Cardiff exit Champions League after defeat to Athlone
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
a minute ago
- Metro
RB Leipzig interested in signing Man Utd star in Benjamin Sesko swap deal
RB Leipzig have indicated they are open to selling Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United in a player-plus-cash deal. United have made Sesko their top striker target after missing out on Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal and going cold on Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. Gyokeres was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford but ended up rejecting Manchester United in favour of their Premier League rivals Arsenal. The Red Devils have since been linked with Jackson but Chelsea's staggering asking price of £80m has put United – and other clubs – off a move. Manchester United therefore turned their attentions to Sesko and Ollie Watkins, the Aston Villa and England striker, but the former is believed to be the club's preferred option. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Sesko scored 21 goals last season and at 22 is yet to hit his peak. With 16 international goals already, the highly-rated forward is expected to surpass the 35-goal mark and become Slovenia's all-time top goalscorer. RB Leipzig were demanding 100m euros for Sesko at the start of the transfer window but have already dropped that price to around £70m. Even that reduced figure looks beyond Manchester United, who have already spent over £120m this summer on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo and were hit financially by their failure to qualify for the Champions League. But the prospect of a player-plus-cash deal for Sesko has been raised as a possibility after RB Leipzig identified Rasmus Hojlund as a possible replacement for their current striker. The Athletic say Leipzig are 'among several clubs' looking at Hojlund, who could be sold following a difficult spell at Old Trafford. Given the disparity in the players' valuations, Manchester United would still need to spend some cash on Sesko even if Hojlund was included as part of the deal. Hojlund has not been told to find a new club and Ruben Amorim was full of praise for the Norwegian following the pre-season win over Bournemouth on Wednesday. 'People focus on the goals and we suffer a lot because of the lack of goals,' said Amorim. 'I think not just the goals, but the way he connects the play every time we have to kick the ball [long]. It was quite a tough season for Leipzig, which forced them to change coach after a disappointing Champions League campaign. They've been struggling, which reflects on his output, but he was still one of their best and most consistent players. Sesko's strengths are certainly his physicality and speed – he's great at making dangerous runs in behind defences, but he's also a very clinical and instinctive finisher, especially when the ball drops to him in the area. His work rate is good and he's a willing runner off the ball as well. His hold-up play is quite strong, but I think his link-up play is a side of his game that he can still improve. It's not that he's bad at that side of the game, but compared to someone like Kai Havertz, he's not at that level. In particular, his passing will need to get a lot better. But during his young career, he's shown he can take those steps forward. His mentality is definitely a strength – he's a player who wants to learn and wants to improve so in that sense he will be a quick learner. Rune Gjerulff, German football expert and editor of Bulinews 'The ability for him to hold the defender and to connect in support is helping us a lot to play better and we are playing better because he's playing better. 'I'm really happy with Rasmus. I don't know what is going to happen until the end of the market. 'The important thing is that the strikers that are here are working really well, are improving, are helping the team and that is the most important thing.' More Trending Hojlund is said to be open to a move back to Italy, having been heavily linked with Inter Milan earlier in the summer. But, speaking after the 4-1 win over Bournemouth, he insisted he was determined to stay at Manchester United and 'fight for my spot'. 'My plan is very clear,' the 22-year-old said after scoring twice against the Cherries. 'That is for me to stay and fight for my spot, whatever happens. 'Competition is fine with me. It sharpens me. I'm more than ready. I'm feeling sharp so I welcome everything that comes.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Hansi Flick rates Marcus Rashford's performance for Barcelona as Lamine Yamal and Jesse Lingard swap shirts MORE: Bukayo Saka injury latest after Arsenal defeat to Spurs MORE: Nicolas Jackson breaks silence on Chelsea future and Manchester United transfer links
The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Ella Toone reveals her grandmother died on morning of Euro 2025 final
Ella Toone has revealed her grandmother died on the morning of England's Euro 2025 final victory over Spain. The 25-year-old played the opening 87 minutes of Sunday's match in Basel as the Lionesses retained their title thanks to a penalty shoot-out win following a 1-1 draw. Manchester United midfielder Toone lost her father Nick to prostate cancer last September. 'Even in the highest of highs life can hit you with the lowest of lows,' she posted on Instagram. 'My Nana Maz took her last breath on the morning of our Euro final. I have comfort in knowing she got to watch from the best seat in the house with Dad, her favourite person.' Toone, who helped England win Euro 2022 and finish runners-up to Spain at the 2023 World Cup, started five of her country's six games in Switzerland. 'I'll miss you forever nan but I'll cherish the special memories we made, there isn't enough words I can possibly say to sum up the person you were, but I'm grateful you were my nanna. My football loving, crazy, funny Nan,' her post continued. 'All those years ago when you put a bet on at the bookies that I would play for England one day & on the day you leave us we bring it home again. You always knew it.'
The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Viktor Gyokeres' underwhelming debut shows why Arsenal need him so much
A debut defeat and an outing that was underwhelming but left the sense he was underused may matter little. When it comes to competitive games, Viktor Gyokeres ' Arsenal bow will come at Old Trafford against Manchester United on 17 August. But as he donned their No 14 shirt for the first time in a game, Arsenal at least showed the need for Gyokeres, for a forward who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting CP. The first North London derby staged outside the United Kingdom yielded a 1-0 loss to Tottenham, with Arsenal registering a lone shot on target, which Kai Havertz directed at Guglielmo Vicario. Gyokeres was limited to the last 20 minutes, including stoppage time, as Arsenal were largely toothless. The argument that they needed a specialist goalscorer is scarcely new, but perhaps it was underlined when they spent an initial £55m to acquire one. Arsenal had been waiting for Gyokeres: for a year, some might say, given the desire of many fans to buy a professional predator last summer. For weeks, definitely, given the hope they would have sprung into action the instant the transfer window opened, rather than signing him on 26 July. They had to wait a further 77 minutes, Mikel Arteta waiting before bringing on the buy who – one way or another – is likely to define the summer spending spree. He got a rapturous reception from the Hong Kong public who may have envisaged seeing him sooner. 'It was a short one but at least that one is over now,' said Arteta. He had brought on Gyokeres along with a lower-profile recruit, in defender Cristhian Mosquera, and added: 'I'm really happy to have them here. I think they are going to add a lot of value. You see straight away the energy and the quality they are going to bring.' Arteta had started with Havertz, just as the German has represented Plan A for much of his two seasons at the Emirates Stadium. A sign that Havertz is the man in possession or simply that, with Gyokeres only linking up with his new teammates this week and only having one full training session, he is the fitter, the better prepared. But Arsenal drew a blank. They did too often last season. In his 20 minutes, the arrival from Sporting CP was a presence in the penalty box, albeit one Arsenal struggled to pick out. Gyokeres' best touch was to set up Martin Zubimendi for the second of his long-range shots; the first, landing on the roof of the net seconds after his arrival, was the more threatening. The Spaniard was not supposed to be the summer signing who delivered the goal threat. Arsenal may hope there is a role reversal in more meaningful matches, the defensive midfielder passing to the centre-forward. When Gyokeres joined, he got a welcoming letter from Martin Odegaard, offering to do anything he could to help the newcomer settle. Some assists would be appreciated, the Swede smiled. Odegaard was at least on the pitch during Gyokeres' cameo. He may not expect to spend his time on the pitch being flanked by Reiss Nelson and Max Dowman. The 15-year-old at least sparkled in his own substitute appearance. He looks a precocious talent whereas Gyokeres, at 27, was bought to be the finished article. He was given the ultimate Arsenal goalscorer's shirt, the 14 made special by Thierry Henry. Perhaps his first goal in it will come at the Emirates Stadium: Arsenal have further friendlies against Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao on home soil. Arteta promised Gyokeres a longer outing then. He also said that Leandro Trossard came off after Spurs after tweaking a muscle but that Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes, who did not feature, should be fit for the start of the Premier League season. In their absence, Arsenal ended their Asian tour on a relative low. After beating AC Milan and Newcastle, they lost to Thomas Frank 's Tottenham. It amounted to an encouraging outing for the new manager. Even before Spurs scored, Pedro Porro and Wilson Odobert struck the same post, the full-back with a corner, the winger with a low shot. They won courtesy of a spectacular goal, Pape Matar Sarr lobbing David Raya from 50 yards after Myles Lewis-Skelly had lost the ball. The goalkeeper's presence nearer the half-way line than his own box was because of his role in the build-up, but it was not the only time Raya's positioning felt faulty. Arsenal will trust that, when the serious business starts, Gyokeres will be found in the right place at the right time and it leads to goals.
