Heerenveen playmaker wanted by unknown English club: Frisians reject multiple advances
The 22-year-old Smans transferred to Heerenveen last year from VVV-Venlo, and in his first Eredivisie season, he scored three goals and provided four assists. These exploits caught the eye of a club in England's second tier. This team's identity is still unknown.
It appears that a potential transfer has been in the works for weeks. Heerenveen has received and rejected several bids for Smans. According to sources, the latest offer from England was around €3.5 million. It is unknown how much Heerenveen has in mind for Smans, who cost €350,000 a year ago. His contract in Friesland runs until the summer of 2028.
Heerenveen's technical manager Johan Hansma has confirmed the English interest. 'It's true there's interest, but we'd like to keep Levi with the team. If we do sell him, it has to be an offer we simply can't refuse.'
GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
a few seconds ago
- Newsweek
Prince William and Charlotte's Father-and-Daughter Moment Goes Viral
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Prince William and Princess Charlotte sharing a father-daughter moment after the England women's soccer team won the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final went viral on TikTok. Prince William took Charlotte, 10, to Basel, in Switzerland, to watch the nail-biting match, which England won on penalties on Sunday, having initially gone a goal down in the first half. A video of Princess Charlotte's anxious moments watching the match, and her bonding time with William went viral after it was liked 24,400 times and viewed 188,000 times. Prince William took Princess Charlotte to watch the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final in Basel, Switzerland, on July 27, 2025. Prince William took Princess Charlotte to watch the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Final in Basel, Switzerland, on July 27, 2025. Kensington Palace and Crystal Pix/Why It Matters William is patron of the Football Association, English soccer's governing body, and has a long history of supporting both the England men's and women's teams. However, he usually takes Prince George rather than Charlotte, who is a regular at the Wimbledon tennis championship. This appears to be the first time William has taken Charlotte and not George to a soccer match, marking a milestone in their relationship. What to Know The TikTok video was posted with the message: "Princess Charlotte cheering on the lionesses tonight for the euro women's finalll 🥺🫶🏻." The clip began by showing some of Charlotte's messages of support in past finals, including in a black-and-white polka dot dress for the 2022 final of the Euro, which England won against Germany. The second clip, in a white stripy t-shirt, is from her message of support ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup Final, which England lost to Spain. The edit then showed a series of photos from the Euro final on Sunday, which showed Charlotte put her head in her hands during a tense moment as well as some bonding moments with William. There are also pictures in the video of Charlotte meeting Princess Leonor, 19, and Infanta Sofia, 18, both of Spain. Elsewhere, Prince William posted a video that also showed him standing with his arm around Charlotte's shoulders as they watched the England team celebrating their win. This was the first time Charlotte traveled overseas to watch soccer and only her second live game, after she previously watched Aston Villa, William's favorite team, play Norwich in 2019. What People Are Saying William and Charlotte posted a joint message on X congratulating the England team: "What a game! @Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment @England. W & Charlotte." King Charles III posted a message of congratulations on X: "For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home.' "As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true. Congratulations to our valiant @Lionesses! 🦁🦁🦁 A message from The King following the team's victory at the Women's Euros 2025.#WEURO2025 — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 27, 2025 "Well done, Lionesses. The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!" Quoted by Reuters, England's captain, Leah Williamson, said after the match: "Total disbelief but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. Playing for this England team is unbelievable. You cannot put us down." One fan replied to the video: "It always surreal to me when royalty meets royalty. It's a humble reminder that we are all in the same world. 🥰." What Happens Next England's Lionesses will take part in a victory parade through central London on Tuesday, finishing with a ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, as reported by the BBC. Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Ichi-Roast? Suzuki Brought The Laughs to His Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
If you want someone for your next celebrity roast, Ichiro Suzuki could be your guy. Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown. Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the ceremonies by an hour, but the moisture gave way to bright skies and warm temperatures. The sun seemed its brightest during Suzuki's acceptance speech. The outfielder was joined by pitcher CC Sabathia, also elected in his first year of eligibility, and closer Billy Wagner, who made it in his final try on the writers' ballot. Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection and he took a jab at the unidentified sports writer who didn't vote for him. "Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are two achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one," Suzuki said to roaring laughter. "By the way, the offer for the writer to have dinner at my home has now expired," he added, with emphasis on "expired" for good measure. A pair of Era Committee selections rounded out the Class of 2025: Dave Parker, who earned the nickname Cobra during 20 big league seasons, and slugger Dick Allen. Parker died June 28, just a month before he was to be inducted. An estimated 30,000 fans crowded onto the field adjacent to the Clark Sports Center, sun umbrellas and Japanese flags sprinkled around. Suzuki's No. 51 was seemingly everywhere as fans, thousands of them Seattle Mariners boosters who made the trek from the Pacific Northwest, chanted "Ichiro" several times throughout the day. A sign that read "Thank You Ichiro! Forever a Legend" in English and Japanese summed up the admiration for Suzuki on his special day. With 52 returning Hall of Famers on hand, Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his 18-minute speech in English. His humor, a surprise to many, delighted the crowd. He threw shade at the Miami Marlins, the last stop of his professional career. "Honestly, when you guys offered me a contract in 2015, I had never heard of your team," Suzuki joked. He kidded that he showed up at spring training every year with his arm "already in shape" just to hear Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs scream, "`Holy smokes! Another laser-beam throw from Ichiro!'" He even took a moment for some tongue-in-cheek modesty. "People often measure me by my records. Three thousand hits. Ten Gold Gloves. Ten seasons of 200 hits. "Not bad, huh?" Suzuki said to more laughs. He thanked his late agent Tony Anastasio for "getting me to America and for teaching me to love wine." But he also took time to get to the root of what made him extraordinary. "Baseball is much more than just hitting, throwing and running. Baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is important. It helped shape my view of life and the world. … The older I got, I realized the only way I could get to play the game I loved to the age of 45 at the highest level was to dedicate myself to it completely," he said. "When fans use their precious time to see you play, you have a responsibility to perform for them whether you are winning by 10 or losing by 10. "Baseball taught me what it means to be a professional and I believe that is the main reason I am here today. I could not have achieved the numbers without paying attention to the small details every single day consistently for all 19 seasons." Now he's reached the pinnacle, overcoming doubters, one of whom said to him: "`Don't embarrass the nation.'" He's made his homeland proud. "Going into America's Baseball Hall of Fame was never my goal. I didn't even know there was one. I visited Cooperstown for the first time in 2001, but being here today sure feels like a fantastic dream." Sabathia thanked "the great players sitting behind me, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001)." He paid homage to Parker and spoke about Black culture in today's game. "It's an extra honor to be a part of Dave's Hall of Fame class. He was a father figure for a generation of Black stars. In the '80s and early '90s when I first started watching baseball and Dave Parker was crushing homers, the number of Black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw those guys on TV and there was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball uniform. "Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but baseball culture has not always been great to Black people. I hope we're starting to turn that around. I don't want to be the final member of the Black aces, a Black pitcher to win 20 games. And I don't want to be the final Black pitcher giving a Hall of Fame speech." Wagner urged young players to treat obstacles not as "roadblocks, but steppingstones." "I wasn't the biggest player. I wasn't supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame. Now, there are eight because I refused to give up or give in," he said. Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Sabathia was picked on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%. After arriving in the majors in 2001, Suzuki joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami. He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose's major league record of 4,256. Sabathia, second to Suzuki in 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston and Atlanta. Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend. Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for 35 seasons and received the Ford C. Frick Award. Boswell, a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post, was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
What happens behind the scenes in WWE? This SMU alum shows you exclusively on Netflix
Did you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes in WWE? WWE (World Wrestling Entertainmant) is the top pro wrestling / sports entertainment company in the world. The financial success of this long-running organization has other pro sports groups taking notice. There's the athletic side of WWE and also the entertainment side. Yes, fans know results are predetermined, but who and how it's determined who will win are part of the company's mystique. It's a process, a very interesting process. SMU alum Chris Weaver will give you a first-hand look at what occurs there as the director of the new docuseries 'WWE: UnReal,' which premieres July 29 on Netflix. From Monday Night RAW to WrestleMania, 'WWE: UnReal' goes backstage with WWE Superstars and staff as they bring the company's major spectacles to life. Season 1 covers from January to WrestleMania in April. So, WWE's biggest battles aren't always in the ring. 'WWE: Unreal' dives into the writers' room where legends — and feuds — are made. Paul Levesque, a 14-time WWE World Champion best known in the ring as Triple H and WWE's chief content officer since 2022, serves as the narrator of the docuseries. Weaver, who has a degree in Communication Arts: Cinema with a minor in English from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, is a senior producer for NFL Films, including the successful NFL reality docuseries 'Hard Knocks' on HBO. He is in his 22nd year working with NFL Films. Prior, he was an intern in the Broadcast Department for the Dallas Cowboys. During his teens years, Weaver gradauted from Mesquite High School in 1998 outside Dallas. Here is my video interview with 'WWE: UnReal' Director Chris Weaver. Weaver is a 9-time Emmy winning filmmaker. He has been instrumental in developing and launching new series such as 'Quarterback' for Netflix, 'Hard Knocks: in Season' for HBO, 'Peyton's Places' for ESPN+, 'All or Nothing' for Amazon, 'NFL Icons' for MGM+, 'NFL Films Drawn' for Youtube, and now 'WWE: UnReal: for Netflix. He has produced numerous features for 'Hard Knocks: Training Camp' for HBO, 'NFL Films Presents' for FS1, 'NFL Gameday All Access' for Youtube, 'Inside the NFL' for CW, 'Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL' for ESPN, 'A Football Life' for NFL Network and many more. His current focus is on story producing, lead editing, writing, and field directing. In an unprecedented turn, 'WWE: UnReal' takes you behind the scenes - into the writer's room and the homes of WWE's greatest Superstars - to show the year-round work it takes to execute one of the most secretive shows in the world week over week. And when the curtain falls down, the business of getting a show to air is just as compelling as the Main Event. Trailer: NETFLIX: JULY 29, 2025 EPISODES: 5 episodes x 50 Minutes EPISODE TITLES: Episode 1 - New EraEpisode 2 - PushEpisode 3 - Worth The WaitEpisode 4 - Heel TurnEpisode 5 - Wrestlemania THOSE FEATURED: Triple H, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Bianca Belair, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, and Xavier Woods. Logline: For the first time ever, step into the WWE writer's room and outside the ring with your favorite WWE Superstars, where the drama is just as intense offstage as it is under the spotlight. Director: Chris Weaver Showrunner: Erik Powers Executive Producers: Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz, Ross Ketover, Keith Cossrow, Ken Rodgers, Jessica Boddy, Lee Fitting, Ben Houser, Marc Pomarico Production Companies: Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports, WWE Visit:
