- Liverpool agree £40m Kerkez deal, Wirtz has medical, WSL expansion approved: football – live
- Why Hugo Ekitike is hot property in the summer transfer window
- London City Lionesses make statement signing of Daniëlle van de Donk
- Hannah Hampton aims to live up to Mary Earps’s legacy as England No 1
- ‘Normal’ Cole Palmer assumes control of Chelsea’s attack from No 10
- Harry Kane looking forward to facing Boca and their fearsome fans at Club World Cup
- From heat to unrest: how five major Club World Cup storylines are shaping up
- Crystal Palace’s Europa League hopes increase as Johnson closes on £190m deal
- Football transfer rumours: Liverpool move for Guéhi? Rashford to Newcastle?
- Jill Roord: ‘I lost my happiness in football a little bit. I needed to move home’
- As Club World Cup hands out riches, a plan is needed for those left behind | Nick Ames
- Expect to see Premier League teams going longer more often next season
- Men’s transfer window summer 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues
- Women’s transfer window summer 2025: all deals from world’s top six leagues
- Gennaro Gattuso seeks ‘family’ ethos in bid to avoid World Cup unthinkable
- Partey’s contract talks with Arsenal hit impasse but Lewis-Skelly poised to sign
- Manchester City fined £1m by Premier League over delayed kick-offs and restarts
- Tottenham fined £75,000 by FA for homophobic chanting from supporters
- Euro 2025: Wales aim to conquer their Everest after squad named on mountain summit
- Has a striker scored more goals for their country than in club football? | The Knowledge
- How the US men’s national team values diversity, even in the Trump era
- Fifa again under scrutiny for World Cup’s increased carbon footprint
- World’s oldest professional footballer on playing at 59: ‘I won’t put limits on myself’
- How WSL’s expansion to 14 teams will reshape the women’s football pyramid | Suzanne Wrack
- Sweden’s Soft Hooligans ready to pump up the volume at Women’s Euros
- Rose Lavelle returns as Emma Hayes names domestic-heavy roster for US friendlies
- Salernitana’s Serie B survival hangs by a thread after bout of food poisoning
- Underdogs to top dogs: Kevin De Bruyne’s arrival signals new era for Napoli | Nicky Bandini
- Four people given suspended sentences for Vinícius Júnior hate crime
- Auf wiedersehen, Thomas Müller, Germany’s dreammaker who found goals in space | Jonathan Wilson
- Thomas Frank gave Brentford fans so much for so long – we will truly miss him | Natalie Sawyer
- Xabi Alonso seeks meaning of ‘Madridismo’ on return to chaotic and toxic Real Madrid
- Sky Sports News’ golden age at an end as rival platforms turn up the volume
- David Squires on … gimmicks and surprise guests as the Club World Cup kicks off
- Raids and fear cast a large shadow over Club World Cup’s big launch
- Thomas Frank’s Tottenham in-tray: style, injuries, the defence and Levy
- Transfer window: deals around Europe you might have missed
- The smell of victory: boom in classic football shirts shows no sign of fading
- Football Daily | Trump, Juventus and thinly veiled contempt in the Oval Office
- No kings, few fans: USA’s year of World Cups gets off to a flat start | Leander Schaerlaeckens
- Esther González: ‘Now girls can grow up in Spain knowing we have Ballon d’Or winners’
- Brighton’s trailblazer Aisha Masaka: ‘It was my dream to play in Europe’
- Football transfer rumours: will Gyökeres force a move to Arsenal or Manchester United?
- Which regular runners-up have suffered the most heartbreak in football? | The Knowledge
- England’s grind, Nations League drama and Ange Postecoglou out at Spurs – Football Weekly
- Premier League 2024-25 review: our writers’ best and worst of the season
- Premier League 2024-25 review: managers of the season
- Premier League 2024-25 review: flops of the season
- Premier League 2024-25 review: players of the season
Liverpool agree £40m Kerkez deal, Wirtz has medical, WSL expansion approved: football – live
Men’s transfer interactive | Women’s transfer interactiveToday’s Rumour Mill | Football Daily | And mail WillThat’s my stint over. We now go live to Will Unwin’s garden where he’ll be taking this blog to even greater levels.Rumour Mill: Plenty of hot gossip today and Liverpool are at the centre of a fair chunk of it. Could Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi be the one to bolster the Reds’ centre-back options? And which Premier League player could be joining Kevin De Bruyne at Napoli? Continue reading...Why Hugo Ekitike is hot property in the summer transfer window
The young Eintracht Frankfurt striker has rough edges but he may be the best value goalscorer on the marketBy WhoScoredAlexander Isak is a man in demand this summer. Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with the Swede. It would take a monumental bid to convince Newcastle to sell their prized asset, and for good reason. Isak scored 23 goals in the Premier League in the season just finished; only Mohamed Salah (29) scored more.With few, if any, clubs prepared to match Newcastle’s reported £150m asking price, those keen on Isak could do worse than make a move for a striker whose style is eerily similar to that of the Sweden international. An Isak-lite, if you will. Hugo Ekitike is hot property on the forward market after he enjoyed a fine campaign for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 15 times and providing eight assists. Continue reading...London City Lionesses make statement signing of Daniëlle van de Donk
Netherlands midfielder arrives on free from OL LyonnesFA formally approve WSL expansion to 14 clubsLondon City Lionesses have made a statement of intent after promotion to the Women’s Super League by completing the signing of Netherlands midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk.The independently run club, who will play in the WSL for the first time next season after winning the Women’s Championship title in May, have acquired the 33-year-old on a free transfer from record eight-time European champions Lyon, recently renamed as OL Lyonnes, after the conclusion of her contract. OL Lyonnes are, like London City Lionesses, owned by the American businesswoman Michele Kang. Continue reading...Hannah Hampton aims to live up to Mary Earps’s legacy as England No 1
Chelsea keeper says predecessor put role ‘on the map’Hampton happy with clarity to prepare as a starterHannah Hampton has vowed to try to live up to Mary Earps’s legacy after being confirmed as England’s first-choice goalkeeper for Women’s Euro 2025.After Earps’s shock retirement from international football last month, the England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, confirmed that her first choice was Hampton, who had started the Lionesses’ three previous games and has been selected five times in a row in the buildup to July’s tournament in Switzerland. Continue reading...‘Normal’ Cole Palmer assumes control of Chelsea’s attack from No 10
Modest 23-year-old still does not understand the fuss around him as he prepares to face Flamengo in the Club World CupCole Palmer sees himself as a normal kid. Strangers watch him with something close to fascination, though. What’s going on beneath the chilled exterior? The shrugging demeanour adds to the mystique. Kids copy the Chelsea attacker’s “cold” celebration. Interviewers walk away amused but bemused after spending time with him. What’s the story with those answers? Why are they all so short and sweet?The Philadelphia sun is beating down when Palmer mooches over for a quick chat at Subaru Park, where Chelsea are training before facing Flamengo in their second game at the Club World Cup on Friday. So, Cole, can you tell us why you walked out wearing a mask when the team plane landed in the US last week? Are you ill? Enzo Maresca, your manager, thinks you were playing a trick on everyone. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/20/cole-palmer-chelsea-no-10-club-world-cup
Harry Kane looking forward to facing Boca and their fearsome fans at Club World Cup
Bayern Munich striker says he expects intimidating atmosphere Kane ready for physical battle with Argentine side in MiamiHarry Kane had an early taste of the great American outdoors ahead of next summer’s World Cup as Bayern Munich’s plane to Miami was delayed by Florida thunder storms ahead of Friday’s game against Boca Juniors at the Hard Rock Stadium.On arrival Kane was still his familiar mild and temperate self in response to repeated questions, mainly from the Argentinian press, about the volatility of the reception he can expect from Boca’s fans, who have been the most vivid spectacle of the Club World Cup so far. Continue reading...From heat to unrest: how five major Club World Cup storylines are shaping up
With the group stage approaching halfway, it is time to take stock of key issues surrounding the expanded tournamentThe Club World Cup is into the second round of games in the group stage, with matches across the United States showing off all that was hotly anticipated about this newly expanded tournament, as well as a few concerns.Here’s a breakdown of five major storylines we were keeping track of before the games, and where we stand. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/20/club-world-cup-storylines-heat-unrest-attendances
Crystal Palace’s Europa League hopes increase as Johnson closes on £190m deal
NY Jets owner wants to buy Textor’s 44.9%Liverpool expected to make bid for GuéhiThe New York Jets owner, Woody Johnson, is closing in on a deal to buy John Textor’s shares in Crystal Palace in a move that could help the FA Cup winners’ chances of playing in next season’s Europa League.Johnson, who has owned the Jets since 2000, offered £190m for the 44.9% stake in the club last week, while Textor is believed to have received two similar bids from separate investors in recent days. Continue reading...Football transfer rumours: Liverpool move for Guéhi? Rashford to Newcastle?
Today’s rumours are working in the gardenMarcus Rashford’s future is very much in the category of “up in the air”. The chances of him ever playing for Manchester United look slim-to-none as he will not be given a boarding pass for the club’s US tour, while a dream move to Barcelona is going up in smoke. A few Serie A clubs have had a sniff but his wages may be a stumbling block. What he really needs is a Champions League club with plenty of cash. Step in … Newcastle. The Magpies are back in the bigger time, will be eager to make a statement signing or two, and Rashford fits the bill. Liam Delap chose Chelsea over Newcastle and Eddie Howe likes to have the best English talent at his disposal, so Rashford would be an ideal candidate as an extra attacking option.It takes a brave man to move from Liverpool to Everton (and vice versa). Nick Barmby, Abel Xavier and Gary Ablett did the Merseyside double in their time and the next potential candidate is Ben Doak. The Scottish teenager impressed on loan in the Championship last season at Middlesbrough and is ready to step up to the Premier League but there is no obvious role he can play under Arne Slot. It means Doak might need to find an alternative and at least this one would mean he didn’t have to move house. Continue reading...Jill Roord: ‘I lost my happiness in football a little bit. I needed to move home’
Netherlands midfielder talks about rejoining FC Twente, the club in her heart, and her hopes for the EurosFor Jill Roord, even after winning the Bundesliga title and reaching a Champions League final, eight years on from saying goodbye to FC Twente, there is simply no place like home. The 107-time capped Netherlands midfielder is returning to the club where she began her career and says the opportunity to move back closer to her family and friends was irresistible.“It had nothing to do with [Manchester] City. My time with City was really good,” says Roord of her decision to leave after two years. “I have been away for eight years playing abroad and it becomes tough being alone for that many years. In the past few years I lost my fun and my happiness in football a little bit because of being away, travelling a lot and not being able to be with family and friends. With busy summers every year I never really got a break. I needed to move back home, enjoy life and enjoy football again.” Continue reading...As Club World Cup hands out riches, a plan is needed for those left behind | Nick Ames
With the top-level juggernaut careering away the majority of Europe’s clubs need help and should be better rewarded for players they developWhile a dozen of Europe’s elite clubs were chasing the American dream, 170 of their less garlanded peers gathered for a barbecue next to Lake Geneva. They had converged on Uefa’s headquarters to attend the qualifying round draws for next season’s continental competitions; Tuesday night was time to get together, perhaps to speed-date representatives of the team you had been paired with or simply to cut loose before a labyrinthine summer spent journeying in search of league-phase football.Borussia Dortmund were slugging out a goalless draw with Fluminense while the meat hit the grills, but “Club World Cup” is a dirty formulation in Nyon’s corridors of power. Any available screens showed action from Uefa’s own Under-21 Championship and alternative sources of entertainment roamed the pastel green lawns. A caricature artist did the rounds, stopping at the table occupied by Aleksander Ceferin and putting his pencil to work. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/19/uefa-european-qualifying-round-draws
Expect to see Premier League teams going longer more often next season
Playing out from the back works for top teams but sides at the bottom are giving away too many chancesBy Opta AnalystLong-ball football has, for better or worse, been on the decline for years. Football was once a kick-and-run game, shaped by long balls and the thinking that getting the ball close to the opposition’s goal as quickly as possible increased the chances of scoring, well, more quickly.That was swiftly disproved and left further and further in the rear-view mirror as the game sped off into the Premier League era and further still in the Pep Guardiola-inspired 2010s. As the technical standard of players increased, the ball was kept on the floor more and more. The laws of the game have even been changed to allow teams to play passes so short from goal-kicks that they do not even leave the penalty area. Continue reading...Men’s transfer window summer 2025: all deals from Europe’s top five leagues
All the latest Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A deals and a club-by-club guideWomen’s transfers summer 2025: all the moves Continue reading...Women’s transfer window summer 2025: all deals from world’s top six leagues
Every deal in the NWSL, WSL, Liga F, Frauen-Bundesliga, Première Ligue and Serie A Femminile as well as a club-by-club guideMen’s transfers summer 2025: all the moves Continue reading...Gennaro Gattuso seeks ‘family’ ethos in bid to avoid World Cup unthinkable
Hero of 2006 World Cup was second choice behind Claudio Ranieri and has not had a successful career as managerGennaro Gattuso said all the things he was expected to say at his first appearance as Italy manager. He talked about the need to restore enthusiasm to an Azzurri side whose morale has been dented by recent setbacks, as well as that sense of shared purpose that bonded him to teammates in the World Cup-winning side of 2006.The word he kept coming back to was “family”, insisting: “That’s the most important thing, more than tactics or formations.” His is not a vision of paternalistic authority but of a group close enough to speak hard truths to each other’s faces. Continue reading...Partey’s contract talks with Arsenal hit impasse but Lewis-Skelly poised to sign
Midfielder offered salary reductionLewis-Skelly to be one of world’s best-paid teenagersThomas Partey is at an impasse with Arsenal in talks over a new contract as the midfielder weighs up whether to extend his stay. Partey, whose deal expires at the end of this month, has been offered a deal on slightly reduced terms.The 32-year-old and his representatives are believed to want a similar pay structure to the one in the contract he signed when he joined from Atlético Madrid in 2020 for £45m, after he played an integral role last season, making 52 appearances. Continue reading...Manchester City fined £1m by Premier League over delayed kick-offs and restarts
City breached rules in nine league matches last seasonCEO Soriano excited by global impact of Club World CupManchester City have been fined more than £1m by the Premier League over delayed kick-offs or restarts related to nine matches last season. The league entered into a sanction agreement with the club over the breaches of its rules, which occurred between October and February.The longest delay was two minutes and 24 seconds before the resumption of the Manchester derby last December. The league said City had accepted and apologised for the breaches, with the fines totalling £1.08m. The club have 14 days to make payment from the execution of the sanction agreement. Continue reading...Tottenham fined £75,000 by FA for homophobic chanting from supporters
Chants came at Manchester United in SeptemberFine reduced from £150,000 to £75,000 on appealTottenham have been fined £75,000 by the Football Association in relation to homophobic chanting from their supporters during a match at Manchester United in September. Spurs were charged with misconduct by the FA in November over chants aimed at Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, and United’s former Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.It was alleged Tottenham failed to ensure their spectators and/or supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and did not use words or otherwise behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting way, with either an express or implied reference to sexual orientation. Continue reading...Euro 2025: Wales aim to conquer their Everest after squad named on mountain summit
Sophie Ingle in Rhian Wilkinson’s squad for SwitzerlandFishlock and James also part of experienced midfieldRhian Wilkinson hopes Wales can conquer their “Everest” at Euro 2025 after naming her squad at the top of the country’s highest mountain. The head coach’s group includes Sophie Ingle, who has won a race against time and recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture sustained last September.Wilkinson hiked up Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, on Thursday morning before naming her Switzerland-bound party from the summit. The trek took less than 90 minutes – “I was listening to political podcasts that were getting me angry so I stormed up,” she said – and her sights continue to be set appropriately high. Continue reading...Has a striker scored more goals for their country than in club football? | The Knowledge
Plus: goal-difference chasms between league-table neighbours, a rare Welsh feat in defeat, and more• Mail us with your questions and answers“During the Liechtenstein v Scotland game there was a reference to Billy Gilmour scoring more goals for Scotland (2) than his various clubs (0). But has a recognised striker ever finished their career with more goals for their country than their clubs?” asks Stuart McLagan.The structure of women’s football in North America, particularly before the NWSL was founded in 2012, makes it the likeliest source of an answer to this question. There was no league at all in the US between 2003 and 2009, and to this day players sometimes appear more for their country than their club in a calendar year. Continue reading...How the US men’s national team values diversity, even in the Trump era
With World Cup 2026 on the horizon, the team has been reluctant to weigh in publicly as one of their pillars is politicizedLos Angeles will be in the spotlight during the 2026 World Cup. It’s where the US men’s national team will begin their World Cup campaign, and it’s where they’ll wrap up the group stage. It’s a city in the news lately due to the Trump administration’s deployment of Ice and the national guard, but it’s also a metro area synonymous with diversity. This US men’s national team, more than ever, reflects that diversity.“It’s not that there’s a record or anything of how many minorities have been on the national team before, but I feel like this has been the most diverse generation of national team,” said center back Chris Richards, who is poised to be a leader along the backline for the US next year. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/19/usmnt-diversity-trump-dei-world-cup
Fifa again under scrutiny for World Cup’s increased carbon footprint
The 2026 tournament will feature more teams and more air miles travelled than ever, casting doubt upon ambitious climate goalsAs next summer’s World Cup approaches, excitement is building for the biggest global soccer tournament ever held, but so too are concerns over the viability and environmental sustainability of the vastly expanded competition.Held across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the 2026 World Cup will be marked by the tournament expanding from 32 nations to 48 competing for soccer’s most coveted prize. It will be a tournament of unprecedented scale both in terms of the number of teams, and the vast geographical expanse it will cover. Both of these factors bring significant environmental concerns, however – particularly regarding the tournament’s carbon footprint and the effectiveness of Fifa’s proposed mitigation strategies. Continue reading...World’s oldest professional footballer on playing at 59: ‘I won’t put limits on myself’
Mykola Lykhovydov is living his sporting dream with Ukraine’s Real Pharma, helped by a haka-like warm-up, local water and napsMykola Lykhovydov half-boils a kettle and, pausing slightly for dramatic effect, decants its contents into the waiting glasses. The water comes from an artesian well close to this small, rickety dressing room that doubles as a clubhouse. They say it flows from 80 metres underground and should be consumed just like this, served a little above body temperature and sipped gently so the body’s cells can properly hydrate. Nobody at FK Real Pharma would drink anything else before training and Lykhovydov swears by an extra benefit. “A doctor from Dynamo Kyiv told me this is the best water in Ukraine,” he announces. “It is the secret of eternal youth.”Whether marvel or myth, the regimen is serving Lykhovydov well. He turned 59 in January and is, as far as anybody knows, the oldest active professional footballer in the world. At almost a year older than the Japanese great Kazuyoshi Miura he lays convincing claim to the record and has no intention of stopping here. He can still do a job in the Ukrainian third tier. “I was thinking I’d make it to 50,” he says. “But now I’m almost 60 I won’t put limits on myself.” Continue reading...How WSL’s expansion to 14 teams will reshape the women’s football pyramid | Suzanne Wrack
The WSL has settled on a 14-team top division with a unique playoff system and a vision for sustainable growthThe announcement that the Women’s Super League is to expand to 14 teams is welcome and long overdue. For years there has been a clamour for expansion and it was a matter of time before it happened, but how did we get here?The transfer of ownership of WSL and WSL2 last summer from the Football Association to WSL Football, in which the clubs are shareholders, prompted an in-depth analysis of the leagues’ future. Every format and variation was on the table and explored, with fans, clubs and other stakeholders consulted. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/17/wsl-wsl2-wnl-expansion-womens-football-analysis
Sweden’s Soft Hooligans ready to pump up the volume at Women’s Euros
Fans’ group will take megaphones, banners and flags to Switzerland to ensure the atmosphere doesn’t fall flatIn some parts of the world, Sweden is often confused with Switzerland. But this summer there will be no mistaking Swedish football fans as they descend on Switzerland for the Women’s European Championship bringing great colour as well as great noise. As ever, Soft Hooligans, a grassroots supporter group, is leading the line but this time there are more logistical issues to think about. “A major concern was how the ‘f’ we were going to get all our stuff down there,” says Caroline Gunnarsson, a Soft Hooligans member who will be driving the group’s campervan to Geneva, one which will be full to the brim with drums, megaphones, banners and flags.Soft Hooligans was founded in 2017 after Estrid Kjellman returned from the Netherlands where she had watched the Euros with her family. She was impressed with the presence and passion of Dutch fans but was also taken aback by the lack of atmosphere in general. Used to the singing culture at men’s games in Sweden, Kjellman was inspired to change things. Continue reading...Rose Lavelle returns as Emma Hayes names domestic-heavy roster for US friendlies
Europe-based players get a break, except Naomi GirmaFour new arrivals in squad to play Ireland and CanadaWith US coach Emma Hayes giving many of her Europe-based players a break, there were several new faces on the national team Wednesday for a trio of upcoming matches against Ireland and Canada.Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario and Emily Fox were among the players given time off after the European season. One exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/18/uswnt-roster-rose-lavelle-emma-hayes
Salernitana’s Serie B survival hangs by a thread after bout of food poisoning
Much of squad in hospital after game against SampdoriaDouble relegation looms after playoff first-leg defeatSalernitana’s fight for survival has veered into chaos with a bout of food poisoning hospitalising much of the squad halfway through their showdown with Sampdoria.The Serie B side, fighting to avoid dropping to Italy’s third tier, have requested a postponement of the second leg of their relegation playoff on Friday because players and coaching staff remain too ill to train. Continue reading...Underdogs to top dogs: Kevin De Bruyne’s arrival signals new era for Napoli | Nicky Bandini
The Belgian remains a superstar despite his age and will be a huge boost to Conte, Lukaku and McTominayKevin De Bruyne’s move to Napoli this past week felt understated: one of the finest players of a generation switching clubs for the first time in a decade, to little fanfare. The arranging of his medical in Rome, not Naples, played a part, avoiding the crowds that would have turned out to greet him. A handful of fans still found a way to be there when he arrived at the Villa Stuart clinic, 140 miles from their team’s home ground.Confirmation of his move came first from the Italian club’s owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who posted a picture to social media of them sitting side-by-side in director’s chairs. “Welcome Kevin!” were the accompanying words. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/15/kevin-de-bruyne-superstar-napoli-underdogs-new-era
Four people given suspended sentences for Vinícius Júnior hate crime
Effigy of Real Madrid forward was hung from a bridgeAll four signed a letter of apology to the BrazilianFour people have been handed suspended jail sentences by a Madrid court after being found guilty of a hate crime related to an effigy of the Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.They were involved in hanging a banner reading “Madrid hates Real” and an inflatable black effigy in a replica of the Brazilian’s No 20 shirt on a bridge before a Copa del Rey match between Real Madrid and Atlético in January 2023. Continue reading...Auf wiedersehen, Thomas Müller, Germany’s dreammaker who found goals in space | Jonathan Wilson
Bayern Munich legend defined not only a position but an entire way of thinking about the gameIt’s 17 years since Thomas Müller made his debut for Bayern. Since then he has played 751 games for the club, scoring 248 goals, while also scoring 45 goals in 131 games for Germany. He has won 13 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues and a World Cup. He will retire at the end of the Club World Cup after a career played entirely at the highest level and yet still nobody has been able to quite work out what he is.Is he a centre-forward? Is he a false 9? Is he a wide forward, a second striker, an attacking midfielder? Is he all of those things, none of those things or some of those things some of the time? Louis van Gaal loved him; Pep Guardiola never seemed quite so sure. Continue reading...Thomas Frank gave Brentford fans so much for so long – we will truly miss him | Natalie Sawyer
Across nearly seven years, Frank achieved great things. His switch to Spurs feels like a break-up but we wish him wellDon’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Thomas Frank is no longer Brentford’s manager and that’s not easy to write. We knew the day was drawing near but it’s still a bitter pill to swallow. It feels like a break-up, a one-sided one where we do not get the chance to ask why and how. And the grief supporters are experiencing is because we were so emotionally invested in a partnership that brought us so much joy in the near seven years we had together.Rewind to October 2018, when Frank was appointed as Dean Smith’s successor, and not many of us would have thought we would now be looking forward to a fifth campaign in the top flight. There is much to be grateful to Frank and his team for. They brought us the fabled BMW (Saïd Benrahma, Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins); they broke our playoff hoodoo at the 10th time of asking to take us to the Premier League; they set club records and beat some of the best teams in the land. It really has been quite the ride. Continue reading...Xabi Alonso seeks meaning of ‘Madridismo’ on return to chaotic and toxic Real Madrid
Club World Cup offers new coach a first chance to measure task ahead at a club that has become angry and unmooredOf course he has been taking part in training. Quite frankly, it would have been deeply and offensively off-brand for Xabi Alonso not to have joined in. Darting around in the roasting heat, physically moving players into his desired positions, pinging pinpoint passes in his classic Predator boots: it was Alonso in his purest essence, and as the new Real Madrid coach oversaw his first sessions at Valdebebas this week it was hard not to feel that on some level nature was healing.As a player Alonso was a difference-maker, a details man, a midfielder who adored the ball and tried to leave nothing to chance. As a coach, the same traits define him. Sessions are high-intensity, fast-paced, but almost always with the ball at feet. He intervenes constantly, always correcting, always cajoling, and in case of doubt he can always grab a ball and illustrate the point himself. Zinedine Zidane would occasionally participate in training if numbers were short. But with Alonso it is almost as if he needs to be involved, that playing and coaching are simply two ways of painting the same picture. Continue reading...Sky Sports News’ golden age at an end as rival platforms turn up the volume
Changes to the channel come as phone alerts and YouTube have replaced highlight packages and yellow tiesA constant in pubs, gyms and hotel breakfast rooms, almost always with the sound down. Perhaps not since cinema’s silent age have faces been so familiar without the general public knowing their voices. The vibe is more casual than in previous times, shirt sleeves rather than business suits, but the formula remains the same: a carousel of news, clips, quotes, quips, centred around highlights, all framed within a constant flow of results, fixtures and league tables.Sky Sports News hits 27 years of broadcasting in August, having been launched for the 1998-99 football season by BSkyB. As the domestic football season concluded, news came of changes within the Osterley-based newsroom. Seven members of the broadcast talent team would be leaving, including the long-serving Rob Wotton and the senior football reporter Melissa Reddy, within a process of voluntary redundancies. Continue reading...David Squires on … gimmicks and surprise guests as the Club World Cup kicks off
Our cartoonist looks back at the opening games and empty seats as Gianni Infantino’s vanity project finally beganBuy a copy of this cartoon in our Print ShopDavid’s new book, Chaos in the Box: buy it now Continue reading...Raids and fear cast a large shadow over Club World Cup’s big launch
Governing body cannot avoid the dark political backdrop to its tournament opening as Trump’s authorities flex their muscles“When Donald Trump came in the laws just changed and it’s hard for immigrants now … you’ve got a lot of people being deported, people who have been in the United States for two decades. It’s not nice, it’s not right when someone who hasn’t committed a crime has to go back somewhere.“I just don’t respect somebody like [Trump] that deports so many people and hurts so many families … this country was built on immigrants. Nobody’s from here.” Continue reading...Thomas Frank’s Tottenham in-tray: style, injuries, the defence and Levy
The Dane showed at Brentford how he will approach some issues, though handling the chair will, as ever, be keyEarly in Ange Postecoglou’s reign, Spurs fans chanted: “We’ve got our Tottenham back.” The Australian departed as a cult hero after a Europa League triumph but in Bilbao his team had played nothing like the “glory game” of club lore, instead hanging on for dear life. And that was a marked improvement on the sludge served up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, amid 22 Premier League defeats. Is Thomas Frank the manager to return Spurs to the days of Bill Nicholson or Keith Burkinshaw? With the right players and a trailing wind, it’s not impossible. Before promotion to the Premier League, Frank’s Brentford played an attractive hybrid passing and pressing game, only to readjust to the division above with a style that at first seemed agricultural, a playing of the margins, though one that embraced attack rather than defence as the means of survival. Frank does not shun creative players; Christian Eriksen’s signing in January 2022 was a masterstroke, while Mikkel Damsgaard’s awkward running belies a playmaker of high quality and high output. Last season, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade were in double figures for Premier League goals. No other team attacked with such fearlessness. Continue reading...Transfer window: deals around Europe you might have missed
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen have already strengthened their squadsBy WhoScoredRiver Plate have convinced Real Madrid to let them keep Franco Mastantuono for the Club World Cup, which is a huge boost for the Argentinian club. If you haven’t seen the video of the 17-year-old scoring a stunning free-kick against arch-rivals Boca Juniors in April, watch it now. Premier League clubs expressed an interest in the young forward but, when Real Madrid come knocking, few players reject the chance to move to the Bernabéu. Mastantuono is such an exciting talent; when he made his debut for Argentina earlier this month in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, he was 17 years and 296 days old, a new record for a competitive match. Real Madrid spent €45m to sign the talented right winger, who has a low centre of gravity, an eye for a defence-splitting pass, a wand of a left foot. Sound familiar? Continue reading...The smell of victory: boom in classic football shirts shows no sign of fading
What was once simply a garment that declared your affiliation to a club is now a global business earning millions from collectors of vintage kitsOn the second floor of an unprepossessing building on the outskirts of Amsterdam, there is a metal cabinet that destroys footballers’ DNA. The contraption belongs to MatchWornShirt and was part of a deal to sell the kits of Real Madrid players to the public. To allay concerns that the genetic material of Cristiano Ronaldo might escape into the wild, the steel wardrobe was built so that every shirt could be blasted by a germicidal lamp.For new, read old, because MatchWornShirt sells precisely what the company’s name suggests: kits that have been stuck to the bodies of professional athletes. Want the jersey Son Heung-min pulled on against Manchester United in the Europa League final? You can have it, if you beat the current auction price of £22,000. The very shirt Cole Palmer had on when he scored four first-half goals against Brighton last season? That went for £34,000. Continue reading...Football Daily | Trump, Juventus and thinly veiled contempt in the Oval Office
Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!While Football Daily didn’t get where it is today by performatively flip-flopping over various issues depending on which way the prevailing political wind is blowing, it would be fair to say Football Daily did get where it is today by performatively flip-flopping over various issues depending on which way the prevailing political wind is blowing. Like Groucho Marx, the world’s most daily football email has its principles and if you don’t like them … well, we have other ones. Those familiar with its work will be aware that Fifa is no different, but has still come as something of a surprise that having for so long publicly (if a little hollowly) purported to be against injustice of any kind, world football’s governing body abandoned its planned campaigns against racism and discrimination across the opening three days of the Copa Gianni being staged in the USA USA USA. Following a backlash, some pithy slogans were rolled out on Wednesday, albeit seemingly on the proviso that this token gesture would be for one day of this month-long jamboree only. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/19/football-daily-email-trump-juventus-copa-gianni
No kings, few fans: USA’s year of World Cups gets off to a flat start | Leander Schaerlaeckens
Fifa’s much-hyped Club World Cup and Concacaf’s Gold Cup opened to crowds far short of what organizers might have hopedSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThat the two events should coincide was so perfect as to almost feel heavy-handed. Donald Trump’s comically underattended military parade lurched through Washington DC at the exact same time on Saturday as the overwrought opening ceremony unspooled for Fifa’s beleaguered Club World Cup, in a definitely-not-full Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.Trump’s jingoistic birthday bust contrasted painfully with the multimillion-strong turnout at the “No Kings” anti-Trump rallies that gathered all over the country. The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, meanwhile – or “Johnny”, as Trump pronounces the name of one of his favorite allies in the sports world – had promised the opening match of the swollen tournament he forced down the soccer world’s throat would be sold out. Instead, attendance between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, a fitting 0-0 stalemate, was announced at a still-better-than-expected 60,927 in the 64,767-seat venue. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/16/club-world-cup-gold-cup-openers
Esther González: ‘Now girls can grow up in Spain knowing we have Ballon d’Or winners’
One of the world’s best strikers talks about being part of a revolution, moving to Gotham FC and the upcoming EurosEsther González is at the top of her game. The 32-year-old striker’s list of accolades – World Cup winner, three-time Liga F champion, National Women’s Soccer League champion, Copa de la Reina victor and Concacaf W Champions Cup winner – is matched by few in the sport. But as a young girl growing up in southern Spain, her path was uncertain, rife with obstacles. “As a child, I dreamed of what I wanted to be when I grew up,” she says. “It was a soccer player. But, let’s say, circumstances didn’t allow me to see women’s soccer or anything close to women’s soccer.”As she grew up with three sisters, González’s earliest memories of football were playing with her hermanas in their small village in Andalusia. She dreamed of being a footballer, but there wasn’t a path before her. The shy young talent with a nose for goals would play with the local boys: they needed a goalscorer and she stepped in. As González grew, her father took her on car journeys of more than four hours each way to get to training. Continue reading...Brighton’s trailblazer Aisha Masaka: ‘It was my dream to play in Europe’
Tanzanian’s career has been defined by a series of firsts and the 21-year-old is keen to make a mark at her first WafconAisha Masaka became the first Tanzanian footballer to play in the Women’s Super League when she signed for Brighton last summer, and she is a pioneer for her country in several ways. Masaka was the first to play in the Champions League, when she was with the Swedish club BK Häcken, from 2022 to 2024, and recently launched the AKM Foundation, aimed at fighting poverty and promoting gender equality through sport.Masaka started playing street football as a teenager and dabbled in every other sport available to her including basketball and volleyball, much to her parents’ dismay. “We fought a lot because parents, especially in Africa, find it difficult to allow their girls to play football,” says the 21-year-old. “They wanted me to go to school and not be involved in any sport at all.”. Continue reading...Football transfer rumours: will Gyökeres force a move to Arsenal or Manchester United?
Today’s rumours prefer bakingViktor Gyökeres may or may not have spat the dummy out after reportedly refusing to hold clear-the-air talks with Sporting over his desire to move. Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with the Sweden international but the Portuguese side want a wheelbarrow full of cash for his services, which is putting off potential suitors. Gyökeres wants the club to lower their demands but if the striker does not get what he wants, then he could go on strike to really show his employer who is boss.In a further blow to Arsenal, the Athletic Club winger Nico Williams has told anyone who will listen that he only wants to join Barcelona this summer. It is now up to Barça to look down the back of the sofa for the cash to pay for him. If the Spain international does head from the Basque Country to Catalonia, it will end any chance of Marcus Rashford joining the Spanish champions. Rashford might need to turn to Italy where Napoli, Milan and Como are interested in helping him escape from Manchester United. Continue reading...Which regular runners-up have suffered the most heartbreak in football? | The Knowledge
Plus: has anyone done the Beautiful South journey; champions in three different confederations; and did a player score while carrying an umbrella?Mail us with your questions and answers“Fenerbahçe have finished runners-up for the fourth season in a row and 26th time in the Turkish top flight (since 1959),” weeps Emre Öztürk. “Which teams have been runners-up most times? Is my team second in that list, too?”Fear not, Emre: Fenerbahçe are among the also-rans in this particular competition. But they are Turkey’s greatest runners-up: they’ve assumed the position 30 times overall, 26 since the introduction of the Süper Lig in 1959. That puts them well clear of Galatasaray (19 overall, 11 since 1959) and Besiktas (19/14). Continue reading...England’s grind, Nations League drama and Ange Postecoglou out at Spurs – Football Weekly
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, George Elek and Lars Sivertsen to discuss England’s laboured win over Andorra, the Nations League final and Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs exitRate, review, and share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today, the panel discusses England’s World Cup qualifier as they edge past Andorra in a game that raises familiar questions – low block, players out of position, and why is Jordan Henderson playing? The panel also rounds up the home nations’ international fixtures as Wales ease past Liechtenstein ahead of a crunch tie in Belgium, while Scotland stumble badly against Iceland and Italy sack Spalletti after a humbling by Norway. Continue reading...Premier League 2024-25 review: our writers’ best and worst of the season
Best players, best managers, best matches, best goals, biggest flops and biggest gripes: our writers have their sayMohamed Salah. The numbers don’t lie – 47 goal contributions in the Premier League was an outstanding return from the Egyptian, who seems to be getting better with age. Ed Aarons Continue reading...Premier League 2024-25 review: managers of the season
Arne Slot’s first season could not have gone any better while Wolves fans drank to Vítor Pereira’s arrivalBy winning the league, the Dutchman surprised pretty much everyone. He faced the daunting task of succeeding Jürgen Klopp and inherited the German’s squad, adding only Federico Chiesa, who barely kicked a ball in anger. Not much changed from the previous year, except Ryan Gravenberch became the designated defensive midfielder as Slot’s Liverpool looked to get on the ball as much as possible. Slot was never going to be a personality who generated headlines like Klopp did, keeping his cards close to his chest, but he always comes across as someone who is very personable and has brought the players closer together. Slot made Liverpool an efficient winning machine – rarely thrashing teams, often winning by the odd goal or two – and that allowed them to race to a second Premier League title. No one could compete with the Reds, which was partly down to rivals dropping their standards but most of it can be attributed to the fact Slot made his team superior. Continue reading...Premier League 2024-25 review: flops of the season
Managers, teams and players who have disappointed over the campaign – including the reigning footballer of the yearRuben Amorim’s average points tally of a point per league game since arriving at Manchester United in early November puts him just above Malky Mackay’s record at Cardiff and Paul Jewell’s Premier League record with Bradford, Wigan and Derby. While Sporting won the Primeira Liga title without Amorim, United have fallen down the table to 15th since the Portuguese took the reins from the interim coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy. Much of the ire towards United has been directed at the owners but on the pitch Amorim has failed to adapt his squad of expensive, experienced internationals into anything approaching a cohesive unit. The Europa League final defeat by Tottenham showed how much work is left to do. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/26/premier-league-2024-25-review-flops-of-the-season
Premier League 2024-25 review: players of the season
Eberechi Eze has come into his own at Crystal Palace while Villa’s Morgan Rogers has shown what he is really capable ofPedants may protest that Eze’s sublime FA Cup form (quarter-final and semi-final screamers before a winner at Wembley) is inadmissable evidence in a Premier League review. But he was already one of the players of the season long before helping Crystal Palace win their first major trophy. Always capable of the spectacular, Eze’s stay at Selhurst Park had been characterised by inconsistency, but his finest season has come after he finished 2023-24 in red-hot form and earned a place in England’s Euros squad. The 26-year-old south Londoner has matured into a relentless menace to opposing defences who is downright unplayable at times. His eight Premier League goals and eight assists helped Palace to mid-table respectability under Oliver Glasner despite a worryingly slow start; they were winless in their opening eight league games. Playing in front of Adam Wharton, English football’s answer to Andrea Pirlo, certainly hasn’t hurt: is the former QPR player Eze now poised to follow Michael Olise and join one of Europe’s super-clubs? The romance of a European campaign under Glasner may prove more alluring but, regardless, his potential looks unlimited. Continue reading...https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/26/premier-league-2024-25-review-players-of-the-season