Goals galore: Full houses witness Premier League’s second highest scoring opening weekend ever August 16, 2021 The return of fans to full stadia coincided with the highest scoring opening weekend in the Premier League for almost 20 years. For the first time since March 2020, England’s top-flight clubs were allowed capacity crowds at matches as the new season got underway. And supporters were treated to a feast of goals, with a [...]
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 [...]
UEFA close to €6bn aid package for European football clubs August 13, 2021 UEFA is reportedly close to signing off on a rescue package worth up to €6bn (£5.1bn) to help European football teams recover from the pandemic. The funding is part of a proposed three-part strategy by the governing body, to be outlined in the coming weeks, aimed at helping clubs following stadium closures and a sharp [...]
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 [...]
Grave impact of pandemic on English football laid bare by report but US investor appetite grows August 12, 2021 A report published by accountancy firm BDO has displayed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on English football clubs. The BDO report, which surveyed the finance directors from the top four leagues, found that more than 80 per cent of clubs accessed the furlough scheme, while 70 per cent deferred tax payments. The impact of [...]
Real Madrid to sue La Liga and CVC chiefs over €2.7bn deal August 10, 2021 Real Madrid is suing bosses at La Liga and CVC Capital Partners over a €2.7bn (£2.3bn) deal that will see the private equity firm take a 10 per cent stake in Spain’s top-flight league. The football club said it will take civil and criminal action against La Liga president Javier Tebas and CVC chief Javier [...]
Sutton United: How the non-league lifers did a Leicester – and why they have had to transform the club for their debut season in the EFL August 7, 2021 Sutton United’s long-serving chairman Bruce Elliott has more than one reason to look forward to today’s trip to Forest Green Rovers. Elliott’s overriding emotion will be pride that the club he has been involved with for half a century has reached the English Football League (EFL) for the first time in their 123-year history. But [...]
£100m Jack Grealish: How most expensive signing in Premier League history compares to biggest transfers of all time August 5, 2021 Jack Grealish has become the most expensive signing in Premier League history after completing his £100m transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City. Grealish is also the most expensive English player ever to be traded, and the eighth most expensive transfer of all time. The England attacking midfielder, 25, shone for England as they finished [...]
Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona due to ‘financial obstacles’ August 5, 2021 Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona FC this summer after spending his whole career at the club due to “financial and structural obstacles”. In a statement this evening, the Catalan club confirmed that the Argentine striker, its all-time top scorer, would leave, despite recently agreeing a new contract. “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached [...]
Wagatha Christie: Jamie’s phone could be probed in Rebekah Vardy’s libel battle with Coleen Rooney August 4, 2021 Footballer Jamie Vardy’s phone may now be inspected as part of his wife Rebekah’s libel battle with Coleen Rooney, a judge at the High Court has ruled. Rooney accused Vardy of leaking “false stories” about her private life in October 2019 after carrying out a months-long “sting operation”. The wife of former England star Wayne [...]