Champions League draw: Best and worst case scenarios for Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Newcastle August 30, 2023 On the face of it, Thursday’s Champions League draw will be just like any other: a gathering of club suits for a glossy and unnecessarily long ceremony peppered with former stars of European football and stilted banter. But there will be something unique about this year’s draw: it will be the last to follow the [...]
Chelsea accused of penalising disabled fans with ‘appalling’ coach subsidy decision August 29, 2023 Chelsea supporters have accused the club of penalising disabled and vulnerable fans by taking the “appalling decision” to remove subsidised coach travel to domestic away games. Blues chiefs said this week that it was “not financially sustainable” to maintain the subsidy, which the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust believes costs £250,000 a year – less than some [...]
Premier League summer spending tops £2bn for first time – and more records set to fall August 28, 2023 Premier League spending has passed the £2bn mark for the first time in a single transfer window as England’s leading clubs have flexed their financial muscle. With several days left before the transfer deadline on Friday at 11pm, top-flight teams have already exceeded the record £1.92bn lavished last summer. And they could yet surpass £3bn [...]
Liverpool set to lose millions after Anfield redevelopers cease trading August 23, 2023 Liverpool chiefs admit they do not know when the redevelopment of their Anfield Stadium will be completed after constructors the Buckingham Group ceased trading and filed a notice to appoint administrators. An £80m upgrade to the club’s Anfield Road Stand which is due to increase capacity to 61,000 had already been hit by delays when [...]
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recovering after emergency back surgery August 22, 2023 Manchester City will be without manager Pep Guardiola for at least their next two Premier League games after he underwent emergency back surgery. Guardiola flew back to his native Spain to go under the knife after “suffering from severe back pain for some time”, the English champions said. The 52-year-old is set to stay in [...]
Why Harry Kane’s lifetime contract with Skechers is no average football boot deal August 22, 2023 “Own it, own who you are and own what you want to achieve.” That was the main message that Harry Kane wanted fans to take when announcing his lifetime partnership with Skechers, as the footwear company joined the likes of Castore as disruptors in a sportswear sector long dominated by Adidas, Nike and Puma. The [...]
Manchester United to let Mason Greenwood leave after backlash over possible return August 21, 2023 Manchester United have reached agreement with Mason Greenwood to leave the club after concluding an investigation into claims of attempted rape and assault. England striker Greenwood was suspended by the Premier League club in January 2022 after images and video relating to the alleged victim emerged online. Prosecutors dropped the case earlier this year after [...]
West Ham show up £800m Chelsea: 5 things we learned from the Premier League August 20, 2023 Chelsea have spent more on players since last summer than it cost to construct West Ham United’s home, the London Stadium. The 3-1 loss of the former at the latter today, even against 10 men for much of the second half, shows the Blues’ rebuild still has a long way to go. It was a [...]
Former England forward Theo Walcott retires aged 34 August 18, 2023 Theo Walcott has retired from professional football at the age of 34. Walcott ended his 18-year senior career after playing over 560 games for Southampton, Arsenal and Everton, scoring 129 goals. He was famously named in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s squad for the 2006 World Cup without having played for England and stills holds the record of [...]
Bundesliga chiefs revive private equity talk in bid to keep up with Premier League August 17, 2023 German football chiefs insist they remain open to investment from private equity firms despite Bundesliga clubs previously resisting similar moves. The league’s co-chief executive Marc Lenz said they would continue talks with the teams aimed at growing the German top flight, which is one of Europe’s so-called Big Five. “The discussions were stopped in May [...]