Viktor Gyokeres set the world alight at Sporting Lisbon after proving to be Brighton's biggest ever mistake... why Arsenal are throwing £70m at Europe's hottest striker
If the ball was played to him, too often he would fail to retain it. Given the chance to find a team-mate, he would regularly pick out a member of the opposition instead. Swans players were soon exchanging concerned glances. 'Who is this guy?' was the general gist.
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The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Two seasons in a day: the Champions League and Club World Cup overlap
Football Daily would prefer not to have to think about Copa Gianni at all but we have a certain professional obligation to do so and have never knowingly been found shirking in the face of our responsibilities. To keep things simple, we prefer to view the tournament as a stand-alone competition that's taking place between the end of the last season and the beginning of the next one, but the fact that it's being contested by clubs instead of countries leaves plenty of room for debate. Watching Kingsley Coman 'sprint' on to a through-ball from Harry Kane during Bayern Munich's defeat by PSG as if he was running in knee-deep wet cement, we were presented with the sight of a player in next season's kit who was quite clearly exhausted by the exertions of the one that may or may not have ended before the tournament in which he was playing started. Does the goal he didn't score go down in the official xG column of last season, next season, or neither? If as seems likely, Copa Gianni goes down in the official record books as part of last season, then it will overlap with European football's next season, which officially starts … on Tuesday! Designed in part by Fifa to disrupt and devalue the gleaming jewel in Uefa's crown, it will go down as a matter of historical record that last season's Copa Gianni will conclude at the end of the same week next season's Bigger Cup began. Over the next two days no fewer than 28 teams will line up to play in Bigger Cup qualifiers, with The New Saints, Shelbourne and Linfield representing Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively. And while it would be little short of a miracle for any of the three sides to make it to Bigger Cup proper, at least one of Shels and Linfield will make it into the next qualifying round because they've been paired against each other. Until very recently managed by Damien Duff, who won the League of Ireland Premier Division with them last season before resigning a couple of weeks ago following a typically forthright but extremely coruscating public take-down of his players, Shels will be managed by Duff's former assistant turned replacement, Joey O'Brien. 'He made his call and then it was up to me to make my call and I did,' said the former Bolton Wanderer of his decision to take over from his pal. 'Hopefully we can write new memories again. With the players, we have a great squad. Great lads. That's why I wanted to hang around.' While fans of both Shels and Linfield had almost certainly hoped for a more exotic Bigger Cup away trip than a two-hour coach trip up and down the M1 to Belfast or Dublin respectively, the good news is that the winners can look forward to an away day in Baku, Azerbaijan. Qarabag await the victors and are a team the Northern Irish side and their manager, David Healy, have faced before in what is now known as Bigger Vase. Meanwhile in Wales, they'll be dancing on the streets of The New Saints if the famous side formerly known as Total Network Solutions can see off North Macedonia's Shkendija to tee up what looks certain to be a second qualifying round tie against FCSB, the even more famous side formerly known as Steaua Bucharest. While TNS are well aware Shkendija is a tough place to go having lost there 5-0 seven years ago, their manager Craig Harrison is hopeful they can exact some revenge. 'It's going to be a really tough game out there,' blathered the former Middlesbrough defender. 'It's going to be really hot and humid and it will be like it was in Montenegro against Decic.' Decic, of course, being the team TNS beat at this stage of Bigger Cup at the start of last season. Unless, of course, it was the end of the season before. Join Sarah Rendell for Euro 2025 updates on Spain 4-0 Belgium at 5pm (BST), while Will Unwin will be on hand at 8pm for Portugal 1-1 Italy. There's me being able to walk down the stairs after I've played 90 minutes of football, there's me in the future when I have children being able to walk around properly, being able to bend down and pick up toys, there's me being able to do normal life things like put on socks without being in pain and, for the first time in a long time, I genuinely didn't think about the response of the public because that just wasn't a priority' – Millie Bright reveals how she is feeling better in her mind after taking the decision to miss Euro 2025 and prioritise her recovery from a knee injury. Sometimes Mauricio Pochettino wants it to be a penalty, sometimes he doesn't. There's just no pleasing some people. Extra moaning points for Poch insinuating that the officials were swayed by the pro-Mexico crowd for a game that USA USA USA were playing at home. P.S. A doff of the cap to Mexico for that uber cool black and gold kit …' – Noble Francis. With a tip of the cap to The Usual Suspects … the greatest trick Infantino ever pulled was turning me into a Chelsea fan for two hours rooting against Infantino's home team making the finals' – Harry Webb. I can't have been your only reader who paused between Friday's tea time email and big website's MBM coverage of the Jurassic reunion opening gig, to turn the dial of my retro digital transistors to the political satirical radio broadcast, Deadringers. I – and what I suspect to be 1,056 others – nearly choked on my fermented tofu when I heard a repeat of your dinosaur banter about the aforementioned group of monobrows. I assume the requisite phone calls were made – i.e. your people calling their people, etc – and payment made (four pack of budget Tin) before Tom Baker's closing remarks' – Nicholas Tipple. Please send your letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day competition is … Noble Francis. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. The Football Weekly podcast has a tribute to Diogo Jota. As transfer stories go, West Brom winger Mikey 'Jinky' Johnston to Flamengo is pretty wild. A signing to soothe Fla fans now that bitter rivals Fluminense have gone further in the Copa Gianni? Perhaps not: Johnston's move is reported to be off after fan protests in Rio de Janeiro. Still, the Irishman has got the game's cognoscenti talking in Brazil, so much so that Vampeta, the 2002 World Cup winner, phoned up old Internazionale teammate Robbie Keane for the skinny on Jinky. The pair bonded on the San Siro bench – Vamps playing just eight matches, Robbie six – and the former midfielder, now a radio host, dialled up his old mate on air. 'The fans will like him because he is really fast and skilful,' replied Robbie, descending into that weird accent English speakers use when speaking to foreign friends. 'Roberto Carlos is here,' announced the programme's host, Thiago Asmar. 'My best friend, I love him,' cooed Robbie. 'Keane, I love you too, man,' cheered Vampeta, hanging up. Despite such love-in and Robbie's Kitemark of quality, Mikey will not be moving to Rio. Trent Alexander-Arnold has described his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota as 'someone who lit up a room'. The defender, now at Real Madrid, added: 'It goes without saying he will never be forgotten by anyone. He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.' In scenes that could have been avoided had there not been an extra tournament slap bang in the middle of the summer break, Bayern Munich have announced that Jamal Musiala has 'sustained a fracture of the fibula [a bone in the lower leg] associated with a broken and dislocated ankle' after a collision with PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Copa Gianni. Lauren Hemp has backed the Lionesses to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat against France in their absolutely must-win group game against Netherlands on Wednesday. 'This team, a lot of the time, we thrive under pressure,' she said. ' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Euro 2025 roundup: Switzerland have kept their tournament alive after Géraldine Reuteler and Alayah Pilgrim scored to knock out Iceland, while Caroline Graham Hansen's late winner downed Finland and put Norway into last eight. Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Viktor Gyökeres, which is all well and good apart from the fact that they haven't agreed a fee with Sporting. Arsenal are hoping to strike a deal for less than the £68m asking price. Crystal Palace have agreed a deal to sign Borna Sosa from Ajax for about £3m, with the Croatia defender due to cough for the doctor on Monday. And it has taken Jhon Durán just six months to realise that moving from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr in a £71m deal might have been good for the bank account, but probably wasn't so beneficial for career development. He's joined Fenerbahce on a year-long loan, where renowned nurturer of youth José Mourinho will get him back on track. Forget Black Friday in November, the best time and place for super-discount deals is right now in New Jersey, baby. Yep, you can get a bumper 97% off the price of entry for Tuesday's semi-final between Chelsea and Fluminense after tickets were slashed from $473.90 to $13.40. Fifa has used 'dynamic pricing' for the 63-game wheeze in the hope that the USA USA USA had a fever over football like the one marketing genius Gianni experienced when he dreamed up the bloated thing. Pity the saps who have paid full whack to attend. Sid Lowe on Arsenal's shiny new signing, Martín Zubimendi, and why 'there is no one like him'. Luke Taylor explains how a Colombian podcast shed light on Bobby Moore and the 'bracelet of Bogotá'. Max Rushden writes on why transfer news has lost its sense of wonder and surprise. Crystal Palace are in the dark over whether they have qualified for Europe next season. Ed Aarons untangles the details and the web that John Textor has woven around the London club. And click here for today's Rumour Mill, which features a fetching picture of Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the 2022 Milan fashion week (the striker is linked with a move to Manchester United). And check out all the latest men's and women's moves in the summer window. 5 November 2000: former Tottenham midfielder Micky Hazard poses in his black cab, having taking up work as a taxi driver five years after retiring as a footballer.
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
England have 'got to' pick Archer, says Anderson
England have "got to" play Jofra Archer in the third Test against India at Lord's, says James pace bowler is in line to play his first Test for more than four years after a string of 30-year-old's route back to fitness has been almost exclusively in white-ball cricket. He made his red-ball comeback for Sussex against Durham in the County Championship two weeks ago, bowling 18 England's all-time leading wicket-taker, told the Tailenders podcast: "You could keep trying to build his overs up and play him later in the series, but it could be too late by then."Anderson was part of the England team when Archer last played a Test, against India in Ahmedabad in 42-year-old has since retired from Test cricket and spent time on the England coaching staff as a fast-bowling returned to the England squad for the second Test at Edgbaston, which India won by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1. The third Test begins on Thursday."I think he will play," said Anderson."He's played one game for Sussex, he was around the team at Edgbaston and bowled a bit. I just feel like you've got to play him. It's too crucial a game not to." England head coach Brendon McCullum said Archer is "ready to go" and will "come into calculations".Archer's return could come as part of a refresh of an England attack that looked weary in conceding scores of 587 and 427-6 declared at Edgbaston. India's match total of 1,014 was the fourth-highest amount of runs scored by one team in a single Woakes could be retained, partly because of an excellent record at Lord's, where he has taken 32 wickets at an average of 12.90. If Woakes is omitted, Sam Cook would be the most like-for-like replacement in the England Carse and Josh Tongue seem more likely to be rested, especially as the Durham bowler has been struggling with foot would take one spot, leaving another for Gus Atkinson or Jamie Overton. Atkinson is back in the squad after suffering a hamstring injury against Zimbabwe in May but may not be ready for this Test, leaving Surrey team-mate Overton in line for his second Test cap, three years after his first."Whatever England go with, it's a huge risk," said former England captain Michael Vaughan."I would have loved to see Archer play a bit more cricket. England believe he has done enough in terms of workload."
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Did the number-nine shirt proud'
We asked for your favourite memories of striker Callum Wilson after he left the club following the conclusion of his are some of your comments:Matt: He was magic on the pitch when Newcastle were hobbling around the bottom end of the table. But the one memory that stands out the most is Wilson responding to an emergency in the crowd when they played Tottenham and almost singlehandedly alerted all medical staff at the ground to it. What a guy. He has done the number-nine shirt Thanks Callum… always put in 100% but just cursed by constant injuries. A great natural goalscorer and definitely appreciated by all fans. Good luck for the future!Peter: Wilson was part of a special group of players who kept us going in the "not so canny" days. He's been fantastic and I wish him all the news notifications for your clubRichard: At the cup final this year when he came on, I remember thinking: "Good move. Experienced and steady - he won't do anything silly." Straight away he took the ball right into the Liverpool corner and let them kick him for 30 seconds before letting it out for a throw. Not the most spectacular, but it was exactly what we needed. We'd have been in the Championship again if it wasn't for his goals before Alexander Isak came Generally just his robust, yet composed, style of play was always nice to watch. I wish there were more strikers like What a servant to the club. He alluded to it in his message, but there really were some lows! To have such a quality player during those times was a rare spark of joy. I'm sure I can confidently say that the Toon army wishes Wilson the best of luck with whatever he chooses to do moving forward. Burnley and Leeds wouldn't go far wrong by looking to add Wilson to their line-ups for next season!
