
Keep or sell Wissa? Fans on whether time is right for Bees exit
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man United offer Alejandro Garnacho to Premier League rivals
Manchester United are exploring innovative transfer solutions, including potential player swaps, to manage financial fair play (PSR) pressures. The club has discussed Alejandro Garnacho with Chelsea and Aston Villa, with Nicolas Jackson and Ollie Watkins potentially moving to Old Trafford. A key obstacle in talks with Chelsea is the differing valuations of Garnacho and Jackson, while United are holding firm on their player valuations, including Antony. United are also interested in Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins as a proven Premier League goalscorer and Emi Martinez as a goalkeeper. Further targets include Benjamin Sesko, though his €80m asking price is high, and midfielders Morten Hjulmand and Joao Palhinha for the number six role.


Daily Mirror
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Sol Campbell picks Premier League's next Invincibles as Arsenal sent strong message
Sol Campbell's Arsenal remain the only Premier League side to ever go unbeaten across a season but the Gunners icon believes Liverpool could give it a go themselves Sol Campbell believes Liverpool are the most likely team to emulate the Arsenal Invincibles and go an entire Premier League season unbeaten. Campbell was a defensive linchpin of the Gunners side in 2003/04 that didn't lose once in 38 games en route to the title. Since then England's top flight has seen some hugely impressive outfits, but none have been able to match the unbeaten feat of the north Londoners. Liverpool themselves have gone closest. They lost just one game in 2018/19, yet incredibly didn't win the league. Their only defeat coming to champions Manchester City, who pipped them by a point. Chelsea in 2004/05 under Jose Mourinho were also beaten only once. This current Reds outfit have just claimed the Premier League at a canter, losing four times, and have since invested more than £200m in their squad, which includes the British-record signing Florian Wirtz. They could get even stronger if they do land Alexander Isak and Campbell believes they could give an unbeaten season a go. He told BetSelect: "Never say never. It's very, very hard, but I think it's doable. If you look at the talent in that Liverpool squad now, they'd be the most likely for me to go on to be the next Invincibles." Campbell though has backed Arsenal to deliver a fourth successive second place finish, despite spending around £200m on new recruits and finally getting a striker through the door. But the former defender admits "It's hard to see past Liverpool at this point." Liverpool feature heavily among the sides to lose the fewest games in a season. Alongside their 2018/19 effort they lost only twice in 2008/09 and in 2021/22. Incredibly on all three occasions they never claimed the league title. Arsenal did the double over Liverpool back in 2003/04, ultimately winning 26 of their 38 games with the other 12 being draws. Campbell admits that to pull off the iconic unbeaten achievement you need everything to go in your favour as he admits to some near misses. Among the most defining moments of Arsenal's Invincible season was the goalless draw at Manchester United just six games into the campaign, where Ruud van Nistelrooy saw a late penalty smash off the bar "It's the perfect season," said Campbell previously. "You're never going to win every game, so going unbeaten is as perfect as you can get. It's incredible. I still believe that these kinds of achievements choose you, you don't choose them. So many things can happen. Look at the Man United game: Van Nistelrooy scores the penalty, they win the game. We will still probably win the league, but to go unbeaten, nothing can go against you." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.


Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How Birmingham City prepared for assault on Championship
Birmingham City are on the rise and, ahead of their 150th anniversary season, focus now shifts to the next big target: promotion back to the Premier League. After securing a swift Championship return, smashing countless records on the way, Birmingham's ambitions remain sky-high under American owners Knighthead Capital. The buzz of excitement around the Elite Performance and Innovation Centre training ground, near the market town of Henley-in-Arden, was tangible this week. On Friday, the eagerly awaited documentary Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues launches on Prime Video. It tells the story of Knighthead's journey so far with NFL legend and minority shareholder Tom Brady a prominent figure. The new season then kicks off next Friday against relegated Ipswich Town at St. Andrew's, with tickets sold out over a month ago. . @TomBrady with lesson #1 to being a blue. 🔵 Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues premieres August 1 on @PrimeVideo. — Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) July 18, 2025 Under the management of Chris Davies, who secured the League One title in his first season as a head coach, Birmingham know expectations will be huge. Yet Tom Wagner, the club's chairman, insists the pressure of being one of the favourites for promotion should be fully embraced. Wagner tells Telegraph Sport: 'After relegation [in 2024] we took that moment as an opportunity to create a winning culture, and really re-set the club in so many different ways. We've now taken it on to put Birmingham City in what we view as its rightful place. If you were to remove the television revenue differential, and look at our revenue, we're a top-20 club in England.' Knighthead's goal is to have Birmingham competing at the highest level in England and Europe. This season is a crucial step in the three-year plan for Premier League football which was set out at the time of their takeover in July 2023. Telegraph Sport understands that finishing in the top two is a clear target, and the chances of that happening have been backed up by internal data and analytics. Eight new signings have arrived so far this summer, with eye-catching captures such as Demarai Gray, Kyōgo Furuhashi and Tommy Doyle. In this transfer window, there has been a focus on securing players in their mid to late 20s who have lots of experience. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Birmingham City Football Club (@bcfc) Gray is a former Birmingham player who emerged from the same academy that produced Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham. The winger has Premier League experience with Leicester City and Everton, and jumped at the chance to leave Saudi Arabia and return to the Second City. There is also huge optimism over the expected impact of Furuhashi, a Japan international who was recommended to Davies by Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. Birmingham already had a solid base to work with. Their recruitment model in League One was to sign players who could easily make the step up, and the likes of England Under-21 international Jay Stansfield, Christoph Klarer and Tomoki Iwata will be key players. Davies has been counting down the days until the new season. Previously a long-serving assistant to Rodgers, before then spending one year with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur, the 40-year-old is now establishing a reputation of his own. 'I had a really good education and it's only since I got this role that I've appreciated the journey I went on,' Davies tells Telegraph Sport. 'I was working at big clubs as an assistant manager and seeing things really close up for years and years. 'I didn't probably realise how well that prepared me, for all the different scenarios that you face as a manager. I've always slept pretty well, but I definitely don't lose any sleep being a manager.' Davies's game model is based primarily on ball-dominating possession and a fast tempo: last season Birmingham came out on top for pressing the ball quicker than any other team in England's top four leagues. He believes the new rule to clamp down on 'time-wasting' – a corner will be awarded if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than eight seconds – will make his team even more dangerous. The mad world of the Championship will represent a tougher challenge, but Davies is ready. 'Pressure is a privilege because if you've got that, it means you're at a good club that's trying to do something,' he says. 'We're a sleeping giant and we've got to be the ones that wake it up. 'I knew Birmingham was a big club, but I'd never really seen it in full force. Just look at our support – last season there was a storm in Barnsley [Storm Darragh] and we had 5,000 fans there. That shows you what we've got here.' Last season's title triumph was a moment to savour for the 'Bluenoses', who had grown accustomed to annual relegation battles and a permanent sense of crisis. In the corridor near the training-ground entrance, photographs of key moments from last season now line the wall as inspiration. In the gymnasium, one of the walls now has a huge banner reading: 'Have you done enough?' For Knighthead, the investment company based in New York, this season represents another opportunity to grow the club and increase revenue. As Wagner has said on numerous occasions, more revenue ensures more money can be spent on transfers and wages. Since their takeover, Knighthead's investment can be seen all over the club's three primary locations. Over £35m has been spent on the stadium, training ground and academy. St. Andrew's is now unrecognisable from the unloved, under-invested stadium that it became in the final months under previous owners Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited. More than £1m was spent on a new pitch last season, while there are now four corporate hospitality restaurants which include The Garrison, themed on TV show Peaky Blinders. There is a 1,200-capacity fan park. The average spend per fan on a matchday is up more than 700 per cent. Then, of course, there is the proposed Sports Quarter in East Birmingham. At a projected cost of £3bn, Knighthead has already purchased more than 60 acres and continues to accumulate the land required to make the project a reality. There is little doubt that promotion back to the Premier League, for the first time since 2011, remains the next big step. 'You have to have that undefeatable optimism in order to do things that are big,' says Wagner. 'We're competing against every other form of entertainment that's available to our fans, so we have to deliver something that is worthy of their time and money. 'Now we're back in the Championship we will be highly competitive on a revenue basis, as compared to any other team. We're always planning for the future and while it would be nice to be promoted in our 150th anniversary year it's even more important to remember that it's always about the next match.'