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BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Stoke sign Slovakia striker Bozenik from Boavista
Stoke City have made their second signing in as many days after agreeing a three-year deal with Slovakia striker Robert 25-year-old joins on a free transfer after leaving Portuguese second tier side FC Boavista and is the Potters' sixth new recruit before the start of the Championship season next began his career with MSK Zilina in his homeland before moving to the Netherlands with Feyenoord in January scored three times in 21 top-flight appearances before joining German second-tier side FC Dusseldorf on a season-long loan in signed for Boavista at the end of that campaign and has scored 17 goals in 87 games in Portugal's top division before the club's relegation at the end of last term. Bozenik played for his country at Euro 2024 and has scored seven international goals in his 52 caps."He's a hardworking, selfless striker with international experience and the quality to make a real impact here," Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters told the club website., external"We're pleased to have moved decisively to bring him in ahead of several clubs, from top leagues, who were strongly interested in him."Bozenik's arrival follows Wednesday's signing of Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips with full-back Aaron Cresswell, centre-back Maksym Talovierov, winger Sorba Thomas and striker Divin Mubama already brought in by head coach Mark Robins this summer.
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hugo Ekitike meets new Liverpool team-mates for first time on pitch in Hong Kong after training drill that saw Mo Salah floor wantaway Luis Diaz with crunching tackle
Hugo Ekitike linked up with his new Liverpool team-mates for the first time on Thursday after completing his £79million switch to Anfield. The 23-year-old striker, who signed from Eintracht Frankfurt on a six-year deal on Wednesday, jetted to Hong Kong to join Liverpool's preseason tour of the Far East and take part in a series of training sessions. Given the quick turnaround, it is unlikely Ekitike will feature during Liverpool's preseason friendly against AC Milan on Saturday, with Darwin Nunez having netted a hat-trick during the Reds' 5-0 win over Stoke before leaving the UK. Liverpool's official X account shared footage of the Frenchman walking out on to the pitch to meet his new team-mates, embracing manager Arne Slot before shaking hands with the likes of Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott. As he made his way round the squad, Ekitike wore a beaming smile on his face and cut an excited figure - making sure to say hello to each and every one of Liverpool's squad and staff. The package Liverpool agreed for Ekitike was a £69m base fee plus £10m in add-ons, which are based on team and player performance. Meeting the Reds 👋 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 24, 2025 Hugo Ekitike (centre) met up with his new Liverpool team-mates for the first time on Thursday His arrival takes Liverpool's summer spend past a whopping £290m, with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giorgi Mamardashvili having already joined for sums of £116m, £29.5m, £40m and £29m respectively. Meanwhile, there have also been a handful of departures from Anfield this summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid, Jarell Quansah signing for Bayer Leverkusen and Caoimhin Kelleher making the switch to Brentford. The Reds are also expected to sell a number of stars before the window closes, with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliot all heavily linked with moves away. Diaz, who has told Liverpool he wants to leave Anfield for a new challenge this summer, has attracted interest from several top European clubs including Bayern Munich and Barcelona. The German giants tabled a £58.6m transfer offer to sign the Colombian earlier this month, but their approach was immediately rejected by Liverpool who brought Diaz with them on their tour of the Far East. In a training drill just moments before Ekitike's arrival on to the pitch, Reds legend Mohamed Salah clattered into Diaz in an effort to win the ball back, sending his team-mate to the floor in a heap before continuing with the session. Many Liverpool fans saw the funny side on social media, joking that Salah - who committed his future to Anfield with a new contract last season - was giving the wantaway something to think about. Diaz takes a tumble after a challenge from Salah — Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) July 24, 2025 'Salah isn't having any of the exit talks, man': Liverpool fans saw the funny side on social media 'Salah isn't having any of the exit talks, man,' one fan posted on X. A second added: 'Salah telling him to buckle up.' Another fan chimed in and said: 'This is what happens when you want to leave.' During Liverpool's march to the Premier League title last season, Diaz scored 13 times and created a further five goals from 36 appearances during Slot 's debut campaign on Merseyside. As Mail Sport reported earlier this month, Liverpool place a great deal of importance on Diaz and value him beyond £100m – the same fee Manchester United rejected for their influential captain Bruno Fernandes from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal at the beginning of June. Saudi clubs have also been monitoring Diaz for some time, with Al-Nassr at the head of the queue. They had discussed a bid in the region of €72m (£62.5m) prior to Bayern Munich's rejected approach.
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Spain players deserve to enjoy Euro 2025 final
England midfielder Keira Walsh hopes opponents Spain can "enjoy" playing in the Euro 2025 final without the "controversy" that surrounded the World beat England 1-0 in the 2023 final but their victory was overshadowed by former football federation boss Luis Rubiales' sexual assault case involving striker Jenni players received their medals in Sydney, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips. He was found guilty of sexual assault in booked their spot in Sunday's Euro 2025 final (17:00 BST) with an extra-time victory over Italy, while Spain also needed 120 minutes to see off Germany."There's a lot of respect between both the teams and, I think the most important thing for them as a footballer, is that they can enjoy this final – that there's not the controversy surrounding it," said Walsh, who made 100 appearances for Barcelona over two-and-a-half seasons. "The girls deserve to be there to play incredible football. The way our league jumped after we won the Euros [in 2022] - if you compare it to Spain it probably wasn't the same and they won the World Cup. "After the final there was a lot of controversy and I don't think, for them, there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played. It was all about the other stuff. "As a professional, that was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got."In September, Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey said more Spanish players were moving to the Women's Super League because "we won the World Cup and it changed nothing".Following the court ruling in February, Spain's Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati said the players had "battled hard" during the Rubiales case and it "had not been in vain"."I hope that this case makes changes in our country, in our football, to respect us better as footballers," she added. 'It's not luck - you create those moments' England's route to the final has not been an easy one as they were playing catch-up from the start with defeat by bounced back with victories over the Netherlands and Wales but needed to come back from 2-0 down and go through a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden in the were trailing 1-0 to Italy on Tuesday before teenager Michelle Agyemang scored a 96th-minute equaliser and substitute Chloe Kelly netted the winner in the 119th minute of if their comeback was by design or chaos, Walsh said: "I think when you're [not] playing maybe it looks like chaos but for us it doesn't feel like that. "I've also heard that people have been saying that it was luck, but you kind of create those moments yourself, through belief, determination, confidence. "It's not by [luck] that Michelle's in the box and scoring. It is not by [luck] that people are putting crosses in the box. "It's thought out, it's purposeful and I think it's the absolute belief that no matter what minute of the game it is, we're going to win."
