Image source, BBC Sport

Former Nottingham Forest stalwart Chris Cohen was surprised Steve Cooper was not in the running for Premier League manager of the year last season.

He told BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast the Forest boss deserves greater praise for his achievements:

"You cannot just give it to whoever wins the league or plays the most beautiful football. Cooper did an amazing job.

"Look at the amount of players he had to bring in. He found out his style that had worked so well in the Championship did not work as well in the Premier League but he was able to react to that and get results.

"The way he and his staff adapted to the Premier League was fascinating to watch.

"At the end of the season, you always see what you deserve. The team Steve worked with really deserved to stay up."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Last season: 16th

Predicted 2023-24 position: 14th

This position is where the trouble starts. A case can be made for any of the teams for Nottingham Forest downwards to get relegated.

Manager Steve Cooper did superbly to keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League after moulding together a whole new squad, helped by a magnificent atmosphere at the City Ground.

Not quite as hectic this summer as last year - how could it be? - and Forest will be aware suitors are circling the talented forward Brennan Johnson. It will be interesting to see if Antony Elanga can build on the occasional promise he showed at Manchester United before his £15m switch to Forest.

I think Cooper can keep Forest up again.

Find out Phil’s full Premier League predictions here

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Paisley: No Kieran Tierney in the Arsenal match day squad. What is going on? He was the best player on the pitch when Scotland played Spain. Not even on the Arsenal bench. Something not adding up there....

Reza: I've always wanted a CB pairing of Saliba and White. Both comfortable on the ball. Gabriel tends to lose possession and gift opposition opportunities. A good move in my books.

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on Football Focus

It must have been a hard season for him. It is hard to gel all of those players in.

The performance is so important but you've got to feel like you belong in the Premier League.

Feel like you belong, earn the right, and I think they will be ok.

Image source, Getty Images

They go again.

The Forest players are heading back out to do a second warm up.

There are still plenty of people outside this ground.

Image source, Anon.

Ashley: If there's too much injury time, is there a chance we don't see the end of the game, due to the 3pm blackout?

Mary: Just bring back paper ticket system, don't complicate things!!

Image source, Reuters

Moises Caicedo's impending move will just be the latest Premier League deal to bust through the nine-figure line.

Jack Grealish had already moved to Man City for that amount, but now we have Declan Rice up there too after he joined Arsenal from West Ham and Caicedo set to join him.

It really is starting to kick off now in the summer market. Not long ago, Man Utd signed Rasmus Hojlund for £72m, while Man City picked up Josko Gvardiol for a cool £77m from RB Leipzig.

That's just the top lines of another PL window that is set to see ludicrous amounts of cash splashed in the name of competing.

You can see all the deals that have been so far here.

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking of big-money moves, it emerged yesterday that Liverpool had agreed a fee of £111m with Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo.

That's a British record fee for a player who moves to England for just £4m in February 2021, did not make his Premier League debut until April 2022 and has since played just 45 times in the competition.

Brighton had set a fee in excess of £100m for Caicedo and had said they felt no-one would reach it.

Now someone has and it could soon be two with Chelsea reportedly considering whether to match the Liverpool bid.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts on Harry Kane moving to Bayern.

Here are some of your replies:

Ron: Very disappointed that HK has decided to go, particularly 48 hours before the first match of a new season! He may well win a few trophies with Bayern but I don’t believe they will mean as much as becoming the leading Premier League goalscorer!

Nick: Goodbye, Harry, and thanks for your service. We hope it works out for you in pastures new. Now looking forward, Ange - you can now shape this team in your fashion, not restricted by Harry. This I believe will make Spurs stronger, not weaker! Looking forward to Sunday and for the first time in years watching Spurs PLAY with passion and excitement! COYS!

Colin F: Dark day at Spurs, losing our/the Premier League's best all-round striker. The owners of the club are to blame. It all started when Pochettino was sacked. The owners do not care about THFC football club, they put money above all. We are the laughing stock of the Premier League!

Peter: Good luck, Harry. You've been incredible for Spurs for so long. Thank you.

Colin H: Will he be remembered for winning the German league? I don't think so. He has been in three finals with Spurs - including the Champions League - and failed in all of them.

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on Football Focus

As footballers, we know it can change very quickly. While he is fit and scoring and happy, go and do it.

So the E-ticketing system is to blame for the delay in getting people into the Emirates. It is the first time they have used it at the ground for a Premier League game and it is not allowing people to enter the ground.

TNT have just estimated that there are 35,000 people still outside trying to get in.

Not exactly the start we all wanted to the first Saturday of the season.

Ashley Williams
Former Wales captain on Football Focus

I can imagine it was difficult for him. He feels like he has to move to to progress and win something.

You can imagine being there for so long it was tough for him.

I think it works for everyone. It might work for Spurs. You may get more out of Richarlison or the other players around him. Sometimes that happens. I think it works out for everyone.

Image source, Getty Images

The big screen at the Emirates is now declaring that this match has been delayed by 30 minutes.

There are still an awful lot of people outside the ground.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper speaking to TNT Sports before facing Arsenal at Emirates Stadium: "We’re excited. There’s a real focus now to kick-off time and we have to be really focused, you don't get any tougher away games than today. We’ve got to deliver, commit to the plan. We have to back ourselves – it starts with that and it ends with that."

On last season: "Lots of people have asked about this year to last year. There’s a real good focus from the guys and what we want to do this year. We know what we want to do, we know how we want to go about it. We are still in the process of putting the final squad and team together, there’s no doubt about that. Some guys have made the bench today that would have been real contenders to start had they been fit.

On wining against Arsenal last season: "You could look at the game we had here which was the opposite. We have to move forward. Arsenal had a amazing season last year, they’ve done the business they wanted to do and you have to admire about the planning to that. We are just thinking about today. It’s the first day of the season so there’s lots of anticipation around that."

On former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner: "Ironic that it’s here. We’re pleased he is with us, he has settled in really quickly. The best way to settle in is get on the team bus and get involved in a match day."

We're getting aerial shots of the Emirates here and there are an awful lot of people still outside the ground. Has the feeling of ticketing issues.

There is even whispers of a delay to kick-off.

We'll keep up in the loop as we get any more info.

Arsenal's new Arsene Wenger statue stands proudly outside the Emirates Stadium for the Gunners' Premier League curtain-raiser against Nottingham Forest.

He won three Premier League titles during his time as manager - could this be their year?

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel believes Aaron Ramsdale is the "best English goalkeeper" in the Premier League and "does not understand" why Arsenal are pursuing a deal for Brentford's David Raya to provide competition.

Ramsdale has been the Gunners' regular number one for the past two seasons and his form was a key part of the club's second-placed finish last term.

Schmeichel told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Ramsdale was fantastic for Arsenal last season. He's brilliant with his feet and he's brilliant with the core business of goalkeeping. I was very surprised when Arsenal paid that amount of money for him because I didn't see him as that, but he has surprised me and, for me, he is the best English goalkeeper.

"He has been fantastic and I don't understand why [Mikel] Arteta would create this potential problem, because it could be a problem."

Explaining why he believes creating competition among goalkeepers can possibly have a negative effect, Schmeichel said: "The goalkeeper's position is very reactive - you cannot create anything on your own, you have to wait for things to happen. You're now asking your goalkeeper to prove he's better than the other one, that means you now have to go out and do stuff - and you don't want that.

"It's the one position that you want to be steady. The worst thing is when a goalkeeper tries to do something and it goes wrong - every time it's a goal. You're much better having a number one who thinks he's a number one and he plays the game for the team."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live's Premier League season preview

New Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber tells Football Focus reporter Michael Timbs how his dreams of moving to the Gunners came true, just as he had predicted five years earlier.

Watch Football Focus on Saturday, 12 August at 12:00 BST on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app and get all the best Arsenal content righthere