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The race is on and instead of taking the steady approach of a marathoner, several of the Premier League’s giants are out of the blocks like sprinters.

It was not until the third week of last summer’s transfer window that the traditional big six completed a signing - with Tosin Adarabioyo joining Chelsea as a free agent and Lucas Bergvall arriving at Tottenham from Djurgarden on July 1.

But already this summer - despite the window not opening until Sunday - Manchester United have made their £62.5m move for Matheus Cunha, Liverpool have done a deal for Jeremie Frimpong with Florian Wirtz possibly following along the path from Leverkusen, and Arsenal are putting the wheels in motion to add the striker they so desperately need.

The calendar is undoubtedly a factor behind this active start. Last summer’s window began the same time as the Euros, this year’s starts early and pauses briefly to factor in Chelsea and Manchester City’s participation in the Club World Cup.

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But it is hard to ignore the two other major circumstances prompting this early rush into action.

Top of the list is the chase for goalscorers. The absence of a prolific No9 was the main reason behind Arsenal being unable to prolong their title challenge. A centre-forward capable of finding the net would have eased the crisis at United. Chelsea’s biggest weakness is the absence of a ruthless finisher. And even Liverpool have rued Darwin Nunez’s misfiring.

They are all fighting for a dwindling number of strikers, which is why Liam Delap is commanding such interest after one good season for a team that won just four games all season. Chelsea are keen, so too United, and the Ipswich player’s representatives have already been holding talks with a number of clubs, pointing to a speedy resolution.

Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, meanwhile, looks destined for north London as Mikel Arteta hopes to add the final piece after the Gunners’ rate of improvement slowed to incremental. That is another transfer that is expected to be completed early in the window - with the Arsenal hierarchy no doubt wary of losing out on their top target. They are also expected to announce the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad early on.

Yet it is not all about the supply and demand of strikers. By ending Manchester City’s era of dominance, Liverpool have opened up a window for their rivals to win a title. This time last year most clubs will have been dreaming but not necessarily believing that they could unseat Pep Guardiola’s side.

Now they are all certain they can do what Arne Slot’s side managed – if they can get the recruitment right. That is why this window could have long-term repercussions, why the gap between success and failure is so thin and we could look back on 2025 a few seasons from now as a period that defined an era.

And that is before considering the long-held fact that the ability to have new acquisitions report for duty at the beginning of pre-season rather than arriving a couple of games into the campaign is rather valuable. Just do not expect a hectic deadline day if the business is completed early.

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