Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday during this season The Athletic will discuss three of the biggest questions to arise from the weekend’s football.This was the weekend when Manchester United came from a goal down to give Ipswich Town a thumping, Chelsea survived a Brighton comeback to make it two wins out of two, but big-spending Tottenham drew another blank, losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle.Weekend resultsFridayCrystal Palace 1 Manchester City 4SaturdayLiverpool 2 Nottingham Forest 2Bournemouth 1 Everton 1Coventry 0 Hull 1Tottenham 0 Newcastle 2SundayChelsea 4 Brighton 3Leeds 1 Brentford 1Sunderland 1 Fulham 0Manchester United 5 Ipswich 2Where next for Enzo Fernandez?Xabi Alonso said after Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Brighton that the club were still “preparing for all scenarios” regarding Enzo Fernandez’s future.What a saga. The week before last, the club imposed a deadline on offers for Fernandez. That came and went, and the Argentinian is still a Chelsea player, albeit one without any certainty surrounding his future. Fernandez was not well received by his own supporters at Fulham last Monday night, and he was left out of the squad entirely on Sunday.Enzo Fernandez was left out of the squad to face Brighton (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)The artificial deadline was presumably intended to show Chelsea would be happy to keep Fernandez and force any interested club into matching their £120million valuation. It has not worked, and so now, with less than 48 hours left in the window, the question is really how much of a loss the club are willing to accept to get rid of someone who has alienated a lot of fans, both with his antagonism towards England at the World Cup and his behaviour last season.Back in March, Fernandez told a Spanish podcast that he would like to play and live in Madrid. Chelsea banned him for two games in response and relations have been sour ever since.It’s not terminal. It never takes more than a few good games and a couple of important goals for the mood to turn, but Chelsea’s handling of this situation means the cards are weighted against them.Manchester City are the only realistic suitor, but having signed Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi already, they do not actually need Fernandez. They may like him, but not with an urgency that will compel them to bid outlandishly, so Chelsea may have to back down significantly if they want any closure on what remains a dragging negative.Cody Gakpo’s situation is no less strange; despite Bradley Barcola’s arrival, surely Liverpool should be looking to add attacking resources rather than send them away. Gakpo played a peach of a ball for Alexander Isak to make it 1-1 against Forest on Saturday, so whatever his deficiencies or stylistic issues, he has some value. And how much opportunity will he have to start at Manchester City, with Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden and the in-form Rayan Cherki already competing for places?That feels very much like a transfer for the sake of a transfer in a summer that has been full of them.More are on their way, because there are plenty of sides with issues to solve in the final few days of the window.Arsenal sold Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus over the weekend, leaving them potentially in need of a new backup forward and further depth on the left of their attack. Newcastle could use an attacking midfielder as a source of creativity when they are unable to depend on their counter-attack. Crystal Palace and Fulham could both do with reinforcing what look like thin midfields.And if Everton do sell Iliman Ndiaye to Tottenham, they will have to replace him — beyond just re-signing Richarlison, who is physically not the player who left them four years ago.Manchester United: Improved, but with some luckWere Manchester United lucky to beat Ipswich Town? Yes and no. Superficially, this was a win that depended on big strokes of luck. Having fallen behind to Leif Davis’s first-half goal, United profited from Marcelino Nunez’s comedic slip to break away and equalise. It completely changed the game.Jacob Greaves’ own goal in the second half was then allowed despite a potential Harry Maguire handball deemed irrelevant because of VAR technicalities — more on that from Graham Scott here — before a Bruno Fernandes penalty ended the contest at 3-1. Fernandes then completed his hat-trick after not one, but two deflected shots fell in United’s favour.Fernandes celebrates his third goal (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)So, for those wanting to chalk this up to good fortune, there’s plenty with which to make that argument.But that rather ignores the amount of pressure United were able to apply on an opponent who might be newly promoted, but who still fielded a side of seasoned, proven players. Ipswich were on the wrong end of most of the 50-50 moments, but — with the exception of the first goal — some of that was earned luck, or at least the result of quick, incisive football or stress placed on their defence.The fifth and final United goal rather summed it up. The end was comedic, with Greaves spared a second own goal by the spin of the ball and the wet weather, but the pass from Fernandes to Bryan Mbeumo was of the highest quality, delivered in a downpour. The finish was also exquisite, whatever the circumstances.There’s certainly something to be said for taking advantage of the breaks within a game and United did that, with plenty of style. Lucky? Yes. Authoritative and impressive? Also yes.Is there any hope for Spurs?Talking of Spurs, they are clearly due criticism for their defeat to Newcastle on Saturday. They did not create enough chances, their midfield was far too easy to play through, and both of the goals they conceded were avoidable, well taken as they each was.So, there’s work for Roberto De Zerbi to do, and his comments about mentality after the game were hardly unfair either. Tottenham survived last season, but they carry the scars from that relegation battle and their responses to adversity — goals conceded, penalties not awarded, fouls not given — have to become healthier.Tottenham’s new signing Omar Marmoush could not stop a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Still, let’s play the optimist: there are signs that De Zerbi’s side are beginning to do some of the right things, albeit with the wrong players doing them.Mathys Tel made precious little of his many one-on-one opportunities down the left. Pedro Porro was not much more productive down the right; he’s far more effective from deep. Nevertheless, the supply of possession into both areas was far quicker and more reliable than it was last season and there was a craft to Spurs’ middle-third distribution that has not been seen for some time.True, they are yet to see much in return for their transfer spending, but their technical level has improved even if that’s not yet reflected in any goals or points.Savio has immediately suffered an injury, but with Mohammed Kudus returning and Iliman Ndiaye potentially signing, there is at least the prospect of putting higher-quality players into these dangerous positions from which they can beat defenders.Coming Up