Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks hopes to make his comeback in the near future after signing a long-term contract extension with the Premier League club.

The 25-year-old missed the majority of last season after he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in October.

But the Wales international, a member of Rob Page's squad at Euro 2020 last year, was given the all-clear in May and returned to a modified training programme.

Brooks is eager to resume his career soon after putting pen to paper on a deal until at least June 2026.

"I am so pleased to have signed this deal and am looking forward to the next few years with this great club," he told the club's website.

"Of course, the last year has been extremely difficult for myself, my family and friends but I'm now in a position to resume my career, and getting this deal over the line is the icing on the cake.

"I am working hard alongside the excellent coaching team at Bournemouth and am hoping to be back on the pitch soon.

"In the meantime, I'll be supporting the lads every step of the way."

Bournemouth boss Scott Parker said his team's performance was "unacceptable" after they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Cherries, back in the top flight after promotion from the Championship last term, were dominated in their own back yard by a freewheeling showing from Mikel Arteta's side.

The hosts were so off the pace of their opponents that they failed to register a single shot or touch in the opposition penalty area during the first half, just the second time a home side has blanked in such a way since 2008-09 in the Premier League.

That first such occasion saw Bournemouth as the lacklustre team involved too, before Parker's time, against Manchester City in 2019.

Former Fulham boss Parker was stinging in his criticism after the full-time whistle.

"The first half was unacceptable from us in many ways," he told Sky Sports. "We needed to have humility in terms of understanding the dynamics of the game and what we were up against.

"I thought in terms of our body language and our dynamics, we were nowhere near it. Without that, when you're a team like us, there's no disgrace losing to Arsenal, but what is not acceptable is how we went about it in the first half.

"I didn't expect to see what I saw in the first half. I expected them to show a certain ingredient which we didn't show and it was far too easy in terms of recovery runs, getting back into shape and the quality we were playing against.

"There's some big learning to do regarding this game, which is a good thing, but we need to learn from that."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta confirming he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.

Arsenal went top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Bournemouth – and for the first time since 1972 they lead the way concurrently with Manchester United sitting bottom of the pile.

Gunners captain Martin Odegaard scored his first double in a top-flight league game since he was 15 years old and playing in his native Norway, while Arsenal's north London rivals stayed in close touch with the leaders after Harry Kane reached a Premier League goals record in a win over Wolves.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard watched his side slide to a 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace – a sixth loss in seven games in London for Villa since the start of last season – while Fulham were 3-2 winners in their derby against Brentford. That was a first home victory for the Cottagers in a Premier League London derby since January 2014, ending a 12-game wait.

Elsewhere, Southampton came from behind to take a 2-1 victory at struggling Leicester City, and Everton and Nottingham Forest duked out a 1-1 draw.

Stats Perform has rummaged through Opta's data trove to present numbers-led angles on the day's top Premier League action.

Tottenham 1-0 Wolves: Harry's game as Kane writes more Spurs history

It was up there with the easiest of finishes, but they all count and Harry Kane's close-range header was his 185th Premier League goal for Tottenham – thereby making him the highest scorer for a single club in the competition's history.

What's more, it was Kane's 250th goal in all games for the club, and Tottenham's 1,000th at home in the Premier League. Only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea had previously totted up 1,000 goals at home since the league's 1992-93 launch.

Even if the performance left room for improvement, Tottenham are unbeaten in their opening three games. The same applied last season when they won three out of three under Nuno Espirito Santo. Five defeats in the next seven cost Nuno his job, and Spurs will hope to avoid any such slide now.

With Antonio Conte in charge, a Spurs collapse seems unlikely. This was head coach Conte's 70th win in the Premier League from 107 games, the bulk of which came across his two seasons at Chelsea. Among managers or head coaches with at least 70 Premier League wins, only Manchester City's Pep Guardiola (74 per cent) has a better win percentage than Conte's 65 per cent.

Bruno Lage's Wolves are without a win in their last 10 league games, spread across this season and last. They have only had one previous double-digit streak of winless Premier League games in their history – a 17-game sequence that spanned a relegation campaign in 2011-12 and the start of the 2018-19 season on their return to the top flight.

Bournemouth 0-3 Arsenal: From teenage kicks to picking off Cherries, Odegaard doubles up again

Odegaard was already grabbing the attention of Europe's elite clubs when he scored twice for Stromsgodset against Lillestrom in October 2014. Three months later, he would sign for Real Madrid.

Almost eight years down the line, he has finally netted another double in a league game, leading by example and helping Arsenal hit top spot for now.

It was August 22 in 1972 when Arsenal last sat top and great foes Manchester United were propping up the rest in the English top flight, but that is once again the scenario. In this third round of the 2022-23 season's fixtures, United play Liverpool on Monday.

Arsenal have won their opening three league games for the first time since 2004-05, the season that followed their 'Invincibles' campaign. Boss Mikel Arteta has named the same starting XI for their first three games, and that last happened with Arsenal in the famous 2003-04 campaign that saw them complete a league programme undefeated.

William Saliba became the 21st Frenchman to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal – only Newcastle United (also 21) have had as many different French goalscorers – while Bukayo Saka played his 100th Premier League game. At 16 days short of his 21st birthday, it made Saka the youngest player to do so since Raheem Sterling in September 2015.

Arsenal's win percentage against Bournemouth stands at 77 per cent after this 10th win in 13 meetings. Among teams they have faced at least 10 times, they only have a better win ratio against Reading (100 per cent, won 14/14) and – you'll never guess – Glossop North End (86 per cent, won 12/14).

Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest: Gray day as Toffees scrape a point

After defeats to Chelsea and Aston Villa, coming from behind to draw against promoted Forest represents some sort of progress for Frank Lampard and Everton.

Yet their one point from three games is the fewest Everton have achieved at this stage of a season since 2010-11 (also one point), and the Toffees have stumbled on an obvious early-season problem against newcomers. They have won none of their last eight matches against promoted clubs in August (D5 L3) so might be glad they have Brentford and Leeds United in their remaining league games this month.

Jordan Pickford became the first Everton goalkeeper to assist a Premier League goal since Joel Robles in December 2016 against Leicester City, with a long kick creating the opening for Demarai Gray to snatch the 88th-minute equaliser. The goal ended a barren run of 21 league games for Gray, who had last netted against Arsenal in December.

Brennan Johnson's opener seven minutes earlier took him to 20 goals since the beginning of last season, the most by any Forest player. He thought it was a winner, but the ending of Gray's drought brought a little cheer for the struggling hosts.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that Gabriel Jesus can reach an even higher level following his magnificent start to life at the club.

Having scored twice and contributed two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester City a week ago, the Brazilian was back at it in the Gunners' routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth, playing a key role in the opening goal before teeing up Martin Odegaard's second.

While Arsenal's number nine was unable to get on the scoresheet, seeing a second-half effort chalked off after a VAR review, his all-round display offered further encouragement to the Gunners' supporters.

Arteta is understandably delighted with the contribution of his new leading man, but believes he still has room to improve.

"Those individual actions make the difference in football and Gabi is doing that week in, week out. He didn't score today but he was involved in the goals and his contribution to the team was outstanding," he told Sky Sports.

"He's still 25-years-old so he can still improve his level a lot. He's hungry enough and he has got a huge desire to get better and better, to be the best that he can be and that is what he needs to do."

Arteta's praise of Jesus was echoed by club captain Odegaard, who described playing with the Brazilian as "amazing".

"He is not just about the goals, he gives us so much in the play as well, he drops back to combine and he is brilliant in a lot of places in the game. It's amazing to play with him and we're really lucky to have him here," Odegaard said.

Arsenal have also seen Oleksandr Zinchenko settle quickly following his own arrival from City, while Fabio Vieira has returned to fitness following an injury setback and is awaiting his first-team debut.

Further signings may still be on the cards for the Gunners though, with Arteta admitting he has his eyes on additional recruits.

"We will try to the end, the transfer window is tricky at the moment. We would like to do something else but let's see what we can do," he declared.

Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Bournemouth.

Captain Martin Odegaard struck twice inside the opening 11 minutes to put the Gunners in control on Saturday, with Bournemouth failing to register a single touch in the Arsenal box in the first half.

William Saliba netted his first goal for the club to extend that lead in the second half, while the influential Gabriel Jesus saw a strike ruled out for offside. 

The win gives Arsenal the enviable record of being the only Premier League side so far to win their opening three matches of the season, although Manchester City can join them on nine points with victory at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Arsenal came flying out of the blocks with former City man Jesus skipping through the Bournemouth defence and teeing up Gabriel Martinelli, who was denied by Mark Travers, only for Odegaard to tap in the rebound.

Odegaard struck again six minutes later, smashing in with his left foot to cap off another fine move that saw Jesus touch Ben White's cutback into the Arsenal captain's path.

The Gunners extended their advantage swiftly after the restart, with Martinelli's deep cross knocked square by Granit Xhaka to Saliba for a curling first-time finish into the top-right corner from just inside the box.

Jesus thought he had got into the act but was denied by the VAR, shown to be narrowly offside following Odegaard's pass, and only his goal was missing as Arsenal remained on the front foot right through to the final whistle.

The second Saturday of the new Premier League campaign did not disappoint, serving up a thrilling comeback, a spectacular home debut and a familiar sinking feeling for Manchester United supporters.

If last week's 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion represented a baptism of fire for Erik ten Hag, United's trip to Brentford provided further despair as the dismal Red Devils hit a 30-year low.

There was more joy for rivals Manchester City as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Bournemouth, while Gabriel Jesus made good on his pre-season promise with a dominant performance against Leicester City.

Here, Stats Perform trawls through Opta's data to bring you some of the best numbers from the day's Premier League action.

Brentford 4-0 Manchester United: Ten Hag matches unwanted Chapman record against brilliant Bees

Where do you start with this one? New United boss Ten Hag was left in no doubt regarding the side's problems when a Pascal Gross double sent them crashing to an opening-day defeat last week.

But not even the most pessimistic United follower could have predicted their collapse in west London, as Ten Hag became the first Red Devils manager to lose his first two games at the helm since John Chapman in November 1921.

Things got off to a dreadful start when David de Gea let Josh Dasilva's shot squirm into the net after 10 minutes; since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Jordan Pickford (11) has made more errors leading to Premier League goals than the Spaniard.

Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo joined Dasilva on the scoresheet by the 35th minute as Brentford scored with their first four shots on target, while Cristiano Ronaldo cut a dejected figure on his return to the United team.

Only two teams had previously scored four first-half goals against United in a Premier League game; Tottenham in October 2020 and Liverpool in October 2021.

The result is that United have begun a top-flight campaign with back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1992-93, the Premier League's inaugural season.

And while the table has not quite taken shape two games in, United ended the day bottom of the Premier League for the first time since August 21, 1992.

Arsenal 4-2 Leicester City: Miraculous home debut for Jesus

Another side with Champions League ambitions has made a far brighter start to the Premier League season, as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal made it two consecutive wins with an entertaining victory over Leicester.

Former Manchester City forward Jesus was hailed as a coup for the Gunners when he arrived in the off-season, and he enjoyed a home debut to remember by scoring two goals and adding two assists.

In doing so, the Brazilian became the first player to score multiple goals on his home Premier League bow for Arsenal, as well as the first Gunners player to double up for goals and assists in a single league game since Theo Walcott against Newcastle in December 2012 (three goals, two assists).

Before Jesus assisted compatriot Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal's fourth goal, he became the 12th different Brazilian to score in the Premier League for Arsenal – the most of any side in the competition's history.

Jesus was not the only player to impress, however, with Granit Xhaka both scoring and assisting in the same match for the first time in an Arsenal shirt, 252 games into his Gunners career.

Leicester, meanwhile, were subjected to a familiar feeling of frustration in north London – this was the sixth time they have conceded at least four goals in a Premier League game against Arsenal.

Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth: Champions cruise despite quiet day for Haaland

Home teams hitting four goals seemed to be a theme of the day, as Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions followed up a win at West Ham by cruising past Bournemouth.

Scott Parker's team were likely not expecting a result at the Etihad Stadium; City have now won all 11 of their Premier League matches against Bournemouth, the best 100 per cent winning record against a particular team in the competition's history.

A Jefferson Lerma own goal came after strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, as the Cherries made it 17 league matches without a win against City in their history – the most one side has faced another without a victory in English league history.

Kevin De Bruyne was at his creative best for City, scoring his 16th league goal since the start of last season before teeing up Foden's strike.

The Belgian has both scored and assisted in 20 separate Premier League matches since his September 2015 debut. Only Mohamed Salah (24) and Son Heung-min (21) have done so on more occasions in that time.

But while City were rampant, new talisman Haaland was quiet. The Norwegian only managed eight touches and two successful passes, but still managed to make an impact.

One of Haaland's passes was from kick-off, the other teed up Gundogan to score the first goal.

Southampton 2-2 Leeds United: Saints manage rare comeback as Aribo opens account

Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch's Leeds failed to make it two wins from two as Southampton launched a stirring comeback on the south coast.

Rodrigo was on the scoresheet in a win over Wolves last week before hitting a brace at St Marys, making him the first player to score three goals in Leeds' first two games of a Premier League season since Alan Smith in 2000-01.

But Leeds could not hold on, failing to win after going two goals ahead for only the second time in their last 36 Premier League games, and for the first time in 14 such contests (since a 3-3 draw with Charlton Athletic in May 2004).

Southampton have now avoided defeat in two of the last five Premier League games where they have gone two goals down (also a 2-2 draw against Brighton in April), but their love of a comeback is a new characteristic.

Before April, the Saints had only managed one win and one draw from the last 58 Premier League games in which they went two goals behind.

Joe Aribo represents one of their most impressive additions following his arrival from Rangers, and his goal made him the first Nigerian to score in the Premier League for Southampton, as well as the 38th in the competition's history overall.

Kevin De Bruyne feels Erling Haaland must continue to adapt to the Premier League with Manchester City, while hailing the forward's efforts against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Norway international teed up an opening assist for Ilkay Gundogan in a 4-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium, but otherwise struggled to influence proceedings.

Even as De Bruyne and Phil Foden added further goals, Haaland cut a peripheral figure for the hosts, and ultimately had just eight touches throughout the entire match.

De Bruyne still feels that the Leeds-born attacker is bedding into life in a different league, however, pointing to the differences between the English top flight and the Bundesliga, where Haaland has arrived from.

"He played really well," the Belgian said. "Obviously, it's so tight. I don't think in Germany, he played a lot of games where teams were so defensively narrow, so it is something he will have to adapt to.

"With Gundogan, he finds him perfectly, and he set us up for the win. If he plays that way, he will be good."

Kevin De Bruyne pulled the strings for Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday as he guided the champions to a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth.

The Belgium international bagged one goal and assisted another as Pep Guardiola's hosts delivered an imperiously composed performance at the Etihad Stadium in their first home match of the season.

Phil Foden matched the playmaker's involvement with a double goal contribution of his own, while Ilkay Gundogan also got in on the act against an outclassed Cherries side, who helped City out with an own goal to complete the scoring.

Scott Parker's men got their first season back in the top flight off to a winning start against Aston Villa last weekend, but this represented a significant step up.

A relentless start from City forced goalkeeper Mark Travers into a clutch of close-range stops, but Gundogan broke through when he played a superb one-two with Erling Haaland to cut into the box and fire a low finish home.

De Bruyne doubled the home side's lead just after the half-hour mark, taking on the Bournemouth defence before shaping a fine effort off the outside of his boot into the far corner.

And two soon became three as Foden's shot evaded Travers following some neat work down the left from De Bruyne.

The half-time whistle brought much-needed respite for the visitors, but they continued to struggle to get to grips with the might of City, who dominated possession throughout.

In scorching conditions, Guardiola's men turned in a more leisurely display after the interval, although a fourth goal eventually followed when the irrepressible Joao Cancelo saw a square ball diverted into the net by Jefferson Lerma.

Erling Haaland has "a lot of margin to improve" with Manchester City, according to Pep Guardiola.

The Norway international made the move from Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium ahead of the new season, as a flagship signing for both the club and the Premier League.

Despite drawing a blank in the Community Shield loss to Liverpool, the Leeds-born star responded with a brace on his league debut for the club last weekend against West Ham.

For Guardiola, however, Haaland still has plenty of scope to get better at City, suggesting he must work more to find the ball and bring himself into the thick of the action.

"In the process to score a goal, I do not like the striker just waiting for balls to come," he said ahead of Saturday's home clash with Bournemouth.

"If he wants to drop, he can do it. Erling has a lot of margin to improve. I would not make out he is done. He can be a better player and [he] has the will to do it.

"He likes to play football. I [have] never seen a player, [except] maybe [Lionel] Messi, who is a finished article. Always, you can improve.

"We will try to make him a better player, all our players have a lot of margin to be better. That is the reason why we are here, to try to help them."

Guardiola also touched on the title rivalry his side have shared with Liverpool over the past few seasons, framing their relationship as something that pushes City forward to new heights with each year.

"We were able to create this rivalry," he added. "The biggest opponent we face is Liverpool [and] it is an honour. Sport like this, individual [or] collective, you need someone to [make] you better."

After the best goalscoring season of his career, Valencia's Goncalo Guedes has reportedly earned a move to the Premier League, with Wolves said to be finalising a transfer worth up to £35million.

After arriving at the Spanish side back in 2017 from Paris Saint-Germain, the 25-year-old forward has established himself as a regular in Portugal's international side, collecting 32 senior caps and scoring the only goal in their 1-0 Nations League final win against the Netherlands in 2019.

Having never previously scored more than five league goals in a season, Guedes racked up 11, as well as six assists, in Valencia's last LaLiga campaign, and helped his side through to the final of the Copa del Rey.

TOP STORY – WOLVES CLOSE IN ON GUEDES

Wolves have no shortage of talent, boasting arguably the strongest Portuguese contingent in the Premier League, including manager Bruno Lage, and four starters from their opening fixture against Leeds United – Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Ruben Neves and Jose Sa, with Joao Moutinho and Nelson Semedo among the others in their ranks.

According to the Daily Mail, all signs point to Guedes being added to that list, while at the same time a starting position may be opening up as Morgan Gibbs-White's name continues to be included in heavy transfer speculation, with Nottingham Forest keen to sign him for a similar price Wolves will fork out in this reported deal.

Flipping an unproven talent like Gibbs-White into an established international performer like Guedes would likely be seen as a win by the club, but if they do wish to retain their English midfielder, the Daily Mail is also reporting they should be able to collect £12m from Everton in exchange for centre-back Conor Coady.

ROUND-UP

– The Guardian is reporting Leicester City and Southampton are interested in Callum Hudson-Odoi after the 21-year-old informed Chelsea he would like to leave on loan, and the Daily Mail claim Borussia Dortmund are also a potential landing spot.

– The Mail is also reporting that Chelsea's Timo Werner is close to a permanent deal to return to RB Leipzig, with the fee said to be around £30m.

– According to the Northern Echo, Newcastle United have decided to make a run at in-demand 19-year-old striker and Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko from Salzburg.

– Feyenoord have accepted a £12.6m bid from Bournemouth for 25-year-old Argentine defender Marcos Senesi, per The Sun.

– The Athletic is reporting United have made a £6.8m bid for 33-year-old Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic, who has previously spent six seasons in the Premier League between Stoke City and West Ham.

The Premier League is back, with another fascinating season in store.

The 2021-22 title race went right to the wire, with Manchester City pipping Liverpool at the last, while the picture at the bottom was similarly dramatic as Leeds United survived.

The dominant top two have strengthened – including City pinching Leeds talisman Kalvin Phillips – and the league again looks so tough to call at both ends of the table.

Thankfully, Stats Perform AI is able to do that. It has predicted the outcome of the coming campaign, estimating the likelihood of teams finishing in each position informed by their expected results in each match.

These are calculated using betting odds and Stats Perform's team rankings – based on historical and recent team performances – and it has thrown up some interesting results, with some surprises at the summit.

LIVERPOOL SET TO LEAPFROG CITY

There was only a point between champions City and runners-up Liverpool last season, and Stats Perform AI expects the coming campaign to be similarly close.

But the Reds are the favourites for the title, with a 49.72 per cent chance of being crowned champions to City's 47.03 per cent.

Such is the gulf between the top two and the rest that Tottenham, backed as their nearest challengers, have only a 1.81 per shot at ending their 62-year wait under former Premier League winner Antonio Conte.

Chelsea, the club with whom Conte claimed the title, are given a 1.1 per cent hope.

Only seven teams are given any chance at all of celebrating come May – the fewest across all of Europe's top five leagues – with Manchester United (0.18 per cent) and Arsenal (0.13 per cent) joined by a resurgent Newcastle United (0.03 per cent).

Last champions in 1927, Newcastle are closing on a century-long drought, so even with their big spending, a one in 3,000 shot sounds about right.

UNITED AND ARSENAL FALL SHORT

Stats Perform AI does not only fancy Spurs and Chelsea as the top two's nearest contenders but also as their fellow Champions League qualifiers.

City (99.33 per cent) and Liverpool (99.28 per cent) are shoo-ins for top-four finishes, and Tottenham (70.07 per cent) and Chelsea (62.46 per cent) are also in strong positions to repeat last season's leading quartet.

That would mean Manchester United (25.56 per cent) and Arsenal (22.0 per cent) missing out once more, with Newcastle (5.03 per cent) again next.

However, despite West Ham being given no hope of a title tilt and longer odds of Champions League qualification, they are ranked to repeat their seventh-placed finish ahead of Newcastle.

Every team in the division at least has the opportunity to dream of a top-four finish, even if Bournemouth (0.07 per cent) might instead be better off preparing for the reality of a relegation scrap.

TALL ORDER FOR PROMOTED TRIO

Bournemouth are not the only promoted team set to find life tough. In fact, Stats Perform AI predicts all three will go straight back down.

This has only happened once previously in Premier League history – in 1997-98 – but the prediction model considers the trio clear favourites to be relegated.

Bournemouth (45.03 per cent) have scarcely improved their squad, while Nottingham Forest have done the opposite and invested heavily (44.47 per cent); neither approach is expected to succeed, nor are Fulham (43.83 per cent), promoted as champions.

It may not be as clear-cut as this suggests, however, with Southampton (34.23 per cent), Brentford (31.85) and Leeds (31.24) also forecast to endure testing seasons.

Everton (15.06 per cent), like Brentford and Leeds, have lost key players, but the data is backing the Toffees to improve on last year's dismal campaign.

Bournemouth have completed the signing of versatile midfielder Marcus Tavernier from Middlesbrough ahead of their Premier League return.

Tavernier follows Ryan Fredericks and Joe Rothwell in joining Bournemouth, who begin their campaign at home to Aston Villa on Saturday.

The 23-year-old, who made 155 appearances for Boro, has signed a five-year deal at the Vitality Stadium for a reported upfront fee of £10million.

Bournemouth confirmed the transfer on their website on Monday and chief executive Neill Blake said: "He was one of the standout performers in the Championship last season.

"He has a great pedigree, tremendous energy and is a versatile young player who can play a number of different positions.

"Marcus was attracting a great deal of interest and we are delighted he has decided to join us. Everyone at the club is looking forward to working with him."

Tavernier is comfortable playing in midfield, out wide or up top and scored and assisted a combined 10 goals in 44 Championship appearances last time out.

"I'm happy to be here, it's been a long time coming," Tavernier said. "I'm just delighted to be here now."

Juventus have been targeting a deal for Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, hoping he can be acquired for around £20million.

Firmino, 30, has spent the past seven seasons with Liverpool, playing a major role in winning the 2019-20 Premier League and 2018-19 Champions League, but in the past season a series of injuries limited him to his fewest league appearances (20) and league goals (five) since arriving at Anfield.

Corriere dello Sport claims the Brazilian was not Juventus' first choice when weighing up the striker market, but interest grew as it became increasingly unlikely they would be able to bring Alvaro Morata back to the club from Atletico Madrid.

TOP STORY – WITH MORATA UNLIKELY TO RETURN, JUVENTUS PIVOT TO FIRMINO

Darwin Nunez's arrival has given Liverpool an abundance of options up front, and instead of letting Firmino operate as a back-up as his value continues to diminish, the club could elect to cash in, if the price is right.

The report from Italy claims Juventus have also been investigating the possibility of acquiring Chelsea's Timo Werner or Manchester United's Anthony Martial, but securing Firmino would put an end to those pursuits.

Reports from England have indicated Liverpool are not interested in selling for the fee Juventus have so far proposed.

Meanwhile, Marca is reporting that Juventus are also in the hunt for Benfica left-back Alejandro Grimaldo, with Manchester City and Newcastle United their main competition.

ROUND-UP

– Spanish publication Cadena Ser claims Frenkie de Jong has told team-mates he has no plans to leave Barcelona in the current transfer period, despite strong interest from Manchester United.

– Cadena Ser is also reporting that Barcelona will look to sell highly paid goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for financial relief if they can not convince De Jong to leave.

– According to The Athletic, Bournemouth are set to sign 23-year-old Middlesbrough winger Marcus Tavernier for £10million.

– Roma are reportedly in the final stages of securing Georginio Wijnaldum on a loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain, with negotiations said to be continuing about the percentage of salary the French club will cover during his stay in Italy.

– The Daily Mail is reporting that Ajax have raised their asking price for Manchester United target Antony to £84million, likely indicating they have no intention of parting ways with the 22-year-old Brazil international.

Manchester City will start their Premier League title defence at West Ham, while Frank Lampard will host his former club Chelsea with Everton on the opening weekend.

City pipped Liverpool to their fourth English top-flight crown under Pep Guardiola and there will be significant interest around their August 7 opener at London Stadium, where new signing Erling Haaland could make his debut after arriving from Borussia Dortmund.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will aim to mount another title charge in the 2022-23 campaign and they go to newly promoted Fulham for their first game.

Chelsea eased into third place last term and their first league game of the Todd Boehly era sees them travel to face Blues great Lampard at Everton, who narrowly avoided relegation to maintain their top-flight status.

Manchester United finished in a disappointing sixth last campaign, with a 4-0 thrashing at Brighton and Hove Albion a low point, and they host the Seagulls in what will be Erik ten Hag's first game in charge.

Arsenal will visit Crystal Palace on August 5 as the season's opening game, while promoted side Bournemouth are at home to Aston Villa.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham sneaked into the Champions League last season and open their campaign at home to Southampton, with Nottingham Forest playing their first top-flight fixture in 23 years away at Newcastle United, who climbed out the relegation zone under Eddie Howe in the previous term.

Testing opening for Liverpool, Guardiola faces late Blues clash

Liverpool were in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple for much of the 2021-22 season, but fell short and ended up with just the EFL Cup and FA Cup crowns to their name.

Klopp's side will be tested in the opening weeks of the season, facing four – United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal – of the traditional 'big six' sides in the first 11 games, alongside a Merseyside derby at Everton on September 9.

The first clash between United and Liverpool will come just three matchdays into the season, with the Reds visiting Old Trafford on August 20.

Liverpool then head Chelsea and Arsenal either side of the late September international break, with champions City travelling to Anfield just a week after the Gunners trip.

Supporters in Manchester will eagerly await October 1 for the first meeting between United and City at Etihad Stadium, while the first north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal comes on the same day.

The Premier League title race went down to the wire last campaign, and City could face a tough task if it does so again as they host Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea in an enticing clash on the penultimate weekend.

Premier League opening weekend fixtures:

Crystal Palace v Arsenal
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
Everton v Chelsea
Fulham v Liverpool
Leeds United v Wolves
Leicester City v Brentford
Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest
Tottenham v Southampton
Manchester United v Brighton and Hove Albion
West Ham v Manchester City