1) Sean Dyche intent on strengthening Burnley squad

Burnley’s win over Liverpool will not stop Sean Dyche’s attempt to strengthen his squad despite the manager finding this harder than when last in the big league two seasons ago. “It is absolutely not easier,” Dyche said. “The market’s as hard as I’ve ever seen it. I’ve spoken to a couple of people I trust in the game and they say they’ve never seen it as brutally tough. It’s really a seller’s market and everyone who’s selling is asking for huge prices, and then there are contracts and agents and the minefield it can be. Sometimes it’s not. But it’s as hard as I’ve seen it, particularly for clubs like us. We’re always really open and honest about this – I’m used to it here but it is tough.” Dyche is undecided about the number of new players he would like before the window closes next week. “It’s not a number, more a case of people landing at the [right] time because we can’t cherry pick,” he said. “We’re not Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Manchester City and can say: ‘Right, we need him and we’ll have him, let’s got and get him.’ The market is away from us. So we have to get players who are available, some we think we can affect and shuffle our pack accordingly.” Jamie Jackson

• Match report: Burnley 2-0 Liverpool

• Liverpool consider sale to Chinese consortium

2) Danny Drinkwater to sign new contract at Leicester City

Danny Drinkwater is set to sign a new contract at Leicester this week, putting him among the highest-paid players at the club and securing the long-term future of another key member of the team. Claudio Ranieri said last week he did not expect anybody to leave after winning the title, though Leicester proved powerless in the case of N’Golo Kanté, who made it clear he wanted to join Chelsea, and the Premier League champions are entitled to be pleased with the way they have retained the rest of their squad. Drinkwater follows in the footsteps of Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, Ben Chilwell, Riyad Mahrez, Andy King, Jamie Vardy and, of course, Ranieri, all of whom signed new deals this summer. Depending on how this season pans out, the bigger challenge for Leicester could be in keeping players in 12 months’ time, yet the Midlands club will at least be in a position of strength when it comes to any offers that are received. Stuart James

• Match report: Leicester 0-0 Arsenal

• Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal story heading for final, unhappy paragraph

3) Mame Diouf drought a worry for Mark Hughes

Stoke’s Peter Crouch slams ‘farcical’ clampdown on contact at set pieces Read more

There were some obvious contrasts between Stoke and Manchester City on Saturday but perhaps none more stark than that regarding their respective centre-forwards. On one hand was Sergio Agüero, whose two goals in City’s 4-1 victory at the bet365 stadium took his tally to six in three matches and 26 in 31 club appearances this calendar year. On the other was Mame Diouf, who failed to score, failed to make an impact and who has scored only twice for his club in 2016. Diouf put in a shift for the home side but rarely looked as if he was going to score, something that can be said of Stoke’s collection of centre-forwards in general. None scored more than five last season, with the bulk of goals coming from the creative players positioned just behind them, most notably Marko Arnautovic, whose tally of 11 made him the club’s top scorer by some distance. In total, Stoke scored only 41 goals during the 2015/16 campaign, fewer than six of the teams that finished below them, including Newcastle United, who were relegated. A lack of a killer edge is a clear, long-standing problem for Mark Hughes’s side and something that simply must be addressed if they are to make the step up to serious contenders for European football. Thankfully for Stoke, their manager is aware of that. “That’s an area of the side that we want to improve and we’re still in the market to bring in someone of quality,” Hughes said. “There are a lot of good things that we do up to a point, we just haven’t got that somebody who can create something for themselves. We need to work on that.” Sachin Nakrani

• Match report: Stoke 1-4 Manchester City

• Pep Guardiola shows ruthlessness over Joe Hart

4) Christhian Stuani carries on where he left off





Middlesbrough have never lost a game in which Cristhian Stuani has scored. That anorakish pub quiz type statistic probably has something to do with the way in which Aitor Karanka, Boro’s manager, strictly rations the Uruguay forward’s appearances but, when he plays, Stuani invariably delivers. A surprise inclusion in the club’s promotion decider against Brighton last May, he scored the vital goal which earned the Teessiders a Premier League place but Stuani failed to make Aitor Karanka’s team for last week’s 1-1 draw at home to Stoke. Accordingly David Moyes was possibly a little startled to see his name on the teamsheet but this is where the Boro manager’s policy of having at least two strong contenders for every position creates intensecompetition while keeping opponents guessing. Sure enough Stuani scored twice as his side won 2-1 at Sunderland. There are counter arguments in favour of fielding a settled team – and even Karanka does not like to change his back four frequently – but predicting Boro’s starting XIs this season looks likely to be quite a challenge. Louise Taylor

• Match report: Sunderland 1-2 Middlesbrough

Sunderland’s high press leaves shaky defence exposed against Middlesbrough | Michael Cox Read more

5) Robert Snodgrass struts his best in Hull’s thrilling start

Scotland was once the home of wing wizards. Jinky Johnstone, John Robertson and Davie Cooper are three in a long line of impish geniuses who tormented their full-back with swagger and sleight of hip. Robert Snodgrass would not claim to be in their class but it is refreshing to see a Scottish wide player strutting around the Premier League as he has done in the last 10 days. Snodgrass has a left foot that could have been educated at Harvard; his shooting, imaginative passing and dead-ball delivery have played a significant part in all four of Hull’s goals in their thrilling start to the season. There is also a spiky cockiness to his play that instantly signposts his birthplace. He is a significant talent, who will be crucial if Hull are to continue to confound expectations. It makes one wonder why, at 28, he has spent most of his career in the lower leagues. Rob Smyth

• Match report: Swansea 0-2 Hull

6) Spurs benefit from strength in numbers

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Victor Wanyama celebrates with Tottenham’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, after scoring against Crystal Palace. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

It was not the reason why Tottenham’s title challenge fizzled out last season but it must have been a concern that Harry Kane ended up playing 50 club games and Dele Alli 46 last season (and perhaps explains why both looked so weary at the Euros). Alli might have played against Crystal Palace had he not suffered illness during the week but, as Mauricio Pochettino noted afterwards, he now has a squad that means he has high-level players to leave out. He can play Vincent Janssen or Kane or both but the real strength is at the back of midfield. Perhaps Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama are more defensive than would be needed against a lower-half Premier League side but there is Moussa Dembélé to come back in when he has served the final two games of his six-game ban for gouging Diego Costa. It is not impossible against the best sides – maybe in the Champions league – Dier and Wanyama could hold with Dembélé operating just in front of them. Two signings seems to have significantly multiplied Pochettino’s options. Jonathan Wilson

• Match report: Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace

• Spurs reach agreement over Georges-Kévin Nkoudou transfer

7) New-look Watford let old habits die hard

There may be a new manager and several new faces on show at Watford – with another pair, Roberto Pereyra and Younès Kaboul, introduced to supporters before kick-off on Saturday – but one of last season’s key characteristics remained the same. They had a habit under Quique Sánchez Flores of starting home games against big teams impressively only to fade dramatically in the latter stages and let a result slip away. It was the same against Chelsea, where they were worthy of the 1-0 lead but lost their legs. Walter Mazzarri said some of his players, namely those who were at the European Championship, are not yet fully fit and faded after 70 minutes but can see improvement. Maybe they will learn to last the duration but it was impossible not to make comparisons with the home games against Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham last season where second-half collapses cost them points. Alan Smith

• Match report: Watford 1-2 Chelsea

8) Ronald Koeman lauds quality of Gareth Barry

Gareth Barry, knocking on 36 years of age, not only won three points for Everton against West Brom but also the highest praise from his manager. Barry’s canny near-post header capped a game of intelligent play, both positionally and in possession. His latest boss, Ronald Koeman, acknowledged this enduring prowess in glowing terms. Barry was “one of the best players I have managed,” he said. “His cleverness in football is of the highest quality.” While Koeman obviously respects not only the ability but the experience the former England international brings, he insists it is his job to support young talent. In Mason Holgate he may have another defensive prodigy to replace the one sold to Manchester City. Like John Stones, Holgate is a product of the Barnsley academy and has height and positional awareness enough that Koeman was willing to start him as part of a central defensive three. But after half an hour, and 1-0 down, Koeman changed his shape and Holgate excelled at right-back. Pairing lightning pace with delicate close control, he assisted Barry for his winner and could have scored himself too. The 19 year old has talent and working under Koeman should help him to develop it. Paul MacInnes

• Match report: West Brom 1-2 Everton

• Everton reveal Romelu Lukaku will stay

Pep Guardiola shows ruthlessness over Joe Hart but he is not a bad judge | Daniel Taylor Read more

9) Bournemouth must be patient with Wilson

It is a sign of how highly Eddie Howe rates Callum Wilson that the striker started for Bournemouth instead of Benik Afobe and Lewis Grabban, even though he is yet to score since returning from a serious knee injury. Wilson scored a fine hat-trick against West Ham United last season and he must have fancied his chances against Slaven Bilic’s side on Sunday. Yet he was rarely granted a sight of goal, which was partly down to a lack of service, and he does not quite look up to full speed yet. He has the potential to be an excellent striker at this level but his club will need to be patient with him. Wilson scored five times for Bournemouth last season in what was their debut Premier League campaign and the 24-year-old would have added to that tally had he not ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September, an injury that kept him out for seven months. Jacob Steinberg

• Match report: West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth



10) Why hasn’t Marcus Rashford played for Manchester United this season?

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Marcus Rashford, right, on the bench with Michael Carrick and Memphis Depay during Mancheser United’s league opener at Bournemouth. Photograph: TGSPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

It is understandable why José Mourinho started the new season with Marcus Rashford on the substitutes’ bench. The selection of Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front was a no-brainer, Anthony Martial has more experience as a left-sided forward; and, though Rashford is a superior player to Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata, he does not yet have much first-team experience in their positions. But the fact Rashford has not come on in either league game, when both were as good as settled, might concern those who believe his astonishing progress in 2016 should not be stalled unless absolutely necessary. Individually all the substitutions made sense, especially for a manager like Mourinho who likes to make tactical changes to close the shop on. Collectively, however, they hint at the possibility that Mourinho – who has precise ideas about what makes an effective footballer – was not as wowed as everyone else by Rashford’s performances last season. The development of young players is one of the most precarious things in sport, with few certainties and umpteen variables, the most important of which is confidence. Rashford must be starting to wonder whether his best chance of action is in the Europa League. Rob Smyth

• Match report: Manchester United 2-0 Southampton

• Mourinho wants to buy Southampton’s José Fonte