Premier League: Who will be sacked first?

Only three Premier League rounds have been played before the international break, but early conclusions can already be drawn. Manchester City continues to win at will, while Arsenal and Liverpool are once again on track to be the reigning champion’s closest challengers. It also seems certain that Everton will once again have to dig deep in the lower half of the table for the fifth consecutive season, and like last season, it will be a struggle for the newly promoted trio. In the race for the top scorer title, Erling Braut Haaland is leading the charge, with hat tricks already piling up for the Norwegian superstar.

Early Retirement

The transfer window should naturally have been closed before the first kick of the ball. Most agree on this, except for those in charge. This time, Deadline Day fell on the Friday before the third league round, and to be able to use players the following day, all paperwork had to be approved before 12:00 PM on Friday, August 30th. Few made that deadline, and now there’s an international break before the newcomers can debut. One who waved goodbye to the Premier League was goal scorer Ivan Toney. The striker was also not seen much on the field last season, as he was suspended until January due to breaching betting regulations. Toney was linked with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal, but whether any bids were made remains unknown. Regardless, it’s sad that a top-tier goal scorer in his prime chose to retire to Saudi Arabia.

United’s Expensive Purchase

There were no major shocks on Deadline Day this time, unlike the Andy Carroll for Fernando Torres scenario. The closest we got was perhaps Chelsea swapping Raheem Sterling for Jadon Sancho. Something tells us Arsenal came out on top in that deal. Otherwise, Manchester United made the most expensive purchase on the final day of the window, paying just over £42 million for Manuel Ugarte. The former PSG player was ringside as his new club at Old Trafford was torn apart by archrival Liverpool on Sunday, and he likely doesn’t need to worry about getting enough playing time. Scott McTominay, who has often rescued United from tight spots, was simultaneously sold to Napoli, where he’ll team up with Billy Gilmour, who was brought to the city of pizza and Maradona from Brighton on the same day.

Quiet from Liverpool Fans

Liverpool fans have spent most of the summer raging against the management for not spending money in the window, especially on a defensive midfielder. There’s been little of this on social media after Sunday’s commanding performance at Trafford, where Ryan Gravenberch once again delivered top-notch play in the holding role. Fans also got a signing to talk about when Federico Chiesa was brought in from Juventus. The Italian is yet another option on the wing, something Liverpool already has plenty of. For “only” £10 million, there’s not much risk anyway. A goalkeeper has also been brought in, who is planned to eventually take over the gloves from Alisson Becker, who has yet to concede a goal this season. The signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili might be concerning for Caoimhín Kelleher, who has delivered top performances when stepping in during Alisson’s absence.

Vulnerable

Like Liverpool, Manchester City stayed calm during the window. Ilkay Gundogan was brought back, a player who naturally doesn’t need any adjustment period. Nevertheless, it’s somewhat concerning, at least for those of us watching from the sidelines, that a replacement for Julian Alvarez was not brought in. There are no obvious striker alternatives to Haaland, and in the event of the Norwegian’s injury, they would have to revert to playing without a striker. Pep Guardiola likely has a plan and full control.

Best Deal?

Many pundits have already declared the best and worst signings of the window, but this is somewhat premature. That discussion is more appropriate around the turn of the year. In terms of money spent, it can be said that Nottingham Forest seems to have made a decent deal, securing a season-long loan of James Ward-Prowse. Gundogan, as mentioned, didn’t cost any money, while Bournemouth likely made a smart move by agreeing to the loan of the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, from Chelsea. Speaking of goalkeepers, Southampton seems definitively strengthened after securing Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal. Everton’s loan of Orel Mangala and Armando Broja is initially good business, but more and more people believe the manager is now the biggest problem at Goodison.

Odds Favorites

Speaking of Everton and the manager, no one should be surprised to hear that Sean Dyche is the odds-on favorite to be the first manager sacked in the Premier League this season. The former Burnley boss’s style is outdated in every possible way, and the biggest problem for the Toffees’ management is that they likely can’t afford to fire and hire a new manager this season. A close second in the sacking odds for Premier League managers is Erik ten Hag. United has one win and two losses from their first three games, with the victory coming through a late goal at home against Fulham. Against Liverpool, they were second-best in every aspect, and Ten Hag has long run out of excuses. Everything was supposed to be much better after the expensive takeover and changes in the boardroom, and with summer signings worth £190 million, United was finally set to challenge at the top. It’s too early to pass too much judgment after just three league games, but Ten Hag (5/4) is at odds to be the first manager out. The fact that the United board officially stated on Monday that the manager has the “full support” of the board doesn’t necessarily mean anything at all. No one is above or beside those two.

New huge Match

Manchester United-Liverpool was last weekend’s big match, and another huge battle awaits in the first round after the break. Arsenal lost ground when they had to settle for a point at home against Brighton on Saturday, and the controversial red card for Declan Rice could have further consequences beyond the dropped points on Saturday morning. The midfield general must serve a suspension when the away game against city rival Tottenham takes place on September 15th. Spurs themselves have dropped points in two of their first three games. There’s always a lot at stake when these two meet, but this time neither can afford to drop points. The team that does could fall far behind City and Liverpool, who are heavy odds favorites at home against Brentford and Nottingham Forest, respectively.