All the latest Arsenal transfer rumours including news of a bid for Aurelien Tchouameni.

Luke List made the most of his second chance and won the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi

There is a region in south-west France where the walls of bars and bedrooms are adorned not with pictures of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele but Antoine Dupont...

A month ago, Pep Guardiola considered the prospects of the player who had made most appearances for him as a full-back and concluded he could not play full-back in a Pep Guardiola team. Or not this team and this system, anyway. “He cannot do it,” Guardiola said. And perhaps that, for Kyle Walker, would have been that, the beginning of the end, a player whose time at Manchester City was ended by a tactical shift that rendered him redundant. Since then, however, Walker has started four of City’s last five games and subdued Gabriel Martinelli in a title decider. In the other biggest match of City’s season so far, he could be the specialist selected for another unenviable task: halting Vinicius Junior, the scorer in last season’s Champions League final, the scourge of Trent Alexander-Arnold. He has the pace – “he will be the fastest in the room at 60,” Guardiola said – to stand out but Walker is an anomaly in other respects. He is the only senior specialist full-back left in City’s squad. They have knocked a player they own, and one who felt the definitive Guardiola full-back, out of the Champions League, after loaning Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich. But then the definition of a Guardiola full-back has altered over his managerial career. He is indelibly associated with passing midfielders and false nines, but his willingness to experiment, reinvent and revolutionise has been most apparent on either side of the defence, as the six types of Guardiola full-back show. 1. The attacking full-back So far, so conventional? Perhaps not quite. Guardiola may be a trailblazer even there, an advocate of ultra-attacking full-backs when many another manager first looked for solidity in the back four. His Barcelona pairing of Maxwell and Dani Alves could overlap while his midfielders dominated possession. Alves reached double figures in assists in La Liga in three successive seasons for Guardiola, peaking with 15 in 2010-11. Had Jesus Navas opted to stay at City in 2017, it would have been as the second-choice right-back, with Guardiola taking a winger and converting him into a full-back. 2. The full-back as midfielder Given the Bundesliga’s emphasis on pressing and quick transitions, Guardiola became more concerned about counter-attacks during his time at Bayern Munich. It was one reason why he revisited football’s past and formations from the game’s history; either the 2-3-5 used from the end of the 19th century or the W-M system that was invented in the 1920s. Instead of getting his full-backs to overlap, he got them to come infield, to play as old-fashioned wing-halves, taking up positions in front of the centre-backs. It helped that Philipp Lahm and David Alaba had the skillsets to play as midfielders; indeed, Guardiola would often use Lahm, with his footballing intellect, ability to take the ball under pressure and find a teammate, as an actual midfielder. Cancelo has been a variant on the theme at City: a midfielder earlier in his career, he has come infield – most effectively from left-back – and his more ambitious range has made him a playmaker from the base of the midfield. Whereas Rodri, the actual holding midfielder, was more of a metronome, alongside him, Cancelo tried the defence-splitting pass. 3. The midfielder as full-back A reason why Guardiola’s squads tend to feature relatively few out-and-out full-backs and why he can be picky when buying them is that few seem to meet his demands. They tend to include having the ability on the ball of midfielders; perhaps it is unsurprising some actually are midfielders. Joshua Kimmich was a case in point for Bayern. At City, first Fabian Delph and then Oleksandr Zinchenko were moved from midfield to full-back – the Ukrainian was more of a left winger or a No. 10 – with both directed to play the half-back role, to double up as the second defensive midfielder in possession. It has become a more permanent shift, at club level anyway, for Zinchenko, but when Delph went to Everton he reverted to being a midfielder. Kimmich has the ability to operate in a host of roles but is now established at the heart of Bayern’s midfield. Guardiola’s most extreme example of the midfielder as a full-back, albeit a brief one, was when Bernardo Silva spent a couple of games playing as an auxiliary left-back. 4. The defensive full-back It wasn’t how Walker was described when he joined City. He had spent 2016-17 as a flying wing-back for Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham. Guardiola decided his extreme pace was better deployed as an insurance policy, as the man to stop the counter-attacks and as the counterpart to the left-backs, whether Cancelo, Delph or Zinchenko, who were directed into midfield. In effect, Walker was often the right of three centre-backs, though that arguably led to another evolution. 5. The centre-back as full-back When Cancelo was exiled and Walker benched, it felt as though Guardiola was abolishing the notion of the full-back altogether. He has fielded teams featuring five players – including Rodri – who operated at centre-back for their countries in the World Cup. It helps that a manager obsessed with the Cruyffian idea of a left-footed centre-back to open up passing angles in the build-up has two, each accomplished in possession, in Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte. Ake has proved particularly accomplished in a hybrid role: half centre-back, half left-back. Manuel Akanji has been the other unexpected beneficiary of Guardiola’s change in thinking this season. If the Switzerland international had been positioned on what became the right of three, he played as an out-and-out right back against Bayern Munich, charged with halting Leroy Sane, and then as a pure defensive left-back against Arsenal, subduing Bukayo Saka. It was as though the purist in Guardiola had gone full pragmatist, looking for a player who was big, quick, defensively diligent and reliable, almost regardless of his ability on the ball. 6. The centre-back as full-back and midfielder If Cancelo felt the man who gave City an added dimension in the past, now John Stones is. If much of Guardiola’s tactics since leaving Barcelona has been a quest to find someone who is both the fourth defender and the second holding midfielder, the tweak this year was to reinvent Stones from a centre-back to a right-back who moved alongside Rodri in possession. Then, against Bayern, came another twist: Stones started as a centre-back but stepped forward, leaving Ruben Dias, Ake and Akanji to form a back three behind him. Stones’ extraordinarily high pass completion rates makes him dependable in possession, while having the defensive nous. He has often been preferred to his friend Walker. But perhaps the prospect of Vinicius will prompt Guardiola to pick Stones as a conventional centre-back and Walker as an old-fashioned right-back. Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final Ex-England boss Fabio Capello labels Manchester City ‘the best team in world’ Man City not motivated by revenge against Real Madrid says Guardiola Real Madrid handed Luka Modric fitness boost ahead of Man City clash

N’Golo Kante’s impending departure from Chelsea for Al-Ittihad and the prospect of several colleagues following him to the Middle East has thrust Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in football under the spotlight. The potential flow of players from the big-spending Stamford Bridge club to the Gulf state has raised eyebrows in recent days amid allegations that the move could be a ploy to help it meet Financial Fair Play requirements. Here, the PA news agency takes a look recent developments and how the Premier League could be affected. Why are Chelsea offloading players? The Blues have spent over £600million on players since American businessman Todd Boehly completed his takeover in May last year, including a £106.8million January swoop for World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez. They also splashed out £52million for RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku earlier this week. Sales of the likes of Timo Werner and Jorginho have offset that expenditure only minimally and with the club having reported a loss of £121million for the 2021-22 season, Financial Fair Play rules which dictate that clubs can only make losses of £105million over three seasons are an issue. Which players are reportedly involved? Kante’s departure to the Gulf state may not be the last from Chelsea. Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with switches to Saudi clubs. They are not alone either – Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is expected to complete a move to Al-Hilal with former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo’s switch to Al-Nassr in January having established a clear pathway. Why are so many players heading for Saudi Arabia? The money on offer may have something to do with it. The Middle East state’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, took controlling stakes in four Saudi Pro League clubs – Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr – earlier this month as part of the wider ‘Vision 2030’ plan to diversify the Saudi economy. The country’s rulers also believe a thriving professional sports scene will help drive up grassroots activity levels in the kingdom. The Saudis have signalled their intention to mount a bid to host the 2030 World Cup, and raising the standard and profile of the domestic league could prove crucial to that mission. PIF has the financial clout to recruit big names to the cause with Karim Benzema having already agreed to join Al-Ittihad. It is not the first time an emerging league has adopted similar tactics. Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Moore all played in the North American Soccer League at the end of their respective careers, while China has lured a host of top-flight stars to its Super League in recent years. Public Investment Fund – that name sounds familiar? It should. PIF holds an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle United, who have invested in excess of £250million in new signings since the Amanda Staveley-led consortium in which it is the major partner completed its buy-out at St James’ Park in October 2021. The Magpies surged to a fourth-place finish in last season’s Premier League and secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years to the delight of a fanbase which has been reinvigorated despite concerted criticism over the source of the club’s new-found wealth. PIF, whose governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is Newcastle’s chairman, is also a key player in the controversial merger between the LIV Golf series and the PGA and DP World Tours which has prompted fresh accusations of sportswashing. Why all the fuss about Chelsea? This is where it gets interesting. Private equity firm Clearlake Capital Group provided around 60 per cent of the funding for Boehly’s £2.5billion takeover and has underwritten much of the investment since; PIF is an investor with Clearlake. Financial experts have suggested such is the size of Clearlake’s portfolio that while some PIF money may form part of its holding in Chelsea, there is no direct link and therefore no risk of breaching Premier League rules which prohibit ownership of two clubs. However, the perception in some quarters is that any existing relationship between the Blues, the sovereign wealth fund and the four domestic clubs it now controls could allow them to sell on players for inflated fees and thereby reduce their FFP burden. What has been said about the situation? Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, co-owner of League Two Salford, is unimpressed. Speaking to BBC Sport, Neville said: “The Premier League should put an instant embargo on transfers to Saudi Arabia to ensure the integrity of the game isn’t being damaged. Checks should be made on the appropriateness of the transactions.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Newcastle hoping to push through club-record deal for AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali Government and PFA want review of pitch perimeter safety after serious injury CAS: Impossible to put timescale on final decision in Kamila Valieva doping case

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The second Champions League semi-final is delicately poised between Manchester City and Real Madrid after the teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg last week. An enthralling encounter in Spain saw Pep Guardiola’s side dominate possession throughout the first half before Vinicius Junior sent Madrid ahead before the break. Carlo Ancelotti’s men then looked to press their advantage before Kevin De Bruyne equalised with a fine strike from outside the box. City will now hope their home crowd can give them a boost as they look to get over the line in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Madrid staged a late comeback against City in the semi-finals of last year’s competition and Guardiola will be keen for his side avoid a similar fate this evening. Although City have home advantage Madrid are European specialists, they have a quality forward line and are brilliant on the counter-attack, for the hosts to win this tie they will need to reach their best levels and maintain those standards for the duration of the clash. Whoever wins will then face Inter Milan in the final on the 10th June after they defeated AC Milan last night. Follow all the action as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the Champions League: Read More ‘My legacy is exceptional’: Pep Guardiola refuses to be defined by Champions League Ancelotti reveals what will decide Real Madrid’s ‘unpredictable’ clash with Man City Accident or design? Inter Milan’s thrilling triumph underlines concerning trend

Kentucky coach John Calipari posted a touching tribute to his friend and peer Denny Crum, Louisville's legendary college basketball coach.When Louisville Cardinals coach Denny Crum passed away on Tuesday, the college basketball community came together to celebrate Crum's storied life a...

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