List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Manchester United completed the signing of Harry Maguire from Leicester for £80million on this day in 2019. The England international, then 26, signed a six-year contract at Old Trafford with the option of a further year in a deal that involved a world-record fee for a defender. Maguire was strongly linked with both Manchester clubs but Leicester held out for their valuation and the fee surpassed the £75million Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018. Maguire told United’s official website: “I am delighted to have signed for this great club. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leicester and would like to thank everyone at the club, and the fans, for their fantastic support over the past two seasons. “However, when Manchester United come knocking on your door, it is an incredible opportunity. “From my conversations with the manager, I am excited about the vision and plans he has for the team. It’s clear to see that Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) is building a team to win trophies. “I am now looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and getting the season started.” Maguire has gone on to make 175 appearances for United, but it has not panned out how he expected when he made the move. His switch to Old Trafford has coincided with a difficult few years for the club and he was only a bit-part player in new boss Erik ten Hag’s first season at the helm. He has been stripped of the captaincy this summer and the subject of bids from other clubs. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Pep Guardiola’s intended audience may have been in Barcelona. It often has been, though usually when he was their midfielder, captain or manager. In seven years in Manchester, Guardiola has frequently had to address matters at the Camp Nou, though it was usually only to deny that Lionel Messi was bound for the Etihad Stadium. Now the subject of another saga is a player from his present, not the increasingly distant past. Manchester City’s summers seem to consist of two rituals: lifting the Premier League trophy and then enduring a wait to see if Bernardo Silva stays. The Portuguese’s most persistent admirers are in Catalonia. The other constant is that Barcelona repeatedly refuse to meet City’s asking price. Sometimes they receive no firm proposal while a cash-strapped club with a recruitment policy based on hoping their allure will encourage players to engineer their exit seemingly think they can acquire elite footballers on the cheap. All of which is a cause of some irritation in Manchester. Guardiola has long insisted that he will allow players to leave if they want to go, providing he has enough time to find a replacement and an acceptable sum is recouped. Silva has been tempted to go, although seemingly not to Saudi Arabia. But the season starts with both him and the Bayern Munich target Kyle Walker at the Etihad, with Guardiola vowing to do everything he can to keep them, but with the familiar state of affairs that no one has made a suitable offer for Silva. It remains an unsettling, undermining situation. And so Guardiola seemed to direct a message from Manchester to his old club: in effect, to put up or shut up. “I want to clarify because I know Barcelona reports make up what I say,” he said. “From day one I don't want any players who don't want to be here but I'm an employee. I want to work with guys who want to stay and work with staff and players, but after we have to get a proper offer. If we don't get a proper offer, he's our player and we want him. “If they want him, they will take a plane and come here and talk to our sporting director and CEO to make an agreement because three parts have to be there. For us to buy a player, just because we are Man City it is £10-15m more expensive than other clubs all the time. If people want our really, really important players, first they have to make an offer - and that hasn't happened. When it happens, we will fight to extend the contract and be with us. That has happened with all of our players since day one.” The notion of a City tax in signing players is familiar. Josko Gvardiol, whose arrival should be ratified, will become the second most expensive defender in history, at £77m. Barcelona appear to think tax should be deducted at source, that they should get players for below their market value. City think Silva is worth £80m which, as midfielders such as Declan Rice and Enzo Fernandez have commanded nine-figure sums, may not be excessive; it may have been an understatement when Guardiola said it would cost more than £50m to replace the Portuguese international. City were beneficiaries on one of the few occasions in straitened times when Barcelona, despite their heavy debts, paid a sizeable fee: €55m for Ferran Torres, who has since lost his place in their team. Their powers of persuasion worked on Ilkay Gundogan, who joined on a free transfer. But Barcelona’s difficulties in even registering players is a reason why there has been no bid for Silva this summer, just an extended courtship. Much as Guardiola often praises the midfielder, he has long seemed to have a wanderlust. He may be interested. “When you win the treble, it looks like the job is done,” Guardiola said. “Players who are 32, 33 like Ilkay and Riyad [Mahrez] say we arrived here for Premier Leagues and then people ask about the Champions League [and then they win that]. Some players feel they want a new experience. “I will not be the guy who says no, but they have to make an agreement with the important part of the club, the business. Make a deal and it happens. In the case of Bernardo and Kyle, we talk many times over the last months and even years how important they are, how we want them and we will continue to do so until the end. I don't know what will happen.” The uncertainty is an annual experience but Silva could be still more important now. Gundogan’s departure may allow him to play his preferred role in the middle of midfield. For Guardiola, he is central, in more ways than one. And if Silva has the technical talent to play for Barcelona, it comes with the kind of price tag that, so far, they have been unwilling or unable to match. Read More Pep Guardiola hopes Manchester City complete signing of Josko Gvardiol soon Pep Guardiola keen to avoid ‘difficult’ transfer task after Man City lose ‘incredible players’ Josko Gvardiol set for Manchester City medical after £77.5m deal agreed

There are benefits to relegation. The fixture list can be stripped of glamour, the prize assets can attract covetous glances from predators and there is a lingering uncertainty if an exile will last as long as Sheffield Wednesday’s but Southampton’s supporters had grown accustomed to the sight of their side propping up the table. A chorus of “we are top of the league” felt premature when Wednesday equalised. When Che Adams tucked in an 87th-minute winner, however, it was true. And if it was the product of a fixture list that meant they played first, it is not something they could boast since Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team reached the Premier League summit in November 2020. They can seem distant days now, though more recent than some of Wednesday’s achievements. The applause before kick-off for the late Trevor Francis was a reminder that he steered Wednesday to third place in the Premier League, a feat no one else may ever equal. It is with an illustration of shifting statuses within the game. Southampton’s previous away win came at Chelsea, Wednesday’s previous home defeat to Burton. Each is in unfamiliar surroundings and, for Southampton, the cast list may change dramatically over the next month, too. A winning start for Russell Martin, their fourth manager in nine months, came with the club in a state of flux. The price for failure is being counted. Tino Livramento was slated to start, but instead joined Newcastle. Romeo Lavia was on the bench; a prodigy valued at £50m made his last appearance against Liverpool and his next one could come for them. The club-record signing Kamaldeen Sulemana wants to leave this summer. The £18m striker Paul Onuachu needs to; he only even made the bench once in pre-season and the 6ft 8in forward was a conspicuous absentee. There is, however, always James Ward-Prowse. This, presumably, was not where he envisaged his season would start but the captain’s attitude was impeccable. The subject of two bids from West Ham, the man whose league debut was Saints’ return to the top flight in 2012 and whose 343 league appearances had all come in the higher tier kicked off the Football League season and had one of the night’s most telling touches: it was his low cutback that the substitute Adams converted. Adams is a former Sheffield United striker, which may have had a sadly typical feel for Wednesday. In a sense, the fixture list gave Southampton a glimpse of a potentially ominous future. Wednesday offer a salutary warning to those ejected from the Premier League. A top-flight club for 66 seasons, this is their 24th consecutive year in the Football League. They are more familiar with the third tier than the first of late. They have faced Accrington, Lincoln and Morecambe as peers in 2023, but not Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in the league since 2000. But, amid the global fixation with the big six and the newer, stranger obsession with Wrexham, there are large, loyal fanbases across the Football League. There were 28,558 inside Hillsborough, a vast support given Wednesday’s decades in the doldrums. They can feel the forgotten big club – outside the Steel City, anyway – emerging from the shadows to sculpt the greatest play-off comeback of all. Hillsborough’s previous game had been the seminal, spectacular 5-1 win over Peterborough. Lee Gregory scored twice then – once at either end – and the former Stavely Miners Welfare striker had hauled Wednesday level with a sweetly-struck volley after a corner. That set-piece frailty may cost Southampton in other games; not here, though. Victory may have been validation. If the same may have been said of Vincent Kompany 12 months ago, Martin’s reputation that has outstripped his achievements when appointed by a club with aspirations of promotion; his league finishes with MK Dons and Swansea are 13th, 15th and 10th but he has progressed from League One to a club that was in the top flight. There may have been more style than substance so far, even if Martinball sounds more like the assistant manager at B&Q than a passing philosophy. But Southampton made 477 first-half passes, a divisional record, and had 80 percent of possession; they turned it into victory. They had Samuel Edozie, who sparkled on the left wing; if an example of misguided recruitment last season, when only three of Southampton’s 16 signings succeeded and, indeed, only three of them started in Sheffield, the 20-year-old has the ability to prosper. They had Nathan Tella, a catalyst in Burnley’s promotion and, seemingly, the scorer of the season’s opening goal; his shot actually glanced off Adam Armstrong’s hip, making the forward the fortunate scorer; he is another with a scoring pedigree at this level, albeit usually in more deliberate fashion. But Tella, the talent Southampton owned all along, is part of the rebuild after the confused mess of last season, as the club who were role models a decade ago became an example of how not to do things. That has been Wednesday’s lot for many a recent year. Having dispensed with Darren Moore, the dignified architect of promotion in a 96-point season, they introduced Xisco Munoz. One of the battalion of former Watford managers – indeed much the best of the last seven – had nevertheless won a mere four games in charge of Anorthosis Famagusta. His Wednesday team played an anti-pressing game, as though too old to close down. On a night of new beginnings, Martin’s promised more than Munoz’s.

The Women’s World Cup knockout stages get underway this morning as Spain face Switzerland in the last-16. It’s been a tournament defined by shocks and surprises so far, after a group stage that saw Germany, Brazil and Canada crash out while Jamaica, South Africa and Morocco advanced to the knockout phase for the first time. Switzerland will look to keep the upsets coming as they take on Spain in Auckland. The Swiss have been defensively resilient so far and did not concede a single goal as they topped Group A ahead of Norway, New Zealand and the Philippines. Spain, meanwhile, are looking to respond to their 4-0 defeat against Japan in their final game of Group C. That result increased the pressure on head coach Jorge Vilda, as Spain look to rediscover their early form that made them contenders for the World Cup. Follow live updates from Switzerland vs Spain in the Women’s World Cup last-16, followed by Japan vs Norway. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final Can England break cycle of World Cup shocks or will underdogs continue to thrive?

Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, and Washington State are the only schools left in the Pac-12. Here are the conferences each team should join.The Pac-12 has had a rough couple of days. The team had already lost powerhouse programs in the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to the Big Ten, but that was just ...

The Pac-12 is dying, so is #Pac12AfterDark.

College football is on fire with Oregon and Washington leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.The Big Ten just got even bigger!...and make that four Pac-12 schools linking up with the midwest, as Oregon and Washington will be crossing multiple time zones with past, present and future conference ...

Predictions from Opta's supercomputer for the 2023 Women's World Cup round of 16 and which nation could win the entire tournament.

Everything you need to know about 2023 Women's World Cup round of 16, including how to watch the likes of England and the USWNT on TV and live stream

James McClean has completed a move to Wrexham after the movie star-owned club reached an agreement with Wigan Athletic on a £250,000 deal. The Welsh outfit offered the Irish international what are described as "Championship wages" as they make their own return to the English Football League for the first time in 15 years. That rise has come due to Wrexham's immense commercial potential under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and such a move is a sign of how they plan to quickly accelerate through League Two, as well. McClean had experienced very different issues at finance-stricken Wigan over the last season, but was still expected to stay there. The offer from Wrexham proved too good to turn down, though, and the Independent was been told the winger quickly became unlikely to feature in the opening League One fixture away to Derby County - with the move soon being confirmed within hours. Wrexham start their own campaign at home to MK Dons on Saturday, having spent part of pre-season Stateside playing against the likes of Chelsea, LA Galaxy’s second-string side and a team of Manchester United youngsters. Read More Gary Lineker worried about Tottenham’s campaign with or without Harry Kane Women’s World Cup LIVE: Latest news and updates as England prepare for last-16 Bayern awaiting Tottenham response on ‘final’ offer for Harry Kane

The Big Ten is on the verge of adding Oregon and Washington. The Pac-12 is on the verge of falling. And social media is having its say!Conference realignment has struck again!On Friday, after several twists and turns that spelled the doom and salvation of the Pac-12 depending on the hour, th...

Gary Lineker admits he is concerned for Tottenham this season regardless of whether or not Harry Kane makes the “fantastic” move to Bayern Munich. Kane – Tottenham and England’s all-time record goalscorer – has been heavily linked with a move to the Bundesliga champions this summer and Bayern have already had two bids knocked back in their efforts to land the striker. Reports on Friday claimed the Bavarians had made a third – and final – bid for the striker of more than 100 million euros (£86million), also setting Spurs a midnight deadline to accept or reject the offer. The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the upcoming campaign and is reportedly keen on a move to Germany. Spurs finished eighth last season – their lowest placing in the Premier League since 2008 – despite Kane weighing in with 30 goals, second only to Erling Haaland. “I’m concerned for Spurs either way, whatever happens with Harry,” Lineker told the PA news agency. “I have been concerned about them for a while, I see where they ended last season and they are in the worst position they had been in for quite some time. “They have made an exceptional signing in James Maddison, he is a better player than a lot of people think, I think he is absolutely top class. Obviously, it is personal record versus a near-guarantee to win trophies at Bayern, so I think it will be an exciting move for him Gary Lineker “That is a good addition but they are a long, long way short. The new manager (Ange Postecoglou) could make a difference, but Harry, the goals he scores, take that away from any team it would be hugely difficult. It is time to rebuild for Tottenham – rebuild, rethink, re-plan.” One temptation for Kane to remain at Spurs is the tantalising prospect of becoming the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer. He is currently on 213, second on the list to Alan Shearer, and needs 48 goals to surpass the former Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle striker. However, Lineker – who is launching him own independent podcast, ‘The Rest is Football’, alongside Shearer – feels trophies would mean more to Kane than individual accomplishments. “Obviously, it is personal record versus a near-guarantee to win trophies at Bayern, so I think it will be an exciting move for him,” added Lineker. “It is a team game, I was as selfish as anybody and I’ve spoken to Alan Shearer as well, I asked him ‘what would you take, the Premier League record or your Premier League trophy?’ Straight away he said the trophy. “I have got three golden boots from three different clubs (Leicester, Everton and Tottenham) – a record in itself – but if I had to give one of those away or my FA Cup, I would give one of those away – it is a team game, you are in it to win the big prizes, personal records are wonderful but they are secondary.” Very few England players have opted to move abroad in the past but Lineker is someone who chose to do so – thriving on and off the pitch during a three-year stint at Barcelona, leaving in 1989 to sign for Tottenham. “Everybody is different but if you are of the mind of wanting to experience different things and enriching your life and learning different cultures, it is absolutely the right thing to do,” the 62-year-old said. “What Jude Bellingham has done at Borussia Dortmund and now with Real Madrid has been amazing, but obviously it is a personal choice. I don’t know what Harry is going to do, I suspect he will go. “I think it will be a fantastic move for him, he is guaranteed to score goals, German football is really attacking and it will suit him. “He would be going to one of the best clubs in world football, they win trophies every year, a beautiful city – my only advice would be try and learn German because it would be appreciated and help him settle in. If he goes.” :: Gary Lineker was talking to mark the launch of ‘The Rest is Football’ and independent podcast he will host alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Neil Warnock ready for season number 44 – Friday’s sporting social It’s a good step forward – Freddie Steward welcomes ‘Bunker’ review system Matthew Wade insists players still keen to take part in The Hundred