Category: English Premier League

• Nottingham Forest extremely reluctant to sell Elanga

• Goalkeeper Trafford was also wanted by Howe last year

Newcastle have had a £45m bid for the Sweden right-winger Anthony Elanga rejected by Nottingham Forest but hope to succeed where they failed a year ago by signing the Burnley and England goalkeeper James Trafford.

Eddie Howe has long admired Elanga but, as first reported by the Athletic, Forest are extremely reluctant to sell. They also appear uninterested in a potential part-exchange deal involving the Newcastle left-winger Harvey Barnes.

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• Thomas Frank’s Spurs start at home to Burnley

• Sunderland face West Ham, Leeds host Everton

• Check out the full Premier League season fixtures

Liverpool will kick off their Premier League title defence with a home game against Bournemouth on Friday 15 August, on an opening weekend when Manchester United host Arsenal.

Thomas Frank’s first match as Tottenham’s manager will come on the Saturday at home against promoted Burnley, and Sunderland’s return to the top flight also begins at home on 16 August against West Ham. The third newcomers, Leeds, have the Monday night slot for a clash with Everton at Elland Road.

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• Premier League had revenue of £6.3bn in 2023-24

• ‘Challenge of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility’

England’s football system is “under strain” in a climate of tension between commercial imperatives and the needs of supporters, according to a new report from Deloitte. The analysis also warns that uncertainty over the role and scope of an independent regulator is “unhelpful” to those wishing to join the rush of investors entering the sport.

The Annual Review of Football Finance painted an overall picture of a booming industry, pointing out that the European football market was worth a record £32.2bn in 2023-24. More than £16.9bn of that was generated by the “big five” leagues, with the Premier League alone recording revenues of £6.3bn. Deloitte cautioned, though, that those numbers do not tell the full tale of a game caught between its community roots and the requirement for continued growth. “There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain,” said Tim Bridge, lead partner at Deloitte sports business group, in the report’s foreword. “Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club’s role and position in society: as a community asset.”

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Aston Villa and Manchester United must shift surplus players while Sunderland and Leeds seek extra squad depth

Recruitment was cast as the main reason for the club’s disappointment last season. Mikel Merino playing as an auxiliary centre-forward after Kai Havertz had broken down made that apparent. This will be a summer with a marked difference with Andrea Berta ready to go as the club’s new sporting director. Berta spent 12 years at Atlético Madrid, supplying the players and foundation behind Diego Simeone’s dynasty. Arsenal seek to avoid friction between Arteta dictating as he did previously and Berta wielding the same kind of power that was so effective in Madrid. Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig is heavily linked to the striking vacancy with Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres seen as too costly. Martin Zubimendi is expected to reunite with Merino in Arsenal’s midfield, though Real Madrid may yet turn the midfielder’s head. Kepa Arrizabalaga will come in as a back-up goalkeeper within a squad well set for success but missing the final pieces. John Brewin

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• Trailblazing official battled rare neurological condition

• Rennie oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches

Uriah Rennie, the first black Premier League referee, has died at the age of 65. The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield and oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches, starting with his breakthrough appointment as Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997. The game was, however, abandoned due to floodlight failure.

The Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted on X: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee, Uriah Rennie. Uriah made history as the Premier League’s first black referee, officiating over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008. He broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come. Our thoughts are with Uriah’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

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Two of our 20 predictions were accurate – and we were right about Spurs qualifying for the Champions League

What we predicted: Arne Slot admits he had “big shoes to fill” after Jürgen Klopp’s departure. They may be impossible to fill in terms of rapport with supporters, force of personality and authority. But, in the more important fields of winning and developing this Liverpool team, Slot will back himself to make his mark. There is space for improvement.

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Best players, best managers, best matches, best goals, biggest flops and biggest gripes: our writers have their say

Mohamed Salah. The numbers don’t lie – 47 goal contributions in the Premier League was an outstanding return from the Egyptian, who seems to be getting better with age. Ed Aarons

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Unai Emery’s team will have to make do with the Europa League next season but they were culpable for many of the steps that led them there

• Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

A season reduced to a single moment – in Aston Villa’s case, perhaps even more than a season. The Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir slid out to gather the ball. He fumbled, slightly, allowing Morgan Rogers to poke the ball away from him. The referee Thomas Bramall thought Bayindir had had the ball under control and blew for a free-kick just before Rogers knocked the ball into the empty net. Replays showed decisively that Bayindir never had the ball under control. But because Bramall had stopped the game before Rogers put the ball over the line, the goal could not be given by the video assistant referee.

Three minutes later, Amad Diallo put United ahead, his team went on to win, and Villa finished sixth in the Premier League, meaning they are out of next season’s Champions League. Given how close Villa have pushed the line on Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR), that could have significant ramifications.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.

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A rundown of the most infuriating things this year including the rise of the celebrity set-piece coach and more VAR madness

Even at its most infuriating, the video assistant review system doesn’t take as long to deliver a verdict as the independent commission tasked with sifting through the three months of legal argument conducted at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre and deciding whether Manchester City are guilty of any or all of the famous 100-plus charges of financial chicanery levelled at them by the Premier League. The club was further charged with failing to cooperate with the investigation into their conduct, which began over six years ago. More than two years have passed since the Premier League charged City and the club’s hearing concluded in December, but the season has now ended without the announcement of a verdict, despite speculation it would come in early spring. While no deadline has been set, it is now expected to come in the summer and whatever the outcome, even those connected with City must be eager to see a line drawn under this saga, despite the potentially seismic repercussions for a club that has always protested its innocence of any wrongdoing.

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From Lucas Bergvall to Leny Yoro, these five talents all made a big impact and have bright futures ahead

It was tempting to exclude Bergvall from consideration for this list simply because he played in Spurs’ 4-0 League Cup semi-final defeat at Anfield, as cowardly a display as could possibly exist. Overall, though, he’s enjoyed a fine debut season, especially as, when he joined Spurs from Djurgården, there was little sense he’d establish himself so soon. But with a little help from injuries and incompetence, he forced his way into consideration and is now a fixture in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI – with good reason. In this era of attacking and defensive prefixes, Bergvall is that rarity: a midfielder who plays in the middle of the field. Clever enough to create, calm enough to score, physical enough to tackle and athletic enough to harry, perhaps his best quality is his decision-making, especially notable for a player of his age. If he continues improving, this will not be the last time his name makes a list of this ilk.

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Dean Huijsen’s form earned him a move to Real Madrid while Ipswich’s Liam Delap should remain in the Premier League

Nottingham Forest had a huge problem with defending set pieces last season and Nuno Espírito Santo demanded a centre-back who could dominate in the air. The club were efficient in their business, signing the brick-headed Serb from Fiorentina for £10m. It was a bargain and the centre-back fitted in immediately alongside the Brazilian Murillo as the club created one of the best defences in the league. The pair complement one another perfectly and, along with Matz Sels, created the foundation for Forest’s tilt at qualifying for the Champions League by dominating some of the best strikers in the world. After missing the opening match of the season against Bournemouth through suspension, Milenkovic, 27, has played every single minute in the Premier League. It is rare that an outfield player is an ever-present but the centre-back has been integral and his consistency cannot be underestimated, helping Murillo thrive. It is often the Brazilian who gets the most credit as he is the more flamboyant of the two but Milenkovic deserves just as much praise for what Forest have achieved this season.

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Arne Slot’s first season could not have gone any better while Wolves fans drank to Vítor Pereira’s arrival

By winning the league, the Dutchman surprised pretty much everyone. He faced the daunting task of succeeding Jürgen Klopp and inherited the German’s squad, adding only Federico Chiesa, who barely kicked a ball in anger. Not much changed from the previous year, except Ryan Gravenberch became the designated defensive midfielder as Slot’s Liverpool looked to get on the ball as much as possible. Slot was never going to be a personality who generated headlines like Klopp did, keeping his cards close to his chest, but he always comes across as someone who is very personable and has brought the players closer together. Slot made Liverpool an efficient winning machine – rarely thrashing teams, often winning by the odd goal or two – and that allowed them to race to a second Premier League title. No one could compete with the Reds, which was partly down to rivals dropping their standards but most of it can be attributed to the fact Slot made his team superior.

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• Official blew before Morgan Rogers put ball in net for Villa

• Villa unhappy at selection of inexperienced referee

Aston Villa will lodge an official complaint with the Premier League about why a more experienced ­referee than Thomas Bramall was not appointed for their game at Manchester United after the official blew before ­Morgan Rogers put the ball in the net. This meant the video assistant referee could not intervene to rule on whether the forward had illegally kicked the ball from Altay Bayindir’s hands – as Bramall judged – and Unai Emery claimed later that this was the “key moment” that cost Villa Champions League ­qualification.

The incident happened in the 73rd minute with the game at Old Trafford goalless and as ­Newcastle were losing to Everton, Villa – despite having had Emi Martínez sent off – were heading for the ­Champions League. Bramall’s ruling caused a furious reaction from Emery and his staff. After this Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen goals – each provoking sarcastic Emery gestures – gave United a 2-0 win. The visitors ended in sixth and so will play Europa League football next season.

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Ipswich bid farewell to their Premier League status after just one year back in the top flight with defeat against West Ham in the final game of the season at Portman Road.

Town gifted the first goal to James Ward-Prowse just before the half-time break following a dreadful back-pass from the captain Sam Morsy.

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Levi Colwill’s goal secured Champions League football for Chelsea next season, and sent Nottingham Forest in the direction of the Conference League

4 min: Gibbs-White barges his way down the inside-left channel … but James makes up ground and barges him off the ball. Elanga picks up the loose ball and tries to keep things going but Cucurella gets in the road and puts a stop to his gallop.

2 min: Chelsea are on the front foot quickly, though, and Palmer wins a corner down the left. It’s played short before being swung in, and it causes no danger to the hosts. What an atmosphere, though!

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