long-serving Kevin De Bruyne’s disappointment after being told his contract would not be renewed.A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK + Ireland 19 August 2026.

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Lukas Nmecha celebrates after his goal during the pre-season friendly match between Sunderland AFC and Leeds United Photograph: Rebekah Wynkoop/SPP/ShutterstockAfter keeping Leeds up last season and reaching an FA Cup semi-final, Daniel Farke has good reason to expect further improvement at Elland RoadGuardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Pretty bright. A team’s second season in the Premier League following promotion is traditionally regarded as hazardous but all the indications are that Daniel Farke’s side will not merely harbour a high degree of immunity to this syndrome but could debunk it as a lazy cliche. The spine of the side looks extremely robust and has been reinforced by the club record £40m signing of James Trafford from Manchester City and the £34m acquisition of the Bosnia and Herzegovina centre-half Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo.Much hinges on Dominic Calvert-Lewin remaining fit. At times last season, Farke’s centre-forward proved unplayable as Leeds finished a respectable 14th. This time round Calvert-Lewin and his fellow forwards should benefit from assists provided by the talented Harry Wilson, a free transfer recruit from Fulham.Significantly, survival was achieved last spring after an unconvincing start to the campaign that, by November, had placed Farke’s job in jeopardy. After a switch to a, broadly, 3-5-2 formation the team improved, radically. Indeed, were there a separate Premier League table for the second half of the season, Leeds’ form from the start of December would have left them seventh. Pre-season results can be notoriously misleading but it is worth noting that Leeds have impressed against some strong opposition. “Pre-season has given us confidence,” said Farke.While the manager aims to take Leeds to “a new level” such ambition is tempered by sensible caution. “Everyone is talking of Europe and trophies but it’s important we stay humble and grounded,” he said. “In the last 25 years our highest Premier League finish has been ninth so we need to go step by step. The second year after promotion can be difficult and dangerous but we are hopeful we can have a good season.”The dated, if hugely atmospheric, Elland Road is undergoing a wholesale redevelopment in a project instigated by the club’s owners, 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. One of the ideas behind this much-needed stadium modernisation – involving an increase in capacity from 37,792 to 53,000 – is to help increase commercial revenue streams and, in turn, be less restricted by football’s spending rules. Another priority is reducing the lengthy season ticket waiting list. Elland Road should remain fully operational on match days as work progresses on a design intended to be the centrepiece of a wider local regeneration. The only frustration is that city council plans for a new tram network have once again been heavily delayed. With public transport infrastructure poor in a part of Leeds notorious for serious traffic congestion that could prove a big problem on match days at an expanded arena.Decent. Leeds have had some unpredictable owners in recent years so the sense of stability, professionalism and vision introduced by the California-based 49ers Enterprises has been welcome. With Elland Road now in the process of being redeveloped, Trafford recently becoming the club’s record signing and commercial income being boosted appreciably, few doubt the ownership’s ambition. A senior executive team comprising chair, Paraag Marathe, managing director, Robbie Evans, and sporting director, Adam Underwood, is generally regarded as efficient, sensible and sufficiently realistic to remain on the right side of football’s spending rules.Farke says his personality is “95% coffee and cake on the sofa and 5% fire beast”. An economics graduate who originally intended to become a sporting director, the 49-year-old one time lower division German striker and, later, Norwich manager is an interesting, multi-dimensional character with an engaging sense of humour and a love of literary fiction. In steering then newly promoted Leeds to the safety of 14th position last season while also reaching an FA Cup semi-final, Farke lost the “trampoline man” tag that, rather unfairly, had suggested his career largely involved either winning promotion or facing relegation. A coach close to Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel has described himself as “a football romantic who has learned that romanticism shouldn’t blind you to reality”. As he explains: “My brand of football normally suits teams who dominate possession but I’m always switched on to what is necessary.”The 23-year-old left-sided central defender Muharemovic has looked outstanding in pre-season. The £34m signing from Serie A has imbued Farke’s defence with not merely robust physicality and controlled aggression but assurance on the ball and a refined passing range. The manner in which he bundled Sunderland’s formidable Netherlands centre-forward Brian Brobbey over in pre-season delighted Leeds fans who have already labelled him the Bosnian King. After helping Sassuolo win promotion from Serie B, Muharemovic played a big part in securing a mid-table Serie A finish last season. Comfortable in a back three or a back four, he appears an inspired reinforcement for a team that, further forward, also seem likely to benefit from Wilson’s arrival.In recruiting Trafford, Leeds pulled off quite a coup. The 23-year-old England goalkeeper, currently understudy to Jordan Pickford in Tuchel’s squad, shone at Burnley in the Championship and arguably deserved more than to be No 2 at City last term. Trafford’s excellence with his feet can only enhance Farke’s team and his all-round talent and impressive poise under pressure should guarantee Leeds some invaluable extra points. All the indications are that the son of a Cumbrian farmer who still tries to lend a hand at lambing time is about to show the world how good he really is.Although the versatile forward ended last season in fine form for Leeds, Noah Okafor played just 25 minutes as a substitute – against Algeria – as Switzerland reached the quarter-finals, eventually bowing out to Argentina. Given Okafor’s previous rift with Murat Yakin, Switzerland’s head coach, there was a degree of surprise when he was included in his World Cup squad and it appears he had not done quite enough to earn Yakin’s full trust. Despite making one appearance for the United States as they reached the last 16 it was still a good summer for Brenden Aaronson. Farke’s trusted attacking midfielder briefly left the US pre-tournament training camp in late May and returned a married man after his long-planned wedding to Milana D’Ambra.

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Audio to be used during live broadcasts for first timeMove is part of an expansion of the RefCam systemThe Premier League will permit audio of on-field conversations between players and referees during live broadcasts for the first time this season.The use of audio by the Premier League’s domestic rights holders, Sky Sports and TNT Sports, is part of an expansion of the RefCam system, which became a permanent feature of top-flight coverage last season after a six-week trial at the start of the campaign. The head-mounted RefCams were used by broadcasters to ­provide near‑instant replays of match ­incidents from a new angle in an attempt to enhance the viewer experience, but under the terms of their agreement with clubs the audio captured by the cameras was not televised until several days later.The Guardian has learned that the regulations will be relaxed this season, however, to permit a limited use of RefCam audio during live matches, with one or two incidents to be broadcast from each of the Premier League’s 38 match rounds. The audio will not be broadcast live or include any incidents that are referred to the video assistant referee, as that is not permitted under the laws of the game, which are set by the International Football Association Board (Ifab). The new audio offering will be made available as part of near-live instant replays, however, while the number of TV games featuring RefCam will increase from 20 to about 45.The Premier League and refereeing body Pro Ref – formerly PGMOL – are both understood to be lobbing Ifab over relaxing the rules that prevent live audio from being broadcast.

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The Community Shield isn’t always a sign of things to come, but City’s form in their defeat to Arsenal is concerning in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s departureThere are caveats. It was only the Community Shield – and no side has gone on to win the league after lifting the Community Shield since 2018. It was against the league champions, whose pre-season has involved far less strenuous travel than their own. By the time the season really gets going, there will be greater clarity in central midfield, with Rodri set to complete his move to Barcelona imminently. But this was a startlingly bad opening for Enzo Maresca at Manchester City.Succeeding a manager of Pep Guardiola’s stature is never easy, as numerous clubs have found. But it’s not just Guardiola’s stature, the sense that whoever follows him stands in his shadow. It’s that his style of play is so idiosyncratic that the transition process inevitably becomes more difficult. Even though Maresca was Guardiola’s assistant at City in 2022-23, and his football is Guardiola-inspired, it is not identical, not least because Guardiola was always evolving. Even allowing for all that, though, it was remarkable how poorly City defended in their 3-0 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.Arsenal played well. There was a sharpness to them and a slickness to their passing that wasn’t always present last season. Fears that they may have lost their appetite having ended their 22-year wait for the title may have been overstated (although much, much tougher tests await). But City were a rabble, limited going forward and a shambles at the back.It was the second goal that will really have worried them, because Arsenal had to do so little to score. Martin Ødegaard was given time to measure his cross. Christos Tzolis wandered off the back of Abdukodir Khusanov. Then Kai Havertz, slightly more explicably, pulled away from Rúben Dias. In Khusanov’s defence, it probably should be acknowledged that he does not usually play at right-back, but he has occupied the role before. A wide player drifting off your back should not come as a shock; perhaps it’s just pre-season and he was not as alert as he will be, but it was a baffling error. But it was of a piece with the wider whole; throughout, City seemed off the pace, not as focused as Arsenal. Even if that improves as the season goes on, it’s a problem if City have title aspirations; how far clear will Arsenal be by the time City finally click – if they do click?But there were structural issues on that flank as well. Antoine Semenyo was barely involved. Elliot Anderson, on the right of the midfield two, was unable to check the forward surges of Riccardo Calafiori, who scored the first and whose run played a key role in the third. An attacking left-back, even one with as much freedom to drift infield as the Italian enjoys, shouldn’t cause that much trouble.The midfield issue desperately needs resolving. Rodri was an unused substitute as talks about his possible likely move to Barcelona go on (City accepted a bid for him on Sunday night). It’s not just his quality that will be missed; his organisational abilities will be too. Enzo Fernández, who worked with Maresca at Chelsea, did seem to have been lined up as a replacement for Rodri but City did not submit a bid before the Friday 5pm deadline Chelsea had placed for selling the midfielder. Mateo Kovacic spent much of last season deputising for Rodri but he is 32 now; he is not the future. Factor in the loss of Bernardo Silva as well, and there is a serious shortfall in midfield.Generally, in fact, City’s squad looks a little short. Dias and Marc Guéhi are the only defenders over 25. There are plenty of attacking midfielders but Omar Marmoush has never really convinced as a back-up to Erling Haaland. The £200m spree in January 2025 may have helped stop the rot, but the players who came in then – not just Marmoush and Khusanov but also Vitor Reis and Nico González – would not be badly missed now. City, once so focused in their spending, have started to make mistakes. Tijjani Reijnders, brought in last summer for £50m, is about to be shipped on. Rayan Aït-Nouri was a baffling signing when he arrived and nothing in the past year has changed that view.Maresca must have looked at Arsenal’s squad, the extraordinary options available to Mikel Arteta in midfield, and despaired. Put generously, his is a squad in transition, although it’s starting to look as though it may be a squad in decline. The sense over the past couple of years was of Guardiola, slowly, passing his peak, but in retrospect perhaps it was only his genius that kept an ailing City competitive.The evidence of Sunday, with all due caveats about the stage of the season, is that this may be a very bad time for Maresca to have replaced Guardiola. Taking over from a legend would be extremely challenging in the best of circumstances, and these are starting to look like they may be very bad circumstances.Cristiano Ronaldo announced on Sunday that he will “probably” retire as a player at the end of this season. What threatened to end his career at the age of 15?a) He was offered a lucrative contract to play professional basketballb) He was diagnosed with tachycardia, a heart conditionc) He nearly choked to death on a piece of mangod) His mother was in need of financial support and told him to become a mechanicAfter a loan spell at Preston North End in 1994-95, David Beckham made his Manchester United league debut in April 1995. He made three further appearances in the final weeks of that campaign and, the following season, was a regular as United pinched the league title from Newcastle United. But the moment that really propelled him into the national consciousness came at Selhurst Park on 17 August 1996, the opening weekend of the season. United already led 2-0 when, with three minutes remaining, a Wimbledon attack broke down. Brian McClair poked the ball on to Beckham, who advanced into space, looking up, assessing his options. The 21-year-old saw the Wimbledon keeper Neil Sullivan off his line and, before he entered the Wimbledon half, clipped a shot that flew over the Scotland international and into the net. What made it remarkable was that Sullivan wasn’t that far out and might even have got back had Beckham’s shot not had a little fade on it that took it away from his despairing half-leap. United went on to retain the title with Beckham, the No 10 in those days, scoring eight goals, and well on his way to becoming English football’s most recognisable face.The Premier League returns this weekend and the champions, Arsenal, kick off the season on Friday against newly promoted Coventry, who are returning to the top flight for the first time since 2001. You can catch the action at 3pm ET on USA and Telemundo.It’s b). Ronaldo was diagnosed with tachycardia, which meant he had an irregular heartbeat and also caused his heart to race. He underwent heart surgery and was back playing within a few days. “They used a sort of laser to cauterise the source of the problem. He was operated on in the morning and came out at the end of the afternoon,” his mother, Maria Dolores Aveiro, said in 2009.

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Ipswich Town captain Dara O'Shea during the pre season friendly against Le Havre at Portman Road. Photograph: Keeran Marquis/SPP/ShutterstockThey have a new manager and a higher net spend than Manchester City, but will that be enough for Ipswich to avoid another yo-yoing relegation?Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Will Unwin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 2nd (Championship)Back for another crack at the Premier League, the Tractor Boys are taking things very seriously. More than £100m has been spent on 10 new arrivals in an attempt to make the team fit for purpose, something that could not be said two years ago when they were relegated without being competitive after focusing on signing the Championship’s finest. Being the league’s fourth-biggest net spenders has created quiet optimism in Suffolk that things will go better this time. Lessons were learned, even if their galling relegation benefited the careers of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson, as the harsh reality of what happens when potential meets proven quality.Ensuring there is a core of players with Premier League experience has been fundamental. Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic joined from Fulham, while Florentino Luís was snapped up after his baptism at Burnley to give a strong spine. The search for new players has stretched further and wider than in recent seasons, too, in a bid to find better valued talent than is available in England. Luís and Lukic are required to provide physicality and a desire to win the ball back in the centre of the park, although another addition in there would be advantageous.The new manager, Gary O’Neil, has the right battling qualities and intelligence to keep a side up, explaining why he was the man quickly targeted to replace the outgoing Kieran McKenna, who resigned after securing promotion. The constant cheque-signing may explain the slow start to pre-season, losing to Osasuna, as everyone learned about O’Neil’s methods and demands, but they looked effective against Rayo Vallecano and the return of Julio Enciso will add some much-needed creativity and ingenuity.If all else fails, Ipswich will at least make history after signing goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, who at 6ft9 is set to become the Premier League’s tallest ever player.Work on a £30m training ground upgrade is close to completion. The regeneration will include a new first-team building, in addition to improved facilities for the academy and women’s team. The construction was seen as necessary to bring the club in line with their rivals and help convince potential signings Suffolk is the place to be. In a rarity, the club’s main shirt sponsor is a local business, the software company Halo. Ed Sheeran, meanwhile, is still represented on the kit with his ‘Play’ featuring on the sleeves.Being successful is always good for morale, and members of the Gamechanger 20 ownership group could be found celebrating promotion with fans in the town centre. They have made a number of promises since taking over the club in 2021 and have delivered on them all. The one blot was the decision to invite the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, to Portman Road, which was a PR disaster, creating a needless – and embarrassing – circus around the club, as Ipswich struggled to create a cohesive story about the situation, which was only forgotten thanks to them reaching the Premier League.It was a surprise when the universally popular McKenna decided to leave after securing another promotion, forcing some quick thinking to find a replacement. O’Neil has plenty of experience from his time managing Bournemouth and Wolves, added to with a spell at Strasbourg, but has a tough act to follow. Always open and honest, his coaching career has been spent trying to keep teams above the red line. His time at Wolves ended poorly but circumstances dictated much of that as the club failed to invest, something he can’t say in his new role.Emersonn is the record signing, costing £24m from Toulouse, and he has the difficult task of providing the goals that could bring safety, although he is yet to prove himself as a consistent scorer. The 22-year-old is the first Brazilian to play for the Tractor Boys but had to work hard in pre-season to catch up with his colleagues, having arrived lacking the necessary fitness levels. Eager to run in behind, he will be dangerous against teams who leave space. He has all the attributes to excel but it is down to him and the coaches aligning to ensure that this expensive gamble pays off.Last season, Ipswich were masters of exploiting high turnovers. They generated shots from 22.2% of them, more than double the Championship’s average rate of 10.4%. If O’Neil can maintain this efficiency, it could be Ipswich’s most effective method of creating chances.The £17.5m fee for a then 19-year-old showed what Ipswich thought of Sindre Walle Egeli, the son of a former Norwegian lower league footballer. The record goalscorer for Norway at youth level has naturally drawn comparisons to a certain Erling Haaland, who has given advice to his compatriot and may have the chance to offer more in person when Ipswich come up against Manchester City. A boyhood Liverpool fan, his first year in England brought four Championships goals in 18 starts, laying the groundwork as he and his teammates look to step up. Walle Egeli returned after the break in fine shape and has looked promising in the No 10 position under O’Neil, having previously played out wide.After suffering a rather pathetic relegation to League One with Leicester, Abdul Fatawu joined up with the Ghana squad for the World Cup. He came on in each of his country’s four matches but playing as a winger for Carlos Queiroz was not particularly fun. The Black Stars were ultra-defensive, scoring only twice as they limped out of the tournament as one of the most forgettable teams involved. Fatawu will be hoping for more creative freedom under O’Neil as he desperately seeks to avoid a third straight relegation.

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Oli McBurnie hoists the Championship playoff trophy high and Hull will need him to retain his scoring touch in the Premier League. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianPlayoff winners are expected to go back down, but their owner is optimistic and is investing in the squadGuardian writers’ predicted position: 20th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position: 6th (Championship)It is no exaggeration to say that Hull’s playoff triumph in May was a shock. They had, after all, started the season as Championship relegation favourites and operated under a transfer embargo throughout the campaign. Moreover, they conceded 66 league goals, the fourth-highest, along the way. Now another minor miracle will surely be required if Premier League survival is to be secured.Much may hinge on Oli McBurnie, the scorer of 19 goals last season, succeeding where he has struggled in the past and retaining his scoring touch in the top tier, but there is no lack of optimism in East Yorkshire. “Think about us like a volcano,” says Hull’s owner, Acun Ilicali. “It’s boiling right now and it’s going to erupt.”Hull intend following Sunderland’s template last summer by making 14 new signings, albeit on a significantly smaller budget. So far 11 – Jack Butland, Hidemasa Morita, Matt Targett, Óscar Zambrano, Jens Hjertø-Dahl, Elliot Stroud, Konstantinos Tzolakis, Lucas Herrington, Joe Gelhardt, Lucas Gourna-Douath and the club record buy, the central defender Nobel Mendy, who has arrived from Rayo Vallecano for just over £20m – have arrived.“The transfer market is very slow,” said the manager, Sergej Jakirovic, who covets the Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor and last season’s 23-goal Championship top scorer, Swansea’s Zan Vipotnik. “But, in the last seven days of the window, it will become very, very quick.”His cause has been hindered by pre-season injuries, with perhaps the biggest blow involving an arm problem suffered by Butland. It threatens to keep the former Rangers goalkeeper, who had impressed in friendlies, out until Christmas. The consensus is that Hull will have long since become a lost cause by then, but, much as the impressive Jakirovic needs new faces and Premier League nous, he does hold one ace card. Hull boast an exceptionally powerful team spirit driven by exemplary on-field leaders, including the veteran central defender John Egan. Maybe, just maybe, it can, once again, transport them further than anyone believes possible.In June, the playoff winners faced kicking off the new Premier League season handicapped by a near certain six-point deduction. A club that spent last season under a two-window English Football League transfer embargo avoided it by selling their goalkeeper Ivor Pandur and midfielder Aidon Shehu to Rangers and Panathinaikos respectively for a combined £8.5m. Access to the fruits of the top tier’s broadcast deal has since made Hull a whole lot wealthier, but Ilicali has pledged not to risk the club’s future by overspending and, at the time of writing, has invested around £78m on the new players.Unpredictable and slightly conflicted. Aidon Shehu, the Turkish sports reporter turned media mogul – who is on his fifth manager since taking control in early 2022 – was offered a wholesale welcome when he took over from the unpopular Allam family, but he now exerts much more of a polarising effect on supporters. If November 2022, when he treated 320 fans to an all-expenses-paid week’s holiday at a luxury resort hotel in Antalya represented a high point, a nadir arrived when late payments resulted in Hull being placed under a transfer embargo last season. Nonetheless, the playoff triumph ensures many are prepared to offer the 57-year-old the benefit of the doubt.The Mostar-born, 49-year-old Jakirovic has Bosnian and Croatian citizenship and says his life was shaped by the 1990s Balkan war that broke out when he was 14. “It was life or death,” he has said. “It has made me the person I am today.” Shortly after his arrival from Turkey’s Kayserispor, in June 2025, Hull were placed under a transfer embargo, but, defying widespread predictions of imminent relegation, he led the team to sixth place before beating Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final. A central midfielder or central defender in his playing days, the former Bosnia and Herzegovina international led Dinamo Zagreb to the Croatian League and Cup double in 2024.The Japan defensive midfielder Hidemasa Morita joined from Sporting Lisbon after four trophy-laden years in Portugal. A fans’ favourite in Lisbon, he played regular Champions League football last season as Sporting reached the quarter-finals and has 40 senior international caps. Morita could have stayed in Lisbon, but opted not to renew his contract in order to experience Premier League football. Hull fended off competition from Ipswich for the signature of the 31-year-old who was a key part of the Japan squad at Qatar 2022. Morita is the second Japanese player to represent Hull and his amalgam of experience and quality in a key position promise to prove invaluable.The strangest part of the Championship playoffs might not have been the Southampton spying scandal. Hull were second-bottom for expected points, 53.1, and would have been relegated if underlying performances determined results. It was remarkable tthey won promotion and it will be even more surprising if they make a serious fist of staying up.The 22-year-old central defender Charlie Hughes was Hull’s young player of the year last season and his assurance in possession and excellent passing range are bound to catch all sorts of Premier League eyes. Helpfully, his ballplaying ability is matched by some equally impressive – and combative – defending. After spending his youth in the academies of Liverpool and Manchester City, Hughes joined Wigan, leaving for Hull last summer. An imposing blend of steel and silk, a defender also comfortable in central midfield will miss the start of the season after hernia surgery. Happily, Hughes is expected back by early autumn at the latest and appears integral to the team’s survival hopes.Not content with helping Hull win the most unexpected of promotions, the Canada winger Liam Millar headed across the Atlantic to the World Cup. He made three appearances at the tournament as they reached the knockout stage, losing to Morocco in the round of 16. Given his career seemed in real jeopardy when he suffered a serious knee injury shortly after joining Hull in 2024, inclusion in Canada’s squad represented the fulfilment of an unlikely looking dream. “It was an unbelievable experience,” said the 26-year-old. “I’ve never seen Canada the way it was, I’ve never seen so many red shirts in Vancouver and Toronto. We want to inspire the next generation and I think we did Canada proud.”

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César Palacios has previously worked with Fulham’s new manager Álvaro Arbeloa at Real Madrid. Photograph: Simon Dael/ShutterstockWith Marco Silva leaving after five years can the club take advantage of the links their new coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, has with Real Madrid?Guardian writers’ predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Marco Silva cutting the cord after five years by the river came as little surprise. If his time at Craven Cottage was successful in re-establishing Fulham as a Premier League club, he rarely concealed his ambitions to play European football. He was frequently explicit in his disappointment that the club’s ownership did not meet him halfway by funding a stronger squad. Silva’s powers of rebadging and replenishing talent will be missed now that he has decamped to Benfica. Under him, Fulham played entertaining football, a collection of ugly ducklings showing their renewed worth for a club that, despite falling short of European qualification, looked upwards rather than downwards at the relegation battle. They were often a pleasure to watch, and ornery opposition for all comers.Álvaro Arbeloa is a very different type of appointment, with far less experience than his predecessor in frontline coaching terms, even if he arrives with Real Madrid on his CV. His arrival, though, has opened up a working relationship with the Spanish aristos, Gonzalo García and César Palacios arriving to work with a coach who helped them through the ranks in Madrid. By little coincidence, all three share the same agency as their representatives. There have been links with Endrick and Thiago Pitarch, two further young Real jewels, leading to a sense of Fulham becoming some form of Madrileño nursery, a Santiago Bernabéu on Thames. Should that play out, it would represent another sea change.Silva preferred to work with hard-bitten pros. A couple of his leading men, Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson, have departed. The latter played the best football of his career last season but, like his manager, got a better offer elsewhere, from Leeds. Fulham’s latest approach is to source young players and polish them up. Can they have the same successes as mid-tier peers such as Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth, where the approach is far more data driven? Will supporters be looking upwards rather than downwards? A previously enigmatic club just got more enigmatic.In May, the club was runner-up at the Football Business Awards, for stadium experience, as the Riverside Stand’s opulent hospitality completed its first full season in service. Fulham need the Riverside to deliver as a revenue stream, as financial results for the 2024-25 season showed a pre-tax loss for the year at £44.5m, and that was lowered by the sale of João Palhinha in July 2024. There has been no such windfall since. The Khan family ownership continues to back the club, their overall investment estimated around £900m, staff costs at 117% of turnover. Therein lies the reasoning behind Silva not receiving the backing he desired.The most expensive season ticket at Craven Cottage comes in at £3,084 for access to the Riverside’s facilities, the highest in the Premier League. Shahid Khan, his son Tony, the vice-chair and director of football operations, are unpopular among committed supporters for price rises and pandering to tourism. Khan’s boat Kismet was named Superyacht of the Year in 2025, its main salon inspired by the Palace of Versailles, and can be chartered for over $3m per week. Though the balance sheets confirm Khan’s outlay in funding a continued Premier League status, fans would prefer he recognised not everyone lives the high life.Where Silva had an unremarkable playing career, Arbeloa featured among the elite, a World Cup and Champions League winner. He also had the ear of Florentino Pérez, the perennial Real Madrid president asking him to replace Xabi Alonso in mid-season of the 2025-26 campaign. That did not pan out, and he took his first job away from Madrid, where he was a well-regarded youth coach, in south-west London. Khan Sr’s comment that Arbeloa “believes in giving young players a chance” is pertinent for Fulham’s change in direction. Crucially, as befitting traditions at Craven Cottage, the new man from Salamanca believes in open, attacking football, offering some continuity from Silva’s reign.Gonzalo García’s reputation was made by his performances at last summer’s Club World Cup, where he won the tournament’s Golden Boot. Comparisons were made to Raúl, a considerable accolade at the Bernabéu. Goals followed in the Champions League against Juventus and Borussia Dortmund but García eventually lost out to the star system of Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé. His reputation in Spain is as a hard worker off the ball, necessary for a Premier League player. Last season, Rodrigo Muniz’s injuries meant old soldier Jiménez shouldered the burden at centre forward. García is younger and fresher but the hype surrounding his arrival gives him much to live up to.Fulham had the oldest side in the Premier League last season, which may help explain why they had arguably the least intense press. Marco Silva’s side recorded the fewest high turnovers, which occur when a team recovers the ball to start a new open play possession sequence in the final 40 metres of the pitch. Real Madrid are hardly known for being a high-pressing outfit but they comfortably outperformed Fulham on this metric. It will be fascinating to see how Arbeloa approaches this.Jonah Kusi-Asare’s arrival last summer from Bayern Munich is further mining of a super club’s youth department. Bayern inserted a buy-back clause for a player they picked up from AIK. The Sweden Under-21 player has been compared to Alexander Isak, and made seven substitute appearances last season – without scoring – before an initial loan became a permanent move. At 6ft 5in he offers a different profile of striker to García. Hayden Mullins, the former Under-21 coach now Newport manager, saw the best of Kusi-Asare last season, the 18-year-old scoring five goals in six matches.García made his debut for Spain in a pre-World Cup friendly against Iraq but failed to make the eventual champions’ tournament squad. Antonee Robinson had a fine tournament for the USA until the co-hosts perished in the last 16 at the hands of a Belgian team featuring Timothy Castagne. Luc De Fougerolles, yet to play a Premier League game for Fulham, showed off teenage defensive talents in Canada’s run to the knockouts. To complete a successful quintet – saving the best till last? – Sander Berge had a fine tournament as Norway also reached the quarter-finals.

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Sunderland and Leeds defied the odds and stayed up last season. Will Coventry, Hull and Ipswich continue the trend?A quarter of a century after their last appearance in the Premier League – following financial ruin, ground-sharing in Northampton and Birmingham and even a spell in League Two – Coventry have finally completed their comeback story. But the bunting has been packed away and they now face the daunting task of proving they belong in the top flight.Frank Lampard is not starting from scratch. Coventry’s success last season was a collective effort and a product of smart recruitment over the past few years. The result was a side that overwhelmed the Championship with a fearless front-footed approach without relying on a single scorer. Seven Coventry players scored seven or more league goals.They led the division for shots on target; they ranked second for big chances created, touches in the opposition’s final third and touches in the penalty area; and they produced direct attacking speed and passes-per-sequence numbers comparable to some of the Premier League’s most direct sides, including Brentford and Bournemouth.The title was wrapped up with three games to spare; they conceded the fewest goals in the division (45 in 46 games), and their 97-goal haul was the fourth highest in a 46-game Championship season, behind only Fulham in 2021–22, Bournemouth in 2014–15 and Reading in 2005–06. Given the success Fulham and Bournemouth have enjoyed in recent years, Coventry will hope that proves a good omen.Continuity is going to be central to their hopes of survival. They are not following in the footsteps of Sunderland, who spent around £155m last summer. Coventry’s net spend was around £3.5m last summer and just 17% of minutes on the pitch last season went to newcomers. Their best business in the transfer window was holding on to players such as Jack Rudoni and Milan van Ewijk, who were attracting interest from top-flight clubs.They have not gone wild this summer but they have invested. Coventry have signed centre-back Aurèle Amenda from Eintracht Frankfurt, winger Loum Tchaouna from Burnley, and midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi from Nordsjaelland while also securing permanent deals for Frank Onyeka and Carl Rushworth, who were both at the club last season. They have also brought back former favourite Gustavo Hamer after his spell at Sheffield United.Lampard’s biggest challenge will be adapting a style built to dominate in the Championship into one capable of surviving the Premier League. Their direct, attacking approach will be riskier against opponents who possess the pace, quality and tactical sophistication to punish a rushed pass or a risky vertical ball.Coventry will not have the same territorial control or volume of chances they enjoyed last season either – they need players who can get them up the pitch. Haji Wright’s pace and ability to attack space should be valuable, but Ellis Simms, who tends to thrive attacking the penalty box, will need service.The fact that Hull City are playing in the Premier League this season borders on miraculous. This is a side that survived relegation to League One on goal difference the season before last, entered last season under a transfer embargo, scraped into the playoffs by beating Norwich on the final day of the season, and scored a stoppage time winner in the playoff final. No one backed them in their pre-season predictions, and yet, under the guidance of the relatively unknown Sergej Jakirovic in his first season in charge, they defied the statistics.If matches in the Championship last season had been decided by expected goals, Hull would have finished second from bottom. The glaringly obvious problem was at the back. They conceded 66 goals, giving them the fourth worst defensive record in the Championship. Looking back at the last 15 teams to be promoted to the Premier League, only Southampton (who conceded 63 goals when they were promoted to the 2023-24 season) have come close to that tally and they went on to concede 86 goals in the top flight, finishing rock bottom with just 12 points.If that wasn’t bad enough, Hull were lucky to not concede more: opponents failed to convert 10 opportunities where they had at least a 50% chance of scoring according to xG – the most of any side in the league. Hull simply have to improve as fortune does not tend to stick around long when you’re in the Premier League.There are some reasons for optimism though. Their form against the top teams in away matches was impressive. They conceded just eight goals in their matches at the teams in the top 10; they did not concede in either of their games against Coventry; and they didn’t concede in any of their playoff matches.Jakirovic showed an impressive knack of switching tactics depending on who his side faced or how a game was evolving. His switch from their usual 4-2-3-1 formation to a back three with wing-backs in the second leg of their playoff tie against Millwall was perhaps the most telling example of this succeeding as they caught Millwall by surprise, winning 2-0 at the Den. If continuity is the key word in Coventry’s fight for survival then chaos seems to be Hull’s. You don’t really know what to expect from them. Striker Oli McBurnie pointed this out last season: “It’s probably hard to gameplan against us, because we play so many different ways against different teams.”As well as their unpredictability, this team has heart. They defied all expectations to reach the top, overcoming a relegation battle, a transfer embargo and statistical odds. Jakirovic put their success down to the bond they have forged. “It was like a puzzle,” he said. “Maybe it was the best that it happened like this. This group of players became even closer. They had to stick together and help each other.” As Robert Earnshaw, who played for Derby in their disastrous 2007-08 campaign, has warned: “You can relegate yourself based on how you think. It was almost as if everyone gave up. It was 20 games to go and it was like: ‘We’re never going to do it.’” This Hull side has fight and that should count for something.Two years ago Ipswich entered the Premier League as one of football’s feelgood stories. After 22 years away from the top flight, Kieran McKenna took them back to the top through back-to-back promotions, turning a squad largely built for League One into top-flight contenders. The 2023-24 campaign was fuelled by fearless, attacking football, late goals and a sense of togetherness, with Ipswich finishing second behind Leicester and becoming the first side in 12 years to climb from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons.McKenna’s side had an established core who had grown together and exceeded expectations but they were small fish in a very big pond, and the Premier League quickly exposed the gulf in quality. Ipswich won just four games, conceded 82 times and finished 19th with 22 points. Their immediate return to the top flight, fuelled by Premier League experience and parachute payments, means this is a very different promotion story – less about underdogs defying expectations and more about a club that is aiming to belong in this league.Their recruitment in 2024 suggested they had one eye on a return to the Championship. They brought in top Championship players who had potential but were not proven at the top: Omari Hutchinson, Jack Clarke, Liam Delap, Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves. The club’s CEO, Mark Ashton, says they have to be “a bit braver” this time around. Rather than focusing on potential, they want to sign battle-ready, established top-flight performers.Florentino Luís and Sasa Lukic bring the physicality and ball-winning presence the midfield lacked in 2024-25, while Issa Diop adds Premier League experience at the back. At the other end, with no Ipswich player scoring more than 10 non-penalty goals last season, Emersonn gives them a physically imposing striker, while Daizen Maeda and Abdul Fatawu add running power and intensity. Crucially, a lot of these players have Premier League experience and, with O’Shea, Clarke, Greaves and Jaden Philogene remaining from the season they went down, this is a side that looks more ambitious and ready to compete.Their defence also looks far more equipped for the top flight. They had the second best defensive record in the Championship last season, keeping 17 clean sheets and conceding just 47 goals (10 fewer goals than when they were promoted in 2023-24). This is not the chaotic and entertaining side that got them to the Premier League two years ago, but a more patient team that knows how to be pragmatic and aggressive.The biggest negative is the departure of the man who guided them back to the Premier League, with Kieran McKenna stepping away from football to take a break. Gary O’Neil, his replacement, has experienced Premier League relegation battles with Bournemouth and Wolves but it will be difficult to replace the identity, relationships and collective belief McKenna spent five years building through three promotions in four years, and 105 wins in 222 games. O’Neil is inheriting a more expensive and talented side than Ipswich had two years ago, but he will have to hit the ground running and help a host of new players to adapt quickly.

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Thierno Barry has shown promising signs during Everton’s pre-season matches. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersModest but sensible-looking recruitment befits the club’s new air of stability but a continuation of their spring slump could test David Moyes’s appetite for the fightGuardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)A season stripped of the fear of relegation, featuring more proactive, front-footed football and the return of some hope: had Everton been offered that package before their relocation to Hill Dickinson Stadium last summer it would have been accepted gratefully given the turmoil of the previous four years. For four fifths of last season it was accepted gratefully, but then came a collapse that transformed perceptions of David Moyes’s first full season back in charge. Talk of progress requires more supporting evidence this time around.Everton were three points off the fifth and final Champions League qualification spot on 21 March having dismantled Chelsea in their finest performance at the club’s new stadium. They did not win another game all season and slumped to 13th on the final day – the same position as the previous campaign under Sean Dyche and Moyes, with only one point more but an inferior goal difference. European football may well have been an ambitious target for a club adjusting to a new home and the loss of 10 players following the expiry of their contracts, loans included. But the opportunity presented itself to Moyes’s team and they blew it.Without the upheaval of last summer, with midfield resources improved and young players having had the benefit of a year’s experience of the Premier League, European qualification could be a more realistic proposition this season. Provided a few glaring holes in Moyes’s squad are finally filled. An upgrade on the limited centre-forward options of Beto and Thierno Barry is essential, although the latter has shown more promising signs in pre-season. Likewise a successor to Séamus Coleman – one of several big Evertonian losses behind the scenes recently. Everton’s quest for a new right-back is their very own Odyssey, while central defence was another area of concern last season. Genuine progress, the measure of which is not open to debate, rests on the final moves of the window.The consequences of Farhad Moshiri’s calamitous ownership are still being felt with Everton ordered to pay almost £40m in compensation to Burnley over the latter’s relegation in 2021-22. Everton are appealing against the can-of-worms verdict by a Premier League independent disciplinary commission, along with the biggest financial penalty ever imposed on a Premier League club, but claim their latest punishment has not affected this summer’s transfer plans. Many season ticket holders have been hit by above-inflation price increases – in some instances of almost 10% – and the club have extended a sponsorship deal with Stake, despite the UK government pledging to crack down on unlicensed gambling operators sponsoring British sports teams.The Friedkin Group (TFG) has brought the financial stability that Everton desperately needed but it would be a stretch to suggest fans have connected with a low-key ownership group that rarely attend games. The man they appointed to run the club, chief executive, Angus Kinnear, annoyed supporters at the end of last season by claiming the hierarchy was “happily dissatisfied” with the first campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The comment was portrayed as fresh evidence of Everton accepting mediocrity but in fairness to Kinnear, who was writing about TFG’s determination to banish the threats of financial instability, relegation and regulatory sanction, he did add: “The progress is clear but we have not achieved anything yet.”David Moyes turns 64 in April and, while the Premier League’s oldest manager clearly retains the hunger and ambition to rebuild Everton on a stronger footing, it will be interesting to see whether he retains the appetite for a fight with his critics in the event of a poor start. Particularly as the Scotland job remains available and he would appear the ideal candidate to succeed Steve Clarke. Moyes was exceeding his brief until the dismal end to last season cost Everton a shot at Europe and placed his team selections under an unforgiving spotlight. Talk of a contract extension has since gone quiet.It has been a sensible window rather than a sexy one from Everton so far – see replacing Idrissa Gana Gueye with the £7m Christian Nørgaard – but they might have delivered in swapping Dwight McNeil for Brennan Johnson. No one would dispute that the Wales’ international’s move from Tottenham to Crystal Palace in January fell flat, least of all Palace who were willing to take a significant hit on their £35m, one-time record investment only seven months later. But if the 25-year-old recaptures the form he showed at Nottingham Forest, or when scoring 18 goals for Spurs in 2024-25, he could prove a steal who addresses several problems in the Everton frontline.David Moyes loves to keep a settled side. Everton averaged the fewest changes to their starting XI of any team in the 2025-26 Premier League. With the squad looking largely the same as last season, this trend should continue. But what if injuries bite?Tyler Dibling would have been a strong candidate for this category last summer following his arrival from Southampton for an initial £35m. It reflects a nonevent of a debut season on Merseyside that he can be nominated 12 months on. Everton invested a lot of time and money into their pursuit of the England Under-21 international, who remains the most expensive signing of Moyes’s second spell in charge, but the return was a huge disappointment. The attacking midfielder started only four league games and was not given a single minute after the 2-0 win over Burnley on 3 March. The manager did not hide his frustration with what he was seeing on the training ground.The longest World Cup in history should not have too onerous an impact on Moyes’s squad. Only three of his players were involved and, of those, only Jordan Pickford was in action after 1 July. Pickford came in for familiar criticism following his performances against Ghana and Argentina despite reinforcing his status as England’s undisputed No 1 goalkeeper across the tournament. Iliman Ndiaye started once for Senegal and was subbed in the 73rd minute with his country leading Belgium 2-0 in the last-32 tie. They ultimately lost 3-2. Nathan Patterson, whose Everton future is uncertain, featured in all three of Scotland’s forgettable group campaign.