Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  Liverpool the best place for Harvey Elliott after brutal injury

  As Harvey Elliott crumpled after a challenge by Pascal Struijk, there was an audible gasp around Elland Road that made clear the young Liverpool midfielder had just suffered a serious injury. Mohamed Salah’s panicked reaction also illustrated the severity of the situation, with Elliott soon stretchered off with a broken ankle.

• Sport

  Where could Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice end up next summer?

  Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice were as central to England’s success at Euro 2020 as any other two players. Indeed, they formed the midfield platform upon which Gareth Southgate built his team on, giving England control and security on their run to the tournament’s final.

• Sport

  Could Ronaldo signing be bad news for Aaron Wan-Bissaka?

  Going on the social media reaction of many Manchester United players when the news was confirmed, there is a lot of excitement within the Old Trafford dressing room over the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the club.

• Sport

  Odsonne Edouard and Crystal Palace could be a perfect match

  Crystal Palace left it late to get the new centre forward they had targeted all summer but their £15m signing of Odsonne Edouard certainly ticked a box. The highly-rated Frenchman won’t just give Patrick Vieira’s side cutting edge, his addition could be the final part of the restoration of the Eagles as an attacking force.

• Sport

  Nuno proving early doubters wrong at Tottenham

  Nuno Espirito Santo certainly wasn’t Tottenham Hotspur’s first pick to be their new manager. Indeed, the Portuguese was a long way down the North London club’s shortlist of potential successors to Jose Mourinho with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all reportedly preferred.

• Sport

  Michail Antonio at the forefront of West Ham success

  Not many predicted West Ham would be in the mix for a top four finish in the Premier League last season. David Moyes’ team entered the 2020/21 campaign amid a cloud of fan protests and criticism of a summer transfer window which saw just one permanent addition made (Tomas Soucek, who had previously been on loan at the club).

• Sport

  Has Gabriel Jesus found his place as a wide forward?

  Long seen as the natural heir to Sergio Aguero at Manchester City, the Argentine’s departure from the Etihad Stadium immediately made this a make or break season for Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian, now 24, cannot wait any longer to make himself a first team figure at the club.

• Sport

  Will Demarai Gray prove himself the bargain of the summer?

  Having spent over £500m on transfers over the last five seasons, Everton’s business has been on the leaner side of things this summer. Indeed, an underwhelming summer window at Goodison Park is summed up by the fact that at a price of just £1.

• Sport

  Could Said Benrahma star for West Ham this season?

  After notching nine goals and four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham in the second half of last season, Jesse Lingard likely expected to be back at the London Stadium for the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

• Sport

  Arsenal can no longer justify ‘big six’ tag

  Brentford deserved their 2-0 win over Arsenal on opening night of the 2021/22 Premier League season. This, however, wasn’t the most damning thing about the result for Mikel Arteta’s side. What was most reflective of the situation Arsenal find themselves in right now was that so many predicted this outcome and are questioning their standing as a member of the so-called big six.

• Sport

  Premier League increasing power in wake of European Super League flop

  There isn’t a ‘Big Six’ club in the Premier League that has failed to make at least one big-money signing this summer. While Chelsea and Manchester City have both broken their club transfer record with the capture of Romelu Lukaku and Jack Grealish respectively, Arsenal (Ben White), Liverpool (Ibrahima Konate), Manchester United (Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane) and Tottenham Hotspur (Cristian Romero) have also made significant moves of their own.

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