Latest news with #Premier League
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hoffenheim and Leeds reach full agreement on Stach transfer
Anton Stach's transfer from TSG Hoffenheim to Leeds United is considered a done deal, according to Sky Germany. A full agreement with Hoffenheim has been reached after intensive negotiations in recent days. A verbal agreement was already in place, as revealed and the Sinsheim club are set to receive €20million plus add-ons. The news comes just three days after after the 26-year-old agreed terms with the Premier League side before negotiations began. Across all competitions, Stach has represented the Kraichgauers on 71 occasions, scoring 4 goals and providing 6 assists. VfB Stuttgart were also reportedly courting the two-time German international, but it appears they have lost out to the Yorkshire side.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
UEFA 'fires warning to Chelsea and Aston Villa over inflated player swap deals' after Premier League duo breached Financial Fair Play rules
Chelsea and Aston Villa have reportedly been warned by UEFA that player swap deals will be monitored closely to make sure fees have not been inflated. UEFA are believed to have taken issue with at least one previous deal, according to The Times. In recent years Premier League clubs have paid sizeable fees to each other in instances where players have moved in each direction. And there have been protests from rivals that this has been done with the aim of artificially increasing transfer income in order to comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Earlier this month it was revealed that UEFA had stepped in to knock down the value of at least one deal that involved the two clubs. The Blues have been hit with a €31million (£26.8m) fine for breaching UEFA's financial rules. That figure could potentially rise to a record-breaking €91m (£78.5m) if they fail to comply within the next four years amid the threat of further sanctions hanging over them. Aston Villa were also fined €11m (£9.5m), which could rise to €26 million (£22.4m). UEFA stated at the time that they had looked at 'transactions involving the exchange of players' and that those 'required specific adjustments to the club's financial result'. The Times add that that UEFA will continue to scrutinise all such swap deals but Chelsea and Villa will be particularly under the microscope following their settlements. Omari Kellyman joined Chelsea from Villa for £19m last summer but is yet to make an appearance for the club. Ian Maatsen, a product of the Chelsea academy, went the other way for £37.5m and went on to play 29 times for the club in the top flight last term.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Classy Thomas Frank opens his first Tottenham press conference by paying a touching tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has paid tribute to Diogo Jota after he died in a car crash aged 28 earlier this month. Jota and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed following the accident, which occurred in northern Spain on July 3. Now, in his first Spurs press conference since joining the club from Premier League rivals Brentford, Frank has paid tribute to the pair. The Danish manager was announced as the Lilywhites' manager last month after they decided to sack Ange Postecoglou - despite the Australian winning them a first trophy in 17 years as he guided to victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final. Frank was speaking ahead of his side's first pre-season friendly, which sees them play Reading on Saturday afternoon. He said: 'On behalf of everyone at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, our condolences go to the family and the loved ones of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva and everyone at Liverpool Football Club.' The Portuguese international, who was part of Liverpool 's Premier League-winning side last season, made 131 appearances for Wolves and scored 44 goals during a three-year spell at the club after initially joining on loan from FC Porto in 2017. He then moved to Anfield in a £41million transfer in the summer of 2020 after impressing as part of the side that secured European football under Nuno Espirito Santo. On Thursday, his former club Wolves announced that he would be posthumously inducted into the club's Hall of Fame following his death. The West Midlands side confirmed the news via the release of an official club statement, which read: 'Diogo Jota has been inducted into the Wolves Hall of Fame, in a tribute that honours both his remarkable achievements for the club and the deep impact his passing has had on the footballing world. 'The Hall of Fame, which is run independently by a committee chaired by Wolves legend John Richards, has moved swiftly to make this rare and heartfelt decision, following the tragic and untimely death of Diogo and his younger brother Andre. Wolves Hall of Fame chairman and club vice president John Richards added his own statement on the matter after the news 'There is such a feeling of sadness and disbelief around this awful tragedy that we wanted to make this tribute of our own as soon as we could. 'Like everyone else, we've been stunned by events, and we remember what a wonderful player Diogo was for Wolves during that unforgettable promotion season under Nuno and our early years back in the Premier League. 'His record of 44 goals at Wolves, and then 65 at Liverpool as a Premier League title winner, speaks volumes. So many fans across the game – especially in Portugal after he helped them win the Nations League this summer – are feeling his loss deeply. We saw no reason to delay this decision. 'We hope it will bring a little comfort to those who were close to Diogo and Andre, and we trust Wolves supporters will understand that this gesture is made with real love and admiration, and also fully justified.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Hibs suffer narrow pre-season defeat to Bournemouth
Hibernian suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly at the Premier League club's training Iraola named a strong side for the match, with Philip Billing and Evanilson on target for the Cherries, who finished ninth in England's top tier last Bowie pulled one back in the second half for David Gray's men, who had been using Bournemouth's training ground to prepare for the new season.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Cole Palmer is England's cheat code for World Cup success after Chelsea heroics
In the midst of an 18-game goal drought, questions began to rise over Cole Palmer 's potency. With a supersonic rise to prominence comes the inevitable doubt that such quality can be sustained. The Manchester City youth product had set expectations high. His debut season at Chelsea single-handedly justified Todd Boehly's strategy of heavy investment in high potential, registering 33 goal contributions in 34 Premier League games in 2023/24. And while his mid-term tally of 14 goals this year was by no means indicative of a one-season wonder, the barren run that followed led the naysayers to become emboldened When his dry spell eventually came to an end on May 4 – netting a last-second penalty as Chelsea capitalised on Liverpool's post-crowning hangover – there was a real feeling of a weight being lifted. The 23-year-old had come out the other side of his first true patch of adversity as a senior player, the significance of which was represented by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez running the length of the pitch to celebrate with him. Palmer has looked his old self since that Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge, crucially re-stamping his mark as a big game player. His dazzling second-half display in the Conference League final made such a fact apparent, outshining his opposite number – a rejuvenated 33-year-old Spanish playmaker Isco - to spearhead a stunning turnaround against Real Betis. But it was Stateside, against the best team on the planet, where the Englishman made his biggest statement. There are not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe Palmer's scything of Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique had seemingly built an unbeatable footballing force, one that had conquered Europe after ridding itself of a reliance on superstars, instead shifting to an ideology that focussed on the all-powerful collective. Ironically, it was an individual that proved their undoing when world champion status was put on the line. A tournament tarnished by its unplayable heat, the Club World Cup culminated in the coldest performance of them all. Palmer was unfazed by the reputation PSG had built, but invigorated by how quickly his side had been written off. "Impossible," they said – but is there such a thing in football? What followed was an outright humbling, Palmer at the heart of all three Chelsea goals that went unanswered on their journey to immortality. 'Everyone's talked a lot of s*** about us this season, but I feel like we're going in the right direction,' Palmer said post-match. That wasn't from the media training handbook. It was instead a moment of refreshing honesty from a player who has been wrongly doubted for half a year, but evidently hasn't let the critics hurt his progression or on-pitch psyche. Enzo Maresca will hope such an astonishing solo performance is a sign of glory to come. As will Thomas Tuchel. Palmer has already conquered New Jersey's MetLife Stadium to win a 'World Cup'. Next year, England football team boss Tuchel will be praying for a repeat. The proper World Cup 2026 will reach its climax at the same location – an admittedly questionable choice, given its inconvenient location, lack of roof and unfit-for-purpose facilities – but regardless, England will strive to be there. The wealth of talent in England's ranks is arguably second to none. Position for position, Tuchel has serious depth in quality at his disposal, a fact made even more encouraging by the squad's relatively low average age. This era of England feels destined to win a major tournament – but we've been here before. The cautionary tale of the 'Golden Generation' has long taught England, as a nation, to manage its expectations. The mid-2000s squad that included the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes among a collection of world-beaters – that never got a sniff of ending however many years of hurt. This current crop, however, has. The wounds of back-to-back Euros final defeats still sting, but there is an increasing sense of belief that this England generation can break the now six-decade trophyless curse. That's because, at least under Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions had a knack for getting the job done, even when performances had a lot to be desired. At Euro 2024, there wasn't one game where England looked like potential champions. They still reached the final. Whether Tuchel can emulate the same ugliness and grit that got England to within 90 minutes of major silverware remains a key topic of debate. He was a master of tournament football at club level, famously guiding an unfancied Chelsea to the Champions League in 2020/21, but he's a novice in the international game. It's a completely different kettle of fish, and if his most recent international friendlies are to go by – an intensely underwhelming 1-0 win over miniscule Andorra and a shock 3-1 home loss to Senegal – Tuchel is still going through his teething stage, just 331 days before the 2026 World Cup gets underway. If England are going to achieve their crowning glory in 12 months, their fairytale ending to so much footballing pain, Tuchel will need something special. He'll need a man for the occasion. Palmer, with insider knowledge of how a Maga World Cup works and feels, could well be that man. The Blues talisman has yet to fully establish himself as an indispensable part of the England setup – a common struggle for younger players in international football, which naturally favours the more experienced. But he's already proven that he can deliver when it matters for England. He came off the bench to score the equaliser in Berlin last year, firing in from range to provide a Southgate side devoid of any inspiration a glimpse of desperately needed hope in the final. His contribution proved in vain for England's Euros dream, Mikel Oyarzabal instead snatching the title for Spain late on, but what it showed about the player still rings true. It's this big-game energy could make Palmer the key to England salvation for Tuchel. His supreme ability is complemented by a mentality that pays no interest to outside noise, staying unapologetically true to himself rather than bowing to the perfect PR image imposed on modern footballers. It makes him a uniquely perilous threat, dangerously immune to the pressure – his 'Cold Palmer' nickname is apt - and one whose mind is genuinely hard to get into as an opponent. In light of his Club World Cup masterclass, it's clearer than ever that Palmer can handle the heat. Levels are shown when difficult circumstances arise, and while many of the game's top stars faltered in the brutal conditions of the US, Palmer looked unaffected. Expect little to change in a year, which could make Palmer a World Cup cheat code for England.
