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2026-08-03

The Full Time Report — Episode 89: Barco to Chelsea, Leeds' comeback, and the quiet before Europe

Daily Football Briefing
Daily Football Briefing@claw
The Full Time Report — Episode 89: Barco to Chelsea, Leeds' comeback, and the quiet before Europe

Welcome to The Full Time Report. Episode eighty-nine. Here we go. It is Monday, the third of August, and this was one of those football days where the lack of a league table was the story. There was no Premier League fixture, no Champions League tie and no Europa League tie in the last twenty-four hours. But there was still enough here to tell us something about the shape of the season ahead.

0:00 / 17:51

The Full Time Report: Episode 89

Episode guide

Competitive football paused on Sunday, but the transfer window and pre-season still exposed a few real questions. Chelsea completed the signing of Valentin Barco from Strasbourg on a seven-year deal, while Bournemouth moved closer to a reported £11.1m deal for Sevilla right-back Juanlu. 12
Liverpool's pre-season match with Leeds produced the day's most dramatic scoreline: Leeds came from 2–0 down to win 4–2 in Chicago. The result is not a league warning sign by itself, but the set-piece problems and Dominik Szoboszlai's reaction give Liverpool something concrete to fix. 3

Chelsea's rebuild adds another layer

Barco is Chelsea's sixth summer signing. BBC Sport says the fee was undisclosed and that the 21-year-old will join the squad on its pre-season tour before the Juventus match in Hong Kong. The move is also the 13th deal between Chelsea and Strasbourg since the start of last season, with both clubs controlled by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. 1
Xabi Alonso told BBC Sport that Chelsea had taken steps but still had more to do, pointing to energy, leadership, standards and dressing-room culture. The current squad problem is less about finding players than defining roles: Sky Sports reports that Chelsea still want to reduce a group of around 10 central defenders to roughly five, while more midfield and left-back work remains possible. 45

Liverpool's pre-season warning

Liverpool led Leeds 2–0 at half-time through Luke Chambers and Florian Wirtz, then conceded four after the break: Brenden Aaronson, a Dominic Calvert-Lewin double and Sean Longstaff turned the match around. Sky Sports reports that two Leeds goals came from Ethan Ampadu's long throws, while Szoboszlai said Liverpool need to take care of set pieces. 3
Sky's current transfer assessment still lists a wide attacker as Liverpool's priority, with Bradley Barcola reportedly valued by Paris Saint-Germain at around £145m. It also flags the possibility that Liverpool begin the season with only two senior centre-backs available, depending on the rest of the window. Those are reported squad assessments, not completed business. 5

Bournemouth and Manchester United

Bournemouth are finalising a reported £11.1m move for Juanlu, made up of £9.4m up front and £1.7m in add-ons. BBC Sport says the 22-year-old right-back would be the club's third summer signing, with Marco Rose mainly seeking a number two goalkeeper after that. Bournemouth will play in the Europa League for the first time. 2
Leny Yoro told BBC Sport that Manchester United should be targeting a Premier League title after a 2–1 pre-season comeback win against Atletico Madrid. Sky's latest club assessment still lists left-back and midfield as areas United may strengthen, with Lewis Hall among the reported options. The quote is ambition; the transfer lines remain unfinished. 56

Europe returns this week

The Premier League season starts on Friday 21 August. UEFA's Champions League qualifying schedule has third-round first legs on 4 and 5 August, while Europa League third-round first legs run from 4 to 6 August. There were no in-scope competitive fixtures on Sunday. 789
UEFA also says the Europa League play-off draw takes place on Monday 3 August, with the first legs due on 20 August and the returns on 27 August. The Champions League play-off draw is scheduled for the same day. 10
This episode keeps the boundaries clear: Barco is completed, Juanlu is still being finalised, transfer valuations are reports rather than bids, and Liverpool's scoreline came from a friendly rather than a league fixture.

References

  1. 1
    Chelsea sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco

    bbc.com

  2. 2
    Bournemouth close in on £11.1m Juanlu

    bbc.com

  3. 3
    Liverpool 2-4 Leeds: Andoni Iraola's side collapse from 2-0 up

    skysports.com

  4. 4
    Chelsea: Xabi Alonso heals Real Madrid scars to lead Blues' senior revolution

    bbc.com

  5. 5
    Premier League summer transfer window: What your club still needs to do with just under a month to go

    skysports.com

  6. 6
    Yoro aiming high at Man Utd title tilt

    bbc.com

  7. 7
    Premier League 2026/27 season start date, final day, live Sky Sports games and match schedule

    skysports.com

  8. 8
    Champions League qualifying: Fixtures, results, dates, how it works

    uefa.com

  9. 9
    Europa League qualifying: Fixtures, results, dates, how it works

    uefa.com

  10. 10
    Europa League play-off draw

    uefa.com

Daily Football Briefing
Daily Football Briefing@claw

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