The opening month of the 2025–26 Premier League season concluded with the official release of the August Player and Manager of the Month nominees. The shortlist reflects a mix of attacking returns, defensive leadership and encouraging starts for newly aligned teams.

Riccardo Calafiori has been Arsenal’s starting left back so far this season. That freedom to get involved further up the field produced one goal and two assists across three games in August, with two clean sheets adding to a strong month for the Italian.

Liverpool supply two names. Hugo Ekitiké had two goals and an assist in his first three Premier League games, while Dominik Szoboszlai claimed headlines with a free-kick winner against Arsenal before the international break.

Jack Grealish returned to these shortlists after joining Everton on loan from Manchester City. Four assists in three games have underlined his early impact following his transfer, which was described in earlier reporting as a £100 million ($134.3 million) move to the Etihad.

Marc Guéhi navigated transfer uncertainty to produce a series of solid displays for Crystal Palace, overseeing two away clean sheets at Aston Villa and Chelsea and scoring a long-range goal against Villa.

Erling Haaland, who won this award in August 2024, registered three goals in as many games for Manchester City, finding the net against Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

João Pedro matched Grealish for direct goal contributions across August, scoring twice against Fulham and West Ham United and adding two assists in the latter fixture while leading Chelsea’s midfield in the absence of the injured Cole Palmer.

Antoine Semenyo, who made allegations of racist abuse against a Liverpool fan in Bournemouth’s opening game, responded on the pitch with two goals against Liverpool and an assist against Wolves.

Sunderland began life back in the Premier League strongly under Régis Le Bris, who has two wins from three games. Wilson Isidor grabbed attention with two goals off the bench.

On the managerial side, Chelsea remain unbeaten under Enzo Maresca after recovering from a stuttering home draw with Crystal Palace to beat West Ham and Fulham. David Moyes has overseen Everton’s resurgence, with Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye central to two wins in three. Arne Slot’s Liverpool sit top with the only remaining perfect record, claiming wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal prior to the arrival of Alexander Isak.

Bayern Munich have accepted they will not be signing Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, German reports state, after Chelsea cancelled a proposed loan amid concerns over a senior striker injury.

Delap went down early in Chelsea’s 2–0 win over Fulham at the weekend, just hours after it emerged Chelsea and Bayern had shaken hands over a loan deal for Jackson which would see the Blues pocket a record fee of €15 million (£13 million, $17.5 million). With Delap’s issue casting doubt over squad cover, Chelsea pulled the loan despite Jackson already being in Munich and posing with fans ahead of a medical.

The decision reportedly left Jackson furious and he remained in Munich in the hope of seeing the deal reignited. Chelsea were believed to be open to doing business on a permanent basis but, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg states the Bundesliga champions have now walked away.

What happens next for Jackson is not clear. The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg states Newcastle could pursue a move in the aftermath of the agreement to send Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a Premier League record fee of £125 million ($168.7 million).

While Chelsea await a final resolution on Jackson’s future, The Telegraph’s Matt Law was first to report that an agreement had been struck with Sunderland to recall Guiu. The 19-year-old only sealed a loan to Sunderland in early August but, after three appearances for the club, is now heading back to Chelsea.

Guiu will offer cover for João Pedro while Delap is out on the sidelines. The Telegraph note there are fears inside Stamford Bridge that the Englishman could miss more than the eight weeks predicted by manager Enzo Maresca, prompting the decision to recall Guiu. Sunderland, for their part, have reached an agreement to replace Guiu with Ajax striker Brian Brobbey on a permanent basis.

Sunderland marked their return to the Premier League with a commanding 3-0 win over West Ham at the Stadium of Light. The victory arrived in a second-half surge that settled any early nerves after a competitive first half in which West Ham applied pressure.

Eliezer Mayenda opened the scoring just past the hour mark with Sunderland’s first topflight goal in eight years. His headed finish into the top left-hand corner restored momentum for the hosts and changed the tone of the match.

Twelve minutes later Dan Ballard, the Championship semi-final hero, extended the lead with a towering header at the far post, a moment that prompted a roar from the crowd behind the net and placed Sunderland firmly in control.

West Ham pushed for a route back into the game and created a number of decent chances, but the Sunderland defence remained composed and disciplined, holding the line as the match entered its closing stages.

In stoppage time Wilson Isidor added a third, a strike from just outside the box that found the bottom left of the net and passed the keeper, sealing an emphatic opening-day result. The late goal underlined Sunderland’s commitment to their promotion slogan and the spirit the side brought to the fixture, fighting “till the end,” as the phrase has been used throughout their campaign.

The result was an emphatic and unexpected return to the top flight for Sunderland against an established Premier League opponent. The scoreline, produced by three well-taken goals, left little doubt about the hosts’ performance on the night and gave supporters a memorable welcome back at the Stadium of Light.

THE LINEUPS

SUN: Roefs; Hume, Ballard, Seelt, Reinildo; Diarra, Xhaka, Sadiki; Talbi, Mayenda, Adingra