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Premier League veteran Ashley Young may have played his last game for Aston Villa on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Young played the closing minutes as Villa lost 3-2 to Manchester City at The Etihad Stadium.

The Englishman, who spent four years at Villa earlier in his career, returned to the Midlands outfit last summer on a free transfer after leaving Inter Milan.

However, he only signed a one-year deal, believed to be worth £50,000 per week.

The 36-year-old needs to play seven more games to reach 400 Premier League appearances.

He’s turned out 215 times for Villa overall, scoring 37 goals and laying on 61 assists.

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The latest

As Young prepared to enter the fray, The Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans took the opportunity to provide an update on his future.

“In other news: Ashley Young coming on for #AVFC. 

“Could it be his last game in a Villa shirt? Villa would like to keep him on, but he’s out of contract soon.”

It remains to be seen whether the Englishman grants the club’s wish by penning an extension.

The verdict

Young featured in 24 matches over the course of the campaign, ten times from the start and 14 times off the bench.

His versatility has proven to be an asset for the Villans, with Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard both able to deploy him up and down the left flank, in central midfield and even on the right.

In the autumn, Gerrard said that Young had been ‘perfect’ and labelled him a ‘standards-setter’.

Much may depend on whether Villa are proposing a significant pay cut, and whether Young is happy with this level of involvement as he comes towards the end of his career.

In other news, Villa have been watching this defender.

And how often has a team lost an ODI despite a hundred and a five-for?

Steven Lynch05-Sep-2022Deepak Hooda played 17 international matches for India before losing one. Was this a record start for a player? asked Syed Abbas Ali from India

The big-hitting Deepak “Hurricane” Hooda played eight one-day internationals and nine T20Is for India, finishing on the winning side each time, before finally tasting defeat at the weekend, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai. Hooda did indeed make a record start to any international career: the Romanian players Satvik Nadigotla and Shantanu Vashisht began with 15 and 13 wins respectively (all in T20Is), while South Africa’s David Miller started with 13, and Collis King 12 for West Indies.The great Australian allrounder Keith Miller started his career with 25 international matches (all Tests) without tasting defeat, but that did include the occasional draw. Roger Harper began with 24 for West Indies, while Miller’s frequent team-mates Ray Lindwall and Arthur Morris both avoided defeat in their first 23 matches.At the other end of the scale, Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar lost the first 22 international matches he played (17 ODIs and five Tests). His compatriots Minhajul Abedin and Shafiul Islam lost their first 20, as did Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe.Going into the Oval Test, I noticed that South Africa have had nothing but wins or defeats in their last 43 Tests – no draws. Is this a record sequence? asked Anwar Mohamad from Pakistan

Before the third Test at The Oval, South Africa had won 23 and lost 20 of their previous 43 Test matches, with no draws. That’s easily a record for positive results, beating 26 by Zimbabwe between 2004-05 and 2017-18 (mostly defeats) and 23 by Australia between 1999-2000 and 2001 (mostly wins). England (1884-85 to 1891-92), Australia (2001-02 to 2003-04) and Pakistan (2015-16 to 2018) all had sequences of 22 Test matches without a draw.How often have there been consecutive innings victories by opposing teams in the same series, as in the current one against South Africa? asked Peter O’Donnell from England, and many others

The successive victories by South Africa at Lord’s and England at Old Trafford this summer provided only the sixth instance of countries exchanging innings wins in the same series. The first came in Pakistan’s first two Tests, in 1952-53: India won by an innings and 70 runs in Delhi, but Pakistan turned the tables in the second Test with victory by an innings and 43 in Lucknow.Since then it’s also happened in the series between Australia and England in 1965-66 (third and fourth Tests), England vs West Indies in 1966 (fourth and fifth Tests), India against South Africa in 2009-10 (both matches of a two-Test series), and England vs Australia in 2015 (fourth and fifth Tests).Ricky Ponting’s 164 and Nathan Bracken’s five-for against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006 were not enough to win Australia the match•Hamish Blair/Getty ImagesIn the last ODI against India, Zimbabwe lost despite one of their players scoring a hundred and another taking five wickets. Has this ever happened before? asked Uzzwal Kaushik from India

The match you’re talking about was the third of the recent series in Harare: Zimbabwe lost by 13 runs to India despite Sikandar Raza scoring 115 and Brad Evans taking 5 for 54.There have been four other instances of a century and a five-for not being enough for victory in an ODI, the most famous being the 872-run match in Johannesburg in 2005-06, when South Africa beat Australia despite Ricky Ponting running up 164 and Nathan Bracken taking 5 for 67. That was the second such occurrence: in Sharjah in 1991-92, West Indies fell one run short of Pakistan’s total, despite 122 from Richie Richardson and 5 for 53 from Curtly Ambrose.Since then, West Indies lost to England in a rain-affected match at The Oval in September 2017 despite 176 from Evin Lewis (before he retired hurt) and 5 for 56 from Alzarri Joseph; and India went down to England in the 2019 World Cup at Edgbaston even though Rohit Sharma made 102 and Mohammed Shami took 5 for 69.Further to last week’s question about the most Test wickets on a particular ground, has any visiting bowler done better than the 35 of SF Barnes and George Lohmann? asked Ed Blight from England

The short answer is no: the long-ago England pair of Sydney Barnes and George Lohmann still share the record for most Test wickets on one ground away from home, Barnes in Melbourne and Lohmann in Sydney. Next comes Shane Warne, with 32 at The Oval. Warne also took 29 at Trent Bridge, a number equalled by England’s Angus Fraser in Port-of-Spain. For the list, click here.If you count matches played by Pakistan in the UAE (usually considered home Tests for them), then Yasir Shah has taken 55 in Dubai and 46 in Abu Dhabi, while Saeed Ajmal collected 37 in Dubai.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Ben Stokes struggles for answers as New Zealand pair grind England down

Andrew Miller03-Jun-2022″It’ll be difficult, no doubt, looking across to the New Zealand balcony at times – but that’s just life,” Brendon McCullum had said in the build-up to his first Test as England coach. But of all the emotions he might have expected to feel while gazing in their direction, envy probably wasn’t the first name on the team-sheet.Two days into the gig, the magnitude of McCullum’s challenge yawns before him, even as his former team-mates kicked back in the June sunshine, and soaked up an unbeaten 180-run stand that is just 30 runs shy of New Zealand’s all-time record in England, and already 41 runs higher than anything England mustered in their 2021 home summer.Related

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• Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell produce hefty stand to put New Zealand on top

All he could do was watch and digest, as Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell thwarted England’s apparent morning surge with uncomplicatedly dour application, piecing together a 56-over alliance that spanned roughly the same timeframe as the previous 14 wickets of New Zealand’s performance.Wishful thinking alone was never likely to right England’s listing ship, and so in the long run it may actually help McCullum’s cause for this contest to continue to go south at a rate of knots – much like the 2-for-4-and-all that that greeted Duncan Fletcher at Johannesburg in 1999-2000, or the 51-all-out in Jamaica a decade later that gave Andy Flower licence to get biblical on England’s standards. McCullum did declare, after all, that England are at “rock-bottom” – it’s probably prudent to feel the sea-bed for himself before using it to kick for the surface.In Matt Potts, at least, he’s already identified a gem – an intelligent, but down-and-dirty toiler who has already added two more scalps to his four from the first innings, and who looks, on the face of it, to have bought in unequivocally to McCullum’s gut-busting imperatives. And if, even in what now seems likely to be a losing cause, one of England’s young-gun batters can show a return on the investment of faith that has been placed in them, his project will have just a touch more traction to take into the rest of the summer.For the time being however, all the promise of England’s new beginnings has ebbed away from this particular contest, leaving Paul Collingwood, the assistant coach, to trot out a refrain that he himself became all too accustomed with during the team’s toothless travails in Australia and West Indies.

“We’ve tried hanging the ball out there with the seamers, we tried going straight. [We] had a bit of a bounceathon session, which nearly created a couple of chances”Paul Collingwood, England’s assistant coach

“Certainly the rhythm of the game has completely changed this afternoon,” Collingwood said. “Yesterday’s excitement, the movement in the pitch and obviously all the wickets falling… you think that kind of excitement was going to continue for the rest of the day.”But I think the heavy roller made a decent impact, which is good signs for us for our second innings, and once the ball got soft we weren’t able to create too many chances. Give a lot of credit to Mitchell and Blundell for the way they played. From our point of view, we tried everything I think.”From heavy-metal cricket to heavy-roller chat. The game doesn’t get sixier than that.Unquestionably the ball did not play ball for England’s quicks in this second innings. The atmospherics that had been in attendance on day one had vanished, and so too the spurious suggestions that this Lord’s surface had been doctored – for the record, it has consistently been the flattest in the country ever since MCC installed its state-of-the-art drainage system some 15 years ago, and inadvertently sucked all the moisture from the square.In its place, we got a benign day-two wicket that rewarded New Zealand’s canny application, and left England regretting – not for the first time this year, and certainly not the last – that they have exhausted their entire stock of 90mph bowlers through a heady combination of injury, ill-fortune and rank mismanagement.Oh, for an X-Factor. That eternal cry of English cricket. In the mid-afternoon, just when England most wished they could unleash the sort of hot wheels that could have unlocked a well-set partnership, Sky Sports flashed up a list of England’s wounded quicks. The names on that doom-scroll included Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood at the brisker end of the spectrum, as well as Ollie Robinson and Chris Woakes among the less-express options with proven records at Lord’s.And in their absences, it was as though England were enduring an Adelaide flashback, as Ben Stokes took it upon himself to dispatch three men back for the hook, rustle up a short leg and a catching midwicket, and indulge in what Collingwood later termed a “bounceathon”.It was mercifully short-lived – albeit it nearly succeeded in tempting Mitchell to hole out to mid-on – but given these were the tactics that caused his side-strain during the Ashes, just briefly you wondered if Stokes was already slipping into the phase of his captaincy, the sort of beginning-of-the-end that Andrew Flintoff produced while wrecking his dodgy ankle with a 50-over spell on this very ground in 2006.Matt Parkinson bowls on his Test debut after he came in as a concussion substitute for Jack Leach•Getty Images”You can see in Stokes, we’ve got a proactive captain there who is willing to try different things,” Collingwood said. “We’ve tried hanging the ball out there with the seamers, we tried going straight. Obviously, you had a bit of a bounceathon session there, which nearly created a couple of chances.”And yet, the one thing that Stokes didn’t really try out was the newest toy in his armoury. It wasn’t until 3pm on this second day that Matt Parkinson was given his first outing, and even allowing for the impossibility of his first-innings involvement – he was still somewhere on the M1 when New Zealand’s final wicket fell – his introduction at 90 for 4 in the 33rd over felt reticent, certainly when compared to the decisiveness of England’s concussion call on that chaotic first morning.It felt muddled too, as if Stokes – like Root before him – had no intuitive feel for the new man at his disposal. Each of his first ten overs were bowled from the Pavilion End, thereby requiring his legbreak to turn up the slope rather than roll with it, and while Collingwood later justified the move by claiming that England were looking for drift and “slide” for lbws and bowls, the tactics attracted more than a few raised eyebrows from an unusually legspin-savvy media contingent.For it is Parkinson’s fate that his debut should be so intertwined with a match that has the late, great Shane Warne so central to the narrative. His call-up was announced just moments before the game paused for remembrance in the 23rd over, and is being presided over from Sky Sports’ newly consecrated Shane Warne Commentary Box, from where his old captain, Mark Taylor, euphemistically described Stokes’ choice of ends for Parkinson as “interesting” … with the word taking on the sort of connotations that “ordinary” often did for his old mate.Again, it’s too early to presume anything about long-term trends in this match, for England as a whole, for Stokes as a captain, and certainly for Parkinson as a weapon – after all, barely 36 hours have elapsed since he was spirited away from his Jubilee barbecue in Manchester.But there’s something especially fragile about the plight of English legspinners. Thirty years, after all, have elapsed since Ian Salisbury’s debut on this ground against Pakistan, and the manner in which the hope of that magnificent occasion dissipated was brutal, while each of the last two specialists to play here – Chris Schofield in 2000 and Adil Rashid in 2018 – didn’t even bowl a single ball.So, in that respect, at least he’s up and running – liberated from the bubble-life purgatory that has been his lot for the past two years, and released into the wild at a time when his county form, 24 wickets at 25.95, certainly permits him to trust his talents in the Baz-prescripted manner. But, as with pretty much everything about England’s performance from the first-day lunchbreak onwards, the room for improvement is palpable.”I’m sure it’s been a big shock,” Collingwood said. “Obviously he was in his back garden yesterday afternoon and gets a phone call, rushes down to London, receives his cap off Jeetan Patel and goes out there. I’m sure he would prefer the game to be a bit longer – in days three, four and five – so there wasn’t a hell of a lot of assistance out there. But what you can see is a pretty accurate legspin bowler and I’m sure he’s delighted with the experience and enjoyed his day.”

Russell Martin may be gone, but there is no change in fortunes for Rangers and the Ibrox masses.

On Saturday, the Gers failed to win in the Scottish Premiership yet again, this time held to a 2-2 draw, their sixth of the campaign.

Thelo Aasgaard broke the deadlock in sensational fashion for Rangers, but they required a late equaliser from James Tavernier to pinch a point in Govan.

This means, remarkably, the Light Blues have still only won one of eight Premiership matches to date, currently sixth in the table, a whopping 13 points adrift runaway league-leaders Hearts.

Martin was dismissed following the underwhelming 1-1 draw at Falkirk a fortnight ago, but no permanent successor has yet been found, U19s coach Steven Smith in interim charge for the foreseeable future, but when the new boss does belatedly arrive, could that be bad news for one of Martin’s summer signings in particular?

The latest on Rangers' search for a new manager

During the international break, Rangers were seemingly turned down by their top two managerial targets.

First, Steven Gerrard rejected the opportunity to return to Ibrox, following talks with the club, before former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Röhl also pulled out of the running.

As a result, Kevin Muscat became the front-runner to take the job; he made 26 appearances for the club during the 2002/03 season as Alex McLeish’s team won the treble.

Since becoming a coach himself, he began at A-League side Melbourne Victory, overseeing 200 matches, winning four major trophies, including two grand final titles.

He then endured a very brief stint in charge of Sint-Truidense, before succeeding a certain Ange Postecoglou as Yokohama F. Marinos manager, winning the J1 League title, as well as the Japanese Super Cup.

Manager Focus

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Since December 2023, he has been in charge of Shanghai Port, adding a Chinese Super League and FA Cup double to his roll of honours in 2024.

Yet, despite it looking as though a deal had been agreed, it was reported on Sunday evening by journalist Ben Jacobs that the Muscat move “is now off”. Subsequent reports indicate that the aforementioned Rohl has entered the frame again.

Whoever the new manager is, whether it be Rohl or not, one of Russell Martin’s summer signings should be feeling the heat.

Rangers flop on borrowed time under a new manager

Rangers made a whopping 13 new signings this summer, the majority of whom have massively underwhelmed.

Youssef Chermiti, Aasgaard, Joe Rothwell and Emmanuel Fernandez and others have, to date, not justified their transfer fees, while young loanee Jayden Meghoma has appeared out of his depth.

The left-back arrived on a season-long loan from Brentford, having made only four appearances for the Bees, as well as just four for Southampton and 14 in Preston North End colours, underlining his inexperience.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that he has struggled to make an impact in Glasgow.

As outlined, Meghoma has been a regular starter for Rangers this season, named in the lineup for ten of the 11 matches since his debut, the draw with Falkirk, which proved to be Martin’s final match in charge, the sole exception.

Some of his statistics are impressive, most notably tackles, but the possession lost tells the story, with the teenager continuing to be a weak link in the Rangers back line.

He was once again poor in the draw with Dundee United, failing to complete a single tackle, winning only four of his nine duels and losing possession 17 times for good measure.

Thus, if and when a new manager is appointed, he’ll surely prioritise experience at the back, thereby shifting Max Aarons over to the left or asking Derek Cornelius to fill in there, with Meghoma a leading candidate to be cast aside.

Martin once claimed that he has “big potential” but ultimately, we’re yet to see that in Glasgow. Interim manager, Steven Smith, must drop him next time out.

Rangers can prepare for Muscat by playing star with "feet like drumsticks"

Rangers can prepare for life with Kevin Muscat in charge by unleashing this star against Dundee United.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 18, 2025

Newcastle United’s start to the 2025/26 Premier League season has been one of promise mixed with frustration.

Eddie Howe’s side opened with a cagey 0-0 draw against Aston Villa, a match in which they dominated large periods but lacked a cutting edge.

Their second fixture produced drama at St James’ Park.

Coming from 2-0 down against Liverpool, Newcastle looked set to have completed the comeback before Rio Ngumoha’s 100th-minute strike condemned them to a 3-2 defeat.

The pattern continued away at Leeds, another 0-0 stalemate where chances were few.

It wasn’t until the fourth game that Newcastle finally claimed three points, grinding out a laboured 1-0 home victory over Wolves.

That was followed by another goalless encounter, this time away at Bournemouth – a match that underlined both Howe’s tactical experiments and the team’s ongoing attacking malaise.

In those two goalless games against Leeds and Bournemouth, Howe trialled different variations of a back three.

Yet, the results suggest the system still requires tweaking, with Newcastle struggling for rhythm in possession and fluency in the final third.

Newcastle stifled by the system against Bournemouth

Against Bournemouth, Howe’s team took to the field in a 3-4-2-1, aiming to nullify the hosts’ high-pressing 4-2-3-1.

Nick Woltemade, the record signing, led the line.

The German forward showed neat touches and even had a penalty appeal waved away, but he still appeared to be adjusting to the physical demands of English football.

In midfield, Howe rotated heavily. Lewis Miley and Joe Willock replaced Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton, but neither was able to stamp authority on proceedings.

Newcastle’s lack of thrust was reflected in the numbers: just 0.14 expected goals (xG) compared to Bournemouth’s 0.46.

Defensively, there were nervy moments.

Tino Livramento was caught at the back post, allowing David Brooks to score what looked like the opening goal before it was ruled out for offside.

Malick Thiaw also rode his luck, avoiding what could have been a second-half red card.

The raw statistics painted a bleak picture for Newcastle: 4 shots to Bournemouth’s 11 and 390 completed passes to the Cherries’ 498.

One positive came in the form of Lewis Hall, who looked composed on his return to the starting XI after a lengthy injury layoff.

The former Chelsea man provided balance on the left flank and showed glimpses of the technical security Newcastle have been missing in recent weeks. The same can’t be said of one of his teammates, however…

Bournemouth draw the latest example of Willock’s decline

Amid Newcastle’s struggles, the spotlight inevitably fell on Joe Willock.

The midfielder was handed his first league start of the season at Bournemouth, but his subdued display was another reminder of how far his career has drifted from the explosive start he made at St James’ Park.

Willock first arrived on loan from Arsenal in February 2021, tasked with helping Steve Bruce’s side escape relegation.

He wasted no time, scoring on his debut in a 3-2 win over Southampton before embarking on a remarkable run of goals in seven consecutive matches – equalling Alan Shearer’s long-standing record from 1996.

By the end of that season, Willock had eight goals in 14 games, second only to Callum Wilson despite arriving mid-season.

Bruce urged the board to make the move permanent, and in the summer, Newcastle obliged with a £25m deal.

Willock went on to contribute significantly in Howe’s first full campaign, helping Newcastle secure a fourth-place finish and a return to the Champions League.

But since then, injuries have derailed his progress.

He missed 38 matches in 2023/24 and another seven last season, with one content creator on X remarking that the “explosive bursts of pace” once central to his game have all but disappeared.

The Bournemouth match showed the scale of his struggles.

In the 62 minutes before being replaced by Harvey Barnes, Willock registered no shots, 32 touches, and just 12 successful passes from 15 attempts (80%), as per Sofascore.

Defensively, he was combative, winning six of nine ground duels, but he lost both of his aerial contests and offered little drive going forward.

His match rating of 6.8 reflected an industrious but uninspiring performance.

For a player once hailed as Newcastle’s answer to Shearer in terms of clutch goalscoring, his trajectory has become symbolic of the team’s own attacking issues.

Howe will hope that minutes in the upcoming League Cup clash against Bradford can help Willock rediscover some rhythm, but at present, he looks far from the dynamic midfielder who carried Newcastle to safety just four years ago.

Fewer touches than Pope: 4/10 Newcastle flop is on borrowed time under Howe

This Newcastle United flop is now on borrowed time on Tyneside after struggling against AFC Bournemouth.

By
Kelan Sarson

Sep 22, 2025

Borussia Monchengladbach star Jens Carstop has apologised for his dangerous tackle on Luis Diaz that saw him sent off in the first half of his side's 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Saturday. Carstop admitted his foul looked "really stupid" as he paved the way for another defeat for the Bundesliga bottom-dwellers.

• Bayern Munich continue their Bundesliga domination

  Bayern started a second-string backline for their game against Borussia Monchengladbach, with the likes of Sacha Boey, Tom Bischof and Kim Min-jae getting the nod ahead of regulars such as Jonathan Tah and Konrad Laimer. The visitors headed into this fixture as the table-toppers after seven wins in as many league games, while the hosts were hoping for their first win this season to get themselves up and running. 

  It was a pretty drab first half, despite Bayern dominating possession and creating chances at will. Borussia Monchengladbach kept the visitors' in check with valiant defending and had their goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas to thank for helping the team keep a clean sheet in the first half. 

  The second half, though, was a completely different story. Rejuvenated by the introductions of Raphael Guerreiro and young sensation Lennart Karl – who is set to extend his contract on his 18th birthday – the Bavarian giants scored thrice in the space of 17 second half minutes to put the game beyond any doubt. Substitute Guerreiro opened the scoring in the 64th minute before Michael Olise doubled the lead five minutes later. Karl, who became Bayern's youngest goal scorer in the Champions League last week, scored his first-ever goal in the top-flight to put the game to bed with less than 10 minutes in the 90 remaining. 

  Bayern registered 23 shot attempts, of which 13 were on target. On the other hand, their opponents managed just one shot, which came through a Kevin Stoger penalty in the second half. Stoger's effort hit the post. 

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  Castrop red ruins Monchengladbach plan

  Bayern, who have scored as many as 47 goals this season, struggled to break the deadlock for over an hour. Although they were at their clinical best in the second half, they were not at their usual best overall. It can be said that Bayern enjoying a numerical advantage for over 71 minutes of the game played a big role in helping them continue their winning run. 

  In the 18th minute, Castrop made a rash challenge on Luis Diaz, which prompted the referee to show him a yellow card. However, after the intervention of VAR, the decision was overturned and Castrop was shown a direct red card instead, leaving Monchengladbach handicapped with a man down. 

  Speaking to after the game, Castrop said: "The penalty is fine. If you look at the freeze-frame, the scene looks really stupid. Luckily, I didn't hit him that hard. I'm sorry. We had planned to make sure no one would retreat in a one-on-one, but it was unfortunate, of course."

• Kane tamed but Bayern Munich break records

  It was a rare sight to see Harry Kane kept off the scoresheet. The prolific Englishman has been in blistering form this season, scoring 20 goals in just 13 appearances for Bayern Munich. The last time he failed to find the net was on August 30 against Augsburg – though he still registered two assists that day. Since then, Kane had scored in nine consecutive matches, a streak that spanned 56 days.

  Meanwhile, Bayern maintained their spotless streak, making it 13 wins out of 13 since the start of the 2025-26 season. They became only the second team in the history of Europe's big five leagues to start a season with 13 consecutive victories across all competitions, AC Milan doing it first in the 1992-93 season. Three more wins in their next three Bundesliga games, and it will have broken the Bundesliga record for the most successive wins at the start of the season – set by Bayern themselves in the 2015-16 season under Pep Guardiola. 

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  Tough fixtures await Bayern before the next international break

  The Bavarians will be the favourites to book their place in the next round of the DFB-Pokal when they meet Koln in the second round of the domestic cup competition on Wednesday. Then, they will host an in-form Bayer Leverkusen team on Saturday, before visiting Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes three days later. 

Liverpool are “closely monitoring” a Premier League player hailed as “one of the top” players in his position, and he is even quicker than Jeremie Frimpong.

Slot discusses Liverpool's Guehi disappointment

The Reds’ failure to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace on deadline day was a big disappointment, with the Eagles not allowing him to leave at the eleventh hour, despite a deal being agreed.

Now, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has opened up about the Premier League champions missing out on the England international, admitting it was frustrating for many parties.

“For us it was of course a disappointment, for the player I assume, as well, because he was expecting to come to us. I try to put myself in the player’s shoes, but that can happen with a player from us as well, maybe a player wanted to leave but in the end couldn’t because we couldn’t get a player we wanted, that happens in football many times and the good thing in football is, especially after the international break, everybody comes back, accepts the situation and knows he has to perform well.

“But if a player wants a transfer that he doesn’t get, then you always feel for him. If it’s a player of my team, you talk to him, make sure he gets his energy back and keeps going again, and that is probably what has happened at Palace with Marc Guehi.”

Liverpool eyeing Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven

According to The Boy Hotspur, Liverpool are among the clubs who are “closely monitoring Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven, as they eye a move for him in 2026.

The Reds presumably consider him an alternative option to Guehi, with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also keen on snapping up the Spurs ace.

Van de Ven is arguably one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League currently, so the idea of Liverpool signing him is a mouthwatering prospect.

The Dutchman is famed for his lightning speed, hitting a top Premier League top speed of 37.12 km/h in 2024/25, quicker than any Reds player, including new signing Frimpong, who hit 36.34 km/h.

Rio Ferdinand also heaped praise on Van de Ven last year, highlighting his pace.

Their own Bellingham: Liverpool have "one of the best youngsters in Europe"

Liverpool may have found their own Jude Bellingham in 17-year-old star

1

By
Will Miller

Sep 19, 2025

Liverpool fans may be split over whether Van de Ven or Guehi is the best option next year, but signing either of them has to be considered priority business. In fact, if Ibrahima Konate doesn’t sign a new deal, bringing in both would be a great idea.

Cristiano Ronaldo has linked up with another sporting GOAT in the form of Novak Djokovic. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner CR7 is still going strong at 40 years of age with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. Djokovic, the most decorated player of all-time in men’s tennis, has spent time in Portugal of late. That allowed him to meet Ronaldo, as gifts were exchanged between the pair.

• Sporting GOATS: Ronaldo & Djokovic dominate their professions

  Ronaldo has boldly billed himself as the greatest of all-time in football circles, with the Portuguese icon of the opinion that he sits above eternal rival Lionel Messi on that list. Many share that opinion, with the evergreen frontman already assured of a spot among the immortals.

  Djokovic enjoys a similar standing in his chosen profession, with the Serbian superstar claiming a historic haul of 24 Grand Slam titles over the course of his remarkable career. Djokovic is still going strong himself at the age of 38, with there no plans to call it a day any time soon.

  He continues to seek those marginal gains that keep elite performers at the top of their game, with Ronaldo having been doing that for several years on the football field. They are both born winners, with relentless drive ensuring that they are forever in pursuit of perfection.

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• Swapping gifts: Jerseys and a racket change hands

  They are likely to have discussed what keeps them coming back for more after rubbing shoulders in Lisbon. Ronaldo and Djokovic made a point of swapping signed jerseys, with the former passing over an Al-Nassr top sporting his famous No.7 while taking ownership of a red Lacoste shirt. Djokovic also passed over a signed racket, onto which he scrawled the iconic ‘Siuuu’ line that Ronaldo screams when celebrating his many goals.

  Djokovic has spoken on a regular basis down the years of how he looks to the likes of Ronaldo for inspiration. He recently said at the Joy Forum in Riyadh of trying to emulate the longevity of other sporting greats: “Longevity is one of my biggest motivations. I really want to see how far I can go. If you see across all the global sports, LeBron James, he's still going strong, he's 40, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady played till he was 40-something years old. I mean, it's unbelievable. They're inspiring me as well. So I want to keep going and that's one of the motivations I have.”

• How Djokovic uses Ronaldo as inspiration

  He had previously said on the podcast hosted by Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios: “I identify with Tom Brady as well. And Serena [Williams] is first of all, the incredible mind of a champion, just incredible hunger for success, for improvement. Cristiano Ronaldo is also like that. But just willing on a daily basis. To take your body, your mind, your character, your emotions, to a different level. To be a better version every single day. And to crush the borders and limits that everyone imposes on you.”

  Djokovic has broken out Ronaldo’s celebration in the past, and said in 2018 of playing in front of the man himself at the ATP Finals: “It’s great to have big football star, a sports star like him, court-side watching tennis. He used to come and watch a lot in Madrid. He used to come watch Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer] and myself. He’s a fan of tennis. It’s really, really nice as he’s one of the biggest sports stars in the last decade. It’s great for our sport to have him there.”

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  Djokovic is also a big fan of Argentine great Messi

  It is not just Ronaldo that Djokovic is a fan of, though, having also spoken of his respect for Messi in the past. He said at the 2025 Miami Open, with the Argentine icon now plying his trade in South Florida for MLS side Inter Miami: “It’s a great honour to have King Leo in the stands. I think it’s the first time I’ve played in front of Messi, and honestly, I was a little nervous. I am very grateful for his attendance with his family. I have always been a fan of him, as most of the world has, throughout his career.”

  Djokovic has also billed Messi as a “phenomenon” and a “huge champion”. The same can be said about Ronaldo, with there a budding friendship there which will seemingly continue for many years to come as both delay any thought of retirement.

After an unprecedented summer of spending, the pressure is really on for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

On deadline day, the Gunners completed the signing of Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen, the Ecuadorian arriving in North London on a season-long loan but with a £45m obligation to buy.

He becomes the Gunners’ eighth new recruit of the summer, following Viktor Gyökeres, Martín Zubimendi, Christian Nørgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Kepa Arrizabalaga and, most excitingly of all, Eberechi Eze.

Around £300m has been spent on these new recruits, while very little was recouped by the departures of Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson, Fábio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Despite the big money spent, this is a squad built around a foundation of Hale End graduates, namely Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka, 15 year old wonderkid Max Dowman and, of course, the returning Eze.

However, did they let the best Hale End kid leave when he was just nine years old, one that surely would’ve fired the Gunners to that illusive Premier League title had he stayed?

What Eberechi Eze will bring to Arsenal

Eze made his Arsenal debut during Sunday’s disappointing defeat at Anfield, introduced in the 70th minute to replace Gabriel Martinelli.

If the Gunners are going to wrestle the Premier League title away from the Reds, they’re going to need to become more creative in the final third, as the table below documents.

Two caveats first and foremost; we’re only three games into this Premier League season, so that offers a very small sample size, but, on the flip side, Arsenal did demolish Leeds 5-0 last weekend, potentially actually skewing their data in a positive sense.

Those aside, it has to be a concern that the Gunners rank 16th for both big chances created and passes into the final third so far this season, rarely threatening at Old Trafford or Anfield in open play.

Thus, Arteta will hope the arrival of Eze will solve their creativity issues, and it was genuinely spine-tingling to be present when he was presented to the crowd last weekend, a completely surreal moment for the player, while the reaction of the supporters was like nothing else the Emirates has ever witnessed; Thierry Henry’s return, also against Leeds, coming closest.

Eze himself has spoken about the fact that, when he was released by Arsenal at the age of 13, he thought his dream was over, but, after spending time at Fulham, Reading, Millwall, Wycombe, QPR and Palace, he’s finally home.

However, there is another former Hale End kid currently plying his trade at the highest level of world football, someone you may have heard of.

Arsenal's biggest academy regret

Famously, Tottenham supporters sing “Harry Kane, he’s one of our own”, which is very much true, there’s no denying that, but that wasn’t always the case.

During the 2001/02 season, when Kane was just eight years old, he spent a year in Arsenal’s academy but was released, with then academy director Liam Brady later admitting that he was deemed “a bit chubby” and not “very athletic”.

Well, he would certainly prove them wrong, joining Tottenham in 2004, starting a 19-year association with Spurs, scoring 280 goals in 435 appearances for their first team, breaking Jimmy Greaves’ all-time goals record by netting against Manchester City a couple of months before his departure.

Then-Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou labelled him an irreplaceable “generational” talent, while another former Tottenham manager Antonio Conte simply described him as a “world-class striker”.

Now with Bayern Munich of course, a move to Bavaria has not stopped Kane from continuing his scoring spree against Arsenal, converting a penalty in North London as they dumped Arsenal out of the Champions League back in April 2024.

That was his 15th career goal against Arsenal, only on target against Leicester (20) and Everton (16) with greater frequency.

As one might expect, Kane has started the new season on fire, scoring six goals in four appearances, most notably bagging a hat-trick as die Rekordmeister demolished RB Leipzig 6-0 on the opening Friday night of the season.

This takes his tally to 91 goals in 100 appearances for Bayern, averaging a goal every 91 minutes, which isn’t bad.

As a result, despite the fact he’s now 32 years old, Kane’s estimated transfer value remains £65m, compared to Eze’s which stands at £48m, also higher than the £60m the Gunners paid to secure his signature.

Tottenham supporters were not happy a fortnight ago when Eze did a last-minute U-turn, snubbing them to join their hated North London rivals.

So, could you imagine if, once he’s finished hoovering up multiple Meisterschale in Munich, Kane returned to the club with whom he began his academy career?

That would be the event that would finally break the internet.

Fewer touches than Raya: Arsenal must axe 3/10 star who's so "clunky"

Arsenal dropped their first points of the season against Liverpool.

2

By
Matt Dawson

Aug 31, 2025

If you are planning to visit BMO Field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we've got you covered!

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, with a total of 48 teams participating in the month-long tournament.

Toronto’s BMO Field is one of the 12 selected venues and will host six matches, including both group stage and knockout games, as well as the opening match for the home side, Canada.

BMO Field has long served as the home of Toronto FC in Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. The year 2026 marks a new chapter in the stadium’s history. Although the venue currently seats close to 30,000 spectators, MLSE is committed to upgrades and temporary seating to accommodate World Cup matches.

If you are planning to attend the tournament, this guide brings you all the essential information you need before making your trip to BMO Field.

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  BMO Field overview

  Capacity	28,180
  Year opened	2010
  Tenant(s)	Toronto Argonauts (CFL), Toronto FC (MLS)
  Address	170 Princes' Blvd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3, Canada

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  History of BMO Field

  BMO Field opened in 2007, built on the site of the Old Exhibition Stadium as an improvement for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup and to serve as the home ground of Toronto FC in Major League Soccer. In 2016, the Toronto Argonauts moved to the stadium after it was configured to host both soccer and Canadian football matches.

  The venue initially had a capacity of just over 20,000 but has undergone several renovations throughout its short history. It now seats around 30,000, with ongoing upgrades aimed at expanding capacity to 45,000 for the 2026 World Cup.

  In addition to hosting Toronto FC home games, BMO Field has staged MLS Cup finals in 2010, 2016 and 2017.

  In 2026, the stadium will host five group stage matches, including Canada’s opening game, as well as a Round of 16 clash.

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  Which teams play at BMO Field

  BMO Field has been the home of Toronto FC in Major League Soccer since its opening in 2007 and became the home of the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League in 2016.

  Team	Leage
  Toronto Argonauts	CFL
  Toronto FC	MLS

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  How to get to BMO Field

  How to get to BMO Field  by public transport

  The most recommended public transit option to reach BMO Field is GO Transit.Exhibition GO Station, located next to Exhibition Place, is only a short 2–5 minute walk from the stadium and connects directly to Union Station on the Lakeshore GO line.

  Apart from GO Transit, TTC streetcars and buses also serve stations close to the stadium. The 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst streetcar routes both stop within walking distance of BMO Field.

  How to get to BMO Field by car

  Fans traveling to the stadium by car often use the Gardiner Expressway or Lake Shore Boulevard and then follow signs to BMO Field. Parking is available around the stadium, but expect heavy congestion and higher-than-usual traffic on event days.