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Worrying pre-season results and ill-conceived recruitment leave manager Enzo Maresca with a series of headaches before the new campaign * Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here Pre-season is always about the performance and never about the results. And even then there has to be an awareness of what managers are looking for from each individual game: clubs can be at different stages of their physical development, or managers may be working on a specific ploy. They are means to an end. Nobody should ever read too much into pre-season. And yet, all that said, it’s impossible not to look at Chelsea’s pre-season games without a slight twinge of concern. Enzo Maresca’s record as Chelsea manager at this stage reads: played six, won one. That win came against the Mexican champions Club América who, four games in to the new Mexican season, sit in ninth place. Chelsea have also played the champions of England, Spain, Scotland and Italy in their warm-up matches, plus Wrexham, who...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Few people can lift the altruistic, benevolent haze of Paris 2024 on a Monday morning quite like Peter Ridsdale, a man who would give Buzz Killington a run for his money in the Vibe Olympics, but the managerial merry-go-round waits for no Football Man. One might think the chairman blamed for bringing Leeds United to its knees in the 2000s – who once spent club money on tropical goldfish to swim around a tank in his Elland Road office – wouldn’t be at the sharp end of Football Decisions in 2024. But Ridsdale, at Preston since December 2011, has wasted no time in encouraging manager Ryan Lowe out of a door marked ‘Sling ya Hook’ just one game into the new Championship season. And by wasting no time, Football Daily means that Ridsdale has seemingly wasted quite a lot of time – a full pre-season and a summer of recruitment and planning to be precise – before Lowe’s exit materialised. It’s good to see in advance of the first game of th...

* Bayern Munich pair will cost £51m * Wan-Bissaka on his way out in £15m deal Manchester United are expected to complete the signings of defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich for a combined fee of more than £50m, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka set to join West Ham. The deals for De Ligt and Mazraoui – who played under Erik ten Hag when he was in charge of Ajax – were agreed over the weekend. Both players were pictured on their way to United’s Carrington training ground on Monday. It is understood they are expected to complete medicals before signing five-year deals with United hoping to have them available for the opening game of the season against Fulham on Friday night after a foot injury ruled out new arrival Leny Yoro for three months. That would require both to be registered by midday on Thursday. Continue reading...

* Midfielder seen inhaling the class C drug on Snapchat * ‘I understand how serious this is and the risks involved’ The Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma has apologised after he was recorded inhaling nitrous oxide, but could potentially face punishment for his actions. Bissouma reportedly uploaded clips of himself using the class C drug, widely known as laughing gas, on to social media site Snapchat last weekend. The Mali international Bissouma has since acknowledged his “severe lack of judgement”, but faces an internal club investigation and an anxious wait to discover if further punishment could be on his way. Continue reading...

If there is one thing you are guaranteed from the opening weekend of the Championship season, it is a tidal wave of hyperbole that is easy to get swept away in. What we see in the early August sunshine almost always fails to translate into reality by the time we reach May and on the basis of what Wayne Rooney’s first game as Plymouth Argyle manager delivered here, he will certainly be hoping that is the case. Results and performances on the opening weekend can often feel seismic one way or the other: after all, it’s the only sample size we’ve got to go on. So to suggest this was an inauspicious start for Rooney in the Argyle dugout would be putting it mildly. Continue reading...

* Club aiming to secure their third successive promotion * Striker was Manchester United’s top scorer last season Newcastle are interested in signing the England striker Nikita Parris from the Women’s Super League club Manchester United. The newly promoted Women’s Championship side are hoping to sign a striker to boost their chances of reaching the WSL, and they are targeting the 71-cap Lioness. A transfer fee would be required if Newcastle were to sign the 30-year-old, after Manchester United triggered an one-year extension to her contract until 2025 this summer by exercising an option in Parris’s deal. Continue reading...

With a new English top-flight campaign only days away, we look back at eight memorable ones from the modern era Don’t ask me when I was most happy. Ask me instead when I was most excited, and I’ll tell you it was in the mid-1990s. Oh to be a teenager again, with Britpop on the radio, TFI Friday on the telly, and English football in the midst of a golden era. The birth of the Premier League had brought glamour to the game but there were still enough old-school vibes in those early days to make it feel relatable, and that was no more so the case than in the 1995-96 season as Tony Yeboah and Georgi Kinkladze scored goals from the Gods while West Ham wore shirts sponsored by Dagenham Motors. And then there was the drama, namely Newcastle’s blowing of a 12-point lead involving that loss to Liverpool and that rant by Kevin Keegan. It was wild, intoxicating stuff, with more to come that summer in the shape of Euro 96 and Oasis playing Knebworth. Aged 15, I’ll tell you, honestly, I loved it....

Fans have their say on key players, wonderkids and weak links – and make predictions for the season ahead * Part two: Leicester to Wolves We all know just how rapidly the bullish aspirations can evaporate but positivity abounds in London N5, as we continue to trust in Mikel’s process. Yet with Arteta having maintained impressive levels of commitment and focus, should we be concerned that familiarity does indeed breed contempt and that there will eventually come a time when the repetition of his message might begin to ring somewhat hollow? Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5 Jonathan Pritchard Jeff Hayward Back of the Net podcast; @afcbpodcast Continue reading...

Community Shield told us little about the champions but Erik ten Hag may have solved his side’s midfield problem Unfurl the bunting! Prepare the open-topped bus! Paint the city blue! Or perhaps not. This time it was City who won the second Manchester derby at Wembley inside 80 days and, while the Community Shield hardly competes with May’s FA Cup final, it does means that a potential quintuple is on. For a team as successful as Manchester City, every new goal is worth highlighting. City didn’t seem overjoyed at the final whistle, United didn’t seem devastated. Why would they? Having lost in each of the last three Community Shields, City more than anybody know how little bearing the curtain-raiser has on the show to come. Only one of the past 13 Community Shield winners have gone on to win the title; were City to do so this season they would become only the ninth side to claim both the Community Shield and Premier League in the same season. “It is what it is,” as a resolutely sober ...

Ex-Chelsea manager dropped Rose Lavelle and her team struggled to create chances but Hayes is now in credit She checks her watch. She claps her hands. She points at things. She shouts at people. Trinity Rodman jogs past her on her way up the left ­touchline and she gives her a pat on the back. She is basically trying to convince herself that there are still jobs to do when, in fact, her work is done. We are deep into injury time, and Emma Hayes can no more ­influence this Olympic final than the fan in the Uncle Sam hat sitting 50 yards above her. Finally, the whistle. The ­explosion. Hayes raises her arms, looks ­skywards, lets out a roar. It is, ­perhaps, the only moment of personal indulgence she will allow herself. While her victorious players are dancing in a huddle, Hayes has no interest in thrusting herself into the middle, a move known these days as the “Jorge Vilda”. Instead she walks towards the devastated Brazilian players, offers them a word of comfort, seeks out the ret...

The Championship attracted the second biggest live crowds of any division in Europe last season and, on this compelling evidence, it is all too easy to understand why. If this blink and you’ll miss it 98 minutes of oscillating emotions and full on entertainment is anything to go by, England’s second tier will surely remain ahead of the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A and behind only the Premier League in the attendance charts. Continue reading...

* Minute-by-minute updates on the action at Wembley * Any thoughts? Feel free to get in touch with Barry Manchester United: In news that could send a chill shiver down the collective spine of United fans who already think their goalkeeper is something of a liability, André Onana has declared he will “take a lot of risks” this season and will accept any criticism coming his way if he costs his side victories. Jamie Jackson reports … Referee: John Brooks Referee’s assistants: Adrian Holmes and Nick Greenhalgh Fourth Official: Jarred Gillett Video Assistant Referee: Peter Bankes Continue reading...

* Fee for former Liverpool striker could reach £65m * Scored 19 league goals for Bournemouth last season Tottenham have completed the signing of forward Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth on a six-year deal. Spurs have been on the hunt for attacking reinforcements all summer and after Solanke emerged as the club’s preferred candidate, advanced talks began with the Cherries before an agreement was reached on Friday afternoon. The deal could eventually be worth £65m, with Tottenham spending an initial £55m and a further £10m included in the transfer as add-ons. Continue reading...

The England men’s team’s first foreign manager was blamed for their failure and had his private life splashed across the tabloids. Now, with months to live, he’s got some scores to settle Sven-Göran Eriksson is saying his farewells to the world. The former England men’s football manager has pancreatic cancer, and is approaching the end of his life. In January, he announced he had at most a year to live. He is keen to talk. But he wants to do it in Sven style – calm, measured, drama-free. He tells me he wants to set the record straight. “I had a lot to do with the press in a lot of countries, but especially in England. So why not tell my truth? What I think is the truth.” Eriksson was England’s first foreign manager. He seemed to belong more to the contemplative world of an Ingmar Bergman film than the cut and thrust of football – professorial, urbane, with a distinctive high forehead, spectacles and a kindly face. He wore immaculately pressed suits on the touchline and rarely showe...

Sheffield United took more enjoyment from the opening night of the new Championship season than the entirety of their brief and bruising return to the Premier League. It was November before the Blades tasted victory last season but they were immediately off the mark at Preston, where Oliver Arblaster’s first goal for the club and an audacious finish from Gustavo Hamer gave Chris Wilder’s team a richly deserved win. It was a hugely encouraging start by a United team that had numerous excuses for opening the campaign nursing a hangover. They could have cited the demoralising effect of finishing bottom of the Premier League last season with 16 points, a draining takeover saga with no end in sight, the loss of several senior players, plus a two-point deduction for defaulting on payments in 2022-23. That came into effect following their return to the EFL. But, much to Wilder’s satisfaction and credit, the visitors showed no signs of self-pity. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Lee Carsley will don his janitor’s jacket and take caretaker control of England while the FA continues to throw names around the room as it tries to find a replacement for Gareth Southgate. Carsley will step up from his role as England U-21 manager for next month’s Nations League games against – wait for it – the Republic of Ireland, who he represented 40 times. He’ll also be in charge against Finland “with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn while the FA’s recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues”. Carsley added: “It’s an honour to lead this England squad on an interim basis. As I am very familiar with the players and the cycle of international football, it makes sense for me to guide the team while the FA continues the process to recruit a new manager. My main priority is to ensure continuity and our goal is to secure promotion in the Uefa Nations League.” It’s golden – we are [Big Sports Da...

* Former Liverpool striker has release clause of about £65m * Middlesbrough sign Manchester City’s Micah Hamilton Tottenham have stepped up their pursuit of Dominic Solanke and entered advanced talks with Bournemouth over signing the forward. Ange Postecoglou said recently that the striker department was the “thinnest” of his Spurs squad. Solanke has emerged as the club’s preferred candidate and personal terms are not expected to be an issue. Continue reading...

Stunning rise has taken famous old club back to the top and almost anything seems possible with Kieran McKenna in the dugout Guardian writers’ predicted position: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily Nick Ames’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 2nd, Championship Continue reading...

Marco Silva has lost some key performers but the manager himself is an asset and Smith Rowe’s arrival has raised hopes Guardian writers’ predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 13th Continue reading...

* Doubts over fitness of four and readiness of Martínez * Bennett or Amass may come in to face Manchester City Erik ten Hag will start the season with a selection dilemma as he waits to find out how many of Manchester United’s defenders will be available for Saturday’s Community Shield against Manchester City. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are doubts, Lisandro Martínez returned to training only this week after winning the Copa América with Argentina and the new signing Leny Yoro is out for three months with a foot injury. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! These are exciting times for Bromley as they enter the Football League and start their new glamorous life in the picturesque setting of Harrogate on Saturday. For some Ravens it has been a lifetime’s dream to poke their head through the non-league ceiling and they will be living out their ambitions in Yorkshire at 3pm on Saturday. But there will also be a fair few eyeballs away from the pitch, with heads swivelling hoping to clasp eyes on one man. In yesterday’s Football Daily letters, the conversation has morphed to getting from Fulham to Arsenal. As any informed person knows, the best way to travel from north London to Fulham is by bicycle. A beautiful trip through the city’s parks, the Serpentine and past the Royal Albert Hall. Less than 40 minutes and a great workout to boot” – Andrew Kluth. Appreciative and intrigued as I am at the detailed travel suggestions provided by your various correspondents, I still have one questio...

Club hoping for a less fraught time on and off pitch in final season at Goodison Park before Bramley-Moore Dock move Guardian writers’ predicted position: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 15th Continue reading...

Yesterday we suggested a new signing for 10 clubs in the Premier League. Today we complete the set By Ben McAleer from WhoScored Leicester have cash to burn following the £30m sale of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea but now they need to sign a midfielder to replace the 25-year-old. They have only signed one midfielder this summer: the inexperienced teenager Michael Golding. Given the funds at their disposal, Matt O’Riley should be a viable target for the Foxes. The Denmark international has been linked with West Ham and Chelsea but the new Leicester manager Steve Cooper should go all out to sign him. The 23-year-old shone for Celtic last season, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists. Continue reading...

Glasner made a thrilling start but will need Wharton to shine and signings to work after at least one key departure Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’ prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 10th Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! What a summer it has been at the Olympic Park in Europe’s finest capital city. No, we are not talking about ripped athletes throwing javelins or people who only need to perform for less than 10 seconds to achieve glory. Of course, our focus is on the complete renovation of West Ham United. David Moyes is gone and he has been replaced by a former Real Madrid manager who has made some impressive signings in the window, splashing a load of dosh to do so. Luis Guilherme, Maximilian Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug and Guido Rodríguez have all rocked up in Stratford, bringing plenty of on-pitch optimism with them. One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high. We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago, I don’t know. We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five ...

* Ground likely to be scaled down to about 30,000 seats * United’s women’s team and academy would play there Manchester United do not plan to demolish Old Trafford if they build a new stadium. Their home ground since 1910 would probably be scaled down to a capacity of about 30,000 for use by the women’s team and academy. With the women playing most home games about 15 miles away in Leigh, such a move would be a significant upgrade for them, but the plan would also be carried out with history in mind. Continue reading...

New manager Fabian Hürzeler’s possession-based style should mean plenty to look forward to for Seagulls fans Guardian writers’ predicted position: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’ prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 11th Continue reading...

* Striker scores in injury-time in first leg * Two Poland officials removed from duty before match A stoppage-time equaliser from Cyriel Dessers secured a 1-1 first-leg draw for Rangers in their Champions League third-round qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv in Poland. The Scottish Premiership side were trailing to a 37th-minute goal from the Kyiv captain and former West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko. But Dessers popped up in the final seconds of four added minutes to convert a cross from the substitute Vaclav Cerny with the last kick of the game. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Julián Álvarez has won the World Cup, Copa América (twice), the Copa Libertadores, Big Cup, two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup. Just about the only thing he hasn’t won is a Big Sports Day gold medal after France sent Argentina home from Paris after a serious grudge match. At 24, Álvarez’s palmarès (yes, palmarès!) surely makes him a top, top player. And yet, he’s not quite good enough for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. If City fans had a boo-boy target last season, it was the all-conquering Argentinian who wasn’t quite so all-conquering. He never quite fitted the gordian patterns painted on Guardiola’s wipe-clean tactics board. I have a picture of it on my phone that I look at every day. I have a picture of me with both winners’ medals around my neck and another with my whole family and the Bundesliga trophy” – Nathan Tella gets his chat on with Ed Aarons about his journey from being a loanee at Bu...

The saga of Toney’s future rumbles on and signings and a fast start may be needed to avoid a relegation scrap Guardian writers’ predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Uzzi Majid’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 16th Continue reading...

* Spanish club due to pay initial €75m for Argentina striker * Atlético have agreed £33m deal for Chelsea’s Gallagher Manchester City have agreed a deal worth up to €95m (£81.5m) with Atlético Madrid for the striker Julián Álvarez, a record sale for the club. The Premier League champions are due to receive an initial €75m that could rise based on numerous clauses, as the Spanish side work to settle personal terms with the Argentinian. The World Cup winner has been eager to be a more significant player because, despite making 54 appearances and scoring 19 goals last season for City, he was seen as Erling Haaland’s understudy and rarely got to start in his preferred No 9 role when the Norwegian was fit. Continue reading...

Andoni Iraola’s pressing game won plaudits last season but ambitious owners will expect a more consistent campaign Guardian writers’ predicted position: 12th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 12th Continue reading...

* French reel in Egypt to win 3-1 after extra time * Spain beat Morocco 2-1 to make fifth men’s final Crystal Palace’s forward Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice as France came from behind to beat Egypt 3-1 after extra time and set up an Olympic men’s football final against Spain, who had earlier beaten Morocco. Mahmoud Saber put Egypt ahead in the 62nd minute and French ­frustrations grew as they hit the frame of the goal three times before Mateta brought them level in the 83rd minute to force extra time. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Our brave boys are home from their needlessly long pre-season tours to USA USA USA, allowing us to make decisions on what will definitely happen in the Premier League this season via the classic editorial concept of ‘five things we learned’. I just read it in the news. I would try to do my speeches at half-time shorter” – Pep Guardiola says stop jabbering on about inverted full-backs for quite so long in his team talks after learning Manchester City have been fined £2m for being late back on the pitch too often. Re: Memory Lane in Friday’s full email edition. To borrow a joke from the Simpsons, when Ronald McDonald was asked about the time he played football at clown college, he replied ‘I’ll thank you not to refer to Arsenal that way’” – Ed Coutts. You report the Brighton chief suit as saying that ‘in terms of his contribution on the pitch Pascal [Gross] goes down as the club’s greatest-ever Premier-League signing’ (Thursday’...

* Snapdragon working with club on stadium technology * It would like United to tour India for the first time Manchester United’s shirt sponsor, Snapdragon, is interested in buying the naming rights to Old Trafford or any new stadium constructed to replace it. The US technology firm, which signed a three-year $225m (£176m) shirt deal with United last summer, also wants the club to tour India for the first time. Continue reading...

Diverse businesses perform better – so why is sport so slow in appointing leaders from across every section of society? On Thursday 22 October 1992, I attended an event in Crewe to hear Simon Armitage, a newly published poet, read his work. I remember the date because I still have the ticket and poetry recitals were not a normal night out for those of us who grew up in the pubs and clubs of Grimsby in that era. It was a night that changed my life as I glimpsed a possible world that could coexist alongside the heavy-drinking, sometimes scrapping, football-loving culture and the constraints men set themselves back then. Some constraints were self-imposed, others were rooted in the ignorance and prejudice of the time. This was typified when, years later, my mum found out I liked the creative arts and her response was to ask if I was gay. A bizarre conclusion, unthinking and uneducated, but not unusual then. Simon was one of the first poets I saw – a cool young Yorkshireman who wrote a...

Gunners finished empty-handed despite a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign: can they finally go one better this time? Guardian writers’ predicted position: 1st (NB: this is not necessarily Ed Aarons’ prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Last season’s position: 2nd Continue reading...

* Brazilian ‘honoured’ to join Premier League champions * Miedema delighted to line up alongside Khadija Shaw New Manchester City signing Savinho has vowed to write his own chapter in the history of the club, as he was unveiled by the club alongside Vivianne Miedema. The 20-year-old Brazil winger was signed from Troyes on a five-year deal after his starring role on loan at Girona last season, where he helped the Spanish side qualify for the Champions League. Savinho revealed that as a youngster he idolised former City favourite Riyad Mahrez and has chosen to take the Algerian’s No 26 shirt at the Etihad. Continue reading...

* Hatate, Scales, Kühn and Ralston score in 4-0 win * Dundee derby ends 2-2; St Mirren beat Hibernian Celtic began the defence of their Premiership title with a routine 4-0 win at home to Kilmarnock. Reo Hatate fired them into the lead after 17 minutes with a cool finish from the edge of the penalty area. Celtic doubled their lead five minutes before half-time when Liam Scales headed a corner from Matt O’Riley inside the far post. Continue reading...

Whether in Oslo, Reykjavik or an Anglesey caravan park, happening upon a game is always a happy accident By Mike Whalley for When Saturday Comes The guidebook I had during a holiday in Oslo late last summer recommended the museum dedicated to sculptor Gustav Vigeland (portrayer of human struggle, recluse, twice divorced, hater of dogs, and alleged Nazi sympathiser, whose most well-known work took 14 years to complete and resembles a giant phallus). So off I went. But as I strolled through the neighbouring park, I caught sight of some floodlights. Drawn to them, I found a small sports stadium, and a football match in progress, one significant enough to be charging an entrance fee of 100 kroner – just under £10. Vigeland was forgotten as I joined a smattering of spectators on a shallow terrace. This hadn’t been in the guidebook. It took effort to establish that I was watching a match from the Norwegian fourth division, Lokomotiv Oslo losing 2-1 at home to Skjetten in a contest so o...

* Paris 2024 quarter-finals: USA 1–0 Japan (aet) * Late winner enough to advance after dour performance * Latest medal table | Live Paris schedule | Full results The United States women’s national team under new broom Emma Hayes are two wins from a record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal, after a Trinity Rodman wonder strike in extra time broke open a tightly contested quarter-final with Japan that failed to catch fire until the final reel. The women’s football tournament at these Paris Games should at least begin to determine whether the Americans’ torpid 46-month run under the departed Vlatko Andonovski will be remembered merely as a flop period or, as a practically salivating global football establishment have openly manifested, a permanent regression from the class of perennial favorite. Continue reading...

* Email beau.dure@theguardian.com with your thoughts * Keep up to date with the rest of the action on day seven * Latest medal table | Live Paris schedule | Full results 4 min: If you’re wondering whether Japan would line up five defenders across the field when the USA have possession, the answer is yes. 2 min: It’s a poised attack for Japan. But they let Sophia Smith get behind them and are fortunate that Smith’s centering pass is nowhere near anyone. Continue reading...

The Edinburgh Festival had just begun but, for two particular tribes, there were no dilemmas about identifying the hottest ticket in town. As the curtain rose on another Scottish Premiership season Hearts and Rangers rewarded the fans who had marched en masse to Tynecastle by issuing a highly entertaining reminder that goalless draws can sometimes be utterly engrossing. All high tempo and spiced by a refreshing, often intelligent, directness this represented a very decent advert for top tier football north of the border. Continue reading...

* Red Devils manager recognises ‘big talent’ * ‘Pre-season is a chance to prove if I am picked I can do it’ Erik ten Hag says Harry Amass could follow Kobbie Mainoo by breaking into Manchester United’s squad this season, though the manager warned the 17-year-old left-back still has to develop his “big talent”. With Luke Shaw injury prone and his deputy at left-back, Tyrell Malacia, out for two further months with a knee injury, a path has opened for Amass, who was signed last August from Watford. Continue reading...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Jonathan Wilson as Football Weekly returns from it’s summer break Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today; with Gareth Southgate announcing he is resigning as England manager, the panel debate who is best suited to replace him. Continue reading...

* West Ham turn attention to Leeds’ Summerville * Crystal Palace confirm signing of Ismaïla Sarr Nottingham Forest have signed the Portuguese winger Jota Silva from Vitória de Guimarães on a four-year contract for €7m (£5.9m) plus add-ons. The deal will reach €12m if the forward plays more than 15 games and scores 10 goals and the Portuguese club also have a 20% sell-on clause. Continue reading...

* Argentina chanted racist song about French players * Tense buildup to men’s football quarter-final in Paris The Olympic men’s football quarter-final between France and Argentina has been described as personal to every French citizen by the striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after uproar over footage of Argentina players singing racist chants. There have been tensions between the nations since the circulation of a video after last month’s Copa América final, in which Argentina’s squad are seen singing about French players with African heritage. Continue reading...

* Midfielder asked for move in pursuit of more game time * Crystal Palace sign defender Katrine Veje from Everton Aston Villa have signed the midfielder Missy Bo Kearns from their fellow WSL club Liverpool for an undisclosed fee. The Merseyside-born Kearns is a lifelong Liverpool fan and has been with the club since the age of eight and it is understood she said a tearful goodbye to her former teammates last Friday. The 23-year-old England youth international received her first call-up to the Lionesses squad in May and, hoping to earn an England senior debut and a place at next summer’s European Championship, has decided to leave to start more matches. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! “Sometimes there’s a man … I won’t say a hero coz what’s a hero,” says the voiceover at the start of Big Lebowski. “Well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there.” And though he wasn’t talking about football he could’ve been, because the same often applies to the beautiful game. Got a charismatic, hardarse and surprisingly sensitive Scot? Perfect for Manchester and Manchester United. Or maybe you know a socially conscious, lightly cheesy, and rabble-rousing exhibitionist with teeth; off to Liverpool he goes, with your local nerdy technocrat of implacable self-confidence sent straight to Arsenal. Re: who would play supporting roles in the film of the Saipan set-to (Football Daily letters passim). Could I suggest Domhnall Gleeson (Steve Staunton), Paul Mescal (Robbie Keane) and, of course, Cillian Murphy as Niall Quinn? I’m not sure what their football skills are, but hey, it didn’t stop Michael Caine and Sly Sta...

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Suzy Wrack, Tom Garry and Sophie Downey for a women’s football special Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today: we start with the Canadian drones, their national coach suspended and a six-point deduction at the Olympics. How did this happen and does the punishment fit the crime? The panel debate. Continue reading...