Tom Carnduff's Notebook: Talented Spurs youngsters, FPL prices and Darwin Nunez
Fear not, widows of Euro 2024, club football has crept up on us all with numerous teams already in pre-season action.
It's akin to Angela appearing behind Dwight in the US Office, the surprise of 'how did this happen so quickly' without the disgust of David Brent turning around to see his date in the UK's (superior) original version.
The big disappointment for me - and it is very likely to only be me - is that the Premier League has opted against a Summer Series this year, although we still have a number of teams facing each other abroad.
I liked that because it gave you a nice insight into how teams were looking to set-up alongside having something to watch on an weekday evening with little else on but repeats of the show mentioned above. Boring isn't it? Not for me, I like it.
Tom, are all these going to be references to The Office? No, I've got loads of points here, one on Archie Gray playing out of position in his first Tottenham appearance.
Gray's defensive role
Ok, first up, which £40million Tottenham signing featured at centre-back instead of his usual midfield role in their 5-1 win over Hearts in Edinburgh on Wednesday night?
It's mid-July so we can't read a great deal into the actual personnel of the teams - most opt for the two XIs approach at this early stage - but the game did flag up that point of interest.
Gray, the wonderkid brought in from Leeds a few weeks ago, was in a far more defensive role. Not only that, he played very well.
Gray is a central midfielder by trade but spent a large part of his debut campaign in the second tier covering at right-back. His skillset suits a variety of roles yet this was one I'd never considered for him previously.
Ange Postecoglou didn't seem to speak about individual players after the game, grouping his new signings together by stating they "brought a good energy to the group" so it's not clear if this was a tactical look at Gray or simply just cover for a friendly.
But it does further enhance the potential of the 18-year-old getting minutes in his first Premier League campaign. It's another string to the bow and I'll be keeping an eye on him and his £5.0m FPL price across the next few weeks.
Here's a bit Moore...
I don't follow Tottenham closely enough to know about every single player in their academy, but it feels like Mikey Moore is someone we'll be hearing more about by the time the 24/25 season reaches its conclusion.
Look, he's 16 and there is no point believing he's going to start every single week, this was also a one-off friendly against weaker opposition, but his performance was certainly eye-catching.
And then on Saturday against QPR, it was a repeat showing.
He did get a few (and quite literally a few) minutes towards the back end of the Premier League season so he is a player who has already been in and around the first team squad.
Based on his showings in the U18 Premier League it's hardly a surprise. In 12 appearances, Moore scored 14 and assisted a further eight. That came from a variety of positions but mostly as the centre forward or in the supporting role behind.
He also scored four in four appearances for England's under-17s during their recent Euros campaign. They were eliminated on penalties by Italy at the quarter-finals stage, Moore scored with the first spot kick.
The goal showed the level of composure he already has in scoring positions. Turning defenders on multiple occasions - even leaving the full-back on the floor at one point - it certainly left Spurs fans wanting Moore.
The Tottenham team sheet for their Carabao Cup third round tie at the end of September could be interesting.
Villa looking in-house?
Aston Villa made a short trip down the road to beat Walsall on Wednesday night, with Unai Emery another to opt for 22 players across the 90 minutes.
Morgan Rogers scored twice in the first before Louie Barry grabbed one in the 90th minute to wrap up the result and the latter is a particularly name of interest.
Again, I am well aware of how early we are into pre-season and I don't want to read a great deal into it but I do wonder if Emery is considering a younger player for the supporting striker role.
Rumours continue to surround Jhon Durán's future at the club and Villa could turn a healthy profit on their second choice forward. With Cameron Archer and Barry at the club, maybe this is where they look to make a saving.
Barry's campaign at Stockport was disrupted by a serious injury but we've seen how talented he is. The 21-year-old netted nine goals in 15 Sky Bet League Two outings before he was sidelined.
His record at a younger age in Premier League 2 was exceptional and Villa will be fully aware of his quality. The Premier League could well be a step too soon at this point though, we'll see.
But then this is where Archer steps in after a campaign on loan at Sheffield United. It may have only delivered four goals in 30 but we have to factor in the Blades' doomed campaign throughout.
He also featured in the second-half of their win over Trnava in western Slovakia on Saturday, scoring in the 89th minute of a 3-0 win.
He's now had a full season of playing top-flight football which is ideal for what will be a bench role. There's a good chance we see one of these - perhaps even both - in the early season squads.
Rogers' strong start
Staying with Villa, and Rogers is certainly one name to consider when the campaign kicks off.
Why? His start to pre-season has been excellent with three goals in two halves of football, albeit against weaker opposition.
The 21-year-old has already demonstrated a good level of versatility in his career so far as he has played a number of different attacking roles.
We've also seen it for Villa, featuring on either wing or through the middle last season.
It's quite easy to forget how good his second-half of the Premier League campaign was following the January move from Middlesbrough. That delivered three goals and an assist in eight starts.
I'll be watching out for Villa's next few games a bit more to see how involved he will be - there will be some early season value on Rogers for goal involvement if so.
The eye-catching options
Tom, ultimate fantasy? Two point-scoring midfielders who play as forwards probably, I'm just watching.
That's right, FPL has launched.
The toughest decision of the season has already been made, that following a 20-minute period of staring blankly at the 'enter team name here' box after I'd put together my group of 15 players.
'Can I Porro A Feeling?' is what I settled on for any Simpsons fans out there. Anyway, the game being available does mean we get to see the full pricing.
And a few have immediately jumped out - if you're prepared to take the gamble.
Christopher Nkunku is a £6.5m midfielder this time around and, if things go well, the Chelsea man feels like someone who will be a popular pick as the season progresses.
Injury ruined his first campaign at Stamford Bridge but we've seen his quality. There's also every chance he operates as their main striker so you're getting the out-of-position bonus there too.
Jarrod Bowen's also in the midfield ranks again, this time at £7.5m. West Ham may have a new manager but he could continue as a striker, like he did in over half of their games last season.
He scored 16 goals in 34 appearances too, so a solid choice whichever role he features in.
Darwin's evolution
Let's take you back to the recent international football, although this time it's with focus on the Copa America.
Darwin Nunez hit the headlines for the crowd incident which marred Uruguay's semi-final defeat to Colombia, but boss Marcelo Bielsa has been fierce in support of his player.
And Bielsa is a big reason as to why Nunez could finally be in for a big season at Liverpool.
He may have failed to find the net in the final four games of the tournament yet his overall showing following Bielsa's appointment last year highlights the importance the coach places on individual development.
It was made clear that Nunez would be the main man; the project to work on. He rewarded that faith with a run of ten goals in seven games between October and June.
I'm seeing similarities here between Nunez and Patrick Bamford from when Bielsa was at Leeds - a striker who would often come in for heavy criticism for his inability to convert chances.
Yet in Leeds' first full season back in the top-flight, Bamford scored 17 in 38 appearances. Such transformation under Bielsa led to an England cap in the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Andorra.
While not totally certain on what to expect from Liverpool under Arne Slot, I'm taking the 16s on Nunez being the Premier League's top goalscorer after an extended period with his national side.
The value in Hull
I got my first look at Tim Walter's Hull side as they faced Fenerbahce in Turkey on Thursday - that would end in a 5-1 defeat.
We've got to take into account the difference in standards between the two sides but the Tigers looked an interesting prospect for next season.
Whether that means an improvement in final league position is still unclear to me, although at this stage it feels unlikely. This is a squad that desperately needs reinforcements and quality ones at that with Jaden Philogene having departed for a return to Aston Villa.
But the attack-minded football that the hierarchy craved following a change in the dugout was on display, and for the first 40 minutes of the contest they caused Jose Mourinho's men some real problems.
Keep an eye on Ryan Giles' price to score on opening weekend as some bookmakers may price him up as a full-back on the left side. He was operating as an attacking winger and found himself in some promising positions to score.
Lewie Coyle on the other side too, although he was at right-back again. They commit numbers forward, attempt plenty of crosses but that does also leave them exposed to the counter.
I'll be backing them on high corner lines in the early stages because of this style. A total of 15 crosses attempted returned a low 20% success rate but the amount of driven efforts deflected behind did lead to Hull being awarded seven corners.
A tactical change from Leeds?
Leeds kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 3-0 victory over Harrogate on Friday night before departing for some bizarre top secret trip to Germany where games will be broadcast on a delay.
The result was an expected one but there was an interesting adjustment in terms of their XI. Daniel Farke opted to go with a system containing three centre-backs and two wing-backs.
Could they potentially be planning for life without Crysencio Summerville and/or Willy Gnonto?
It does make sense when we consider the players currently in Farke's squad. Junior Firpo and new addition Jayden Bogle are much stronger in attack than they are in defence - this allows them to drive forward from wing-back with cover behind.
Firpo was in a very advanced position when Leeds were attacking. He scored the opening goal of the game and that was a tap-in from yards out after meeting Mateo Joseph's driven cross. A name to note for the opening weekend.
This system may also bring out the best in Joel Piroe, while Joseph is surely in line for his breakout campaign after strong showings on rare occasions last season. With Georginio Rutter behind, that has the potential to be a high-scoring attack.
If they stay with this, there will be two striker roles up for grabs. Joseph has already established himself as a bit of a fan favourite with an eye for goal - I'm hoping for big odds in the league's top scorer market when it becomes available.
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