Premier League clubs’ January transfer window spending falls for first time since 2012 February 1, 2019 The amount Premier League teams spent in the January transfer window fell for the first time since 2012, according to football money experts Deloitte. England's top tier clubs spent just £180m on permanent signings, some way off the £430m that was lavishly shelled out last winter. Nearly a third of this window's total outlay was [...]
Problems mounting for stubborn Maurizio Sarri as his footballing philosophy shows its weaknesses at Chelsea January 31, 2019 On the face of things Chelsea are far from a club in crisis. They sit outside of the Premier League’s top four on goal difference and are still in all four competitions, having progressed to the final of the Carabao Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup in the last eight days. The [...]
Gary Neville scores with sale of 50 per cent stake in production company Buzz 16 January 30, 2019 Gary Neville today proved he still has his eye on the ball after selling a 50 per cent stake in his production company Buzz 16 to a London-based marketing firm. The former England and Manchester United footballer has agreed to sell half his company for an undisclosed amount to AIM-listed marketing group Reach 4 Entertainment [...]
Trevor Steven: Gonzalo Higuain can save Chelsea’s top four hopes, Ivan Perisic is the boost Arsenal need and Tottenham’s inactivity is mystifying January 29, 2019 Smart signings are possible in the January transfer window, such as Tottenham’s purchase of Dele Alli from MK Dons in 2015 and Leicester’s recruitment of Riyad Mahrez from Le Havre in 2014, but they don’t tend to be big names. Chelsea’s loan deal for Gonzalo Higuain is one of the few; it’s rare to get [...]
The Premier League’s diving problem: The FA’s rules have failed to clamp down on cheating – something needs to change January 28, 2019 Every weekend there are debates up and down the country about whether a player has dived, how soft a penalty was or whether that theatrical reaction deceived the referee into sending an opponent off – and yet nothing changes. The same scenarios crop up week-in, week-out, and pundits take to the TV and radio to [...]
FA Cup fourth round talking points: Misery for Spurs, Hudson-Odoi makes his point, unhappy Hammers and trouble at Millwall January 27, 2019 What a terrible four days for Tottenham. Having lost in the Carabao Cup semi-final on penalties to bitter rivals Chelsea on Thursday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side made it back-to-back cup exits yesterday at Selhurst Park as Crystal Palace stepped up yet again against a Big Six side. The Eagles can add Spurs to their pile of [...]
Arsenal v Manchester United: Marcus Rashford has found his “killer instinct” to pose Gunners a major threat in the FA Cup January 24, 2019 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has plenty of memories of facing Arsenal as a player during the era in which the teams’ rivalry was at its most fiery. The former striker scored the fifth goal in a 6-1 rout of the Gunners in February 2001 to send United 16 points clear at the top [...]
Crystal Palace will be underdogs against Tottenham in the FA Cup but have proven they can beat anybody on their day January 24, 2019 Crystal Palace may languish in the bottom half of the Premier League but they have established themselves as a team more than capable of going toe to toe with the best around. For England’s bigger sides, facing Palace represents a test that must be negotiated with extreme caution, as the majority of the Big Six [...]
The Premier League is one of the UK economy’s star players January 24, 2019 I am a Stoke City supporter and a huge fan of all football. For me, it really is the beautiful game, and that makes me especially pleased that EY’s new report on the economic and social impact of the Premier League demonstrates just how much football contributes to the UK economy and society. The Premier League [...]
Tottenham overtake Juventus and close in on Arsenal in Deloitte Football Money League January 23, 2019 Tottenham’s emergence as one of Europe’s growing powers is paying dividends off the field, with the club now placed among the top 10 richest football clubs in the world. Spurs overtook Italian giants Juventus to take 10th place in Deloitte’s Football Money League 2019, as revenue leapt to €428.3m (£379.4m) last season from €359.5m in [...]