Pandemic: High Street demise leads to explosion in demand for gigantic warehouses August 31, 2021 The enforced closure of high street stores saw the trend towards greater online sales rocket further this year, with retailers having to invest further into their warehousing capabilities to cope with delivery demand. In fact, the explosive growth in e-commerce, as a result of the pandemic, has seen almost 15m sq ft of new “super [...]
A brief history of cryptocurrency in football – and how blockchain technology might shape our experience of the game in future August 30, 2021 Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have reimagined finance and money as concepts. Now more than ever, however, blockchain technology and, more specifically, NFTs and tokens are disrupting everything else. And that includes human culture. NFTs especially have captivated millions of people around the world. This is because we, as humans, have an innate desire to collect and [...]
Manchester City: How ownership model gives club a transfer market edge : CityAM August 28, 2021 With all the drama and excitement of Euro 2020 and a fascinating summer transfer window, even an ardent football fan may have missed the news that City Football Group, the parent company of Manchester City, now boasts reigning champions in three different countries – India, Australia and, of course, England. However, the mutual benefits of [...]
Cristiano Ronaldo rejoins Manchester United after leaving the club over a decade ago August 27, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo has rejoined Manchester United from Italian side Juventus twelve years after leaving the club for a then world-record transfer fee. United announced the signing on their social media channels today. Ronaldo’s first stint at the Manchester club lasted between 2003 and 2009, where he scored 118 goals in 292 games. He won the [...]
Cristiano Ronaldo asks to leave Juventus amid Manchester City interest as PSG line up Erling Haaland to replace Kylian Mbappe August 27, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus that he wants to leave the club, paving the way for a possible transfer to Manchester City. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed rumours about Ronaldo’s eagerness to quit the Italian side, where he has scored 101 goals in three seasons. Joining City would complete a remarkable return to the Premier [...]
Fifa president Gianni Infantino writes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in attempt to resolve club v country red list quarantine row August 25, 2021 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to waive quarantine rules for footballers to resolve a stand-off between clubs and national teams. Premier League clubs say they will refuse to let their players take part in World Cup qualifiers next month if the fixtures involve travel to countries on the Covid-19 [...]
Premier League spending down in this summer transfer window as Covid-19 pandemic forces clubs to tighten belts August 24, 2021 The pandemic has forced Premier League clubs to dial down their summer transfer spending, according to new research by Deloitte. With one week of the transfer window remaining, England’s top-flight teams have committed £70m less in gross terms than at the same stage last year. And although Manchester City broke the Premier League transfer record [...]
As bad as Arsenal are, it will probably get worse before it gets better – and clock is ticking for Mikel Arteta to show he can deliver improvement August 23, 2021 Buried by London rivals before half-time and reduced to the role of extras in Romelu Lukaku’s Chelsea homecoming, yesterday was a bad day for Arsenal. The truth is it could have been much worse: the European champions sliced through the Gunners’ gossamer defence at will without getting out of second gear. But despite having no [...]
Why a salary cap and luxury tax are unlikely to succeed where Financial Fair Play failed and make European football more competitive August 21, 2021 It feels symbolic that two of the biggest football transfers of the summer should precede the death knell for Financial Fair Play, the rules designed to rein in spending that now look set to be replaced with a salary cap and luxury tax. Paris Saint-Germain’s signing of Lionel Messi and Manchester City’s Premier League record [...]
What is the Europa Conference League, why is it happening and how will it work? Uefa’s new third club competition explained August 19, 2021 This season heralds the start of a new, third European competition for club football: the Europa Conference League. England’s role representatives are Tottenham Hotspur, who enter the competition at the play-off stage and play their first match this evening. But why has governing body Uefa created the new competition and how will it work? Read [...]