Jimmy Greaves: Football mourns Tottenham and Chelsea icon, England World Cup winner and ‘possibly the greatest striker this country produced’ September 19, 2021 Football has united to pay tribute to Jimmy Greaves after the World Cup-winning former England striker and London football legend died, aged 81. Greaves set several goalscoring records that remain unsurpassed, including his 357 goals in the English top division, 266 for Tottenham Hotspur, and 41 in a league season for Chelsea. The east Londoner, [...]
England striker Tammy Abraham joins Roma from Chelsea in record breaking transfer for an English player moving overseas August 17, 2021 Tammy Abraham has left Chelsea for Roma in a €40m (£34.1m) transfer that makes him the most expensive English player ever signed by an overseas club. England centre-forward Abraham has signed a five-year contract with the Italian team, where he will be reunited with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. The fee of £34.1m eclipses the [...]
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City among Super League rebels to return to European Club Association August 16, 2021 Nine of the rebel football clubs who agreed to join a breakaway European Super League – including six Premier League sides – have rejoined the European Club Association (ECA). The teams renounced their memberships of the influential group, which represents more than 200 of Europe’s leading clubs, as part of their decision to join the [...]
Premier League 2021-22 season preview: Fans of London clubs name their best and worst case scenarios and their players to watch August 13, 2021 For even the most jaded of football supporters, the start of a Premier League season is a special time. The arrival of new managers and players promises to transform fortunes, while last year’s disappointments have faded sufficiently to allow optimism to break out again, at least until the first round of games. So ahead of [...]
Trevor Steven: Thomas Tuchel must be brave if Chelsea are to deny Manchester City their Champipons League moment May 27, 2021 Football is about moments and Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea feels like it is Manchester City’s. When City hired Pep Guardiola five years ago it was in order to win this competition and they have never had a better chance than this. Saturday’s clash in Porto is their opportunity to make the step up [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Bitcoin plunge hits chess grandmasters; ‘Stamford Beach’ stunt recalls Chelsea row; and Hundred teams get new spinners May 20, 2021 When is a $100,000 bonus not worth $100,000? That is a conundrum for the chess grandmasters taking part in the FTX Crypto Cup. The tournament, which features world champion Magnus Carlsen and starts this weekend, is offering a $320,000 prize to the winner – a record for an online chess event. But $100,000 of that [...]
Premier League and the race for European places: Which teams can still qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League? May 17, 2021 The Premier League title and relegation may have been decided, but with two rounds of games to go one important question remains: who will qualify for Europe? Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League places are still up for grabs ahead of Gameweek 37, which begins on Tuesday 18 May. That means Leicester City, [...]
Champions League-chasing Chelsea – and women’s football more generally – on the cusp of something extraordinary May 13, 2021 As the strangest football season on record hurtles to a climax, blue is most certainly the colour. While the sky blues of Manchester City contemplate a treble almost on par with their neighbours’ efforts in 1999, Chelsea can claim a double of their own if they beat City in the Champions League final and defeat [...]
European Super League fallout: Tottenham fans’ group calls for radical shake-up of football club ownership May 1, 2021 Club executives involved in the failed European Super League were forced to resign from advisory roles at the Premier League this week. The move was a consequence of England’s so-called ‘Big Six’ – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – agreeing to join a new breakaway competition which collapsed under the [...]
A significant skirmish in an intensifying war: How player power helped bring the European Super League to its knees April 23, 2021 James Milner seemed to speak for many Premier League players and managers when he said on Monday: “I don’t like it and hopefully it doesn’t happen.” The Liverpool midfielder was referring to the European Super League, the audacious and ultimately short-lived breakaway launched by 12 of Europe’s richest football clubs just hours earlier – including [...]