List of All Articles with Tag 'f'

A meeting between Sweden and the US in the first knockout stage of the Women's World Cup was confirmed on Wednesday as the Scandinavian side beat Argentina 2-0.

Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with Barcelona regarding the potential signings of Franck Kessie and Clement Lenglet. Spurs have a long-standing interest in Kessie, while Lenglet spent the 2022/23 season on loan at the club.

Now that Lionel Messi is playing for Inter Miami, Dan Hunt is eager for a chance to cash

When Ken Riley entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick by Cincinnati in 1969 after a successful college career as a dual-threat quarterback at Florida A&M, he was greeted with a harsh reality

The favourites for the 2023/24 Premier League Golden Boot, including Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and more.

Barcelona wrapped up their pre-season tour of the United States with a 1-0 victory against AC Milan in Las Vegas. Ansu Fati scored a stunning goal to secure victory for the Spanish champions.

Wednesday's roundup of transfer rumours includes news on Harry Kane's proposed move to Bayern Munich, Liverpool's quest to sign a new midfielder stretching beyond Romeo Lavia, Rasmus Hojlund's Man Utd medical and more.

The group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup is almost complete, with just three more quartets needing to wrap up their opening games and discover which nations make the knockouts. On Wednesday it’s the turn of Argentina to try and force their way through to the last 16 as they face Sweden, while Italy play South Africa also needing a result to progress. Later, Brazil must overcome Jamaica to seal progression from Group F after being beaten by France - who are top and face minnows Panama. Meanwhile, Lauren James shone again on Tuesday with two stunning goals as England put in their best performance of the Women’s World Cup so far to sweep aside China 6-1 and march into the last 16. USA only just managed to sneak through with a draw against Portugal, leading to criticism from former stars. Follow all the latest news and match updates below: Read More Genius Lauren James takes over Women’s World Cup — but England must learn from rivals Sarina Wiegman’s brave England switch solves key Women’s World Cup problem USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance

When it was confirmed in mid-July that Wesley Fofana would face a significant period on the sidelines owing to an ACL injury, Chelsea started to be linked with a host of centre-backs to replace the Frenchman. Harry Maguire was a reported target, so too was Blues academy product Marc Guehi. However, on Sunday evening, reports started to circulate that Chelsea had an agreement in principle with Monaco for towering France international Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old has been on Premier League radars in recent months, with Manchester United and Newcastle both credited with an interest in the Gonesse-born centre-back. Chelsea have since taken the plunge on the defender, bringing him in for €45m. That in itself serves to highlight the extent of Fofana's injury, but even so; Chelsea couldn't afford to pass up the chance to secure Disasi's services. Even with his compatriot available, Mauricio Pochettino's top quality options at the heart of the defence are thin on the ground. Levi Colwill, who is set to pen a new deal at Stamford Bridge, should go on to become a mainstay in the Blues backline, but a partner for the 20-year-old was key. Trevoh Chalobah isn't quite of the standard expected for a club seeking to return to the Champions League, while the west London outfit can't rely on 38-year-old Thiago Silva to manage the backline for another season, particularly in a four-man defence. Benoit Badiashile will return sooner rather than later, but he'll need some time to get up to speed under Pochettino having missed much of pre-season due to a hamstring issue. For the right-sided centre-back role, Disasi can be viewed as a superb acquisition. Standing at 6ft 3in, the France international maximises his stature having won the second most aerial duels (97) of defenders in Ligue 1 last season. And he was consistent in beating opponents in headed battles, too. Of the 143 players to contest 50 or more aerial duels, Disasi's aerial success rate of 70.3% ranked ninth in the division. Considering Chelsea returned an aerial success rate of just 52.1% last season, Disasi's dominance in the air will certainly boost that return. There's also a willingness to get the ball forward quickly from deep. Not only did Chelsea struggle for goals last season, hitting the back of the net 38 times in the Premier League, but they were compounded by an inability to put an opponent to the sword at speed. No team scored fewer counter-attacking goals than Chelsea (1) in England's top tier last term, and even that came in a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United back in May. Disasi, though, is one willing to pick a pass from range, and does so to a decent standard to help quickly turn defence into attack. Indeed, 141 accurate long balls ranked 14th of outfield players in France's top tier last term, and this in itself played a part in Monaco scoring seven counter-attacking goals; only champions PSG (10) netted more. Dominant in the air and sound with the ball at his feet, Disasi seems the perfect fit for a Chelsea side that will seek to control matches where possible. Another key reason behind the drive to sign Disasi, though, will have been his versatility. Primarily a centre-back, he’ll line up at the heart of the defence with everyone fit in Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 setup, but players who can operate in multiple positions are a precious commodity in the modern game. As such, Disasi's ability to play at right-back as well as centre-back will have been another reason behind Chelsea's interest. The departure of Cesar Azpilicueta over the summer means the Blues needed another defender to operate in a couple of roles, and a defensive-minded right-back is a handy squad option. Pochettino has also previously used a three-man backline during his time at Tottenham, a system that does suit the full-backs at his disposal, so the ability to switch between two formations is ideal. Disasi's flexibility will help Pochettino's decision making when it comes to tinkering with his side, particularly in-play, and it cannot be overstated how important this positional interchangeability is for Chelsea. Given how often managers tinker with their setup across the 90 minutes, the potential ability to swap between a four-man and a three-man defence will aid the Blues, not just on a week-by-week basis, but across the season. There are concerns over the defensive side to his game, particularly when up against direct attackers in one-on-one situations, yet from an offensive perspective; Disasi will benefit Chelsea. Given the right protection in front of him, Disasi should be given the crucial time on the ball to help set the Blues on the front foot. Alongside ball-playing star-in-the-making Colwill, Chelsea will have a solid centre-back foundation to help in their quest to return to the Champions League. Read More Chelsea and Barcelona push for Kylian Mbappe player-plus-cash transfer deals Football rumours: Tottenham name Harry Kane price as Bayern Munich prepare bid Chelsea have a Conor Gallagher problem and Tottenham could be the perfect solution Chelsea agree fee with Monaco for France international defender Axel Disasi Football rumours: Chelsea make revised offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo England’s attack goes from tired to inspired as new-look front three devastates China

Sadio Mane was maybe only inches from the Ballon d’Or; the inside of the Paris post, which his shot struck in the Champions League final; the fingertips of Thibaut Courtois, tipping a goalbound effort on to the woodwork. Inches from immortality, perhaps, from being only the second African to become officially the best player in the world. And if it is not certain he would have topped the poll, the eventual runaway winner Karim Benzema was propelled to pre-eminence by Champions League glory in a year when the poll took place before the World Cup. As it was, Mane was named the second-finest player on the planet in 2022. He finished the 2022-23 campaign as perhaps 16th in line at Bayern Munich: 15 others took the field in the win at Koln that clinched the Bundesliga, with the teenager Mathys Tel and veteran Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting summoned from the bench while Mane remained an unused substitute. He had been the fifth substitute used the previous week, sent on with four minutes to go in defeat to RB Leipzig. The decline of Mane has been a swift, undignified and unexpected affair. A lucrative one, too, given that Bayern are paying him far more than Liverpool did and Al Nassr will in turn pay him rather more again, after he joined the migration to Saudi Arabia. Mane represents one of the Pro League’s flagship signings, but is an arrival with a difference: like many others, he is in his thirties, but whereas Benzema is 35 and could argue his ambitions were realised with Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo is now 38, albeit stung by the recognition the European elite did not want him when he left Manchester United, the Senegalese is only 31. So, if only for another couple of months, is Roberto Firmino, but Mane’s old sidekick’s race had appeared run. He, on the other hand, was seemingly at his peak. This, it is safe to say, is not what Mane had planned when he teased his audience ahead of the Champions League final, saying he would reveal his future after it, and when, after emerging from Mohamed Salah’s shadow to become the brightest star at Anfield, he declared he “would be the most happy player in the world” to win the Ballon d’Or. Klopp can be loyal to players who have served him well and few were as influential as the catalytic Mane. There was no hint of gloating about a decision to leave that backfired, but nor was there a pretence Mane has prospered in Bavaria. “I don’t know what went wrong,” the Liverpool manager said on Tuesday. “When Sadio left us he left on a high in really good shape: world-class player, no shadow of a doubt. To fulfil your full potential everything has to fall in place, you need a bit of luck and that wasn’t the case.” Certainly there was misfortune as injury ruled Mane out of the World Cup. His old manager nevertheless could have pointed out that most of the great Klopp players are only great Klopp players: there are notable exceptions, such as Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan, but they are outnumbered by those who never scaled such heights elsewhere or under anyone else. That category now includes Mane. “Basically, Sadio had an unsatisfactory season and fell short of expectations,” Thomas Tuchel said last month. “The player knows my opinion and the opinion of the club.” Tuchel sounded more forgiving before Bayern face Liverpool in Singapore, a reunion without Mane after he has left both clubs in successive summers. “I totally understand that he feels hurt,” he said. “I also don’t feel happy. We didn’t bring it to the full potential which is my responsibility.” Mane suffered after Tuchel’s appointment, starting just four times, scoring just once and being suspended by the club for punching Leroy Sane after the defeat to Manchester City. Regime change worked against him, but his tally of goals for the sacked Julian Nagelsmann – 11 – was also underwhelming. As Klopp hinted, circumstances can play a part. Mane could flourish in a system without a conventional striker at Liverpool, with Firmino usually the false nine before the Senegalese finished his Anfield career in that role. But Bayern, where a No 9 has traditionally been a pillar of the team, the experiment of replacing Lewandowski with a more fluid forward line failed: hoping some combination of Mane, Sane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller and Jamal Musiala could dovetail slickly instead made Choupo-Moting more important than ever before and led to a summer pursuit of Harry Kane. Bayern is a club with its own dynamics, with entrenched power bases in the dressing room, a club with stars and yet one who did not buy those of Mane’s stature. Not since Arjen Robben 13 years earlier had they bought such a major attacker who was neither German nor recruited from the Bundesliga. If Mane was the outsider, he has headed out after a lone, increasingly ignominious year. And the 193 votes Mane received in the Ballon d’Or for 2022 are likely to be 193 more than he gets for 2023. Read More Liverpool make second Romeo Lavia bid as Southampton set transfer price Jurgen Klopp responds after Kylian Mbappe to Liverpool rumours Liverpool name Virgil van Dijk as new captain after Jordan Henderson exit Why Axel Disasi could solve Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive problems at Chelsea Football rumours: Harry Kane will stay if no deal agreed by start of season Young England fans react to World Cup win over China: ‘We’ve got our mojo back’

What the papers say Harry Kane will stay at Tottenham if no deal has been done before the club’s Premier League opener against Brentford. The Independent reports an £85 million bid for the England striker, 30, from Bayern Munich has been rejected as they seek £100 million. And according to the Evening Standard, Kane believes it would be unfair to leave after the start of the campaign. France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele could be heading away from Tottenham. According to the Daily Mirror, Galatasaray are looking to agree an £11 million move for the 26-year-old. Chelsea have added more names to their list of transfer targets with a pair of midfielders, according to The Times. US midfielder Tyler Adams, 24, from Leeds United and Ajax’s Mexican Edson Alvarez, 25, are the latest to interest the Blues. Leeds are lining up a move for full-back Brandon Williams, 22, from Manchester United, reports The Independent. Social media round-up Players to watch Michael Olise: The Crystal Palace forward, 21, is seen as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez at Manchester City. Michail Antonio: Everton could step in for the West Ham striker, 33, who has not secured a deal in Saudi Arabia. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is holding out of training camp after failed contract talks, but the Las Vegas front office isn't giving up on him yet.While it appears that Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is now the posterchild for the NFL's ongoing debate about running back contra...