England’s Premier League returned on 15 August, with reigning champions Liverpool beginning their title defence by hosting Bournemouth at Anfield. New €90 million forward Hugo Ekitike struck inside the opening minutes, registering the first goal of the 2025-26 campaign and immediately validating a record-breaking close season for the Merseyside club under manager Arne Slot. Liverpool invested more than €340 million during the summer, highlighted by the arrivals of Florian Wirtz (€136 million), Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong (€40 million) and Milos Kerkez (€46 million), part of an estimated £2 billion outlay by Premier League sides overall. Elsewhere on opening day business, newly promoted Sunderland agreed an €11 million fee with Paris Saint-Germain for full-back Nordi Mukiele as they race to strengthen before their top-flight return.