The Premier League clubs fighting a World Cup hangover

The Premier League season begins on 21 August, leaving a mere 33 days after the World Cup final before competitive action resumes. For several clubs, this tight turnaround leaves barely enough time to welcome players back from the mandatory three-week post-tournament break required under Fifa regulations, let alone integrate them properly into pre-season preparations.

Tottenham are among the clubs whose pre-season preparations have been most significantly impacted. Cristian Romero and new signing Marcos Senesi reached the final with Argentina, while Pedro Porro helped Spain lift the trophy. Djed Spence remained with England until the third-place play-off on 18 July.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Assuming players take the minimum three weeks off under Fifa guidelines, those who reached the final would not return until 9 August, while Spence's earliest return date would be 8 August. That leaves them with around two weeks to reintegrate before their Premier League season begins at Brentford on 22 August. However, Spurs confirmed that Senesi was at the club's training ground for the first time on Thursday for pre-season testing after making two World Cup appearances as a late call-up.

Manchester City and Arsenal, meanwhile, had the greatest concentration of players making deep runs into the competition. City's contingent featured heavily for leading nations, with Rodri playing 726 minutes to help Spain win their second men's World Cup, alongside Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson reaching the final weekend with England. Arsenal saw similar numbers as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka stayed involved until England's victory over France in the third-place play-off.