Burnley

Undoubtedly, Sunderland – who won 2-1 at Chelsea on Saturday – have been the biggest surprise this term. Minutes away from a Championship play-off final defeat in May, they will end October fourth in the top flight.

With 17 points from nine matches, the Black Cats have equalled their best Premier League start, matching their tally from 1999-00.

Only five newly promoted sides have earned more points than Sunderland in the same number of matches. All five, including Sunderland themselves in 2000, managed to survive relegation.

“It’s an unbelievable start and one that’s been well earned,” former Watford captain Troy Deeney told Final Score.

“If you said that a couple of months ago, Sunderland fans would tell you, you’re crazy.”

Ex-Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick added on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Anyone who is honest enough will say that they never expected Sunderland to start this well, so full credit to them.

“The amount of points they have accumulated already has given them an unbelievable start and that’s something they will want to build on.”

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked Nuno just three matches into the campaign and replaced him with Postecoglou.

The Australian failed to win a game and his dismissal – 39 days after his appointment on 9 September – meant his stint at Forest is the shortest permanent managerial reign in Premier League history.

Dyche was on the books of Forest as a youth team player in the late 1980s while Brian Clough was manager, but never made a first-team appearance.

He has not had a managerial job since being sacked by Everton in January after just under two years in charge of the Toffees.

Dyche won 21, lost 31 and drew 23 of his 75 Premier League matches as Everton boss, guiding the club to 17th and 15th-place finishes.

Prior to that Dyche spent nearly a decade as Burnley manager between October 2012 and April 2022, twice winning promotion to the top flight and helping the Clarets qualify for Europe for the first time since 1967.

He also had a stint in charge of Watford for the 2011–2012 season, only to lose his job following a change of ownership.

Kettering-born Dyche spent his entire playing career as a defender outside of the top flight, making more than 500 appearances for clubs including Chesterfield, Bristol City, Millwall, Watford and Northampton.

Scott Parker’s team have beaten Derby County in this season’s Carabao Cup after entering at the second-round stage, while Cardiff have seen off Swindon and Cheltenham to set up the trip to Lancashire.

“I am really excited to go to a Premier League team in a competition where we have produced really good performances,” Barry-Murphy added.

“It’s a good test for our players. Burnley have a super-talented squad and to test ourselves in that stadium against them will be very good for us.”

Cardiff have fitness concerns over Ronan Kpakio, who came off during the Bradford loss with a foot problem, and Dylan Lawlor, who missed the Bantams’ visit with a groin injury.

“We have a group we really believe in,” Barry-Murphy said. “We will see who is OK and then pick a team.”

ANGE Postecoglou was left cursing his luck as Martin Dubravka’s stunning double kept him waiting for a first win.

Clarets keeper Dubravka pulled off two stunning stops in two amazing minutes, to leave Postecoglou throwing his hands up in frustration on the touchline.

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To be fair, it was no more than Burnley merited, in a game neither deserved to lose – or did enough to win – yet for Ange it is three games and counting as Forest chief without a victory.

First Dubravka went full length to push away an Igor Jesus header with the Forest sub’s first touch off the bench.

But while that was good, the Slovak stopper’s next was out of this world, getting down superbly to push Neco Williams’ volley behind as it flew through a packed area.

Mind you, defeat would have been harsh on a Clarets side which had gone ahead after barely 90 seconds. 

With a start like that,, you felt maybe their ill fortune of recent weeks was about to change.

Seven days ago a rush-of-blood handball gifted Liverpool a last-gasp penalty winner, while a fortnight earlier there was an even harsher spot kick in an Old Trafford loss.

Well there was no luck involved in Williams’ early opener – just a finger-snapping strike that flew in.

When Fiorentino turned away a Douglas Luiz corner to the edge of the box, Williams hit a rocket that took a slight deflection, but not enough to deviate off a true line.

It certainly didn’t impact Dubravka’s chances of saving it – he wouldn’t have got close in any case – for the Welsh defender’s third goal in 111 Forest appearances.

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Opposite number Quilindschy Hartman got in on the act with his own screamer which, while it was never likely to catch out Matz Sels, certainly warmed his palms.

And then Olekssandr Zinchenko joined in the full back fun with a swerving long ranger that Clarets keeper Dubravka was happy to beat away.

If the Ukraine defender was nearly a hero at one end, he was swiftly case in the role of villain just minutes later, as Burnley levelled.

He was initially outjumped by Lyle Foster as Hartman hung up a deep cross which fell kindly for Jaidon Anthony on the left of the box.

Anthony’s strike was anything but crisp, although it was at least on target and would probably have crept in of its own accord.

Yet Zinchenko made sure it did when his attempt to clear merely saw him tumble onto his backside and hook the ball into the opposite corner.

Strictly speaking it couldn’t be classed as an own goal, given the ball was – almost apologetically – heading for the net, but ZInchenko should have done better.

To be fair to Forest, they dusted themselves down and were soon pinging it around again, and one pinball passing move had Dubravka diving to push away a Dilane Bakwa snapshot.

Mind you, Burnley went even closer to a winner with a thunderbolt free kick that would have taken Matz Sels hand into the net if he’d got anywhere near it.

Loum Tchaouna’a whipped-in 20-yard piledriver had the crossbar rattling so much you’d swear the woodwork was still shaking come the final whistle.

But it would have been even worse had it not been for Dubravka, who came up with those two stunning late stops.

And even when Dubravka was out of the equation – when Arnaud Kalimuendo looked sure to score at the far post, Hartman saved the day by blocking his goalbound drive.

At least it ensured Forest didn’t mark the 21st anniversary of Brian Clough’s death with defeat.

Yet ff it hadn’t been for the Burnley keeper, they’d have done so with all three points instead of just the one.

Former Burnley captain Josh Brownhill has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab.

Premier League sides Brentford, Wolves and West Ham and Championship club Leicester were all keen on the 29-year-old, who scored 18 goals last season as Burnley secured promotion back to the top flight.

The midfielder left at the end of the campaign after five years at Turf Moor, making 211 appearances in total and scoring 32 goals overall.

He will join Belgium international Yannick Carrasco and former Southampton and Watford defender Wesley Hoedt at Al-Shabab.

The club, managed by former Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil, lost their opening game of the Saudi Pro League 4-1 to Al-Khaleej.

“I feel really honoured to join Al-Shabab,” Brownhill said.

“The way the manager plays – formation, system and the vision that they see – is what really attracted me.

“I’m hoping to score a lot of goals and we’ll be aiming to win some trophies this season.”

MARTIN DUBRAVKA fell foul of the new rules over goalkeepers holding onto the ball too long.

The Burnley stopper was punished for taking an age to release it out of his hands inside four minutes against Spurs.

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New regulations cite that goalies cannot hold the ball for any longer than eight seconds.

Slovakian Dubravka, making his Clarets debut following his switch from Newcastle, was deemed to have taken longer than that and ref Michael Oliver intervened.

The whistler awarded a corner, as is the new rule, which Burnley managed to clear.

Spurs took the lead six minutes later, as Richarlison converted a cross from new signing Mohammed Kudus.

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For as long as there’s been relegation, supporters have been trying to predict the minimum number of points needed to avoid it.

So what should Burnley, Leeds, Sunderland and others be aiming for?

Traditionally, 40 points are said to be enough for Premier League survival.

That’s because only three teams have ever reached the 40-point mark in a 38-game season and gone down.

They are: West Ham with 42 in 2002-03, Sunderland with 40 points in 1996-97 and Bolton with 40 points the following year.

But, given all three of those seasons were well over 20 years ago, is it time to set a lower benchmark?

Over the past 10 seasons, the average points collected by the team in 18th – a total you’d need to better in order to stay up – has been exactly 32.

Tottenham finished 17th last term with 38 points but, because of the weaknesses of the promoted trio, they would still have beaten the drop with just 26.

The season before, 17th-placed Nottingham Forest managed 32 points – a tally which included a four points deduction – but actually only needed 27 to stay up.

Burnley have completed the signing of French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Chelsea for a fee of more than £20m.

The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Turf Moor.

BBC Sport understands the fee is similar to the £23.2m Chelsea paid to sign Ugochukwu from Rennes in 2023.

“It’s a great feeling to sign for Burnley,” said Ugochukwu.

“As soon as I was made aware of the club’s interest in signing me, I was keen to hear more about the project. I spoke to the manager and Maxime [Esteve] – they were both so passionate about the club and the direction it’s heading in.

“It feels like this is the perfect move for me at this stage of my career with the ambition the club is showing.”

Ugochukwu was considered surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea look to sell multiple players in their so-called ‘bomb squad’ – a group of players including England internationals Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell – training separately from Enzo Maresca’s first team.

Ugochukwu spent two years at Chelsea, making 15 appearances in all competitions during his first season before joining Southampton on a season-long loan for 2024-25.

Burnley are also in talks to sign Chelsea’s 23-year-old forward Armando Broja.

Sources say the move could be worth up to £20m but the exact price has not been confirmed.

Burnley have signed defender Kyle Walker from Manchester City on a two-year contract.

The right-back completed his medical on Friday and will work again with head coach Scott Parker, who he played alongside at Tottenham Hotspur for two seasons.

The 35-year-old made 15 appearances in the first half of last season for City before joining AC Milan on loan in January, but the Italian club decided not to make his move permanent.

Walker won 17 trophies during his time at Etihad Stadium and was part of the squad that won the Treble in 2023.

He signed for City in the summer of 2017 and made 319 appearances for the club.

Burnley were promoted back to the Premier League last season following their relegation in 2024.

Walker is their fifth signing of the summer, following the arrival of defender Axel Tuanzebe, left-back Quilindschy Hartman, goalkeeper Max Weiss and French winger Loum Tchaouna.

More to follow.

Burnley have signed centre-back Axel Tuanzebe on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with Ipswich Town.

Tuanzebe made 45 appearances in all competitions for the Tractor Boys and was influential in their promotion to the Premier League during the 2023-24 campaign.

The 27-year-old made 22 top-flight appearances last season and has decided to remain in the Premier League with newly promoted Burnley rather than sign a new deal with Ipswich.

The DR Congo defender has reportedly, external signed a one-year deal at Turf Moor and becomes head coach Scott Parker’s third summer signing.

He follows Netherlands left-back Quilindschy Hartman and goalkeeper Max Weiss to the club.

“It became a very simple decision after speaking to the manager and the message was very clear, precise and straight to the point,” said Tuanzebe.

“It’s a new chapter for me, back in the vicinity of Manchester and home and I’m ready to continue my journey now at Burnley.”

Tuanzebe began his senior career with Manchester United and was an England age-group international before switching his allegiance to his native DR Congo.

The defender has won three caps for his country and is likely to feature in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in December.

Burnley begin their Premier League campaign at Tottenham on Saturday, 16 August (15:00 BST).