Gareth Barry
After careful consideration, and the horrible realisation that Liverpool are willing to pay Aston Villa's asking price, Barry has decided that it would be best for all concerned if he stayed exactly where he is.
And in a moment when the fooballing gods displayed their famous sense of comic timing, who should Aston Villa face this weekend? Of course they are.
This isn't a betting column, but some sage punting advice for this weekend might be to get down to your local bookies and see what odds you can get on Barry being sent off. Yes, he's usually a pretty mild-mannered lad, but the suspicion is that he will be trying so bloody hard to prove to everyone that he's committed to Villa and not their opponents that he'll go and wrap his leg around Xabi Alonso's torso. Martin O'Neill will do well to take him to one side and make sure he's Buddha-calm before the game on Sunday.
Liverpool
Four games, three wins, one draw. Doesn't sound too bad, does it?
However, Liverpool have convinced precisely nobody in their outings thus far, relying on goals in the 82nd, 94th and 118th minutes to secure those three successes, and all against teams that if they have any sort of title aspirations, they should be beating with a good deal more comfort.
This weekend they have a genuine test. Villa may have lost to Stoke last weekend, but the first home game for a newly promoted side will always cause problems. If Villa revert to their form of the opening weekend, then Rafa Benitez's far from flowing side will come under some serious pressure.
Add to that the absence of Steven Gerrard and the presence of the man they most covet in the opposition midfield, and you have the ingredients for a perfect storm of disappointment for Liverpool fans.
And the week after? Manchester United.
This is the game in which Liverpool absolutely have to prove that they really have been winning ugly, rather than simply being mediocre chancers.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
For three years now, supporters of Wright-Phillips have told everyone that he would be a shoo-in for the England side if he was playing regularly, that if only Jose Mourinho or Avram Grant or Luiz Felipe Scolari would place some trust in him, he'd be a world-beater, that he should move elsewhere to fulfil his potential.
Now is his chance to prove all of that right. Despite Stephen Ireland's excellent turn on the flank last weekend, Wright-Phillips is the only natural right-winger in the City squad, and in theory balances out the side quite nicely, with Martin Petrov over on the left.
So from this weekend, it will be interesting to find out whether Wright-Phillips is a genuine frustrated international, or that his talent has been fatally blunted by three years on the Stamford Bridge sidelines.
Alan Curbishley
At present, Curbishley has the same look that was permanently slapped on his fizzog when he first took the West Ham job back in 2006. He has the air of a man constantly shrugging and saying 'Well what the bloody hell am I supposed to do with this lot?'
This time, it's not his ragtag squad providing the frustration, but his board. Anton Ferdinand was sold against his will, so apparently were John Paintsil and Bobby Zamora, and word from Upton Park is that the 'goalposts have moved' for Curbishley.
Add the rumblings and grumblings and outright booing from large sections of the West Ham support in midweek, and you've got a clear front runner in the 'race' to be signing on sometime soon. A win, and perhaps more importantly a decent performance are both required against Blackburn on Saturday.
Cesc Fabregas
All hail, all hail, the saviour returns for Arsenal. Having been reduced to playing Emmanuel Eboue in centre midfield in the first two league games, Arsene Wenger will probably have cried tears of sweet, sweet joy at the return of his playmaker for the Champions League stroll against Twente.
When Fabregas ticks, Arsenal tick, which is all well and good. However, the danger for them is that they are becoming dependent on their Spanish maestro in much the same way as Liverpool relied on Steven Gerrard before Fernando Torres arrived. That pressure will have been increased by Arsene Wenger's summer transfer dealings, as the departures of Alex Hleb, Matthieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva make the 21-year-old the senior as well as best midfielder at the club.
Therefore, the knee-jerk reaction of the more impatient Gooners will be to breathe a huge sigh of relief and reason that everything will be OK now that Cesc is back. The disjointed performances against Fulham and West Brom will be things of the past, the free-flowing Arsenal will return.
Brilliant he may be, but that's a very hefty burden to place on a player.
Nick Miller