Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by Bolton manager Steven Schumacher to break down the opening weekend of league fixtures in the EFL - and we hear from Luton boss Jack Wilshere.
Bolton won on their return to the Championship, but how can they compete with their big-spending rivals. The panel also discuss Will Lankshear's dream start at Middlesbrough, how Southampton will deal with being pantomime villains after Spygate and whether VAR is needed in the Championship after a blatant handball helped West Brom beat Norwich.
Jack Wilshere joins the pod after his Luton side came from 3-1 down to beat Reading in their opener, and talks about his first pre-season as a first team manager.
Aaron's EFL Fantasy skills haven't improved over the summer - the code to join our league if 72EFLPOD.
And in 72PLUS 72MINUS, there's a moment to forget for an EFL legend and Welsh limbs after a late goal.
This season we now have our very own 72+ feed on BBC Sounds - where you can listen to episodes every week.
We'll continue to bring you all the same content you've been enjoying here, with the biggest stories from the EFL, exclusive guests and the moments everyone is talking about.
TIMECODES:
01:21 - Jobi's summer with Roy Keane
03:35 - Bolton off to a winning start
11:45 - Lankshear elevates Boro
19:35 - Southampton lose at Watford in first match post-Spygate
26:23 - Do we need VAR in the Championship?
30:27 - Luton boss Jack Wilshere joins the show
45:27 - 72PLUS 72MINUS
Ex-England midfielder Murphy believes the outlook of the title race could yet change before the end of the summer transfer window, but says he currently ‘can’t look past’ Arsenal.
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The Gunners have enjoyed another strong transfer window, signing Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis while they are closing in on a £51m deal for England defender Ezri Konsa.
‘It is always hard to call it now, especially when it feels like all the top teams have a lot of business to do before the transfer window shuts, but I can’t look past Arsenal as champions,’ Murphy told BBC Sport.
Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League (Picture: Getty)
‘The main reasons being the momentum and confidence they will have from winning the Premier League already, but also the consistency of having the same manager and same players and just sprinkling even more quality on top.
‘They have not lost any of their best players and they have got a group who know what the manager expects from them and are completely on board with it.
‘Mikel Arteta didn’t need to spend half the pre-season drilling them with his methods like a new manager has to.’
Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy (Picture: BBC)
It has been suggested that Arsenal may have to withstand title challenges from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
‘I look at the firepower Man City have got and, whoever the manager is and whoever they are playing against, they are still going to be able to score a lot of goals and win a lot of games,’ Murphy said.
Danny Murphy's Premier League top-four prediction
Arsenal
Manchester City
Liverpool
Manchester United
‘I would still have them as being Arsenal’s nearest rivals.’
As for his former club Liverpool, Murphy cannot see Andoni Iraola’s side mounting a genuine title challenge but believes they will secure a top-four finish.
‘Liverpool might need a bit more time before they are challenging for the title again,’ Murphy added.
New Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca (Picture: PA)
‘I am also not sure whether they think they have already got enough to replace Mohamed Salah by bringing in Victor Munoz and maybe giving Rio Ngumoha a bigger role, or whether they are really going to go for Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, or someone like him, in the next few days.’
Murphy also named newly-promoted Ipswich Town as his ‘surprise package’ in the Premier League.
‘I am not talking about the top four, but Ipswich might surprise a few people and, out of the the ones who have come up, be the team who don’t struggle,’ he said.
‘They have spent quite a lot, and brought in about a dozen players, like Sunderland did last year, and again they have brought in a similar type of player too, with a lot of athleticism.
‘Their manager Gary O’Neil did all right at Wolves and Bournemouth and he will be as well-equipped as ever to know which games to go after, and when to dig in.’
Myles Lewis-Skelly insists he is happy at Arsenal (Credits: Frankie OKeeffe/PPAUK)
Ian Wright fears Myles Lewis-Skelly’s status as a homegrown player could influence Arsenal’s openness to a shock sale in the closing weeks of the transfer window.
The Gunners are primed to continue their summer spending after agreeing a £51 million fee with Aston Villa for Ezri Konsa.
With Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes already having added to a formidable squad, reports claim the Premier League champions are looking to make at least one significant sale.
As such, speculation surrounding the future of Lewis-Skelly has intensified in recent weeks amid claims that the Hale End Academy graduate has been offered to both Manchester United and Chelsea.
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The 19-year-old, parachuted back into the starting XI at the end of last season in his preferred midfield role, appears a key part of Mike Arteta’s first team plans and justified his manager’s decision to select him from the start in last Sunday’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, producing another eye-catching display at the heart of his side’s engine room.
Lewis-Skelly, himself, is happy at his boyhood club and is prepared to stay and fight for his place but the rumours persist, not helped by Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick refusing to rule out a sale should a suitable offer arrive.
Addressing where the conjecture might be emanating from, Wright told Stick to Football: ‘I don’t know where that’s coming from because I know for a fact that’s not coming from his team.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is understood to be happy at Arsenal (Credits: Kieran McManus/Shutterstock)
‘It’s not coming from his mum. Arsenal fans need to chill out with his mum saying that she’s touting him about.
‘Myles has already said he’s happy to say. Why have Arsenal not just said he’s not for sale?’ He’d be a great signing for Manchester United, of course he would. Look what he’s doing.
‘There’s things happening and this again is what I’m worried about with Arsenal, it’s the way we’re doing business with intermediaries now. How’s that story happening when we know for a fact they’re happening and want to stay and are happy.
‘Martinelli has not been contacted by anybody at the club but has been touted about everywhere, who is doing that? Why is that happening?’
Ian Wright is concerned over Arsenal’s transfer stance on Myles Lewis-Skelly (Picture: @itvfootball)
Addressing the narrative that Arsenal need to sell before they can buy again in order to balance the books, Wright added: ‘You know what’s confusing? How can we be in for Vinicius Junior when we’re looking to break records trying to sign this guy but now we’re desperate to sell. What’s going on?
‘We’ve got a big squad and somebody has to leave but it seems like everyone leaving Arsenal is going to Turkey, that’s another thing.
‘The unfortunate thing you get when you’ve got a player who comes through the academy and breaks in to the first team and does what they do, you’ve always got that noose of pure profit on them.
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‘It’s the same with Ethan Nwaneri. I’m hearing now that they’re not going to sell him they want to loan him which I’m quite pleased about because I don’t think at any stage he’s had a run to have a go at playing in that team.
‘When you’ve got someone like Myles who is playing well, it’s unbelievable what he’s capable of doing then of course Manchester United will see if something can happen.
‘They’ve seen Guimaraes come in they’ve seen Declan Rice. He doesn’t want to leave and that’s the thing that’s really baffling me is why Arsenal don’t just come in and say he’s not for sale.’
Arsenal look by far the most settled team at the top-end of the Premier League, with many of their potential title rivals under new management going into the 2026-27 campaign.
Enzo Maresca has replaced legendary Pep Guardiola at Man City, Andoni Iraola has taken over from Liverpool title-winner Arne Slot and Xabi Alonso is preparing for his first season at Chelsea.
But Allardyce believes Arsenal will miss out on back-to-back league titles and has instead tipped Manchester City to regain their status as Premier League champions.
Mikel Arteta holding the Premier League trophy (Picture: Getty)
Asked to reveal his Premier League title prediction on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce said: ‘Man City. I think Enzo Maresca is going to have a great first season. If he doesn’t he will be out.’
Reacting to Allardyce’s surprising prediction, Liverpool legend Phil Thompson said: ‘I wasn’t expecting that, it’s flabbergasting.
‘I’m going with Arsenal. I just think Arsenal because they’re more settled than the other possible title rivals.’
New Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca (Picture: PA)
Meanwhile, Allardyce revealed why he is ‘worried’ about Manchester United and Michael Carrick, who he wants to succeed at Old Trafford.
‘I’m still worried about Manchester United’, the former Premier League and England manager added. ‘Everyone will be looking to see if Michael Carrick can keep it up because he overachieved last year.
‘There’s a massive downside to that because you build expectations. They absolutely can’t be outside the top-four.
Arsenal thumped Man City in the Community Shield (Picture: Getty)
‘I want Michael Carrick to succeed just to show everyone you can be a failure and turn into a massive success.
‘What he did last season was force the Man United board to give him the job based on what he did on and off the field. Now he needs to be even stronger and manage the club, not coach it.’
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence on Friday night when newly-promoted Coventry City visit the Emirates Stadium.
‘I can’t see anyone jumping out of the pack and getting 85 points whereas Arsenal are pretty much guaranteed to hit that number again.
‘They’re such a steady team with such a good goalkeeper and defence, I just can’t see the wheels falling off.
‘They’re just guaranteed to post a number, it won’t be a number that Man City or Liverpool hit in the past but I just can’t see anyone matching them.
‘There’s too many questions over the others teams, there’s questions everywhere this season with all the new managers bar Arsenal. They will be steady and get mid to late 80s and I don’t think anyone can beat that.
‘I think there’s more question marks over this season than ever before, which is why I think Arsenal are just set in stone to win the Premier League.
‘There’s question marks over every single team, big question marks, except for Arsenal.’
The 19-year-old struggled for game-time for much of last season but broke into Mikel Arteta’s team towards the end of the campaign and played a crucial role as Arsenal clinched the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final.
Lewis-Skelly could therefore be an appealing option for Carrick, especially as he is just as comfortable in midfield, an area United have been looking to strengthen all summer.
‘I don’t think you can rely on Luke Shaw to be consistent for the whole season and that leads me to Myles Lewis-Skelly,’ Rooney said on Stick to United.
Michael Carrick has been urged to bolster his Man Utd squad (Picture: Getty)
‘We’re hearing that he could be available for not that much money, so I think that’s an absolute no-brainer.
‘If you can get a player in who can play left-back and centre-midfield, that’s an absolute no-brainer. He’s young and he’s got a massive future ahead of him.
‘I would like to see another centre back, another central midfielder and another centre forward so there’s still a lot of work to be done. But it’s really important that the players they bring in, the club do it right.
Rooney has concerns over Luke Shaw (Picture: Getty)
‘Arsenal have spent a lot over the last couple of years so selling Lewis-Skelly makes some sense as it would be pure profit. I don’t think it would be a great look but I can see why they might sell him.
‘If you’re United and he becomes available it’s a no-brainer, they definitely need to bring in a left-back, that’s a priority for United.
‘I would like to think there’s more players coming in before the window closes, every fan including me wants to see that. But it’s about getting the right players.
‘Looking at the money that has been spent over the last 10 years, it’s been an absolute disaster and the club are probably still recovering from that.’
Arteta’s side begin their Premier League title defence against Coventry City on Friday night, while Manchester United face another newly-promoted side, Hull City, the following day.
Viktor Gyokeres has been linked with a shock transfer to Barcelona (Picture: Shutterstock)
Arsenal have no plans to part company with Viktor Gyokeres amid mounting speculation that Barcelona are interested in the striker.
Hansi Flick is keen to bolster his forward line following the departure of Ferran Torres to Paris Saint-Germain.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, also wanted by Arsenal, has been Barcelona’s No.1 target all summer but their La Liga rivals have outright refused to do business with them.
As such, the Spanish champions have been forced to look elsewhere and are reported to have identified Gyokeres as an alternative target.
The Sweden international scored 21 goals in all competitions for Arsenal last season in all competitions, but failed to fully adjust to the demands of Premier League football.
Indeed, once he returned to full fitness following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Kai Havertz won his place back in the team and was preferred from the start on Sunday as the Gunners began the new season with a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Barcelona are yet to make contact with Arsenal or the former Sporting Lisbon centre forward’s representatives, but are poised to do.
Viktor Gyokeres started on the Arsenal bench against Man City (Credits: Shutterstock)
Arsenal for their part, according to Fabrizio Romano, are at this juncture planning on keeping Gyokeres and believe he will improve in his second season.
Mikel Arteta is said to be happy with the 28-year-old’s performances and contribution to the team while he also believes a forward boasting his physical attributes represents an asset.
That said, Arsenal could still look to make at least one attacking signing before the window closes on September 1 with Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen the latest name to be linked with the north London club.
The Gunners are expected to be busy trimming their squad before the start of September with Reiss Nelson, Fabio Vieira and Gabriel Jesus expected to depart.
West Ham are in talks to sign Nelson, while Vieira is hoping to return to Hamburg where he spent last season on loan.
Jesus, meanwhile, is of interest to Napoli but they are currently struggling to meet his salary expectations.
Atletico Madrid have told Barcelona they won’t sell Julian Alvarez to them (Picture: Getty)
The futures of Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Martinelli are also the subjects of much conjecture with speculation intensifying after they were left out of Sunday’s matchday squad.
Asked about their absences against City, Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports: ‘It’s really sad not to have their availability.
‘I’ve been fighting with the Premier League to extend and accommodate more players in the squad because they deserve to be in the squad, there’s no question.
‘Ethan [Nwaneri] and Marli [Salmon] as well, who has had the whole pre-season with us. Hopefully we can change that rule so players can enjoy on the pitch and can be an option to play and contribute to the team going forward.’
