Premier League

Alex Turk
Fan writer

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Ruben Amorim is no stranger to facing problems at Manchester United. He has seldom enjoyed a week without one since arriving in November.

Now, a dilemma is brewing before Sunday's derby at Manchester City. However, on this occasion, it is a positive one in an area of the pitch that was the source of plenty of pain last season.

When is Benjamin Sesko going to start matches? It is a fair question on the everlasting carousel of many queries among United fans.

He has arrived as one of Europe's hottest young strikers in a £74m transfer. Yet, the 22-year-old's only start in four games came at League Two club - and Carabao Cup conquerors - Grimsby Town.

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While Amorim insists he is carefully managing Sesko's adaption to English football, there is another prominent reason for his bit-part role thus far.

Mason Mount is currently enjoying his best run of form and fitness since his £55m switch from Chelsea in 2023.

Amorim loves the 26-year-old, who suits the demands required to operate in a 3-4-3 system, as he did under Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

Mount's first two years in Manchester have been plagued by injury woes, but brighter days could be here.

Along with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, he makes up the Portuguese coach's first-choice front three, which Sesko is battling to breach.

Who starts against City is anyone's guess and is likely to depend on Mount's fitness after his precautionary half-time substitution in the 3-2 win over Burnley.

The answer could be both, should Cunha miss out with a minor hamstring issue.

But after spending the first several months of his reign watching United - Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony et al - struggle to conjure up 40 Premier League goals, it is proof there is such thing as a welcome headache.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

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Former Brighton striker Warren Aspinall says Carlos Baleba needs to improve his consistency after an indifferent start to the season.

The Cameroon midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer and has not hit the same heights as he did last season, with Aspinall suggesting his warm-ups are not intense enough.

"Hopefully the manager, along with Baleba, is putting it down to the Manchester United talks," Aspinall told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited.

"I saw him warming up against Manchester City - it was like running around the park with his mates. Once you get to the ground, concentration levels have to be much better.

"He's one of the players who has let himself down. He has one great game, one good game and two bad ones. He needs to turn the bad games into good games.

"You can't switch it on like a tap - it's not that easy in the Premier League. High-intensity football is about closing down, winning loose balls and breaking forward.

"I have seen none of that this season."

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Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

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Across his past three jobs, Ange Postecoglou's sides have set up in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-1-1 shape that aimed to dominate the ball, playing quickly with it and pressing incredibly aggressively without it. The high intensity of his style in all phases has become a hallmark of his system, with both positives and negatives.

From build-up, Postecoglou involves his goalkeeper and uses the back four and defensive midfielder in an interesting way. Build-up is focused heavily down the centre of the pitch, with six players playing in a compact way. Both full-backs are seen inverting into midfield so they need to have strong technical quality.

The rationale here is that you are likely to outnumber the opposition in the build-up, making it easier to move up the pitch.

If opposition players mark your players in build-up, Postecoglou's use of positional rotations is a tool to get players free in order to receive the ball.

The Australian likes to use rotations very frequently, with two or three players often seen swapping between rigid positions in order to move defences around to find the free man. It looks fluid - but it is often calculated.

It is clear that Nuno Espirito Santo's counter-attacking style differs largely from Postecoglou's approach, so what does this mean for Nottingham Forest?

Forest's transfer business this summer appears to have been done with an eye on becoming a more technical, ball-dominant side. Interestingly, James McAtee, Douglas Luiz and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all players who have all developed at Manchester City, highlighting the change in intent.

Big-money signing Omari Hutchinson and fellow Chelsea academy graduate Callum Hudson-Odoi, too, might enjoy playing in a way that ensures they keep the ball more, with licence to create.

However, questions arise when looking at the out-of-possession differences between the managers. Nuno has often held the lowest defensive line in the league across his various clubs, with Postecoglou playing the highest defensive line at Tottenham.

If this drastic change is implemented immediately, some of Forest's strongest defenders, who thrive on protecting their box, may not be maximised. The defensively astute Nikola Milenkovic comes to mind here.

The difference in system raises questions for somebody like Ola Aina, too. He had an incredible campaign last season playing as a touchline wing-back, a role that differs from the inverted demands asked of a Postecoglou full-back.

Postecoglou has been reluctant to alter his system, but there was a level of pragmatism seen in Spurs' Europa League win. Spurs were happier to defend their own box for large periods of time, leading to success against Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester United.

Without a pre-season, and coming into a club that has been built on a counter-attacking, five-at-the-back style, adopting an approach more in line with his Spurs knockout games might be sensible early in Postecoglou's tenure.

Is Postecoglou the right man for Forest? Take part in our poll here

And have your say on what his priorities are here

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Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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Mikel Merino has seven Premier League goals for Arsenal.

Most were scored in that scarcely believable period where the Gunners were searching for anyone to fill the void in attack in the second half of last season and contributed to 14 points in their attempts to win the title.

His total is clearly not a huge amount, but earlier on Tuesday, our fan writer Laura Kirk-Francis suggested the Spain midfielder could make an impact for Mikel Arteta's occasionally shot-shy side.

After all, he is fresh off scoring four goals on international duty including a first career hat-trick against Turkey.

Digging into some numbers, there is some juice to her argument.

Taking shot conversion rate as a metric in isolation, Merino ranks fourth for Arsenal across the past 10 seasons.

It is all the more impressive considering the identities of the three goalscorers above him.

Of all the players who have more than five Premier League goals for the club in that time, he has taken the fewest shots, offering up the smallest sample size but also indicating how clinical he is.

The variety of his goals is also noteworthy. Two with his left foot, one with his right and four with his head.

Only three players have more headed goals for Arsenal in that time period – and the Spaniard has been in the building for just a year.

Laura argued that fielding Merino at number six against Liverpool nullified his attacking threat. The heatmap below supports this - he did not even touch the ball in the opposition penalty area.

Image source, Opta

Somehow, when Merino is on the field, Arteta needs to find a way to get him into areas where his eye for goal, and particularly his heading ability, can cause problems for the opponent.

Clearly that does not mean replacing Viktor Gyokeres, whose £64m presence cements his place in Arsenal's starting XI.

But here is a midfielder with an obvious goalscoring threat and sticking him in the centre of the park likely clips his wings.

Whether Arteta is willing to let Merino fly could make a significant difference this season.

Watch BBC Football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan break down new Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens' ability to play with his feet below.

"Lammens is a safe passer over short distances," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"He can use both feet. In the Belgian Pro League whenever he has been pressed with more pressure he's gone long.

"From his right foot to the left wing he's a decently accurate long passer. Other than that he usually hits general balls."

Below, BBC Sport's chief football reporter Simon Stone tells the Monday Night Club Manchester United's rationale for signing Lammens over Emiliano Martinez and discusses whether the new addition will start in Sunday's Manchester derby.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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We've been here before. Despite recent stability, Nottingham Forest have a habit of sacking managers.

But rarely have they stung as much as Steve Cooper and now Nuno Espirito Santo. While Cooper achieved the impossible promotion, Nuno took us to the brink of the Champions League and our first European campaign in 30 years.

He transformed a relegation-threatened side into top-five contenders and brought the absolute best out of players like Chris Wood, Elliot Anderson, Neco Williams and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

For all the rumours, briefings and speculation, for whatever reason, Nuno fell out with the global head of football Edu, who only arrived in July.

This wasn't whether he wanted a bigger or smaller squad, whether he wanted or didn't want certain players, or whether he was too stubborn to play them. It was a juvenile spat that blew up the club's best season in 30 years, and it all happened in the space of a month or so.

Evidently, it was untenable. But it is ridiculous that it came to this, on the eve of our Europa League adventure.

After a great result against Brentford and a solid point away at Crystal Palace, the West Ham collapse is really the only negative on the pitch.

Ange Postecoglou is expected to replace Nuno, which, perhaps, is no surprise given the rumours over the past few weeks.

However, the Australian doesn't seem to be the most popular name among the fanbase. Forget the Europa League final win over a Manchester United side in turmoil, he nearly relegated the ninth-richest club in the world.

Ange's gung-ho tactics and high line will either succeed spectacularly or fail miserably.

We should be looking to progressive managers who will continue the tradition established by Nuno and Cooper - names such as Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola are much more in that vein.

The squad is the best in a lifetime.

Can the new manager pick things up where Nuno left off and take us to the next level? Or will we be left dreaming of what was and what might have been?

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

• Is Postecoglou the right man for Forest? Take part in our pole here

Watch a special BBC Sport show reacting to the sacking of Nuno and assessing the appointment of Postecoglou below...

Watch the Observer's Rory Smith break down the settlement reached between Manchester City and the Premier League in their dispute over the rules that govern commercial deals.

"It is Manchester City's second challenge to the Associated Party Transaction [APT] rules which govern whether owners can do deals with companies that have some sort of relationship with them outside of football," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"What has happened is they have basically compromised. Both sides may well claim a victory but they have compromised. City have said that the APT rules are fine by them and there is an expectation this means City's deals will be approved by the Premier League."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest sacking Nuno Espirito Santo after 21 months in charge. Was it the right time to make a change or does the decision seem a little rash?

Here are some of your thoughts:

Tom: I'm absolutely gutted. He has taken us from the brink of the drop to the best league position I've ever seen my club in - and this is the thanks we give him. It seems like a very rash decision to me, considering we have Arsenal at the weekend and the first run of European games in the next few weeks. I really hope Evangelos Marinakis has someone lined up already. If he's not already organised something, then this is definitely a rash decision.

Clive: A daft decision, but unsurprising given the recent noise. Typical Forest, messing things up when they are looking good.

Sean: After achieving our first European competition in 30 years, Nuno and his team deserved a crack at it, but clearly the breakdown in relationship with Mr Marinakis cannot be resolved. Nuno and his team deserve a lot of gratitude and praise for their achievements with us. I'm not particularly happy with the timing of this news either, mainly because it was a chance for him to work with the squad minus the internationals. This decision should have been reached at the start of the international break to give the new manager a chance to work with and get to know the squad. What started as a promising season is looking like it is going to be an absolute mess now.

Adie: Nuno brought all of this on himself. You don't cross Mr Marinakis and get away with it. I'm excited to see who's next for the European Reds!

Louise: Absolutely shocked to wake up to this! I can't see this season going well now. Bringing in a new manager will shake up the team and I don't think it will be for the best. I get he was frustrated - as a manager he should have had input on the new players, which it sounds as though he didn't have. We now have someone coming in who hasn't had any input on of any of these players and I can't see that being a good thing this season, unfortunately.

Mike: A ridiculous decision, but unfortunately it was the only outcome I could see. There's only one winner in an argument with an owner, especially one like ours.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

In just under two years, Nuno Espirito Santo guided Nottingham Forest from a relegation battle back into Europe for the first time in 30 years.

He leaves beloved by Forest fans but after a clear breakdown in relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

He created a siege mentality which served Forest well and, despite both being big characters, it appeared a perfect match between him and Marinakis.

Last season's shock European challenge ended in missing out on Champions League football on the final day, a finish which may now have been crucial to Nuno's future.

Forest still finished seventh and reached the Europa League - being promoted to the competition after Crystal Palace's demotion - but for Nuno, the club did not prepare quickly enough this summer.

Successive swipes in news conferences about the club's slow movement in the summer transfer market included the revelation that his relationship with Marinakis had changed.

It was a shock, given how guarded the Portuguese manager usually is.

Forest spent more than £180m this summer, but Nuno was unhappy with being unable to integrate his new players swiftly enough.

Suggestions of a rift with Edu, Nottingham Forest's global sporting director, lingered and the 3-0 defeat by West Ham last week was the worst performance of his reign, coming before talks with Marinakis about the club's future direction following his comments.

Nuno said, although not entirely convincingly, that he expected to be in charge for Saturday's trip to Arsenal - but Forest's future is now without him.

A search for his replacement is not expected to be a lengthy one, with former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou previously linked.

• Not a Nottingham Forest fan? Find your Premier League club here

Luke Reddy
BBC Sport senior journalist

Already this season, Federico Chiesa and Dominik Szobozslai have scored noteworthy goals to win games in front of The Kop at Anfield.

The scene has played out many times over the years. Liverpool need a goal, those on The Kop demand it, the ball ends up in the net and the latest hero of the hour wheels away in front of one of the most famous ends of a stadium in world football.

Last season, former West Ham striker Michail Antonio said on The Footballer's Football Podcast on BBC Sounds that he has felt The Kop sucking the ball towards goal. Fulham captain Tom Cairney spoke on the same podcast about being 2-1 up with minutes to spare at Anfield, only for a thronging Kop to somehow fuel the Reds to a 3-2 win.

On a similar tangent, Manchester United legend Gary Neville sat with iconic Old Trafford manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who picked out Anfield as one of the grounds he found most testing. Neville's reply was telling, simply stating: "You never felt safe there, did you?"

So is it a convenient myth, or does The Kop actually inspire Liverpool to score more goals? Some fans genuinely rejoice when Liverpool win the toss before kick-off, ensuring they will attack their beloved end in the second half. Are these fans celebrating a false narrative?

Well, with several of you asking if there is truth in The Kop's inspiration via our 'Ask about Liverpool' form, we took the question to the team at LFC History, external for some help. The website gathers data on the Reds stretching back to 1892.

They told us: "Based on our current dataset (excluding extra-time goals), 52.64% of Liverpool's home goals have been scored attacking The Kop, compared to 47.36% at the Anfield Road End. In raw numbers, that's 2,461 goals at The Kop end and 2,214 goals at the Anfield Road End."

So there you have it. The next time captain Virgil van Dijk wins the toss, feel free to punch the air and if Arne Slot's team are searching for a goal late on at Anfield this season, pay close attention to which end they are attacking. It might just make all the difference.

Have you a special memory of Liverpool attacking The Kop? Tell us here

And keep sending in your Liverpool questions using our dedicated form here

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Sources close to Andre Onana have said he was brought to Manchester United because of his ability to play close passes - and ended up having to go long.

Part of the reason for that was what happened on his Old Trafford debut, when he came well out of his area during a pre-season friendly against Lens and played a pass to Diogo Dalot, who then gave the ball away. Onana was chipped from 50 yards.

Erik ten Hag, who had also worked with Onana at Ajax, axed David de Gea to bring him in, but the change in tactics reduced the new goalkeeper's effectiveness and the regular mistakes that followed undermined confidence in Onana among supporters.

Ten Hag, and then Ruben Amorim, kept picking him, but a clear sign that support internally was ebbing away followed the Europa League trip to Lyon in April.

In the build-up, Onana said he felt United should get through because they were "way better" than the French club.

The comment itself seemed innocuous. However, former United midfielder - and a close friend of De Gea - Nemanja Matic seized on it in the pre-match news conference, labelling Onana "one of the worst goalkeepers in the club's history".

It felt like a deliberate attempt to point score on behalf of a friend while heaping pressure on Onana at the same time. The tactic worked. Onana made two mistakes as the first leg finished 2-2.

Amorim gave Altay Bayindir his Premier League debut in the game that followed at Newcastle and, while Onana did appear to end the season as first choice given he started both legs of the Europa League semi-final and the final, the previous faith in him from the coaching side - Ten Hag delayed his call-up to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024 so long that the only game he missed was the FA Cup win at Newport County - had reduced.

Bayindir started the final league game of last term and then, even though Onana had recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered right at the start of pre-season, kept his place for the first three matches of this campaign.

Onana's only outing has come in the Carabao Cup defeat at League Two Grimsby Town, when he was at fault for their second goal.

Evidently, Amorim felt he needed a new goalkeeper - and Onana is the one he has decided he is willing to do without.

Read Simon's full goalkeeper analysis here

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi believes head coach Vitor Pereira will find the winning formula again after three straight defeats left them bottom of the early Premier League table.

A wretched start to last season - Wolves failed to win any of their opening 10 games - ultimately cost Gary O'Neil his job.

Pereira replaced him in December and took Wolves away from danger, ultimately finishing 16th and 17 points above the bottom three.

Wolves then sold star men Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to Manchester United and Manchester City respectively in the summer, but kept Jorgen Strand Larsen after rejecting bids from Newcastle.

Shi has promised Pereira will be given time to arrest the slide, with Wolves travelling to Arsenal after the international break.

"Wolves need stability now - we need a coach to stay here and help us for a long time," he said. "Every coach needs time and the jigsaw to be made. We should give the coach enough time and the players he needs to prepare for the season.

"I feel the more important thing to define this season is the squad and the coach, the chemistry and the unity. If you have that foundation, you will have a strong season. If you don't, maybe you have a doubt.

"Before Vitor came the team chemistry had some problems. This year that issue is gone. We have a strong team spirit and a very committed team structure."

Everton fan Mike Richards discusses the transfer window on BBC Radio Merseyside: "It's been an exciting window for us. There's been money spent. There's been exciting players coming in and we look like a totally different football side.

"It's all about future-proofing, we've got the spine of a decent squad, with experience. But you've got to look towards the future.

"From a business perspective, you can argue big money's being spent on Tyler Dibling and players like that, but if they go on and have two or three good years at the club, then the price doubles anyway.

"That's what we need to say and do - be better. I still think there's room for improvements, but the new recruitment team came in fairly late at the back end of the window, so they haven't really put their stamp on things.

"I think that the signings are a good mix of youth and experience, and hopefully that leads to us being that bit better in the market in terms of making decent profit going forward and then reinvesting."

On new signing Jack Grealish: "Everyone always says don't fall in love with a loan player. I think it's far too late for that. We are all head over heels in love with him. He's some talent. He's some player. And hopefully, if this continues there will be cause to get him on a permanent deal in the summer.

"It puts more eyes on our football club because of the following that he's got. And we're going through this transitional period, with our new stadium, the manager being back for about six months or so and the fact we've spent quite a bit of money in the transfer market. This is the time when we really want to be getting eyes on our football club. And that's exactly what he does."

Listen to the full interview here

Have you fallen for Grealish? Tell us why here

Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt has been giving BBC Radio Newcastle some insight into what the Magpies have acquired in forward Nick Woltemade.

He explains: "Woltemade is a 1.98m bean pole so you think, 'holding the ball up'. No. His best skill is dribbling and it is a joy to watch.

"He started the at Stuttgart, coming in from Werder Bremen as a free. I'd heard from people who watch Werder Bremen more than I do to watch Woltemade you needed to see the bits he'd performed off the bench but he'd not had much of a chance.

"He came to Stuttgart and didn't make their Champions League squad. In November things started to click and he went from Woltemade to Wolte-Messi with the fans.

"He has this ability to dance through players at will and just be such a unique player. Sure, there are improvements to be made in terms of his hold up play, his coolness in front of goal. If Eddie Howe can get this guy moving further in the right direction then Newcastle have a very exciting player.

"Finally, one of his answers to me was 'I like to be the entertainer'. I think that's always exciting to hear from a football player."

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Brentford's spending and finances have been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Brentford' form."

One fan asked whether the Bees are in a financial surplus or deficit regarding player sales and transfers in since their promotion to the Premier League in 2021.

Read below what our BBC Sport statistician found out.

Since earning promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Brentford have gone on to well and truly establish themselves in the top-flight, even finishing in the top half of the table in two of the last four seasons.

What makes their success even more impressive is that they've not spent like crazy to gain a foothold in the Premier League. With the close of the summer transfer window, their net spend since being promoted is just £97.6m across five seasons, an average of around £20m per season.

If we compare that to other teams, 17 have spent more than Brentford in that time, including many that have failed to establish themselves in the top-flight such as Leeds, Southampton, Burnley and Ipswich.

This summer's transfer business has been very different to previous seasons, however. While the Bees still spent money bringing in the likes of Dango Ouattara for £37m, this summer also saw key players leave for big money, with Bryan Mbeumo joining Manchester United for £65m and Yoane Wissa moving to Newcastle for £50m.

While it means that Brentford made a net profit for the first time in the Premier League, Bees fans will be hoping that such good news in their accounts doesn't prove too costly on the pitch this season.

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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It is bombshell news and news that has caught the industry on the hop.

But, if you work in the realms of London football in terms of journalism and reporting - many of us would have heard soundings to this effect over the course of the summer.

Having spoken to various people involved in the decision, the Lewis family who own the Tavistock Group who effectively own Tottenham have decided that they want a greater focus on sporting success. So take from that what you will.

They say that element is clear. I wouldn't backtrack on anyone saying it was probably not Daniel Levy's decision.

The other element to that is there is also a feeling at the Tavistock Group that the success on the pitch has not been consistent enough and I have been told that element is part of the decision for Daniel to step down.

The other interesting element of this that isn't in the statement is that this happens with immediate effect so read into that what you will.

Levy's family own 30% of ENIC who are the majority shareholders of Tottenham.

But, my understanding is that he will cease to have any direct involvement with the club with him stepping down as Executive Chairman but the shareholding structure between ENIC and Tavistock does not change.

But, all out indications are that Levy will cease to have any control of the club. Also, from what I understand, this is not necessarily a decision taken by Joe Lewis himself. I think it's a decision taken by younger generations of the club.

So, Vivian and Charlie, who are Joe's children, are involved in the decision and Joe's grandson in-law Nick Beucher is also involved.

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Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson says there will be "mixed emotions" over Daniel Levy's exit but that the club's departing executive chairman "always had the best interest of the club at heart".

Levy - who became chairman in 2001 - has stepped down from his position, months after the club ended a 17-year wait for a trophy.

"There's going to be mixed feelings amongst the the fans about Daniel," Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's been the front of ENIC for a number of years and has been responsible for how the money's been spent. He's faced his share of criticism but I think when you look at the business side of things, you can't take that away from what he's done.

"The criticism that he will be always be faced with is the investment being used correctly on the pitch. It's a really strange time. I don't know why they've chosen now, a couple of games into a new season. But there's going to be interesting times ahead. The legacy that Daniel leaves, everybody will think about the stadium and the training ground but also the underachievement on the pitch. There will be mixed emotions but he can certainly hold his head up high on the business front.

"He got in 'win now' managers with the like of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. But the question is did he back those managers with the right players and with the cash? Was it his decision or was it from the ownership of the club?

"Tottenham have spent over the years but maybe not in the right areas at the right times. I think he's looked to give the fans what they wanted with the managers but hoping that they can work miracles with a squad that wasn't capable of winning anything.

"He's always had the best interest of the club at heart. I can't speak highly enough of him."

What's your view on Levy's exit? Tell us

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Daniel Levy has stepped down after 25 "proud" years at Tottenham Hotspur and says "significant progress" has been made under his leadership.

Levy, appointed Spurs chairman in 2001, said upon leaving his executive chairman role: "I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees.

"We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community. I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

"I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn't always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately."

Newly-appointed non-executive chairman Peter Charrington added: "I would like to thank Daniel and his family for their commitment and loyalty to the Club over so many years.

"This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch. I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future. We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the club, led by Vinai [Venkatesham] and his executive team."

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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The international break gives the opportunity for a reset with the arrival of the new signings hopefully having a freshening effect.

Whether Aston Villa's poor start can be blamed on some sense of injustice about the financial limits, lingering disappointment from missing out on the Champions League, or just a collective form dip, a change of scenery will hopefully help.

There is one unresolved issue from deadline weekend though, which may require careful handling by Emery and his staff. Emi Martinez staying ought to be good news, but from his tears on the pitch at the end of last season to his non-appearance on Sunday against Crystal Palace, there has been enough drama to potentially make things a little awkward.

BBC Radio WM's Villa pundit Garry Thompson thinks it could be, internally at least.

"If he gets back in the team and plays well, and seems a bit contrite – he's never going to apologise! – and just wants to get on with it, I think they'll forgive him, and we'll just crack on," Thompson said.

"But don't make it easy for him. I may be jumping the gun, but it looked like he was ready to jump ship. If you're ready to jump ship, you can't just wander back into the dressing room and say: 'I'm back lads - it's all right."'

We'll see. A week away on international duty might do all some good.

• Not a Villa fan? Find and follow your team here

After all, Monday was Aston Villa's best day for quite a while, perhaps since May.

With the need to do some business – even if for no better reason than to apply jump-leads to their season – they completed three deals that all made sense.

Victor Lindelof adds experienced defensive cover at relatively small cost.

Jadon Sancho ought to be motivated to prove a few doubters wrong – perhaps he can draw inspiration from the way Marcus Rashford's career was revitalised by six months with Unai Emery. Even paying most of his wages for a year is a low-stakes bet.

And in Harvey Elliott, Villa have signed a talented player just at the point he seems ripe to make a major breakthrough.

But concerns remain. Villa played 55 first-team games last season and will surely have ambitions of a long Europa League run. That might mean this season's total is even higher.

Their squad remains full of quality but short of depth, and in an ideal world, they would surely have addressed that.

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

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Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Manchester City's apparent surplus of players has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Man City' form.

We put your questions about Stefan Ortega and Kalvin Phillips to our City reporter Shamoon Hafez.

City signed three senior goalkeepers this summer and Ortega was deemed surplus to requirements, with the club happy for him to explore his options elsewhere.

Sources close to the player told me they were "looking at options" for the German, which reportedly included Burnley, Sunderland and Fenerbahce, where coincidentally Ederson ended up.

But Ortega remains at City and though he has been included in the club's Champions League squad, you would think he will be third choice behind summer signings Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford.

Forgotten man Phillips is still at the club too. A move did not materialise because he is currently recuperating from the Achilles surgery he underwent in the summer.

It is uncertain whether moves will transpire for either player in January but you would expect Ortega and Phillips to play only bit-part roles at City until then.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nottingham Forest have left record signing Omari Hutchinson out of their squad for the Europa League.

The winger, signed from Ipswich Town for £37.5m, is not included in the 22-man squad for Forest's first European campaign in 30 years.

Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, a deadline day loan signing from Arsenal, is also left out.

Teams can name up to 25 players in their List A squads but Forest only have one club-trained player - Ryan Yates - who was at the club for three or more years between the age of 15 and 21.

Uefa want four club-trained players in squads, otherwise clubs are limited by the numbers they do not have, so Forest can only name a 22-man squad.

Forwards Jota Silva and Taiwo Awoniyi, who are able to leave the City Ground with the Saudi, Greek and Turkish transfer windows still open, are also not included.

Angus Gunn, Jair Cunha and Cuiabano - who has returned to Botafogo on loan - are omitted too.

Forest open their Europa League campaign with a trip to Real Betis on Wednesday, 24 September.

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West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen has been speaking to the BBC's John Murray about the Hammers turbulent start to the season.

Having been comfortably beaten by Sunderland and Chelsea, Bowen was involved in an altercation with West Ham fans following their Carabao Cup defeat by Wolves last week.

The Hammers bounced back at the weekend with an impressive win at Nottingham Forest.

"It's been an up and down couple of weeks," he reflected. "The Premier League starting, you are on a high as you have waited so long for it. Then, to lose the way we did to Sunderland, followed by a defeat by Chelsea and one in the cup where we were in a good position to win the game was difficult.

"But I think the one thing we have got with this group is a real resilience and togetherness. You saw that at the weekend. I think everyone would have wrote us off at Nottingham Forest so to win 3-0, and it that could have been even more on another day, just shows that resilience to keep going even in the difficult times.

On the incident with the fans, Bowen accepted his part and said such incidents can happen in the heat of the moment, particularly after three consecutive losses.

"The fans have a lot of love for the club and I have a lot of love for the club," he explained. "I always wear my heart on my sleeve, I have got a lot of passion, and I want the team to do well.

"Sometimes, things can happen. I think I understand the club and I don't think it's frowned upon. It's not what I want to be doing, falling out with people, but sometimes these things happen in football."

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Alex Pewter
Fan writer

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It is not unusual for Steve Parish and Crystal Palace to leave their transfer business until the end of the window. Monday's flurry of updates, confirmations, and collapsing deals was one for the ages.

After months of speculation, it is infuriating for those following the process to see the future of a season come down to the final four days, which soon became the final four hours, given the potential ramifications on the rest of the season.

On paper, the current squad, aside from any injuries, is stronger than it was 12 months ago. There was a record sale for Eberechi Eze, which maximised the value of a prized player, even if there was a short wait for his replacement.

As a result, only two players who played in 10 or more Premier League matches are no longer with the squad - the other being former loanee Trevoh Chalobah.

However, Marc Guehi's non-move to Liverpool naturally dominated the narrative. Fans do appreciate that he has earned a move to the top of English football, but the lack of a clear or convincing plan to replace him was a worrying possibility.

If this last-minute decision came down to a stand-off between the chairman and the manager, then Oliver Glasner won, and the team is better for it. The question is how fractured the relationship now is between Parish and Glasner, and how Guehi will emotionally recover from a deadline-day move that imploded, literally in the final hours.

Guehi is known to be a consummate professional, and unlike other players this window, he did not strike and he did not complain. He played in each match he was needed, and he even scored the best goal of his Palace career in what could have been his final match.

If anyone will remain composed, it is likely to be the team's captain.

Most importantly, we can now all return to simply enjoying the football and the start of the season has been very encouraging.

With this manager and group, the sky remains the limit. It isn't for fans to concern themselves with the club's accounting - they want to see this team continue to win, and this gives them the best chance to do so.

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast, external

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

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Leeds United managing director Robbie Evans says the club "spent everything they could" during the summer transfer window as they strive to stay in line with Profit and Sustainability regulations (PSR).

After winning the Championship last season, chairman Paraag Marathe promised they would spend every available pound to strengthen the squad.

Given the Whites acquired 10 players for a total cost of more than £100m, Evans was emphatic in his assessment of Marathe's pledge.

"This summer, we spent everything we could," he told gathered reporters after requesting not to do a broadcast interview. "Unequivocally, we are maxing PSR out this season.

"If we had gone on to other targets [on deadline day], or on to higher-priced players back in July, the consequences would have been seen in the current roster - the players in August would not have come in, or more key players from last season would have had to go.

"There were only a handful of players that were worth even considering making those kinds of sales. And when those top players didn't materialise, we held on to our key players instead."

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Evans was pleased Leeds did not have to cash in on stars from the promotion campaign - such as Ao Tanaka, Pascal Struijk and Joel Piroe - explaining that they looked to work the market differently.

"Unsurprisingly, the players that have the highest PSR profit are the ones that are most critical to our success last year and most important for our success next year," he said.

"So rather than sell them pre-emptively on the expectation of having somebody for whom that capital could be better deployed, we ticked off all of our highest-priority boxes first and foremost

"We didn't think it was wise to lose those players - the quality they bring, the continuity from last season, the familiarity with Daniel Farke's strategy and his process adds a tonne to our squad.

"So unless [selling them] was enabling something truly unique and differential, we'd rather have them here."

Come back to this page later for more from the interview with Evans

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