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Sometimes in this job, it’s easy to forget about the people who read FourFourTwo. For every issue, we do our very best to create the most engaging magazine, with a good mixture of interviews and features, modern football and retro throwbacks – putting ourselves in the shoes of the reader and thinking about what would interest you.

But when you meet a reader ‘in the wild’, it can be a very surreal but nice experience. Last summer, I was on holiday in New York when I got chatting to a Scottish subscriber, Michael, who recognised me at a Cast gig and was telling me what he enjoyed about the magazine. I’ve been stopped while watching Fulham a number of times by readers who want to give feedback, and every time it’s very heartening.

For this issue, I interviewed Jamie Carragher. I introduced myself, but he said: “I know who you are, I’m a fan.” He’s been a subscriber since the start and has always been very helpful to FFT – his words briefly knocked me back with surprise, but it was very gratifying. In an age when there are many things to occupy everyone’s time and attention, we’re grateful and never take it for granted that people take the time to read FFT.

The sales this year have been extremely strong, especially this summer, and prove that magazines like ours still have their place.

Enjoy the issue.

James

The Overlap

Three years ago, Gary Neville recruited Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright to create football’s most successful podcast – even if the former Manchester United full-back isn’t convinced it’s a podcast at all. Either way, FFT met the quintet to find out why it’s been a hit…

Top of the pods

FFT run through the list of the finest shows out there, beyond Stick to Football – our staff have even lined up some personal recommendations…

King Kenny

Scottish great Kenny Dalglish has always known that life isn’t a rehearsal – he spends an hour talking FFT through the most significant moments of his journey to the top, via an ill-fated spell as a joiner, making his debut at 14-0 up, and his fear of walking out at Anfield for the first time

Kings of the ring

In October, 14 well-known footballers are going toe-to-toe in the ring at a charity boxing event – FFT meet Nile Ranger, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and the man who was once the Premier League’s youngest ever player, to find out why this is something of a redemption

Fergie Time

Sir Alex Ferguson had one of the most remarkable careers in football history – in a new book, Games of My Life, he’s given his own account of some of the key moments

The Barca boys

Four months after USA 94, Romario and Hristo Stoichkov destroyed Manchester United in a game Sir Alex Ferguson would rather forget – the Barcelona duo were the greatest strike partnership ever seen, but things unravelled acrimoniously

The Boy’s a Bit Special

Get the lowdown on Aston Villa's young striker who could be Harry Kane's successor for England, and the young box-to-box midfielder making waves at Coventry.

The boy wonder

Compared to Pele and wanted by Manchester United, few youngsters have ever been more hyped than Freddy Adu. He tells FFT why things went awry, via bad experiences in Greece, Brazil and beyond

Around the Grounds

Ella Toone is the Lionesses’ ultimate big-game player on becoming part of the furniture at Man United and 2027 World Cup ambitions

Elsewhere, we get the lowdown on Abdul Abdulmalik's move from National League Boreham Wood to the Swedish top flight, while in our new feature ‘Beyond the Turnstiles’ we take a trip to Bristol Rovers and tell you why it should be on your bucket list of grounds to visit.

In the Players Lounge this month…

Willian on why he should never have joined Arsenal, Kieran Gibbs on being confused for The Ox and Thomas Sorensen on playing for Tony Pulis.

The Mixer

Our latest merch round-up features Kylian Mbappe's big move to a new name in the football world, the latest colab from Umbro and new Como jacket from adidas.

We spy a 1998 Croatia shirt in Kit's a bit Special and let you know what to watch, listen to and follow this month.

Mark Schwarzer Q&A

Former Bradford, Middlesbrough and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer answers your questions

Upfront

Think you’re a football expert? Prove it by getting 100 per cent in our Ultimate Quiz. Columnist Jules Breach explains why she believes Harry Kane should win the Ballon d'Or.

Maniche selects the games that changed his life and BBC Sport's England reporter Kelly Somers discuss all things Watford as well as that interview with Kane at the World Cup.

Joe Cole hails a politician, astronaut, comedian and musician in People I Admire.

Perfect XI

Javier Zanetti picks his ultimate XI from former teammates made up of Inter Milan and Argentina legends.

There are people within football who think Tonda Eckert was dealt with too leniently by the FA independent regulatory commission that ruled on his involvement in Southampton’s ‘Spygate’ scandal.

Eckert received a £28,000 fine and a six-week suspended ban. With Southampton owner Dragan Solak already voicing his unwavering support for his manager, the decision not to hand down an immediate ban effectively ensured that Eckert’s job was safe.

Southampton, says Solak, have been punished enough. It’s in the interest of the EFL, the Championship and football at large to draw a line under it too. Eckert’s position is secure and Southampton spied themselves out of the play-offs. The time has come to move forward.

Flynn Downes leads the way at the heart of Southampton’s renewed normal

The commission was peopled by masters of timing. As the top two divisions emerged from an extended international break, Eckert and Southampton were able to breathe a sigh of relief in the middle of their preparations for Sunday’s Hampshire derby against hated rivals Portsmouth.

Saints and Pompey are on the opposite sides of one of English football’s truly great derbies and certainly one of its most underappreciated. Away from the south coast, it’s easy to overlook the sheer enmity and deep social history between two neighbouring cities.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Eckert’s Saints only needed one goal to send Portsmouth packing. Finn Azaz made it and James Bree finished it.

He became the first Southampton scorer in a home derby in the league since 2012 on the day Billy Sharp, who scored both of their goals in a 2-2 draw that afternoon, announced his retirement from football.

Bree’s goal gave Eckert’s team something to defend after the first-half dismissal of Hampshire-born youngster Cam Bragg. The 21-year-old midfielder left the pitch distraught after an instinctive shirt pull earned him a second yellow card. The performance of Flynn Downes after the break spared his heartbreak.

Downes, now 27, was magnificent in the first match of the new-ish era. He won and protected the ball in midfield, pressed with striker Cyle Larin, and put his body on the line in his own penalty area.

Azaz’s passing and a good stand-in shift on the right helped to win the game. Bree scored the goal after a terrific run in behind. Jack Stephens, Keven Schlotterbeck and Ryan Manning gave everything they had at the back. But Downes led the resistance by example.

Eckert needs to take Southampton back to the Premier League

Eckert’s post-reprieve Southampton will be played with 11 men but needed a player to stand up and be counted in an unexpected moment of adversity at its outset. Bree was the player who finished the game in a head bandage but it was Downes who fulfilled every other aspect of the heroic stereotype when leadership was called for.

Southampton, free of the shadow of Spygate, can parlay this fiery derby victory into their renewed normal. Eckert and Solak have both acknowledged, through gritted teeth or otherwise, that Saints were in the wrong. They’ve been punished, and they have a genuine chance for redemption.

The clubs directly impacted by the scandal might not agree that he should still be in his job, but Eckert is now locked in at St Mary’s and fully backed in the stands and the boardroom. Spygate cast a shadow over Eckert’s improvement of Southampton’s fortunes on the pitch but something that was abundantly clear in both halves in Hampshire on Sunday is that he has a much better team than the one that drew 0-0 in the same fixture last season.

Stephens, Downes, Azaz and Manning were the only players who started both matches. They were arguably Southampton’s four best players this time around but they’re now the core of an Eckert team who must now repay the backing of their supporters.

Eckert in particular must deliver promotion, ideally this season. It’s a ludicrously high bar but it’s one that Southampton set themselves by exploding their own chances when it was within reach in 2025/26.

Beating Portsmouth took Southampton to five wins from their first nine matches. Now unencumbered by uncertainty and on the back of a positive return to action, surefootedness can take over.

Manchester City took all three points here at Anfield but could it all be pointless? Does this victory actually mean anything?

“Going down” chorused the Kop towards the City players as they celebrated with their fans. They’re going top - for now. This is the Premier League season that will be decided by lawyers. The season fast turns into a farce.

As Liverpool fans bayed “cheats, cheats, cheats”, Enzo Maresca grinned. He had plenty to smile about at Anfield. City head coach’s introduction of Jeremy Doku in the second half changed the game. Ryan Gravenberch couldn’t live with Doku, fouled him, stopping a breakaway, departing for a second yellow. The life went out of Liverpool. Already missing Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool had no cutting edge. City had plenty of it and showed their attacking skills with goals from Erling Haaland, Doku himself and a gem from Rayan Cherki.

At the final whistle, Anfield’s DJ put on “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac, a small gesture of defiance. But the real defiance came from City. This is Anfield. But it wasn’t the old Ali Sami Yen in Istanbul. It wasn’t La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. It was loud, raucous, an assault on the ears, but hardly physically intimidating. Enzo Fernandez will have witnessed worse at River Plate against Boca Juniors. Little fazes Elliot Anderson either. The Englishman, tough physically and mentally, tore into challenges on Lewis Koumas, Florian Wirtz and Alexis Mac Allister and stared them down whenever anyone reacted.

The away section of the Anfield Road end seethed with defiance. City fans waved their inflatable bananas, an echo of the craze in the late 80s. It was a stroll down memory lane, back to the Maine Road era, a reminder of an era before the Abu Dhabi riches. The bananas were a surreal gesture of defiance, almost a statement that they would back their team in whatever division.

City were represented in the smart seats. Ferran Soriano, the club’s chief executive, and director of football Hugo Viana sat there like statues at times, giving nothing away. Like their defence. Their owners’ accounting can be questioned but not the character of their players.

They certainly got an earful. If anyone had a grievance against City for missing out on trophies it was Liverpool heading the list. City maintain their innocence, but they were left in no doubt at the anger towards them following the publication of the independent commission’s guilty verdicts on their breaches of Premier League financial rules.

Throughout the game, Liverpool fans targeted every City touch with jeers and chants of “cheats”, “going down” and “you cheating b*stards, you know what you are”. Showing an impressive grasp of history, especially of the League Cup, Liverpool fans chanted, “1976, 1976, you haven’t won a trophy, since 1976”.

It was all words, though. It’s all down to the lawyers not lyricists. Liverpool fans had been busy with the banners. Signs adorned the Kop: “114FC”, “a generation of supporters cheated” and a 20-yard “cheats” with the vowels replaced by £ signs. When Cherki walked towards the corner between Kop and Sir Kenny Dalglish stand, a Liverpool fan in a dark jacket took a step towards the hoardings, gesturing over them towards the City No.10. Two stewards hurried across.

City dealt with the brief storm from Liverpool at the start of the second half. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved from Koumas and Gravenberch, whose red card just after the hour changed the game. The Dutch midfielder, Liverpool’s best player, had already been booked, slightly harshly, for a challenge on Anderson. So he was playing a risky game when impeding the breaking Doku, who had just come on for Iliman Ndiaye. Chris Kavanagh reached for yellow then red.

City reached for the exposed Liverpool jugular. Doku was unstoppable on the left. Within two minutes of going down to 10 men, Liverpool went a goal down. Doku crossed from the left, the ball deflected off Mac Allister and was met with brutal force by Haaland.

Three minutes on, Doku cut in from the left, and curled a beauty past Alisson. Ten minutes further on, and City conjured up the goal of the game, a goal that celebrated all that is good about Cherki. He linked with Anderson, then Josko Gvardiol, sat Jeremie Frimpong down and stroked City’s third past Alisson. City returned three points clear at the top. But what does it mean?

If this game showed the sort of noise that will follow City around, it also highlighted they have the character to deal with it. The farce continues.

The international break is as dreary for football fans as it is for clubs. Supporters missed the regularity and unpredictability that comes with watching their team in action. International football, major tournaments aside, doesn’t have the same pizazz as the domestic or continental game.

The major risk to club teams, however, is the possibility of seeing a player sustain a knock while representing their national team. A number of Premier League sides have all seen key men struck down during the domestic hiatus.

While the likes of Nico O’Reilly, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Micky van de Ven are expected to make swift returns ahead of the upcoming round of league games, Arsenal have been relatively harder hit than others. Indeed, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis sustained knocks with Norway, Germany and Greece, respectively.

Odegaard at least returned to the Norway side having made a swift recovery. The same can’t be said of Havertz. The Gunners man was forced off in the first half of Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last month, and immediately returned to London for a scan on a suspected hamstring injury.

Reports at the time suggested that Havertz would sit out the next six weeks of competitive action for the north London side, which is a blow for Mikel Arteta. Havertz has been Arteta’s first-choice frontman this season, and has duly delivered, scoring two goals in the opening five matches.

That said, there is more to Havertz’s game than just goalscoring. His all-round style of play is vital for Arsenal, with the German forward willing to work tirelessly out of possession in order to knit the play together and drag markers out of position. Arteta’s use of wingers in his favoured setup means a striker of Havertz’s skill set is vital.

And it’s for that reason the Arsenal boss should turn to Mikel Merino rather than Viktor Gyokeres to lead the line for the coming weeks. Even if it’s only for a month or so, it’s a long time for the latter to operate as the focal point for this Arsenal side.

Gyokeres didn’t exactly endure a tough debut campaign in the capital. The 28-year-old scored 14 league goals, and added an additional five in the Champions League, as Arsenal pipped Manchester City to a first Premier League title in 22 years. However, Arteta has never been truly sold on the idea of Gyokeres leading the charge.

For the run-in last season, Havertz was again the go-to striker. He started the Champions League final, scoring in the eventual defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The 27-year-old’s selflessness and notable link-up play worked far better with those in the supporting trio. Gyokeres may work tirelessly off the ball, but he’s more effective as an out-and-out striker rather than a forward willing to bring others into play.

By contrast, Merino is willing to drop deeper in order to link the play in the final third. The Spaniard shares the same positional understanding as Havertz, meaning Arteta wouldn’t need to tinker too much with his game plan by bringing Merino into the side during the former Chelsea man’s spell on the sidelines.

Merino is more comfortable on the ball than Gyokeres, meaning he’d be able to drag defenders out of position, thus opening up space for the wide men to exploit. He doesn’t rely so much on making runs off the shoulder of the last man.

What is vital, though, is that Merino still has this knack for cropping up at the right place at the right time in order to get among the goals. Since the start of last season, his return of 0.89 goal contributions per 90 when starting as the lead striker is the best of all Arsenal players.

By comparison, Havertz ranks second at 0.78, while Gyokeres is averaging 0.49 direct goal involvements per 90 in all competitions over the same period. Not only does Merino offer the same off-the-ball movement that makes for a more mobile Arsenal frontline, he is able to time his box-crashing runs well in order to get among the goals.

While Arteta may be tempted to opt for Gyokeres given his previous demands for an out-and-out number nine, combined with the 28-year-old’s good form for Sweden during the international break - Gyokeres scored four goals across four Nations League outings - Merino suits Arsenal’s attack better than the former Sporting man.

Granted, Gyokeres is a handy option for Arteta to call upon, especially if Arsenal look to go more direct.

With Havertz absent, however, the Gunners boss must instead look to Merino to shoulder the striker burden. Against a resolute Leeds backline this weekend, Merino’s desire to link up with his teammates will help break down the Yorkshire side’s low block better than Gyokeres’ directness, particularly with space in the final third expected to be at a premium.

News that TFG plan to place Everton back on the market and walk away is another reality check for the Toffees' faithful.

To the footballing romantic, Everton are an undeniable giant of the English game - historic nine-time league champions boasting an intensely loyal fanbase and a new stadium on the banks of the Mersey.

But to the modern sports investor, particularly the wave of American private equity groups currently sweeping through English football, Everton isn't the most attractive financial acquisition.

Everton face a lengthy drawn-out sale as The Friedkin Group pull back

At the heart of Everton’s unattractiveness to potential suitors is the club's financial model.

According to Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance, Everton recorded a wage-to-turnover ratio of 79% for the 2024/25 season - the season for which figures are most recently available.

In top level football, spending nearly four-fifths of every pound earned purely on player and staff wages is considered unsustainable. It leaves a thin 21% margin to cover matchday operations, debt servicing, travel, youth development, and administrative costs. For prospective buyers, an inflated wage bill relative to income signals an inefficiently managed asset that requires immediate cost-cutting before any real return on investment can be made.

Furthermore, Everton’s revenue fails to justify the magnitude of the club's profile. In 2024/25, Everton generated £197m. To put that in perspective, that is the same number generated by Crystal Palace, and £3m more than Fulham (£194m).

For US-based investors, who currently hold full or controlling stakes in over half of the Premier League's 20 clubs including Chelsea, Bournemouth and Leeds United, London-based sides like Palace or Fulham are a far more alluring proposition.

A capital city base provides built-in international prestige, corporate hospitality appeal, and global brand visibility. For a club with Everton's heritage to generate the same revenue as mid-table London outfits suggests their commercial reach isn't going the distance it needs to, casting doubt over their long-term growth ceiling to potential investors.

Optimists will point toward Everton's move to the state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium as something of a financial game-changer. While matchday income and commercial revenues will inevitably rise from the 2025/26 season onwards, the new venue comes with heavy financial baggage.

No club pays for a new stadium upfront, they utilise loans and complex debt structures. Any buyer stepping into the breach will not just be buying a football club but inheriting hundreds of millions of pounds in outstanding stadium financing debts that must be serviced regardless of performance on the pitch. That will be baked into any purchase price, according to The Times, and with a reported net debt figure of £380m, that makes TFG's asking price somewhere in the £800m range.

Complicating matters further is the state of the playing squad itself. Everton currently have the smallest squad in the Premier League. Worse still, the club spent the recent summer window effectively liquidating its most valuable playing asset, selling star man Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City.

The club has diminished any incoming owner’s ability to generate internal capital through player trading. A buyer would be forced to spend heavily in the transfer market just to keep the team competitive, without the cushion of selling high-value squad members to offset the outlay.

Finally, there is the unavoidable reality of local geography. Everton remain the secondary commercial entity in a two-club city, living in the shadow of Liverpool’s global commercial footprint.

For American sports conglomerates looking to maximise international sponsorships and media dominance, investing in a second-tier brand within its own city is not what premium ownership groups look for. Investors seeking football clubs, particularly in the north of England, are far more likely to target single-club cities, where a lone team captures the region’s commercial ecosystem, civic backing, and fanbase without any of that being diluted.

The Premier League has never seen more American capital, with private equity funds and sports groups viewing English football as the world's premier sporting product.

However, as recent takeovers demonstrate, modern investors demand either global status, low-debt growth potential, or in some cases capital city positioning. Everton offer none of the three, are burdened by almost £400m in debt, run a bloated wage-to-turnover ratio, have a depleted playing squad, and tough regional competition.

The long and short of it is, the Toffees could face a long wait to find anyone willing to take on the challenge and with TFG intent on selling, influxes of cash to buy players and fund operations don't usually follow statements such as the one that's been released.

Chelsea Women owner Alexis Ohanian has hinted that the club are working towards another significant development, suggesting it could set a new standard for women's football.

Ohanian, who invested a reported £20 million in Chelsea Women in May 2025, was speaking about the club's ambitions after seeing the team begin playing their home matches at Stamford Bridge this season.

He wants Chelsea to continue to be a global leader in women's football, with exciting plans on the horizon.

Ohanian teases major Chelsea development

Asked what the next major area for improvement would be after fulfilling the players' desire to play at the Bridge, Ohanian revealed there is already something in the pipeline.

"There's one that I'm not allowed to talk about yet," he said, speaking at sports industry conference Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge

The American businessman, who also co-founded Reddit and invested in NWSL side Angel City FC, suggested the plans would be driven by the needs of the players.

"The part that makes me so inspired to work with folks here is they are so embedded in making sure and so committed to making sure that this club is phenomenal," he added. "And the way you do that is by listening to the players. We've got a board meeting coming up, so hopefully there'll be some news coming out of it."

Asked whether he could offer a further hint, Ohanian suggested the development could have significance beyond Chelsea.

"Chelsea has always wanted to set a standard. That's what I love about coming into a club like this," he said.

"And this will be yet another one that I think, not just for English women's football, but for women's football, will be an important one that needs to happen. That I know the players will be happy about."

Stamford Bridge the ‘number one thing’ players wanted

Ohanian's comments come after Chelsea Women began playing their home league matches at Stamford Bridge this season, a move he said had been a major request from the players.

"When I spoke to the players early into coming over, the number one thing they were asking for was to play at the Bridge," he said.

"So the team got that done here this season, which has been awesome to see, and we’ve just got to keep building."

Growing matchday audiences

Ohanian, married to 23-time tennis Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, highlighted the importance of growing the matchday audience, pointing to his experience with Angel City in the United States.

The NWSL club played in a 22,000-capacity stadium during their first season, averaging around 21,000 spectators, according to Ohanian.

"People expected women's sports fans to be the same people as men's sports fans, and they're just not," he said.

"It's a totally different audience. The overlap we had with the MLS team that we shared the stadium with was insignificant. It was five to 10 per cent. It's a totally different canvas.

"It’s not just saying, 'Hey, existing fans of the men's team, come watch these women play', which is great if you want to do that too, but also who are the new fans that are now ready to be engaged?"

Chelsea have already introduced fan activations, including bottomless brunches, as they look to grow their audience at Stamford Bridge.

Ohanian also believes the wider Women's Super League can continue to develop as more clubs prioritise their women's teams.

"The more and more we see more teams investing in the women's side, the more they'll start to change the sort of motion around it," he said.

For Ohanian, Chelsea's location in London, their history of success and their global brand were all major attractions when he became involved with the club. He hopes Chelsea can also become a leading WSL team for supporters back home in the United States.

"I envisioned a women's football fan in America to have their NWSL club, hopefully Angel City, but have their WSL club and have it be Chelsea.”

World Cup 2034 hosts Saudi Arabia have scrapped plans to build the NEOM Stadium, a so-called stadium in the sky.

The proposed 46,000-seater ground was envisioned as one of a handful of new stadiums built by the Middle Eastern country, as they shape up to host the Greatest Show on Earth.

NEOM Stadium was planned to be 350 metres above the ground and integrated into the roof of the futuristic new city, The Line – but it now won't be built at all.

Manchester City have hope of getting off from charges - but perhaps not all of them

In 2021, Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman announced The Line: a sci-fi-esque city that would be built to be just 200 metres wide, 110 miles long, with no cars or streets and an entirely glass mirror exterior, with all basic services within a five-minute walking distance.

The NEOM Stadium was set to be the centrepiece of the project – though the proposed smart city has been widely panned by critics for unrealistic costs and timelines, environmental harm, and human rights violations, with thousands displaced and migrant workers expected to work “way beyond what the international minimum standards permit”, as per an ITV documentary.

According to Reuters, however, the construction intelligence platform MEED Projects indicates that the NEOM Stadium is currently categorised as ‘on hold’.

Saudi Arabia was awarded the rights to host the 25th World Cup in 2023 by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, to much controversy, with the governing body handing Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay games at the 2030 tournament – billed to be part of commemorations of the 100th anniversary – effectively ruling Europe, Africa, and South America out as potential bidders for the 2034 World Cup.

FIFA then announced they would only be giving 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host the 2034 tournament – with Saudi Arabia announcing its bid within minutes.

Saudi Arabia's original bid featured 15 stadiums, with only four had been constructed at that point, with NEOM listed as a host city.

The original webside promised the city would be “a living laboratory,” “a new model for livability” and “a future global hub”.

Reports state that $50 billion has already been pumped into developing The Line – and with trillions expected to make the smart city a reality, the project could take decades to complete.

Saudi's other proposed stadiums include The King Abdullah Economic City Stadium, Jeddah Central Development Stadium, ROSHN Stadium, New Murabba Stadium, Qiddiya Coast Stadium, Aramco Stadium, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, South Riyadh Stadium, and King Salman International Stadium.

Manchester City still have significant hope in escaping from their recent Premier League charges with minimal punishment – based on a “core argument”.

Last month, an independent Commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over nine seasons, with a plethora of charges in relation to failure to cooperate with the league's investigation.

In a statement, Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said, “The club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade,” adding that “it is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition”.

Manchester City have hope of getting off from charges - but perhaps not all of them

Speaking on a recent edition of the Talking City podcast, Manchester Evening News' chief Manchester City writer Simon Bajkowski explained the club's stance following their appeal against the Premier League's charges, stating that City “don't need to overturn everything” – and that should they simply prove that they haven't broken the rules regarding their “funding scheme”, they could still escape some punishments.

“It seems like City have a mountain to overcome – and it is a mountain, but it's not a multitude of things: it's basically a core argument,” Bajkowski said of the appeal.

“And when City say they have irrefutable evidence, it is to show that: their evidence shows that the money did not come from Man City to the sponsors to then go back into Man City's books. It came from the Abu Dhabi government to the sponsors, which then paid Manchester City… so the money has come from the Abu Dhabi government rather than the club [which is] not against the rules.”

Bajkowski noted that the Sky Blues were “stunned” by the verdict, but notes that there is hope that “a different set of eyes” – a new three-person commission assembled to examine the original decision rather than rehear the case in its entirety, following the club's appeal – will see the situation differently.

“There was a mention that the club had a number of criticisms about the process and the way that the Premier League had brought everything against City, and you imagine that would be run again [in the appeal],” he said.

“City mentioned an unsafe verdict, and reading between the lines, it's that it has taken so long for a verdict, [that] how can you be so sure that witnesses were untrue, or whatever, if you are thinking back two years to when they were on the stand?

“City are appealing the guilty verdicts because they think they have cause and evidence, but also they have paid people very handsomely to be in the room for the 11 weeks when it actually took place.

“And the reason why it stunned people at City when they were found guilty of so many things is that these people are experienced in knowing how a case was going, and the feeling after those 11 weeks was certainly not, 'Well, we've lost on every count.'

“So there is a sense that a different set of eyes may have a different view.”

City travel to Liverpool this weekend when Premier League action resumes after the international break.

"Can we play you every week?" is the rhetorically-phrased terrace chant you'll hear most Saturdays at at least one English football ground. It's a taunt from one set of fans, directed towards the opposing set of supporters whenever the former's side is usually two-or-more goals to the good.

Playing the same team every week would, of course, be complete nonsense, even if for some sides, it would effectively guarantee them three points - which is what the chant asks knowing full well, they can't.

But, what's the longest your team has gone without playing a particular opponent? You've faced them before, but the footballing Gods have conspired to keep you both apart. FourFourTwo have done the requisite digging.

It's 130 years since Arsenal last played this English league opponent

Two cup competitions (Carabao Cup and FA Cup) mean the likelihood of facing a team in another division each season is pretty common, but for some clubs, such as those who've never been relegated from the top flight, they can be chance encounters.

Take Arsenal for example, they've played Crewe Alexandra six times in their history, but each of those came when Queen Victoria sat on the throne. How they've never been drawn against each other in the cups, we'll never know.

🔘 PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal

Longest without playing: Woolwich Arsenal 7-0 Crewe Alexandra 1896 Division Two

Aston Villa

Longest without playing: Aston Villa 1-1 Lincoln City 1960 Division Two

AFC Bournemouth

Longest without playing: Newport County 0-1 AFC Bournemouth 1987 Division Three

Brentford

Longest without playing: York City 1-2 Brentford 2002 FA Cup

Brighton & Hove Albion

Longest without playing: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 York City 2001 Division 3

Chelsea

Longest without playing: Stockport County 0-0 Chelsea 1926 Division Two

Coventry City

Longest without playing: Coventry City 0-2 Liverpool 2001 Premier League

Crystal Palace

Longest without playing: Crystal Palace 2-1 Wrexham 1982 Division Two

Everton

Longest without playing: Northampton Town 0-2 Everton 1966 Division One

Fulham

Longest without playing: Fulham 2-0 Newport County 1987 Division Three

Hull City

Longest without playing: Newport County 0-1 Hull City 1985 Division Three

Ipswich Town

Longest without playing: Mansfield 2-3 Ipswich Town 1963 FA Cup

Leeds United

Longest without playing: York City 0-4 Leeds United 1987 League Cup

Liverpool

Longest without playing: Liverpool 2-0 Gillingham 1914 FA Cup

Manchester City

Longest without playing: Manchester City 4-1 Barnet 1994 League Cup

Manchester United

Longest without playing: Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Manchester United 1936 Division Two

Newcastle United

Longest without playing: Newcastle United 2-3 Chesterfield 1947 Division Two

Nottingham Forest

Longest without playing: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Newport County 1951 Division Three (South)

Sunderland

Longest without playing: Wrexham 0-1 Sunderland 1980 Division Two

Tottenham Hotspur

Longest without playing: Chesterfield 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur 1949 Division Two

🔘 CHAMPIONSHIP

Birmingham City

Longest without playing: Newport County 0-3 Birmingham City 1947 Division Two

Blackburn Rovers

Longest without playing: Chesterfield Town 0-1 Blackburn Rovers 1980 Division 3

Bolton Wanderers

Longest without playing: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 York City 2011 FA Cup

Bristol City

Longest without playing: Arsenal 0-0 Bristol City 1980 Division One

Burnley

Longest without playing: Burnley 2-0 Newport County 1988 Division Four

Cardiff City

Longest without playing: York City 3-3 Cardiff City 2001 Division Three

Charlton Athletic

Longest without playing: Charlton Athletic 3-2 York City 1976 Division Two

Derby County

Longest without playing: York City 1-3 Derby County 1986 Division Three

Lincoln City

Longest without playing: Lincoln City 8-1 Bromley 1938 FA Cup

Middlesbrough

Longest without playing: Leyton Orient 2-1 Middlesbrough 1978 FA Cup

Millwall

Longest without playing: Arsenal 0-2 Millwall 1995 FA Cup

Norwich City

Longest without playing: Norwich City 5-1 Mansfield Town 1959 Division Three

Portsmouth

Longest without playing: Huddersfield 4-1 Portsmouth 2001 Division One

Preston North End

Longest without playing: Newport County 3-3 Preston North End 1985 Division Three

Queens Park Rangers

Longest without playing: Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Newport County 1962 FA Cup

Sheffield United

Longest without playing: Sheffield United 2-0 Newport County 1984 Division 3

Southampton

Longest without playing: Barnet 1-4 Southampton 1954 FA Cup

Stoke City

Longest without playing: Stoke City 4-1 Barnet 1993 Autoglass Trophy

Swansea City

Longest without playing: Swansea City 0-0 Grimsby Town 2005 League Two

Watford

Longest without playing: Mansfield Town 0-3 Watford 1979 Division Three

West Bromwich Albion

Longest without playing: York City 0-1 West Bromwich Albion 1976 Division Two

West Ham United

Longest without playing: West Ham United 4-1 Exeter City 1915 Division Three

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Longest without playing: York City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1986 Division Three

Wrexham

Longest without playing: Wrexham 1-3 Liverpool 1978 League Cup

🔘 LEAGUE ONE

AFC Wimbledon

Longest without playing: AFC Wimbledon 1-2 Liverpool 2015 FA Cup

Barnsley

Longest without playing: Barnsley 0-2 Arsenal 1998 Premier League

Blackpool

Longest without playing: York City 0-2 Blackpool 2004 LDV Vans Trophy

Bradford City

Longest without playing: Bradford City 0-0 Fulham 1994 Division Two

Bromley

Longest without playing: Lincoln City 8-1 Bromley 1938 FA Cup

Burton Albion

Longest without playing: York City 1-1 Burton Albion 2015 League Two

Cambridge United

Longest without playing: Everton 3-0 Cambridge United 1976 FA Cup

Doncaster Rovers

Longest without playing: Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Manchester United 1936 Division Two

Huddersfield Town

Longest without playing: Huddersfield Town 1-0 Newport County 1938 Division Three

Leicester City

Longest without playing: Cambridge United 1-3 Leicester City 1993 Division 1 (Scheduled to play each other again on 1st December 2026)

Leyton Orient

Longest without playing: Leyton Orient 2-1 Liverpool 1963 Division One

Luton Town

Longest without playing: Southampton 1-0 Luton Town 2010 FA Cup

Mansfield Town

Longest without playing: Norwich City 5-1 Mansfield Town 1959 Division Three

Milton Keynes Dons

Longest without playing: Milton Keynes Dons 0-5 Tottenham Hotspur 2006 League Cup

Notts County

Longest without playing: Notts County 1-1 Manchester United 1992 Division One

Oxford United

Longest without playing: Oxford United 0-3 Liverpool 1987 Division One

Peterborough United

Longest without playing: Peterborough United 2-1 Arsenal 1965 FA Cup

Plymouth Argyle

Longest without playing: Plymouth Argyle 1-5 Tottenham Hotspur 1962 FA Cup

Reading

Longest without playing: Barnet 4-1 Reading 2001 LDV Vans Trophy

Sheffield Wednesday

Longest without playing: Newport County 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday 1964 FA Cup

Stevenage

Longest without playing: Stevenage 3-1 Newcastle United 2011 FA Cup

Stockport County

Never played: Stockport County 0-0 Chelsea 1926 Division Two

Wigan Athletic

Longest without playing: Newport County 1-2 Wigan Athletic 1987 Division Three

Wycombe Wanderers

Longest without playing: Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Liverpool 2001 FA Cup

🔘 LEAGUE TWO

Accrington Stanley

Longest without playing: Watford 0-0 Accrington Stanley 2006 League Cup (Accrington Stanley lost on penalties)

Barnet

Longest without playing: Barnet 1-4 Southampton 1954 FA Cup

Bristol Rovers

Longest without playing: Bristol Rovers 1-1 Manchester United 1975 Division Two

Cheltenham Town

Longest without playing: Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-1 Cheltenham Town 1987 FA Cup

Chesterfield

Longest without playing: Chesterfield 1-5 Arsenal 1937 FA Cup

Colchester United

Longest without playing: Arsenal 4-0 Colchester United 1959 FA Cup

Crawley Town

Longest without playing: Manchester United 1-0 Crawley Town 2011 FA Cup

Crewe Alexandra

Longest without playing: Woolwich Arsenal 7-0 Crewe Alexandra 1896 Division Two

Exeter City

Longest without playing: Chelsea 2-0 Exeter City 1951 FA Cup

Fleetwood Town

Longest without playing: Fleetwood Town 0-0 York City 2014 League Two Play Off Semi Final Second Leg

Gillingham

Longest without playing: Liverpool 2-0 Gillingham 1914 FA Cup

Grimsby Town

Longest without playing: Everton 0-1 Grimsby Town 1984 League Cup

Newport County

Longest without playing: Newport County 0-3 Birmingham City 1947 Division Two

Northampton Town

Longest without playing: Arsenal 1-1 Northampton Town 1965 Division One

Oldham Athletic

Longest without playing: Aston Villa 1-2 Oldham Athletic 1994 Premier League

Port Vale

Longest without playing: Port Vale 0-1 West Ham United 1991 Division Two

Rochdale

Longest without playing: Arsenal 4-2 Rochdale 1920 FA Cup

Rotherham United

Longest without playing: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Rotherham United 1972 FA Cup

Salford City

Longest without playing: Everton 3-0 Salford City 2020 League Cup

Shrewsbury Town

Longest without playing: Newcastle United 2-1 Shrewsbury Town 1987 Simod Cup

Swindon Town

Longest without playing: Liverpool 2-2 Swindon Town 1993 Premier League

Tranmere Rovers

Longest without playing: Arsenal 0-1 Tranmere Rovers 1973 League Cup

Walsall

Longest without playing: Walsall 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur 1969 FA Cup

York City

Longest without playing: York City 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur 1955 FA Cup

FIFA has been drawn into fresh controversy following revelations that the governing body allegedly permitted the Democratic Republic of Congo to compete in the 2026 World Cup, despite internal findings that goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi was ineligible during qualifying.

According to an investigation by the New York Times, internal FIFA reviews established that DR Congo breached eligibility rules regarding Mpasi, a former France youth international.

The dispute originated when the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lodged a formal appeal after losing their continental play-off against DR Congo. Nigerian officials argued that the Congolese federation failed to complete the mandatory FIFA paperwork required to formally process Mpasi’s international switch of allegiance.

England's World Cup match versus DR Congo might never have taken place

Documents obtained during the investigation allege FIFA officials verified that Mpasi lacked the necessary administrative clearance when playing in the qualifiers. However, FIFA dismissed Nigeria's claim and chose not to issue sanctions or overturn the match results.

The decision enabled DR Congo, whose squad included Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa, to advance to the intercontinental play-off. There, they beat Jamaica to secure their first World Cup appearance in 52 years.

During the tournament in North America, Mpasi remained DR Congo's starting goalkeeper while Wissa spearheaded the attack. The Leopards successfully navigated Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan before being eliminated by England in the Round of 32.

The revelation that FIFA supposedly allowed DR Congo to participate despite acknowledging the eligibility breach will no doubt spark anger in Nigeria, where officials believe the national team was unfairly denied a place at the tournament.

Standard FIFA practice stipulates that fielding an ineligible player in an official match results in an automatic forfeit.

Previous precedents, such as Bolivia losing points during 2018 World Cup qualification for fielding an ineligible player, have added to the scrutiny surrounding FIFA's handling of the case. In an official statement responding to the New York Times, FIFA maintained that its judicial processes were followed correctly and denied any executive influence.

"FIFA's committees are autonomous and decide cases on the basis of the regulations in force and the specific facts under consideration," the statement read, adding that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was not involved in the proceedings.

Furthermore, a FIFA spokesperson commented: “FIFA can confirm that there were no eligibility issues for DR Congo’s matches against Jamaica and at the subsequent FIFA World Cup 2026.

"As outlined, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee dealt with a protest filed by the Nigeria Football Federation, which was ruled inadmissible."

Following one of the most bad-tempered and politically-charged international windows in recent memory, the Republic of Ireland and Israel have finally concluded their UEFA Nations League double-header.

But in the wake of bad blood, anthem protests, and media confrontations, football fans and administrators alike are left asking: when can the two nations next face each other on the pitch?

The recent back-to-back fixtures between Ireland and Israel were fraught with controversy long before a ball was kicked, especially as Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdrew from the squad citing ethical issues. Both matches also had to be relocated to neutral venues in Hungary and Serbia due to security concerns.

Ireland and Israel could meet again in Euro 2028 qualifying

Prior to kick-off in Hungary, Irish players bowed their heads during the playing of the Israeli national anthem, while Irish captains Dara O'Shea (in Hungary) and Caoimhin Kelleher (in Serbia) refused to shake hands with their opposite number.

Following Ireland's victory in the opening game, Israel skipper Manor Solomon publicly voiced frustration over the Irish squad's perceived hostility.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) launched an investigation into allegations that Irish players, including striker Adam Idah, were subjected to racist abuse from Israeli supporters in the stands following their first match-up.

Tension reached a boiling point ahead of the return fixture when an Israeli journalist launched what manager Heimir Hallgrimsson termed a 'verbal attack', accusing Irish players of directing racist slurs toward Israel's squad.

FAI communications manager Kieran Crowley terminated the press conference, dismissing the accusations as 'completely untrue.'

The friction surrounding the fixture stems from the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Public sentiment in Ireland is uniquely supportive of the Palestinian cause - a stance deeply rooted in Ireland's own national history of foreign occupation, partition, and struggle for self-determination.

The matches sparked widespread domestic protests in Ireland, with political groups and fans demanding boycotts and questioning why Israel remains permitted to compete in UEFA tournaments.

Could Ireland and Israel meet in Euro 2028 qualifying?

The next potential competitive meeting between Ireland and Israel could arrive as early as next year. The group stage draw for UEFA Euro 2028 qualification takes place in December, with qualifying fixtures kicking off in March 2027.

Ireland and Israel could technically be drawn into the same qualifying group. However, following the turmoil of the Nations League window, Ireland manager Hallgrimsson has publicly requested that UEFA keep the two nations separate in future tournament draws to avoid further hostility.

UEFA already enforces strict rules preventing certain politically sensitive pairings from playing each other. The governing body currently prohibits several high-risk fixtures:

• Armenia vs Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh territorial conflict)
• Spain vs Gibraltar (disputed sovereignty over Gibraltar)
• Kosovo vs Serbia (diplomatic non-recognition of independence)
• Kosovo vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (diplomatic non-recognition)
• Russia vs Ukraine and Ukraine vs Belarus (ongoing war in Ukraine)

Whether UEFA will officially add Ireland vs Israel to its list of prohibited clashes ahead of December's Euro 2028 qualifying draw remains to be seen.

Should UEFA decline to intervene, the two sides could feasibly meet again as soon as spring 2027, though neither nation, nor European football's governing body, will be eager for a repeat of this past week's clashes.

Manchester City have been found guilty of 115 breaches of Premier League rules.

The Premier League accused Man City in their statement of arranging “‘Sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners,” which helped “inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs”.

This, naturally, means that the six-time Prem champions were able to sign players that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to sign – so let's go through them all…

2009/10

2009: Stuart Taylor, free

Let's start off modestly.

Former Arsenal back-up keeper Stuart Taylor became the Scott Carson of his day, joining City on a free transfer and making just a single appearance in three years before chucking in life on the Etihad bench for Reading's.

2009: Gareth Barry, £12m

A signal of intent from City at the time, as England regular Gareth Barry was snared in midfield from Aston Villa, who had developed him from a teenager.

Barry spent five years in the Sky Blues engine room, winning the league and the FA Cup, en route to breaking the Premier League's all-time appearance record.

2009: Roque Santa Cruz, £18m

Who else misses when City used to sign Barclaysmen?

Former Bayern and Blackburn bagsman Santa Cruz played just 20 times in the league after swapping Ewood for Eastlands – even going back on loan to Rovers in 2011, before two more loan spells in Spain.

2009: Carlos Tevez, £25.5m

The biggest signing in the Premier League during the 2009 summer transfer window, and a major one in City's history.

A year after work-shy Robinho joined in a dramatic statement of intent, City upgraded on him with a ferocious forward who typified the drive and hunger they'd need to oust Manchester United from the top of the tree: signing him from down the road was a mere bonus.

City later had to apologise for the Argentine holding up a banner depicting Sir Alex Ferguson's tombstone. The rivalry was well and truly alive.

2009: Emmanuel Adebayor, £25m

While cash-strapped Arsenal made Thomas Vermaelen their only major signing of the summer – on top of re-signing a creaking Sol Campbell on a free – City helped themselves to their better players.

Emmanuel Adebayor came first: yes, we all remember what happened next.

2009: Kolo Toure, £16m

Kolo Toure was one of few older heads at the Emirates Stadium and one of the last Invincibles of the side: he asked to leave after a bust-up with William Gallas.

The Gunners were thankful for the money, needing to pay off costs for their new ground.

2009: Sylvinho, free

Another former Gunner to boot, Sylvinho added experience at full-back, having won major titles at Barcelona.

2009: Joleon Lescott, £22m

A major asquisition at the time, Joleon Lescott was seen as a successor to the Terry/Ferdinand axis for England – so just as with signing Barry, it felt like City would have a spine in the national team.

Lescott had five relatively fruitful years at the Etihad, even if Vincent Kompany was always the better of the two in defence, making this signing a success.

2009: Loris Karis, undisclosed

An early indicator that City were prepared to bring in future talent.

Loris Karius was never deemed good enough for City, but certainly deemed Liverpool level later down the line, even if it didn't work out.

2010: Patrick Vieira, free

Seriously, how many former Arsenal players do you want?

The signing of Patrick Vieira marked an interesting development for City: not only were they prepared to buy the best up-and-comers and world stars of the time, but were investing in future managers, with the World Cup winner taking on a youth development role with City's Elite Development Squad, before becoming manager of New York City FC in 2016, another City Football Group club.

2010: Adam Johnson, £11m

Another example of City looking to tie up the next generation of Three Lions stars, Adam Johnson was 22 when he made the switch to City, though he never really reached the next level that he was expected to while in Manchester.

A Sunderland move followed, before he was arrested for child grooming and sexual activity with a minor, before being sentenced to six years in prison.

2010/11

2010: Jerome Boateng, £10m

Following the Kompany playbook of signing a highly-rated Hamburg centre-back, City spent £10m on Jerome Boateng.

Boateng was fine at City, but as usually happens when you sign top Germans, Bayern Munich swooped in.

2010: Yaya Toure, £24m

One of two truly transformational signings of that summer – and the biggest of the summer in England, once again.

City were bullying the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa to sign their better players – but Yaya Toure signing from Barcelona was the first real proof that City could throw their weight around on the European stage. It was money well spent, too.

The Ivorian became a legend in the legend, was the driving force behind that first trophy (the FA Cup in 2011) and scored 20 league goals in City's second Premier League title win.

2010: David Silva, £24m

David Silva was a huge success, too – but perhaps proved exactly what kind of team the City Football Group were building.

The Spaniard was silkier than most previous buys, with a feel for the control of a game and the ability to keep possession for Citizens. He would come to define Pep Guardiola's style when the Catalan was a mere pipe dream for fans.

2010: Aleksandar Kolarov, £16m

A major full-back buy from Serie A to bolster the backline, Kolarov was a sign of changing times: City were buying Wayne Bridges anymore.

Nearly 250 appearances across seven years made this transfer a sure success.

2010: Mario Balotelli, £24m

One of the brightest young talents in Italian football – and one that perhaps made neutrals root for City like never before.

Balotelli had the personality at a time when social media was just finding its feet: he only scored 30 times in 80 appearances for the club but did he help put them on the map? Perhaps…

2010: James Milner, £18m (plus Stephen Ireland)

Another stalwart England star who would break the Prem appearance record (and play in just about every appearance along the way).

City didn't make anything on Milner's exit to Liverpool, as the utility man went on a free.

2011: Edin Dzeko, £27m

Chelsea spent big on Fernando Torres, Liverpool on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez… and City bought Edin Dzeko.

One of the more underrated Premier League strikers of his era, he managed almost a goal every other game while competing with several big names, returning 19, 15 and 26 goals in his first three seasons in English football. Money well spent.

2011/12

2011: Gael Clichy, £10m

Yet another Arsenal player joining, Clichy competed with Kolarov at left-back, giving City depth and experience in defence en route to their first title.

Again, Arsenal simply couldn't refuse the offer, finishing a distant 19 points behind the Citizens.

2011: Stefan Savic, £15m

Serious bite at the back, Savic was only at City for a single season and is perhaps better remembered by some Mancunians as the Atletico Madrid player that Jack Grealish called a c*** in 2022.

The Montenegro international provided cover 12 times in the title run.

2011: Sergio Aguero, £36m

Once again, the most expensive player in a Premier League transfer window – and one that would send City's fortunes soaring in one direction.

Sergio Aguero delivered the title in his first season, broke the club's all-time scoring record and became the face of a generation for the Etihad faithful. He surely ranks in the top five signings of the Abu Dhabi era.

2011: Samir Nasri, £24m

Arsenal plundered once more, as City little-bro'd the Gunners a couple of weeks after Barcelona had nabbed their captain, Cesc Fabregas.

Proof that City were operating in a different stratosphere, as they took a proven Premier League difference-maker at a time where Arsenal were repeating their formula of bringing in little-known Ligue 1 talent to develop. Gervinho didn't have the same effect.

2011: Owen Hargreaves, free

Just the one appearance after swapping the red half of Manchester for blue, but perhaps City were priming themselves for another Vieira-type signing.

Hargreaves' body was letting him down by 2011 but as one of the most intelligent English midfielders of a generation, perhaps he was signed with an eye to becoming a coach one day. If so, he unfortunately chose punditry instead.

2011: Denis Suarez, £900k

An early sign that City were priming themselves for Guardiola, as silky Spaniard Denis Suarez joined the academy – but was a little too lightweight for English football.

He went to Barcelona B after failing to make a league appearance for City.

2011: Angus Gunn, undisclosed

One of the first of City's nepo babies, preceding Jaden and Reigan Heskey, Floyd Samba, Devant Cole and… well, Erling Haaland.

City banked on Bryan Gunn's boy being a chip off the old block – and he's had a very successful career over the years. Just perhaps not Manchester City level.

2012: Costel Pantilimon, undisclosed

City really have tried to find a top goalkeeper early, haven't they?

6ft 8in Pantilimon was another familiar Premier League face – but only after leaving City's bench for a role at Sunderland.

2012/13

2012: Jack Rodwell, £12m

Snapping up the next generation of England's team began to run a little drier with the signing of Jack Rodwell, who never kicked on to assume a Lampardian role for his country.

16 league appearances in two years followed before an infamous Sunderland spell.

2012: Richard Wright, free

Another older head that City perhaps had plans for coaching: Richard Wright didn't make an appearance in four seasons, but is still a goalkeeping coach at the club.

Yet another former Arsenal player, by the way.

2012: Scott Sinclair, £6m

Another highly-rated young British talent who never quite reached City levels.

Sinclair played 15 times in his first at the Etihad, scored none and went on loan – before leaving for Villa permanently three years later.

2012: Maicon, £5m

Gareth Bale's tormentor was 31 by the time he signed for City – but he was only ever signed as cover.

The Brazilian played nine times as City failed to retain the title, before heading to Roma.

2012: Matija Nastasic, £12m (plus Stefan Savic)

Considered the next Nemanja Vidic to some, but it wasn't to be.

Natasaix was a squad player at best in his two seasons in England, never really threatening to become a first choice – but he did pick up a Premier League medal for his troubles in 2014.

2012: Javi Garcia, £17m

One-time Real Madrid talent and confirmation of City wanting to control possession a bit more – even if he never really made it in England.

Good money was spent on Garcia, though it was almost all recouped when he left for Zenit Saint Petersburg.

2013/14

2013: Fernandinho, £30m

A major acquisition in the history of City, Fernandinho was the destroyer in midfield that anchored the Centurions, allowing others to flourish ahead of him.

While rivals were shelling this kind of money for playmakers, it was intriguing for City to be doing the same for someone to protect the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva going forward – and the Brazilian ended up being a masterstroke of a buy, eventually captaining the club.

2013: Jesus Navas, £15m

Either side of two Sevilla spells, Jesus Navas had an absolutely fine four years in Manchester, providing reliability up and down the right flank.

The introduction of Pep in 2016 somewhat changed his landscape, with the new boss wanting a little bit more than a linesman-like full-back – otherwise, he could've perhaps played a little longer in England.

2013: Alvaro Negredo, £20m

Manchester United signed Robin van Persie in 2012 to win the title – and he fulfilled the brief. So naturally, City signed two £20m+ centre-forwards to close the gap of 20 goals between the two Manchester clubs.

Negredo managed 23 goals in his sole season – though 14 of those came in the cups and Europe. They all count, mind.

2013: Stefan Jovetic, £22m

The other big-money striker of 2013, and the one who didn't do as well.

Jovetic scored just six times but did win the League Cup with City in his first season, bettering his league tally in his second term, and going out to Inter Milan on loan.

2014: Martin Demichelis, £4m

A runner-up with Argentina at the World Cup, Demichelis provided additional centre-back coverage en route to the title.

He spent three years as a fringe defender in Manchester.

2014/15

2014: Bacary Sagna, free

Another former Arsenal defender, Sagna was one of the best full-backs in the league but didn't want to extend his deal in N5.

He'd form a partnership with former team-mate Clichy on the opposite side.

2014: Fernando, £12m

Fernando was a regular in midfield, without threatening to disrupt the status quo.

The Brazilian only picked up the League Cup in English football and was shipped out after three years.

2014: Willy Caballero, £2m

Another older goalkeeper who became a coach at City, Willy Caballero only played 23 times for City in the Premier League but nudged Claudio Bravo from between the sticks to signal the Chilean as a failed experiment.

He's also remembered as a Chelsea back-up (and the guy that Maurizio Sarri wanted to bring on in place of Kepa Arrizabalaga in the League Cup final).

2014: Eliaquim Mangala, £42m

The second-most expensive signing in the Premier League that summer (Manchester United panicked and dropped a bomb on Angel Di Maria).

Mangala lasted four years at the club and enjoyed the first title under Guardiola, but as the fourth-choice centre-back: all in all, an irredeemable signing.

2014: Frank Lampard, free

Do you remember how controversial this was at the time?

When Chelsea waved goodbye to Frank Lampard, they assumed he was heading to New York City and they'd never see him again… until he rocked up on loan at the Etihad, thanks to the two clubs having an affiliation.

At least he didn't celebrate when he inevitably rescued a point against the Blues.

2015: Wilfried Bony, £25m

One of those rare Manchester United-type buys from City.

The Citizens were well off the pace in the league, with Chelsea leading the title race – so the Sky Blues reacting by paying huge money for a midtable hitman to bolster their attack. Bony scored just six times in the league before heading to Stoke on loan.

2015/16

2015: Raheem Sterling, £44m

The first transfer that really felt like priming the club for Guardiola's arrival.

A club-record buy at the time (and an English record), Sterling had caught the brunt of Liverpool fans' ire following their failure to go again after losing the title – and when he angled for a big move, he got his wish.

He'd become a defining player of City's new era.

2015: Fabian Delph, £8m

“I'm not leaving,” Aston Villa's Fabian Delph said when rumours emerged that he was having a medical at Manchester City. “I'm staying at the football club and I can't wait for the start of the season and captaining this great football club.”

Anyway, Delph left for City, never really established himself in midfield but became a decent left-back option in time under Pep, while Villa got relegated.

2015: Patrick Roberts, £12m

One of the brightest young talents in the country, plenty was expected of Fulham's Patrick Roberts – and a big move like this was seen as the logical next step in his career.

Roberts went on six separate loans in seven seasons – where he only scored more than one league goal in a season once, in Scotland – before leaving with just a single Premier League game at City under his belt.

2015: Nicolas Otamendi, £28m

Nicolas Otamendi was yet another big-money buy – and he only came good once Guardiola arrived.

The Argentina international looked particularly rash before Pep asserted his dominance in the league and stopped putting Otamendi in positions to lunge in.

2015: Kevin De Bruyne, £55m

The big one, really.

Kevin De Bruyne's signing was yet another that smashed the transfer record for City – it was England's most expensive deal of the summer – with the Belgian genius opting for a smaller-profile club in Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich (did the Catalan put a phone call in? Fernandinho reckoned so…).

14 major trophies, 108 goals and dozens of assists later, he might just be the most influential footballer in City's entire history. Worth the staggering fee, and then some.

2015: Aleix Garcia, undisclosed

Yet another technically gifted Spaniard, as the club awaited the arrival in the dugout of formerly technically gifted Spaniard.

Garcia went on loan to Girona and was later signed by the CFG affiliate, as City went even more Barcelona-influenced.

2015: Ruben Sobrino, £400k

See above.

Don't remember Ruben Sobrino? He signed for City and immediately joined Girona, where things didn't quite work out. Worth the punt, though.

2015: Florian Lejeune, undisclosed

Yep, that one.

Lejeune was signed from – you guessed it – Girona, before heading back to Catalonia on loan. Never made the bar for the Citizens but did spend four years at Newcastle United.

2016/17

2016: Ilkay Gundogan, £20m

The first signing of the Guardiola era – a former Jurgen Klopp player – was one who would become a general in virtually every midfield role for his new boss.

One of the most underrated midfielders in Premier League history and one of the savviest buys of the Guardiola tenure: no wonder he signed him twice.

2016: Nolito, £14m

A relatively cheap Spaniard to offer threat in attack and on the wing, Nolito is the only player signed under Pep Guardiola who didn't win a trophy at Manchester City. Ouch.

Nolito lasted a year, scored four league goals and went to Sevilla.

2016: Oleksandr Zinchenko, £1.7m

When people think of City's success coming from the tens of millions spent on De Bruynes and Sterlings, they often overlook the Zinchenkos: rivals didn't plough nearly as much money into youth talent.

The Ukrainian was a modest attacking midfielder signed as part of an ever-maddening drive youngsters. He may never had made it at the club, if not for a crisis at left-back, either: yet he established himself in the role, and City flipped him for over £30m. A real success story.

2016: Leroy Sane, £37m

One of Germany's brightest talents, and one who City truly the saw the best of. Arguably the player of the season during the Centurion campaign, before injuries robbed him of that explosiveness.

Sane eventually moved onto Bayern, who were happy to come back in for him after a knee injury – but moving to Turkey before the age of 30 was a sad sight.

2016: Marlos Moreno, £4.75m

Signed as part of City's aforementioned ever-deepening youth drive, Colombian Marlos Moreno was signed at the age of 19 and sent straight to Spain on loan.

He then went to on a further six loans – including to CFG outfit Lommel – before joining another CFG club, Troyes.

2016: John Stones, £48m

A defining buy in English football history, John Stones became the nation's most expensive defender ever and signalled how Guardiola was planning to instil build-up into our footballing culture.

Stones left City arguably as his nation's most accomplished defender ever, with his display in the Champions League final en route to a Treble the most unique that any English centre-back has ever performed. He's been a rock for a decade for his country, too.

2016: Claudio Bravo, £15m

A controversial signing, as it meant the end of the beloved Joe Hart's Manchester City career, with the England No.1 unceremonially dumped in Torino before climbing back through the wilderness.

Claudio Bravo could play with his feet – but never recovered from a Manchester Derby mistake and was relegated to No.2 before the end of his first season in English football.

2016: Aaron Mooy, free

Aaron Mooy signed from CFG's Melbourne City, and though he never did play for Manchester City, he became a fan favourite at Huddersfield Town.

Further proof of an ever-expanding network: had he reached City levels, you'd better believe they'd have snatched him back.

2016: Geronimo Rulli, £4m

Another talented young goalkeeper snapped up as a youngster before heading out to Real Sociedad on loan – who liked him so much, they paid City to have him permanently.

Now… back at City as a No.2. Funny how things work out.

2016: Pablo Mari, undisclosed

Another talented young defender snapped up and shipped out to Girona to improve City's sister project.

Never made a single City appearance, going on loan three times before a leftfield move to Flamengo, before former City coach Mikel Arteta bought him for Arsenal.

2016: Rabbi Matondo, undisclosed

A bid for the next Bale, Rabbi Matondo was tearing things up in Cardiff's academy and for Wales' youth teams.

A year after Sancho had swapped Watford for Sky Blues, Matondo followed – and would follow his lead later, too: neither of them played for City's first team, but both would depart for the Bundesliga, where they'd make their names.

2017: Gabriel Jesus, £27m

It's easy to forget how exciting Gabriel Jesus was in Brazilian football, and £27m marked a significant outlay for a player straight from South America.

Had he not have suffered terrible injuries (both in Manchester and London), perhaps we could've been talking about Brazil's defining footballer post-Neymar – but City still made a healthy profit on a striker who never established himself as first-choice, yet still contributed to four titles. That's how you Moneyball.

2017/18

2017: Bernardo Silva, £43m

Paying over £40m for a player after his breakout season felt like a jump in terms of valuation: it was a sign of things to come.

Soon after Bernardo Silva moved, Neymar broke the transfer market, and the Portuguese made his fee look like an absolute bargain, becoming whatever Pep needed in midfield, on the right, or even at left-back on an occasion or two. It pays to slightly overpay when the market's about to inflate.

2017: Ederson, £35m

City got a lot of stick at the time for replacing Bravo just a year into his City career, spending a Premier League record on a goalkeeper in Ederson.

The Brazilian turned out to be worth every penny, however – and when Alisson and Kepa both moved for twice the money, no one even remembered how much City had spent.

2017: Kyle Walker, £45m

Tottenham Hotspur were always difficult to negotiate with, but City paid what was asked of them when they came in for Walker.

Once again, £45m became a bargain for a player who'd play over 300 times and win six Premier League titles at City. There's a lesson, here…

2017: Benjamin Mendy, £49m

City plundered recently-successful Monaco when looking for Walker equivalent on the opposite side – to a very different result.

Benjamin Mendy suffered an ACL injury a month into the season and eventually replaced by the likes of Delph and Zinchenko – before being charged with several counts of rape and sexual assault (which he was later found not guilty of).

2017: Danilo, £27m

The third big-money full-back that Guardiola invested in, Danilo ended up playing on both sides over two seasons before Juventus signed him.

City made their money back with the sale, in what was becoming a regular occurence.

2017: Eric Garcia, £1.5m

City's very own Gerard Pique, Eric Garcia moved from La Masia before making the return to Barcelona a few years later on a free transfer.

The relationship between the two clubs really deepened in this time, before the likes of Ferran Torres, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo would all go to Camp Nou from Eastlands.

2017: Douglas Luiz, £10m

Eventually winding up in the Midlands, Douglas Luiz was another signing bought to help out Girona.

The Brazilian had established himself in his homeland and never actually made an appearance in sky blue – due to the UK Home Office denying him a work permit – before Aston Villa signed him.

2018: Aymeric Laporte, £57m

Once again, City paid a little over the going rate for a player before everyone else did.

Aymeric Laporte bedded in during the Centurion season before leading the club to another title a year later alongside Kompany. In five-and-a-half seasons in Manchester, he was one of the best defenders in the league.

2018: Jack Harrison, undisclosed

A Stoke-born former Liverpool and Man United youth player who wound up in the United States playing college soccer, Jack Harrison was signed by NYCFC before the flagship brought him to the Etihad.

Once again, never played a game for Man City: but Harrison had four loans (three at Leeds) before joining the Whites permanently for £11m.

Michael Carrick must be thankful for Manchester City taking all the attention in the club game during this international break.

The crisis club baton was handed from red to blue on a seismic day in the history of the sport. However, it doesn’t disguise the fact that Manchester United have had their joint-worst ever start to a Premier League season and are out of a domestic cup at the first time of asking yet again.

The longest-ever international break (excluding the 2022 World Cup), though, has surely given the Man United boss and his staff the chance to address multiple issues, and reset both side and season.

Amid Man United’s brutal start, there have been contradictory sets of data that suggest things are not quite as bad as it seems. You would certainly hope so given they have collected just five points from five games, all of which were very much winnable on paper. The only stat that actually matters is the league table, too.

The Groundhog Day feeling for the fanbase in the “post-Fergie Wilderness Years” set in with the harrowing opening day loss by two goals to nil against newly-promoted Hull City. It has only grown stronger since.

Victory was twice thrown away at Everton, a controversial but calamitous defeat came to 10 men in the derby, a heavily deflected goal saved them from the ignominy of defeat to winless Fulham, and Brighton ransacked Old Trafford as always. At least Ed Sheeran’s Ipswich Town were beaten, as well as the famous Sabah in Europe.

There have been myriad issues but nearly all of them appear very basic when assessed one-by-one. Together, they have seen Man United go away from much of what made them the in-form team of last season following Carrick’s arrival.

Of course, there was context with a game a week and the fabled new manager bounce, or interim legend bounce in Man United’s case, but it did come from Carrick knowing how to get the best out of his team and individual players.

The injury to Amad right before the season’s kick off threw a spanner in the works from the off. With Benjamin Sesko not playing in pre-season due to an ongoing shin issue, Bryan Mbeumo was set to start up front as he did for much of last season.

Instead, he played on the right with Matheus Cunha taking the role of the falsest of false 9s. It has been an abject failure with both the Brazilian and every other forward struggling as a result. His goal at Fulham came after he was restored to the left. It was rather symbolic.

Amad is set for a return following the break, leaving Carrick with the easiest of changes to make. The Ivorian will play off the right, where his natural speed and trickery make him an ideal touchline winger, and allow Mbeumo to operate in the inside forward spaces he thrives so well in.

Amad isn’t just an attacking outlet, though. He brings balance both to the team's attack and overall side, which was aided by his re-positioning as a wing-back under Ruben Amorim. The 24-year-old’s individual numbers were very poor last season but his role is so much more than that.

The re-jigging of the attack will undoubtedly help Bruno Fernandes, too. The skipper had been dealing with a “complicated injury” according to Portugal boss Jorge Jesus which may partly explain his iffy start to the season.

However, Fernandes hasn't had runners in behind and with Cunha dropping too deep, the spaces where he is at his absolute best have been somewhat clogged. Taking on the Portugal captaincy following Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic exit has surely boosted him, too.

One change to the attack could do so much for Man United and allow them to utilise their relatively strong depth. In saying that, Shea Lacey should have been handed more opportunities off the right.

A welcome injury return has already come in midfield with Carlos Baleba making his first matchday squad at Fulham. Youri Tielemans has not been a real issue but adding a bit more energy and bite in midfield - or at least having the option - is another change Carrick can make. It is likely to only further aid Kobbie Mainoo, who has been Man United’s best player this season.

Where else could changes come? Most fans were crying out for defensive reinforcements over the summer and a back four in 2026 that started the 7-0 loss at Anfield over three years ago only backs that up. With Matthijs de Ligt making a hugely welcomed return from a long-standing back injury in a friendly win over INEOS-owned Lausanne-Sport - alongside Baleba - he should come into the lineup again soon.

Leny Yoro played much of pre-season at right-back and surely deserves a shot given Diogo Dalot’s form. It would be a very modern Premier League move and add further energy and pace to United’s side.

Adding that energy and pace is perhaps the major change Carrick needs to make with a lack of urgency in the team's play evident from the opening day. Control might be the aim and change was guaranteed given his permanent appointment and Casemiro’s departure, but it has all felt too much too soon.

Making simple changes and going somewhat back to basics won’t see Man United make a very unlikely title tilt - although who knows with Man City’s case - but it will surely lead to improvements and keep Carrick’s head above water.

When the doom spiral kicks in at Old Trafford, it almost always leads to the sack. Carrick was there for the one who delayed the inevitable but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had both Fernandes joining and a pandemic to thank for that.

Barring even more extraordinary developments in this league season, internal changes must be immediately made ahead of a meeting with Carrick’s former club Spurs in what can be dubbed the first “El Sackico” clash of the season.

Following the Netherlands football team looks like a pretty fun undertaking, from the outside.

Bright orange shirts, famous names, Van Basten volleys, Cruyff turns, Robben curlers and flying Van Persie headers. Then there's not really having to deal with the pressure of being a tournament favourite. Even the recent viral supporter dance, a sea of colour dotted by giant heads of legends past.

But, scratch beneath that orange facade and there has been a tension at the heart of Dutch football for many years. And it’s not simply that a country famed for producing so many brilliant players still has only one international trophy to its name, something that induces national hysterics every two years in England. The conflict which frequently dominates debate about the Oranje, particularly when they are dumped out of a tournament, is about identity.

A clash of ideas

Apart from Brazil, is there a country that has been associated with a specific style of play as much as the Dutch?

When we think of the Netherlands, we conjure images and nostalgic appraisals of ‘Total Football’, in particular the magical Johan Cruyff team that under Rinus Michels reached the 1974 World Cup Final. Or the side of Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard et al who won Euro 1988 with the same coach. They played in a fluid way that was focused on space, intelligence and individual improvisation, based on the concept that players should be able to have freedom to interchange positions within an existing structure.

So far, so good, right?

Wrong. For many years there’s been an alternative interpretation - stemming from the same school of thought - that the structure should actually enable collective, rather than individual, intelligence, where individual expression is somewhat curtailed at the altar of the greater good. Rather than thinking about where the space is and how to create an extra man for an overload, this philosophy is all about where everyone should be, keeping width, ensuring passing lanes are open and that space is being covered in case the ball is lost. The finest example would be Louis van Gaal’s Ajax side of the 1990s, as opposed to Cruyff’s Barcelona - incidentally the two men who fell out at Ajax in 2011 when they were brought in to overhaul the club and return it to its famed ‘Ajax way’.

At times the latter approach has been effective - see Van Gaal’s run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2014. Yet, after the shock of failing to qualify for Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018, in the last four major tournaments the Dutch have played predominantly defensive formations with back fives and wing-backs.

Rather than excitement, thrilling improvisation and creativity, it’s been more about structure and positioning. Control on steroids. The tipping point came last summer when Ronald Koeman, after finally discovering how to remove the handbrake, reverted to type as soon as a major opponent arrived in Morocco, playing Tottenham Hotspur centre-half Micky van de Ven as a left wing-back. Going back further, even memories of the brilliant 2010 World Cup run have been tainted by the negative Dutch tactics in the final against Spain and Mark van Bommel’s standout submission for the worst tackle never to receive a red card.

It has hardly amounted to an homage to Cruyffian principles.

The Xavi curveball

And it is this context that makes the arrival of Spain and Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez in September on a four-year contract one of the most intriguing international hires in years.

On paper, combining arguably the finest ball-playing midfielder to have played the game in one of the sport’s greatest-ever sides, with a country historically associated with exciting front-foot, possession-based football is an ideal philosophical match.

Yet following the initial surprise, questions about why the KNVB decided now was the time to bring in their first foreign coach since 1978 with no previous international experience quickly followed. Although prominent voices like Rafael van der Vaart were positive about such a big name appointment, others like Pierre van Hooijdonk were highly critical, questioning Xavi’s credentials and why a Dutch coach such as Peter Bosz at PSV Eindhoven or Erik ten Hag were not considered.

It certainly wasn't helped by Technical Director Nigel de Jong admitting that Xavi was 3rd choice for the role, despite also espousing the links between his football education and how the KNVB wanted the national team to play.

Has the KNVB finally seen the light and brought in someone with the understanding and experience to both live up to these stylistic demands and deliver a long-awaited trophy? Or, have they merely let themselves be swept up by a philosophical fealty that has acted as an unnecessary weight on Dutch football for 50 years?

Cruyff, Van Gaal or a mix of the two?

The fascinating feature of the Xavi appointment is that despite being Spanish - and even the winning captain in that 2010 final - he is in a sense a product of the Dutch game. A lot of his greatest football came under Pep Guardiola, who himself was influenced immensely by Cruyff as a player. Before Guardiola it was Frank Rijkaard. And the coach who gave him his Barcelona debut? One Louis van Gaal.

After van Gaal and Koeman were accused of abandoning traditional Dutch footballing values, the expectation in the Netherlands is that Xavi - who won La Liga in his first season managing Barcelona - has been brought in not just to get the Oranje competing again but playing in an attractive style to boot. The comments at his unveiling about being influenced by Cruyff and Michels, and being a ‘son of Dutch football’, have hardly tempered potentially unrealistic expectations.

However, those expecting a Spanish-style Cruyff tribute act will likely be left slightly disappointed. This is not due to Xavi ignoring those football principles but simply because his way of playing in theory connects the two contrasting styles that have been at loggerheads in the Dutch psyche for so long, combining the need to maximise space but also maintain structure.

Quotes from the press conference before his opening match - a deserved draw against Germany - were telling: “You need possession to win the match…but you need the right positions. You need perception to ​see what is happening around you and understand the game.”

Likewise his comments after his first win away to Serbia combined demands for moving the ball faster and attacking spaces better with a need to make the pitch wider and press as an organised unit.

The early evidence

If the proof is meant to be in the pudding, then the early signs are relatively sweet for those hoping to see Xavi’s Netherlands do well - even if there was only one win in the first three matches.

Across the games they averaged 22 shots per match and the larger share of possession in all three, accumulating a total of over 1,500 passes and an average Expected Goals (xG) total of 2.32. That suggests a team that doesn't just keep the ball for the sake of it but does so with real attacking purpose in mind.

Interestingly, not only did they dominate Jurgen Klopp’s Germany in an attacking sense but they were superior defensively too, winning 50 duels to their opponents' 30 and recovering the ball eight more times.

Against Serbia, where they enjoyed two-thirds of possession, the Dutch won more duels, showing how hard Xavi wants his players to win the ball back - and quickly. Remind you of anyone?

Going two goals down to Greece showed the defensive frailties that have been clear this international break, but the way they persisted meant the draw was the least that was deserved.

The ease in which Xavi switched formations across the three fixtures, from playing with an orthodox No. 10 to then an emphasis on wide players in a 4-3-3, aligns with the coach's belief that his players are already comprehending how he wants them to play.

The pool of evidence is a shallow one, but it also points to Xavi looking to give youth a chance. At Barcelona he didn’t hesitate to drop old teammates Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba, whilst giving Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Fermin Lopez their debuts. Even if Yamal is a generational talent, it still takes guts throwing a 15 year-old into the fray at one of the world’s biggest clubs. For the Oranje, players such as Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst have already been cut, with the likes of exciting winger Ruben van Bommel and striker Mexx Meerdink being given a chance to stake their claims. The latter has certainly done that, notably impressing Xavi as much for his hard work and understanding of the system as his two goals against Serbia. The talented Feyenoord midfielder Gjivai Zechiel was also given his debut and is definitely one to watch.

The importance of having midfielders capable of proactive and accurate line-breaking passes was also evident, with Joey Veerman, the now Borussia Dortmund man who wasn't even picked by Koeman for the World Cup, starting against Serbia after coming off the bench in Amsterdam. One would think that sought-after talent Kees Smit - currently in the Under-21s - will soon get his opportunity. The thought of how a fit again Frenkie de Jong might do in this setup is a tantalising one, too. Likewise with Xavi Simons once he returns into the attack.

Meanwhile, it’s clear that if you’re a direct wide forward, you’re going to have a good time under Xavi, with Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summervile looking like they will be getting a lot more freedom than before.

Finding the balance

There is an incessant debate in football about how much a coach should balance winning matches with implementing a clearly defined style of play. Some coaches would even rather lose their jobs than change (Hello there, Ruben Amorim).

Whether Xavi can find this equilibrium will be one of the intriguing subplots to international football as we gradually creep towards Euro 2028. Not merely winning but reconnecting a famous football nation with a traditional identity is an almighty task.

After so many years of Dutch coaches heading to Barcelona, maybe seeing one go in the other direction will prove the catalyst for success. And after all the talk about two opposing ideals, bringing in Xavi was arguably never designed to be a return to the past. Perhaps it is simply a shrewd and pragmatic fusion of those differing styles to better equip the Netherlands for the future.

Manchester City may have been handed an unexpected 'get out of jail free card' regarding potential expulsion from the top flight, according to reports citing senior Premier League executives.

Rival club chiefs have reportedly admitted they would be 'staggered' if a required 15-club majority voted to kick the club out of the Premier League on the back of Man City's guilty verdict.

Clubs apparently acknowledge that removing Man City would inflict significant damage on global television rights and central revenues, which almost all Premier League member clubs rely heavily on.

Manchester City's fate could lie in the hands of their rivals

The Premier League operates as a private company jointly owned by its 20 member clubs, with each team holding one equal vote as a shareholder.

For standard rule changes, passing a motion requires a two-thirds majority of 14 clubs. However, major sanctions, such as expelling a team, requires a higher three-quarters supermajority threshold of 15 clubs to all vote the same.

Despite the artificially inflated commercial revenues Man City posted between 2009 and 2018, the club are still believed to be one of the league leaders when it comes to global commercial appeal and international broadcast valuations. Therefore, rival boardrooms are likely to take a dim view of expelling the Etihad club from the top flight.

In essence, voting for City's expulsion would in many cases hit clubs in their own pocket.

Shareholder votes are triggered whenever the league introduces policy changes, alters financial sustainability frameworks, or addresses major operational decisions.

Clubs voted 14 - 6, meeting the minimum threshold required, to replace the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) with UEFA-aligned Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) spending caps based on revenue.

Previous shareholder meetings saw tightly contested votes over the decision to retain VAR and the phased transition from three to five substitutions.

Amendments governing sponsorship deals with owner-linked entities - known as Associated Party Transactions (APT) - meanwhile, required a number of voting rounds to establish fair market value guidelines.

As of 7pm on Thursday, October 1 Man City have submitted their appeal against the independent commission's findings. All parties must now await the binding verdict from an independent appeals panel, which will determine whether the original verdict will be upheld, amended, or overturned.

From there, if the ruling is upheld, it is expected Manchester City will be punished severely with the possibility of expulsion from the Premier League not off the table. Implementing it, however, is a different matter as club executives are likely to be reluctant to undermine the commercial advantages the division currently enjoys.

Look away now, Ireland: the Englishmen are at it again. Honestly, haven't we collectively as a nation done enough?

Republic of Ireland frontman Troy Parrott has risen to prominence (once again) this season, with a winning goal against Real Madrid, a winner on his Champions League debut and now a sublime individual goal against Austria for his country.

Which begs the question for those of us this side of the Irish Sea…

No, Troy Parrott was NEVER available for England

Parrott was a highly-rated product of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, making his debut in 2019 and leaving for good in 2024, following loans at Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons, Preston North End, and Excelsior in the Netherlands.

In what seems so very typical of Tottenham in the last few years, it was only when he was sold to AZ Alkmaar that the centre-forward started looking like he could genuinely be the real deal, notching better than a goal every other game and earning a move to Real Betis.

But while Spurs really did have the opportunity to replace Harry Kane with Troy Parrott, England never did: no, Parrott has never been eligible for the Three Lions.

The striker was born in Dublin and lived there until 2017, when he moved to North London to join the Lilywhites, having represented the under-17s, under-19s and under-21s for Ireland.

Under FIFA regulations, he held no ancestral or birth qualifications to represent any country other than that of his birth.

England have profited from several players over the years who were eligible to play for the Boys in Green – most notably Jack Grealish and Declan Rice.

Grealish only played for Ireland's youth teams and was awarded the Under-21 player of the year by the Football Association of Ireland in March 2015, though he confirmed just six months later that he had decided to represent England, where he was born.

Rice, meanwhile, played three times for the country of his paternal grandparents in 2018 before switching to make his England debut in 2019 – even scoring against Ireland in 2024 and raising his hands in apology.

Kane himself was also eligible for the Irish national team, through his father, who was born in Galway.

Thomas Tuchel says England will still consider calling up Manchester City stars – even if they're relegated.

This week, Manchester City were found guilty by an independent commission of breaking the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-year period, with a statement from the competition referring to “arranged ‘sham’ contracts” that “concealed the true state of [the club's] finances”.

While the charges have rocked the football world, however, Tuchel has suggested that little changes for him as England manager.

England could still pick Manchester City players… whichever division they're in

England are preparing to face Croatia behind closed doors, with two City players in the current squad.

Marc Guehi and Elliot Anderson were both called up for international duty alongside Nico O'Reilly – who had to pull out through injury – after Enzo Maresca's side registered five wins in their first five league games of the season.

Speaking about City's charges, however, Tuchel said he would “never rule out” selecting Championship players when asked about the potential that the six-time Premier League winners could be expelled from the competition.

"There is always a possibility,” the German responded. “I would always try to pick the best team for the camp, occasion, the tournament.

“I will never rule out that because they don't play in the top flight in their country. We need to look at it case by case."

With the subject a big one in football at the moment, the 53-year-old Bavarian – who has managed against City as manager of Bayern Munich and Chelsea – said that Man City are a big talking point in camp.

"I guess so,” Tuchel said.We had some time off between the matches and it is a big subject.

“Everyone speaks about it, so there is no other voice needed. I am glad to be not that voice. No one needs my half-knowledge on the topic.

"Of course, the players talk about it. City players talk about it. We talk with them but only briefly. They are ready to go tomorrow. But of course, it's a big topic in the camp."

Manchester City head to Liverpool when Premier League action resumes.

Amid the controversy and shame of the first of Ireland’s highly-contentious Nations League double-header with Israel, one man stood above all others.

In a saga the like of which has not been seen in Irish football since Saipan, Gavin Bazunu was and remains the only player to fully stick by his beliefs and refuse to play either game, becoming a hero to many in the process.

To this writer and his family, it was just further proof of the type of person the 24-year-old goalkeeper is.

Destined for the top but also a model student

Bazunu was earmarked for the top from a young age, making his debut for Shamrock Rovers at the age of just 16 in the summer of 2018. He was quickly snapped up by Manchester City, who paid over £400,000 for the teenager - a record fee for a non-professional in Ireland.

At first, it was decided the youngster would stay with Rovers so as to continue his studies at Ashfield College in Dublin alongside several academy teammates and complete his Leaving Certificate, the Irish equivalent of the A Levels.

Like the vast majority of students in the country, Bazunu studied the Irish language. He was taught by my uncle Declan Fitzpatrick, with whom he quickly struck up a bond over their shared love of football, albeit his teacher was the staunchest of Liverpool fans.

Bazunu eventually left for Manchester in the early months of 2019 but still sat his final exams, my uncle forwarding the material for his new teachers across the Irish Sea in England to follow.

In 2021, the same year Bazunu made his senior debut for the Irish national team aged just 19, Declan died following a short battle with cancer. In the days after his funeral, his wife received a mass card and handwritten letter from Ireland’s new No.1 to a house quite literally named Anfield.

In it, Bazunu detailed his strong relationship with Declan and remembered a line his teacher told him during a difficult stage in his time at Ashfield: “The most durable of metals are created in the hottest furnaces.”

Never was a phrase more appropriate this week. One of the most significant in recent Irish sporting history. With the FAI in sadly familiar disarray, the calls for a boycott of the game in Hungary only grew louder as the weekend inched ever closer.

Bazunu informed manager Heimir Hallgrímsson on Saturday morning that his conscience would not allow him to partake in the fixture. It kickstarted a chaotic day of crisis talks and a player vote over whether to play the game or not.

Rumours swirled over how many players did not want to play, with as many as eight not keen on playing, according to reputable sources. There were also reports of a player confronting Bazunu over his decision before later apologising. It was a tense situation the squad should never have been in.

Wednesday’s Oireachtas (Parliament) meeting should have shed more light on the situation but left the nation’s mood darkened by the so-called “leadership” of those at the top of the sport.

It was confirmed that none of Ireland’s goalkeepers were consulted over the Israel games prior to the squad announcement. An utterly bizarre decision that was followed up by an admittance that two player votes took place. Little to no more information was provided.

With the rest of the squad sitting out media duties for obvious reasons, only Bazunu has been heard and he’s the sole representative of Irish football speaking sense right now.

On Saturday, he took to Instagram outlining his reasons for not playing the game, all of which were pure basic humanity and in line with the will of the general population, most notably his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.” Hardly controversial.

Bazunu also added: “I am a man of strong faith and try my best to be a person of character and principle” and, importantly, that “there are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe this is one of them.”

It is a stance that more footballers could and should take, with their role in society far more important than some try and make it out to be. It was not one without potential cost. Bazunu has more to lose than plenty of the Irish squad.

His career has plateaued slightly since the heights of a £12m move to Southampton and regular Premier League football. A devastating Achilles injury suffered in April 2024 kept him out for over 250 days, during this time he was firmly supplanted in the Irish goalkeeping ranks by Caoimhin Kelleher.

He understandably struggled for form upon return, also losing his Saints No.1 spot to Israel’s Daniel Peretz of all keepers. Former Chelsea and Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim shamefully claimed that was the reason for Bazunu’s withdrawal from the fixtures in an Instagram post.

Now, coincidentally, at Bolton and still not even in his mid-20s, he has so much of his career ahead, but there has been talk of likely agent lobbying around the fixture. It could impact his future prospects. That may have been a big factor in others’ decision to play, but not Bazunu.

Serious allegations of racism from Israeli supporters towards Adam Idah have only strengthened the demand to have Sunday’s game in Serbia boycotted.

One player has received widespread adulation, chants and love, and deservedly so. My uncle’s wife was not surprised he tracked down her address five years ago, nor that he withdrew five days ago.

Gavin Bazunu possibly may never be Ireland’s No.1 again on the pitch, but his national hero status off the pitch is forever undisputed.

At FourFourTwo, we know a lot of people who like to spend time in the depths of English league history, but beneath the centuries of shared rivalries lies a surprising statistical reality: even among the 92 clubs that make up the top four tiers, there are hundreds of competitive league fixtures that have simply never happened.

Whether separated by the rigid boundaries of divisional tiers, distinct geographic spheres, or short-lived stints in the Football League, numerous established clubs have spent over a century side-stepping one another in the league.

The gap has widened further in recent years as rapid rises from non-league football (hello Bromley, Salford, Fleetwood!) have disrupted the traditional makeup of the top four divisions. Fresh names are added to the 92-club matrix nearly every season, and we love it.

Ephemeral football

Dozens of brand-new head-to-heads emerge thanks to the ephemeral nature of the English Football League pyramid. Newcomers represent vast, uncharted territory.

Weird U21 cup competitions and pre-season friendlies often give the illusion of familiarity—such as Chelsea or Everton taking on lower-tier opposition in the EFL Trophy—but first-team competitive clashes tell a completely different story. Unearthing these missing league fixtures reveals remarkable anomalies, where global giants have managed to avoid modest clubs for over a hundred years.

Historic battle-hardened clubs like Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Notts County, Rotherham United and a dozen other Football League clubs boast fully completed bingo cards, having locked horns with every single one of the other 91 clubs at least once in their competitive histories. Conversely, elite mainstays find their lists populated with lower-league clubs they have consistently dodged in domestic cup draws.

We love this sort of stuff, so we have carefully mapped a complete database of unseen fixtures across the 92 professional clubs in the Premier League and English Football League as of the 2026/27 season. Scroll down to find your club and discover every opponent they have never faced in senior league competition.

Spotted an error? Let us know in the comments, but be kind – we spent ages on this!

⭐️ PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal

Never played: Fleetwood Town, Bromley, Salford City, Barnet, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage, Burton Albion, MK Dons, Wycombe Wanderers, Barnet, Crawley Town, Cheltenham Town.

Aston Villa

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Barnet, Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Newport County, Cheltenham Town.

Bournemouth

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Fleetwood Town, AFC Wimbledon

Brentford

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Fleetwood Town

Brighton & Hove Albion

Never played: AFC, Wimbledon, Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage

Chelsea

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Fleetwood Town, Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town

Coventry City

Never played: Bromley, Salford City

Crystal Palace

Never played: AFC, Wimbledon, Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage, Burton Albion

Everton

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Barnet, Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Burton Albion, Milton Keynes Dons

Fulham

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Stevenage

Hull City

Never played: Bromley, Salford City

Ipswich Town

Never played: Salford City, York City

Leeds United

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Stevenage, Wrexham

Liverpool

Never played: Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Stevenage, Barnet, Colchester United, Newport County, Cheltenham Town

Manchester City

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage, Crawley Town , MK Dons

Manchester United

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Cheltenham Town, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage, Wycombe Wanderers, Mansfield Town

Newcastle United

Never played: Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Barnet, Crawley Town, Wycombe Wanderers

Nottingham Forest

Never played: Bromley, AFC Wimbledon, Salford City, Stevenage, Crawley Town

Sunderland

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Stevenage, Crawley Town

Tottenham Hotspur

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Burton Albion, Barnet

🏆 CHAMPIONSHIP

Birmingham City

Never played: Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Accrington Stanley

Blackburn Rovers

Never played: Bromley, Crawley Town, Salford City, Accrington Stanley, Stevenage

Bolton Wanderers

Never played: Bromley, Barnet

Bristol City

Never played: Bromley, Accrington Stanley Salford City

Burnley

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Stevenage

Cardiff City

Never played: Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Crawley Town

Charlton Athletic

Never played: Salford City

Derby County

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley

Lincoln City

Played everyone in the 92 as of 2025/26

Middlesbrough

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Crawley Town, Salford City, Stevenage, Fleetwood Town

Millwall

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Accrington Stanley

Norwich City

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Accrington Stanley

Portsmouth

Never played: Bromley

Preston North End

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley

Queens Park Rangers

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Crawley Town, Salford City, Stevenage

Sheffield United

Never played: Bromley, Salford City, Accrington Stanley

Southampton

Never played: Salford City, Bromley, AFC Wimbledon, Accrington Stanley, Crawley Town, Burton Albion

Stoke City

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Salford City, Accrington Stanley, Burton Albion, Newport County

Swansea City

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Burton Albion, Accrington Stanley

Watford

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Fleetwood Town, Salford City

West Bromwich Albion

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Crawley Town, Salford City, Stevenage, Burton Albion, Milton Keynes Dons, Barnet

West Ham United

Never played: Fleetwood Town, Salford City, Bromley, Stevenage, Crawley Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Rochdale, York City

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Never played: AFC Wimbledon, Bromley, Salford City, Fleetwood Town, Rochdale

Wrexham

Never played: Fleetwood Town, Bromley, Leeds United

1️⃣ LEAGUE ONE

AFC Wimbledon

Never played: Aston Villa (only played Aston Villa Academy), AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion (only played Brighton Academy), Burnley, Crystal Palace (only played Crystal Palace Academy), Derby, Everton, Leeds, Leicester City (scheduled to play on 26th December 2026), Manchester City, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Southampton, Preston North End, Swansea City (only played Swansea City Academy), Queens Park Rangers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Watford, Stoke City

Barnsley

Never played: Salford City

Blackpool

Never played: Salford City

Bradford City

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Bromley

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol City, Burnley, Cardiff City, Chelsea (Note: Bromley has played Chelsea Academy, but not the senior team), Coventry City, Crystal Palace (Note: Bromley has played Crystal Palace Academy, but not the senior team), Derby County, Everton, Fulham, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Luton Town, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle , Portsmouth, Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City, Stockport County, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wrexham, Exeter City, Northampton Town, York City

Burton Albion

Never played: Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton (played Everton Academy only), Southampton, Stoke City, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion

Cambridge United

Never played: Liverpool

Doncaster Rovers

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Huddersfield Town

Never played: Fleetwood Town, Salford City

Leicester City

Never played: Bromley (scheduled to play on 20th October 2026), Salford City, Crawley Town

Leyton Orient

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Luton Town

Never played: Bromley, Salford City

Mansfield Town

Never played: Bromley (scheduled to play on 10th October 2026), Manchester United

Milton Keynes Dons

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, York City, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City, Everton

Notts County

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Oxford United

Never played: Bromley, Salford City

Peterborough United

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Plymouth Argyle

Never played: Bromley

Reading

Never played: Accrington Stanley, Salford City

Sheffield Wednesday

Never played: Barnet, Crawley Town

Stevenage

Never played: Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United

Stockport County

Never played: Bromley (scheduled to play on 17th October 2026)

Wigan Athletic

Never played: Bromley (scheduled to play 31st October 2026)

Wycombe Wanderers

Never played: Arsenal, Everton, Manchester United, Salford City, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United

2️⃣ LEAGUE TWO

Accrington Stanley

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol City, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton (Note: Accrington Stanley played Everton Academy, but not the senior team), Manchester City, Manchester United (Note: Accrington Stanley played Manchester United Academy, but not the senior team), Millwall, Norwich City, Reading, Sheffield United, Southampton, Stoke City, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur

Barnet

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton, Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield Wednesday

Bristol Rovers

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Cheltenham Town

Never played: Arsenal (played Arsenal Academy only), Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers Chelsea (played Chelsea Academy only), Liverpool, Manchester United

Chesterfield

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Colchester United

Never played: Liverpool

Crawley Town

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Southampton

Crewe Alexandra

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Exeter City

Never played: Bromley

Fleetwood Town

Never played: Arsenal, AFC Bournemouth, Cardiff City, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Swansea City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton, Huddersfield, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Birmingham, Watford, Wrexham, West Ham, Wolves, Southampton

Gillingham

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Grimsby Town

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Newport County

Never played: Stoke City, Aston Villa, Liverpool

Northampton Town

Never played: Bromley

Oldham Athletic

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Port Vale

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Rochdale

Never played: Everton, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion

Rotherham United

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Salford City

Never played: Arsenal, Aston Villa, AFC Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Liverpool, Luton Town, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Millwall, Newcastle United, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Oxford United, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wycombe Wanderers, Blackpool, Blackburn, Wolves, Barnsley Bristol City, York City, Huddersfield Town

Shrewsbury Town

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Swindon Town

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Tranmere Rovers

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

Walsall

Played every team in the 92 as of 2026/27

York City

Never played: Ipswich Town, Milton Keynes Dons, West Ham United, Salford City

Fallout from the independent commission’s decision to find Manchester City guilty on 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations continues to ripple through English football.

While much of the immediate commentary focuses on potential sporting penalties for Man City, an equally significant narrative could be yet to unfold across town at Old Trafford.

Man United chief executive Omar Berrada was headhunted by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in early 2024, brought in as a shining example of operational leadership. However, Berrada's extensive corporate history at the Etihad Stadium brings him under an awkward spotlight as regulators prepare to examine the wider implications of the commission's findings.

Manchester United's uncomfortable Man City guilty verdict overlap

Berrada joined Manchester City in September 2011 as Head of International Business Development before rising up the club's corporate ladder.

He was appointed Director of Partnership Sales in 2013, Senior Vice President and Group Commercial Director in 2015, and ultimately Chief Operating Officer in 2016 - a position he held until 2020 before moving into football operations.

Berrada's career timeline overlaps with the nine-year period in which Manchester City were found to have broken Premier League rules.

According to figures in the independent commission’s findings, Manchester City’s sponsorship income rose exponentially between 2009 and 2018, rising from £27 million to over £145 million per season. The commission concluded that over £830 million of the £949 million recorded during this era was artificially inflated through direct ownership funding rather than authentic commercial revenue.

Due to the fact Berrada led partnership sales and commercial strategy during these years, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) could feasibly ask questions of Berrada's role in the mechanics of those deals.

The independent commission’s ruling was delivered strictly against Manchester City Football Club as a corporate entity, and not specific individuals. The findings do not represent a judicial or regulatory finding of personal wrongdoing against individual employees, past or present, and there is no allegation levelled at Berrada as things stand.

Nevertheless, the IFR has made it clear that its remit covers individual governance alongside institutional compliance. Following the announcement of the verdict, IFR Chair David Kogan explicitly confirmed that the statutory body possesses powers to evaluate the 'suitability of owners, directors and executives.'

Kogan noted that the regulator will exercise these powers "where appropriate" to protect the honesty and integrity of English football if evidence implicating individuals comes to light.

For Man United and INEOS, the optics present a delicate management challenge. When the club recruited Berrada in early 2024, the Premier League's charges against Manchester City had already been public knowledge for a year. The Old Trafford hierarchy undoubtedly conducted rigorous due diligence prior to finalising the appointment, relying on his reputation as one of European football's most capable executives.

While Berrada continues managing Manchester United's daily operations, the ongoing legal fallout ensures his past role remains part of the conversation. Whether regulatory authorities choose to examine historical executive oversight in secondary proceedings remains unconfirmed. However, English football's most far-reaching financial verdict has cast an uncomfortable shadow over Old Trafford.

Manchester City are expected to appeal their guilty verdict in relation to the 114 Premier League rule breaches by deploying a potentially controversial legal argument.

The club will claim that disputed sponsorship funds were paid directly by the Abu Dhabi government rather than the club's individual owners, according to The Times' Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton.

The legal strategy, arguing that cash injections originated from state coffers rather than private owner funding, will reportedly form the basis of the club's official appeal following the independent commission's decision.

Manchester City to try and use political loophole

The argument highlights the geopolitical overlap between Premier League member clubs and their respective ownership groups.

Man City's primary owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is not solely an immensely wealthy private investor. Mansour is the vice president, deputy prime minister, and chairman of the United Arab Emirates.

For over a decade, critics have pointed to the blurred lines between Sheikh Mansour’s private vehicle, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), and the state itself. City’s legal team reportedly intends to argue that commercial revenue from state-linked entities represented legitimate government funding rather than disguised owner equity intended to circumvent the Premier League's financial controls.

However, this political defence faces a formidable hurdle. The independent commission that delivered the initial guilty verdict has already reviewed and rejected this supporting evidence. The initial panel ruled that the financial structures were deliberately constructed to conceal owner contributions and artificially inflate commercial revenue between 2009 and 2018.

Under Premier League rules, a new independent appeal panel will be appointed to hear the case, although a different outcome to the original verdict is unlikely.

City’s lawyers are betting that this fresh panel will take a different view of the distinction between state-backed funding and private owner investment.

Should the appeal panel uphold the original commission's ruling and reject the government-funding defence for a second time, Manchester City will have exhausted their domestic legal recourse, clearing the way for unprecedented sanctions.

Arsenal’s difficult start to the season continued on Wednesday night as they surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Paris FC in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The Gunners appeared to be cruising after goals from Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway, but after Paris FC found a way back in through a Clara Mateo goal, a bizarre Leah Williamson handball gifted the French side a penalty, which was converted.

Following another disappointing result, manager Renee Slegers did not face the media post-match, with assistant Aaron D’Antino instead taking questions - something that raised eyebrows.

What happened with Leah Williamson?

Arsenal looked set to take control of their Champions League clash with Paris FC after Russo and Stanway put them 2-0 ahead within the opening 50 minutes.

But after a 72nd-minute Clara Mateo goal, the game took a strange turn in the closing stages, with a defensive mix-up for Arsenal.

Goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez played the ball towards Williamson, who appeared to believe the goal kick had not yet been taken. Williamson then stopped the ball with her hands, intending to take the goal kick herself.

The referee awarded Paris FC a penalty for handball, with the decision leaving Williamson and her Arsenal team-mates visibly frustrated.

Paris FC converted from the spot in the 87th minute to make it 2-2, completing a remarkable comeback and denying Arsenal an important victory.

The incident bears similarities to one involving Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings in the men’s Champions League in November 2024.

It is something we saw Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings fall foul of in the men’s Champions League against Club Brugge in November 2024 - he was similarly penalised.

Why didn’t Renee Slegers speak after the match?

Slegers did not fulfil Arsenal’s post-match media duties, with assistant coach Aaron D’Antino instead taking the press conference.

Despite it being a UEFA requirement for the head coach to fulfil these duties, Slegers was reportedly too angry following the result to fulfil the mandated media duties.

The decision came after another frustrating night for Arsenal, who had let a comfortable two-goal lead slip in the final stages.

Slegers took over as Arsenal’s interim head coach in October 2024 following Jonas Eidevall’s departure, before being appointed permanently in January 2025.

She subsequently led the Gunners to Champions League glory in May 2025, securing Arsenal’s first European title in 18 years. They also won the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in January 2026.

But Arsenal’s start to the current campaign has raised questions, with the Gunners taking just five points from their opening four WSL matches before Wednesday’s Champions League tie.

The result against Paris FC also came just days after Arsenal suffered a 1-0 league defeat against London rivals Chelsea.

‘We want to be winning football matches’ - Little

Following the Chelsea defeat, Arsenal captain Kim Little acknowledged results need to improve but rejected the idea that everything is going wrong at the club.

She said: “Of course it's not the start we would have wished for, but ultimately, we're in the position we're in.”

“Our job now is to go and try and close that gap on the teams above us and we'll try and do that as best as we can.

“I think that's an outside perception of things going wrong. Naturally, we want to be winning football matches.”

“We're doing a lot of things well. We're obviously just not executing and scoring the goals. But we have great quality in our team and that will come.”

The long-awaited verdict regarding Manchester City’s battle with the Premier League has finally arrived.

An independent commission’s finding that the club broke financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 across 114 separate charges promises to be a watershed moment for English football and governance of the game.

Rivals have reacted with jubilation at what they view as a long-overdue reckoning, and outrage at the scale of City's sustained circumvention of the rules.

How long have Manchester City known about the guilty verdict?

Despite their behind-closed-doors posturing, Man City’s hierarchy and their best-in-class legal representation most likely saw the train hurtling down the tracks.

It is therefore not unreasonable to suggest the club spent the entirety of 2026 constructing a squad that will lessen the impact of whatever penalties are about to follow.

Rather than waiting for punitive measures, which could come in the form of massive points deductions, record financial fines, or multi-window transfer embargoes, Manchester City have busied themselves with recruitment.

Recognising that a player registration ban was a distinct possibility upon a guilty ruling, the Etihad club's decision-makers have built a squad capable of competing at the top of English football for years without needing to touch the transfer market again.

The finishing touches to this future-proofing strategy was laid in the summer of 2026 with a total overhaul of the midfield. City secured the reported £85.6 million signing of 18-year-old Moroccan international Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, adding one of world football's most sought-after young central midfielders.

They paired Bouaddi with England star Elliot Anderson, snapped up from Nottingham Forest to add a little bit of everything to the engine-room, as well as Premier League experience. In doing so, Man City established a central midfield partnership capable of anchoring their core for the next decade.

Not content with addressing long-term sustainability, though, City exercised their financial muscle one last time before the window shut with the acquisition of World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea.

It was a move few believed City strictly needed from a tactical standpoint but it served as a statement of intent: an elite midfielder firmly in his prime, signed before any potential window closure.

With the benefit of hindsight, this summer spree appears to have been the second act of a plan set in motion months earlier.

During the 2025/26 campaign, City fortified their frontline, adding attacking depth with the arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and playmaker Rayan Cherki. Both players have been integrated seamlessly, now offering Enzo Maresca an embarrassment of riches in attacking rotation.

In stacking more-or-less every position two-or-three deep with top, young talent before the commission rendered its verdict, Manchester City have done their best to numb the sting of whatever sanctions come their way.

If the Premier League imposes a transfer ban, City will not suffer as much as they would have; their entire starting XI and bench are under contract, youthful, being paid handsomely and operating at a very high level.

If they face a steep points deduction, the depth and quality of their squad will give them a far greater chance of absorbing the penalty and maintaining their competitiveness at the top end of the table.

Critics will argue that spending hundreds of millions of pounds to insulate a squad on the eve of a financial guilty verdict mocks the spirit of Financial Fair Play - and they'd be right. From a strategic perspective, though, they've mitigated risk, and given the precision they've operated with under Emirati ownership, there's every chance this was no fluke.

The Premier League have won the legal battle, but to an extent the horse has very much bolted, because City have been able to stockpile talent when it mattered most.

Manchester City have maintained their innocence throughout the legal process and are expected to lodge an appeal to the Premier League's ruling.

In a landmark moment for English football, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 financial charges brought against them by the Premier League.

The historic verdict follows an exhaustive investigation into the club’s financial conduct spanning a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

The charges concern severe allegations, including failure to provide accurate financial information, disguising owner funding as commercial sponsorship income, operating off-the-books payment structures for managerial remuneration, and breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

FourFourTwo decide Manchester City's fate

While Manchester City have maintained their innocence throughout the process and are expected to lodge an appeal, the guilty ruling leaves the club facing unprecedented potential sanctions. These range from astronomical financial fines and multi-window transfer bans to heavy points deductions or even potential expulsion from the top flight.

To answer the question everybody is asking: how would the FourFourTwo team punish Manchester City?

Editor: James Andrew

What should happen: They should be expelled from the Premier League, denied entry into the Football League and made to start again further down the pyramid.

In addition, for every year these breaches were made - nine years in total - they should be banned from signing any external sponsorship deals.

What do you think will happen?: Points deductions staggered over a number of seasons but ultimately not enough to relegate them.

Fined £900m with the money distributed to clubs who successfully claim loss of earnings against them.

Transfer ban for five years. But leave the past in the past, strip Manchester City of their trophies, but they should not be redistributed to other clubs.

Deputy Editor: Matt Ketchell

What should happen: Titles stripped, relegated to the bottom of the English Football League, current squad players to be returned to their origin club for free, Sham ‘69’s ‘If The Kids Are United’ to be played as compulsory goal music for the first nine seasons.

What you think will happen?: One-off points deduction, two-window transfer ban, medium-to-large fine.

If these charges are proven, and appeals are heard and rejected, this is the biggest corruption in club football history and has damaged countless clubs and individuals. At the very least, the club should be expelled from the Premier League and heavily fined. My preference would be for the club to be relegated to the foot of the Football League (League Two) and fined £900m.

The Premier League’s statement has given new meaning to the word ‘sham’. That word is now permanently linked to Manchester City Football Club. English punk band Sham 69’s famous single ‘If The Kids Are United’ features the lyrics: 'How do you feel, They can lie to my face, But not to my heart, If we all stand together, It will just be the start.' The Premier League must stand up to these offences, and no doubt fans of rival clubs will be in agreement that punishment should be strong.

Individuals responsible for these actions should be banned from football for life, as Juventus club executive Luciano Moggi was for his role in the Calciopoli scandal in 2006. Manchester City’s current owners would fail the owners and directors test in light of the charges being upheld; therefore, a compulsory sale of the club should be enforced. Titles should be stripped, but not reallocated.

My gut feeling is that harsh sanctions will land, appeals will be rejected but then the two parties will gather round a table and negotiate something more sensible than playing ‘If The Kids Are United’ as compulsory goal music for the first nine seasons.

Online Editor: Mark White

What should happen: The Enhanced Games is a version of the Olympics in which athletes are allowed to take performance-enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests; I propose a similar thing in football for financially doping clubs.

Let’s get Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and whichever other owners want to spend a nation’s GDP on Enzo Fernandez into one 'super league' and leave them to themselves, away from The Proper Football. If players want to join that mess, so be it.

What do you think will happen?: Manchester City are hit with a record fine and points deduction. They appeal: the fine is reduced, and the points deduction is lessened.

A few of the players leave – mainly on loan, as some kind of gap year – but others are happy to play a season in the Championship to take City back to the Premier League, where they continue as if nothing happened for the start of the 2028/29 season.

Senior Staff Writer: Joe Donnohue

What should happen: Manchester City shouldn't receive a pithy points deduction - it needs to be more serious than that. Points deductions devalue the competition in which they're enforced. Sporting sanctions for book-keeping offences doesn't sit right either, especially when the list of available penalties is so vast.

City should be made to repay, in instalments or otherwise, the £900 million in cost savings and 'sham' payments that artificially inflated their revenue.

It should be redistributed to the rest of the division and to the wider footballing pyramid, for the betterment of the game.

The club should also be subjected to restricted transfer spending of £50m per season and prohibited from participating in European competition for five seasons.

These are, in my opinion, measures that level the playing field and redress the unfair advantage City have benefited from over the past 17 years, in a meaningful way without cheapening the Premier League brand.

What do you think will happen?: It's been suggested that instead of one huge, relegation-inducing points deduction this season or next, that Man City will be subject to several seasons of 25-point deductions, making it in effect impossible to qualify for the Champions League, but most likely not enough to relegate them.

I also think a multi-year transfer embargo, or conditions on player trading, will be enforced, as well as a substantial fine, although I doubt it will come close to that £900m figure.

Following the historic guilty verdict delivered against Manchester City, the Chair of the IFR, David Kogan, has issued a strong statement.

An independent commission recently found Manchester City guilty of 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, with the club accused of disguised owner funding, inaccurate financial reporting, and off-the-books managerial payments.

Speaking in the wake of the ruling, Kogan made it clear that the English football regulatory body is keeping a close eye on the outcome.

Independent Football Regulator comments on Manchester City guilt

“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues,” Kogan said. “The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals.”

Kogan noted that while the IFR is paying close attention to the Premier League’s findings, it will wait for all legal channels and expected appeals to conclude before deciding on any regulatory action.

"As the proceedings remain ongoing between Manchester City and the Premier League we will await further developments. We hope it can be resolved quickly for the sake of fans. For now, we have no further comment," Kogan finished.

Established under the Football Governance Act, the Independent Football Regulator is a statutory body created to oversee the top five divisions of English men's professional football.

Operating independently of both the Premier League and the Football Association, its primary function is to ensure of the financial sustainability of clubs and prevent governance issues.

The IFR has the power to test the fitness of owners and directors, with the authority to disqualify individuals involved in the running of clubs, as well as issue financial penalties, or compel changes in ownership.

Manchester City maintain their innocence and are believed to be preparing an appeal, however, the IFR statement reflects the level of accountability in English football governance. Beyond whatever sporting penalties the Premier League may impose upon City, the IFR’s authority to assess and rule over individual executives means there is every possibility that City's key decision-makers could face regulatory consequences once the legal process officially concludes.

Noel Gallagher's Manchester City journey is something most football fans can only dream of. From Barnsley to the Bernabeu, becoming mates with the greatest manager the world has ever seen, gradually witnessing your team tick off milestone after milestone across England, then Europe, then the rest of the world. He's seen things we'll never see.

But somehow, he didn't see this coming. The Oasis singer and Manchester City superfan was described as “bullish” by The Athletic, in the face of the bombshell that his beloved Sky Blues had been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial regulations, stating, “If you’re telling me that, because of some sponsorship deal that was signed nearly 15 years ago, the four in a row and Istanbul and all of those things now mean nothing and the club should be burnt to the ground, and its supporters banished to North Korea, then you’re being hysterical.”

Gallagher is no doubt in the majority when it comes to City fans: the first stage of grief is denial, after all. And yes, those titles, those moments, were earned on the pitch. No one can erase the ecstasy of Aguero; no one can rewrite arguably English football's greatest-ever title races, which came against Liverpool. But honestly: do Manchester City still deserve the fans defending them? Do they even deserve their players going out and playing – against Liverpool, funnily enough – in the first game back, post-international break?

It should be noted that the club strenuously deny the accusations even now: they will lodge an appeal against the ruling – which used the word “sham” five times, by the way – and any punishment that they receive for serious breaches and failure to cooperate with the investigation may well be reduced.

But this verdict is proof that Premier League owners do not see football in the same way that we do. You only have to look down the road at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, spouting repugnant comments about immigration while ignoring the fact he's insulting communities who helped build Manchester – all while claiming to be a Manchester United fan.

Football is a business to billionaires – we all know that – but perhaps all too often, we forget that it's not even a sport to them.

It's a tourism gig. People come along, they pay their money, they take pictures of Erling Haaland, and they share them online. Sometimes they win, sometimes they don't. Everyone watches it regardless.

Owners don't want fair play. They don't need working-class fans unless they help generate an atmosphere they can monetise. In the nadir of Arsenal's ‘banter era’, fans launched a campaign entitled #WeCareDoYou directed at ownership, Kroenke Sport Entertainment, after slipping into the Europa League for a third straight season. The question was rhetorical: but beyond the Jack Walkers of the world (of which there are very few left), does anyone who owns a football club truly care about it like a fan does?

No. Of course they don't – and City's ownership has failed to uphold the values that the club was founded on.

City have embarrassed, let down and taken their fans for granted. Not just the ordinary fans in pubs who defended them, nor the ones who made television appearances or spoke in front of big audiences to maintain collective innocence. Not just the ones who released seminal albums in the 1990s, either, or the ones who were there when Stockport and Macclesfield were closer reference points than Old Trafford and Anfield.

They have tarnished the name of Pep Guardiola, arguably the Premier League's greatest-ever manager, who won trophies having started the race halfway down the track. Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero: all some of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game, now with asterisks over their legacies.

And what of the current players? Were Elliott Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, or Ayyoub Bouaddi warned about any of this? Or were they told the same thing that Noel Gallagher was?

Some fans will probably see at least some of the backlash as an attack on them. It may feel personal. And deep down, there will be others who either don't care or don't see this as a big deal, as Gallagher himself suggests.

But Manchester City fans should be disgusted. A community founded by their great-grandfathers nearly 150 years ago sold its soul for a few trophies. They'll either be taken away or never respected again. Every name in every song on the terraces for the past decade has been stained by the scandal. And we can't go back and play those title races again: giving Jurgen Klopp a retrospective medal doesn't make it fine. In years to come, this decade of English football will be remembered with dark clouds over it. This was a golden era for the game in this country – but it was hollow and essentially didn't mean anything. Why do we even get into football if this is what it all comes down to?

The Premier League have ruled that City cheated English football. But no one has won in any of this. Not even those closest to the glory.

Manchester United are contending with a sixth injury worry in quick succession, in what's fast becoming a nightmare of an international break.

The Red Devils have had a slow start to the season, picking up just five points from their opening five Premier League fixtures and going out of the Carabao Cup at the third-round stage, as pressure mounts on Michael Carrick.

Things might be even tougher after the break, too, as Manchester United host fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur in their next fixture with what could be a significantly depleted squad.

Manchester United suffer yet another injury worry

It's been a concerning few weeks for United, with Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford both pulling out of the England squad through injury, before Patrick Dorgu returned from Denmark duty with a hamstring injury.

Benjamin Sesko has an injury, too, that “doesn't look good”, while perhaps most worryingly, Bruno Fernandes is a doubt for Portugal's remaining fixtures of this international break.

“In the game against Wales, we went in with all the available players but Bruno Fernandes came off with a complicated problem,” Jesus said during his press conference on Saturday.

Now, Noussair Mazraoui may have suffered a blow, as the full-back was forced off during Morocco’s 2-0 win over Lesotho on Tuesday evening..

The 28-year-old scored against Gabon last Friday but was substituted for Achraf Hakimi after a fall that saw him holding his back – with Moroccan manager Mohamed Ouahbi not speaking about Mazraoui's condition after the game.

While FourFourTwo understands that both Mainoo and Rashford have not suffered serious injuries, some of the other issues plaguing United right now are a little more concerning.

Dorgu, in particular, could be out for a while after a recurrence of the injury that sidelined him for three months last season.

While Fernandes could well be the biggest absentee, Jesus added that his knock “involves treatment and recovery time,” suggesting that he could well return to Carrington before the end of the break.

“He’s coming off an injury at United, and he told me he’s been playing with that pain for the last three games, which is hindering him,” the Portuguese boss added.

The third match of England's UEFA Nations League campaign will be played behind closed doors against Croatia on Saturday, October 3.

England kicked off their return to the top-tier League A against world champions Spain at Wembley before visiting Prague where they faced Czech Republic three days later.

Manager Thomas Tuchel will lead the Three Lions out in Croatia at a largely empty stadium in Rijeka, where England also played behind closed doors eight years ago as a result of a swastika being marked on the pitch ahead of a Euro 2016 qualifier.

Croatia vs England will be played behind closed doors

UEFA ruled that Croatia would play their next home fixture without supporters as well as serving a one-match ban on their supporters away from home.

The sanctions date back to March 2025, when there were incidents involving fans around Croatia's matches against France in the quarter-finals of the Nations League. Croatia's football association paid a fine of around £80,000 and faced disciplinary proceedings relating to racism and discrimination.

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The England game is the next home match played by Croatia under the auspices of UEFA competition, and is therefore a behind-closed-doors affair. Mostly.

Returning Croatia manager Slaven Bilic won't have the backing of the Croatia fans for his first home international back at the helm, but there will be a handful of hardy England supporters in attendance.

"Following discussions with UEFA, a small delegation of England Supporters Travel Club members will be permitted to attend England’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Croatia," the club has announced.

"We have been granted permission to allocate 100 complimentary tickets to active 2026-2028 England Supporters Travel Club members, giving a small number of our supporters the opportunity to attend the fixture."

England fans will be back in the stands in their usual numbers when they play Spain in the last game of their Nations League group at the Metropolitano in Madrid in the middle of November.

England secured an immediate return to League A in 2024/25 after suffering relegation to League B in the previous running of the competition.

They were drawn with the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Finland, winning five of their six matches to top the ground ahead of Greece. Both of the top two beat each other once and everyone else twice.

Interim manager Lee Carsley was in charge for England's Nations League matches after the resignation of long-time England manager Gareth Southgate. Tuchel officially succeeded Carsley at the beginning of 2025.

When Steven Gerrard was recently named Liverpool’s greatest player of all time, he was the only player in the top 10 not to have a league title to his name.

That his legacy is preserved despite lacking that honour to his name underlines how his performances across 710 appearances for the club, and eight other trophies won, are revered by supporters.

Ask any Liverpool supporter who the one player is who deserved to have won the league; it’s Gerrard, unquestionably. But that shouldn’t be just from a Liverpool perspective, either: Gerrard is simply the best player to have never won the Premier League.

The two chances

There were two occasions when Gerrard did almost get his hands on the Premier League trophy, 2008/09 and 2013/14.

The first was, at the time, Liverpool’s highest league points total, having suffered just two defeats all season as Gerrard combined with Fernando Torres in blistering fashion under Rafa Benitez.

The second was, of course, as Gerrard and Luis Suarez inspired Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool to a completely unexpected title run, pushing Man City all the way thanks to a run of 11 consecutive victories - something that gets forgotten when revisiting the infamous Gerrard slip against Chelsea.

If a Liverpool supporter could have a magic genie lamp to change the result of any match in their history, the defeat to Chelsea in that April of 2014 would be right among the list, if not the top one.

That was meant to be the year that Gerrard got his deserved title, inspiring his team from a new position deeper in midfield, with the virtuoso duo of Suarez and Daniel Sturridge feeding off his ball-playing from deep.

It was a season when the then-34-year-old delivered his second-highest league goals tally and his highest league assists tally.

“This does not f**king slip now,” Gerrard infamously bellowed, his passion and emotion so clearly on display after a dramatic and emotional 3-2 win over City in April that put the Reds top of the table with four games remaining, but with City having two games in hand.

This was his destiny. The perfect end to his Liverpool career. What he'd earned and what he deserved.

That Gerrard came so close to inspiring a Liverpool side that had Jon Flanagan and Aly Cissokho as regular full-backs tells the story of his career.

Alas, Liverpool’s greatest player was denied the title, and the following season the shock from that title loss enveloped the club. It felt like the fans and players were emotionally shot by how it had ended. People within the club admitted as much, and Gerrard announced his departure in January the following season. It wasn’t how it was meant to end.

No wonder Jurgen Klopp spoke of the need to turn doubters to believers and the weight of history upon his arrival 16 months later.

Even two years later, watching Leicester City win the title, taking nothing away from them, you couldn’t help think how Wes Morgan was a title-winning captain, but Gerrard wasn’t. The hurt lingered.

The 2014 asterisk title

Of course, the 2014 title is one of the asterisk titles now, following City being found guilty of 114 charges relating to the period from 2009 to 2018.

Such findings have led to speculation over what will happen when punishment is finally delivered. Whether City will be stripped of their titles, nobody yet knows. But there is precedent from Italy when Juventus were stripped of their 2004 title following the Calciopoli scandal. Officially, no team is recognised as champions of Serie A consequently.

That would likely be the case if the Premier League were to make a similar verdict, but it doesn’t and won’t stop the supporters, players and all involved in trophy challenges with City from feeling aggrieved.

“I still feel cheated,” was Tony Pulis’ reaction to the news - he was Stoke manager when City beat them in the FA Cup final in 2011. He added: “I am sure people connected with the other clubs affected by City’s successes in the same period, between 2009 and 2018, do too.”

Klopp’s Liverpool legacy

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright accurately assessed the situation, although highlighting Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool - whose title battles with City currently sit outside of the investigation - with Klopp’s team having finished second in 2019 and 2022.

“When you look at the teams who were trying to chase them and were doing it right, it's not right,” says Wright. "What have we taken from Liverpool's legacy, [Jurgen] Klopp and that team? What could they have experienced?

"They [City] cheated to get it done, and people have missed out on that. Players have missed out on unbelievable opportunities for themselves, so I'm glad that we've finally got there.”

While the two second-place finishes, with 97 points and 92 points, aren’t part of the current investigation, they were clearly indirectly affected also. It is the equivalent of getting rich through illicit means, then going straight but reaping the rewards of the illegally acquired finances.

So yes, Klopp was directly denied two more titles. His legacy would be entirely different. He was fighting against a club that had been put into a superior position via illegal methods.

In an interview in 2019, Klopp was discussing legacy, winning trophies, and how life is judged, astutely surmising that “all the other guys who won with ignoring all the rules, all the laws, I think they have to use another door.”

Thankfully, Liverpool supporters recognise what Klopp achieved and what he was up against, and his legacy is and will always be remembered as much more than delivering just one league title.

Just as Gerrard’s legacy is much more than his honours list shows, too.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel cheated. Every team and supporter involved in the Premier League over the past almost two decades should be sincerely aggrieved.

“It's not so important what people think when you come in, it's much more important what people think when you leave,” said Klopp in his first Liverpool press conference.

His team will be remembered differently, as will City’s era of success.

When Tottenham Hotspur moved into their state-of-the-art billion-pound stadium, it was supposed to become a fortress where visiting teams feared to tread.

In reality, it's proven to be something far more accommodating: an arena where opposition sides, regardless of their own internal difficulties, routinely rock up and depart with all three points.

The early stages of the new season have laid bare Spurs' poor home form in stark fashion. Tottenham have already suffered two home defeats from three, first succumbing 2-0 to Newcastle United before falling 3-2 to Aston Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur have lost 22 league games AT HOME since the beginning of 2024/25

What makes these early setbacks so damning is not just the dropped points, but the state of the teams that inflicted them.

Both Newcastle and Villa arrived in North London in states of flux and transition. Villa endured a summer exodus that saw nearly half their core squad depart, while Newcastle lost key stalwarts, integrated a raft of new arrivals, and replaced long-serving manager Eddie Howe with Matthias Jaissle in the dugout.

Neither side truly knows their definitive identity yet, and both walked away with victory.

Spurs should have had the decisive upper hand because while Tottenham are still undergoing their own tactical evolution under Roberto De Zerbi, their squad remains far more settled than either Villa's or Newcastle's.

De Zerbi benefited from an invaluable stretch at the tail-end of last season to bed in his principles of play, iron out kinks, and establish a clear playing style.

That a De Zerbi side with a full pre-season under their belts, playing in their own backyard, was picked apart by two teams still searching for their footing is a troubling indictment.

There are fears this the continuation of a rot that has set in over recent years, not simply a slow start or isolated blip.

Across both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns, Tottenham’s home record was among the poorest in the Premier League. Spurs lost 10 of their 19 league games on home turf, winning just three. Only relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley presided over poorer records on their own doorstep.

The season prior, Spurs' home form was better but not by much, winning six league matches, but still losing 10. Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and perhaps now De Zerbi, have all found playing at the incredible Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to be more of a curse than a blessing.

In truth, it has become a ground where visiting coaches can sit deep and wait for the home crowd's anxiety to boil over. And can you blame them, when they've seen 22 league defeats since August 2024? Could it be that ailing home form becomes a permanent feature of Tottenham's modern identity?

De Zerbi was handed a lucrative long-term contract in the form of a five-year agreement worth a reported £12 million per season, alongside substantial bonus terms. Aside from correcting their course at the end of 2025/26, he hasn't made good on the Spurs hierarchy's investment just yet.

Tottenham's commitment to De Zerbi in effect strips the club of any easy or inexpensive exit strategy should the Italian be unable to remedy their home complex. Severing ties early would carry with it an eye-watering compensation payout, meaning Spurs are all-in on De Zerbi fixing their home field disadvantage that has beaten his predecessors.

The road ahead offers little margin for error. Tottenham's home fixture list in the coming weeks features Premier League clashes against Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, and Fulham - all winnable on paper. Whatever the outcome, they could be the making of, or the undoing of De Zerbi and this latest attempt at a Spurs rebuild.

Last Friday, we witnessed one of the most seismic events in Premier League history as Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them for breaching financial regulations.

At first, it was incredible to see, with everyone across the game gathering with their pitchforks, demanding City pay with blood, or at least points deductions, for their heinous crimes.

Even those recently bemoaning PSR and SCR and other financially-relevant initialisms football fans have to know these days were joining in, regardless of whether or not they actually believe those rules are helping their clubs, or hindering them.

No team should be in line for a free trophy parade

Nevertheless, City's guilty verdict has brought with it insistence from supporters of pretty much every club in the country, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, that their team is now in line for some sort of free trophy parade. Heck, even Watford and Sunderland fans have got involved.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but handing out trophies to runners up is not only a dreadful idea, it's also the gateway to a maddening, unending spiral of nonsense under which a line could never be drawn.

Let's take the 2017/18 season as an example, in which Manchester United finished runners up behind their noisy, (and now naughty) neighbours. The gap was a massive 19 points, but there are still those from Old Trafford who claim that Jose Mourinho should now be handed another Premier League winner's medal because of City's rule bending.

Surely, if that is to happen, Swansea City have a far more compelling grievance, given that they were relegated that same season, only three points behind 17^th place Southampton, having lost twice to the eventual champions during the campaign.

This is simply one of many examples, with repercussions stretching further than you could ever imagine.

For instance, fans of teams who have been defeated by Manchester City in cup finals are suggesting that, by default, they ought to now be the rightful owners of those trophies, ignoring the fact that City had to beat several other teams to reach those finals in the first place.

Surely all of those previously vanquished teams are just as entitled to consider themselves hard done by to have been beaten by a side financially doping. Who's to say in 2018/19 Brighton wouldn't have reached the FA Cup final instead, or Swansea City, or even Newport County, or any of the teams they faced en route to their crushing 6-0 victory over Watford in the final.

Opening this particular Pandora's box would simply spark an endless slew of clubs trying to manufacture a way of gaining something more than they deserve from this, when the only thing they should be able to take is the moral high ground, and nothing more.

Hypotheticals and assumptions should simply never be the basis for which a trophy is awarded and, as a supporter, I'm not sure it's how I'd want to get one either. I say that as a Newcastle fan, starved of success for years.

Generally speaking, I'd be happy to take any piece of silverware no matter how it comes. Even seeing Fabricio Coloccini sheepishly holding the Trofeu Internacional de Futebol do Guadiana after a successful pre-season tournament in Portugal used to be good enough for me.

But nothing could ever replicate the joy I felt while celebrating Dan Burn's goal against Liverpool in the final of the Carabao Cup in 2025. That was a special moment, one truly worthy of commemoration.

I wouldn't attend a parade for a trophy won by barristers in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, no matter how hard it is to go to CAS and get a result. In fact, I think I'd find it a bit embarrassing and pathetic to see any supporter celebrate it in any meaningful way at all.

I just want to see City punished fairly, with a massive points deduction, a financial penalty that actually means something and, if you really must, whack an official asterisk next to their name in the record books.

But, for me at least, making Brendan Rodgers a Premier League winner will never be justice, no matter how you look at it, and in the end will only cause more trouble than it's worth.

Manchester City deny the charges and are expected to lodge an appeal.

The Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 victory over Israel in the UEFA Nations League will be remembered not for the football on the pitch, but as one of the most politically charged and contentious international fixtures in recent memory.

Played at a neutral venue in Hungary following UEFA safety mandates surrounding the conflict in Gaza, the match took place amidst severe backlash across the Republic of Ireland.

Public outrage in Ireland was overwhelming, with politicians, civil society groups, and supporters calling on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to forfeit the game entirely in protest.

Ireland and Israel clash in neutral venue fixture

The political pressure also impacted the Irish camp as on the eve of the match, goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu chose to withdraw from the squad, issuing a statement based on his moral belief that "the killing of innocent people is wrong."

Bazunu’s stance triggered an emergency squad meeting, forcing the team to cancel scheduled media duties and training.

According to The Irish Times, the debate turned toxic, with Bazunu reportedly facing verbal abuse from one angry teammate before the squad eventually voted in favour of playing. Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted it was "one of the most challenging weeks" of his managerial career.

When matchday arrived, the hostility between the two sides was evident well before kick-off. The Irish squad collectively refused to participate in the pre-match handshakes with the Israeli team. As the Israeli national anthem played, Hallgrimsson turned his back in a deliberate gesture of protest, while several Irish players stood with their heads bowed.

Both teams wore black armbands, but the Irish side used the gesture as a message of opposition. After Troy Parrott and Adam Idah handed Ireland an early two-goal cushion, Jack Moylan added a third before executing a pointed celebration, removing his black armband and kissing it. Many have perceived this gesture to have been made in solidarity with victims in Gaza.

The toxic atmosphere escalated further off the ball following allegations of racist abuse directed at Irish forward Adam Idah. Midfielder Jayson Molumby alerted match officials during the first half after hearing what he believed to be monkey chants originating from a section of Israeli supporters.

However, because Molumby asked officials to "listen" rather than explicitly using the word "racism," UEFA’s anti-racism protocol was not formally triggered on the pitch. UEFA subsequently confirmed it will not open an official investigation due to the procedural flaw, though the FAI is currently examining match footage with a view to submitting independent evidence to European football's governing body. Irish defender Jake O'Brien was also seen angrily confronting Israeli players over the supporters' behaviour.

The hostility continued after the final whistle, with Israel captain Manor Solomon criticising the Irish players, insinuating they had levelled unpleasant insults at the Israeli players during the 90 minutes.

"If I say what I really think of them, I'd likely be suspended," Solomon told reporters. "Obviously they hate us. We don't like them either. They can play all their tricks. We have a country ten times better than theirs, stronger, an amazing country with amazing people. We are proud of our state and our soldiers."

Israel head coach Ran Ben Shimon admitted his side crumbled under the emotional weight of the occasion. UEFA now faces a major governance challenge as the two nations prepare to meet again behind closed doors in Serbia.

Manchester City are expected to appeal the decision, after a verdict was reached deeming them guilty of all but one of the 115 Premier League charges they faced.

According to The Athletic, the Cityzens could potentially be stripped of multiple Premier League titles, with sanctions yet to be decided.

The news arrived through anonymous club sources, who have not yet been authorised to speak publicly about Manchester City’s verdict.

Manchester City found guilty of 114 charges, face stripping of Premier League titles

One City spokesperson said: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.

“As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023,” they continued, referring to the Cityzens’ surprise at the charges, and the club welcoming a review.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence,” continued the City spokesperson.

The breaches in question, which Manchester City have almost unanimously been found guilty of, occurred between the years of 2009 and 2018.

In that period, the Cityzens won three Premier League titles: two with Manchester United finishing as runners-up, and once ahead of Liverpool.

The club was accused by the Premier League of failing to provide accurate information in regard to financials, including details of payments to players and coaches.

Manchester City have consistently denied the allegations, which include breaching financial fair play (FFP) and profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

How the Premier League landscape changes if runner-up teams are awarded the crowns

🏆 2011/12: Sir Alex Ferguson gets his 14th Premier League title. The "AGÜEROOOOO" moment vanishes from the trophy archives, ending Fergie's legendary career with back-to-back league titles.

🏆 2013/14: Steven Gerrard FINALLY gets his Premier League winners' medal. Liverpool claim the title six years earlier than 2020, and Brendan Rodgers becomes a Premier League-winning manager.

🏆 2017/18: Jose Mourinho’s 81-point United side take the crown over Pep’s 100-point "Centurions." Jose gets his 4th Premier League trophy—and his crowning glory at Old Trafford.

The Domestic Cup Chaos

2011 FA Cup: Stoke City win their first-ever major trophy.

2014 League Cup: Sunderland end a 41-year major silverware drought.

2016 League Cup: Jürgen Klopp wins a trophy in his first 5 months at Anfield.

2018 League Cup: Arsène Wenger gets a final piece of silverware on his Arsenal farewell tour.

Since the charges were brought, City have won further English top-flight titles, including a Premier League four-peat from 2020 to 2024.

The club, which was acquired by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, currently possess the second-most Premier League titles of any club in the competition’s history.

According to The Athletic, Manchester City face multiple sanctions, including being stripped of English top-flight titles, and possibly expulsion from the Premier League.

The report said: “Sanctions range from a reprimand and fines to points deductions — and even expulsion from the Premier League,”

“Any points deduction could be applied when the decision is made or retrospectively, raising the prospect of City being stripped of titles.”

Should Manchester City receive the latter sanction, their title count would drop from eight to five. As a result, Chelsea would have as many Premier League titles as the Cityzens.

Humphrey Ker, the man who brought Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to Wrexham AFC, is set to step down from the Championship club’s board.

His departure, now confirmed by Wrexham, will end a five-year association with the North Wales club. He is also set to step down as a trustee of the Wrexham AFC Foundation.

Ker, one of the main voices in Disney+ documentary series Welcome to Wrexham, has made efforts in recent years to re-focus on his comedy-writing career, stepping away from day-to-day involvement at Wrexham AFC shortly before the 2024-25 League One season.

Humphrey Ker departs from Wrexham: the man who brought them Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

“Working for and representing Wrexham AFC and the wider town has been the greatest honour of my life,” said the 43-year-old, who brought his friends, and fellow actors, Reynolds and McElhenney to Wrexham.

“I am proud of the part I have played in the club’s remarkable journey, both on and off the field. [But] the way the club has evolved and is now structured has made it progressively harder for me to make a positive contribution.

“[As] sad as I am to be leaving, I now feel watching from a distance is the right thing for me. I will always be a fan and wish the club, the community and supporters, every success,” Ker concluded.

The 43-year-old initially described the appeal of British football to McElhenney while on set for Mythic Quest, an Apple TV+ comedy co-created by the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, and Ker's wife.

Ker suggested that McElhenney watch the Netflix documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, which helped plant the early seed for him to purchase Wrexham AFC with Reynolds.

The 43-year-old, standing at 6ft 7in, became the North Wales club’s executive director after its 2021 Hollywood takeover, before stepping away from the role in 2024.

Since then, Ker has helped to relaunch Saturday Night Live UK, and co-wrote the stage production Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas with long-time friend David Reed.

In a joint statement with the club, Reynolds and McElhenney added: “Humphrey has been a key piece of the Wrexham story from day one.

“His kindness, humour and height will be missed, but never forgotten,” they concluded. Since their takeover, Wrexham AFC have risen from National League beginnings to the Championship.

In 2025-26, the club narrowly missed out on play-off football, behind Hull City in sixth position. The Tigers won promotion at Wembley, and are now placed eighth in the Premier League standings.

The international break is here, and for Ireland, few games in recent memory have had as much anticipation as the Nations League double-header with Israel. Of course, for all the wrong reasons.

Ireland play four games over the next two weeks; they include two games against Israel at neutral venues, the first on the 27th September in Hungary, the second in Serbia on the 4th October. The second match is nominally the Republic's home tie, but it is being played behind closed doors over security fears.

There has been pressure in the Republic of Ireland to boycott matches against Israel because of the attack in Gaza. But in July, the FAI voted to proceed with the games amid concerns that a boycott would potentially harm the association.

Major divide

On both a historical and humanitarian level, Irish people have always been among the most vocal and passionate in support of Palestine, as well as countries such as Lebanon and Syria.

Despite this, there is a major divide between the bulk of the general population and the authorities on the issue of boycotting these fixtures.

The Irish government has been “strong” in its condemnation of the atrocities taking place in Gaza, the West Bank and southern Lebanon, but far less so in its actions. It was all smiles when Donald Trump – a key funder of Israel – landed for the Irish Open last week. Why was it held at his golf course? Politics is undoubtedly complicated, but come on.

The fabled political act of speaking out of both sides of your mouth extended to the boycott. Following February’s draw, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin was adamant the games should go ahead, trying to separate sport from politics. It's a complete folly and even more so in the international sphere. There seems to be no blowback to the national broadcaster, RTÉ, boycotting Eurovision for a second year either. The broadcaster has confirmed it will provide "stripped-back" coverage that will meet its contractual obligations to broadcast Ireland's two UEFA Nations League fixtures against Israel.

The FAI have been morally contradictory and inconsistent. In November, a member vote passed a resolution to put forward a motion to ban Israel from all UEFA competitions. It was a straightforward procedure, with the Israeli FA violating two statutes: failing to implement an anti-racist policy and clubs playing in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The vote was 97% in favour but slowed down due to Trump’s “peace plan” and the ongoing “ceasefire”. Neither could be considered a success, but we should know better than to expect leadership and conscience from those at the top of the sport. (The less said about Gianni Infantino, the better).

A second vote took place in July, this time regarding the boycott of the games – 70% of FAI members were in favour of the games being played, including legendary goalkeeper Packie Bonner.

The complete contrast in the votes exposed plenty. In the November vote to ban Israel from all UEFA competitions, the FAI knew they had the support of other European nations. In July, they were on their own. Happy to be part of a group but afraid to stand alone.

In a slight defence of the FAI, there are other factors at play, notably the €35m debt still hanging around their necks from the controversial John Delaney era. Among their creditors are the government, FIFA and UEFA, suggesting a more than compromising position.

However, the level of scaremongering ahead of November’s vote was wholly unnecessary. Financial ruin and losing co-hosting rights to EURO 2028 were recklessly bandied around, neither of which were ever confirmed and appear incredibly unlikely.

Current FAI chief executive CEO David Courell did at least have the courage to speak publicly on the matter. It is an undeniably tough position, but suggesting a "unilateral" boycott is pointless and defeats the purpose of protest. Doing the right thing is what matters, and if a fear of consequences stops you, it is nothing more than posturing.

The consistent line of “doing what's best for Irish football” is also tired, vague and inaccurate. What exactly does that mean? Is the soul of Irish football really worth six points and an insignificant sum of money?

Neither manager Heimir Hallgrímsson, nor the players want to be (or should be) in this position. In his press conference following the squad announcement, the Icelandic repeatedly mentioned how “uncomfortable” everyone was.

It feels unfair to criticise any individual player. They are taking a so-called “united front”, but could one not at least stand up for what's right? Celebrities and sports stars should never be viewed as role models, but as Macklemore, who was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour earlier this month for making pro-Palestinian comments on stage, and several Irish artists have proved their role in driving change cannot be underestimated.

The power of sport and music is like little else in terms of grabbing global attention. There is talk of a “symbolic protest” before or during the game. But will that do for the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been killed? What will that change? The time for symbolism is over. Action is needed.

Like so often, the real action will come from the people. The #StopTheGame movement has only grown, with support unsurprisingly from James McClean among many others in the local game. Protests are planned for outside government buildings and FAI headquarters during the international break.

But what about everyone else? If the game can't be stopped, it shouldn’t be acknowledged. Don't watch it. Don't read match reports. Don't normalise it. Don’t give it any legitimacy. This isn't sport. This isn't politics. This is humanity.

The sporting repercussions of boycotting may have been avoided, but the moral repercussions of playing will forever stain those involved. One day soon, they will wake up and ask themselves: was it all worth it?

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England’s wait for a second World Cup will go on for at least another four years, but despite their semi-final heartbreak this summer, Jude Bellingham reaffirmed his place among the best players in the world.

The midfielder was playing in his second World Cup and netted seven goals for the Three Lions as they made it to the last four. There were calls for Thomas Tuchel to drop him before the tournament – they have since disappeared and he’s now near enough the first name on the teamsheet.

The boy from Birmingham is a man in Madrid these days – at the age of just 23, he’s already achieved so much in his career, including winning the Champions League in 2024. He still has the world at his feet though, with many more potential honours to compete for, both for club and country.

Domestically, he’s now playing under Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu, which will be box office to watch this season. In this issue, we chart the continued rise of one of England’s brightest stars.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we sit down with Arsenal legend Tony Adams to chat about his career – and find out why he’s as well known now for who he sold his house to, rather than just his trophy haul. Michael Owen takes us on a tour of his stables, while Barry Hearn tells us why he’s getting back involved in football, aged 78.

Enjoy the mag.

James

Hey Jude!

Jude Bellingham was being written off mere months ago, but used that motivation to match Maradona on the biggest stage of all at the World Cup. Now he’s got another point to prove, trying once more to make it work with Kylian Mbappe, inside the Real Madrid goldfish bowl

On the move

Several of this summer’s World Cup stars have since headed to new leagues, including Morocco’s chess fanatic and Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeping hero. Will they make a success of their big moves?

Mr Arsenal

Three decades ago, Tony Adams told FFT he was rebuilding his life after much-publicised troubles – 30 years on he chats about glory under Arsene Wenger, nearly joining Manchester United, managing in Azerbaijan and his work helping others battling addiction.

Barry's back

Barry Hearn has spent recent times focusing on the rest of his sporting empire, but now he’s aiming to take Brentwood Town to the EFL – three decades after buying Leyton Orient for £2.43, and inheriting one of football’s most explosive managers…

Hurry up Harry!

Henry Winter was among the media who headed to Germany to see Harry Kane collect a second European Golden Shoe of his career

Stable boy

Once one of England’s greatest strikers, Michael Owen now runs one of the country’s finest horse-racing facilities – FFT visit Cheshire to meet the equine fanatic and his jockey daughter Gemma, as they quibble over who’s biggest on Weibo…

The Boy’s a Bit Special

Get the lowdown on Newcastle’s midfield tyro, and Leverkusen’s ‘Mazadona’

The shooting that stunned Italy

Luciano Re Cecconi went to the 1974 World Cup after leading Lazio to the Scudetto – three years later, he was still playing for the Rome side when he was killed, during a prank that went badly wrong

Coming out

A year after his retirement as a player in 2013, former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger came out in a newspaper interview – in his own words, he tells FFT why he made that decision, and what life has been like since.

Around the Grounds

Former Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough goal machine Britt Assombalonga on his move to non-league football at the age of 33 and unfulfilled Premier League dreams

Elsewhere, comedian Josh Pugh opens up about playing for England and those Gaffer gags while in our new feature ‘Beyond the Turnstiles’ we take a trip to Fort William and tell you why it should be on your bucket list of grounds to visit.

In the Players Lounge this month…

Brian McBride on Pele hitting on his wife, Keira Walsh on her World Cup dream and Alan Pardew on that dance

The Mixer

Our latest merch round-up features a Burnley's new away kit and the new men's and women's Champions League balls

We spy a 1984-1985 Derby County away shirt in Classic Kit and let you know what to watch this month.

Jonjo Shelvey Q&A

Former Newcastle, Swansea and Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey answers your questions

Upfront

Think you’re a football expert? Prove it by getting 100 per cent in our Ultimate Quiz. Columnist Jules Breach runs the rule over Sunderland, Bournemouth and Brighton embarking on their European adventure.

Toby Alderweireld selects the games that changed his life and Dexys Midnight Runners frontman Kevin Rowland discuss all things Wolves.

Glenn Hoddle hails sporting geniuses and an actor in the People I Admire.

Perfect XI

Rafael da Silva picks his ultimate XI from former teammates made up of Manchester United and Brazil legends.

When Gary Neville fumed that Manchester United’s lethargic performance at Craven Cottage was “absolutely pathetic”, many fans would have nodded in agreement and wearily recalled familiar. “Absolutely pathetic,” was.

Neville’s similar spiky Sky verdict in 2020 of Man United’s 6-1 capitulation to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. Same old, same old.

Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were also involved in that embarrassment. The defenders had particular shockers. Maguire received a 1.85 out of 10 and Shaw 1.95 in the BBC player ratings.

HENRY WINTER: Gary Neville is right, Manchester United are 'absolutely pathetic'

Has nothing changed in six years? Yesterday’s ratings were more generous: 4.39 for Maguire and 4.23 for Shaw. At least Man United salvaged a point at Craven Cottage. But still absolutely pathetic. The echo of Neville’s judgement resonates strongly. Man United remain stuck in a cycle of under-performance on and off the field. Just when fans think they have turned a corner, they turn an ankle on the kerb.

Some of the complaints voiced by fans in 2020 are repeated now: a popular ex-player becomes a promising caretaker then struggles when given the full-time role, a criticism directed at Ole Gunnar Solskajer then and Michael Carrick now.

Fans noted a “lack of passion from the side” with Solskjaer then, Carrick now. When the team needed galvanising, where was the energy from the head coach? Carrick’s undemonstrative nature is a strength when the barbs fly, and was a noted quality as a midfielder, but sometimes fans and players want to see their manager go through the emotional gears on the touchline. Body language matters. Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are masters of it. When Carrick’s old manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, rose from his seat to stand at the edge of the technical area, it always felt like intensity levels rose.

As well as concerns over direction from the dug-out, other relevant questions posed by Man United supporters in 2020 that span the years include “no leadership on the field” – from captain Maguire then, Fernandes now. There was criticism of the leadership “off the field”, the Glazers in 2020, the Glazers and Ineos in 2026.

“This is what you get for years of mismanagement top down to bottom,” fumed one fan in 2020. “A manager that isn’t up to it, a squad that’s not capable, the club run as a way of providing money to the Glazers only.”

Throw in frustration over recruitment strategy, fear of not qualifying for the Champions League, the paucity of effort put in by some players, the cackling joy of rival fans, and United remain stuck in a doom-laden cycle.

The players have to take responsibility for the lack of effort. These are well-paid professionals wearing a famous shirt who need to replicate the passion of the fans. There was no aggression or intensity to their play. They should look at the sweat-soaked shifts put in by Brighton and Hove Albion players, even Sunderland’s ultimately vanquished players, at the weekend. Lesser names, bigger hearts.

Are there reasons to look on the bright side? Man United have certainly strived to put more structure and thought into their football department to assist Carrick than Solskjaer enjoyed. That still doesn’t help if the transfer money isn’t spent shrewdly. The lament grows that the club should have used the £48m for Andrey Santos on a defender. Their failure to strengthen the back-line is painfully negligent.

As in 2020, blame is spread around. Carrick’s changes were confusing. A team needing energy needed more than the limited Joshua Zirkzee as first change. It was surprising that Shea Lacey wasn’t unleashed on the right, Bryan Mbeumo moved central, Matheus Cunha left, and the underperforming Marcus Rashford dropped. It was baffling that Kobbie Mainoo was substituted when the academy product was one of the few who seemed to be up for the fight against Fulham.

Carrick has to be more decisive and earlier in games. The great Manchester United managers all took risks. Some sympathy should be afforded Carrick because his team have no box presence until Benjamin Sesko is fit and no tenacious midfield presence until Carlos Baleba is up to speed. United need more athleticism in midfield, especially with Youri Tielemans now involved. Baleba’s arrival partially addresses that. It’s not Carrick’s fault that Ineos didn’t buy what the team required.

So history repeats itself. That is why calls for Carrick to be dismissed should be resisted. Constant churn hasn’t worked. United have to stick with Carrick, back him properly in the next window, and hope that players return from international duty fitter and more up for the fight.

Carrick is under pressure when the bigger problem is the culture at the club. They don’t learn enough from mistakes. Issues in 2020 remain in 2026 and that’s absolutely pathetic.

As Chelsea prepared for their Champions League quarter-final second leg in April 2014, they knew there was work to be done in order to keep their hopes of reclaiming the trophy they had won for the first time two years earlier alive.

A 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes had left Jose Mourinho’s tie needing something special, and when Eden Hazard limped off just 18 minutes into the Stamford Bridge second leg, their task was made even harder.

But a memorable European night would follow in west London, one capped when Demba Ba netted a vital 87th-minute goal to seal a place in the last-four.

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Demba Ba on Chesea’s PSG victory

“I didn’t play many Champions League semi-finals throughout my career, and that goal against PSG allowed us to reach one,” the former Blues striker recalls to FourFourTwo.

“We had lost 3-1 in Paris and needed a magical night at Stamford Bridge.”

The equation was simple that evening, as Chelsea knew only a comfortable victory would ensure progression, at a time when the away goals rule was still played in European competitions.

“Andre Schürrle scored the opening goal in the first half after coming on for Eden Hazard, who had been injured,” Ba continues. “It was a setback, but we managed to bounce back.”

Schurrle’s 32nd-minute strike meant that Chelsea needed just one more goal to seal progression, with the hosts continuing to pile on the pressure after the interval amid a rearguard action from Laurent Blanc’s side.

“In the second half, we pushed hard and hit the crossbar twice,” Ba recalls as he watched from the sidelines.

In the 66th minute, he got the nod and came off the bench to replace Frank Lampard in a substitution that would end up paying off for Jose Mourinho.

“I wasn’t a starter, but I came on in the final stretch and took my chance,” he continues. “I scored after pouncing on a loose ball in the six-yard box with a lot of instinct and anticipation – I was willing to die for that ball.

“I remember running to celebrate toward a corner; my teammates swarmed me, and even Jose Mourinho jumped on me.

“It was the most special night I experienced wearing the Chelsea shirt.”

Dennis Wise’s 2002 transfer to Millwall was one of the biggest deals in the club’s history, as the Lions snapped up the 21-time England international and three-time FA Cup winner.

The Lions had convinced Wise to drop down a division to join the club, but remarkably, Millwall’s then-boss Mark McGhee had no idea it was happening.

That’s because a chance conversation between Lions owner Theo Paphitis and another former England and Chelsea star in Ray Wilkins brought about a deal that was made at breakneck speed.

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Paphitis on how he signed Dennis Wise

“I had a heart to heart with Mark McGhee the previous week,” he Paphitis recalls to FourFourTwo. “He said that we needed a Dennis Wise style character in midfield.

“We had Tim Cahill, then a promising kid, learning his job, box to box. Dennis at the time had just left Leicester after an incident.”

And as fate would have it, Paphitis was soon handed the opportunity to act on McGhee’s request. “It just so happened that I went for a drink with Ray Wilkins, who was a neighbour. Over that drink... “Ray asked if I’d thought about Dennis. I didn’t like Dennis’ agent at the time, that raving monster Eric Hall character. He was really rude when I tried to sign Dennis when he left Chelsea. So, Ray made a discreet enquiry directly to Dennis on my behalf.

“I ended up speaking to Dennis and said, ‘I guarantee they’ll love you at The Den’, even though he thought I was having a laugh by trying to get him to Millwall. I told him, though, that I wouldn’t deal with his agent – I said, ‘You have to deal with that’. We didn’t have an agent present doing the deal. I broke loads of taboos, as it all happened really quickly.

“While we made him our highest-paid player, it didn’t lock us into some long-term commitment. It wasn’t going to hurt the club financially, and once Dennis was mentally committed, he made it very easy, for which all Millwall supporters have always been grateful.”

The speed of the deal meant that Paphitis had no chance to involve McGhee.

“We did the deal, then I rang Mark and told him there was a press conference organised for tomorrow,” he continues. “I said ‘I’ve got you a new player’. He was a bit surprised.

“I reminded him that he’d asked for a Dennis Wise style character for midfield and said ‘Well, I’ve got you one’. He asked ‘Any chance you’re going to tell me who?’ I said ‘Yes, Dennis Wise’.

“There was silence on the other end of the line.”

Football stadiums come in all shapes and sizes. While some are vast arenas built to host tens of thousands of supporters, others are a little more humble.

But if the scenery is right, even some that are little more than a patch of grass can become a footballing work of art.

With a little globe-trotting FourFourTwo have picked out ten stunning grounds tucked away in places you'd never expect to watch the beautiful game being played.

1. Henningsvaer Stadion

One of football’s numerous beauties is that it can be played virtually anywhere – this venue is a monument to that. It’s mainly the host of local amateur matches in Henningsvaer, a fishing village straddling multiple islands in northern Norway, but that hasn’t stopped it gaining global recognition.

2. Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena

Europe’s highest stadium is the best part of 7,000 feet above sea level. It’s home to amateur outfit FC Gspon, in the south of Switzerland near the Matterhorn. Named after the legendary Ottmar Hitzfeld, who spent much of his career in the country, it can only be reached by cable car – or a steep hike, if you’re feeling adventurous…

3. Estadio Hernando Siles

The biggest stadium in Bolivia is 11,932 feet above sea level in La Paz, the globe’s highest capital city. That altitude has made it difficult for visiting national teams – FIFA even banned World Cup qualifiers from being held there. With the ban lifted, last year Bolivia moved games even higher, at 13,412 feet in El Alto. They then went unbeaten across six home qualifiers to reach the World Cup play-offs.

4. Subaru Park

This ground is a bit of a rarity in the USA: a stadium that was built specifically with the association brand of football in mind. Home to MLS side Philadelphia Union, it sits right on the Delaware River’s waterfront, beneath the looming frame of the Commodore Barry Bridge – it makes for quite a striking setting, we have to say.

5. Gospin Dolac

With a capacity of 4,000, this ground was somehow built among jagged rocks right next to the medieval Topana fortress overlooking Croatian tourist hotspot Imotski, not too far from the border with neighbouring Bosnia. It’s also situated near the stunning Blue Lake, and gets its name from the Croatian translation of the Our Lady of the Angels church at the entrance to the fortress. So now you know…

6. Qeqertarsuaq Stadium

OK, so really it’s just a pitch, but the Qeqertarsuaq Stadium boasts the most awe-inspiring surrounds. Home to Greenlandic Football Championship side G-44 Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island, the complete lack of stands makes for unobstructed views of icebergs in Baffin Bay, which stretches all the way to Canada.

7. Svangaskard

The Faroe Islands national team don’t play any games here these days, which is a crying shame, because Svangaskard is one of the most scenic venues in all of international football. Small enough that you could watch from the rock face that juts out above one corner of the pitch, the stunning ground in Toftir affords gorgeous views of the adjacent fjord. Make a day of it by taking a spin on the world’s first undersea roundabout nearby. FFT are a blast at parties, honest…

8. Changlimithang Stadium

Bhutan’s national sport is archery, which takes place alongside football at the Changlimithang Stadium – not simultaneously of course, that would be dangerous. Located in Thimpu, capital city of the tranquil mountain kingdom, the ground is filled with traditional architecture and ornate details, and looks truly majestic set against the backdrop of the Himalayas. The Bhutanese government runs the tiny nation on the philosophy of Gross National Happiness – no arguments from groundhoppers.

9. Victoria Stadium

Gibraltar’s primary football venue is Victoria Stadium, the usual base of the national team. Look one way and you’re unable to miss the colossal Rock of Gibraltar. Look the other and you can pass time watching planes land at and take off from the airport. Bad news, though: they’re knocking it down and building a modern stadium on the same site, which may restrict those views. Boo!

10 Cape Town Stadium

Built for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the venue played host to eight games at the tournament, including the Netherlands’ thrilling semi-final win over Uruguay and England’s dour draw with Algeria. Right by the Atlantic coast, it seats almost 60,000 punters – pick the right spot and you can see the iconic Table Mountain peering out from behind the roof.

Thomas Tuchel has unveiled his England squad for the upcoming men's senior fixtures against Spain, Czechia, and Croatia.

The newly assembled group signals a fresh chapter for the Three Lions as they look to bounce back from their World Cup semi-final exit in North America over the summer.

Tuchel has made several notable adjustments to his squad to kickstart the new campaign, blending established veterans with exciting young prospects.

England squad for Nations League matches in September and October

The most prominent talking point is the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The versatile defender has been recalled after being left out of the World Cup squad.

Tuchel is also set to hand greater opportunity to the England youth, handing call-ups to rising stars like Rio Ngumoha and Myles Lewis-Skelly, alongside defender Jarell Quansah. Meanwhile, Jason Steele joins James Trafford and Jordan Pickford make up the goalkeeping union.

Here is Tuchel’s England squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como 1907); Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United); Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid); Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Alex Scott (Bournemouth)

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool); Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Manchester United Women’s new era under Eva Olid could hardly have got off to a more difficult start.

A 2-1 defeat to London City Lionesses was followed by a 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea, leaving Olid’s side with plenty of questions to answer after just two Women’s Super League games.

With a new manager, a significantly reshaped squad and no European football this season, there are already reasons for concern at United.

A huge summer of change

Olid was brought in to replace Marc Skinner after United finished fourth in the WSL last season, missing out on European football.

The club have also seen a significant number of players depart this summer, with Hannah Blundell, Leah Galton, Gabby George, Melvine Malard, Lisa Naalsund and Millie Turner all leaving the club.

In their place, United brought in Rebeca Bernal, Monica Jusu Bah, Janina Leitzig and Andrea Medina, but questions around whether the club had done enough business in the transfer window were rife amongst fans.

The lack of investment in the women’s team has long been a concern at Manchester United, and something Skinner struggled with over his five-year tenure.

In April he said: "I'm absolutely passionate about what we do. But we have to make some changes in the summer. We have to make some changes to make sure that we can compete with what's clearly a financial market at times.”

The summer rebuild was then compounded by the arrival of Olid, who has never managed in the WSL before. Having only joined at the start of August, she has had limited time to implement her playing style and get a new squad up to speed.

Poor results and worrying performances

United's opening two results have done little to settle those questions.

The defeat to London City was disappointing, with Alexia Putellas’ new side outplaying United for most of the match. Simi Awujo scored a consolation goal deep into stoppage time, but United offered little attacking threat before then.

The Chelsea loss was more concerning.

United managed just two shots compared to Chelsea's 24, while nobody in a United shirt received a FotMob rating above 6.5.

Unsurprisingly, defenders Dominique Janssen and Maya Le Tissier were particularly low-rated, receiving scores of 2.8 and 4.6 respectively.

It was not simply the result that was concerning. United were repeatedly exposed defensively, struggled to press Chelsea effectively and made a number of individual errors.

There will be an inevitable adjustment period as Olid implements a new system, but the Chelsea performance suggested some of the problems go beyond simply learning a new style. United struggled to play out from the back, were slow off the ball and lacked creativity in attack.

There have been positives, with Medina impressing in both games before being forced off injured against Chelsea. Bernal also made her debut and could provide another option in midfield. But there is clearly plenty of work to do.

The pressure starts now

There is still a long way to go in the season and two games should not define a campaign.

But United's lack of European football means their progress will be judged almost entirely on their domestic results, while rivals around them have strengthened.

Having made history last season by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time, United must return to European competition to show progress. But right now, finishing third in the WSL seems a long way off.

For Olid, the challenge is to get the team on board as she establishes a new identity, while restoring confidence before a difficult starts develops into a rut.

Two games do not make a season, but United have already given their new manager plenty to fix.

Newcastle United are ruing a missed opportunity to bolster their depleted midfield in the summer transfer window.

The Magpies can claim to have sold Sandro Tonali and captain Bruno Guimaraes at the top of their value but they did so unwillingly and were left with a problem in the middle of the pitch.

When two players of that level depart at the same time, the recruitment challenge they leave behind is a difficult one. More often than not, different profiles and a reimagined outlook are part of the fix.

Newcastle missed out on a transfer that would have solved an issue

Newcastle signed Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City but he was substituted due to a suspected concussion just 18 minutes into their 4-1 loss at Leeds United on Monday night, leaving new manager Matthias Jaissle facing an acute issue.

There are high hopes for Sean Steur, signed from Ajax in the summer and brought on to replace Gonzalez at Elland Road, but Newcastle were one injury away from a midfield pairing with an average age of 19.

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Lewis Miley is already a highly rated and well established member of the Newcastle team but Jaissle's only experienced central midfield options are Gonzalez and Joe Willock, the latter of which has been playing in a more advanced role under the German.

Aladji Bamba, like Miley, is 20 - and by the sounds of Jaissle's press conference communications, not ready. Steur and Bamba are exciting signings in the long run but Newcastle's midfield is short on numbers, light on experience and devoid of the kind of leadership both Guimaraes and Tonali had in abundance.

That's not lost on Newcastle. Just before the start of the season, their pursuit of a compelling signing with that very shortcoming fell through despite both clubs reportedly believing it was going to happen.

Indeed, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was even stripped of the Marseille captaincy when he pulled the plug on a £15 million move to St James' Park.

Hojbjerg would have been a short-term answer, but a good one. He's an experienced leader and an extra body, the perfect choice to come off the bench in situations like the one Jaissle faced on Monday.

The Dane, now 31, has no shortage of Premier League know-how. Hojbjerg amassed 145 appearances in the top flight in four seasons with Southampton and another four at Tottenham Hotspur.

He's a physical and streetwise presence who could have been an appropriate foil for Newcastle's young midfielders if the worst happens.

Unfortunately for Jaissle, the worst did happen and Hojbjerg remains in the south of France having apparently blocked the move.

Gonzalez suffered a suspected concussion in West Yorkshire and the introduction of Steur from the bench was processed as a concussion substitution. Gonzalez will miss Newcastle's next game against Hull City due to FA concussion rules.

In May 2001, John Mullaney stood among his fellow Coventry City supporters and thrust aloft a crudely fashioned sign of defiance: “We’ll be back.”

Coventry had been relegated from England’s top division for the first time, 34 years after Jimmy Hill became the first manager to take the Sky Blues out of the second tier in the right direction.

Mullaney was right, after a fashion. It took a quarter of a century and immeasurable despair, but Coventry are back in the Premier League.

‘They were our biggest local rivals when I was growing up’

But as the club capitalised on an updated version of their supporter’s handiwork to mark the occasion, the significance of where his homemade placard was displayed might have been lost to fans outside the West Midlands.

Nobody who filed into the Coventry Building Society Arena for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Aston Villa was in that category. Coventry were relegated at Villa Park and there’s not a football stadium in the world where they wouldn’t have preferred to suffer.

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Coventry and Villa haven’t been drawn together in the FA Cup or League Cup in the intervening years. It was with a cruel flourish that they were paired in the Sky Blues’ first season back in the Premier League.

Despite their proximity, the rivalry between Coventry and Villa – largely an off-the-pitch matter and not inaccurately described as a little one-side – is often overlooked.

FourFourTwo spoke to Steve, a Villa supporter, outside the ground before Unai Emery’s team faced Coventry.

“I remember sending [Coventry] down, but it was so long ago that I don’t really remember how I actually felt about it,” he said.

“It’s good for the region that they’re in the Premier League again but I can’t imagine they’ll stay long. I don’t mind saying that – they were our biggest local rivals when I was growing up even if we sometimes don’t like to admit it.

“It’s just that I didn’t think about them for a moment in the time they were away.”

That’s the thing about one-sided rivalries. The supporters who don’t actively participate in it react badly to being disliked with such intensity, thus it’s seldom truly one-sided when push comes to shove.

Coventry were unable to harness a match with needle to kickstart their season

What’s not in doubt is that the rivalry with Villa, in some shape or form, is real for many Coventry fans.

The teams were together for years without others from Birmingham and the West Midlands crossing their paths all that often, and the Sky Blues’ relegation and a few players moving to Villa Park left a bad feeling.

“We’re a club without a mutual rivalry, I think it’s fair to say,” Dominic Jerams, the Coventry supporter behind Sideways Sammy, tells FourFourTwo.

“When I started going to Coventry games we were in the Premier League and Aston Villa were the main rivals. When we were first in the Championship, Leicester City became the big rivalry.

“Our rivalries have always been contextual. And there was Dion Dublin going to Villa. Moustapha Hadji. George Boateng. It was really galling after a while. As a young fan, they were all of my favourite players, so Villa have lingered as a rival in my mind.”

Rivals or not, Coventry and Villa arrived in the third round of the Carabao Cup in need of a springboard, and it was the visitors who booked their place in the fourth round and will hope to have earned a boost in confidence into the bargain.

Victor Torp scored a beautiful free kick to briefly give the home team hope, but Tammy Abraham scored two goals either side of Ross Barkley’s unmarked header as Villa put three goals past the Sky Blues again, quarter of a century after the last time.

For manager Frank Lampard and Coventry, there was no sweet relief and no respite from a brutally difficult start to the season. Six matches into 2026/27, a 4-2 win over Plymouth Argyle isn’t enough to ease a darkening mood.

By the time this fixture is replayed in the Premier League, both Lampard and Emery will know much more about where their teams stand.

Neither should read too much into their first encounter of the season. The Villa manager told reporters after the match that the Carabao Cup is important, not least as a possible route back into Europe, but sometimes matches pop into the fixture list that are really more for the fans than anything else.

Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey has taken to social media and posted what appears to be a jab at fellow wonderkid JJ Gabriel.

The 19-year-old uploaded an image to X (formerly Twitter) of him arriving with the squad at Old Trafford, in Manchester United attire.

The photo was accompanied by a heart emoji as its caption. It arrived shortly after news broke of Gabriel attempting to exit Manchester United.

Shea Lacey makes timely Manchester United social media post

Lacey’s post was immediately flooded with support from the Red Devils faithful, with many interpreting it as being in response to Gabriel’s attempted departure.

The image has amassed over 100,000 likes on X, with Manchester United fans describing Lacey as “the future” and a “proper Red” in the comments beneath.

Gabriel, who scored over 20 goals for Manchester United’s development squad last term, informed the club earlier this week of his intention to depart as a free agent. Due to his age, the actual request is for his schoolboy forms to be cancelled and allowed to leave as he cannot be signed to a professional contract until his 17th birthday.

Reports also circulated that portrayed Gabriel as being frustrated by Lacey and Harry Amass receiving Champions League appearances versus Sabah last Thursday, while he didn’t get the Michael Carrick nod.

The Red Devils won that clash 4-0, with both Lacey and Amass being substituted on for Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu respectively in the 72nd minute.

Gabriel, who received his unofficial senior debut during pre-season versus Atletico Madrid, was not part of the squad to face the Azeri champions.

For Gabriel’s youth player registration to be cancelled, the player, club and parent/carer must all agree on the departure. In the event of this failing to be reached, the Premier League are able to intervene.

‘Kid Messi’ is Gabriel’s unofficial nickname, and the Manchester United boss attested to his staggering quality back in August.

“JJ is one of the boys. He's obviously got a really big talent. He's trained with us quite a bit and is getting experience all the time. He's physically adapting to each step that he makes, and we're just continuing his development,” Carrick said.

Under-21s boss Adam Lawrence has also chimed in, stating that his primary goal was to “not ruin” the Manchester United youngster, who now appears set to leave.

“Well, I think the first thing in my job is not to ruin him. When you have a talented player like JJ and the other lads, of course, you obviously don't want to stifle their freedom and their creativity,” he said.

Gabriel is being courted by the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain according to reports.

Liverpool secured a 3-1 Carabao Cup victory against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday evening, with an added-time Dominik Szoboszlai screamer securing victory amid late Spurs pressure.

Goals arrived through the Hungarian, Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister — who scored in similar style to his thumper versus Atletico Madrid last week — as Andoni Iraola fielded a rotated side.

Four Liverpool youngsters in Rio Ngumoha, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Trey Nyoni took to the pitch; a particularly fine outing from the latter appears to have saved the Reds millions.

Trey Nyoni’s performance against Spurs could have saved Liverpool millions

Nyoni was in good form against Liverpool’s Carabao Cup opposition, boasting 95 per cent pass accuracy in his 65-minute appearance.

In the opponent’s half, Nyoni recorded 22 successful passes from 24 attempts — with 100 per cent long ball accuracy — won four duels, and recorded six defensive contributions.

In comparison, Mac Allister recorded 22 successful passes from 27 attempts in Spurs’ half — with 67% long ball accuracy — won five duels, and recorded five defensive contributions. The Argentine also played an additional half-hour.

While Nyoni lacked the goal-scoring output of his Anfield partner on Tuesday evening, he delivered an all-round display that could end up saving Liverpool millions.

The Reds' recent transfer activity saw their midfield personnel remain identical, except for the departures of Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic. And for Iraola, the faith he placed in Nyoni to spare the Reds’ blushes could hardly have been quicker repaid.

His start also served as a reminder to supporters that they never truly know the full story. Did Nyoni perform well enough at the AXA Training Centre this summer for Liverpool not to look elsewhere in the window?

Or was his performance the kind of lucky, perfectly-timed intervention that Iraola had merely prayed for? Whatever the answer, the showing was undeniable.

The 19-year-old appears set to be an unexpectedly critical player for the Basque boss this term, and serve as the midfield reinforcement Liverpool so desperately craved.

Nyoni being ‘like a new signing’ will provoke eye rolls from the Reds faithful — they’ve heard it one too many times before — but it is a possibility.

Whether Liverpool truly had it all planned out from the beginning is irrelevant. This young man will be watched closely, and he’ll have all of Anfield behind him.

As the Premier League campaign gathers pace, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers are hunting high and low for early-season form, and value, to gain a competitive edge.

While goalscoring runs, favourable fixtures and underlying numbers dominate FPL transfer forums, we mustn't forget about the disciplinary tightrope that poses a hidden trap for unsuspecting fantasy managers.

Premier League rules state any player who accumulates five yellow cards within their team's opening 19 league matches receives an automatic one-game suspension.

Premier League players already at risk of one-game suspension

For FPL managers planning several gameweeks in advance, bringing in players already picking up cautions at an unsustainable rate represents a bit of a risk.

At the very top of the warning list is Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The forward has hit the ground running at Elland Road since signing on a free transfer last summer.

He leads the line impressively, highlighted by his goalscoring performance in Leeds' recent 4-1 win over Newcastle United, and last season was recalled to the England setup.

But, behind those impressive fantasy returns lies a disciplinary concern: Calvert-Lewin has already picked up three yellow cards in his first four league appearances of the season.

Sitting just two bookings away from a one-match ban, bringing in the in-form frontman could easily backfire if he picks up cautions in quick succession, which given his brash centre-forward style, is always a possibility.

Joining Calvert-Lewin on three early yellow cards is Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt.

Frequently targeted by fantasy managers as a cheap, budget-enabling midfield asset to sit on the bench or fill in for rotation, Janelt's combative style in the middle of the park has seen him land in the referee's notebook three times already this term.

For FPL managers looking for stability in their squads, Janelt's suspension risk makes him a far less appealing bargain option.

Completing the trio is AFC Bournemouth defender Adam Smith, who is no stranger to physical battles, but his quick accumulation of bookings early in the campaign has put him on the verge of suspension.

Defenders in fantasy football are primarily picked for consistent minutes, defensive contributions and clean sheet potential. Therefore, using a transfer on a player facing what is likely to be an impending suspension restricts squad flexibility.

Savvy FPL bosses must keep a close eye on disciplinary records, then. Investing in players approaching a ban risks burning valuable transfers later, making Calvert-Lewin, Janelt, and Smith three names to avoid for the time being.

Morgan Rogers is the only player to have scored against Arsenal this season. Chelsea succeeded where Coventry City, Aston Villa, Napoli and Sunderland have failed, and the Gunners came back to beat them too.

There are two teams without a goal in their first four Premier League matches of 2026/27 but Arsenal stand alone in having conceded only once. They've won all of their games and looked all but immovable.

It's usually folly to read much into the state of things so early in the season but Arsenal and Manchester City are the top two and already four points clear. They've finished first and second in three of the last four seasons.

Could Arsenal stay unbeaten all season?

Arsenal have picked off a couple of the weaker starters in the division but have had to show a bit of themselves in each of their matches so far. Mikel Arteta must be thrilled with how his team have begun their Premier League title defence.

Buoyed by the status of champions, Arsenal are calmer and more self-assured. They're more measured. The five teams who've faced them in the league and the Champions League have encountered a side brimming with know-how even when they need to dig themselves out of a tricky spot.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

Arteta's bench for the win against Arsenal comprised Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Piero Hincapie, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres, and eventual match-winner Bruno Guimaraes.

None of Arsenal's rivals can match that, and it bodes well for when the time comes to hold their nerve.

Arsenal as an institution know a thing or two about that. In 2003/04, Arsene Wenger led them to an unbeaten Premier League title. They were the first English men's team to avoid defeat in a 38-match season.

The current class arguably don't have the same degree of sheer individual brilliance of a team that included Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Patrick Vieira.

But if The Invincibles were a team of ability and aura, Arteta's Arsenal can certainly be said to have a bit about them too. They have exceptional team players, elite in a very modern manner, and have developed over years a ruthless will to win.

It's very early to be talking about Arsenal going unbeaten again, but then Wenger himself famously went a year early and ended up belatedly delivering on his prediction.

Could it happen again? Sure.

Man City appear to have the best chance of denying Arsenal a second Premier League title on the spin. Perhaps they're the most likely opponent to overcome their wiles in a one-off match as well; we'll have to wait until the end of November to find out.

Will it happen? The smart money says not.

There's a long way to go. There's too much time, too many matches, too many variables just waiting to be discovered in the months ahead.

Leeds United's first match back in the Premier League was against Everton on a Monday night last August. They won 1-0, and would eventually crack the code to their comfortable top-flight survival.

In their first Monday night fixture of 2026/27, Leeds looked every bit the established and currently unbeaten Premier League team in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United.

Some teams in the division are experiencing transition in one form or another, not least Newcastle themselves, but Leeds are as sturdy a proposition as they come and it's showing in their results.

Elland Road under the lights is a fearsome prospect

Quantifying the impact of passionate and vocal support on a football team is impossible. One of the great joys of attending football matches is knowing, feeling, when a stadium has lift-off.

It can't be measured, but it's there. It makes a difference and the players acknowledge that a noisy atmosphere can help to energise them. That can't be comprehended through a television screen.

Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 List

It's easy to lapse into cliches when considering the intangible relationship between decibels and motivation; we know how it feels when that symbiosis fires but that doesn't make it powerful.

That doesn't take away from the fact that Leeds, Farke and Elland Road have built something beautiful beside the M621.

Since the manager was appointed in the summer of 2023, Leeds have played 24 matches at home that have kicked off at 7:45pm or 8:00pm. In two seasons in the Championship and one full campaign in the Premier League, they haven't lost any of them.

Leeds played eight of those evening games in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, and seven in the top flight in 2025/26. They did lose a 7:30pm kick-off and have won a ton of other home games under Farke, but along such arbitrary lines are patterns drawn.

The West Yorkshire club's floodlit fortunes stand up to a degree of scrutiny. Only Farke knows whether he'd switch all their home games until after dark given the choice. He certainly knows how to make the most of them.

Leeds are unbeaten in 16 home games in all competitions that kicked off at 7:45pm or later, a run that dates back to August 2024 and a Carabao Cup first round exit at the hands of Middlesbrough.

It's likely to change in the meantime but Leeds' next evening kick-off at Elland Road is scheduled to take place on New Year's Day, when the Toffees return to Leeds. Their next game, against Manchester City the following week, will also be played under the lights.

The midweek visit of Hull City in early March is currently set to be the last evening kick-off at Leeds in the Premier League this season - but we'll see about that.