The wait for the 2017-18 Premier League season is almost over as Arsenal prepare to host Leicester City at Emirates Stadium at 19:45 BST – the first time the campaign has started on a Friday.
English top-flight clubs have opened their cheque books like never before and are preparing to roll out their new signings.
There will be new kits on the pitch, some new faces in the dugouts – including a Dutch legend taking charge in south London – and several new rules to adjust to.
Armed with TV money and the riches of the Premier League, top-tier clubs have taken spending to a new level.
As of 10 August – a day before the start of the season – teams had invested £1.034bn on signings, which means the league as a whole is on course to surpass the record £1.165bn spent last summer, with three weeks of the transfer window still remaining.
Much of this is down to Manchester City’s outlay. Boss Pep Guardiola has splashed out over £200m on new signings – the first time an English club has reached that figure in a single window.
Their deals include the £52m move for left-back Benjamin Mendy – a world record for a defender – from Ligue 1 champions Monaco, the capture of right-back Kyle Walker from Tottenham for an initial £45m and the £43m transfer of midfielder Bernado Silva, again from Monaco.
Manchester United have completed the biggest deal of the summer so far by paying Everton £75m for striker Romelu Lukaku, while manager Jose Mourinho returned to former club Chelsea for £40m midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Wayne Rooney’s glittering career at Old Trafford came to an end as he completed a return to boyhood club Everton, who also brought in goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from Sunderland and defender Michael Keane from Burnley, both for deals that would be worth £30m, as well as £23.6m midfielder Davy Klaassen from Ajax.
Champions Chelsea parted with £60m to add striker Alvaro Morata to their squad, Arsenal finally completed a club record £46.5m deal for frontman Alexandre Lacazette and Liverpool brought in £34m winger Mohamed Salah.
Newly promoted Huddersfield Town and Brighton both broke their club records on more than one occasion as they look to survive in their maiden Premier League campaigns, while Newcastle – the other team to come up from the Championship – acquired winger Jacob Murphy from Norwich for £12m.
Tottenham, who finished second last season, have yet to bring in a single player this summer.
A new season brings new rules – and some are more drastic than others:
Bans for diving
Players who dive or feign injury in English football will face bans under new Football Association regulations.
Under the new rules, passed by the governing body at its annual general meeting in May, a panel will review footage each Monday looking for cases of simulation.
Any player unanimously found guilty of diving will be given a suspension.
No pitch designs
Pitch patterns and designs will no longer be allowed at stadiums in the Premier League.
Rules state that the playing surfaces must contain no markings other than the traditional horizontal and white lines.
Meanwhile, Tottenham will play their home games at Wembley this season – as White Hart Lane is renovated – while Brighton’s Amex Stadium and Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium will host Premier League football for the first time.
A new ball
The official competition match ball will be the Nike Ordem V, described as giving “optimal touch and feel with its updated bladder”.
A hi-vis version will be introduced when the clocks change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time in the autumn.
Enhanced away experience
Fans travelling across the country to support their teams on the road this season will be able to take in the action from closer than ever before.
Premier League clubs have agreed to a new rule where away supporters will be seated together at all stadiums and at least one block of away fan seats will be made available pitchside.
Tickets for away fans will remain capped at £30.
Video replays for doctors
Video technology will be allowed into technical areas in an effort to better protect players from the damages of concussion.
Club doctors and physios will now be able to watch replays of any injury sooner after it has happened. Previously, footage could only be reviewed in the tunnel.
2017/18 EPL Season: New Rules, New Players, New Managers Yet Same Game, Same Passion – BBC
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