List of All Articles with Tag 'port'

Roger Federer has received a standing ovation of 1 1/2 minutes from spectators and Princess Kate as he entered the Royal Box at Centre Court during a brief ceremony honoring him for his men’s-record eight singles championships at Wimbledon

Tottenham have entered talks with Wolfsburg over the signing of centre-back Micky van de Ven. Spurs are in the market for new central defenders and Netherlands Under-21 international Van de Ven has been high on their list of potential targets. Talks have now started between Tottenham and Wolfsburg over a deal that could eventually be worth in the region of £30million but no agreement is currently in place, the PA news agency understands. Despite being without a director of football, chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini and chairman Daniel Levy have taken a lead role on transfers, which has seen Spurs be extremely active since Ange Postecoglou was appointed on June 6. Dejan Kulusevski’s loan was made into a permanent deal while moves for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison have been completed. Attacker Manor Solomon is set to be Tottenham’s fourth addition of the summer with the ex-Fulham loanee undergoing a medical ahead of a free transfer, having exercised his right to cancel his terms with Shakhtar Donetsk, as per FIFA rules, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. If a deal can be agreed with Wolfsburg, Van de Ven would become the club’s fifth signing of the Postecoglou era. The 22-year-old started his career with Volendam in his homeland before he moved to Wolfsburg two summers ago. An encouraging 2022-23 season, where Van de Ven featured 36 times for the Bundesliga club, brought him to the attention of several teams across Europe. Last month, the Dutch defender told De Telegraaf: “I have always dreamed of the Premier League because the biggest clubs play there and I also see that competition as the best in the world.” Spurs still hold an interest in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba and Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who only has one year left to run on his deal. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Steven Gerrard is being mercilessly roasted online for his Al-Ettifaq announcement video after his attempt at speaking Arabic. The footballer-turned-manager will be heading out to the Middle East and seemed to be immersing himself in the culture in the clip - but fans couldn't help but noticed the way his much-loved Scouse accent shone through. "I am Steven Gerrard. I am an Ettifaqi. See you soon", he says in the local language. However, one commenter was quick to point out: "He sounds like his teacher's just asked him in French what he does in a day." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Anthony Joshua is currently undergoing preparations for his potential August fight against Dillian Whyte, and has posted a video of himself improvising when it comes to training. The former heavyweight champion could be seen in the clip punching a mattress, as if it were a punching bag. Naturally, Tyson Fury was quick to weigh-in on the situation, commenting 'Proper sausage' alongside laughing emojis under the post. The last time AJ took on Whyte in 2015, he walked away victorious with a knockout. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer from Aston Villa. The 22-year-old, capped twice by her country and named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, has signed a three-year deal after her contract with Villa expired. She brings Women’s Super League experience from stints with both Birmingham and Villa, having made 15 appearances while helping the latter to a fifth-placed finish last term. Hampton was part of England’s trophy-winning squad at Euro 2022 and also has honours to her name from the Finalissima earlier this year and 2022’s Arnold Clark Cup. In joining the reigning WSL champions, she now wants to add club silverware to her collection. “I’m very excited,” Hampton said on the Chelsea website. “It’s a massive club, it’s an honour to be a part of this and to be able to wear the club’s badge. I want to keep improving, to help the team however I can and I’d love to win some trophies with the club at the same time.” Hampton began her career with Villarreal in Spain after moving to the country as a youngster, but then returned to England with Stoke before joining hometown club Birmingham, making her senior debut in 2017 and making 50 appearances before switching to rivals Villa in 2021. Chelsea boss Emma Hayes added: “There is no doubt that Hannah is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world. Her performances have been improving year on year, and we have high hopes for her future with us.”

The Princess of Wales was at a rainy Wimbledon and is expected to sit in the Royal Box when play begins on Centre Court

Saudi Arabia have been spending an awful lot in the transfer window already this year, but they’ll have to up their transfer announcement video game if they want to become a real force in the world of football social media. Fans are reacting with bewilderment after Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad released an incredibly strange clip confirming the signing of Celtic winger Jota. They’ve already signed Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante, and now they decided that they’d push the boat out with the new announcement. Jota, who cost £25 million from the Scottish club, appears in the new clip, which stars a very CGI-looking version of manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The clip, which has racked up millions of views, sees this uncanny-looking version of Santo watching Joto play on TV leaving many unnerved. Then, an android-looking version of the coach puts on a suit and drives to a shop. When he’s there, he is dealt a pack of cards that all feature Celtic players. After choosing Jota, he puts them in a fresh pack alongside Benzema and Kante, before saying: "We want to rule the world." Football writer Si Lloyd wrote: “Don’t think I’ve ever been quite so terrified of football.” A fan added: “Babe wake up the most unhinged new signing announcement video of all time just dropped.” Another commented: "Nah cause why are the graphics so scary, like it’s a trailer for a horror film." 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.

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ettifaq soccer club named former England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard as its new manager, the

There’s a sea of change sweeping over the Etihad Stadium this summer. Ilkay Gundogan has departed for Barcelona, while Aymeric Laporte is another set to leave for pastures new. Manchester City have a knack for selling players at the right time, so fans shouldn’t be too concerned at the departure of a clutch midfielder and a centre-back who was previously considered the best at Pep Guardiola’s disposal. Nevertheless, to remain competitive even the best need to evolve and City are no exception. Mateo Kovacic has joined from Chelsea to cover Gundogan’s exit, while the Champions League holders are eyeing up another Croat to bolster at the back. City are closing in on the signing of RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol in a deal that will make the 21-year-old the most expensive defender in history. The vultures have been circling the Red Bull Arena for the versatile defender for the best part of 12 months now, with Tottenham and Chelsea both credited with an interest in the youngster last summer. However, as Gvardiol’s profile rose, so too did RB Leipzig’s asking price with City blowing the pair out of the water in the race to land the Croatia international. It’s the versatility to Gvardiol’s game that would undoubtedly have appealed to Guardiola. In 14 Premier League matches last season, Guardiola used a three-man backline, with the idea being to supplement Erling Haaland with as many attacking players in support as possible, this largely stemming from the 2-1 loss at Manchester United back in January. The Spaniard, therefore, needed flexible performers at the back to operate in a four-man or a three-man defence where required in-game. John Stones is perhaps the best example of this interchangeability, the ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’ routinely shining at right-back, centre-back or central midfield, more often than not all in the same game. This meant the left-sided centre-back needed to either drift wide or tuck in where required, duties Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji both carried out well. That being said, Gvardiol is arguably a level above the pair, thus explaining City’s interest in the RB Leipzig man. In any Guardiola system, distribution is key. City build attacks from the back with goalkeeper Ederson and the defenders vital at setting the champions on the front foot. Gvardiol fits the bill perfectly having finished the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign fifth for passes per game (71.3) and with the ninth-best pass success rate (89.3%) to his name. In addition, the ability to pick a pass from distance will help City quickly transition from defence to attack, with the youngster returning a long ball pass success rate of 59.7% last season, that ranking 12th of the 112 Bundesliga players to have attempted 100 or more long balls. For a City side that ranked second for counter-attacking goals (7) behind rivals Manchester United (9) in the Premier League last season, Gvardiol’s ability to go direct where required will aid the former when they seek to break forward at speed, with Haaland, in particular, likely to benefit. This is particularly pertinent in that City ranked second for accurate long balls per 90 (28.4) in England’s top tier last term, so a defender to help place high for this metric will aid the Cityzens should they seek to go direct, as was evidenced during the 4-1 win over Arsenal back in April. In addition to distributing the ball well, Gvardiol is also a composed figure in defence, ensuring that any opponent who does seek to pressure the defender is unlikely to be successful in their quest. Indeed, of the 217 players to attempt 15 or more dribbles, none had a better dribble success rate than Gvardiol (88.9%) in the Bundesliga last season, so he’s calm under pressure and able to bring the ball forward where needed to help work the angles and fully maximise his vision. So, all in all, the perfect defender, right? Well... not quite. For all of Gvardiol’s qualities, opponents have proven to be able to get the better of the incoming centre-back in the air on more than one occasion. In fact, Gvardiol won just 55.8% of the aerial duels he contested in the Bundesliga last season, and teams will feel as though they can exploit this shortcoming as a means to get the better of City next season. That being said, City won the fewest aerial duels per 90 (11.6) in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, and that hardly impacted their successful title defence, so it’s a weakness to Gvardiol’s game that is unlikely to be routinely capitalised upon, such is City’s dominance. The pros, then, far outweighs the cons and given his tender years, there is plenty more to come from Gvardiol, who should go on to become a mainstay in the City backline. After all, it’s difficult to find a defender better suited to Guardiola’s game plan. Read More Man City assistant Rodolfo Borrell joins MLS side Austin FC as sporting director Ilkay Gundogan, the man who transformed Man City and timed a perfect goodbye Football’s biggest brand? Only one thing can stop the Man City ‘machine’ now Yaya Toure hopes Standard Liege coaching spell leads to Premier League return Jodie Burrage recalls the dark days after landmark victory at Wimbledon Cadan Murley: Studying Erling Haaland can help my England World Cup cause

The degenerative brain disease - chronic traumatic encephalopathy - is linked to contact sports.

Geoff Shreeves has announced he is leaving Sky Sports after more than 30 years. Shreeves joined the organisation in 1992 and has been ever-present since in his role as touchline reporter, as well as presenting The Debate, Sunday Supplement and The Football Show. In a statement, he said: “There’s an old saying that you always have to know the best time to leave even the greatest party. “And that’s what my 32 years at Sky have been – the most fantastic party I could ever imagined attending. From the first kick of a ball in the live coverage of the Premier League to Manchester City’s title celebrations last season – with plenty in between. “I have been fortunate to work for a ground-breaking company who have helped revolutionise football. But the time is right to move on. “Sky have been incredibly generous in recognition of my service and I can’t speak more highly of so many people I’ve worked with there over three decades. I now have the opportunity for new experiences which I’m looking forward to announcing in the very near future.” Shreeves, who had started his working life as an estate agent, began his career in football at the 1990 World Cup and was touchline reporter the day Sky televised its first Premier League game, Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Liverpool in August 1992. Sky Sports’ director of football Gary Hughes said: “Geoff has been an integral part of the Sky Sports football team and the best tunnel reporter in the business, interviewing the biggest names at the biggest games for over 30 years. “Geoff leaves with our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future. As Sir Alex always said, Well done, Geoff!”

A trade war between China and the United States over the future of semiconductors is escalating.