Myles Lewis-Skelly is not simply part of Arsenal’s future. He is very much part of the champions’ vibrant present. Headlines linking the teenager with a move away thankfully disappeared for good in Cardiff on Sunday.

The Community Shield often throws up more questions than answers, but one argument certainly settled, and no doubt dispelled in the 3-0 humbling of Manchester City, was the importance of Lewis-Skelly to Arsenal for footballing and financial reasons.

Arsenal should sell even world champions like Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino before even considering moving on Lewis-Skelly. He’s that important.

One down, 60-odd to go

He’s more than a number for Arsenal, even an obscure number in 49 vacated by an Estonian goalkeeper, Karl Hein, now Werder Bremen’s No.1. He’s more than a talented midfield option to rotate in when the new first choice of Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes has done its ferocious work and needs a break or the game is won.

Given the innate impatience of youth, the teenager will want to play every game. But there are so many. Arsenal are one game into what could prove a 68-game marathon. Mikel Arteta will sensibly rest and rotate, ensuring freshness for each game, a lesson surely learned from Rice’s draining workload last season.

“MLS” brings energy and intensity of press. He brings composure and invention in possession. For Arsenal’s first against City, Lewis-Skelly calmly let the ball run across him and then guided Riccardo Calafiori through on goal. Few players have the intelligence to see that pass and the technique to deliver it. He spots opportunity early. That anticipation and nimbleness, changing direction quickly, reflects early years as a tennis prospect.

He’s versatile, best in central midfield but launching himself onto the scene with Arsenal and England at left-back. He played centre-back for his school team but lacks the height. There are elements to his game that still needing work, including developing his shooting, but he’s still only 19. Like any young professional, MLS will be learning the art of total devotion to his craft. He certainly has great role models to learn from at London Colney.

MLS is an exciting symbol of a trait that fans always love – one of their own, an admired academy graduate, a link between the dressing room and the stands. He’s a Hale End boy, joining at eight, and imbued in the ways of the club like Bukayo Saka and the poster-boy for the next generation, Max Dowman. In the age of sky-high transfer fees and clubs needing to balance their books (which Arsenal do well), it makes even more sense to develop talent. The flaw in the system is that it then encourages clubs to sell the homegrown as it goes down in the books as pure profit.

How much is MLS worth? Headlines have him at £45m, which seems laughably low, almost disrespectful. He’s 19, got four years left on his contract and is an England international (with the added Three Lions premium to any fee).

Little fazes him: he scored against City in 2025 and famously mimicked Erling Haaland’s meditation celebration. The act felt more cheeky than insolent or arrogant and was a slight response to Haaland’s previous “who are you?” during an Etihad flare-up. MLS is not short on character.

He provided an assist against Real Madrid and scored on his England debut. Arteta rated the teenager highly enough to start him ahead of Zubimendi in last May’s Champions League final against Paris St-Germain. Best in a double pivot, Lewis-Skelly enjoyed helping Guimaraes dominate Elliot Anderson and the struggling Mateo Kovacic in Cardiff.

Talk of him leaving, however brief and caused by whoever, was dispiriting. Arsenal are a global institution, with players and supporters drawn from all over, and that is a celebration of their appeal and welcoming nature. But reminders of their roots, their Englishness, need protecting and promoting. Local heroes are part of Arsenal’s history going back to Tony Adams and Charlie George.

Midway through the second half at the Principality Stadium, Arsenal fans began singing about the late, great David Rocastle, whose name, image and mission statement adorn parts of Hale End. “Remember who you are, what you are, and who you represent.” MLS represents Arsenal’s present and future.

‘Out of darkness cometh light.’ So read the banners spanning the centre of Molineux’s South Bank before Wolverhampton Wanderers played their Championship opener against Blackburn Rovers.

It’s not a difficult message to comprehend. Wolves suffered an utterly miserable relegation from the Premier League in 2025-26, effectively left to wither by the very people responsible for nourishing them. 2026-27 is new. New promise. New bigwigs. New gaffer.

But the dawn of each new season gives lie to one of football’s great false assumptions. The Wolves supporters converging on Molineux in the scorching Friday evening sunshine resplendent in gold don’t care what division they’re in. At least not tonight.

A dose of Championship reality

Starting from zero offers the cruel extremes of elation or misery. This opening night threatened to end badly for Wolves, who scored first but found themselves behind against a Blackburn team expected to improve under returning manager Tony Mowbray.

The danger posed by established Championship teams to relegated opponents is that they can be sturdy and streetwise. Blackburn were both in the West Midlands in their first game of the season.

2026-27 is a bracing test for Wolves. The bar is high; the expectation that they will return to the Premier League at the first time of asking isn’t universally held but it was overheard frequently on the streets outside the ground without much need to strain the ears.

Relegated teams have certain advantages over other promotion hopefuls but those who drop on the back of disastrous seasons can be difficult to turn around.

The new manager tasked with that job is Cesar Peixoto, a 46-year-old former Porto midfielder who is in his first managerial role outside Portugal and never played a competitive match beyond its borders either.

Peixoto told reporters after their 2-2 draw with Blackburn that Wolves wanted all three points. He wasn’t happy with one but they were perhaps fortunate to even get that. The clock ticked into stoppage time with Rovers in front.

The goals scored by the away team pointed to a vulnerable spot that Wolves can expect opposition managers to target in every Championship fixture until Peixoto resolves it. Understandably, he wasn’t overly concerned after one match.

Yet it was a clear and repeatable blueprint that yielded both Blackburn goals.

Both came from deliveries into the box right under the nose of the goalkeeper and were finished with one touch by a player lurking in what ice hockey lovers would describe as the blue paint.

Sean McLoughlin smartly glanced a header beyond Dan Bentley to draw the visitors level. Andri Gudjohnsen turned in Oladapo Afolayan’s pass across the face to give them the lead. Both were defendable but not defended, good finishes from an attacking perspective but concerning for Wolves.

Wolves were saved by Raul Jimenez’s penalty in stoppage time

‘Out of darkness, cometh light.’

In need of a goal, Peixoto turned to a Molineux favourite. Weeks after playing in a home World Cup, Mexico striker Raul Jimenez played his first Championship match at his other home.

Jimenez, now 35, followed Wolves into the second tier after his contract expired at Fulham. The fans around Molineux know exactly what they’re getting from a striker with 55 Premier League goals to his name, but only half of his Wolves story can be told on paper.

The Mexican hitman supplied a commemorative scarf to every fan on the South Bank. That’s the kind of figure Jimenez is at Wolves. The buzz when he came on was palpable and Peixoto was rewarded for giving the faithful what they wanted.

After replacing highly rated young winger Matheus Mane, Jimenez did what Jimenez does.

He won some flick-ons. He got himself into the box and tried to nick a goal by throwing a leg at anything small, round and rolling he could find. He let his opponents know he was there, naturally, but the first goal of his second spell at Wolves was familiar in another way.

Mowbray and Blackburn disputed the decision to award a stoppage-time penalty for Ryan Alebiosu’s handball, but once the offence had been adjudged to have taken place inside the box, what happened next in front of a sea of Jimenez’s scarves was never in doubt.

It truly didn’t matter in that moment whether Jimenez was scoring in the Premier League or the Championship or League One or anywhere else.

If Matthias Jaissle needed a reminder of the task he has inherited at Newcastle United this season, he got a rather harsh one inside 45 seconds at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Bayer Leverkusen were the prestigious visitors for the first part of a pre-season double-header a week before the new Premier League season. The sides met in the Champions League in December, drawing 2-2 at the BayArena. But the Magpies are on a very different path now, a fact that was made eminently clear from the moment Ibrahim Maza fired past new signing Lukas Hornicek at the Gallowgate End from distance. Newcastle recovered to level before half-time through Malick Thiaw before substitute Victor Boniface scored the winner.

On Sunday, Will Osula scored in another disappointing draw with French side Strasbourg, ending in defeat on penalties. Both games taught Jaissle more about what he was missing than what he had.

Newcastle United had two friendlies over the weekend – with plenty to learn in each

Maza was the difference on the first afternoon, offering Leverkusen the sort of creativity the Magpies have badly lacked for years. Every time he got the ball, he was in space and faxing goal, seemingly knowing where all of his team-mates were.

Although staff has since changed on almost every level, Newcastle tracked the Algerian as a teenager while he was at Hertha Berlin. Eddie Howe was criticised for a lack of ingenuity in his side, and Jaissle has gone on to lose Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes who could have gone some way to providing it.

The German likes to utilise a no.10 in a 4-2-3-1 system; not only was Maza making Leverkusen tick, he was showing what Newcastle were missing. You sense if they were to try and move for him now, he’d cost three or four times what he would a year ago.

After a harrowing summer of change on Tyneside, there is a need not only for three or four experienced players to strengthen particular positions, but signings that excite and prove to the existing squad and fans, that the Saudi-led project is still alive. Five years on from the takeover, the hard reset has left many contemplating the Public Investment Fund’s appetite for it given the changing political landscape in the Middle East.

Judging on pre-season is always a risk because results, by definition, don’t matter. Stretching the first team squad over two games just before the competitive action starts, though, seems somewhat counterintuitive. With both squads made up by benches full of academy players, it was always hard to read what would happen once substitutions were made.

“We needed to split,” Jaissle said on Saturday.

“First of all, because it doesn’t make sense that the the lads play two games in a row. But the most important thing now in the last friendlies that you see everyone over 90 minutes, and there are different approaches.

“Some of them, they could use one more training day, especially the guys who returned later or came back from an injury. So there are many aspects to consider, and again, it has nothing to do with with a starting XI or not.”

Across both days, Jaissle was forced to face reality in a number of different ways. Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, the two forwards hastily signed under Howe to replace Alexander Isak in 2025, are not quite clicking together. Wissa is undoubtedly sharper than he ever has been in a black and white shirt, but that bar was painfully follow. Woltemade still looks like a square peg in a round hole, and although there is goodwill and a desire to make their record signing a success, a nagging sense that club and player should part ways is growing.

Then there is Osula: the most unpredictable striker at the club. Every touch of the ball generates anticipation, with any moment possessing the potential to be stunning and magical or a complete let down. In that sense, he is the perfect poster boy for the era to come at St James’ Park.

Excitement at the unknown is to be commended, because the usual response is fear. Based on both of these games, Newcastle are far from ready. They insist more business will follow before the transfer deadline, with Benfica fullback Amar Dedic likely to be confirmed this week, but that alone won’t be enough.

Someone like Maza would flick a switch and instantly reinvigorate everybody, giving Jaissle a stronger chance of making an impact. As of now, though, with Liverpool and the opening day less than a week away, Newcastle are undercooked and playing catch up. Turning things around will only get harder from here.

Frank Lampard has been here before. The Premier League was his playground for nearly two decades and he was indisputably one of its greatest ever players by the time he left it behind.

He’s been here as a manager, too, with both Everton and former club Chelsea. The Coventry City boss is no Premier League novice but it’s different this time. His work at Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge had merit but the three years since his third Chelsea exit have been the making of him.

Steering the Sky Blues to promotion as the winners of the Championship in his first full season in charge was a serious achievement. Owner Doug King gave no indication in the autumn of 2024 that he felt he was taking a risk by appointing Lampard, who has repaid that confidence many times over.

Lampard is back among the big boys

Others weren’t so convinced. There are still doubters now, not least those whose interest begins and ends with the Premier League. They’ve seen Lampard deliver results in the form of promotion but the substance, the material evolution of Lampard the Gaffer in the West Midlands, remains out of view.

Expecting the same Lampard is folly. We’ve all learned a lot in three years, about ourselves and our lives and our priorities, about our strengths, weaknesses, methods and motivations.

Lampard is no different, and yet it must be acknowledged that, yes, the immediate task he faces is a difficult one.

Transfer activity has to be carried out in quantity and quality, but is impossible to complete.

City have that in common with most promoted teams but have invested heavily to bring in players they hope – with some justification – will prove shrewd acquisitions.

Carl Rushworth was their number one all along. Frank Onyeka was an easy choice in midfield after a positive loan. Gustavo Hamer is the returning hero seeking the creative freedom of home.

Loum Tchaouna and Aurele Amenda are big-money, high-potential risks; Caleb Yirenki the young superstar record buy.

King, Lampard and Dean Austin have already achieved a lot in the transfer window and there will be more to come, but Coventry will start the season at a disadvantage as a club promoted into the Premier League for the first time in the modern era. They have a world of work to do and none of it is easy.

The cost of the spotlight

Lampard returns to the Premier League as a more skilled and more experienced manager but his deftness and adaptability were developed away from the hyper-exposed top division.

It’s possible to look at Lampard’s managerial career as a series of specific challenges. Both spells at Chelsea were appointments of hopeful convenience, Derby County a mutual show of ambition, and Everton a rescue mission.

Whether or not it’s overly generous to say that he was more of a success in those roles than he’s given credit for is beside the point. Lampard did all this as a young boss, in the years when many managers are able to learn and fail and evolve away from the glare under which he was operating.

Lampard at 48 is a different kind of coaching archetype, cerebral and even studious without being yet another caricature off the one-dimensional high-performance conveyer belt. He’s dedicated but thriving, it might be said, precisely because of the respect he has for balance in life.

When advice is offered by people who succeeded in management before him, Lampard is able to take it on board without questioning his own outlook and methods. In time, he has become a more rounded manager than he was when he last took charge of a Premier League match.

Lampard has tactical ideas and plans like any other manager but doesn’t allow them to hold him back. In a Championship title race that occasionally threatened to become competitive, Lampard succeeded not as an idealogue but as a manager who found a way to build a team that finds a way.

Coventry’s resilience will be the making of their manager

The pivotal moment in Coventry’s season and Lampard’s managerial career came in February, when the injury-hit Sky Blues found themselves looking up at Middlesbrough from second place after the Teessiders logged their sixth win in a row.

Coventry, winless in three and with two wins in their last eight Championship matches, beat Boro relatively comfortable in their very next game, won six on the spin and never looked back.

The bond between Lampard and Coventry is real and their new adventure is a shared one, but all outcomes are possible amid the trials and tribulations of a promoted club. Even good managers need a fair wind in that brutal first season.

Coventry might stay up, they might go down. Lampard might last the season regardless, he might get an offer he can’t refuse from elsewhere. King might be the man to make that decision, as unlikely as it seems now.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the only thing we can be relatively certain about is that Lampard, one way or another, will be among the Premier League managers again next season.

I’ll start this week by writing about Barcelona’s pursuit of Rodri, who proved he’s the best player in that position after his outstanding World Cup. As I've said many times, when Pep Guardiola explained that you won't see the best of Rodri until the World Cup—he was spot on. I thought he was fantastic for Spain, and it'd be a huge blow for Manchester City if he left.

City are going to play hardball, and I don't blame them, because I think he's got a year left on his contract. So they might keep him for another year and then let him go in the summer. But from the outside, it seems like he wants to go to Barcelona. It'd be some coup for them, because I think he'd be fantastic there.

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That style of football suits Rodri perfectly. Barcelona have a similar style of play to Spain, and lots of their players are in the national team. He would easily slot into their midfield and make things happen.

'Araújo alongside Virgil van Dijk is brilliant'

One player who has left Barcelona this summer is Ronald Araújo, after joining Liverpool. His biggest issue will be staying fit after having lots of injury problems last season. He’s missed a lot of football, but he’s someone with natural talent. Liverpool needed to go into the market to get a defender, and they got one.

Obviously, Giovanni Leoni is coming back, but is still a young player learning his trade. So I think having Araújo alongside Virgil van Dijk is brilliant. Hopefully he just stays fit, and can produce some of the form that we saw at Barcelona.

Someone else whose name has been touted with a transfer is Myles Lewis-Skelly. We all knew him as a left-back, but I thought he was outstanding after coming into midfield for Arsenal. He can play in numerous positions, and you can understand why a club like Manchester United would be linked with him. They want to strengthen in midfield, and he could also be a long-term successor to Luke Shaw at left-back. And you can see why Chelsea are keen on him, because they've lost Marc Cucurella, and he just fits straight into that hole.

But if I'm Arsenal, I'm not selling Lewis-Skelly to a rival, that's for sure. They are likely to go deep into the cup competitions and are the favourites to win the Premier League. So you're going to need your squad, and Lewis-Skelly is the type of player you would like to call upon.

If I was him at 19-years-old, I'd probably stay for at least another season. I'd be thinking to myself that I’m with the Premier League champions, so I would want to stay there and I want to fight for my position.

I want to say to Mikel Arteta, ‘I'm good enough to get into this team.’ And that's how he's got to be thinking. It looks like Arsenal want him to stay and Lewis-Skelly wants to stay too, which is probably the best thing for both parties right now.

We also saw a rare swap deal this week, with Brennan Johnson going to Everton and Dwight McNeil arriving at Crystal Palace. I must say, it was crazy for Palace to lose Johnson. I haven't spoken to anyone at Palace about it—I think I might do that very soon—but I don't get it, because Palace paid big money for Johnson. He was on massive wages though, so that may have come into their thinking.

It hasn't really worked out for him there so far, and the new manager's probably seen him in pre-season and thought, ‘It's not going to work for me.’ They've obviously strengthened too, with the signing of Evann Guessand on loan from Aston Villa, and they're looking at other players in that area as well. I know they also tried to go for Dwight McNeil previously, but the deal fell through at the last hour. McNeil's wages are probably lower than Johnson’s, so that’s the biggest benefit to Palace in the deal.

Looking at the football matches coming up, we’ve got the Community Shield taking place this Sunday. I was at the match last year when Palace beat Liverpool on penalties, and you could see that neither team were treating the game like a friendly. I realise that nobody wants to get injured a week before the start of the Premier League season, but it’s the opportunity to get another trophy in the cabinet. Both Arsenal and Man City will be going for it, and it should be an entertaining game. So I totally agree with what Viktor Gyökeres said when he dismissed the match as a friendly. It's all about winning now, and that can only breed confidence going into the new season.

This is also the opening weekend of the EFL season, and it’ll be interesting to see if West Ham can hit the ground running in a battle of the relegated Premier League teams against Burnley on Sunday. A lot of eyes will also be on Lincoln City after winning promotion, and they’ve got a very tough start away at Middlesbrough, who have spent a fair bit of money in the transfer window.

Sheffield United are also up against my old team Birmingham City–can they get in the promotion mix this season? A lot of money is being spent in the division, and the play-offs now go down to the team which finishes eighth.

A team that I feel could do well this season is Norwich City. I think they've got a good manager in Philippe Clement, with some good, exciting players, and quite a few internationals. They could be a force in the division this season.

Manchester United have been punching beneath their weight for some time. Ruben Amorim might not have been the most disappointing head coach appointment, just the man in the plush racing seat when the music stopped on the Red Devils’ aura.

Amorim was in the Man United job altogether too long but ultimately left them in a salvageable position last season. After a couple of matches under caretaker head coach Darren Fletcher, the club turned again to former midfielder Michael Carrick.

The brief for the interim head coach was clear enough: Get results with a team that previously couldn’t even count as high as the sum of its parts, never mind perform beyond them.

How it all went right for Michael Carrick at Manchester United

Carrick’s interim spell was a success. Finishing third in the Premier League and returning to the Champions League after a season that totalled a meagre 40 matches was an admirable achievement, albeit the influence of Bruno Fernandes simply cannot be ignored.

The outer-layer assumption is that Carrick was able to unlock United’s capabilities by engendering a sense of simplicity and freedom, most notably by doing away with a formation Amorim was smitten with but which plainly wasn’t working.

There’s some merit to that simplistic analysis.

Very good players can perform or not on their own but they can also be held back by their environment and, for very many reasons that don’t all apply in Amorim’s case, by a head coach that doesn’t suit, motivate or maximise them.

Relieving that internal pressure on a presentable playing staff by simplifying things and switching to a back four might sound obvious but isn’t just basic stuff that any incoming gaffer could have translated into results.

Carrick didn’t stroll back into Carrington in January, tell his players that back threes are for dorks and immediately defeat Manchester City by just going out there and enjoying themselves. It was an actively smart move on his part to see what he had and understand how to unleash it.

It earned United the desired outcome and got him the job on a permanent basis. With third place and a Champions League spot in the bag, he was the obvious choice.

The audition is over and it’s time to play the part

What happens now is for real and it’s Carrick’s to own. ‘Interim’ is gone. There’s no bounce, no release from loathed methods of old. The only yardstick is the same one against which all United managers are evaluated and that’s an entirely different challenge.

The power of ‘getting it’ typically doesn’t carry from one season to the next. There’s a big difference between getting it and doing it. Doing it is now the task at hand.

There are reasons to be optimistic. Carrick himself is one of them; it would be unreasonable to discount the very tangible success of last season, and it bodes well.

After all, the former United midfielder hasn’t betrayed any reason to doubt him. His team’s recovery in the second half of 2025-26 amounted to just two losses and three draws in 17 matches and included wins over City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool, all of whom finished in the top five with them.

United have brought in some top-quality players in the transfer windows both this summer and last.

Senne Lammens, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko are all major contributors, and the same will be expected of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos even if supporters hope for more additions. Even prodigal son Marcus Rashford could be in line to play his part.

For Carrick, the bar is high. Qualifying for the Champions League is the baseline for United, not a target, and even that would be deemed by some supporters as falling short of expectations.

The likes of United, Liverpool and Villa can also expect to face more significant opposition from big-spending Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, neither of whom can afford another season like the last and are doing everything in their power to make sure it doesn’t happen.

We’ll find out in the early part of 2026-27 whether United are set up for success. This time last year, with plenty of money spent in the summer but holes in the team and a head coach who steadfastly stuck with methods that seemed to do more damage than just not working, they were doomed to fail

Carrick is the face of what United supporters hope will be a different experience, with players performing to their abilities and operating as a team capable of re-planting the United flag.

His first match of the new season takes United to promoted Hull City. The second is at home against Ipswich Town. The expectation will be that they win both. It’s a familiar standard that Carrick is going to have to embrace.

Kyle Walker to Burnley. Rio Ferdinand to Queens Park Rangers. We don't need to give you any more examples. We know you know the meme: slideshows of Euro 2020's biggest stars in big old 2026, donning their new club's Castore kits, smiles on their faces but the glint all but extinguished from their eyes.

Mohamed Salah in a Trabzonpor shirt felt the most jarring this summer, let's be honest – a little bit like stroking a dog backwards. He still, surely, had something to give at the very top level. FourFourTwo's Kedar Bayley was just as confused, calling it “farcical and rage-inducing” that after claiming he still wanted to compete, Salah at wound up in Istanbul and not even at one of the city's bigger clubs.

Leroy Sane's left turn to Galatasaray at the age of 29 was a strange one to digest, too: sad, really, that he was leaving Europe's top five leagues just six or seven years after being one of the most exciting young players in English football, but intriguing to see him with Victor Osimhen. Now Dusan Vlahovic – once compared to Erling Haaland – is off to Besiktas to play alongside Leandro Trossard, arguably the Premier League champions' best attacker last season. Lesley Ugochukwu, Wilfried Singo, Marco Asensio and Nathan Ake, surely, are all good enough for Europe's top five leagues, aren't they?

It's not quite as simple as to call this a retirement league. Granted, a few of these players have turned 30 – but even the most cynical online troll wouldn't tar them all them with the “washed” brush. More and more talent is turning to Turkish shores, and not just for dental or follicular reasons. The Super Lig has seemingly replaced the Saudi Pro League as the go-to destination for a very particular transfer in football: the high-wage, late-20s-to-early-30s talent who Serie A can't afford.

To put it into context, N'Golo Kante moved from Saudi to Fenerbahce this summer. The beloved box-to-boxer was one of the Pro League's jewels when it started its influx a few years ago, with Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo all flocking to the Gulf State. Gabriel Martinelli – another player more than good enough to play at a high level in Europe, and Arsenal's top scorer in cup competitions last season – has consistently been linked with Saudi. Now, he's linked with Galatasaray.

It used to be that if you moved to Saudi Arabia, everyone assumed you were doing it for the money – but it was OK, because you could talk about the ambition of the league and the end-goal, to make Saudi football-mad (something that almost certainly won't happen until after 2034, when they've hosted the World Cup and you've long-retired, collected your pay package and sodded off to start Atletico Boise in the MLS).

Whereas if you moved to the Super Lig in the last five to 10 years, the perception was different. It was assumed it was because you weren't quite wanted in Saudi for whatever reason, but you perhaps wanted the comfort and salary that comes with the league. See Osimhen's ugly Napoli break-up. See Jhon Duran and whatever on earth happened there.

Things have changed. The Pro League's marquee summer signing, at the time of writing, is Crysensio Summerville. A good player, of course: while Turkish teams continue to be linked with top-level talent, including wonderkids Ethan Nwaneri and Rodrigo Mora. It's quite the turn of events.

Critics have been quick to point to a bubble bursting in Saudi. That feels rather simplistic, however: it was always going to be unsustainable to sign another Ronaldo, Benzema or Kante every season until the Pro League eclipsed Europe's top five leagues. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) has pulled back on several global sports initiatives as they refocus on domestic Saudi projects – including a reported retrenchment from financing LIV Golf – while Newcastle United fans have been left wondering just how much of a priority the Toon are among the nation's ambitions. As friend of FourFourTwo Adam Clery recently alluded to on The Overlap Fan Debate, however, perhaps Saudi Arabia simply wanted a seat at the table in European football. Solange and not Beyonce; to compete in, not to conquer, the beautiful game.

Turkiye offers a few things that Saudi can't, though. They're not building a top league from the very foundations.

While the Turkish national team only returned to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years over the summer, the country is far more established in the game. They've consistently produced talent over the past three decades and currently have two of the more exciting youngsters in Europe, in Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz.

There's an established hierarchy and clear identity, too. Gala and Fener are renowned rivalries, Besiktas regulars at the very top of the sport, too. Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir are intent on upsetting the status quo – so it's not a one-team league or duopoly, where if you're not playing for the elite side in the division, you're a no one.

And there's a football culture there that Saudi Arabia haven't yet fostered: picture Turkish football and you'll envision the cliches of tifos referencing the underworld, flares and so much smoke you can barely see the names on shirts. There may well be Al-Nassr diehards who very grateful to CR7 for putting their club on the map and winning the league title – but if you do well in the Super Lig, you're essentially a god.

Yet all of this misses the obvious answer – the one good reason for Turkish football to be a little more set up for a Salah or a Mane than Saudi ever was – which became very clear when Galatasaray beat Liverpool almost a year ago with the likes of Sane, Osimhen and Singo in tow, while Lucas Torreira, Ilkay Gundogan and Mario Lemina made up a midfield that 2019 would have been proud of. There's the allure of the European football.

No Turkish side has progressed past the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Just as we all wondered whether the Saudi Pro League would start genuinely competing for European eyeballs, it's always a tentative statement to claim, “hey things could genuinely change,” just because these clubs can afford Romelu Lukaku and Vlahovic. But we could have two Super Lig sides among the elite: Galatasaray are in Pot 3 for the Champions League, with Fenerbahce up against Lyon in the qualifiers – and with just eight teams of 36 out in the league phase, European knockouts have never been more attainable.

Galatasaray's 2000 UEFA Cup win, meanwhile, remains the blueprint for all modern Turkish clubs. Salah's Trabzonspor and Trossard's Besiktas are in the Europa League qualifiers, with Basaksehir in the Conference League – knowing that the final of that particular competition is in Istanbul next year. UEFA tournaments are more competitive than ever, now that Sevilla don't drop into the Europa League and sweep up. With the greatest of respect to them, West Ham United and Crystal Palace have won European trophies in recent seasons: there's no reason a Turkish team can't go deep into those competitions.

None of this is new. Roberto Carlos and Guti were early purveyors of the league, before Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka moved to Istanbul; Robin Van Persie and Mesut Ozil had stints, too. Leagues aren't necessarily bubbles, but balloons, inflating with talent before the inevitable sigh, when big players leave and bigger players don't replace them. Hate to tell you, but the Premier League won't be king forever, and one day we'll be having tricky conversations about where all the good players went.

Turkish football isn't suddenly set to rival English football but there's enough behind it to suggest that it's sustainable enough for the talent it's attracting. Maybe it's time to start seeing it as a viable destination for players with plenty of ambition left in the tank, after all.

For the first time in 20 years, the Community Shield is taking place outside England.

Arsenal and Manchester City will contest the domestic football season’s curtain-raiser at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 16 August owing to a change in its recent traditions. Since its 2007 reopening, the Community Shield has been held almost exclusively at Wembley with the showpiece previously only relocated twice by scheduling conflicts around the 2012 Olympics and Women’s Euro final in 2022.

This time, however, it was music – not football – that led to the meeting between the Premier League champions and FA Cup holders being switched from its London home. A five-night run of The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ stadium tour means supporters from north and south of the country will instead converge on the Welsh capital rather than Wembley, which is a blessing in disguise as much as it is a novelty.

Community Shield relocation should start Wembley debate

Between 2001 and 2007, Cardiff was the de facto home of English football as it welcomed 44 showpiece occasions, from the FA Cup final to the EFL play-offs, as Wembley’s Twin Towers were dismantled and replaced. It was something of a quid pro quo arrangement after Wales’s rugby union team staged a Test match with New Zealand at Wembley in 1997 while Cardiff Arms Park underwent a transformation into what many would come to know, and love, as the Millennium Stadium.

St Mary Street became the new Olympic Way, only better. A ground located in the heart of a major city with all the amenities that any visiting fan could want, available within touching distance, offered the best of both worlds. It helped that the venue itself witnessed some iconic moments, such as Steven Gerrard’s piledriver in the 2006 FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham or Andy Campbell’s extra-time chip that sealed hometown glory for Cardiff City in the old Second Division Play-Off final in 2003. Returning to those familiar comforts, even fleetingly, only serves to highlight the ongoing disconnect that exists between club supporters and their national stadium.

A day out at Wembley should be the pinnacle of any team's season. The reality is that a trip to the supposed ‘Home of Football’ is one of joyless endeavour. Supporters face limited choices both beneath and bordering The Arch, not to mention the logistical nightmare of getting there in the first place. Prestige fixtures invariably coincide with some form of scheduled disruption, be it maintenance work or strike action, on the West Coast Mainline as well as the M6 motorway; making the journey an arduous task for rail and road users alike. Beyond travel turmoil, the attraction of a jaunt to the capital has worn increasingly thin. The Football Association’s insistence on hosting both legs of the FA Cup semi-final has relegated a one-time pilgrimage into a financial rigmarole with the need to fund two return journeys in the space of six weeks.

It’s little wonder that City fans were unable to pack out their allocation for April’s last-four win over Southampton – their 23rd appearance at Wembley in 10 seasons. Followers of Enzo Maresca’s side are no strangers to playing competitive fixtures in unfamiliar settings. Their team contested the 2012 Shield at Villa Park as well as facing Liverpool a decade later at Leicester’s King Power Stadium. In 2008, they also trekked to Barnsley for a ‘home’ game after their UEFA Cup qualifier with EB Streymur was held at Oakwell while the Etihad Stadium’s pitch was re-laid due to a Bon Jovi concert. Rival supporters widely ridiculed the large swathes of empty seats in their end against the Saints, but unprecedented success offers no insulation from a cost-of-living crisis.

Wembley excursions were reluctantly accepted by supporters of all denominations as the price they had to pay for The FA’s construction costs from the stadium’s £789m refit. Yet the past 18 months have effectively been pure profit for the regulatory body, which settled its debts in the final quarter of 2024. Any obligation to continue forcing the game’s lifeblood to service it has long been removed, and a serious debate now needs to be had about why it is still considered the default venue for non-finals when its appeal has long dwindled. Prior to 1974, the Community Shield was never even held there; played at no fewer than 10 club grounds that marked a who’s who of English football heritage. In 1966, an all-Merseyside meeting between Liverpool and Everton saw fans treated to a rare glimpse of the newly won World Cup as it was paraded at Goodison Park before kick-off by Roger Hunt and Ray Wilson, two of England’s heroes that were preparing to line up against each other that afternoon.

Club grounds again hosting the season's opener remains highly attainable with Old Trafford, St James’ Park, Elland Road and Villa Park all set to either undergo significant rebuilds or be replaced with future-proofed successors that would make them fitting alternative venues. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium are also worthy contenders with Euro 2028 and a likely Women’s World Cup in 2035 already on their respective agendas. So, too, is the stage for Sunday’s encounter, which takes place at the first venue to host a Champions League final ‘indoors’ after its roof was closed for the 2017 occasion. But why stop there?

FA Cup semi-finals could conceivably also be played away from Wembley’s former white elephant again, as they were as recently as 2006, while the opportunity to take England back out on the road has the potential to enhance the national team’s relationship with those who follow their fortunes from beyond the confines of the M25. Nottingham Forest’s City Ground most recently enjoyed the Three Lions’ company for an end-of-season friendly with Senegal last summer that made Thomas Tuchel’s side accessible to more than simply those covered by the jurisdiction of an Oyster card.

At a time when Andy Burnham is seeking to ‘rewire’ the wider UK’s relationship with its London-centric government, the new prime minister would doubtless approve of sparing football supporters the hassle of multiple trips south of Watford Junction. The staunch Evertonian, who recently pleaded with his beloved club to sign a right-back, is particularly well-versed on that commute after multiple visits in the past two decades.

Removing the hassle of needlessly venturing to a stadium whose commercial growth now outstrips its original stock in trade would be a win-win situation for all parties. Life exists beyond Wembley for major football events, as this weekend in Cardiff proves. It's time The FA moved with a changing landscape and embraced the idea of devolution.

Brian Madjo twice headed wide as Aston Villa battled for an equaliser against Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg on Wednesday night.

The 17-year-old is used to waiting. Madjo signed for Villa from Metz in January but has been unable to play. Despite being from London, the former Luxembourg international’s registration was restricted until he turned 18.

In the midst of a pre-season campaign in which he’s featured regularly and scoring goals, Madjo was freed up when the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a Villa appeal. He made his overdue competitive debut in the UEFA Super Cup.

George Hemmings is thriving in a new position

Madjo eventually got his goal, bullying one of the best defenders in Europe at the back post to thump home from John McGinn’s cross, but rewind the move by one more pass and you’ll find the biggest positive of the night from Villa’s perspective.

Midfielder George Hemmings, now 19, came to the fore last summer. Villa’s first friendly was against Walsall at the Bescot Stadium and Hemmings immediately caught the eye.

He continued in that vein all summer and did so with various partners in the double pivot favoured by manager Unai Emery. The teenager was kept with the first team while others went on loan and made four appearances off the bench including one start in the Europa League.

Hemmings struggled in that start against Red Bull Salzburg but has been redeployed this summer and has been consistently impressive. Friendlies don’t count for much but performing in a Super Cup match against back-to-back Champions League winners PSG crystallised his shift into Villa’s three attacking midfielders in style.

The former Nottingham Forest youngster did everything against PSG that he’s been doing in his friendly appearances. His move up a line, primarily but not exclusively to the left wing, has unlocked a whole new battery of skills.

Hemmings looks a different player when he gets the ball out of his feet and carries the ball into green space, as he did in the first half in Salzburg.

His link play in the attacking third is more polished than anything he produced from central midfield suggested and he’s a threat, too. He was as close as anyone to scoring a second Villa equaliser against PSG.

The teenager has been used on the right this summer even with McGinn available, but it’s clear that Emery’s preference for him now is to play from the left in the role that brought the best out of a resurgent Emi Buendia in 2025-26.

Buendia has moved into the 10 after the British transfer record sale of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea but played the same way he always has. It was Hemmings who got at PSG, Hemmings who connected the play and Hemmings, ultimately, who did the lion’s share of the work left behind by Rogers, in both boxes and everywhere in between.

What’s planned for Hemmings this season isn’t clear. The arrival of Swiss international Johan Manzambi will affect how Villa configure their three off the striker and Hemmings is behind the newcomer in terms of his development as a first team-ready player.

But whatever Emery has in mind, Hemmings’ rather familiar performance might well have sharpened the manager’s faith in his promising youngsters in advance of what’s sure to be a busy and difficult season.

The American investor Warren Buffett once said that it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

He was talking about the corporate world, but with a tweak of the timeframes and a little artistic licence, the same could be applied to football.

Premier League history is littered with clubs who appeared to be on a sure footing after several seasons in the top flight, only for everything to unravel in a matter of months. Some manage to arrest the slide, others find themselves in the Championship before they know it.

Why Leicester City are a cautionary tale for clubs across the Premier League

For the best part of two decades, the financial power of the ‘Big Six’ - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur - has made it almost inconceivable to imagine any of those teams getting relegated.

Spurs gave it their best shot, though. A club who looked relegation-proof were 90 minutes from the drop last term, thanks to a dangerous mix of poor recruitment on the pitch and in the dugout, underperforming stars and a spate of injuries.

It is easy to forget that Tottenham actually gained three more points last season than in 2024/25, when they also finished 17th but were never at risk of falling into the bottom three.

You could argue that Spurs got away with it two years on the trot, but other teams have seen Premier League stability evaporate in a single season. Step forward, Leicester City.

The Foxes began the 2022/23 campaign as the club who had most consistently disrupted the Big Six over the previous seven seasons. Their incredible Premier League title in 2015/16 and the FA Cup triumph five years later grabbed the headlines, but they had also registered five successive top-nine finishes, narrowly missing out on a return to the Champions League in 2020 and 2021.

Nobody had them down as relegation candidates, however it quickly became clear that Leicester were presenting all the symptoms of a season of struggle. They signed just two players in summer 2022, with only Wout Faes arriving for a fee, and failed to sufficiently replace goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Manager Brendan Rodgers did not hide his frustration at the lack of transfer activity during an alarming start to the campaign in which Leicester took a single point from their first seven games. They spent £32m on defenders Victor Kristiansen and Harry Souttar in January, but as injuries continued to bite, form only got worse. Rodgers was sacked in April, and interim manager Dean Smith was unable to save them.

Leicester are the most high-profile example, but there are others. Bournemouth in 2019/20, plus Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion in 2017/18, all began their respective relegation campaigns with no apparent fear of the drop following multiple mid-table finishes.

Similar factors contributed to their demise: signings failed to deliver, influential players departed, lost form or suffered injuries, and managerial changes either didn’t work (Stoke and West Brom) or should have happened earlier (see Eddie Howe at Bournemouth and Alan Pardew at The Hawthorns).

There are plenty of long-serving Premier League clubs who have been relegated after circling the drain for a year or two - you could argue that the writing was on the wall for West Ham United and Wolves ahead of last season – but the above examples show that it takes only a few bad months for all you’ve built to come crumbling down.

It is why the majority of top-flight clubs should be wary of getting sucked into a relegation battle - even those who start the season looking up.

Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion are seen as the model clubs of English football, and all finished in the top half last term. However, the Leicester example shows how quickly a team regularly punching above their weight can find themselves on the canvas. Bournemouth and Brighton will be juggling the Premier League with European football, which could lead to a drop-off domestically.

Further down last season’s table, Fulham and Newcastle United have both lost a long-serving manager and multiple key players. If their replacements step up, both clubs will be absolutely fine, but if they don’t, they will be punished in a division as competitive as the Premier League.

Everton and Crystal Palace may also feel a relegation battle is beneath them, with the Toffees playing in a shiny new stadium and the Eagles winning trophies in each of the past two seasons. That could breed complacency, though, and it will be particularly interesting to see how new Palace manager Pierre Sage fares with a squad that is arguably weaker than last term.

Complacency shouldn’t be a problem at Leeds United or Nottingham Forest, who both battled relegation last season, nor at Sunderland, despite a shock seventh-place finish in their first campaign back in the top flight.

Of course, the fate of these established mid-table sides depends partly on the three promoted clubs: Coventry, Ipswich and Hull. Leicester, Bournemouth, Stoke and West Brom all suffered from other teams enjoying excellent first seasons back in the top flight, for example Fulham in 2022/23, Sheffield United in 2019/20 and Newcastle and Brighton in 2017/18.

On the flip side, the reason Spurs stayed up comfortably two seasons ago was because the three promoted clubs all failed to get anywhere near their tally of 38 points. Otherwise, Tottenham may have usurped Leicester as the ultimate example of an established Premier League team losing their top-flight status as a result of one horrific campaign.

Can Coventry City, Ipswich Town or Hull City exceed expectations and surge to safety in their first season back at this level?

If they do, the relegation trapdoor will be open and waiting to claim a surprise victim.

Poor Roberto Martinez. Wigan Athletic’s finest is in line for another of European football’s top international jobs, and there’s not an iota of excitement online from anyone: it’s all just comments about how he wasted Belgium’s great-ever generation of talent. Of how he must possess sensitive information of big-wigs at some of world football’s biggest federations. Of how if his name was Bob Martin, he’d be coaching in League One.

After this summer, few can defend his Portugal tenure and his decision to play a 40-something up front. And yes, perhaps it is surprising that Martinez – whose finest achievement in football happened within days of suffering relegation – keeps getting the biggest jobs on the continent. Though to give them their credit here, this is a forward-thinking move by Dutch football association standards, an organisation who lost their contact book about 15 years ago, but were lucky enough to still have the phone numbers of Ronald Koeman and Louis van Gaal scratched on a desk somewhere in the office, in case of emergencies, and have flitted between the two like a moth stuck between two streetlights in a cul-de-sac.

No, but seriously, the Belgium accusations simply aren’t true. Yes, they had good players. Yes, he hired Thierry Henry as a coach. But not every golden generation gets its flowers – and that one certainly should never have gotten as far as a World Cup semi-final in 2018.

Just saying that sounds utterly bananas. Thibaut Courtois in goal. Vincent Kompany leading the backline, flanked by Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. Youri Tielemans, Mousa Dembele, Yannick Carrasco and Dries Mertens all from the bench. A front three of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, for god’s sake.

Were you to name the 23 best footballers to ever come out of Belgium, there’s a fair likelihood that around 15-20 of them were in that selection. That team would walk most leagues in Europe – two or three times in a row. But that’s not how tournament football usually plays out. It’s not how it’s played out for every so-called ‘favourite’ in international football for the past couple of decades.

The Belgians had been dumped out of the previous two tournaments at the quarter-final stage with a whimper. Despite the wealth of talent available to Martinez, there were chronic issues across the pitch: Martinez had absolutely nothing resembling a left-back, with Nacer Chadli crowbarred into a wing-back berth out of necessity rather than invention. At the time, that was seen as the biggest problem.

It wasn’t. Not really. A lack of central midfield options meant that Axel Witsel – playing in China, at the time – was the one constant to rely on. Mousa Dembele had missed the last few games of the season and looked way off the pace during the tournament, getting dragged off after an hour of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante giving him the runaround in the semi. Tielemans was still just 21; Marouane Fellaini was a battering ram and De Bruyne had to play deeper at times, despite not being a double-pivot player.

Thomas Meunier was good, if not spectacular. The three-man defence, meanwhile, was fairly solid, if not ageing. The lack of pace from Kompany and Vertonghen put a lot of burden on Alderweireld’s legs. But really, all the spotlight was hogged by that attack: a get-out-of-jail trio who were surely capable of destroying all before them.

And to reiterate the point, yes, they would’ve done, had this been the Premier League. But here’s where this really gets controversial: were De Bruyne, Hazard and Lukaku really the men for tournament football?

Again, not really. They did their best, though. De Bruyne actually didn’t have a bad World Cup: he actually created the third-most chances of anyone in Russia – behind Neymar and set-piece specialist Kieran Trippier – but coming off the back of a historic 100-point season with Manchester City, we all expected him to flourish in his free role, delivering more than just the single goal he netted.

He seemed quiet: yet this would become a theme of the playmaker in knockout footbal. He’d never escape the ghost accusations when it came to European ties – he was subbed off in both Champions League finals he played through injury, which didn't help – but this was just who De Bruyne was. In the very biggest matches, he would enhance other players around him, rather than rocketing a ball into the top corner. His sole strike in 2018 came against Brazil – so he couldn’t have gone missing that much in big games – but he was more of a complementary piece when it came to international competitions.

Even Hazard was attacked with the ‘missing in big games’ cliche. The Chelsea legend netted just two Champions League knockout goals – and one was a penalty. Yet in 2018, he was absolutely magical, his performance against Brazil one of the finest of the tournament (and the 85th best of all time, according to FourFourTwo). He scored three times: you couldn’t have asked much more.

Lukaku, meanwhile, came out of the tournament with four goals and an assist, following a first season at Manchester United (yeah, that really happened). And it’s fair to say that the years have not been kind to the striker’s big game reputation, either. Despite 93 goals for his nation at the time of writing – and 26 scored against teams who have reached the top 10 of FIFA’s ranks since he made his debut – abiding memories of Big Rom at World Cups are not the braces he put up against Panama and Tunisia in Russia: they’re of his disasterclass against Croatia four years later, and his cameo roles in the States, which are fairly fresh in the memory.

2018 was right about the time that the 25-year-old was midway through his target man conversion, too. Despite his strength and build, Lukaku was never the guy to hold the ball up and bring others into play, with his first touch oft-slammed: he was at his best on the shoulder of a defender, or alongside another Martinez (Lautaro, at Inter Milan). He became a worse player when the likes of Jose Mourinho and Thomas Tuchel tried to turn him into something that he wasn’t – yet at the 2018 World Cup, he was there to run into space, to bully defenders who couldn’t handle his movement, and to take on the thankless task of stretching play for Hazard and De Bruyne to work in, since Belgium didn’t really have another top-level runner in attack.

It’s levelled at Martinez that he should have done more with that frontline, all at their peak, at the 2018 World Cup. In the years since, there’s a very good case – almost watertight, in fact – that each of Hazard, De Bruyne and Lukaku had their very best international tournament that summer.

It’s pretty well-established, too, that they lost to the better team: France were miles better in every department – and the Belgians gave them their trickiest game. The Red Devils comfortably beat England twice (in two games that didn’t matter). They outplayed Brazil; yes, they went 2-0 down to Japan, but pulled it out the bag when it mattered.

Belgium had the second-best players in the competition, and lost to the team with the first-best. But they were brilliance without balance: a semi-final was a proper achievement.

And by the time the Euros rolled around three years later, the golden generation had passed them by – Kompany had retired, Vertonghen and Alderweireld were well past their expirations and this was Real Madrid-era Hazard – yet they still didn’t disgrace themselves. Three wins in the group stage (caveated by the fact they played an understandably shellshocked Denmark after Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest), before beating a very good Portugal, and losing to the eventual winners. Again, was it really an underachievement? Or simply what we all expected from this group?

It’s really easy to look at talent that a team has on paper and deem them a failure for not winning something. But it’s an oversimplification to wonder why a Croatian side who have very few star names – but stars in all the right places – often do better than a Portugal side who have standout attackers that struggle to gel together; or why England looked quite so poor trying to cram Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden into a midfield, when a team like Spain are quite happy to take off a big name like Pedri in the middle for Mikel Merino, if he offers them box threat.

International football is very rarely about who has the best squad, but who has the best moments. Belgium had very few players who have consistently pulled something from nothing in the biggest knockouts: they're all league specialists. And over the course of 38 games, Roberto Martinez would’ve been chastised for not finishing in a Champions League spot, at least, with the players he had at his fingertips. Across just seven matches, he probably did well to get to the last four of a major competition with Fellaini and Witsel in his engine room.

And maybe we’ve been harsh on him. Maybe the Wigan relegation and a fairly un-notable Everton stint have shaped the worldview that this is a guy you shouldn’t hand top-level talent to. No, he’s not a world-beater. No, he didn’t work miracles with Belgium. But did you really expect him to win the World Cup with that?

Rumours continue to link the 25-year-old with a move away from Stamford Bridge, but there are a catalogue of reasons why a deal appears highly unlikely.

A combination of huge valuations, accounting necessities , and dressing-room dynamics mean the Argentine looks firmly locked in place at Chelsea.

Firstly, the Blues have slapped a massive £120 million asking price on Fernandez. In any transfer climate, that figure eliminates 99 per cent of teams who might be interested.

Chelsea can't afford to sell Enzo Fernandez this summer - here's why

Only a tiny handful of the ultra-wealthy clubs could even theoretically entertain such an outlay, and none have shown a willingness to meet Stamford Bridge's demands, at least not recently.

Fernandez's reputation precedes him, too. There have been off-pitch controversies whilst on international duty and questions over how he fits into a dressing room, leaving plenty of managers erring on the side of caution, especially for such a fee.

From the player's perspective, there is also no reason for him to force an exit on unfavourable terms. Fernandez has six full years remaining on his lucrative Stamford Bridge contract.

According to wage data from Capology, Fernandez earns an estimated £11.7 million per year before tax.

And with six years still to run, Chelsea are committed to paying him roughly £56 million in remaining wages.

With that massive sum guaranteed through 2032, Fernandez will be in no hurry to abandon his deal unless a suitor matches or exceeds his current earnings.

The fact he is contracted for such a length of time also gives Chelsea no reason to lower their asking price.

The main barrier preventing a transfer comes down to the Premier League's financial controls and transfer fee amortisation.

When Chelsea signed Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023 for £106 million, they initially tied him to an eight-and-a-half-year deal to spread the fee across the length of the contract. It was later reported Chelsea extended his stay by a further year to a total of nine-and-a-half years, spreading that amortisation cost even more thinly.

As of June 2026, here is how the remainder of that deal looks on paper.

• Initial Transfer Fee: £106 million
• Contract Amortisation Length: 9.5 years (Approx. £11.15m per year)
• Amortised Fee to Date (3.5 years): Approx. £39m written off
• Player's Current Book Value: ~£67 million

To avoid booking a loss in an accounting sense under Premier League financial control guidelines, £67m is the bare minimum fee Chelsea could accept.

However, having invested over £100 million in him, and selling anywhere near that accounting floor would represent a huge sporting write-down. To generate a meaningful accounting profit, Chelsea must hold firm on their £120 million valuation.

These financial obstacles are compounded by a lack of market activity in his services, as well. According to transfers journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea have not received any formal approaches for Fernandez over the past two months.

And so, with no suitors stepping forward - including the most likely candidate Manchester City who have already dropped a British record fee on Elliot Anderson - £56 million in guaranteed wages, and Chelsea holding firm on their valuation, it is FourFourTwo's view that Enzo Fernandez is going nowhere.

In just under a fortnight, Crystal Palace will visit the Hill Dickinson Stadium to kick off their 2026/27 Premier League campaign. They'll be a leading centre-half light, without the most successful manager in their history and with a series of new arrivals who are yet to prove themselves in the English game.

Are the Palace hierarchy taking a risk given what we know about England's top division?

Standing still as a Premier League club rarely means anything other than going backwards, particularly when the teams around you recruit aggressively.

Should Crystal Palace fans be worried about the 2026/27 Premier League season?

Oliver Glasner’s departure left a void at Selhurst Park, albeit not for very long with the appointment of Pierre Sage, who masterminded an improbable Ligue 1 title challenge with RC Lens last term.

While Glasner's relationship with sections of the home support was occasionally strained, there is no denying his calibre as a top-tier head coach. Replacing a manager of his proven pedigree is always a difficult undertaking, regardless of how long Palace had to make their decision.

From a squad perspective, FourFourTwo aren't overly enamoured by the business the South London club have done so far.

Take Palace's reshuffling of their wide attacking options, for instance. The swap deal involving Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson raises immediate questions about the club's long-term trajectory. Is replacing one inconsistent Premier League winger with another truly improving the squad, or is it an uninspired sideways move?

They are different players, despite playing in similar positions, but neither feels like the transformative force needed to elevate Palace’s attack into the upper half of the table. From the outside, if anything it reflects a safety-first mindset.

The club’s recruitment strategy elsewhere is also of interest. Spending on an unproven youngster from Major League Soccer in Zavier Gozo is entirely reasonable in isolation - it fits Palace’s established, admirable ethos of identifying raw, high-upside talent.

However, an 18-year-old making the leap from North America cannot be framed as a marquee signing tasked with carrying a primary attacking burden in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the handling of outgoing talent could be deemed short-sighted, highlighted by letting Romain Esse join Club Brugge. While Esse has failed to kick on at Selhurst Park as many had hoped, it was an open secret that his limited minutes stemmed primarily from his relationship with Glasner.

With new management taking the reins, why not offer the gifted youngster a clean slate?

Defensively, the warning signs are even more pronounced after losing Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea.

Replacing him with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza on free transfers may look thrifty, but it's a risk. Tomiyasu is an intelligent player, but his historic injury record makes relying on him as a week-in-week-out starter a roll of the dice. Mingueza provides versatile depth, but in all likelihood neither truly replicates Lacroix’s impact.

If Palace fail to complete further marquee business before the transfer window closes, this summer could end up being a sharp step backward, especially when considering the strengthening that has gone on at clubs who finished below them last season.

Newcastle United's close season of 2025 delivered the pain of losing one star player to a domestic rival, so how must it feel losing two?

Much has been written about the many big-name departures from Tyneside. The doom-mongering and pessimism was inevitable. Not only have Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães left in the past year, but last season’s top-scorer in all competitions – Anthony Gordon – and the man who led Newcastle to a first domestic trophy in 70 years, Eddie Howe, are gone too.

Yet this has deflected attention away from those who have been arriving, in particular a relatively unknown 18-year-old from Ajax: Sean Steur.

The next Frenkie de Jong?

A new central midfielder with just 25 senior appearances was never going to get pulses racing, especially when stepping into an area of the pitch recently vacated by two players many deem worthy of the world-class category.

Unlike his ever-so slightly more senior fellow midfield signing Aladji Bamba, some have already made the judgement that Steur will be a rotation option. His capture, worth up to £23 million on a five-year deal, is merely indicative of an intelligent change of transfer approach, with the club now moving proactively for young talent with a look to the future.

However, based on what he has already shown in his short career and the undoubted potential, there is an argument that Steur is ready for first-team action now.

There have been few better all-round central midfielders to have broken into Ajax’s first-team this century than Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona man may have struggled with injuries in recent years, but when fit he is still regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. It thus stands that if the youth coaches at Ajax were describing Steur as the next De Jong, you should sit up and take notice.

The reasons for the comparisons, and the appraisal of Steur as the brightest emerging talent since the player Steur himself refers to as his idol, are numerous. As one might expect from someone who has come through the Ajax ranks, Steur is technically superb. Some players instantly look like they belong on a football pitch with a ball at their feet, and he is one of them. And not just because of his confidence as a 10 year old doing over 2,000 kick-ups pre-match in the Johan Cruijff Arena.

A two-footed passer, Steur can quickly glide up the pitch thanks to his ability dribbling the ball and has a quick change of direction for someone of his height. Akin to De Jong, he is always playing with his head up, able to slow or quicken the pace of the game. Although he made his debut under Francesco Farioli in the 24/25 season, it wasn’t really until midway through the last campaign that Steur became a first team regular.

This makes the stats from Opta even more impressive – of those midfielders who started the season 18 or younger in the Eredivisie, Steur came out on top for chances created and carries of the ball, and was second for passing accuracy and total passes. He was also first for duel success and second for tackles and possession wins. These latter statistics point to an element of De Jong’s game that is often overlooked and that Steur has also shown signs of having in his arsenal - the capacity to get around the pitch and break up opposition attacks. Interestingly, despite such a short space of time in the first team, he ended up the third-ranked Ajax player for pass completion in the opposition half, demonstrating an ability to make penetrating attacking passes, just like De Jong. Based on this, it’s unsurprising that Steur reads the game well, having an innate understanding of space that looks easy but we all know is not.

Even if he is still new to the stage, Steur has already shown he has the ability to conduct his own Dutch orchestra, just like his idol.

Mature beyond his years

One should never place too much weight on pre-season, but a recent piece of praise from The Chronicle on Steur is telling: “Looks to be playing above his tender years.”

Of the many reasons Ajax were reluctant to sell such a highly-rated midfielder, the maturity and confidence in Steur was a prominent one. For example, in terms of atmosphere and pressure, there are few more intense matches than ‘De Klassieker’ between Ajax and Feyenoord. In 2009, the mayors of Amsterdam and Rotterdam even came to an agreement with the KNVB to prevent away supporters from attending games, a ruling that still stands today. At just 17, Steur started in the fixture, before starring in the away game at De Kuip, scoring his first professional goal in the biggest fixture in Dutch football.

It takes a certain type of character to thrive in such an environment when still only a teenager. Indeed, it should also not be overlooked that he came to the fore during a period of significant instability at Ajax, where criticism rained down from the terraces more fiercely than the traditionally temperamental local weather. The club managed to get through three different managers last season and ended up a lowly 5th in the Eredivisie, their joint lowest finish since 1999. These are hardly stable foundations for a young player to find his feet. Yet Steur did.

Despite a slight frame, he is six feet tall and could yet become a real physical presence. Aligned with the aforementioned defensive statistics, he could offer more tenacity than people might expect. Furthermore, he is a player who knows his own mind. Make no mistake about it, he has arrived at Newcastle to play, not sit on the bench. One of the major reasons for him leaving Ajax was because of the lack of guarantees on his role whilst discussing an extension to his contract. It can only be a good thing that Steur knows what he has to offer and has the ambition to prove it on the biggest stages.

On its day, there are few more atmospheric stadiums than St James’ Park. To hold your own and thrive there – particularly in the middle of the pitch – demands a certain type of personality. A concoction of confidence, assuredness and resolve. Bravery is not just about putting your foot in but demanding the ball. Made of stern stuff, Steur will do both willingly.

A great fit for the new coach

Of course, another notable signing has been that of new head coach Matthias Jaissle. The former Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Ahli Manager is said to favour a dynamic, high-pressing and counter-pressing style, reliant on quick ball progression in the final third following a calm build-up from the back.

It almost reads like a product description for a Sean Steur all-action toy. The two-footedness and composure make him press-resistant on the ball, combining with his natural inclination to provide incisive forward rather than sideways passes to quickly spring attacks. The tempo of Premier League football may initially take some getting used to, but Steur has already shown at Ajax that he savours winning back possession. A midfielder for Jaissle needs to be disciplined, energetic and proactive – all attributes you can assign to Steur.

Moreover, he can play in multiple positions. This could be invaluable for Jaissle, who has shown a willingness to adapt shapes based on opponents and the context of a game. He can play as a deep-lying six, a box-to-box 8 and even as a number 10, although there is work to be done on adding goals to his game. The fact Newcastle moved so quickly for a relatively inexperienced player is perhaps evidence in itself that they believe Steur has what it takes to excel on Tyneside, even if the man originally in the dugout when he arrived has changed.

A player for now and the future

Fans should of course, keep their feet on the ground to an extent with Steur. He naturally needs time to adjust to a new league, a new home and to keep growing physically. Yet he has all the foundational attributes – technically, physically and mentally – that a player needs to succeed in the Premier League. There is no reason why he cannot start making a big impact in the coming season, and several reasons to suggest that Newcastle United now have a really exciting pool of young central midfielders to build around.

Ultimately, with the losses of Tonali and Guimarães, perhaps it will turn out to be short-term pain for long-term gain. And if that is to transpire, there is a strong chance that Steur will be at the very heart of that progress for many years to come.

Chelsea's decision to sign 36-year-old Jordan Henderson earlier this summer had armchair analysts questioning what on earth the Blues were doing. But, the logic was sound.

Prior to Henderson’s arrival at Stamford Bridge, 28-year-old goalkeeper Robert Sanchez held the distinction of being the oldest member of a particularly youthful squad.

Over the past few seasons, many have believed Chelsea to be lacking supervision, dressing-room authority, and leadership, not least incoming boss Xabi Alonso.

Newcastle could be signing their own version of Jordan Henderson

Now, Newcastle United find themselves at a similar crossroads following the departure of key dressing room figures.

New manager Matthias Jaissle's preparations for his maiden Premier League campaign are well underway, but his squad is not yet complete.

According to reports in France, Newcastle are stepping up interest in Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - a transfer which if completed, like Henderson to Chelsea, has perhaps caught people by surprise.

The 31-year-old Dane represents a vastly different age profile to Newcastle's other summer business, which has prioritised youth with arrivals like 18-year-old Sean Steur and 20-year-old Aladji Bamba.

But in a squad suddenly lacking experience, the merits of a Hojbjerg-type arrival are obvious.

Newcastle need to add dressing room leadership and fast. Their coach is among the youngest managers in the league, the club have reluctantly sold the club captain and their vice-skipper came to the end of his Premier League shelf-life.

Bruno Guimaraes completed a £75m switch to Arsenal last week, Kieran Trippier departed at the beginning of the summer, and Italian international Sandro Tonali exited for Tottenham. In one fell swoop, Newcastle have lost the heart of their side.

Jaissle’s squad possesses talent, but it is currently lacking natural leaders, and at a time when the club is going through a transition, Newcastle need all the guidance they can get.

This is why Hojbjerg, on paper at least, makes sense as a summer move. Boasting 254 Premier League appearances from spells at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, the Denmark skipper is widely-regarded as a consummate professional.

Make no mistake, Hojbjerg will not arrive as a direct replacement for Guimaraes or Tonali in terms of what he is capable of doing on the pitch. Instead, he is a candidate for setting the standard at St. James' Park, much like Granit Xhaka’s impact down the road at Sunderland, or Henderson’s veteran presence at Chelsea.

Given the leadership vacuum left by Guimaraes and Trippier, it wouldn't be the greatest surprise if Hojbjerg arrived and immediately assumed the captain's armband. Although, there's every chance local lad and England international Dan Burn will be handed that particular responsibility.

Chelsea, or more likely Alonso, recognised that Henderson’s experience was required to anchor their young squad. In the same way, Newcastle seemingly recognise that Hojbjerg is a steady hand who can help a new coach navigate a transition season.

The battle of the World Cup sell-off plot may be over but the war is only just beginning.

FIFA’s embarrassing climbdown over the landgrab hatched by its president Gianni Infantino to auction off stakes in its various competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors unified football in outright condemnation of the brazen proposal.

None were more forthright in shooting down the plans than UEFA, who wrote to their former Secretary General to warn that they were ‘actively considering legal action’ against him for the money-spinning scheme despite it being swiftly aborted.

UEFA ready to wage war on FIFA over World Cup sell-off

But that was potentially only the tip of the iceberg for punitive action from the House of European Football, which also committed to a unanimous boycott of all FIFA tournaments if the controversial carve-up by present governance pressed ahead - a stance which has been firmly upheld.

UEFA must take a degree of accountability for Infantino’s scheme. It was, after all, from their Nyon headquarters where the powerbroker which the Swiss-Italian became was allowed to build his stock before ascending to power, 167 miles northeast, at the global game's Geneva base over a decade ago.

He is to them what Anakin Skywalker became to the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars; starting out as their once great future hope before defecting to the footballing dark side.

Contempt for Infantino runs deep among his erstwhile employers, whose president Aleksander Ceferin led an eight-person walkout at last year’s FIFA Congress in Paraguay after a three-hour delay caused by its figurehead prioritising schmoozing with world leaders, including American president Donald Trump, in the Middle East.

That affront inflamed relations between the eminent organisations of international football, but tensions had existed long before the botched ploy to allow Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared, and myriad shadowy investors to get rich off the World Cup’s legacy. Infantino’s 2016 defection saw FIFA aggressively manoeuvre itself to outstrip the Champions League as the highest-grossing tournament.

It also lit a spark in Ceferin to actively push his organisation to become the antithesis of FIFA while also trying to steal the thunder of his former colleague turned adversary where possible. The latest example saw UEFA assign refereeing duties for this month's Super Cup to Omar Artan, the Somali official who was denied entry to the World Cup by the Trump administration.

Another such effort saw the governing body reportedly planning to join forces with the International Champions Cup, a pre-season exhibition series involving some of Europe’s biggest clubs, to roll out a Champions League-style tournament in summer 2021 to overshadow the launch of the expanded Club World Cup before Covid put paid to the rival initiative.

Infantino’s attempted revenge manifested itself in engaging in discussions to rebrand the European Super League under FIFA’s umbrellamere months before the controversial breakaway that threatened to destroy the integrity of the Champions League was unleashed and rapidly disintegrated amid widespread backlash.

When the short-lived concept was rolled out by 12 of the continent’s biggest teams, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi replaced Juventus supremo Andrea Agnelli as head of the European Club Association – now European Football Clubs. Such a move would previously have been chided by Ceferin’s administration, given the murky connotations associated with state ownership in elite-level football.

But Al-Khelafi was embraced with open arms at a time of genuine conflict and has even been touted as a possible UEFA-endorsed rival to Infantino in next year’s FIFA elections, despite the Qatar Football Association already ruling out backing any candidate to run against the incumbent.

Worse, however, could still follow for the 56-year-old if the World Cup’s prestige remains diminished by a summer of controversy which stretched beyond his ill-fated FIFA Forward Enterprise. It recently emerged that the blueprint for an alternative tournament under a working title of the Global Nations League have been locked away in the UEFA vault for the best part of a decade and support for the eight-team format already garnered early support from both CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.

Infantino’s gluttony has derailed his bid to kill the golden goose of international football but Ceferin would not hesitate in firing the bullet that strips him of all power. If he succeeds, the accusations of a ‘UEFA Mafia’ regularly aired by supporters will no longer be without foundation.

Chelsea have been many things throughout their history but they haven’t once been accused of shyness.

Love them or hate them, Chelsea do things however they want and without apology. The results can be a mixed bag.

They’re the only club outside Manchester with five titles in the Premier League era and more, much more than this, they did it their way. Equally, it’s now 10 seasons since the Blues won the league and that barely tells the story of the intervening years.

Chelsea have invested in expensive potential

Chelsea have veered from basket case to brilliant and back again, winning trophies almost in spite of influential individuals with no business having as much say as they did.

If pendulous progress is The New Chelsea Way, freshly appointed manager Xabi Alonso could be about to oversee a lurch for the better.

They remain under the watchful eye of UEFA and financial regulations demand that a club with no natural restraint finds ways to avoid the need to rein itself in, but their summer transfer business in totality is giving off a whiff of promise.

Even as some of the completed transfers appear surprising on paper, the sum of the parts is surely stronger than what came before. Suddenly, a club that was engulfed in utter bedlam just a few months ago has a team capable of putting things right.

There’s no escaping the financial outlay but Alonso will look around the Chelsea dressing room at Fulham at the start of the season and find proven players who warrant the investment.

Morgan Rogers arrived from Aston Villa for a British record transfer fee of £117 million. He might be a player with a low floor by elite standards but Rogers can and will win matches on his own at the very highest level.

If Rogers was an ostentatious purchase, defender Maxence Lacroix should be a solid bet. Chelsea reportedly paid Crystal Palace more than £52 million for the France centre-back but he’s a known quantity.

The deal to bring in Geovany Quenda was done long before Alonso arrived but Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra, now a senior international with Italy, is another shrewd addition with the better part of 15 years of football ahead of him. 22-year-old Valentin Barco has since followed.

Big brothers

At 26, Lacroix is the oldest by far of Chelsea’s major new signings. At least, he would have been the oldest if it weren’t for a phenomenally Chelsea jerk in the other direction.

Apparently concerned about a lack of experience and leadership, the Blues opted against spending big money to load the temporal middle ground and simply went full-bore at raising the average age with a couple of golden oldies.

There’s nothing clever about acquiring 36-year-old Jordan Henderson and 35-year-old Danny Welbeck beyond having the wherewithal to decide they’re needed.

Henderson offers grit, experience and the authority to demand the highest standards from Chelsea’s younger players. He won’t have expected to be rolling into Stamford Bridge three years after leaving Liverpool but it took a single season at Brentford to convince Alonso of his worth.

Before walking the well-worn path from Brighton & Hove Albion, Welbeck produced the season of his career. He’d never scored more goals in a single Premier League campaign and made more appearances in 2025-26 than ever before.

After reaching double figures in back-to-back Premier League seasons – the first and second times in his career – Welbeck is a convincing depth and rotation option for a manager who’d rather run with Joao Pedro and the veteran than wait for a version of Liam Delap that might never blossom.

Why Chelsea’s transfer strategy is going to pay off

By hook or by crook, the Blues have assembled a squad that can stabilise from the root and mount a serious challenge at the top end of the Premier League when they need it most. Missing out on the Champions League again doesn’t bear thinking about.

The ‘can’ has usually been true; in FourFourTwo’s opinion, that they ‘will’ feels more compelling this time around.

Alonso has a team with ability and balance. There’s some depth. There are goals. There’s drive and creativity and match impact. It doesn’t much matter whether Chelsea ever looked beyond one signing to identify the next.

They’ve bounced from one profile to the next in the transfer market but the West Londoners aren’t operating in the dark without a torch. By hiring former Villa set piece architect Austin MacPhee, Chelsea signalled their intent to win in the fine margins.

Alonso has a plan and they’ll be deploying it in what looks like a positive context.

The teams above them last season must all contend with European football this term and Chelsea, one way or another and for the first time in a long time, appear to have married heft to wits in their summer recruitment.

Bill Shankly famously declared that a football club is made up of a holy trinity.

Players, the manager and supporters sat at the heart of the Liverpool godfather's ethos while ‘directors don’t come into it – they are only there to sign the cheques’.

Fenway Sports Group are routinely confronted with that sentiment by the Anfield faithful whenever their 16-year tenure has veered dangerously into avaricious territory.

Liverpool entertaining new investment bid

As Reds’ owners, the Americans have racked up more own goals than Jamie Carragher. From conspiring to create the ill-fated European Super League to an audacious attempt to trademark the word ‘Liverpool’ – and everything in between – John W. Henry and Co. have routinely been forced into embarrassing climbdowns.

FSG’s time at the helm on Merseyside was always set to have a limited shelf life, especially as figureheads Henry and Tom Werner took on a club racked by debt and disarray in October 2010 at the ages of 61 and 60 respectively. Even Mike Gordon, tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations, is now in his seventh decade of life.

The Boston-based investment vehicle is not actively eyeing an exit strategy, but a potential succession plan has emerged amid talks over selling a minority stake to a consortium headed up by the former Queens Park Rangers chairman Amit Bhatia.

It is not the first time they have diluted Liverpool’s power dynamic after Dynasty Equity took up a fractional share in 2023, which was valued between £82m and £164m, but this latest approach offers the owners of the Boston Red Sox a viable long-term out.

Bhatia’s group, which is backed by his father-in-law and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, has set its sights on a share of 30% in exchange for a £1.35bn investment that would see the club’s valuation rise to £4.5bn – outstripping several Premier League peers.

Several high-profile names are also being courted to add financial gravitas to the bid with Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin both recently approached to join, although neither have indicated any leaning either way.

Irrespective of whether the pair jump aboard, Bhatia’s potential candidacy can act as a force for good; not least as Mittal’s estimated fortune stands at £23.2bn – nearly two-and-a-half times greater than the current valuation of FSG’s overall sporting portfolio.

The 46-year-old is not your average football club investor. Unlike those he seeks to join forces with, there will be no learning curve as he has already experienced the assorted highs and lows of ownership during 18 seasons in Loftus Road’s corridors of power.

In ‘The Four Year Plan’, the documentary which charted QPR’s attempt to return to the Premier League, he is portrayed as a diligent operator who often soothed tensions inflamed by the belligerent majority shareholder Flavio Briatore. While the Italian bore the brunt of fan invective, Bhatia’s willingness to engage – both in and outside of the boardroom setting – earned an invaluable amount of goodwill. Once the cameras stopped rolling, he continued to demonstrate a clear understanding of the values which supporters hold dear in their emotional connection with the club.

Never was that more evident than in his decision to resign as the Hoops’ vice-chairman, just weeks after a first campaign in the top flight since 1995/96 was secured, over plans for a 40% price hike on season tickets. Although he later returned to the hierarchy, it offers an insight of what Kopites can expect should he join their ranks.

FSG have persistently tested the waters over Anfield's entrance fees, most recently at the end of last season when they were met with fresh opposition towards attempts to raise ticket prices for the next three years in line with the rate of inflation. An initial doubling down on the proposal proved to be short-lived but only served to preserve the seeds of mistrust which the club’s core supporters continue to harbour about their overlords.

Bhatia has the potential to ease such tensions with an outward appearance of a fan in the directors’ box. A preference to shun the matchday attire of stuffy suits favoured by his potential new cohorts is matched by embracing the raw emotion of football while he has, on occasion, been guilty of revelling in his surroundings by pressing the flesh at QPR’s training base decked in a full training rigout, complete with his initials.

Liverpool fans could be forgiven for fearing that this potential new minority investor is just another Christian Purslow, whose spell as their CEO went down in infamy, but Bhatia is hardly in the same league as the self-proclaimed ‘Fernando Torres of finance’.

He also has no qualms about running with big names and personalities, as the audacious plays for Bezos and Saverin, as well as tussling with Briatore and fellow F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone during his time in west London both fully attest.

If Bhatia becomes Liverpool’s new figurehead in waiting, supporters could do far worse than having a friend in high places to steer them through the eventual post-FSG era.

“Now it is up to the fans, players and national associations to reclaim football and bring it back to its roots under new leadership.”

So said Sepp Blatter in a post on X on July 21, as the former FIFA President suggested World Cup 2026 was the year that the competition had “lost its credibility” in his latest dig at successor, Gianni Infantino.

But that quote would have been just as relevant following Blatter’s resignation as the head of world football’s governing body in June 2015, amid a huge corruption investigation into top FIFA officials. The fact that Blatter is now lecturing Infantino as if he is a moral arbiter of the sport is an embarrassing look for him, FIFA and football.

How can Sepp Blatter criticise Gianni Infantino with a straight face?

Blatter is not the most prolific poster on X, as you might expect from someone who turned 90 in March. However, the man who calls himself a ‘Football Philosopher’ in his bio has upped his social media game this summer, with the World Cup and Infantino’s doomed plan to sell off stakes in the tournament and other FIFA competitions to private investors giving him plenty to talk about.

Since June 13, the Swiss has shared several posts on X criticising FIFA over various issues including the decision to overturn USA striker Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban after President Donald Trump waded in, the World Cup final half-time show and Infantino’s investment proposal. Those posts are almost always accompanied by the hashtags #GianniInfantino and #DonaldTrump.

Blatter’s views are certainly valid and will be shared by millions of fans (what’s that meme about the worst person you know making a great point?) but it is frankly incredible that he can write them with a straight face.

In two of his posts, the former FIFA chief used the Latin phrase ‘Quo vadis’, which means ‘where are you going?’. This was Blatter seemingly questioning FIFA’s direction of travel under Infantino - something he may have wanted to consider during his own tenure.

Between his election in 1998 and resignation 17 years later, the organisation was dogged by numerous scandals including allegations of corruption and the controversial decision in 2010 to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively. This culminated in the investigation in 2015, which saw seven top FIFA officials arrested in Zurich on the eve of the FIFA Congress, with Blatter resigning days later.

It is important to note here that Blatter was not one of the officials arrested and he was cleared last year of corruption charges stemming from his time at FIFA, which related to a payment of 2m Swiss francs (now about £1.84m) he made to then-UEFA President Michel Platini in 2011.

However, he was banned from football for eight years - reduced to six on appeal - by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2015, before receiving a further suspension of six years and eight months in March 2021 for multiple breaches of FIFA’s Code of Ethics, including the articles entitled ‘duty of loyalty’, ‘conflicts of interest’ and ‘offering and accepting gifts or other benefits’.

It is why Blatter must surely see the irony in saying the World Cup has “lost its credibility”, when the bidding process to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments was overshadowed by allegations of corruption. More than half of the 22 members of FIFA’s Executive Committee, which decided the World Cup hosts, have since been handed punishments ranging from fines to lifetime bans from football.

It is why Blatter’s criticism of Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan lost some weight when, in another post, he said that FIFA has a “fiduciary responsibility to protect the global game”.

‘Fiduciary’ means to put someone else's interests ahead of your own, which doesn’t tally with the 2014 report by US attorney Michael Garcia into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes. Garcia stated the Executive Committee under Blatter had a culture of “expectation and entitlement” and that many members “displayed a disregard for ethical guidelines”.

It is also why FIFA should be embarrassed that they are being lectured by their former President, whose resignation in 2015 was supposed to represent a turning point.

As hard as it is to believe now, Infantino was seen as the man to restore FIFA’s reputation when he was elected in February 2016. Then-FA chairman Greg Dyke hailed Infantino as a “straightforward guy”, while David Gill, the former Manchester United chief executive who was Vice-President of FIFA at the time, called it a “good day for football”.

Meanwhile, Infantino said: “We’ll restore the image of FIFA and make sure everybody will be happy with what we do.”

Needless to say, it hasn’t worked out that way.

Among many unpopular decisions, we have seen the World Cup expanded to 48 teams (and potentially 64 in 2030), the 2030 competition awarded to three continents to smooth the way for Saudi Arabia to host in 2034, a 32-team summer Club World Cup with Infantino’s name engraved on the trophy, the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize in a desperate attempt to suck up to Trump, sky-high World Cup ticket prices and, of course, Infantino’s sell-off plan, which could cost him the presidency.

When you consider all of that, Blatter looks like the lesser of two evils - and that is why football should be embarrassed.

Even when FIFA’s reputation was in the gutter in 2015, many of the decisions that have happened on Infantino’s watch would have sounded ridiculous.

Yet before his World Cup investment plan blew up in his face, more than 200 of FIFA’s 211 member associations had backed Infantino for re-election, which shows how untouchable he had become.

Countries and confederations have since joined forces in a bid to remove him from office, but the fact they let so much slide beforehand doesn’t inspire confidence that football will be brought “back to its roots”, as Blatter apparently hopes.

It’s too late for that now - and Blatter must accept he helped create what football has become.

Merely eight months ago, Mohamed Salah was benched for three consecutive matches by struggling Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

The response from the Egyptian was vicious: a scathing assessment of Slot's management, and veiled accusations towards the Reds' hierarchy, claiming the prerogative was to see him escorted for financial gain out of the back door.

Salah believed then, and later backed it up, that he had far more left to give to the game. With his move to Trabzonspor confirmed, those media antics should be called out exactly as they now appear – farcical, disappointing, and an insult to his most ardent fans.

Mohamed Salah has betrayed himself and his supporters with this decision, but the Egyptian can still achieve redemption

The truth is, Salah was right. Being benched was a statement, and the Liverpool hierarchy were almost certainly devising ways to send him packing, and free up their wage bill from his astronomical salary.

But his choice to move to the Super Lig, a competition that would do well to make it into the world's top ten highest-quality leagues, is no less than a stab in the back to those long-time supporters that adamantly defended him in light of that unfair treatment.

Salah ended the 2025/26 season with 29 goal contributions across the Premier League, Champions League, Africa Cup of Nations, and the World Cup.

He appeared in just 41 games for Liverpool, reaching 22 involvements in at least ten less matches played than any season barring 2023/24, another injury-ridden campaign for Salah, since the turn of the decade.

He enjoyed his most prolific Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Egypt, and spearheaded his nation to their first-ever World Cup win, and a victory in the knock-outs vs Australia, with seven contributions across both major tournaments.

But even his most optimistic supporters would surely concede that the decision to move to Turkey reeks of a man who has seemingly given up.

In a summer when similarly aged departing Premier League legends have opted to lower their salary demands to remain at the top level, including free agents Bernardo Silva and John Stones, both leaving the team that Salah rivalled for nearly a decade, this decision should disappoint followers of his extraordinary career deeply.

FourFourTwo understands that the Egyptian, now the highest paid player in Europe after tax, turned down lower salary offers from multiple clubs in the Serie A. Even Salah's most vocal critic, Jamie Carragher, acknowledged that Turkey is ‘a level too low' for the Liverpool icon, and confessed that he expected to see him back in Italy.

FourFourTwo also understands that two factors were particularly vital in Salah's decision: his wife, Magi, was enticed by Turkey as a location for their family to live in, and, naturally, the size of his enormous pay packet played a significant role, which links back to his financially strained upbringing in Nagrig.

The Salah family purchased a sea-view villa for $10 million in Bodrum, Turkey, over a year ago, which initially signalled that they believed the country was as an attractive place to reside.

The Egyptian escaped impoverished, isolated conditions from his rural farming village roots to become one of the greatest players in history, and, as a result, Salah views salary as a crucial measurement of his worth and success.

Despite these motivations, the collective disapproval of this decision globally is entirely rightful, and becomes far more intense when narrowed down solely to Egyptian supporters.

In that corner of the world, the response is fuelled by love – Salah is the greatest African footballer in history, and he, virtually single-handedly, put their nation on the sporting map.

But to see the Liverpool icon choose money over glory feels like both the disappointing conclusion to an era they hoped would never end, and a deep betrayal, because he appears to have pulled the plug prematurely.

For those fans, the ones who believed Salah's words when he told the press last December that he is still one of the finest players in the world, and watched him excel for the Egyptian national team throughout 2026, it is as sad as it is rage-inducing.

Luckily for the 34-year-old, he can indeed redeem himself. But he has placed a ludicrous burden on his shoulders, perhaps the most ever in his career, to pull off a feat he has been unable to get over the line since his debut.

That is to win the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt, the most successful footballing nation in the competition's history, who have never won the tournament since Salah made his international debut.

Of course, Salah is far from responsible for that. In fact, the 34-year-old is the primary reason that Egypt did not fade into obscurity after the Port Said disaster stalled footballing development in the country, back in 2012.

The riot tragically caused the deaths of 74 people, and injuries to over 500 others, and shut down domestic football in Egypt for two years.

As a result, the national team was greatly affected, and Salah's talent was integral in them still making it to two AFCON finals in 2017 and 2021, and the third and fourth World Cups in Egypt's history.

To redeem himself in the eyes of those who rightfully feel that Salah has abandoned his competitive edge at an age far too early (the Egyptian, one of football's fittest athletes, confessed to Gary Neville in 2025 that he will still be playing at 40), winning Africa's greatest international prize is a must.

During his Premier League playing days, it became truth among fans that the tournament, if held mid-season, would inevitably lead Salah to suffer an underwhelming end to the campaign, due to the overwhelming demands of Africa Cup of Nations football.

This was clearly evident in 2021/22, when the now 34-year-old was, by a considerable stretch, the best player in the world from August to December, contributing to 21 goals in 15 straight Premier League games.

During the January tournament, he registered involvements in 75% of Egypt's goals en-route to the final vs Senegal, which Salah's side lost, and played four consecutive matches that went to 120 minutes.

Upon his return to Liverpool, Salah's output dropped, as the mental and physical load of carrying his domestic and international sides finally took its toll.

In Turkey? That problem no longer exists, not even at 34, with Salah being able to enjoy the lessened physical impacts of a far, far less competitive league than the English top-flight.

And with Egypt almost prevailing against eventual finalists Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, in which Salah delivered a stunning assist for his country's second of the game, which was controversially disallowed, expectations were already high ahead of the 2027 tournament.

The Liverpool legend will have two chances back-to-back, first in 2027, during the summer tournament hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, then again in 2028.

After that, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years, meaning Salah's next opportunity would be in 2032. That is, for obvious reasons, entirely unfeasible.

In the Super Lig, Salah's clearest shot at Turkish football immortality is taking Trabzonspor to Europa League glory, if the team even makes it beyond the qualifying phases.

However, long-time fans of the Egyptian will likely not care even if he breaks Messi's 91-goal calendar year haul in Turkey. A better ending to his career could have came still on Merseyside, continuing to break Premier League records as a rotational player.

Perhaps most sickeningly of all for those supporters, this choice has effectively vindicated the most dishonest of narratives surrounding Salah, even emanating from within the Liverpool fanbase, that rushed to proclaim him as 'finished' after one sub-par season.

Salah still has plenty left in the tank, even if his transfer priorities appear to disagree with his, often warranted, arrogant antics.

He can cement his legacy in finely carved stone with the Africa Cup of Nations victory which has eluded him for his entire career, but Egyptians will no longer accept excuses if he doesn't find the means to prevail.

For a player who impossibly escaped the most arduous of childhood circumstances and became arguably the greatest player in Premier League history, it feels bizarrely apt that he'd place such extraordinary pressure on himself to deliver at the tail end of his journey.

And somehow, because it's always somehow with Mohamed Salah, isn't it obvious he will do it?

The final moments of last season’s Scottish Premiership title race will eventually be forgotten, lost to history amongst an ocean of Celtic trophies.

For just a few weeks, Scotland had the attention of the football world. The prospect of Celtic winning a 56th championship wasn’t the draw.

A midweek match between Motherwell and Celtic attracted viewers because Celtic had a challenger but what happened next was no more than a moment in time for most of the onlookers.

The cost of dominance

It’ll be remembered forever in Edinburgh, where a fully-kitted Heart of Midlothian arrived barely an hour after the final whistle wasn’t blown on their dream in Glasgow on the final day.

The Premiership is hardly unique among European leagues when it comes to being a closed shop at the top but it might be uniquely committed to the bit. Celtic and Rangers have now won 111 league titles between them.

As enjoyable as that must be for their fans, as thunderous as it makes the rivalry between the two, it will take more than a meaningful championship tilt from Rangers to give the Scottish game a shot in the arm.

Derek McInnes and Lawrence Shankland, the manager and captain who led Hearts to within a whisker of their fifth title, are now the manager and captain at Ibrox.

They’re both Rangers men but it’s still hard to shake the idea that the wayward half of the Old Firm were able to watch Hearts run Celtic close and then tuck into the Jam Tarts without chewing.

The wellbeing of Scottish football is an extremely complicated matter. A healthy game means not only a more diverse title picture but an improved national team, depth in the division and beneath, arses on seats, and an unbreakable bond between clubs and their communities.

Saying that the Premiership needs title challengers beyond the norm is far too simplistic – football contributes to life in Scotland regardless – but last season hinted at a thrilling alternative.

The importance of a competitive capital

Occasional pushes from outside Glasgow won’t cut it. In the last 10 seasons, the Old Firm have been the top two seven times. Rangers were still rebuilding when Aberdeen finished second in back-to-back seasons.

Last time a team from outside Glasgow cracked the top two, Celtic and Rangers went on to lock up first and second for the next seven years. Celtic won all but one of those titles but the catalyst for a more open Premiership is more than just a competitive city rival.

Aberdeen occasionally have a say but, in FourFourTwo’s opinion, Edinburgh is the key. Hearts almost showed what’s possible. Hibernian – also with four titles – have a similar level of potential.

Hearts and Hibs are never going to be as wealthy as the Old Firm clubs. They’re trying to be smarter and that’s the only option. Given the chaotic management of Celtic and Rangers in the last two years, the odds might not be as stacked against Edinburgh as they should be.

Their blueprints emerged not in Scotland but on the south coast of England, where two of the Premier League’s more progressive upstarts have been changing the landscape.

Black Knight, Bill Foley’s multi-club empire that includes AFC Bournemouth as well as Lorient and Moreirense, bought into Hibs in 2024. Foley’s involvement lasted under two years but offered an insight into the fresh outlook required to bring success to Easter Road.

The potency of an alternative strategy

Hearts now count Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom among their shareholders. Bloom’s co-ownership means that Hearts are the only club in Scotland running Jamestown Analytics, Bloom’s data platform and the secret sauce in Como’s success under Cesc Fabregas.

Wouter Vrancken, the new Hearts boss, won’t have been selected without significant predictive data backing his appointment at Tynecastle.

Old Firm fans won’t take kindly to the idea of losing a piece of their slice but football is a dynamic sport and a social phenomenon that thrives on competition. Stasis is the enemy of growth and greater unpredictability would energise the whole shebang.

Glasgow’s grip isn’t going away but it can be, must be, loosened by more advanced thinking in Edinburgh. Maybe that comes from having football’s leading poker whizz in the boardroom. Maybe it requires a visionary manager at Hearts or Hibs.

Wherever it originates, Scottish football would be enriched from root to tip by capital clubs who are at least primed to capitalise on Celtic and Rangers in flux.

Edinburgh standing up to battle with the bigger boys could be the making of the modern Scottish game, boosting the entertainment baseline and filling those seats more readily.

Hearts fired a shot last season and narrowly missed the target. Every community project and every jaded fan questioning the worth of their dedication must be hoping beyond hope that it was the first mission of many.

You know when it became really obvious that the sun was setting on Trent Alexander-Arnold's Liverpool career? It had nothing to do with the transfer links, the fist-pumping after big games or even his own silence on his future – it was all the talk of individual trophies. “I want to be the first right-back to win the Ballon d'Or,” he told FourFourTwo in an exclusive interview – before reiterating that ambition upon signing for Real Madrid.

But come on, where is the logic in that? Why would you go to Real Madrid to stand out? Eight Los Blancos players have lifted the award – more than any other club – and in this day and age, the voters usually just converge upon a star of whoever has won the Champions League. But as was dramatically proven in 2024, that's where your colleagues can split the vote. Although he'd scored in the Champions League final that year, if Vinicius Jr had scooped team-mate Dani Carvajal's votes, he'd have comfortably beaten Rodri. That Jude Bellingham was also an option that year confused things further.

It's something that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez failed to grasp when it came to the Super League: if everyone's absolutely huge, then no one is. And now, Vinicius himself has seemingly fallen into the same trap.

It's not just about the Ballon d'Or, either. With goals in two Champions League finals, it would be utterly churlish to suggest that Vinicius has been anything other than a huge success at Real Madrid, ascending to a level where he is regarded, if not as the best left-winger in the world, then certainly one of a handful of footballers on Earth whose transfer saga could spark such interest. He is a superstar of the highest echelon. He is special.

But arguably, the best has already happened in Madrid for the Brazilian. And it happened before Kylian Mbappe arrived.

You can bring out the numbers to support your argument (and we will). Vini averaged over 60 touches per 90 minutes alongside Karim Benzema, which dropped to 50-something next to Mbappe. The goals have dropped slightly, too… but frankly, Vinicius will know this himself, with his team having conducted thorough analysis themselves as to which club would suit his profile. His output has dropped – but not massively – because he's an elite footballer. And rather like most things at the Bernabeu, no one will concern themselves with nerdy numbers.

But it's an obvious fact that the club is no longer Vinicius Jr's. This is Kylian Mbappe FC, now: another left-sided winger-cum-striker, who Real coveted for so long that they didn't give much thought as to how he would play with the superstar that they already had at home. When everyone is massive, no one is – as Vini found out to his chagrin last season, when Xabi Alonso hauled him off in the Clasico.

It's not that Vinicius is no longer a big deal in Madrid: he clearly is, as his new contract will “reflect his status”. Even the wording of that, however, makes it clear that Mbappe is top dog.

Should it come to it, perhaps Jude Bellingham is higher in the pecking order, too – given that he's better off the ball. The game is changing. Having two players like Vini and Mbappe is now seen as a throwback to the Galacticos, with Madrid having suffered two trophyless seasons and serious questions raised over who will step up and put in the work out of possession. Jose Mourinho could well be the final roll of the dice from Perez – one last go at conquering Europe again through aura alone – after getting in an actual tactician in Alonso failed.

And while one can never write off Real Madrid, it certainly seemed like the perfect chance for a clean break for all involved. Mourinho needs 10 players to work their backsides off for Mbappe. Vinicius has achieved everything at Real and doesn't need to prove himself much further – or to a manager who asked, “Why celebrate like that?” when Vinicius Jr was allegedly racially abused by one of his own players. Los Blancos were looking at collecting a nine-figure fee for a player who arguably causes more tactical headaches than he solves problems. It would have been a statement that no one is safe in this new regime.

Ousmane Dembele had a similar conundrum. The Frenchman was brought to Barcelona to service Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez: he moved to Paris Saint-Germain, and not unlike Vini, he was relegated to being Mbappe's sidekick.

As soon as he was given his own spotlight, he thrived. He won a team their first Champions League, instantly writing his name as a legend of that club. He lifted the Ballon d'Or and immediately took on more importance for his country, having been substituted in the first half of a World Cup final in 2022. Dembele is not just a better player than he's ever been before; he's a bigger player, too, because he's had the time and space to stand out on his own away from other stars.

Vinicius could have had a similar glow-up at Arsenal: a team geared towards playing for him, with the best out-of-possession structure in world football to mop up for him. The Gunners reached the Champions League final without a killer up front – arguably, without an A-list star of any kind – and Vini had the opportunity to be that player. He could have been the face of the biggest league in the world.

And were Arsenal to win the Champions League, the man who wins it for them becomes a shoo-in for the Ballon d'Or. Winning it is a big if – but it shrinks a little with a player like that in your team.

Instead, Vini has opted for the same path that Rodrygo chose last summer when he was rumoured to be offered a route out of Madrid. To remain one of several superstars in a team who will always prioritise other names. A team who are in the midst of a rebuild and not exactly patient when it comes to transition. A team whose big plan to reclaim the Champions League comes courtesy of post-Fenerbahce Mourinho.

It would have been nice to see some bravery, anyway. The next time he's thinking about leaving Spain, there might not be such big interest in him.

Transfer season invariably breeds sensationalism, and the latest rumour swirling around St. James' Park is a classic example.

A recent report from CaughtOffside claims that Newcastle are actively considering offloading Nick Woltemade this summer, with suggestions that the Magpies would even entertain a loan offer with an option to buy.

Naturally, domestic rivals including Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester United have reportedly been put 'on alert.'

Nick Woltemade is gannin' naewhere

To the casual observer, the narrative makes sense. Woltemade’s debut campaign in Tyneside wasn't exactly a goal-a-game triumph, culminating in a bench-warming role for the latter part of the season.

But are Newcastle really ready - or able - to cut their losses so soon?

This assumption would overlook the most crucial factor dictating Newcastle's immediate future: their new head coach.

Newcastle’s decision to appoint German manager Matthias Jaissle as Eddie Howe's successor was not made on a whim, you'd hope. Football governance at the top levels dictates that when a club makes a managerial hire, they do so with their core squad investments firmly in mind.

Just 12 months ago, Newcastle committed roughly £70 million to bring Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart to the Premier League. Boardrooms don't simply write off a 24-year-old German international after a single adjustment season.

On the contrary, when Newcastle executives sat down with Jaissle during the recruitment process, maximising the potential of their £70 million marquee asset was almost certainly high on the agenda.

Part of Jaissle's remit will be to build a framework that puts to work the talent already in the building.

Throughout his successful tenure as Red Bull Salzburg boss, Jaissle deployed a dynamic, high-pressing 4-4-2 diamond midfield shape.

Unlike systems that rely heavily on traditional wingers, Jaissle’s diamond demanded a very specific profile upfront - a pairing featuring a clinical focal point alongside a technically-proficient, physically-striking forward able to drop into the half-spaces, link play, and connect midfield to attack.

Standing 6ft 6in, with great technical ability and link-up play, Woltemade is on paper, tailor-made for this role. Far from being surplus to requirements, the German forward is arguably the most natural tactical fit for Jaissle’s pressing diamond in Newcastle's squad.

Setting tactics aside, the logic of selling or loaning Woltemade to domestic rivals falls completely flat.

Newcastle’s leadership has repeatedly declared their ambition to consistently challenge for titles and silverware, outlining their 2030 goals. Sanctioning a move, especially a loan deal, that strengthens rivals with a 24-year-old German international forward to direct competitors would be foolish, to say the least.

Why would any club actively bolster a rival's attacking depth, undermining their own competitive objectives, all the while receiving little in return?

When reports first surfaced linking Arsenal with a move for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Júnior, eyes widened across North London and further afield.

Signing one of world football’s best wingers would be the ultimate statement of intent for a club keen to build on their recent Premier League success.

But strip away supporters' excitement over transfer rumours and examine the realities of modern transfer sagas, and a very different picture emerges.

Vinicius Jr. knows how to work the Real Madrid boardroom

It is this writer's opinion that Arsenal are not on the verge of landing a Real Madrid superstar.

Instead they're being used as a pawn in a game of contract poker with eye-watering stakes.

The core of this drama lies in the ongoing contract negotiations at the Santiago Bernabeu.

According to reports from ESPN, Real Madrid recently presented Vinicius with a fresh extension offer worth approximately €22 million per year. For Vinicius, this fell short of expectations, leading to another round of contract talks.

The 26-year-old Brazilian international is said to have rejected the proposal, with his representatives holding out for a total package closer to €30m annually, to reflect his standing alongside football's top earners and importance at Real Madrid.

Enter Arsenal.

Reports of Mikel Arteta’s interest and the Gunners' theoretical willingness to make Vinicius the highest-paid player in their history have naturally made headlines - he would be the Premier League's marquee summer signing.

But while Arsenal are undeniably ambitious, the notion that the Emirates hierarchy would blow apart their wage structure to offer in excess of the €22 million proposed by Real Madrid is fanciful.

Arsenal have built their recent success on smart financial discipline; destroying that wage balance for a single arrival would undermine a lot that Arteta has built during his seven years in charge.

The public narrative of Arsenal links growing increasingly credible couldn't be more conveniently timed for Vinicius' camp.

With just 12 months remaining on his current contract, Real Madrid face time pressure to reach a solution that satisfies all parties. This window represents the club's final realistic opportunity to command an above-market transfer fee for their star man before risking a cut-price deal or losing him for free next summer.

Florentino Perez and the Madrid board know they are backed into a corner: sign the extension or watch a prime asset walk next summer.

In modern transfer sagas, a mega-club’s public interest is the ultimate bargaining chip, and Vinicius evidently knows how to play the room.

Keeping Arsenal’s interest front and centre, and highly publicised, Vinicius and his representatives are generating maximum leverage for ongoing contract talks. The threat of the Premier League champions waiting in the wings forces Real Madrid’s hand, nudging them closer to bending towards that €30m figure.

“You fear for them, you really do”. A well-worn cliché that pundits will use to express their worries for at least one club at the beginning of every Premier League season, often before a ball has even been kicked in earnest.

This year, it looks like my beloved Newcastle United are chief among the sides attracting fretful glances, based on a summer of high-profile outgoings and much lower-profile arrivals, creating a squad littered with uncertainty and inexperience.

What’s more, head coach and certified club legend Eddie Howe walked away with just three weeks to go before the Premier League’s return and, at the time of writing, his successor is yet to have been formally announced.

No more silly notions of challenging for titles - only excitement and potential

Given all of this chaos, it’s easy to see why pundits, fans and casual observers are looking at Newcastle like a giant bin fire that no one’s bothering to pour so much as a glass of water over. Yet, I’m much more excited about this upcoming season than seemingly everyone else.

Firstly, I’m delighted to see Newcastle doing what they should have been doing all along, identifying young, exciting players with potential and bringing them in with development and future profit in mind. It was a method that worked perfectly with Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and now Bruno Guimaraes and should never have been abandoned.

Instead, we’re now forced to live with the consequences of last summer’s drastic overspend, which has burdened us with players like Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, who are unlikely to be moved on any time soon, or generate the club any profit at all. All we can do is hope they come good, but there’s little evidence to suggest that’s coming this season. Prove me wrong, lads. Please?

Despite that, we’re now looking at a refreshed squad full of youth and exuberance and, although it’s certainly a risk, a few more arrivals are needed between now and the start of the season. I’m really excited about watching these players grow and create moments to remember in black and white and eventually be disheartened when they leave in big money moves to clubs who are simply better placed to pay what they should be earning.

Sure, losing the likes of Isak, Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Tonali has been painful, but only because those players are success stories of a transfer policy that served us extremely well before it was carelessly dropped. I’d much rather be gutted to lose Bazoumana Toure and Aladji Bamba to bigger sides in years to come, than be praying to see the back of them because their moves haven’t worked out. This is how we should have been doing business all along, and I’m pleased to see it make a return.

Something I'm less keen to see back at Newcastle any time soon are the ridiculous suggestions of competing for titles, or challenging among the top clubs in the world by 2030. Granted, those ideas have been pushed into the public conscience by people from within the club, first by Amanda Stavely and then by CEO David Hopkinson, creating a completely false sense of identity that Newcastle fans were stuck with. Not many of us believed those statements were true and, in the long run, they’ve made the club look silly, rather than giving them the appearance of genuine, serious contenders.

By putting these new foundations in place, Newcastle once again have a realistic project to be excited about instead of one that feels like it’s trying to achieve more than it is ever capable of and is subsequently, obviously, doomed to fail. Last season was dispiriting for those very reasons, particularly during the summer, as the Mags tried to lure in huge, expensive and unrealistic targets like Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko, while also trying to balance PSR spreadsheets.

This year is not going to be defined by an inability to spend big on players who probably don’t want to come to Newcastle anyway. Instead, it’s going to be defined by effective recruitment and forward thinking, with players desperate to impress and make a name for themselves at St James’ Park, rather than those who would be instantly eyeing up the next big move.

The recruitment hasn't only been exciting on the pitch either, with new boss Matthias Jaissle potentially the most intriguing arrival of the summer, if the club ever announces it formally. Howe’s project had grown stale and, as much as I love the man for everything he did at Newcastle, he looked depleted and bereft of energy, even after his summer break. It was obvious towards the end of last season that a change was needed and, while it’s come later than I would have liked, I’m pleased he was eventually able to admit that his stepping down was in everyone’s best interests.

Now, instead of dreading another unimaginative and predictable 90 minutes of Howe-ball at the start of the season, in which we only get like-for-like substitutes after the 80th minute, I cannot wait to see how Jaissle sets us up and tinkers with the squad and implements his ideas and philosophies, which are said to be attacking-minded and aggressive according to those who know, and gets the team working together over time.

Obviously, there’s every chance he may not be able to do that, or it may take him a while, but I’m much more optimistic about his chances than I was of Howe ever rediscovering the energy and passion that drove us to our first trophy in decades, that had completely drained from both him and the squad over the last 12 months.

That's not to say it's been a perfect summer. I do sympathise with those concerned about Newcastle’s future, but I cannot help but also be fascinated and positive about how the club has reacted to a year in which the consequences of their mistakes and poor decisions have made life for them and their supporters extremely difficult.

There is work to be done still. A lot of it, in fact. But, free from expectation and unfettered by daft delusions of grandeur, I truly believe this could be the start of a great new period for Newcastle United, rather than simply the end of its most successful one in living memory.

Evertonians could be forgiven for sensing a potential déjà vu this summer.

As the one-year anniversary of Everton’s official move to Hill Dickinson Stadium rapidly approaches, there is an increasingly unnerving mood by the banks of the River Mersey.

Relocating to Bramley-Moore Dock was supposed to serve as a springboard for the Toffees’ renaissance; ending decades in the doldrums that were punctuated by a now 31-year drought since major silverware last winged its way towards a royal blue jersey. Instead, this grand old club is in danger of finding itself in the Last Chance Saloon.

Moyes Mark II

When David Moyes returned to Everton, some 19 months ago, the hope was that he could finish what was started in a credible 11-and-a-half-year spell. Securing Premier League safety, while also giving Goodison Park a more fitting send-off than had appeared likely during Sean Dyche’s reign, hinted at a sign of things to come.

The Scot’s first full season back at the helm was a mixed one, although a purple patch in the final months offered Everton hopes of an outside shot at European qualification. Briefly, they also had designs on sneaking into the fifth Champions League position. But a last-gasp Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool put the brakes on all continental dreams as they proceeded to take just two points from a potential 18 in the final six games, allowing several clubs of smaller stature and resources to leapfrog them.

Plans for a stronger follow-up campaign are already on the back foot ahead of an opening Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace, who have reaped tangible success from leaning into bold ambitions rather than shying away from them. It’s hardly uncharted territory, especially given Moyes’s longstanding moniker of ‘Dithering Dave’, yet the dream of a promising new era could be over before it has even begun.

Just shy of a decade ago, Everton’s erstwhile owner Farhad Moshiri cautioned that they had only a limited window to disrupt the Premier League’s top six order and insisted to supporters that he did not want the club to become ‘a museum’ of English football. The British-Iranian billionaire succeeded in avoiding a house of memories but replaced it with a circus as dysfunction reigned on and off the pitch throughout his premiership.

Moshiri’s scattergun approach to recruitment left the club lumbered with a highly imbalanced squad that increasingly resembled Frankenstein’s Monster with every new managerial appointment. Such was the chaotic nature of Everton’s transfer business that Dyche recently described his three full windows at the helm as ‘a s*** show’. It is difficult to escape the feeling that history may be about to repeat itself, with two of their opening three summer arrivals having already played for the club on loan last season in Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George, signed for a combined £36m.

The German midfielder’s summer return saw him tasked with plugging the right-back position in three pre-season friendlies as the search for Seamus Coleman’s long-term replacement is no nearer to fruition. An unedifying send-off for the club captain should have served as a belated wake-up call after failing to address the shortfall left by his persistent injury problems in the final years. Since his return, Moyes has put a new twist on an old classic with central defender Jake O’Brien filling the position in a move that mirrored his previous deployment of Joleon Lescott. Nathan Patterson, now the sole established right-back, has been persona non grata since being on the receiving end of a ‘playful slap’ from Dyche at a mid-season training camp over two years ago.

Everton’s issues, however, run deeper than defensive dearth as they face the task of replacing several other underfilled positions following Idrissa Gueye’s departure, four years after returning as a panacea to the holding midfield position he originally vacated in 2019. The Senegalese’s exit has been exacerbated by James Garner’s likely absence against Palace as he recovers from surgery on a groin issue diagnosed early in pre-season. Another alternative, Hayden Hackney, last season’s Championship Player of the Year, must contend with getting up to speed while adjusting to new surroundings.

Doubts over Iliman Ndiaye’s future have grown after recent speculation linking him with a move to Al-Hilal. The player who scored both the last-ever goal in a men’s game at Goodison and the first at Hill Dickinson Stadium has already made no secret of a desire to test himself in the Champions League, something which is currently out of Everton’s potential reach. Numerous unsuccessful attempts to tie Ndiaye down beyond his current summer 2029 contract expiry only serve to heighten fears that he will not be staying the course. A potential £70m fee would ordinarily arm Everton with considerable funds to rebuild, but in an increasingly inflated market, it would not stretch as far as the hierarchy, now headed up by The Friedkin Group, anticipate. It would also come at the cost of losing their most potent attacking source.

The Americans, who also own AS Roma, have been catching heat from sections of the fanbase for their lack of hands-on involvement and visibility. Nearly two years since taking the reins, head honcho Dan Friedkin is yet to grace an Everton match – home or away – with his presence; delegating assorted family members to fleetingly check on his investment. Some fans suspect their absentee overlord lacks an appetite to micromanage matters on the banks of the River Mersey in the same way he and son Ryan fixate on events in the seven hills of Rome. A ham-fisted declaration by CEO Angus Kinnear in his end-of-season programme notes of being ‘happily dissatisfied’ with the club’s current state of play did little to allay suspicions that the Friedkins are happy with maintaining the status quo of merely staying in the English top flight.

A reticence to address Moyes’s long-term future, with the former West Ham boss now in the final 12 months of the contract originally signed in January 2025, also suggests that the owners’ focus remains on keeping things ticking over. Noises around a potential extension, floated at the height of Everton’s late-season surge, have become highly subdued at a time when supporters are clamouring for a semblance of a long-term plan. As the only Premier League club without a director of football, the hunt for new faces is now dictated by a collegiate approach in which the 63-year-old is heavily involved despite a lack of certainty on whether he will be overseeing matters in the medium term.

Ending a vicious cycle of relegation dalliances was only half the battle for Everton. If they fall short on fixing basic issues this summer, the last real chance to restore one of English football’s sleeping giants to former glory risks falling by the wayside.

Known for his high-pressing, Red Bull-educated style and sharp tactical focus, 38-year-old German coach Jaissle has developed a reputation as one of the most highly-rated young bosses in top-level football - but his appointment is still a risk.

Whenever a manager takes charge of a major project, they naturally look to familiar faces - players who already understand things such as pressing triggers, defensive demands, and dressing room culture.

Once his appointment is rubber-stamped, it would be reasonable to expect Jaissle to recommend such personnel to the Newcastle hierarchy.

Seven players Newcastle might sign under Matthias Jaissle

Despite so far having had a summer in which they have been one of the Premier League's more active clubs in the market, Newcastle are still in need of targeted reinforcements throughout the side.

It is for that reason, the 'Jaissle effect' could be important during the final month of the summer window. Here are seven players who worked under Jaissle and fit Newcastle's squad requirements.

Nicolas Seiwald (Defensive Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 91 (6 goals, 14 assists)

No outfield player featured more frequently for Jaissle during his trophy-laden tenure at Red Bull Salzburg than Austrian midfielder Nicolas Seiwald.

Functioning as the engine of Jaissle’s midfield diamond, Seiwald reigstered 91 appearances under the German, offering press-resistance and defensive coverage. Newcastle's midfield lacks depth in the holding role, making Seiwald a candidate to rejoin his former boss.

Gabri Veiga (Attacking Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 66 (12 goals, 10 assists)

After making the switch from LaLiga to Al-Ahli, Spanish playmaker Gabri Veiga began working under Jaissle.

Across 66 matches together in Saudi Arabia, Veiga contributed 12 goals and 10 assists before joining FC Porto last summer. With Newcastle seeking a goal-scoring midfielder capable of unlocking low blocks, Jaissle could provide 24-year-old Veiga with the platform for a top-five league reboot.

Oumar Solet (Centre-Back)

Appearances under Jaissle: 66 (2 goals, 4 assists)

Jaissle’s aggressive, high-line defence at Red Bull Salzburg relied heavily on recovery speed and composure of his central defenders, of which Oumar Solet was one.

Featuring 66 times under Jaissle, Solet knows how to play in his backline that routinely dominated domestically and competed admirably in the Champions League. With Newcastle needing long-term athleticism and ball-playing quality at centre-back, Solet fits the tactical profile.

Amar Dedic (Right-Back)

Appearances under Jaissle: 52 (4 goals, 6 assists)

Bosnian full-back Amar Dedic enjoyed his breakout under Jaissle at Salzburg, making 52 appearances and contributing direct to 10 goals from right-back.

His ability to invert into midfield or overlap down the right aligns with Jaissle’s tactical flexibility. Given Newcastle's need to refresh their options at full-back after Kieran Trippier's exit and Tino Livramento's persistent injuries, Dedic could be an option given he already knows the manager's demands.

Mohamed Camara (Defensive Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 43 (1 goal, 5 assists)

Before earning a move to AS Monaco, Malian midfield enforcer Mohamed Camara was the defensive anchor of Jaissle’s 2021/22 domestic double-winning Salzburg side.

Playing 43 games under the soon-to-be-named Newcastle coach, Camara demonstrated excellent ball-winning capabilities as well as decent ability in possession. His tenacity in duel-heavy games would instantly bolster Newcastle's stability in the middle of the park, which is in need of some experience and steel.

Enzo Millot (Attacking Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 40 (9 goals, 7 assists)

French midfielder Enzo Millot worked closely with Jaissle at Al-Ahli, making 40 appearances and registering 16 direct goal contributions.

Millot’s tactical nous, exhibited whilst in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart, and pressing energy make him a coach's dream in a high-intensity transitional system. Newcastle's squad would benefit from his quality between the lines.

Karim Konate (Centre-Forward)

Appearances under Jaissle: 10 (5 goals, 2 assists)

Ivorian striker Karim Konate made his initial top-flight breakthrough under Jaissle at Salzburg, netting 5 goals and laying on 2 assists in just 10 appearances.

Despite that limited sample size before the manager's departure, Konate showed good goalscoring efficiency that foreshadowed his more recent rise as a top striking talent in a mid-tier European league.

While bringing in Jaissle’s trusted former players makes sense on paper, fans would be wise to temper expectations of an instant transformation.

Moving on from almost five years of stability under Eddie Howe marks a significant structural shift, leaving a dressing room very much in a state of flux and notably lacking in natural on-pitch leadership. That will be a responsibility that Jaissle himself must bear while adapting to the demands of English football.

Rebuilding a squad in transition is rarely as simple as importing a cluster of familiar faces. While players like Seiwald, Veiga, or Solet know Jaissle’s style, few will arrive with an immediate grasp of the unique weight, culture, and expectations that come with representing Newcastle or a Premier League club.

Recruiting players who know the manager's playbook can certainly help with tactical implementation, but assembling a reshaped squad under a head coach who is still figuring out the club for himself is a delicate process.

Signing Jaissle's former players may well prove the evolutionary route Newcastle take in 2026/27 and beyond, but it is by no means a guaranteed blueprint for instant success.

Real Madrid clearly do not subscribe to football’s adage about never going back.

Second honeymoons are a common occurrence for Real Madrid, with 13 of the 52 managers appointed as either interim or permanent hires in the club’s 116-year history afforded returns, some multiple times. Nearly half of that figure, including the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, did so across the previous three decades alone.

Such romanticism is particularly on brand for a club nicknamed ‘La Casa Blanca’ with a familiar face back in the Bernabeu’s dugout considered more of a hallmark than a habit.

A third 'do-over' for the Special One

Jose Mourinho is the latest beneficiary of a homecoming in the Spanish capital, 13 years after his original spell ended in acrimony. Attempting to finish what he started is a recurring pattern in the Portuguese’s coaching career, with Madrid becoming the third club he has managed more than once after do-over spells with Benfica and Chelsea.

Still, it was a move which raised eyebrows, just months since clashing with his former employers over the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior by Gianluca Prestianni in the second leg of February’s tempestuous Champions League knockout round play-off tie.

Even before that controversy, little love had been lost during Mourinho’s near decade-and-a-half away. His Bernabeu afterlife became a source of derision as much as intrigue. In 2018, fresh from Manchester United’s Champions League exit to Sevilla, Madrid-based daily sports newspaper MARCA likened him to ‘a washed-up rock star, one of those guys who goes around holiday hotels for pensioners, playing old hits on an organ with the base and percussion playing on a tape recorder’. As similes go, there have been fewer more damning for the now sexagenarian ‘Special One’.

Los Blancos witnessed the beginning of his villain arc and, arguably, its most volatile state in a three-year period where just one LaLiga title and a Copa del Rey constituted major silverware. Unlike the redux periods of Ancelotti and Zidane, president Florentino Perez staked a successful re-election campaign on lightning not striking twice with the two-time European champion’s second coming as he is again tasked with halting Barcelona’s latest period of domestic dominance.

But the signs already appear ominous. The Catalans cantered to last season’s title with an eight-point cushion which would have reached double figures had Hansi Flick’s side not taken their foot off the gas in two of the final three games after seeing off their arch-rivals in the latest El Clasico meeting. Confidence remains high that they can secure further bragging rights against Madrid with the teams all-square on 106 victories apiece in their regular contests while Barca could soon equal, and even overtake, their foes’ previously unparalleled haul of 105 major honours after moving to within two with their 29th title success.

Mourinho, meanwhile, inherits a squad devoid of confidence and discipline as evidenced by the unedifying end of Xabi Alonso’s brief tenure and a stumble to the finish line with his interim replacement Alvaro Arbeloa. The advancement of Father Time also has done little to dim his abrasive tendencies which reared an ugly head in his first spell. High-profile fallouts with Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos pockmarked the end of that tenure as he openly lampooned Perez’s vision for a team of ‘Zidanes y Pavones’, mixing stars such as Zidane with homegrown talents like Paco Pavon. In one fractious press conference, he savaged youngster Pedro Leon – one of Pavon’s successors as inferior to both ‘Zizou’ and Diego Maradona.

Hindsight suggests that Mourinho would have done well to endear himself to a more impressionable crop of players instead of an already powerful dressing room clique. A cursory glance at Madrid’s early summer business follows a similar theme to that dynamic with Bernardo Silva, newly minted World Cup winner Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate among the strong personalities that Mourinho will need to bring on side at their Valdebebas training base. There is also the small matter of ingratiating himself with Vinicius after suggesting he had provoked the racist abuse he routinely suffers, even if the imminent arrival of Yan Diomande has seemingly put the writing on the wall for the Brazilian’s long-term future.

He is, at least, hoping a break from some old habits will avoid past mistakes. Mourinho has already turned down a formal media unveiling, which previously guaranteed a box-office entrance and soundbites aplenty. Shunning the flashbulbs has seen him instead working diligently on the training pitches with the club’s less established players while their household teammates were toiling at the World Cup earlier this summer.

The only utterances that Madridistas have heard from their new manager came in the form of a bite-sized social media clip on the club’s official channels during which he insisted ‘Words aren’t enough, because this feels like a mission. This isn’t about me or whether I win, more or less. I’m here to help everybody become better.’

Mourinho knows that Madrid will be his last big job in elite-level management, having only attracted offers from Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica after his last spell in the Premier League ended in all-too-familiar fashion five years ago. Failure is not an option but he is likely to have little choice with the deck already stacked against him.

There were certain elements of this summer’s World Cup that many of us were glad to see the back of.

Hydration breaks, half-time shows and Argentina’s hatchet men certainly didn’t improve the spectacle, unless you like commercial breaks, the Superbowl and borderline GBH.

But cut through the nonsense and World Cup 2026 was a thrilling tournament on the pitch - and a welcome antidote to a Premier League season that many fans found a tough watch. So, what can England’s top flight learn from the Greatest Show on Earth? Here are five World Cup trends we would like to see in 2026/27 to make the Premier League fun again.

Time’s up for time-wasting

We all know how expensive it is to watch football these days, but last season’s Premier League offered arguably the worst value for money in the competition’s history.

In March, Opta revealed that the average ball-in-play time was just 55 minutes and 31 seconds per match, or 55.3 per cent, the second-lowest proportion since they started collecting such data in 2006. Meanwhile, the average delay before each restart reached a new high of 29.2 seconds, although the time spent waiting for VAR decisions played a part in this.

That changed at the World Cup, though, after FIFA - led by chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina - implemented several measures to combat time-wasting, including a five-second countdown if a player is taking too long over a goal kick or a throw-in, a maximum of 10 seconds for substituted players to leave the pitch, and forcing players to stay off the field for at least one minute (up from 30 seconds) after receiving treatment.

It contributed to an average ball-in-play time of 59 minutes and 35 seconds, giving those fans who had paid the eye-wateringly high ticket prices a little more bang for their buck.

Many of these measures are set to be implemented in the Premier League and EFL, so if they are enforced properly, it will create a better product.

Keeping keepers in check

We’ve all been there. Your team is pushing for an equaliser and during a break in play the opposition goalkeeper drops to the floor, before signalling to the bench that he needs treatment.

While the physio gets to work, players from both teams head to the technical area to take on tactical instructions. When play resumes, with the goalkeeper miraculously back on his feet, the trailing team’s momentum has gone and a couple more minutes have been eaten up.

These tactical time-outs seemed to become more common last season, with Leeds United manager Daniel Farke even publicly accusing Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" last November.

Football’s lawmakers went some way to tackle this during the World Cup, telling referees to stop players going to the technical area when a goalkeeper is receiving treatment. Now, English football has gone even further.

As part of a trial introduced for the new season, an outfield player must leave the pitch for a minimum of one minute when a goalkeeper needs treatment, reducing the advantage to those who use the tactic. It’s a small rule, but it could make a big difference.

Stamp out the set-piece scrum

Arguably the defining trend of the 2025/26 Premier League season was the number of goals from set-pieces.

Champions Arsenal were the masters of this particular art, scoring 25 times from set-pieces (excluding penalties) and setting a new record for goals from corners in a single season (19).

It became a common sight to see almost all 22 players crammed into the penalty area when a corner was taken, with bodies falling like skittles as they jostled for position.

This was another area that FIFA looked to crack down on at the World Cup, with referees told to get tough on grappling, pushing and goalkeeper blocking. As a result, penalty areas were noticeably less crowded when corners were taken.

On an anecdotal level, it still appears that attacking teams are penalised more harshly than defenders (Erling Haaland may well have got away with pushing Elliot Anderson in Norway’s quarter-final defeat by England if he was in his own box) but the problem will only go away if referees continue to punish it.

If you don’t shoot…

One of the many enjoyable aspects of the World Cup was the return of the good old-fashioned screamer.

In total, 43 of the 308 goals at the tournament were scored from outside the box. That equates to 16 per cent, double the rate of Qatar 2022.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor and Newcastle United forward Anthony Elanga were among those to score from long range during the tournament, so don’t be surprised if they try their luck a few times in the early weeks of the season.

The number of goals scored from outside the box in the Premier League has long been on the decline, down from 22.3 per cent in 2006/07 to just over 13 per cent last term, although that was a slight increase on the previous campaign. Let's hope this is the start of an upturn in screamers.

Good old 4-4-2

It would be wrong to conclude a FourFourTwo article without a nod to the formation that gave this publication its name.

4-4-2 was widely-used in the 1990s and early 2000s, but in the past two decades it has fallen out of fashion.

However, the formation is steadily becoming popular again, a trend that continued at the World Cup - and that’s good news.

Brazil and Morocco were among several teams to set up in a 4-4-2 out of possession, sitting in a mid-block rather than defending deep or pressing high. This resulted in bigger gaps in between the lines, leaving more space for attacking teams to exploit and games that were more open than many in last season's Premier League.

That was one reason for the increase in goals at this World Cup, with the average of 2.96 per game the highest figure since Mexico 1970 (2.97).

We all love a bit of nostalgia so that alone is enough to pine for 4-4-2, but if it makes games more exciting, we’re all for it.

Four years. Almost £2bn spent on players. Six permanent managers. Three failures to reach the Champions League. Domestic trophies won? Zero.

Those are the headline figures of BlueCo’s chaotic ownership of Chelsea since their takeover in May 2022.

It is hardly surprising that countless big-money signings have fallen short of their potential at a club lacking direction on and off the pitch. Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are the latest in a long line of stars to join Chelsea for huge fees - but with their stock higher than ever, it’s a risk that neither player had to take.

The club where numbers have lost all meaning

We’ve become so used to Chelsea’s eye-watering spending under BlueCo that the numbers have almost lost all meaning.

This is the club that spent a scarcely believable £747m on players during the 2022/23 season, when they famously couldn’t fit the entire squad in one dressing room.

It is why the British-record fee of £117m they paid Aston Villa for Rogers barely raised an eyebrow, although that may have something to do with Manchester City spending £116m on Elliot Anderson that same week.

Chelsea’s expenditure under BlueCo has dwarfed that of every other Premier League club during the same period, but the lack of return on their investment makes for grim reading.

The Blues last won a major domestic trophy back in 2018, while they have failed to achieve their ‘minimum’ objective of Champions League qualification in three of the four seasons under BlueCo. That included finishes of 12th in 2022/23 - yes, the campaign in which they spent £747m - and 10th last term.

Chelsea did win the Conference League and the Club World Cup in 2025, but they were the biggest club by a mile in the former competition and the latter was a unique tournament that is very different to a domestic season.

It is not hard to see why the Blues have performed so poorly. Their approach to hiring coaches has been inconsistent, from big personalities who fell out with the hierarchy (Enzo Maresca, Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino) to coaches who were swallowed up by a job that was arguably too big for them (Graham Potter and Liam Rosenior).

The absence of joined-up thinking has also been evident in their on-pitch recruitment. Under BlueCo, Chelsea have stockpiled players with seemingly no clear plan on how to use them. Rogers is the latest star to join for a huge fee without it being obvious why that outlay is necessary.

The England international prefers to play as a No.10, but that is Cole Palmer’s favoured position. He can also operate on either wing (although why would you spend £117m on someone and play them out of position?), but Chelsea already have plenty of options there, including Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian.

Countless players have faced the same scenario following big-money moves to Stamford Bridge, with a growing list of predominantly young footballers seeing their careers stall due to a lack of minutes in a bloated squad and a high turnover of managers.

Mykhailo Mudryk is the poster boy for the BlueCo ‘model’. The Ukraine winger signed in January 2023 for a fee rising to £89m, but made minimal impact and has not played since November 2024 after failing a drugs test. Chelsea continue to pay the 25-year-old, who still has five years left on his contract.

Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Alejandro Garnacho arrived for a combined £170m, but all struggled for game-time and left within two years.

Gittens joined for £48.5m from Borussia Dortmund just 13 months ago, yet Xabi Alonso is his fourth manager in that time. The England Under 21 winger has not featured since January due to injury but how many minutes will he play with both Rogers and Palmer expecting to be automatic starters, not to mention Neto and Estevao?

This is the club that Rogers and Lacroix are walking into. Even if they are regular starters and thrive, the knock-on effect is that another big-money signing will be out of favour and potentially unhappy, particularly with the absence of European football reducing opportunities to impress.

At 26 years old, Lacroix will expect to be Alonso’s first-choice centre back following his £52m move from Crystal Palace. That would leave Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Mamadou Sarr, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana - who, at £70m, is another big-money signing that hasn’t kicked on at Chelsea - fighting for one starting place. Equally, Lacroix could fall out of favour and find it harder to get back into the team than he may have done elsewhere.

Rogers and Lacroix will have been in demand after an excellent season, with both players winning European trophies, starring in the Premier League and playing at their first World Cup. At 24 and 26 respectively, they are approaching their peak years, so why do they think the best place to spend them is a club where so many big-money signings have plateaued?

It must be said that Chelsea appear to have tweaked their recruitment policy this summer, with Rogers and Lacroix among a list of targets who are more ‘proven’ than many of BlueCo’s previous signings. Maybe the owners have learnt from their mistakes.

However, if the Blues are in danger of missing out on the Champions League as the season progresses, you would be a brave person to bet against them sacking Alonso, which would create further instability.

This summer could signal a fresh start for Chelsea, but after four years of chaos it must be seen to be believed - and that is why Rogers and Lacroix are taking a big gamble.

Coventry City have had to wait to get their man but goalkeeper Carl Rushworth is finally on his way back to the Coventry Building Society Arena for a reported club record fee of £22.5 million.

Rushworth was ever-present for Coventry as they won the Championship last season, helping them to secure a return to the Premier League after 25 years away. Frank Lampard needed a permanent goalkeeper and Rushworth was justifiably top of the target list.

The 25-year-old was excellent for the Sky Blues in 2025-26 and is expected to sign from Brighton & Hove Albion after several weeks of negotiations. The fee could rise to £30 million and Brighton have reportedly been able to include both a sell-on clause and a buy-back arrangement.

The Premier League promotion transfer dilemma

Coventry are a potent example of the challenges faced by teams promoted from the Championship. While some move up and down frequently and return to the Premier League every few years more or less ready to make a fist of survival, others have a decision to make.

As emphatic as their promotion was in the end, Coventry were not a Premier League-ready team coasting in the Championship. Doug King isn’t the sort of owner to settle for yo-yo club status but getting the team beyond that by the end of the summer transfer window is a formidable challenge.

Lampard and Coventry might feel a degree of deserved loyalty to the players that got them promoted but there’s work to do in the transfer market. Signing Rushworth – the second new addition to break the club record after defender Aurele Amenda – is still just the beginning.

Sporting director Dean Austin has also been able to secure the services of midfielder Frank Onyeka after he spent the second half of the season on loan at the CBS from Brentford. Loum Tchaouna joined from relegated Burnley.

It’s a good start, but it’s just a start.

On the night they won the Championship title, Coventry played with Liam Kitching and Bobby Thomas at the heart of a back four, flanked by Milan van Ewijk on the right and Jay Dasilva on the left. Onyeka played in midfield with captain Matt Grimes behind Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark and Romain Esse, with Haji Wright up front.

Coventry deservedly thumped Portsmouth 5-1 but there are positions in that line-up that demand an upgrade before the matter of depth even comes into play.

With Rushworth and Onyeka locked in and Tchaouna a logical upgrade on former loanee Esse, Austin and Lampard are surely looking to add defenders, particularly on the left and in the middle, capable of pushing for a starting spot in the Premier League.

Sky Blues supporters have become comfortable with the idea that goals scored by the team in the aggregate can justify a striker contributing primarily in other ways, but it’s inarguable that another centre-forward is necessary, at least as an alternative to Haji Wright and Ellis Simms.

This is a football club on a high but also at a risky point in their progress. Coventry must strengthen without gutting the team that’s been so successful, must add high-value players to their ranks without losing the collective personality that underpinned Lampard’s achievements last term.

Simply throwing money into the squad is no solution but the squad as it stands has room for another big buy. Sadly for the club’s accountants, ensuring that incoming players represent a marked improvement is going to cost them.

If the Sky Blues are intent on standing their ground in the top division this season, Rushworth’s record might not stand for long.

Aston Villa were locked at 0-0 with Freiburg when the first corner of the match was awarded shortly before half time in the Europa League final.

Lucas Digne took the kick short to Morgan Rogers, which triggered four Villa players to crash the six-yard box while Youri Tielemans peeled away outside the box. Rogers then floated the ball to the Belgium captain.

Tielemans slammed a volley through a gap in the crowd that was created when the goalmouth quartet split into pairs and dragged their markers apart. Villa never looked back after taking the lead and went on to win their first European trophy for 44 years.

Austin MacPhee is the top dog and his favourite ball is a dead one

The players involved in the first goal in Istanbul, at least the players that touched the ball, are gone.

Tielemans had a hitherto unreported release clause of £35 million and is now at Manchester United. Digne is expected to complete a return to Paris Saint-Germain for the same reason but a smaller fee.

Rogers moved from Villa to Chelsea for a British record transfer fee and has now been joined at Stamford Bridge by Austin MacPhee, the architect of the routine and the mastermind of enough Villa goals over the years to leave supporters frustrated by his departure.

It’s a sign of the times that a club of Chelsea’s unshackled ambition should pay a rival for a specialist coach whose work looks so repeatable on the surface but it’s understood that Villa will receive compensation specified by a release clause.

Villa have undergone a degree of backroom change this summer but it’s the loss of MacPhee that attracted headlines. He joined Villa to link up with Dean Smith but both Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery kept him on.

The 46-year-old is the best in the game, a status demonstrated in the numbers but only really proven by watching Villa week in and week out to observe the patterns in a way the man himself might.

Judging a set piece coach on defensive results is a minefield, but what can Chelsea fans expect to see from their new set piece conductor-in-chief at the right end of the field as new boss Xabi Alonso aims to get the club back on the right path?

The first corner and the element of surprise

It was no accident that Villa scored from their first corner against Freiburg. MacPhee always has a trick up his sleeve and his teams don’t hesitate to roll out the plan at the first opportunity.

Villa’s first corners throughout 2025-26 alone were a sight to behold and Chelsea will be no different. The Blues will work on countless set piece blueprints on MacPhee’s watch but the first corner kick of each match will be worth keeping an eye on.

Catching the opposition cold is a vital point of difference and, perhaps, the biggest reason to bring in MacPhee specifically rather than hiring someone to copy Villa’s dead ball footage.

Every opposition manager and set piece coach last season knew that Villa would have a fresh manoeuvre from their first corner but not one of them knew what it would be. In a game of tiny margins, MacPhee’s imagination is priceless.

Mastery of space and bodies

Villa were the best set piece team in Europe in 2023-24. Only Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur scored more goals from corners in the Premier League last term. The consistency of MacPhee’s efforts is remarkable and there’s more to it than sketching out pretty passing moves.

Buy-in from players is the cornerstone of Emery’s success at Villa and a commitment to understanding and executing MacPhee’s plans has been a huge part of that. Chelsea have acquired the man but the collective mentality that turned his work into results doesn’t come with a release clause.

MacPhee is a peerless manipulator of very expensive flesh puppets. Villa’s Europa League opener was a clever movement of the ball superbly implemented by top players, but creating a hole in front of the goalkeeper big enough to land a Harrier jump jet is the where the real genius lies.

That’s MacPhee’s most potent point of difference and what makes him worth paying for.

Set piece coaches are everywhere but the Scot is the one whose methodology stands out as combining imaginative set plays with the ability to understand how to move or block the pieces needed to make them happen.

Every set piece coach at the top level knows how to create spaces and deploy blockers but the MacPhee flourish with the ball is unmatched.

As the game inevitably edges away from the overly physical yet highly choreographed nature of corners and free kicks, Chelsea might now be uniquely futureproofed.

When Liam Delap made his high-profile move to Stamford Bridge last summer, it felt like the logical next step for one of English football’s most promising young attackers.

Yet, just a short time later, the striker finds himself at a career crossroads.

Reports now suggest Chelsea regard him as expendable this summer - a reality that, rather than signalling a disaster, might just prove to be the best thing that happens to his career.

Liam Delap MUST leave Chelsea for the good of his career

Delap’s talent has never been in doubt having tortured defences at youth level with Manchester City and England Under-21s. The son of former Republic of Ireland international Rory, Liam bullied opposition centre-halves with his in-your-face centre forward style.

This attitude became the cornerstone of his debut top-flight campaign with Ipswich Town in which he scored a dozen times for the relegated Tractor Boys.

A year later, largely due to limited opportunities, Delap has added just one more goal to his Premier League tally whilst on Chelsea's books. But the talent remains.

His rare combination of physical power, relentless running, and clinical finishing made him one of the most complete young centre-forwards in the country. That doesn't simply vanish in the space of 12 months.

Newcastle United were in talks to sign the 23-year-old from Ipswich last summer, with head coach Eddie Howe even presenting to the striker a vision of how he would play as the Magpies' No. 9.

The lure of Stamford Bridge, though, proved too much, as it has done for so many young players who struggle to make the grade at this stage of their career, through little fault of their own.

Delap is far from the first promising player to arrive in West London only to wrestle with heightened expectation, reduced game-time and squad bloat.

Under new head coach Xabi Alonso, it is difficult to see the former England youth international being given the necessary opportunity to turn his Blues fortunes around.

He is behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order, whilst the summer arrival of Emmanuel Emegha from Strasbourg adds further competition.

Meanwhile, reports that veteran Danny Welbeck could also be coming through the door means Delap’s path to regular first-team football remains obstructed.

In the volatile environment that is modern day Chelsea, defined by managerial churn and bloated squads, young players are easily swallowed up.

If Delap does move on this transfer window, his brief spell at Chelsea should not be framed as a personal failure or a career misstep. It is simply another chapter in a familiar story: Stamford Bridge remains a difficult environment for young players needing patient development, even if the sheer magnitude of the club makes it an opportunity impossible to turn down.

What Delap needs now is a move to an established, ambitious mid-level Premier League club. Joining a side unburdened by the threat of relegation, one realistically capable of pushing for European qualification, would provide the ideal stage.

Somewhere he is guaranteed to be the focal point of the attack rather than a bench option is paramount for his next move.

A broader motivation for leaving the Bridge extends all the way to the national team.

England face an inevitable long-term challenge: finding a successor to Harry Kane as the country’s starting No. 9 when the captain eventually steps down from international duty.

Right now, genuine candidates with the complete physical and technical profile required to lead England's line are scarce.

Delap possesses most attributes needed to be a true contender for the Three Lions' shirt, but potential means little without consistent Premier League minutes.

Seeking a fresh start where he can be the main man could help Delap resurrect his club prospects but also bring him into the conversation as the future of England’s attack.

Istanbul. It’s not just the home of Turkey’s most famous clubs but a city whose very name carries huge historical weight for football supporters far and wide.

Aston Villa joined their ranks in May. Mention Istanbul in earshot of a Villa supporter now and their mind will instantly conjure up memories of Besiktas Stadium, Freiburg, the Europa League final and a first European trophy for 44 years.

Two of Villa’s scorers in their 3-0 win have been sold in the last week. Youri Tielemans, whose thumping volley broke the deadlock, is now a Manchester United player. Morgan Rogers prodded in Villa’s third and has since signed for Chelsea.

Why are Villa signing Alejandro Garnacho?

Tielemans’ departure was lubricated by a £35 million release clause. If Villa had any choice in the matter, it was when the Belgium captain signed rather than when he was sold.

Rogers attracted a British record transfer fee of £117 million. For a club in dire need of a windfall to help ease the pressure of complying with financial regulations and their agreement with UEFA, the practical reality of a boost like that speaks for itself.

No sooner had the sale of Rogers been confirmed than speculation about a loan deal for Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho crystallised. It’s understood that Villa have agreed terms with the Blues for a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to buy him at the end of the season.

That wording is important. Under UEFA transfer regulations, a permanent transfer for Garnacho would be considered as a swap deal if it were agreed in this summer transfer window and within 45 days. In this case, those criteria are one and the same.

By agreeing an obligation that will be triggered somewhere down the road, Villa and Chelsea hope to avoid the Rogers and Garnacho transfers being linked. There’s no guarantee they will succeed.

Reporting around the Garnacho agreement has referred to the positive relationship between the two clubs and the implications are obvious, but none of the neatly tied-off ends answer the biggest question. Do Villa actually want Garnacho?

To say Garnacho will arrive at Bodymoor Heath with some baggage would be an understatement.

The 22-year-old played 144 times for Manchester United but was effectively exiled under Ruben Amorim, joining Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony in the so-called Bomb Squad.

Could Garnacho be the ultimate Emery project?

He will become the third of those players to link up with Unai Emery and Villa on loan. Rashford and Sancho were brought in with question marks over their professional suitability and both left having answered those doubts.

Rehabilitating unwanted Man United wingers is an unusual hobby, but Emery is an unusual manager. Garnacho wouldn’t be a Villa player without his blessing.

There will be expectations on Garnacho at Villa that he’ll have to grow up to meet. After a brief layover at Stamford Bridge, the Argentina international has been deemed talented enough to warrant the risk.

Loans for Rashford, Sancho and Garnacho aren’t examples of Villa seizing on opportunities to bring in players they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to attract, but gutsy statements that Emery believes he’s a better manager than Amorim and Michael Carrick.

Almost every player who’s pulled on a Villa shirt since Emery was appointed in 2022 has improved and the manager clearly fancies himself to do what United and Chelsea couldn’t.

Garnacho’s reputation suggests he could be Emery’s greatest loan challenge yet, notwithstanding last season’s Harvey Elliott debacle.

Villa have a robust dressing room culture capable of keeping troubled and troublesome younger members in check but Tielemans, Rogers and Lucas Digne were respected leaders in the squad.

Their departures have already presented Emery and Villa with a test of their substance at the same time as rebuilding the team without stopping. Throwing Garnacho in at the same time is bold, to say the least.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the best-case scenario is worth the effort. If Emery can Garnacho playing at his best, he’ll offer something Villa need in wide areas but haven’t had for some time.

In Emery’s two-man midfield and line of three behind a striker, Villa are morphing into a new proposition; Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes are different than the players they’ll succeed.

An unpredictable, incisive, fiery winger looks like an exciting addition on paper. Emery’s job is to make sure that the ‘Garnacho’ on the back of his shirt doesn’t still imply in May what it does in July.

The World Cup treated us to historical moments, unbelievable matches and some incredible stadiums across Mexico, Canada and the USA. It was a dream come true for me to travel around presenting games for the host broadcaster, Fox Sports, and covering the matches in Mexico was an experience I’ll never forget. The fans, stadiums, culture and atmosphere encapsulated everything the tournament is about.

I was lucky enough to see multiple matches in all three of the Mexican host cities – Guadalajara, Monterrey and of course Mexico City. Each was completely different to the other, but all had one thing in common: passionate, emotional and seriously loud Mexican fans at the very heart of them.

From the moment you landed in the country, green shirts were everywhere you looked. Men, women, kids, babies, dogs and even ducks were all wearing the jersey. Mexican players’ faces were on billboards on the street, on juice cartons and sweet packets in the shops, and there was World Cup signage around every corner. It’s a football-mad country – the atmosphere was infectious and brilliant.

I got the true taste of what football means to Mexicans by working on all of the games there with Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, who still holds the record as the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. In a nation that treats football like religion, Chicharito is revered as a god.

Around Europe I work with some of the biggest names in the game and fans get excited when they see them. Many ask for selfies, autographs, or just stop to say hi. But getting around Mexico with Hernandez was something from another planet. Peter Schmeichel was also with us, and even he said, “You never see this in England.”

Fans would chase Hernandez down and scream his name when they saw him, all desperate to get as close as possible to touch him or get his signature. Moving around the stadiums, a police escort was required to get us from A to B. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but that’s how much football means to Mexicans; it’s everything to them. Their passion was contagious and they were a true example of a 12th man for their team.

Then there were the stadiums. The Azteca is iconic. As you approached the area in Mexico City, you could see it rising up in the distance. Its bright colours stood out, yet it was imposing – old but grand. The area was gritty, which gave it an edge, and the streets were lined with taco vendors.

There aren’t many stadiums that you can walk into and feel an atmosphere, even when it’s completely empty, but the Azteca had a rare, magical feeling when you stepped inside. Fill it with thousands of Mexican supporters and the noise was indescribable. When a goal was scored, you were lucky if you weren’t completely drenched in beer! It was wild and crazy – exactly how football should be enjoyed.

When you looked around, you could picture the historical moments – Pele and Carlos Alberto, plus Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and his incredible solo goal that followed. I was there for three games, including the tournament’s opening match, and no other stadium topped it throughout my travels. It had already hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, and would have been a deserving setting for this summer’s showpiece as well.

Estadio Guadalajara was unique. It was built to almost look like a volcano, the external walls covered with grass up the sides making it appear as if the stadium was growing out from the ground, but then with a large, futuristic ring for its roof. Picturesque from the outside and spectacular within.

Monterrey was simply exquisite – the pictures don’t do it justice. The whole area surrounding the stadium is a postcard backdrop of green mountains. Not only was it a modern arena on the inside, if you were lucky enough to have a seat on one side of the stadium, there was the most stunning view of the mountains through the roof. Even in person, it didn’t look real.

After Mexico’s games, the street parties filled with thousands of fans were some of my greatest images from the World Cup. There were cars driving past and feeding passers-by with tequila out of the window, loud music blaring from bars and a party atmosphere into the early hours of the morning.

Football is deeply rooted into the culture of Mexico and the country fully embraced its role as one of this year’s hosts. They made it a special, unforgettable experience.

When referee Slavko Vincic blew the final whistle at the World Cup on Sunday evening, it didn't just signal the end of one of the worst tournament finals in living memory, it also signalled the end of a competition that has met, and in many cases exceeded, a whole host of pre-tournament worries.

While there have undoubtedly been some great stories on the pitch, they are very much outweighed by the negatives that this tournament has produced, with controversy and allegations of corruption at the heart of a World Cup like no other before, and one that could have set football down a worrying path.

Though it seems churlish to rain on Spain's parade quite so immediately, there are a number of issues that have been dragged up at this World Cup that simply cannot be ignored.

Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump and FIFA's problematic relationships

Chief among those issues is the amount of power seemingly being given to external influences like U.S. President Donald Trump, who was able to persuade FIFA to have Folarin Balogun's suspension magically suspended, despite all of the game's rules and laws stating that it should not be permitted.

Not only did this bring FIFA's increasingly problematic governance into sharp focus, but it also put the US Men's National Team and Balogun himself at the heart of a controversy they didn't ask to be a part of, eradicating any of the positivity they had earned through their impressive performances. Their humbling at the hands of Belgium was seen as a karmic realignment by most neutral fans, and though it was difficult not to smile as the USMNT spectacularly crashed out, FIFA and Gianni Infantino still have yet to sufficiently answer questions surrounding their contribution to what is arguably the most overtly grim moment in modern World Cup history.

It sadly came as no surprise either, with Infantino showing early on at the tournament that he was more or less completely unable to influence the competition he was supposed to be in charge of in any meaningful way.

Somali referee Omar Artan should be heading home today, proud of having performed his duties on the biggest stage possible. Instead, he was embarrassed and barred entry for some fairly flimsy reasoning and forced to watch from home like most others.

He wasn't the only one to have problems getting into the country, either. Fans had visas rescinded at late notice, the Iranian team had to leave games in the USA immediately after they had finished and relocate to Mexico, while other supporters had to use life savings to pay exorbitant ticket prices.

All Infantino could muster when asked about these issues was to tell people to "relax and chill" before doing seemingly nothing to address any of these concerns as the tournament went on.

Should these issues be forgotten, or if people simply move on from this, then it sets a dangerous precedent. Infantino already has the backing of more than 200 FIFA members for re-election at the upcoming presidential vote in March, which shows just how willing to forget about these incidents FIFA members are. Hoping for any reform seems beyond naive at this point, and this tournament has only served to prove that he needs to be held to account externally, because internal repercussions are unlikely to ever arrive.

Away from these obvious failings, the tournament itself was also riddled with problems caused simply by poor choices.

The expanded team format was fun for a while, but eventually wore thin, meaning that fans had grown weary of the number of games by the end of the tournament. It seems, however, that this is only going to go one way, with a 64-team World Cup already proposed for the near future, with decision makers seemingly incapable of doing things that are genuinely in the best interest of the sport.

What's more, the fact that the MetLife Stadium was selected over options like the Azteca, or Sofi Stadium as the venue for the final is a borderline dereliction of duty, with the New York/New Jersey-based stadium unable to hold a candle to the history and reverence of the Mexico City arena when it comes to football.

The spectacle inside was dismal as well, in particular the half-time show, rightly panned as "crap" by Wayne Rooney and something that should never be a feature of a World Cup final ever again.

Yet, with Donald Trump eyeing up further hosting duties in the future, stating "we will be requesting it again immediately" after the final had ended, it's not hard to see a world where FIFA hands it to them on a retainer and Shakira and Justin Bieber become as synonymous with World Cup finals as Maradona and Marco Tardelli. It doesn't even seem that farfetched a suggestion at this point.

Such nonsense had begun long before half-time at the final, prior to which, actor Tom Cruise bafflingly told us all that football "brought the world together". Yet, this was arguably the most divisive tournament in history, turning participants against the hosts, splitting fan groups into those who could and couldn't afford to attend and treating some people entirely differently to others based on little evidence or reasoning.

This is not what a World Cup should be. We should expect better, and it shouldn't be too much to hope that the game respects everyone involved. Instead, we were served pantomime theatrics, watered down quality and a complete misunderstanding of the game by a governing body that time and time again is incapable of understanding what is right for the game. We deserve much, much better, but I fear things will only get worse from here.

Arne Slot, prior to his sacking, spoke about Liverpool’s upcoming summer and anticipated the squad undergoing “another little transition” but “probably not as drastic as it was last summer.”

Last summer, the Reds spent over £400 million, twice breaking their club record transfer fee, adding eight players to the first-team squad and seeing five first-team players depart.

The departures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, two players who made 75 starts between them in the title-winning campaign the year before, only became more apparent as the season progressed.

Key replacement

Replacing Alexander-Arnold and Diaz is something that, over a year on, the Reds have still not been able to do.

And now, new head coach Andoni Iraola not only seeks to replace those two key players but also Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson.

That’s five of the starting XI that won the title 15 months ago gone from Anfield, plus Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Jarrel Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher, with Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott potentially adding to the departures this summer.

Welcome to Liverpool, Andoni. No wonder owners FSG warned the incoming Spaniard that “everything is not perfect” during initial talks, with an admission that he would face “some challenges.”

Those challenges are clear. Liverpool’s squad, and coaching staff, has been completely dismantled in the last year. There hasn’t been a period of transition so deep as this in a long time.

Liverpool’s Squad Situation

The squad that Iraola inherits is one that certainly doesn’t look capable of challenging for the title.

“We need more players. We know this,” admitted Iraola at his first press conference. “The club is working on this.”

The Spaniard also arrives with five players unavailable due to long-term injuries; Hugo Ekitike isn’t expected to be involved this side of Christmas, Conor Bradley won’t be available any time soon, centre-back Giovanni Leoni isn’t back from an ACL injury, and youngsters Stefan Bajcetic and Jayden Danns remain out with hamstring issues.

Jeremy Jacquet, the £60m signing from Rennes, is a vastly inexperienced replacement for Konate, having played fewer league minutes in his young career so far than his fellow Frenchman played in the Premier League last season alone.

Victor Munoz is a similarly inexperienced signing. The 23-year-old has never played in European competition and his natural position on the left is one of the few where Liverpool actually have some depth in Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha. Continued links to Bradley Barcola add to the puzzle, with the PSG winger also most comfortable on the left.

It’s on the other side of attack where Liverpool lack any clear first-choice winger following Salah’s departure. “It is clear we need a player there, I wouldn’t say to replace Mo Salah, but we need one more winger,” outlined Iraola

As Liverpool fly to Chicago, where they’ll be based during their pre-season US tour, Iraola’s options for the right wing are Harvey Elliott, Jeremie Frimpong, Federico Chiesa or a youngster such as 16-year-old Josh Abe.

Given that Frimpong is the only right back in the squad, he’ll be needed there during the early friendlies, with the Reds taking on Sunderland in Nashville, Wrexham in New York, and Leeds in Chicago.

Chiesa is the only first-team centre-forward on the tour, so he’ll be needed there. Beyond him, with Danns still sidelined, 18-year-old Will Wright, a £200,000 signing from Salford last summer, should get plenty of opportunity.

Abe, meanwhile, is a prodigiously talented winger who could have an Ngumoha-like breakthrough in the next two seasons. Still, having just turned 16, he isn’t a solution for Iraola’s debut season.

It’s clear that a right-sided attacker is Liverpool’s clear priority this summer, with Yan Diomande having been the first-choice target but he seemingly prefers a move to Paris over Merseyside.

“It is not easy; it has to be players who have shown a good level,” says Iraola, who has the unenviable task of replacing Salah’s output, with the Egyptian contributing 22 goal involvements despite a poor final season.

From the title-winning squad of just over a year ago, 81 goals have been removed with the loss of Salah, Diaz, Jota, Nunez, Alexander-Arnold and Konate.

What Liverpool Need This Summer

It’s clear that right wing is the priority, by a distance, but there are other areas of huge need for Liverpool to address.

Of course, much depends on whether Iraola can get more from the current options than they performed last season, but Liverpool’s midfield looked incredibly open throughout last season.

Most supporters would like the club to add a true No.6 to finally replace Fabinho, who left three years ago and whose arrival transformed the midfield under Jurgen Klopp. A player whose primary role is to protect the defence and has instincts to do so is missing in this squad.

Slot changed Ryan Gravenberch’s role last season, encouraging the Dutchman to get forward more, which only led to bigger gaps in midfield and less protection for a defence that conceded a whopping 78 goals in all competitions.

Adam Wharton was linked and seemed like a strong candidate, but links to the Crystal Palace man have quietened since Slot’s sacking and he isn’t exactly a combative player with defensive instincts.

Meanwhile, right back was a problem position last season, with Frimpong proving to be far from an adequate replacement for Alexander-Arnold. Most fans aren’t sure where the Dutchman fits in; he isn’t a full-back, but equally he isn’t a right winger. That’s the problem you get when you sign a wing back for a team that doesn’t play with wing backs.

Frimpong, Bradley, Szoboszlai and Jones all played right back, with Szoboszlai arguably the best of the lot but the Hungarian clearly isn’t happiest playing there and wouldn’t be expected to do so under Iraola.

Bradley, even if able to return from his serious injury, won’t be in a position to play every week. A robust, reliable solution is needed.

And yet, there are few credible links to right backs so far. Given that three of the regular back four from 16 months ago have left, you’d expect it to be a priority to get a right back in sooner rather than later in order to build some sort of relationship with Jacquet.

Iraola may opt for a more solid right back, given Kerkez’s attacking qualities on the other side. A player like Brentford’s Michael Kayode would have been ideal, but he signed a new contract. Marco Palestra was also linked before he moved to Chelsea.

And while Jacquet, Leoni, Joe Gomez and Van Dijk make four centre backs; two of them (Jacquet and Leoni) have never played in the Premier League, Leoni has been out for 10 months with an ACL injury, Gomez cannot be relied upon to remain fit, and 35-year-old Van Dijk just played the most minutes of his career, clocking over 6,000 minutes for club and country.

An experienced centre-back would surely be advantageous, reducing the reliance on Van Dijk and also not needing to rush Jacquet and Leoni. Marcos Senesi seemed an ideal candidate, leaving Bournemouth on a free transfer, an experienced Premier League player who knows Iraola’s methods, capable of stepping into Van Dijk’s role when the Dutchman leaves next summer. But he moved to Tottenham, who also have Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven. Such strong options are something Liverpool would dearly like.

It could be that Liverpool look to a versatile option capable of playing more than one position in defence. There’s also an argument that Kostas Tsimikas, who is returning from a disappointing loan spell at Roma where he started just six league games, isn’t of the quality required.

Then there’s the centre-forward conundrum, with Ekitike’s injury meaning only Alexander Isak can be considered as a first-team No.9 - and the Swede’s injury record doesn’t exactly instil confidence.

As things stand, beyond Isak, Liverpool’s options going into the season would be Chiesa (should he not leave), and youngsters Danns and Wright. And Danns isn’t currently fit.

Again, a versatile option might be the solution; somebody can play wide and also through the middle in attack. But it would surely be a risk to go into the new season with the current central options.

All this, without mentioning the effect that the loss of the experienced trio of Salah, Robertson and Konate will have around the training ground, plus a change in goalkeeper coach for the third summer in a row and a new coaching staff for the second time in three years.

Interestingly, Iraola says “we are here to solve these kinds of problems and to try to maximise what we have” - possibly hinting at in-house solutions to the problems he inherits.

“I trust myself a lot, and I’m ready for the challenge that I know is very big,” says the new head coach.

The challenge is certainly bigger than many may realise.

If the summer of 2024 was a 'Brat Summer' inspired by Charlie XCX's album then the summer of 2026, it was a case of it being 'New York or Nowhere'. Anything and everything was happening in the Big Apple.

From The Knicks winning their first NBA title for 53 years, July 4th being the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tying the knot at Madison Square Garden, Jay Z’s residency at Yankee Stadium and of course the small matter of the World Cup.

I was fortunate enough to be based in New York for the duration of the World Cup and the questions I was asked more than any other from people back home was: “Do the Americans ‘get’ the World Cup? Are they buying into it?” Well the answer was a resounding 'yes'.

New York is a sports-mad city, although the start of the World Cup coincided with the NBA Finals – the New York Knicks were going for their first championship since 1973 and so understandably everyone was gripped by it - the World Cup definitely cut through in a city where there is a lot going on.

New York’s sports fans had been starved of recent success. The Yankees have not won the World Series since 2009, the Mets have gone even longer with their last triumph coming the year after Live Aid in 1986. The New York Giants last won the Super Bowl in 2011 and the New York Rangers last lifted the Stanley Cup in 1994 - coincidentally when the USA last hosted the World Cup.

In fact, the last sports team to win a major title was New York City FC when they won the MLS Cup in 2021.

So when the Knicks went into Game 5 3-1 up and knowing they were one win from history it is understandable that New Yorkers focused on their team.

The reaction was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Cars, buses, lamp posts… nowhere was safe from celebrating fans. The NYPD closed down the streets surrounding Madison Square Garden for fear of overcrowding, and used horses to break up large groups of fans. An estimated two million people descended on the streets of downtown Manhattan for the open-top bus parade days later. And so for the first week the World Cup took a back seat.

That passion then spilled across into football. Every bar, barber shop and bodega had the football on the TV, and New York had five official fan parks, one in each borough. All were packed. Further giant screens around the city showed every game.

New York is a hugely diverse city and Queens is known as the ‘World’s Borough’ – I watched Colombia play in a Colombian bar in Jackson Heights, Ecuador in Little Ecuador in Corona and Argentina in the Boca Juniors steakhouse in Elmhurst - each an experience I will never forget and all with extremely knowledgeable and passionate fans.

The Boca Juniors steakhouse was wrapped in a giant Argentina flag and I was in there when Lionel Messi scored twice against Austria to break the World Cup goalscoring record and the celebrations and happiness in the building was unlike anything I have ever experienced when watching football.

In Times Square, right at the heart of Manhattan, billboards delivered a sensory overload dominated by the World Cup. Messi promoting Michelob Ultra lager, Christian Pulisic flogging deodorant and Argentina players fronting a campaign for prediction market company Kalshi. One night, a barge carried a 50ft cutout of Lamine Yamal down the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, to promote the newest pair of Adidas boots.

Shop after shop had football shirts – real and fake – for sale. In any 10-minute period, you could walk the streets and see jerseys of all 48 nations at the tournament.

Times Square became the unofficial home of fan takeovers. If a country was playing at the MetLife Stadium, a few miles away in New Jersey, fans would descend on the intersection, singing and dancing. In the group stage alone, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Norway and Panama all turned up in numbers. The Norwegians even did the Viking Row.

American supporters were just as passionate. I witnessed the USA’s last-32 clash with Bosnia in a new Brooklyn bar called Socceria, and New York mayor Zohran Mamdani even turned up to watch. He was one of the biggest winners of the tournament, by doing a deal to provide cheaper tickets for locals.

When there were big VAR calls, bars would fall silent as people waited to hear the decision, this was a nation of sports fans gripped by the World Cup. When the USMNT were eventually knocked out by Belgium it did feel like someone had let the air out of the balloon, but the fans picked themselves out and got stuck into the rest of the tournament.

Even right at the end of the tournament, the 'game of shame' or Bronze medal match between France and England - with a 6-4 scoreline to the Three Lions was one of the games of the tournament - and one of the city's most popular haunts to watch the World Cup, Houston Hall, was packed with fans watching on a Saturday evening.

The city’s famous landmarks leant themselves to the World Cup. Classic Football Shirts took over the Empire State Building with an exhibition, the Atlas statue outside the Rockefeller Centre replaced the globe with a giant adidas football to promote the final ball. A giant lego replica of the World Cup trophy stood where the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree usually stands, I watched Spain beat Belgium on the Top of the Rock and Netherlands vs Japan under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. While fans packed into Central Park to watch Spain beat Argentina in the final.

Shop windows were dressed in World Cup memorabilia. Ahead of the final, drones lit up the Manhattan skyline with the World Cup trophy. The city gave itself to the World Cup and the world came to play in New York City.

There was plenty not to like about this World Cup - unnecessary advertising hydration breaks, dynamic ticket prices, political interference and a half time show at the final. But when it came to the fans adopting football, there was not a better place to be than America and New York.

So don’t be fooled by people saying that America didn’t ‘get’ the World Cup. I spent six weeks there, and can confirm they absolutely did and there is nowhere I would rather have experienced it than New York.

If one good thing emerges from the inaugural World Cup final half time show, I hope it is that it is a one-off, confined to the history books and never seen again.

It was odd, completely out of place at a World Cup final and more than anything else it was boring.

Ahead of the game, the media, stadium workers and volunteers queued for up to three hours in the baking sun to get into the stadium due to additional security checks because of President Trump’s attendance. And that painful process was more enjoyable than whatever that halftime monstrosity was.

Madonna spent the majority of her performance in the bowls of the stadium, only appearing on the side of the pitch towards the end of her song Music flanked by Brazilian duo Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in what looked more like a scene from the new Ali G film than a live performance. Even then she only bowed. Odd.

Which aside from being a strange decision for what was supposed to be a spectacle, it was more suited to those watching at home on TV rather than those in the stadium who had paid upwards of $4,000 to be there.

Shakira and Burna Boy then performed the official World Cup anthem Dai Dai, which if you have not heard it, is exactly how you would imagine a FIFA commissioned song to sound. And then K-pop band BTS performed their hit Dynamite, which was not my thing, but no notes.

But then things got strange again when Justin Bieber was subbed on by Ted Lasso - a nice plug for the new series - and then proceeded to sing his acoustic song Everything Hallelujah which was dull and tedious. He did change the words to ‘It's the World Cup, Hallelujah’ but that did not make it any better. It was still slow and monotonous.

If the half time show was supposed to get people up and off their seats and dancing a long to then Bieber got his song choice all wrong. It was more likely to send fans to sleep than get them out of their seats.

To be fair to Biebs his performance did see him make more entries into the penalty box than Lionel Messi in the first half.

During the whole half time show I kept asking myself ‘who is this for?’ It was certainly not for football fans. Football fans want a p*ss and a pint at half time, not a weird pop medley that makes the Eurovision Song Contest look vaguely entertaining.

Then there was Pele on the big screen from his New York Cosmos days talking about ‘Love’ and then we were subjected to children on the pitch waving flags and displaying the word ‘LOVE’ in yet another completely pointless act.

The whole thing felt like a weird fever dream combined with an episode of Lip Sync Battle rather than the live extravaganza it was billed as.

All the bookings felt odd and didn’t seem to fit or work together. Earlier in the World Cup Bon Jovi’s hit Livin’ on a Prayer was played during the hydration breaks. And fans were genuinely clapping and singing to the chorus. Given Bon Jovi are in the middle of a nine night residency at Madison Square Garden, they would have been a far better booking than what we were subjected to with this peculiar series of acts..

The only part of the ‘show’ that had some participation was when Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes was played, and that was 'performed' by Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Animal, because, why not? At least they know they are Muppets.

Comparisons between this half time show and those at the Super Bowl were made beforehand. But the Super Bowl half time shows are slick and entertaining, they have become ‘must watch’ moments in sport and entertainment. Whatever this was, was not that. Well not for any good reasons anyway. It was neither slick nor entertaining. It was confusing, dull and pointless.

After 20 minutes of watching it, I was left scratching my head wondering what I had just witnessed and why I had witnessed and again the great unanswered question, 'who is this for?'

FIFA must have been delighted when Argentina made the final and not England, because you can be sure of one thing, just like Mexican Waves, the England fans would not have stood for this nonsense and would no doubt have booed the whole farce.

Whoever had the bright idea to introduce this to the world’s biggest sporting event has some questions to answer, because in my opinion this was a poorly judged and poorly executed waste of time. But it will no doubt be lauded a success by FIFA supremo Gianni Infantino and the suits in Zurich.

And let’s not forget the players in all this. For all their careers footballers have trained and played on the basis that there is a 15 minute break for half time and yet on the biggest stage of all they are made to wait longer and their bodies would have cooled down and heightened the risk of injury - when the football did finally resume.

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been an undoubted success but that is in spite of FIFA and not because of them. Hydration breaks, dynamic ticket prices, political interference and now this half time show have no place in football.

Let the game flow and let the fans enjoy the game - stop trying to force fun onto them.

Picture this: England are one of the last teams playing in the World Cup. It’s third against fourth in the world rankings, and the Three Lions have raced into a 4-0 first-half lead against one of the pre-tournament favourites.

A one-man Declan Rice band is putting France’s midfield to shame, Bukayo Saka is farming TikTok comp clips from the right flank, and Kylian Mbappe can’t make a dent in a Dean Henderson-shaped wall.

Life's good, right? No, it’s bloody awful.

England so strong, yet so painful

That’s because this is, of course, the dreaded third-place play-off game, the prize being a bronzed box on your nation’s World Cup Wikipedia page.

Former England international and BBC pundit Danny Murphy argued before the game, through gritted teeth, that a win in this Miami meeting could potentially be “a tiny consolation” for crashing out in the semis against Argentina.

I’d have been minded to agree before the first whistle blew, fully expecting Mbappe’s Golden Boot campaign to reach a dubiously successful conclusion - and it still did, but that didn't account for SIX England goals.

As Rice, Ezri Konsa, Jude Bellingham and Saka (thrice) whistled the ball past Mike Maignan, all I could muster was a bitter chuckle. Nothing about this was consoling.

I didn’t think the bronze-medal battle could get any worse, until I saw it go well.

Where was this version of Rice, the one we all know, in the previous rounds? How does Saka look like he’s never been scathed by injury in his life? Why have we saved this for the world’s most pointless fixture? And how are we pulling it off without Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham (for most of it, at least)?

Yes, okay, I concede we may not have witnessed a vintage Les Bleus, who no doubt would have presented a more lethal version of themselves had the trophy been on the line, but if we can make the 2018 victors look like minnows, in Didier Deschamps' farewell ceremony, what more were we capable of?

Watching Marcus Rashford fire off rockets incumbered by pressure, seeing Eberechi Eze glide across the pitch picking up pockets of space as he does so well, and witnessing Djed Spence shuttle up and down like an Avanti West Coast train, I think I know the answer. And that’s why this performance, which should ordinarily be a disposable, forgettable game, feels so painful.

All the parts might have been there; we just didn’t put them together.

One glimmer of hope comes courtesy of the age of many of those involved, who will be hitting their prime as the 2030 edition rocks around, but forgive me for postponing that sober analysis for now.

It crossed my mind, ever so briefly, that I might be spending my Sunday evening watching England in the final of the World Cup.

Wednesday’s semi-final was already into the last 10 minutes and England were about to reap the rewards of freezing in the headlights of Argentina. They were still 1-0 to the good when the daydream was pushed from my brain by the realisation that England weren’t just going to concede – they weren’t going to make it as far as extra time.

So brief was the moment in which I dared to believe that I’ll be tucking into my Sunday dinner of football with the same enthusiasm as I would have if England had been knocked out weeks ago.

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ITV and BBC are sharing the World Cup Final and I’ll be watching both

Choosing which channel to watch for the most important game in football is usually an easy decision.

For better or worse, I simply prefer my television coverage without advertising. There are lots of reasons for that but let’s say for now that it’s primarily about the interrupted flow of ITV’s presentation.

Consequently, BBC Sport has been my selection for one World Cup after another, for as long as I can remember.

Truth be told, I don’t remember ITV’s meme-ready World Cup foibles all that well. The pub where I watched England vs United States in 2010 didn’t have ITV HD, so I didn’t even miss Steven Gerrard’s goal.

It’s different this year. ITV’s coverage was preferable from the off, not so much because they were on the ground in Brooklyn while the BBC stayed home, but because of the knock-on effects of that fact on their respective presentations.

There’s more to it than location. ITV Sport has been pilloried over the years, often without any real justification, but the vast majority of the matches they’ve covered at World Cup 2026 have been part of coverage worth tuning into in its own right.

ITV’s coverage gathered steam in the depths of the group stage, where hardened viewers and their messed-up body clocks were treated to the tactical interludes of USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. As she found her groove, so ITV edged further ahead of their rivals.

They handpicked their studio pundits perfectly. Patrick Vieira, Juan Mata and the eminently listenable Ange Postecoglou and Duncan Ferguson have been laced through ITV’s match coverage.

Jobi McAnuff and Bradley Wright-Phillips have brought good stuff to the screen, a mainstream promotion for McAnuff and an unexpectedly positive introduction from the former New York Red Bulls striker.

But it’s the big hitters, the quartet lined up for Sunday’s final, that elevate the aggregate beyond the BBC’s studio offering.

Change the channel! Change the channel!

I’d be lying if I said I much cared which presenter is in the big chair – BBC’s anchors are tremendous broadcasters – but Mark Pougatch will be chatting with Karen Carney, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright on Sunday, and that’s a combination that caters to my tastes better than the trio joining Gabby Logan on BBC One.

The BBC panel has lots to offer but it’s ITV serving up the punditry crew I want talking me through the pre-match on Sunday night.

I like their insight, their chemistry, their rhythm, but I think the big difference, over and above personality, is the sense of ease among an ITV group that speak with depth but in a way that makes me feel as if I’m sitting up there with them.

Yet as soon as BBC’s mics are closed on Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Micah Richards and the show is handed over to the commentary team, I’ll be dropping down a couple of channels to join Guy Mowbray and Alan Shearer.

As excellent as ITV’s coverage has been this summer, my preference for Carney and Keane over Rooney and Richards is nowhere near powerful enough to watch the World Cup Final with Sam Matterface, the top-ranking commentator in ITV’s inexplicably upside-down pecking order, and co-commentator Lee Dixon.

They’ll be joined by the rather more excitable Ally McCoist on Sunday but we all have our limits. In fairness, Shearer has matured into an exceptional pundit and co-commentator anyway and I really like Gladiators.

Just like the studio choice, my commentary decision is no contest. ITV might be the better represented in the pick ‘n’ mix cup of my 104-match World Cup television viewing, but I’ll still be digging into the old favourites come kick-off time.

Did no one at The FA think to flag how much Thomas Tuchel’s head resembles a certain vegetable? A bad omen if ever there was.

However, with the inquest in full swing, I feel it’s important not to rest the blame solely at the feet of the German while others choose to set pitchforks alight. England came into the tournament with some of the purest quarter-final vibes I can ever recall, but were handed a winnable game in the last eight which they won, after extra-time.

The semis felt like nosebleed territory for this team and a final would have certainly been a game too far and not nearly as close as the Euro 2024 final turned out to be.

Hard to get excited about England in 2026

In seven games at World Cup 2026, we saw two good halves of football from England: The second vs Croatia and the first vs Mexico. Apart from that, it was hard to get excited about this team.

The main difference between Tuchel and Gareth Southgate seemed to be their approach to media interviews. Southgate, the politician, Tuchel, the irritable stepfather.

“Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough,” was his assessment of England's victory vs Norway. Hard to imagine Southgate even thinking in that manner, never mind saying it out loud on live television, but such is Tuchel’s style. You presume that was the thinking behind his hiring. To not be Southgate. To be different.

Tuchel’s point on technical deficiencies is as valid as it is concerning, particularly in midfield. Where Porro, Cucurella, Ruiz and Rodri tik and tak, England’s equivalents swash and buckle. That’s not the fault of Tuchel, who took over at the top of English football two years ago. That issue lies a couple of decades back, when Tuchel was coaching Stuttgart’s U19s, having been working as a bartender just a few years before that.

Tuchel arrived as England manager ready to issue the b*llockings he had become famous and successful for. It raised eyebrows, it demanded egos be left at the door.

At one stage, Jude Bellingham looked like he might be left at home. Trent Alexander-Arnold was. Tuchel was bold with his handling of personnel, and the hope was that he would follow suit tactically.

He largely did until 70 minutes into England’s semi-final vs Argentina. After Anthony Gordon scored England’s first and only chance of the game, England and Tuchel entered sliding doors territory.

At this stage, it would’ve been worse not to score a second than to concede a first. Against Mexico, England were forced into low block mode by Jarell Quansah’s sending off. But vs Argentina, it was a choice. Ezri Konsa came on for Anthony Gordon, a move straight out of the Southgate playbook. England fans were reacquainted with sinking feelings experienced during second-half capitulations vs Croatia in 2018, and Italy at Wembley in 2021.

England 2.0 would, you think, have introduced Marcus Rashford for Gordon at this stage and maybe even Bukayo Saka on the right wing to increase the sense of dread among Argentina players and supporters. Swapping both wingers is something Tuchel has done consistently during games this tournament.

But Tuchel knows this team better than anyone and knows they aren’t Spain. Has England ever really looked in control of a game apart from in the second half against a distinctly average Croatia team? Against Messi in a World Cup semi-final is an entirely different dimension.

Have you ever had the feeling England could push on and add to a lead? They had 7 touches in the opponent's box the entire game vs Argentina who had 28 in England’s. Their xG was a paltry 0.53.

They didn’t look like a team that could score again, but as we saw vs Mexico they had proved they are a team that can defend a lead, so Tuchel went with that. You can at least see where he was coming from with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

Ultimately: wrong decision. We will also never know if Rashford/Saka would’ve been the right decision, but after 2018 and 2021 England fans this morning would’ve rather gone out knowing.

Thomas Tuchel shouldn’t be sacked; he should be given the opportunity to learn from this error. If he ever finds himself in this exact situation again (like Southgate was in the Euro 2020 final) he will act differently.

Until now, Lionel Messi and England had appeared destined to remain star-crossed.

The prospect of the greatest player in a generation, if not all time, and the birthplace of football never tangling threatened to go down as one of the game's biggest unknowns before they were finally brought together for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final.

Fate, or rather foolishness, conspired against Messi and England doing battle over two decades earlier as he missed their balmy 2005 friendly through suspension after picking up a red card just two minutes into his international debut.

But while good things come to those who wait, this long-awaited and much-sought contest may feel like a potentially unfair fight with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner facing a resurgent Three Lions while hurtling towards the wrong side of 40.

The Inter Miami star, however, is in the form of his international life as the prospect of immortality as the first successive World Cup-winning captain since 1962 stands tantalisingly close - if he can overcome the might of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

He is football's very own Benjamin Button; defying the sands of Father Time to break records which will outlast even some of the bona fide greats of the 'beautiful game'.

This summer has been no exception with eight goals and two assists putting him clear of Kylian Mbappe as the World Cup's new all-time top scorer even before the France captain bowed out against Spain.

Messi, unlike his longstanding nemesis and fellow World Cup elder statesman Cristiano Ronaldo, has disproved the theory that a 'Last Dance' automatically equates to slowing his role despite walking 47% of his distances covered at the tournament.

Less is officially more where the 39-year-old is concerned as evidenced by a combined 54 chances created to date - matching Diego Maradona's exploits in 1986, when the Albiceleste put England to the sword en route to glory at Mexico's Estadio Azteca.

Since the 2014 World Cup, his attacking prowess has risen incrementally with his current touches in the opposition's box now averaging 6.28 touches per 90 minutes.

Thomas Tuchel's side will also have their work cut out shackling a player who has 16 goals and seven assists in his last 15 World Cup outings while forewarned is not necessarily forearmed for the Premier League players he has routinely tormented.

He may not have realised the oft-quoted cliche of hacking it on cold and rainy night in Stoke but Messi has been the bête noire of the English top flight's traditional 'big six' clubs with 33 goal involvements - 27 goals and six assists - in 36 meetings overall.

Only those capable of suffocating the spaces which Argentina's talisman looks to exploit in games were able to cut off his supply, as Liverpool successfully did in Barcelona's infamous Champions League semi-final capitulation back in 2019.

Yet Messi's ability to lull opponents into a false sense of security before flicking a switch means he can never truly be counted out of any game, as Egypt discovered to their peril.

It evokes a memorable line from The Simpsons about the little guy who hasn't done anything yet but he's going to do something and you know it's gonna be good.

Atlanta's air-conditioned stadium may not be the Potteries but Messi can finally show England why their date with destiny was more than two decades in the making.

When Bruno arrived on Tyneside in January 2022, four months into the Saudi project, there was a quiet sense that Newcastle had acquired something more than a midfielder.

Before the project had hardened into process, before the future of the club could be rendered as a consultant’s slide deck in Riyadh – strategic pillars, global tours, and upward arrows pointing to 2030 – Bruno made it feel tangible.

He gave flesh to what was otherwise an abstraction: a state-backed takeover, a distant ownership structure, a set of ambitions too large and too awkward to fit comfortably inside ordinary football language, let alone inside a club that has always understood itself less as a brand than a civic institution.

Newcastle can no longer match the ambitions of their captain and best player

At £40m, and with two Brazilian caps under his belt, he was the first genuinely glamorous signing of the Saudi era, striking a shrewd balance with Kieran Trippier: one a highly experienced hand, the other a glimpse of the kind of player Newcastle had spent years watching other clubs sign.

His talent was immediately obvious – little swivels under pressure, still a relatively exotic concept in recent Newcastle midfields; passes struck with the casual cruelty of a teacher correcting your posture and your entire understanding of where you are supposed to stand; the way he could receive even a square ball from Ciaran Clark as if it had arrived silver-service. The Angel of the North meets Christ the Redeemer: arms out, chest up, demanding the ball.

But, it was not simply talent that has earned him legendary status in Newcastle.

It was attitude: a refusal to show any opponent the proper level of deference; the sense that he had wandered into English football and found most of it in need of correction while still somehow looking like the most grateful man to be on the pitch.

That mattered because the early Saudi project required translation.

It needed something warmer than statements about ambition, investment and growth. Bruno provided it. He was the point at which the whole awkward arrangement could be experienced not as geopolitics, not as a moral argument, not as a sovereign wealth fund acquiring emotional real estate in the north-east, but as football: a great player in a great stadium, making people believe slightly unreasonable things.

And now, perhaps, Arsenal. As with Gordon, Real Madrid or Barcelona would have been easier to process, the old aristocracy doing what the old aristocracy does, floating across Europe with a velvet rope, self-important slogan and a chequebook.

Arsenal are different; they are the domestic benchmark that Newcastle were supposed to be chasing five years into the project: coherent, modern, upwardly mobile and perhaps close enough for the comparison to sting.

Rival fans have duly assembled online to gawp at another Tyneside doom spiral: Gordon, Tonali gone; perhaps Bruno next. There is a particular pleasure in watching another club’s grand ambitions meet the blunt end of the transfer market.

The strange thing is that many Newcastle fans understand it. Some may even feel a bleak sense of gratitude it has happened cleanly, honestly, without the long theatre of solitary fitness work at a former club and agent-polished farewell notes.

He will leave, if he does leave, as a club legend, having upheld his side of the bargain better than most modern footballers are ever required to do, and will likely win the trophies Newcastle haven't been able to deliver as of yet.

And yet the sadness among the supporters is not quite the whole story. Above it hangs the darker question about what Newcastle are becoming. Losing one beloved player is football. Losing several in the same summer can be dressed up as strategy or squad evolution. But losing the player who made the strategy look believable raises a more uncomfortable question: once the initial rush of acceleration has gone, what exactly are Newcastle asking supporting to believe in now?

Perhaps this is not the Saudi project failing, but entering its coldest phase: normality. The early years were about seduction: noise, flags, Champions League nights, the intoxicating sense that Newcastle had been lifted out of the food chain at last.

This summer suggests something more complicated. Supporters feel the rush of possibility; players confront the pace of progress; owners think in assets, timelines and portfolios.

Bruno made that arrangement feel like love. His departure would make it look rather more like business.

Christian Pulisic has been the face of USA soccer for nearly a decade. He has produced memorable moments, scored dozens of goals and featured regularly for some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Clearly, Pulisic ranks among the greatest American players ever. It is time, however, to have a conversation about what he is and what he is not.

If the USMNT's underwhelming 2026 World Cup proved anything, it is that Pulisic is not the type of player who can consistently define matches. Yes, he remains a talented attacker capable of creating magic, but is not the type of game-changing alpha who can consistently lift his team to a higher level.

Pulisic has scored one goal in eight matches across two World Cups

The Americans had long hoped Pulisic would develop into that type of difference-making lead man, but the 27-year-old veteran's showing this summer — in what should be the prime of his career — made crystal clear that he is not cut from that cloth.

Not only did Pulisic suffer his latest niggling injuries, but he also failed to find the back of the net in four appearances that ended with him being substituted in the lopsided Round of 16 loss to Belgium due to an ankle problem.

The AC Milan star did deliver an assist in the scintillating 4-1 win over Paraguay in the USMNT's tournament opener, but that was as good as it really got, and Pulisic's overall body of work made it abundantly clear he is more sidekick than superhero, more Robin than Batman.

That conclusion does not stem solely from the 48-team edition of the international competition. Pulisic has produced just one goal in eight matches across the two World Cups he has featured in, a paltry return for a player long expected to deliver defining moments on the sport's biggest stage.

His unfortunate post-game interview last Monday with US broadcast rights holder Fox Sports only further drove home the point that he does not carry himself like the ruthless, demanding driving force so many Americans expected him to be when he arrived to the senior national team scene in 2016.

"It is just frustrating to end like that, of course, but now I get time to rest," Pulisic said of his ankle injury. "Hopefully it will be okay."

While Pulisic's answer was human, it made him sound more like a player focusing on getting through another physical setback rather than one seething over a missed opportunity to write USMNT history in a once-in-a-career World Cup played on home soil.

That may or may not be fair to him, but that response coupled with his decision to skip last summer's Concacaf Gold Cup only reinforced the perception that he's not the type of player who naturally commands a team either by performance or personality.

Truthfully, Pulisic has never looked fully comfortable with the role of talisman. It has felt more often than not as though the responsibility chose him rather than the other way around, which says as much about the state of the USMNT over the last 10 years as it does about Pulisic.

His international career might come to be defined in part by that criticism, but plenty of stars have thrived in complementary roles. Just ask Angel Di Maria or Antoine Griezmann, two elite players who produced brilliant moments for their respective national teams without ever serving as the singular focal points.

Di Maria might just be the best example. Argentina never needed him to be Lionel Messi. Argentina just needed Di Maria to be a quality partner for Messi, someone who could punish defenses that overly focused on stopping the central figure.

None of that is to say that Pulisic is at the level Di Maria was previously at — especially given the former's unspectacular Serie A season — or that the USMNT has a Messi-like player in its pool. Rather, it is to highlight the type of supporting role that might better suit Pulisic's strengths.

For years, the Americans have hoped that Pulisic could be a transformational star much in the same way Messi is for Argentina, Kylian Mbappe is for France, and Erling Haaland is for Norway.

The evidence for Pulisic at both club and country suggests, however, that may have been the wrong approach. Pulisic might just be better when he is asked to be one of the guys, not thee guy.

Of course, time is running out for Pulisic. He will be 31 at the next World Cup, likely young enough to still contribute but probably old enough to have lost a step or two.

Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, 25, could be one of those players that helps Pulisic carry the attacking burden after scoring three goals at this summer’s tournament. Another possibility is Diego Luna, the 22-year-old Real Salt Lake attacker that was axed from this year's final roster.

Regardless of who it is, the USMNT will require more than just Pulisic. Not only to try and advance beyond the Round of 16, but also to help Pulisic deliver the type of strong World Cup that has eluded him so far.

Maybe then Pulisic will finally be judged for the player he actually is rather than the one so many hoped he would become.

Newcastle United fans' general enthusiasm for the new season is dwindling with every major player sale. I’m a Newcastle United fan myself, but if Bruno Guimarães follows Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Kieran Trippier out the exit door this summer… I think all of those sales could prove to be good decisions, even though some were forced upon the club.

Kieran Trippier’s departure was inevitable, and possibly 6-12 months later than it could have been, while Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali’s body language in the last six months did nothing to hide their desire to leave Tyneside.

In the case of Gordon, an untenable apathy had crept in from both his side and that of supporters unhappy with his inconsistent attitude and lack of league goal contributions. Tonali never felt like he wanted to be here, despite the swathes of affection that reigned down on him from the stands, which he might not get at Tottenham.

Guimarães’ situation is different. The club captain has just turned in his best season in a Newcastle United shirt, in spite of the club’s poor league performance and gruelling schedule. He scored nine Premier League goals – two more than any other season – all while playing 800 fewer league minutes than in the previous two campaigns. Had he managed to play more than 29 Premier League games, Newcastle would have almost certainly finished higher than the disappointing 12th position they managed.

Guimarães is 28, has two years left on his contract and was a bright spark among an average Brazil team at the World Cup (Norway penalty miss notwithstanding). As such, his value has never been higher (£70m-£100m).

The offer of a new contract in January wasn’t possible with Champions League football looking so unlikely, and it proved unachievable. It was probably futile regardless. Realistically, Newcastle can’t pay close to what a club like Arsenal can more comfortably afford. Neither can Newcastle offer European football or the potential of a title-challenging season.

Furthermore, putting Guimarães’ salary up (he’s already one of the top earners at the club) will send him so far clear of anyone else in the dressing room that it risks destabilising the squad at a time when unity is an essential commodity.

Digging their heels and forcing Guimarães to remain will result in a key player, also their captain, likely harbouring resentment towards the hierarchy and would nullify his USP: that unique ability to bring players together, inspire them via performances on the pitch, and his attitude and enthusiasm off it. The dressing room's power supply would be flat.

Yes, letting Guimaraes and Tonali leave in the same window is far from ideal, but keeping unhappy players on big wages is less preferable. You can't have the most important player not firing on all cylinders as his value plummets with every passing window, while potentially earning a dressing-room-damaging wage.

So much can go wrong playing Premier League chess. It won’t be lost on Newcastle that they did at one stage possess what is probably the perfect combination of midfield three in the Premier League right now: Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. That hurts.

The news that Bruno Guimaraes has told Newcastle United he wants to leave broke yesterday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually signalled this intention as early as the start of the year, knowing that this summer would mark the two-year countdown on his deal. That courtesy will have at least allowed Newcastle to begin getting their ducks in order, which it looks like they are doing, rather than scrambling madly as they did during last summer’s Alexander Isak saga.

This is a reset summer and a reset season. A lack of European football will help them in this respect. Funds generated from assets they have grown and sold will give them a big opportunity to build the proper foundation they have been missing.

They are already making decisive moves in the market, £60m+ has been spent on goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen and forward Bazoumana Toure (both 20 years old). In terms of midfielders, deals for Johan Manzambi (20) and Sean Steur (18) are in motion, while The Athletic also report Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Auxerre’s Kevin Danois (both midfielders, both 22 years old) are being closely tracked. Though not headline names, that’s a large enough pool of midfielders to suggest they are coming in as replacements, rather than supplements.

Newcastle United must to do three things if they want to make Guimarães’ exit successful: secure market value (nothing less than £70m upfront, ideally closer to the Tonali price of £100m) sign a replacement, or replacements, before Guimarães leaves, and lastly (a point as difficult to guarantee as it is crucial) ensure those signings have the talent, temperament and potential to eclipse what Tonali and Guimarães brought to the club when they arrived, both as relative unknowns, particularly in the case of Guimarães.

This is a highly sensitive deal for the fans and the player. Guimarães is beloved by Newcastle supporters, and the feeling is genuinely mutual. Therefore, it is important to put yourself in the player's shoes. He is 28, and he has just impressed on the world stage. He had no loyalty to the club when he arrived, and while he has built affection and love in the four and a half years he has been here, it’s probably asking too much of him to dedicate the rest of his career to Newcastle United.

He has given incredible service and will at least double the £35m paid for him if sold. He lifted the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years, started a family in Newcastle, embraced the culture, simultaneously picking up English (and Geordie) overnight, and raised the standard of the team significantly.

He can double his money and double his chances of winning medals by securing a move to a club like Arsenal. It’s unlikely the opportunity will exist beyond this summer.

Sadly, his ambitions and talent have overtaken the club, and Newcastle United have to accept that. This point shouldn’t sit easily with the club. The sales of Gordon, Tonali and, potentially, Guimarães rightly shine light on comments by CEO David Hopkinson, who on two occasions last season said publicly that Newcastle United will be “in the debate” about being the top club in the world by 2030.

Newcastle fans should be excited by such bold comments, but equally, Hopkinson will be aware that he will be judged on them. Perhaps he is trying to manifest that type of success by putting it on record. Equally, it’s a dangerous line in the sand.

Though bold, Hopkinson is possibly learning the hard way, that CEO media appearances in England aren’t exactly taken with a grain of salt, like they can be in North America, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see and hear less of him this season. The talking is over, there is lots of work to be done, starting with the handling of the Guimarães situation.

Make no mistake, Guimarães himself will be heartbroken, but he knows that it is the right call. Newcastle United fans owe it to him to recognise that and wave him off with thanks.

At 7.05pm on July 11, 2018 moisture filled the air across England, and it wasn’t low pressure from the North Atlantic sweeping in to ruin yet another English summer.

No, Kieran Trippier had just scored a freekick to put England in front vs Croatia in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and large portions of the 26.6 million people watching indulged in a new craze sweeping the nation: pint chucking.

I was watching in Central London at Flat Iron Square, arguably the birthplace of the football pint chuck. The casual food and drink venue was transformed into a World Cup bearpit during the summer of 2018, and it was absolutely fantastic.

The setup was perfect: space, food stalls, transport links, multiple bars, multiple screens, including a giant one in front of an open-air space that allowed for maximum orbit when launching your pint.

But why would anyone launch a full pint? Especially in London, where the price continues to creep worryingly away from £5, and closer to 10.

Read on for my theory...

The day before England played Panama in their second group game at World Cup 2018 a heatwave hit Britain. Average temperatures were the highest on record.

Technology was advancing at breakneck speed: the concept of high definition had leapt from the living room to the outdoor screen, meaning you could visit a fan park and watch football on a giant screen, with audible commentary, and the picture didn’t resemble EA Sports FIFA ‘98 Road To The World Cup.

Promoters and venues took advantage of this. Little did they know they would hit upon a business model where people would pay in, pay for drinks, throw them in the air, then promptly order more.

Plastic glasses have always been a thing, but they play an important role in the phenomenon of England game pint chucking. Watching football en masse necessitates the plastic glass, for obvious reasons.

Still with me? Just a few more factors to run through.

Social media. Images and footage of fans throwing pints during Russia 2018 went viral. They were in the news, on Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp groups were full of them. The England team's official social media account shared them. England players in Russia were shown them.

Fans around the country who were gathered in similar Fan Parks wanted in on the fun. When England scored at the 2018 World Cup and you were watching at a busy Fan Park, the thought crossed your mind: “Harry Kane could see this”. Before you knew it, you were drenched in Heineken.

To recap the formula: hot weather, high definition big screens, the safety net of plastic glass, social media. Now for the secret ingredient: euphoria.

Prior to England’s 2018 World Cup run, there hadn’t been anything worth chucking a pint in the air for when watching the Three Lions at a major tournament.

Maybe Daniel Sturridge’s injury-time winner vs Wales at Euro 2016 (but Gareth Bale and co very much had the last laugh that summer), Raheem Sterling ‘scoring’ at Brazil 2014? (Replays showed he hit the side netting). There was nothing good to pint lob over at Euro 2012, or South Africa 2010. In 2008, England didn’t qualify; Germany 2006 was a huge let-down. You have to go back to a pre-social media era to find a moment at a summer football tournament worth losing a pint over.

Not much can match the euphoria of celebrating an important England goal, knowing most of the country is doing the same thing. Add in friends, family and balding strangers, and you can really lose control. When it happens, you hold on until the tremors stop. You need both hands. A cup of liquid is the last thing you need. It had to go, and in the summer of 2018, it did. High, with pride.

Kieran Trippier, over the wall

By the 2018 semi-final, people were showing up to fan parks in those disposable waterproof ponchos, such was the volume of aerial lager. Looking back at footage of fans celebrating Kieran Trippier’s early semi-final goal, it doesn't look real. It feels staged.

But it was very real. It's comical how many plastic cups fill the air. But that was the new norm, the cameras were ready, pointing at the crowd for that exact moment. It was wet and wild – a new craze was born.

No other fan base chucks fans like England. A strange thing to type. But like it or not, pint chucking is officially ‘a thing’.

Read more England stories

I was at Netherlands 2-0 England in 1993 - and it was one of the maddest Three Lions away days of my life

Le Tournoi, 27 years on: When England last won a tournament

Punditry can be a tough gig. Who among us would like to go on live TV and talk about football to be eviscerated by an entire nation on social media?

Still, there are some whose insight and personalities we have enjoyed more than others.

So here we go: all the pundits from this year's World Cup, ranked from worst to best. Fine if you disagree, it's all a matter of taste.

29. Olivier Giroud (BBC)

We couldn't help but put him bottom of the pile, but we actually feel a little bit sorry for France's former all-time leading goalscorer.

A French-speaking friend tells us that Olivier Giroud is much more eloquent in his native tongue, so there is a degree of benefit of the doubt to be given.

But throughout his time in the BBC studio this summer, Giroud has often struggled to find the right words to express his point - and just as you think he's about to find it, he gets wound up by the presenters or interrupted by another pundit. It's very frustrating to watch even with our sympathetic goggles on.

28. Scott Brown (BBC)

Often insightful and straightforwardly honest when covering Scotland in the group stage, as you might expect, but has been of limited utility to the BBC beyond that.

The main revelation really is that he has a fine head of hair and that his decision to go full skinhead during his Celtic days was an active choice - which, to be fair, is in keeping with how he played.

Still looks like he might own an illegal dog, though. We're not saying he does though, lawyers.

27. Ashley Williams (BBC)

He's broadly fine, and if you get him into his lane talking about defending, Ashley Williams can be genuinely insightful.

The main knock against him is going to become pretty familiar over the next few entries, particularly when it comes to the BBC's form of presentation: we just don't see very much of his personality on show.

He glitched early in the tournament when he said of Messi, after Argentina's opening game, "Are we looking at the greatest player, ever? It's possible. It's definitely worth the debate." We've been having the debate for about 15 years, Ash.

26. Darren Cann (BBC)

Bless him, he is trying, but former linesman Darren Cann is exactly the BBC version of an refereeing analyst.

That is to say: he is safe, he gives his views, but he seems always to feel the need to couch even the criticisms he strongly disagrees with by giving the officials a bit of a 'but I can see why they've given it that way'.

It's tough to judge Cann too harshly given how little airtime he gets, but we'd be interested in getting a little bit more of his own view on certain rules and interpretations, and where he sees problems in them.

25. Cesar Azpilicueta (BBC)

Cesar Azpilicueta approaches punditry exactly how he used to approach playing the game: very solid, fairly unspectacular, easy to overlook at first glance, and a safe pair of hands.

He is particularly good on Spain and explaining defensive shape, as you might expect.

But he's also quite quiet and passive in the studio. You don't want pundits talking over each other all the time, but there is such a thing as patiently waiting your turn to the point you never actually say anything unless prompted.

24. Lucas Leiva (BBC)

You know what we're going to say, don't you?

The former Brazil international has been a useful selection for the BBC thanks to his globetrotting playing career and ability to talk about what it's like to play for one of the big boys.

On the downside... he's kind of just... been there, sitting and smiling politely and offering 'say what you see' as his main mode. The man was born to wear a quarter-zip fleece, though, we'll give him that.

23. Benni McCarthy (BBC)

An exception to the 'bland BBC pundits' rule, at long last.

Benni McCarthy has been refreshingly willing to speak his mind and was particularly critical of the tournament format, feeling that Ecuador and Germany had settled for a result that suited them both.

You do sometimes get the impression that he has an idea in his mind that he is so keen to get out that he doesn't quite think through how to express it - but we'll take that over filling airtime saying nothing particular.

22. Theo Walcott (BBC)

We know what we're going to get from Theo Walcott at this point in his career: a lot of 'nice, intelligent, polite boy' energy.

The England winger hasn't featured too often on the BBC's coverage, and indeed was not even announced as part of their lineup on their initial promotional materials for the tournament.

Again, though, there is a tendency towards safe and sterile, particularly when he's partnered by pundits of a similar temperament... and the Beeb just have too many of those. Put him with someone more dynamic or tactical, and he comes into his own a lot more.

21. Duncan Ferguson (ITV)

Our first ITV entry. We were looking forward to seeing what Big Dunc had to offer. The results have been mixed.

The problem, we think, is that the Everton icon seems to have been cast by the producers in a bit of a 'banter merchant' role, which is nice - you need a bit of levity at a summer tournament, and it would be a bit rich for us to criticise it having been harping on about the BBC being too boring so far.

But there have been times when we would have liked to have heard a bit more of his trademark bluntness. He's been better used on the behind-the-scenes stuff on ITV's Instagram account than on TV, we think. Other tastes might have him higher, which is absolutely fair enough.

20. Bradley Wright-Phillips (ITV)

Bradley Wright-Phillips would feel like a bit of a rogue choice in almost any other context - but in the early days of the tournament, in particular, he proved to be a canny pick-up for ITV.

His on-screen reunion with his father, Ian Wright, (apparently they hadn't seen each other in person for a year), was a genuinely lovely moment, for starters.

More importantly, though: after his long and successful career in MLS, Wright-Phillips has been uniquely placed to act as a bridge between UK viewers and US soccer culture.

19. Juan Mata (ITV)

The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spain playmaker has played all over the globe and won virtually everything there is to win.

As with Lucas for the BBC, that makes Mata very valuable to ITV as a solid all-rounder, particularly covering some of the less glamorous sides in the group stage.

He does feel a bit like an ITV pundit in BBC clothing at times, though, and is a bit prone to sitting back in the cut when he's alongside some of their more forceful personalities.

18. Gael Clichy (BBC)

We wonder if, in hindsight, the BBC might have left the incredibly handsome Giroud at home and just stuck with Clichy for their Francophone perspective.

The former Arsenal and Manchester City left-back has been a thoughtful presence, and when he has had things to say, they have generally added to the conversation.

But he suffers a little bit from the same problem as Williams, Walcott and Azpilicueta: he often needs to be invited in rather than volunteering himself. Again, we must stress this may be a production issue more than a problem with the pundits themselves - but it would just be nice to see them loosen things up a bit from time to time.

17. Micah Richards (BBC)

Now look. We know Micah Richards is a very Marmite taste. But some people bloody love Marmite. Besides, given the rest of the BBC line-up, he at least makes for a change of pace.

We really like Richards when he's in serious tactical mode, and his rather distinctive career trajectory means he is better than some of his colleagues at telling the viewer what it's like both when you're in a team that's flying and when you're struggling as an individual.

There's always been more than a touch of Ian Wright's early broadcasting career about Richards, though: he's good at playing the clown, and so he gets asked to do it far too often. We'd love someone to [Gary Lineker face] have a word with him and tell him he can be even more valuable as a serious voice; his charisma and charm will still come through, and may be less grating for his detractors.

16. Karen Carney (ITV)

We're very much moving now into the 'very solid pro' lane of pundits.

Karen Carney has been on our screen for years at this point, and it shows: she comes across as comfortable in her role, and is more than happy to take the hospital pass of talking about a fairly dull game and trying to make it interesting.

The only real downside is that Carney can get a bit lost in the shuffle at times, particularly when ITV have a more extended panel. She's better in a two than a three or four.

15. Steph Houghton (BBC)

Very much a BBC counterpart to Carney, in that Steph Houghton has plenty of experience doing this now and knows what the gig is about.

Predictably, the former Lionesses captain particularly shines when it comes to discussing defensive organisation, which is curiously a bit under-represented at this tournament.

She does not jump off the screen, but with her experience of international tournament football, we expect Houghton to come into her own even more as the knockout stages wear on

14. Thomas Frank (BBC)

A bit more like what we actually want our BBC pundits to be like: a bit professorial, worldly wise, and capable of explaining tactical concepts to the uninitiated.

As in life, Thomas Frank suffers a little bit from comparisons to Ange Postecoglou, who is doing the same thing with a lot more personality over on ITV.

But like with Houghton, we're keen to see what Frank can do when he's given a clash between two heavyweights to pick apart in the later rounds.

13. Thomas Hitszlsperger (BBC)

A very amenable presence indeed, Thomas Hitzlsperger might be rated in the beige category were he not just so bloody charming.

The former Germany international was particularly good value during Germany's round of 32 defeat to Paraguay, going on a roller-coaster ride from optimistic before kick-off, to putting on a brave face at half time, to the horrible realisation he had just seen his country go out on penalties for the first time ever.

He knows his onions when it comes to midfield play, too, which certainly doesn't hurt.

12. Wayne Rooney (BBC)

The BBC's big cause celebre of the last year.

Inconsistency goes against Wayne Rooney a little bit, because there are times when he can lose his thread slightly and the words seem to be coming out as he thinks of them.

But few hit as hard or accurately as Rooney when you get him on a topic he feels strongly about - particularly as it pertains to England. His 'been there, done it' credentials carry weight.

11. Jobi McAnuff (ITV)

Here begins the "actively good" section. As staunch EFL viewers, we are long-term admirers of Jobi McAnuff, who very clearly never turns up to the studio without having done a tonne of research on the game he's about to watch. You'd hope that would be the minimum you might expect, but sadly it isn't always.

Chances are you won't have seen much of McAnuff unless you've been living on West Coast time and staying up to watch the very, very late kick-offs on ITV.

But actually, we don't mind that at all. ITV have cannily realised nobody who is keen enough on football to stay up until 3am to watch a game is going to be interested in empty soundbites, and McAnuff is the perfect pick for a bit of a deeper dive into two sides you may not be that familiar with.

10. Ellen White (BBC)

Always eloquent and confident in putting forward her views, Ellen White knows what it's like to be a star striker in the biggest stage, and puts that experience to good use.

The former England centre-forward is particularly excellent when it comes to discussing movement in the number 9 role.

Unlike some of her BBC colleagues, she isn't afraid to drop the odd joke or wry observation here or there, either. More than just a good, safe pair of hands

9. Christina Unkel (ITV)

We can't rate Christina Unkel any higher purely because of just how limited her role is, but we think she's great.

The former referee is unbelievably authoritative both on the letter of the law and its interpretation, and has a real knack for communicating it all within the few seconds of airtime she is given for each game she covers. Even when we don't like a decision, she is always able to explain the rationale in a way that makes you go 'hmm, yeah, fair enough'.

It's genuinely refreshing for a broadcaster to have that as part of their coverage... particularly ITV, who at previous tournaments have been particularly eye-rollingly tedious in the length and volume of talking about 'controversial' moments in games.

8. Rachel Corsie (BBC)

The closest thing the BBC have to Jobi McAnuff, and we mean that as a compliment.

You can stick former Scotland star Rachel Corsie on a relatively unglamorous fixture, and she will have done her homework immaculately. She has been excellent on tactics, the role of analytics, and fitness considerations.

Corsie's assuredness makes us wonder if somebody might have her in mind to make the Gary Lineker/Alex Scott switch over to the other side of the studio at some point, even if it would be a bit of a shame to lose her insight.

7. Gary Neville (ITV)

Full disclosure: we think Gary Neville is much better covering the Premier League on Sky than he is covering major internationals on ITV, where he often ends up defaulting to being the grumpiest man in the room for some reason, particularly around England and refereeing decisions.

Still, there's no doubting the quality he can bring, and he particularly came into his own at the beginning of the tournament as he excoriated FIFA for their extortionate ticket prices.

Cheer up a bit, though, eh, Gary.

6. Joe Hart (BBC)

Now, a few years into the punditry gig, Joe Hart is only getting better as he loosens up and builds his confidence in the role.

His natural tendency towards 'goalkeepers' union' thinking has been made fun of on a few occasions, but that only makes it hit harder when he does criticise one of his fellow glovesmen. He was also quicker than most to identify how this tournament's ball was affecting goalkeepers when it comes to powerful long shots.

His earnestness is not to everyone's tastes, but he is a very good, detailed all-rounder, and for our own money, the best of the BBC's high-profile pundits at this World Cup.

5. Patrick Vieira (ITV)

There are no other pundits at this tournament who have had both a high-profile playing career and a high-profile managerial career, putting Patrick Vieira in a unique niche.

A World Cup winner with France in 1998, Vieira is not outstanding at any one part of the punditry game, but we've got him this high simply because he is good at all of it.

He can do banter with Roy Keane, he can think like a manager on tactical changes, and he puts his former standing as an absolute elite-tier midfielder on show just enough.

4. Roy Keane (ITV)

The anti-Ian Wright, in that Roy Keane has become far more enjoyable to watch over the years, now he has realised he does not have to just be sneering and biting at all times. Having watched him for years, we all now know that there is a mischievous side to him that can be very funny when it surfaces.

There is nobody better for a wry one-line putdown that sums things up perfectly - but Keane has added different gears to his game now, and is genuinely entertaining without straying into tedious blokey nonsense nearly as often as he did a decade ago.

When he's on, you turn the volume up, and we really look forward to seeing him in the studio now – we wouldn't always have said that.

3. Ange Postecoglou (ITV)

It's a cliche at this point to say you'd love to go for a pint with Ange Postecoglou... but for good reason.

The former Tottenham boss has been given a real mix of big boys and minnows to analyse so far this summer, and has had plenty of interesting things to say about all of them. His CV lent to a lot of the interesting nations at the tournament like Japan, England, Scotland, and of course Australia.

His level of detail is brilliant, but never overwhelming thanks to his easy, laid-back style. Knowledgeable and likeable.

2. Ian Wright (ITV)

Get you a man who can do it all. Ian Wright can, and we went back and forth multiple times about whether or not to upgrade him to top spot.

Wright's passion still shines through, and that can cut in both directions, from infectious enthusiasm to making proper, serious, well-considered points articulated to perfection. His monologues are so good you wonder if he brings a scriptwriter with him.

Wrighty is genuinely superb at talking about the actual football, too. The undisputed king of pundits... but there is a queen too...

1. Emma Hayes (ITV)

We want to be Emma Hayes when we grow up.

The USA and former Chelsea manager has made the hydration breaks must-watch TV for every game ITV have put her on, which is an unbelievably high compliment. In less than a minute, she can tell you why the game is unfolding the way it is in ways you hadn't considered before using little more than a bit of chalk, some magnets, and her vast football brain.

But as with Big Ange, she's also a big personality. Pointing directly into the camera before embarking on one bit of analysis and declaring "I know you're up late, so try to pay attention" during one 2am kick-off was an absolute baller move.

The Premier League is about to enter a new era – one without Pep Guardiola. After 10 trophy-laden years, the legendary manager has said goodbye to Manchester City, leaving behind a legacy that may never be surpassed, or even matched.

When Pep made the move to Manchester in 2016, he initially signed a three-year contract, but no-one could have predicted what was to come during his tenure.

Departing as the club’s most successful manager of all time, he led City to 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, one Champions League and the Club World Cup.

Guardiola is also the only manager in English top-flight history to win four successive league titles, between 2021 and 2024. It’s so difficult to win anything at elite level, so imagine how much harder it is to keep on winning, again and again.

Among his standout achievements were the Treble-winning campaign of 2022-23 when City clinched the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, the domestic treble of 2018-19, and the record-breaking 100-point tally the season before.

The Catalan possesses the personality, persistence, drive and ability that kept him innovating, finding new ways to win at such a high standard for so long. Having the opportunity to try and understand one of the greatest brains in football in countless interviews over the years has been a privilege.

I remember the first time I was given the task to sit down and chat with him for TNT Sports. I walked into the stands at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, the home of Sevilla, who were City’s opponents for the opening match of what would become their Champions League-winning season in 2022-23. When Pep arrived, he shook my hand and commented on how nice the Spanish weather was.

I had no idea what to expect on that day – fast forward several years and I can confirm that in any interview with Pep, you never know quite what you’re going to get! He is an emotional character with an aura that’s difficult to describe. Pep has found the right balance of being professional, intimidating, yet still warm and polite. He can also be no-nonsense when he wants, and that’s all part of what makes him a great manager.

In his final year at City he became nostalgic, and quite sarcastic and humorous with the media. Perhaps he always knew he was going to leave at the end of the campaign, but it made for some of my favourite interview moments.

When I spoke to him after City won the FA Cup at Wembley in May, it would be the last chat we had after his final trophy with the club. I asked whether he would be back in 2026-27 to defend City’s FA Cup, to which he responded, with a smile, “Bye bye!” Clearly not wanting to directly address it at the time, but I think we all had a sense that his exit was imminent

One of the telling signs was when he visited Stockport’s League One game with Port Vale in April, on the same night as a Champions League classic between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. It felt like he was ticking something off the list he had always wanted to do while he still could. It showed his deep love for English football, which has left its mark on Pep as much as he’s left his own on it.

It’s hard to imagine Manchester City without him in charge. Manchester United and Arsenal are proof of how difficult it is to replace a legendary manager. United’s dominant era ended after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, and the club are still searching for consistent success more than a decade later.

Arsenal have finally won their first league title under Mikel Arteta, something they had to wait 22 gruelling years for – with the stability they’ve now established, they look well placed to defend it when 2026-27 begins.

Guardiola will be a near impossible act to follow, but he’s left City with a young, hungry and very talented squad that aren’t far off becoming title winners again.

Pep joked that he would be up in his newly named Pep Guardiola Stand at the Etihad, still controlling the team in the future. It was said in jest, but in reality, his presence will be long felt in Manchester and beyond.

A Premier League icon, and one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game, the league won’t quite feel the same without him

in 2026-27. It’s often difficult to measure the success of a legend in the present. Perhaps the real impact of Pep’s extraordinary achievements may take some time to be truly appreciated.

Mario Gotze was horizontal when he connected with that ball. Night was about to fall; the setting sun balanced on the head of the Christ of the Redeemer, Rio's most famous icon – aside from perhaps Romario or Garrincha – resembling just another Brazilian on the beach. And yet this was a night won not with flair at all, but with hard work thawing German hearts: a country reunified in the 90s, re-energised in 2006, with a fourth star – a first as one nation, one Germany – stamped by a son of post-Cold War Bavaria.

Whatever the cliches may claim of Germany's sense of humour, you'd have been met with stony faces had you told anyone in white that night in the Maracana to wait at least 16 years to win another World Cup knockout fixture. Imagine telling them that night, Das Defining Deutsch side of its time – its Krooses, Lahms and Neuers, Jogi Low overseeing with his furrowed frown and haircut ripped from a Jungle Book vulture – that they would stand tall across the world for one night only. Success in Brazil. But no more.

In 2017, it seemed even less likely than three years prior. Low regenerated his warriors for the Confederations Cup, made Julian Draxler captain, blooding young talents in Timo Werner, Joshua Kimmich and Leroy Sane. They walked it. The future was distinctly German.

Yet a year later, Sane didn't even make the squad. He'd just come off the back of a 100-point season with Manchester City and was arguably the Premier League's most devastating talent at the time – arguably, too, the only player Die Mannschaft had capable of running beyond a full-back. He was shunned. Perhaps he didn't fit in with the system. He wouldn't be the last.

It felt like a stunning decision at the time. It looks even worse now. 2014's vintage won the biggest trophy of all with a group at the very top of their game, arguably the best manager of all time coaching the lion's share of them. Seven of Bayern Munich's spine were selected for the squad; four were competing opposite them at Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund. Another four were picked from the cream of the Premier League. This was a side used to winning: they had reached a peak individually and as a group.

In 2018, it felt very different indeed. Another seven came from Bayern, but this time, only one from Dortmund. Bayern had won all four titles in the interim, the chasm ever-widening. RB Leipzig's Werner led the line, this his baptism with only the Confed Cup as a medal in the back pocket. Ozil had sat most of Arsene Wenger's final Arsenal season on the sidelines, while Reus returned, a secret weapon semi-firing; Kimmich, Brandt and Goretzka hadn't achieved much yet.

Fast-forward to 2026. Germany's titans of the last few years feel a world away from Rio. German football is alien to that landscape. Neuer is the last man standing from the team that defeated Messi, clinging onto top-level football at 40. Kai Havertz is adored by every manager he works with; Florian Wirtz has overcome injury hell to reach immortality. All three have had uneven seasons, one way or another; Gundogan and Kroos left for the sunset a while ago. And that's it, really. The rest are either prospects, potential or still-as-yet fully unrealised world-beaters.

Since 2014, only one team other than Bayern have won the Bundesliga: Wirtz played in that team, and no one else from Xabi Alonso's Invicibles made the cut, his Leverkusen legends made up of Nigerians, Spaniards, Dutchmen, and Swiss, among others. Four players come from Stuttgart, who won the Pokal in the last couple of years: they have fewer than 30 caps between them. It's not entirely unfair to suggest that the Dortmund quartet in this squad haven't achieved anything, really, at BVB: somewhere on that spectrum of equity, one may suggest they're simply waiting for a move to Bayern themselves.

Yep, Bayern broke the Bundesliga, and in turn, it broke the German national team. This was a one-and-a-half-team league, up until the point where Pep Guardiola came along. Yes, the Salatschussel often ended up in Bavaria – but perhaps the yo-yo counter-attacks and physicality gave this league the illusion of being competitive. But no more.

Pep inverted his full-backs to stem the transitions. Where he saw chaos, he replaced it with control. Since then, the title has belonged in Munich, and as a result, German football has suffered. Bayern themselves have even recognised it, moving away from purchasing the best of the Bundesliga – and getting beaten to it, on occasion – first by plundering the Eredivisie, then assembling a world-class front three from Premier League talents.

The very view of a German footballer has altered into something rather Spanish, too. Think of a German player, and you used to conjure a Klinsmann, a Neuville or a Matthaus: now, you think of Jamal Musiala, Kimmich or Wirtz. Neat, tidy, intelligent. Excellent in close spaces. Pass-happy, secure on the ball. Ironic, as Germany scored with a header against Paraguay, when the chips were firmly down.

That used to be what Germany were all about: yet the god-like chance creation of Ozil, the dynamism of Schweinsteiger, the battering ram of Podolski, the inevitability of Muller has deserted them. They've been overengineered, and Julian Nagelsmann has been left with a mood board squad. Great ideas on paper. Unicorn profiles. A metronome in midfield, Kimmich, who seemingly couldn't pick his way through a defence all month, while club-mate Michael Olise did it for fun for France. Security in possession with Wirtz, who was left recycling the ball with Musiala. The former has struggled at Liverpool; the latter is yet to explode consistently quite like teenage pal Bellingham on the biggest stages (there's still time). He's one of the best players in the world, sure, but not with a crowning moment in front of the world to his name yet.

Even Germany's strikers these days – Havertz and Woltemade – are target men with the brains of midfielders. It's simply a collection of footballers who looked useful in their respective academies: 20-odd players each with an interesting attribute, but none of them fully rounded as a player. Yet for all his detractors, trolls and critics, Havertz has been there and done that already, with two Champions League final goals. He showed that drive in North America. Where were his equals?

Germany aren't alone in post-Pep confusion, but they are taking it the hardest. Spain, too, haven't won a knockout game since lifting the trophy but have supplemented the tiki-taka that keeps letting them down with the brute force of Mikel Merino and directness of Nico Williams. Dean Huijsen is a beautiful footballer on paper, but the game's played on grass, and he's not won anything on there yet. England have brilliant technicians in Wharton, Foden and Trent, yet chose the mentality of Rogers, Bellingham and Rashford instead. France, too, have a one-team league, yet only really plundered Paris Saint-Germain's frontline for their spine, with Didier Deschamps looking to the Premier League and getting a few of the old band back together.

Nagelsmann, meanwhile, went for parts that fit together in theory. A left-footed centre-back here, a no.10 capable of wriggling out of a paper bag, there. An AI-generated XI without the hunger of a Schweinsteiger or the battle scars of Per Mertesacker to make this team a little uglier, angrier, grittier. Weaker on paper, but with blokes you'd actually seen run through brick walls for the flag.

Perhaps it says a lot that Denis Undav was arguably his best player all month – and yet he didn't have anywhere for him. Where Low made concessions for Muller to be a raumdeuter and Ozil to play on his unfavoured flank, Nagelsmann made concessions to bring back 40-year-old Neuer, seemingly, merely for the aura.

Of course, it had to happen on penalties. The nation's brot und butter to display its steely mentality, now, the loose cord in their parachute.

And in his post-match conference, Nagelsmann stressed how young this group was. They need patience, he suggested. He's right: Angelo Stiller, for one, is a talent; Nat Brown can hold his head high for his performances.

But that's half the story. That's not the crux of what lifted the ice in 2014. 12 years ago, iron sharpened iron. Where's the iron in this German side?