Dominic Dietrich

Burton Albion head coach Gary Bowyer says he has had limited influence over the club's summer recruitment and no direct contact with head of player recruitment and insight Harrison Modeste. With 19 players having left after last season and fewer than 20 currently in the squad, Bowyer says only 12 or 13 players were fit to train ahead of the League One opener against Stevenage. Burton signed midfielder Will Collar on a season-long loan from MK Dons, but Bowyer says further reinforcements are urgently needed. He attributes the recruitment approach to owners Nordic Football Group reverting to a data-led model, while arguing that data should guide rather than replace assessments of character and human qualities.

Turki Alalshikh is expected to finalize an investment in Derby County as early as the following week after final checks by English football's independent regulator. The deal could provide the Championship club with substantial funds to improve its squad and pursue promotion, following a relatively quiet transfer window and an eighth-place finish last season. The proposed investment has drawn concern from Amnesty International and other human rights groups, who associate Alalshikh with alleged Saudi sportswashing and criticize the country's human rights record. The deal's value, ownership percentages and structure remain undisclosed.