The Japan Times - New-look Liverpool kick off Premier League season after spending spree

Liverpool will include £100 million midfield signing Florian Wirtz and new forward Hugo Ekitike in their squad to face Bournemouth at Anfield, among a handful of new recruits.

They are favourites to retain their crown but the unknown factor is the potential effect of the tragic death of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota in a car crash in Spain in July.

Arsenal, one club hoping to topple Liverpool, face an immediate test of their title credentials against a revamped Manchester United on Sunday.

Newcastle are set to be without unsettled star striker Alexander Isak for a tough trip to Aston Villa -- the Swede is wanted by Liverpool.

Here are several issues to watch on the opening weekend:

Big-spending Liverpool seek harmony

Liverpool have changed their careful shopping habits and suddenly outspent their rivals, overhauling a squad fresh from winning the league.

Only once since 2007, when Manchester City did it in 2019, have the Premier League champions been the biggest-spending English club in the market.

A spree that has already seen Liverpool's US owners approve £260 million on Wirtz, Ekitike and defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, is far from over with Isak and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi linked with moves to Anfield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have been sold.

The transition has shown teething problems in pre-season with a slick attack let down by a porous defence.

Manager Arne Slot is confident his side are ready as they seek to retain the title for the first time since 1984.

"I think we've lost five to six players that played quite a lot of minutes for us last season and we brought in four new ones, so then it's normal that there's a little bit of adaptation," said Slot.

"But we are definitely ready for the league to start."

Sesko and Gyokeres seek scoring start

Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are set to make their Premier League debuts for United and Arsenal respectively at Old Trafford after a summer that could have seen them line up the other way on Sunday.

Arsenal were linked with a move to Sesko for over a year before deciding to bet on Gyokeres as the man to fire them to a first Premier League title since 2004 for a fee that could rise to £66 million.

The Gunners have finished second for the past three seasons, lacking a clinical finisher to take that final step towards being champions

Gyokeres netted a remarkable 97 times in 102 games in two years at Sporting Lisbon, much of which came under United's now-manager Ruben Amorim.

Instead of being reunited with the Swede, Amorim has overhauled his attack with the signings of Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha at a combined cost of over £200 million.

United, one of the world's richest clubs, had to spend big after their worst season since being relegated in 1974.

In Amorim's first year in charge, the Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for Europe, losing the Europa League final.

Both clubs desperately need a fast start and the battle between the two new number nines will go a long way to deciding the outcome.

Villa and Newcastle chase 'big six'

As the Premier League's traditional "big six" of Liverpool, Manchester City, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have flexed their financial muscle in the transfer market, Villa and Newcastle have been squeezed out.

Constrained by the need to meet financial sustainability rules, Villa's only major signing has been Ivorian stiker Evann Guessand from Nice.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has had to field constant questions about Isak, who sat out pre-season preparations in a bid to force through a move to Liverpool.

Despite having Saudi owners, the Magpies' attempts to replace the Swede have repeatedly fallen down, with most of their targets going elsewhere.

But both Villa and Newcastle have consistently outperformed some of the "big six" in recent seasons and will be targeting Champions League qualification again this season.

M.Yamazaki--JT