The Premier League’s return is coming quickly over the horizon and so too - now the rules have been changed to ensure business does not disrupt the actual football - is the close of the transfer window.

We are less than two weeks away from August 8 - the date the summer window shuts - and Premier League teams have had a quieter time in the market than ever before.

With 13 days to get squads into shape for the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the 20 Premier League clubs have made just 59 signings. That is the joint-lowest total by July 26 since the summer window was introduced in 2002 (along with the summer of 2010, when there was still a month of the window to go). It is also less than half the number signed in summer 2005, and 20 fewer than the last two summers.

So, even though clubs have a shorter window in which to make signings, fewer deals have gone through at this stage of the summer than usual. If Premier League teams continue to buy at their summer 2019 rate (roughly 1.3 signings per day) for the remainder of the window there will be a total of 76 signings. That’s almost 50 fewer than last year's window.