Football Focus

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is heading into his 10th season with Spurs and has spoken to Glenn Murray about being the team's captain and what he wants to achieve with the club.

After a fine start to Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge at Tottenham, Spurs ended up finishing fifth last term.

Jermaine Beckford is the only BBC pundit that thinks they will finish in the top three this season while ex-Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas is one of 10 that believes they will finish fourth.

"I have gone with Spurs but Ange will have to sort out the situation at the back," he said.

"I watched them the other day against Bayern Munich and they conceded two goals again at the back post - how many more times does it have to happen?"

Image source, Reuters

Stephen Robinson has urged his St Mirren players to grasp a "fairytale" opportunity to progress in the Europa Conference League that would be "life changing" for them, the club and their supporters.

The Paisley side head to Norway to face Brann on Thursday with the sides tied at 1-1 after the first leg of their third qualifying round tie.

Whoever wins will face either Romanian second-tier team Corvinul Hunedoara or Astana, with the side from Kazakhstan leading 2-1 from their first leg, in the play-off round.

"We're one game from getting into the next round and then with a great chance of progressing, which could be life changing for the football club and the players," Robinson said.

"You saw in Paisley after we equalised it was going mad, everyone was full of joy," he said. "We’ve waited a long, long time for this.

"I'd say ultimately that we have to continue to give more regular excursions into Europe rather than once every 40-odd years.

"Everyone would be delighted, just to give the fans another journey, another trip, they will be out here again in their numbers in Norway and it’s really expensive to travel to these countries, so that’s the motivation for the players."

Image source, PA Media

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes insists Tromso are not huge favourites to progress to the Europa Conference League play-offs despite the Norwegians leaving Ayrshire with a 2-2 first-leg draw.

Bobby Wales' stoppage-time equaliser kept the tie level after Tromso recovered from fellow forward Kyle Vassell's early opener at Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock are also recovering from a bruising 3-0 Scottish Premiership defeat at home to St Johnstone on Sunday.

"I think there's a natural train of thought that everybody seems to think Tromso are huge favourites and that's fine and well, but from our point of view, we feel we're well in the tie," McInnes said.

"I think the game’s in the balance, to be honest. We think there's more to come from us in the performance and certainly more to come from us in terms of keeping the ball out the net."

The qualifiers for this season's European club competitions continue later with two Scottish sides having travelled to the west coast of Norway - and one of them is preparing to play inside the Arctic Circle.

Manchester United were eighth last season and have only finished in the top two once since Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018.

He was appointed Fenerbahce boss in the summer but the Turkish side are already out of this season's Champions League after what he felt was a controversial exit against Lille on Tuesday.

Mourinho has now set his sights on making a Europa League run with his new side.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Ipswich are not just set to complete a loan deal for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The newly-promoted side have also expressed an interest in Chelsea's Armando Broja.

The Albania striker, 22, made eight appearances on loan at Fulham during the second half of last season.

That's definitely something different Alex. Possibly the wildest prediction yet.

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has brought plenty of optimism to London Stadium after taking over from David Moyes in the summer and BBC pundit Ellen White thinks the Hammers will finish fourth.

"There is genuine excitement around West Ham, and for good reason," said the former England striker. "They have made so many good signings and if they can gel, they could push them right up the league.

"It would be wild if they made the top four because it is a big jump, but I feel like they can do it. They were disappointed with ninth last season but they were in good shape anyway, and they don't have European football either."

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Sutton and Troy Deeney are among the 19 BBC pundits who believe Manchester City will retain the Premier League title.

Sutton said: "Psychologically, City seem to have this edge which has been built up over the past few years where, when the going gets tough, they seem to thrive on it."

Deeney added: "They are still favourites because they have not lost anything. They have sold Julian Alvarez but he was not a starter or main man for them."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City made history last season when they won four Premier League titles in a row. Can they make it five? Jermaine Jenas and Chris Waddle aren't so sure.

"These players have achieved everything there is to do in the game, and Pep still manages to get every ounce out of them," said Jenas. "They will be there until the end, but it might just be one year too many."

Waddle added: "Four in a row was unbelievable and five would be absolutely incredible. They are a fantastic team but I am not sure even City can do that."

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone & Nizaar Kinsella

ICYMI, Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips is set to join newly-promoted Ipswich Town on loan for the season.

Phillips has failed to break into the City starting side since his £45m move from Leeds two years ago.

He joined West Ham on loan for the second half of last season in an effort to secure an England spot for Euro 2024 but a combination of poor form and injury wrecked his chances of making Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The loan deal does not include a sale option.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Winger Wes Burns believes Ipswich Town's Premier League return is a reward for fans who stuck by the club through "dark times".

Ipswich suffered after their Premier League relegation in 2002, entering administration and struggling to keep their heads above water in the Championship, before eventually succumbing to the drop into League One at the end of the 2018-19 season.

After joining from Fleetwood Town in 2021, Burns has been a pivotal figure in each of Ipswich's two promotions under head coach Kieran McKenna, who took the Portman Road reins in December 2021.

The Wales international scored nine goals as the club gained automatic promotion from League One in 2022-23, then the 29-year-old netted six times last season as Ipswich sealed their top-flight return.

"I don't think anyone beyond their wildest imagination would have thought, even when I first signed, if you said three seasons later we'd be playing in the Premier League, I wouldn't have believed you for a second," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The fans have been through some hard times in recent years, but credit to them really. They stuck by the club through the dark times and they're getting everything that they deserve now."

Key to that rise is the guidance of McKenna, with Burns expecting the former Tottenham and Manchester United youth team coach to achieve far more in his managerial career than anyone expected of him.

"Speaking first hand from my own game, it's just the simplicity that he [McKenna] gives me in instructions for day-to-day in training for every game," he added.

"I've kind of found my home here at Ipswich Town and I've kind of made a role at the club that I'll cherish for a long time, but that's obviously due to the boss coming in and working on me.

"To sum him up as a manager, he's definitely going to go way above and beyond what anyone probably thought that he would have done."

Image source, PA Media

Football Focus

Partying in Vegas and hanging out at Ipswich fan Ed Sheeran's house... it's been quite a summer for the Tractor Boys.

Huge excitement is building in Ipswich before their return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

The Tractor Boys start the season with a bang as 19-time English champions Liverpool visit Portman Road on Saturday.

The occasion is being marked by the creation of a mural featuring key figures at the club including manager Kieran McKenna and captain Sam Morsy.

More than 100 projects are also under way to make improvements to Portman Road, including the introduction of safe standing areas, increased capacity in the away end and work on the Sir Alf Ramsey stand.

Elsewhere, local businesses are hoping for a boost from thousands of visiting Premier League fans during the coming season.