List of All Articles with Tag 'b'

Tottenham have completed the signing of England youth international Ash Phillips from Blackburn. Phillips, 18, made eight appearances for Rovers in the Sky Bet Championship last season and has been allowed to leave for Spurs after his £2million release clause became active this weekend. The centre-back had been close to joining Tottenham last month before negotiations between the clubs stalled, but he has now signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club. Ex-Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray highlighted the excitement around Phillips back in the 2021-22 season when he described him as “a phenomenal young boy” before he told Lancashire Live: “If you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute.” Phillips earned his full debut in a Carabao Cup first-round tie against Hartlepool last August and also started Rovers’ 4-1 defeat to Premier League side Nottingham Forest in December. The teenager had signed his first professional contract with Blackburn by this point and played 14 times in all competitions last season under Jon Dahl Tomasson, winning Championship apprentice of the year. A regular in England age-group levels since he switched allegiances from Wales in 2021, under-19 international Phillips will continue his development at Tottenham, but the club are still working on plans to further recruit in the centre-back area. Spurs, who conceded 63 goals in the Premier League last season, are edging closer to the signing of Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven but have cooled their interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba. Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham and former loanee Clement Lenglet remain targets. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Chelsea have completed the signing of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton on a seven-year deal. The Blues agreed a £25million deal with Brighton to sign the 25-year-old Spaniard on Thursday and have now finalised the move. The transfer involves an up-front £25m payment, with an additional sell-on clause included, the PA news agency understands. Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart said on the club website: “We’re very pleased to welcome Robert to Chelsea and he adds further quality to our goalkeeping unit. “Robert has repeatedly proved himself in the Premier League and been capped by his country. We are excited to watch him work with (head coach) Mauricio (Pochettino) and his coaching team during the season ahead.” Sanchez, who made 23 Premier League appearances for Brighton last season, will challenge Kepa Arrizabalaga for a starting place at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have now made seven summer signings under Pochettino, who is rebuilding the squad following his appointment in May as a permanent replacement for Graham Potter. France defender Axel Disasi and 19-year-old midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu arrived at Stamford Bridge earlier this week from Monaco and Rennes respectively. Wingers Diego Moreira (Benfica B) and Angelo (Santos) plus forwards Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal) and Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) have also been signed this summer. Sanchez, who has made two senior appearances for Spain and was included in both their Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022 squads, made 91 appearances for Brighton in all competitions after progressing through their academy. He had loan spells at Forest Green and Rochdale before becoming a regular starter for Brighton during the 2020-21 season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tottenham complete Ash Phillips signing from Blackburn On This Day in 2019: Harry Maguire joins Manchester United Castleford coach Andy Last sacked after heavy home defeat to Huddersfield

Manchester City have completed the signing of Josko Gvardiol, making the Croatia international the second most expensive centre-back ever. City have paid RB Leipzig £77 million for the 21-year-old, who passed a medical at the Etihad Stadium on Friday, and he has signed a five-year contract. The fee is just short of the world record for a defender, the £80 million Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019, and Gvardiol becomes City’s second summer signing, after his international teammate Mateo Kovacic. Gvardiol believes he can improve under Pep Guardiola, who he called the world’s outstanding manager, after agreeing to join the treble winners. He said: “I have always dreamed of one day playing in England and to be doing so now with Manchester City – after the season they have just had – is a real honour for me. “Anyone who saw Manchester City play last season knows they are the best team in the world. To win the treble says everything you need to know about the quality this team has. “To be joining City is something very special for me and my family. To have the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, too, will be amazing for me. I know I am not yet the finished article and I am sure my game will progress under the best coach in football. To be linking up with Mateo Kovacic will also be special. City director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “We are delighted. He is a player we have watched closely, and we feel he has a superb set of attributes. Top clubs all over Europe have been monitoring him, so to bring him here is great news for us. “Josko has so many qualities – everything you want in a centre-half. He is fast, competitive, combative, strong in the air, impressive in possession of the ball, with strong self-belief and a good character. He is left-footed, too, which offers us good options at the back. “He is still young but his progress in the game has been rapid. We feel confident his upward trajectory will continue here at City working with Pep and his staff.” Gvardiol is unlikely to make his City debut in Sunday’s Community Shield against Arsenal but could be in contention for their Premier League opener at Burnley on Friday. Read More Barcelona landed one Man City star for free - now Pep Guardiola won’t allow another Pep Guardiola keen to avoid ‘difficult’ transfer task after Man City lose ‘incredible players’ When is the Community Shield? How to watch Arsenal vs Man City online and on TV this weekend

Travis Scott and organizers continue to face a multitude of lawsuits from the people affected in the Astroworld tragedy in 2021

Gary Lineker has come out swinging for Elon Musk over his management of Twitter. In an interview with the Guardian, the sports pundit said the tech mogul was bad at running the social media platform, and called him "rubbish". He said: "As for Elon Musk, I think perhaps the most interesting thing for me is that, for someone that’s spent so much money on Twitter, he is actually not very good on Twitter. He’s rubbish. I think that’s quite amusing.” Musk bought the platform last year and since doing so has been criticised for making a number of unpopular changes like making people pay for their blue ticks and renaming Twitter 'X' recently. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Elsewhere in the interview, Lineker slagged off TalkTV and GB News. “I’m obviously not a fan," he said. "And they don’t seem very good at telly. What I’m always staggered by is the incredible lack of anything that approaches any kind of quality broadcasting. I’m not just talking about it in terms of political bias, I’m talking about the quality of the television that’s rubbish.” He also said the BBC should stop trying to placate its political opponents and said bosses spend too much time worrying about the views of people “who will hate you forever”. Lineker is not one to mince his words. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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With the Premier League season fast approaching, Manchester United take on RC Lens in the first of back-to-back friendlies on a busy weekend at Old Trafford. The meeting with the French club is followed by a visit from Athletic Bilbao, with Erik ten Hag hoping to find out plenty about his squad as he embarks on a second season in charge. Ten Hag’s side begin their league campaign against Wolves on Monday 14 August and are likely to soon have a new striker, with Rasmus Hojlund’s move from Atalanta close to completion. The Danish forward could be unveiled before the fixture against Lens, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season. Here’s everything you need to know. When is Manchester United vs Lens? Manchester United vs Lens is due to kick off at 12.45pm BST on Saturday 5 August at Old Trafford in Manchester. How can I watch it? The match will be shown live on MUTV, with coverage on the channel from 11.45am BST. Subscribers can stream the action via the MUTV app. Team news Summer signings Mason Mount and Andre Onana could feature for the first time at their new home. Left-back Tyrell Malacia is out, while there are doubts over Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho. Lens have lost Lois Openda and Seko Fofana, two standouts last season, in big money moves to RB Leipzig and Al-Nassr respectively this summer, though Andy Diouf is highly rated and looks a handy addition from Basel. The 20-year-old is a likely midfield starter. Predicted line-ups Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro; Fernandez, Mount; Antony, Rashford, Sancho. RC Lens XI: Samba; Machado, Medina, Danso, Haidara; Diouf, Fulgini; Cortes, Thomasson, Frankowski; Said. Odds Manchester United win 31/50 Draw 16/5 Lens win 17/4 Prediction A narrow home win. Manchester United 2-1 RC Lens. Read More Man Utd look to unveil Rasmus Hojlund as latest signing this weekend Luke Shaw: Time for Man Utd to step up with Man City success ‘hard to take’ Erik ten Hag highlights Manchester United ‘challenge’ in push to ‘raise the bar’

Joe Rogan, who has always been a criticizer of veganism, claimed Nate Diaz consumed animal products

Chelsea have completed the signing of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton.

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