Premier League news and gossip: Alvaro Morata, Willian, Yoshinori Muto
Five things to know today about English football’s top-flight
‘Morata struggling - water is wet’
Alvaro Morata’s future at Chelsea looks bleak after fans hit out at the striker following his poor performance in the pre-season match against Arsenal.
Morata saw a penalty saved by former Blues keeper Petr Cech in the 1-1 draw last night in Dublin and the Gunners went on to win 6-5 on spot-kicks.
Chelsea fans were not happy with the Spaniard, talkSPORT reports, and one wrote on Twitter: “Morata struggling. Water is wet.”
After signing for a club record £60m last season Morata is now linked with a move away before the close of the transfer window on 9 August. The Daily Star says AC Milan and Juventus are favourites for his signature.
New kits for referees
Premier League referees, assistants and fourth officials will wear new kits this season. The strips will come in four colours. Last season’s “anthracite black” and “siren red” remain but officials will also wear the new colours “equator blue” and “volt”, a shade of yellow.
£217m wages paid to injured players
The BBC reports that during the 2017-18 season Premier League clubs paid £217m in wages to injured players. Manchester United (£23.3m) paid the highest amount while Arsenal had 54 separate injuries, the most for one club during the season. According to data by insurance broker JLT Specialty “an injury costs a club an average of £323,000 in wages”.
