Marc Cucurella has confirmed he has already spoken with incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso and described the conversation as confidence building. The defender, who has been linked with both Barcelona and Atlético Madrid and has expressed interest in returning to Spain, nevertheless suggested Alonso’s message left a clear opening for continued life at Stamford Bridge.

Asked by MARCA for his feelings towards Alonso’s project, Cucurella revealed: “I’ve spoken with him and he inspired a lot of confidence in me. I’ve also spoken with [Alejandro] Grimaldo and Borja [Iglesias], who have worked with him, and they spoke very highly of him.

“The project seems very interesting.”

Cucurella has regularly been central to whichever tactical plan his Chelsea managers have chosen. Under Maresca he often operated as an inverted attacking midfielder, encouraged to get involved in central attacks while still expected to defend his left wing. That hybrid usage has been a defining feature of his time at the club.

How Alonso uses Cucurella will depend on the formation he selects. Alonso’s 3-4-3 at Bayer Leverkusen turned Grimaldo, Cucurella’s Spain teammate, into one of the deadliest wing backs in Europe, a season that produced 12 goals and 20 assists in 2023–24. By contrast, Alonso’s spells at Real Madrid tended to favour 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 systems, both of which call for a more traditional left back.

Cucurella’s ability to perform as both an advanced inverted midfielder and as a traditional left back gives him flexibility that could suit multiple Alonso systems. That tactical versatility, combined with the positive endorsement from figures who have worked with Alonso, frames the defender’s situation: interest from Spain remains, but a convincing conversation with the new Chelsea coach has left the option of staying at the club very much alive.

Arsenal are exploring a move to sign 24-year-old Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis. Any deal, expected to cost around $46 million (£34 million), is not likely to complicate a potential move for a bigger name like Morgan Rogers, whose price tag is believed to be at least double that of Tzolis.

BBC Sport note that Arsenal’s recruitment chief has already watched Tzolis in action and, after being offered the chance to strike a deal, sporting director Andrea Berta is considering trying to wrap up an early summer deal.

The Gunners have been linked to a whole host of big attackers. Alongside Rogers, the club are reported to be admirers of Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, while an approach for Juventus winger Kenan Yıldız is thought to have been knocked back.

On paper Tzolis’s record at Norwich City gives reason for caution: he made 14 Premier League appearances for Norwich without scoring in the 2021–22 season and struggled at Carrow Road. In Belgium, however, he has produced a markedly different output.

Across two seasons in Belgium’s top flight, Tzolis has racked up 43 goals and 45 assists in all competitions, including three goals and four assists in the Champions League. Those numbers represent elite output, although questions about the level of the league are valid—Belgium’s top flight is not the Premier League but is still accepted to offer strong competition.

A lethal eye for both goals and assists has developed during Tzolis’s time in Belgium, having previously been largely known for his electric dribbling. It is no surprise that a number of top sides are chasing his signature. Quizzed on interest from Manchester United earlier this summer, Tzolis told Het Nieuwsblad: “United could certainly convince me. Such a big club, with so much history. It would be hard to say no to that.”

The Premier League has set out a revised suite of on-field principles ahead of the 2026–27 season aimed at addressing several contentious themes from 2025–26. The league said referees and match officials will follow the new regulations to reduce cynical play while retaining a high threshold for intervention. “Not every contact is a foul,” the statement said.

Holding and deliberate obstruction are the primary targets. Defenders who focus solely on blocking or holding opponents with no regard for the ball will be penalized, and players deliberately impeding the goalkeeper will also be punished. The intent behind actions will be judged, with officials instructed to act where there is a calculated attempt to prevent a player from playing the ball.

The directive responds to what the league described as widespread physicality from set-pieces, a feature that helped champions Arsenal. The issue prompted Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hürzeler to bring a Mixed Martial Arts fighter to training to teach his side how to cope.

Timewasting is another focus. Behaviours from feigning injury to prolonging substitutions and delaying restarts can now be sanctioned under rules similar to those used at this summer’s World Cup. Any player who receives on-field treatment must leave the pitch for at least one minute, twice the previous guidance. Deliberate delays to throw-ins and goal-kicks will face a five-second countdown and can result in a reversal of the decision in favour of the opposing team.

Substitution procedure has been tightened. A player must exit within 10 seconds of their number being raised by the official. If they exceed that period, the substitute may only enter the field at the first stoppage after one minute of play.

Hair pulling will remain a sending-off offence when malice, excessive force or brutality is evident, but officials will again consider intent and may issue a yellow when excessive force is not present. Of last season’s three red cards for hair pulling, the league noted Dan Ballard’s dismissal might have avoided a straight red, Michael Keane’s red would likely still stand and Lisandro Martínez’s case fell between those examples.

The plan with VAR is to limit its involvement. The system will not be used to correct corner decisions and there will be no intervention to recommend second yellow cards.