Crystal Palace vs Middlesbrough pre-match centre

Chelsea's £7.5m deal for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is confirmed by the BBC, ESPN and the Guardian, even as the same day's rumour column still treated it as speculation. Meanwhile Crystal Palace's hijack of Villa's move for Joel Ordóñez has forced Unai Emery to pivot to West Ham's Jean-Claire Todibo.

Thierno Barry's header sealed Everton's 2-0 opening-day win over Crystal Palace, offering the clearest sign yet that the £27m striker could shed a 14-game goalless run and become David Moyes' first-choice frontman. But Everton have been burned before by single-goal breakthroughs.

BBC Sport data shows only 8 of 34 Community Shield winners since 1992-93 have gone on to win the Premier League, with losers actually claiming more titles. As Arsenal face Manchester City in Cardiff, the real story is the emerging Arteta-Maresca rivalry.

Crystal Palace's £11m move for USA youth international Zavier Gozo runs through David Blitzer's ownership stakes in Real Salt Lake and Augsburg, a pipeline that just as easily collapsed with defender Chrislain Matsima. Meanwhile, Palace's public refusal to sell Adam Wharton faces its first real test from Chelsea.

Crystal Palace are in advanced talks to sign Real Salt Lake winger Zavier Gozo for around $15m, a fee that would set a new club-record sale for the MLS side and beat out interest from Germany, Spain and England. The move comes despite Pochettino leaving the 19-year-old out of his World Cup squad.

Chelsea have reportedly reopened talks with Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton, with Palace demanding €100m, according to French journalist Sebastien Vidal. The uncorroborated claim points to a wider midfield reshuffle under Xabi Alonso, one squeezed by squad-cost limits and Enzo Fernandez's uncertain future.

Chelsea's £52m signing of Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, alongside a failed pursuit of 34-year-old Granit Xhaka, marks the clearest sign yet that ownership is abandoning its youth-only recruitment model after a trophyless, 10th-place season.