Premier League 2023/24: Start date, transfers, fixtures and more

The Premier League resumes on Friday 11th August. We’ve got all of the key info, as well as a refresher as to where things stand, some tasty transfer tidbits and more.

Recap

Champions Manchester City eventually beat nearest challengers Arsenal to the title by 5 points in 2022/23 despite the Gunners winning 9 of their first 10 league assignments. City’s only notable signing so far has been the €29m acquisition of Mateo Kovačić from Chelsea, but that’s evidence of how complete their squad already is.

BIGGEST transfers

Declan Rice has become one of the 2 most expensive English footballers of all time after sealing a €117m move to Arsenal from West Ham following months of speculation. The Gunners have also swooped for Kai Havertz (€75m) from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber (€40m) from Ajax as they look to mount another title challenge under Mikel Arteta.

Chelsea have brought in attackers Christopher Nkunku (€60m) from RB Leipzig and Nicolas Jackson (€37m) from Villarreal amid a summer of mostly sales for the Blues. World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister arrives at Liverpool for €42m from Brighton, while Tottenham have splashed €46m on the creative talents of James Maddison from Leicester.

Some even BIGGER names feature in our wildcard player section.

Wildcard players to watch

Liverpool were in need of a reshuffle in midfield and that’s certainly happening. James Milner (Brighton) and Naby Keïta (Werder Bremen) have left with Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcântara also linked with moves away. The club acted quickly with the €70m signing of Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian playmaker was outstanding in just over 2 years at RB Leipzig and could be fun to watch in England with his flair and ability to play incisive through-balls.

Mason Mount is now a Man Utd player, which might take some getting used to, but there’s every reason to believe he can shine at Old Trafford after a headline €64m move from Chelsea. Newcastle, meanwhile, have added the cultured and complete deep-lying midfield skills of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan to the tune of €64m. How quickly will he adjust?

Bournemouth have made Ivorian attacking midfielder Hamed Traorè’s transfer from Sassuolo permanent for €26m and he could prove to be a very exciting option in a side also containing the lightning pace of Burkinabé winger Dango Ouattara.

Promoted teams

Vincent Kompany’s Burnley won the Championship playing a stylish brand of football not previously associated with the Clarets. They’re joined in the top-flight by Sheffield United and Luton Town. Luton’s first home game has been postponed due to stadium renovations. The Hatters, playing their first-ever season in the Premier League, go away to Brighton on 12th August as their miracle promotion now enters into the realm of reality.

Dark horses

Unai Emery seems to have transformed the entire image of Aston Villa. He took over with the club in 17th place, and they finished the 2022/23 season in 7th. With Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans arriving at Villa Park, they’ll hope to push for another European place.

First weekend highlights

Burnley kick off the new Premier League campaign against champions Man City on Friday 11th August at Turf Moor, an early reunion for Kompany with the club he captained so successfully. On paper, Chelsea vs Liverpool on Sunday 13th is the standout fixture of MD1 with both sides in a period of transition. Anything can happen at the Bridge. There’s also a London derby on Sunday with Brentford hosting Tottenham.