'Liverpool are the team to beat'
Sami Mokbel Q&A
Paul: It is doubtful that West Ham will be in the title race but have they made it more open by signing Igor Julio under the noses of Palace thereby ensuring Mark Guehi did not move to Anfield?
I donât think so. Liverpool will certainly be the team to beat and while not signing Guehi arrived as a clear disappointment, itâs not like they are weak in central defence. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are two excellent central defenders who laid the foundations for last seasonâs title victory. If either â particularly Van Dijk â gets injured then it becomes an issue, but even then Joe Gomez is hardly a dud is he? Gomez came on versus Arsenal on Saturday and was excellent. Much is anticipated, too, of summer signing Giovanni Leoni, although at just 18 you wonder how much he will play.
'Spurs have been productive'
Sami Mokbel Q&A
Mike: Lots of clubs are spending stupid money. For example Liverpool spending half a billion on front men, but what is your opinion of Spursâ quiet grab of quality players?
Tottenham have had a productive window in my opinion. The signings of Mohamed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani are all top-level acquisitions that will add to the squad. Kudus and Simons are particularly exciting. They could maybe have added an extra central defender, but you canât win them all. They remain in a healthy position regarding FFP, too, so can continue to spend â within reason â in future windows.
'Mainoo is still deemed a full international'
Sami Mokbel Q&A
Matt: I understand Mainoo not getting a senior call up due to lack of game time. But to not even getting an U21 call up is baffling. Is there a reason why he has been completely overlooked?
Itâs a fair point, Matt. But while he is only 20 and eligible for U21s, we have to remember Mainoo is deemed a full international. He started in the Euro 2024 final, letâs not forget. There has been players who have flittered between the senior and U21 squad in recent years; Adam Wharton for example has been named in both squads in recent months. But given his pedigree at international level, there seems little to be gained for Mainoo to drop back down to junior level international football at this stage of his England career.
'Lauren has spoken on behalf of a lot of people'
BBC Radio 5 Live
Former England footballer Nedum Onuoha speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live about Lauren James' criticism at Euro 2025: "You could see a change in how Lauren was as the tournament went on. She did suffer with an ankle injury but it is important to remember that players are doing the best that they can. They may not always be at their best fitness.
"People will support what she has come out and said but the downside for me is this gives people chance to criticise her even more. I am happy that Lauren has spoken out because whether we like it or not, she has spoken out on behalf of a lot of people who have thought what she said, but were too scared to say anything.
"Speaking about it makes people who have never had to think about it, think about it. There are a lot of thoughtful people out there and when you see things like racial abuse, it is a minority of people who are doing it. Unfortunately the people on the minority are very loud and can affect people on a large scale."
'Lauren has almost been too honest'
BBC Radio 5 Live
Former England footballer Nedum Onuoha speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live about Lauren James' criticism at Euro 2025: "It is really sad hearing this from Lauren James. She has almost been too honest, as she is giving people a perspective that they will not have heard before.
"Listening to her makes you realise the pressure that there is, not just playing football but the pressure of playing for your country and the worry of what could go wrong. That is a really sad position to be in.
"As fans you feel sickness watching a penalty shoot-out but there are no consequences apart from the result. But for those women stepping up with the weight of the nation on them and knowing what is going to come next - I don't envy that position at all."
'People assume you're not trying'
Emma Smith
BBC Sport
England forward Lauren James says fans were "too quick to judge" during her struggles at Euro 2025.
In an interview with BBC Sport, the 23-year-old said injury problems and criticism during the tournament affected how much she was able to enjoy the Lionesses' historic triumph in Switzerland.
And with a fear of suffering racist abuse, James was also relieved to see other England players miss penalties in the quarter-final tie against Sweden after her own spot-kick was saved.
"A lot of the time fans don't know what is going on, they only know what is in front of them," she said.
"They don't know what someone is dealing with, what is going on in their life. I always say to the fans, be mindful, you don't know what someone is dealing with out there. You could just be adding on to it.
"No player goes into a game or into a season thinking I'm not going to try. It was a Euros, they don't come around often. You could have one leg hanging off, I will still tell you that I'm going to try to play."
You can read our interview in full here.
'Lammens will help United's defence'
Sami Mokbel Q&A
Adeyemie: Newcastle's deadline day business looks solid, but I'm worried about Man United's lack of defensive reinforcements.
I agree, Newcastle have had a strong window even with the loss of Alexander Isak. Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey are excellent signings with big PL experience. Yoane Wissa is a proven goalscorer though we will have to wait and see if Nick Woltemade is an adequate replacement for Isak. It will take time for the German to adapt. Losing Isak is such a blow but they have strengthened in key areas. United certainly went heavy on attacking reinforcements this summer, close to £200m on a new front line of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. The acquisition of new goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp may help solidify their defence this season. Let's see how he performs. In terms of defensive personnel they have talented players and if they can stay fit, Ruben Amorim has good options at the back.
Gossip: Guehi extremely unhappy with Palace
Marc Guehi is extremely unhappy, external with Crystal Palace for denying him a £35m transfer to Liverpool, which came after manager Oliver Glasner threatened to resign if the 25-year-old England defender was sold. (Guardian)
Had Liverpool offered £55m for Guehi then Crystal Palace would have progressed with the transfer and the Reds may now face competition from Real Madrid, external to sign him on a free. (Telegraph)
Guehi, in the final year of his Crystal Palace contract, will reject any offer, external of a new deal as he plans to leave as free agent next summer. (Times)
'Liverpool will be front of the queue for Guehi'
Sami Mokbel Q&A
Anz: Hi Sami, just wanted to ask if you think Liverpool will go back in for Guehi and would you say he might give preference to them after successfully completing a medical with them?
Hi Anz, I think there's every chance Guehi becomes a Liverpool player in either January or on a free transfer next summer. The interest will remain and Liverpool still need a senior centre-back. The issue might be that there will be big interest in Guehi from all over Europe if he is available for nothing next year or a cut-price deal in January. But you'd imagine Liverpool will be at the front of the queue when his future is finally decided.
How different are England under Tuchel?
Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport
Gareth Southgateâs 102-game stint as England manager totalled 61 wins, three penalty shoot-out victories, 24 draws and 17 defeats â including in the finals of Euros 2020 and 2024.
England scored 213 goals and conceded 72 during Southgateâs tenure, while England are the only European team to have reached at least the quarter-finals of the last four major tournaments.
Despite periods of sustained success, Southgateâs style of football was sometimes seen as too conservative - but has anything changed since his departure?
The early signs also suggest that little has changed in Englandâs tactical approach in qualifying wins against Albania, Latvia and Andorra, and a friendly defeat to Senegal, under Tuchel.
Tuchelâs England side are recording more shots and shots on target (albeit against some of the smaller nations in qualifying) but the fundamentals remain the same â England have more of the ball but donât move it particularly quickly, while their sequences of passes have actually got slower so far under the 52-year-old.
How they use the ball also remains pragmatic, playing the same number of forward passes as they did under Southgate.
It is early days under Englandâs new head coach but the data so far suggests that fans calling for a shift to more attacking football may have to wait a little longer.